Alfred; or, The Adventures of a French Gentleman — page 154: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

OF A FRENCH GENTLEMAN. T27 detect a single flaw. He was about to visit another land, of whose glories, whose power, and whose resources he had heard so much, and it was a pleasant task that impelled him thither. He had seen HEloise—he had renewed with her, in the presence of Mr. Clayton, all their former vows. He was possessed of that gentle- man’s friendship; and he had good reason to hope that eventual success would crown all his fondest wishes. Belle-Rose carelessly questioned him as to the cause of his sudden galety, and was apparently satished with a trivial excuse, which to the meanest capacity would have seemed a prevarication; but he affected not to notice the blush that betrayed his friend’s momentary embar- rassment, and continued to sip his Volnay with a coxnoisseur’s relish. When dinner was over, De Rosann retired to his chamber, to arrange the various articles which he had purchased in the morning. A small portmanteau of black leather stood upon a chair, ready to receive the objects its owner might think it fit to be entrusted with, amongst which were the mysterious documents that had apparently worked so happy a change in his spirits. Our hero’s occupation was scarcely concluded, when Belle-Rose, accompanied by the porter of the hotel, entered the room; and having inquired of De Rosann if his portmanteau were ready, on receiving an answer in the athrmative, he desired the man to carry it down stairs, and lash it to the post-chaise. His orders were immediately obeyed, the bill was liberally settled, and the two travellers stepped into the carriage, which rolled away from the botel as speedily as four horses could draw it, while the landlord declared, ‘That perceptibly those gentlemen were indisputably the most worthy guests he had accidentally seen during the last six months; and that he cordially hoped they would safely arrive at the end of their journey as satisfactorily as they had apparently undertaken it.” Nothing of any consequence ensued on the road from St. Malo to Havre-de-grace. Belle-Rose himself saw the baggage care- fully unpacked and conveyed to their respective apartments, and settled with the postilion of the last stage. To be brief, the hour of departure arrived. Belle-Rose had taken his place in the malle-poste for the evening of the day on which De Rosann was to bid a short farewell to France; and he accompanied our hero as far as the quay, where the steam-vessel was lying. De Rosann had already insisted upon Belle-Rose ac- cepting a quarter of the sum with which Mr. Clayton had supplied nim; and having repeatedly thanked the companion of his flight for the services he had derived from his knowledge of the country and friendly guidance, Alfred stepped into the packet-boat, and vas soon out of sight of the spires of Havre, the French coast, and the land which contained all that was dear to him upon earth. For some time De Rosann walked up and down the deck without taking the slightest notice of a soul. The sea was tolerably calm— a gentle breeze blew favourably from the south-eastern quarter, and the gallant vessel ploughed the blue element ‘like a thing of life,” dashing away the white foam from her prow as if she CONNIE ODOOKS (C©@)