the first time to love, were the revolutions of a moment; the next conveyed him imprudently into her arms. In that aufpicious, and yet unlucky minute, appeared the ill-boding figure of Mifs Dorotheé de Taillis, the very pious and difcreet aunt of whom honourable mention has already been made.

Her ideas, at beft, were seldom of the most charitable kind, the reader may, therefore, form a tolerable guess at their import, on witneffing the scene juft defcribed: and, indeed, it must be granted, that a young fellow in regimentals, in a grove, and in fuch a fituation, gave but little room for favorable conjectures.

Aunt Dorotheé flew to the charge like an Amazon with her left-hand fhe feized the unexpected Comte by the neck; and, with her right, firmly clenched, began to buffet him with unremitting zeal and affiduity. This unexpected attack in the rear, obliged the young hero to face about; and would have afforded poor Maria an opportunity of flight, had not the manner in which fhe was furprized caufed her inftantaneously to faint away, and the remained in a ftate of infenfibility till the conteft between her aunt and Lover was brought to a crifis.

The first object that prefented itself to her waking eyes was her enraged kinfwoman, who would

not

not have been ill-watched with the Knight of the Woeful Countenance. Maria gave a fhriek, and again fainted. Young Sabran would have flown to her relief: when Aunt Dorotheé immediately interpofed; and, by this manœuvre, received the embrace intended for Maria, in which pofition they both fell to the ground. Aunt Dorotheé exclaimed, in a tone much lefs unpleafing than ufual, that she was undone, ruined, violated! and, in spite of all efforts, kept the Comte on the turf, close locked and nearly fuffocated in her arms,

By this time the alarm was spread to some peafants in a neighbouring field, who came running to the fpot, armed with clubs, forks, and fuch other weapons as their labour afforded. With fome difficulty they relieved the enraged Comte from his critical fituation. An explanation immediately enfued, in which Aunt Dorotheé was by far the moft diftinguished speaker; who, after having exhausted her rage, and the patience of her auditors, in threats and invectives against the Comte and Maria, was proceeding to lefs gentle ufage of the latter; when her lover ftepped in, and declared his resolution, in a tone that proved him to be in earneft, of facrificing Aunt Dorothee to immediate retaliation, unless fhe inftanteously defifted from her

purpose.

purpose. Having gained this first point, be foon infifted on a fecond; and, after a few preliminary articles bore away his prize in triumph. The pea fants, who had not the highest opinion of Aunt Do rotheé's character, refused to interfere; and even gave Sabran three cheers of approbation, which they knew would not go unrewarded. Thus they parted; Sabran more elate than Alexander at his return from the conquest of India; Aunt Dorothee, with all that rancour, spite and malice, in her heart which the reader may fuppofe in a woman agitated by fo many and fuch violent paffions.

The Comte, who was to the full as much in love as if he had been making it for years, and whose intentions towards the object of his wifhes were every way honourable, was by no means defirous, as yet, to discover the fecret to his father. fome deliberation, he procured lodgings for Maria in the neighbourhood. But who can ftop fame in a country village?

After

The fhort space of two hours brought the whole affair with additions, to the Maréchal! who immediately furprized the couple tête-a-tête in their new apartments. Heighday?' exclaimed he, at entering but not in a tone of paffion; what! Monfieur le Comte, getting the girls into a corner already!' The Comte made no anfwer; and he proceeded,

Well,

'Well, Mifs! and fo I find you have been laying love-baits for my fon; but-' Here Maria, trembling in every limb, threw herself at his feet, and entreated him, with a voice of fupplication which must have touched even a Negro, not to condemn her unheard. There was a fomething even in Maria's afpect that pleaded irrefiftably in her favor, before her lips uttered a fingle fyllable, and so sweet were the accents which flowed from that fource of candour and truth, that, had she asked for empires, no other idea would have refulted from the request than how they might be procured for her. Maria was fuffered to proceed: fhe told the Maréchal, in a few words, not one of which failed to reach his heart, that she prefumed he was equally mistaken as to her designs and character. She faid, that, like Lavina, fhe had been left a folitary shepherdefs of the woods; with this difference, that Lavina found comfort in the arms of a tender parent, whilft fhe had been configned to the care of a relatian who seemed to find a malicious pleasure in aggravating her diftreffes. At the mention of the park-scene, the Maréchal could not help exclaiming to his fon, What! attempt the virtue of an innocent female, and steal a march upon her when fhe was afleep, too!"

The Comte foon undeceived the Maréchal in his hafty conjectures: and when he came to the

part

part Aunt Dorotheé had acted in the affair, the old gentleman's mufcles took a very different turn; and gravity was the least prevailing paffion in his face. Maria then difcovered her name and family, (at which the Maréchal feemed greatly affected,) protesting, in a tone of angelic fweetnefs, that fhe had none of those base designs on the Comte his fon, which the Maréchal had unkindly fuggefted. I believe you, child, moft fincerely! faid the Maréchal taking one of her hands in both his: "But what do you fuppofe were my fon's defigns on you?" Maria blufhed, and was filent. The Comte, on being asked the fame queftion, immediately replied, "Matrimony," Matrimony! exclaimed the Maréchal: "what, no sooner enlisted in the fervice of Mars, than that of Venus must follow! Well; I always afferted that they were closely connected together. The paufe of a minute which followed thefe apoftrophes, made the two young lovers tremble for the event. Maria conceived the old gentleman's hefitation to originate in her want of fortune: but how different would her prefentiments have proved, had fhe known what paffed in the Maréchal's heart during that fhort interval! He feized Maria's trembling hand, with an emotion that appeared evidently in every feature, and preffed and kiffed it with an ardour that fhewed at once the fullness and candour of his heart. "And