effort to relieve himself, thrust his finger into the mouth of the Gascon, who lay sprawling and gasping with rage, and who feeling this extraordinary intrusion as another affront, closed his mouth upon the finger and bit it almost through, at the same time seizing our host, who roared like an ox, by the hair, and rubbing his head, as if it were a mop, in the wrecks of the dish of ragout, with the greasy honours of which he was himself thickly besprent. Meantime, the boy, who was entirely unconscious of having done any thing to deserve such treatment, kicked, and struck, and laid about, like a blind man, hitting indiscriminately his master and the Gascon in such sort, that the scene would soon have been a bloody one, had not Sans-Chagrin, who almost overcome with the fatigue of laughter, was willing to put an end to so shameful a broil, threw himself into the midst of the combatants. In three turnings of his hands he separated them; and

in two words he brought the innkeeper and his boy to reason; then taking the Gascon again by the waistband and holding him forth in his hand without suffering his feet to touch the ground, he authoritatively ordered him to be thenceforth silent and to sit down to table, without offering any further insult to any one, unless he had the ambition to be thrown out of the window.

Far from being intimidated by this menace, the determined Gascon swore that he would not yield a point to him, if he did not promise to fight him on their arrival at Lyons. Sans-Chagrin, merely to procure a pacification, gently laid the brute down on the ground, and gave his word of honour that at Lyons they should meet together. From that moment his fury was appeased, and supper was served---after having dispatched which, we mounted the Diligence and proceeded for Lyons.

As my adventures in that city were too curious and too numerous to be put in this

chapter, I beg my readers to go along with me to those which follow. They will there find things not very ordinarily met with, and which yet are not at all marvellous.

CHAPTER VII.

We arrive at Lyons-Sans-Chagrin leaves his fellow-travellers at the office of the Diligence, and conducts his two friends to the house of one of his parents-First love.

EARLY in the morning we entered the city of Lyons by the parish of Guillotiere. As we travelled along the road which conducted us to the back of the city, the Gascon, who ever since we left the inn had done nothing but sleep or rave, opened the conversation by observing to Sans-Chagrin, that the time now drew near in which they were engaged to measure swords. The other contented himself with saying that on his arrival he would give him satisfaction, and again tranquilly resumed his conversation with the widow. Linval, on his part, chatter

ed with the devotee; and for myself, I listened to the attorney, who declared to me that he should not have one moment's tranquillity till he was at a distance from the Gascon. At last we arrived at the office of the Diligence. As our places were paid for and we were encumbered with no baggage, we had nothing to do in the office. Meanwhile, Sans-Chagrin, who wanted to get rid of the Gascon, pretended to have business in the stageoffice and went in with him, after having given us the wink to remain outside the door. He then asked him whether he had long to stay there. The Gascon answer. ed that he had only to pay for his place and take away his.portmanteau, and that: then he would be at his humble service. Satisfied with this answer, Sans-Chagrin watched the moment when his man approached the office desk---immediately. walked away, came to us, put us into a coach, and brought us off to the house of a relation of his, who resided in the place De Bellecour.