reproach for me to let you depart without
Adieu." This friend's only commission was,
that when passing through Dôle, I would see
a sister of hers, and tell her that their very
amiable and very esteemed friend, Mademoiselle
de V., was in Paris. I was very much
relieved, indeed, on finding that I had nothing
more bulky than that message to carry.

I hope that the Grebe was none the worse
for being squeezed as flat as fists and knees
could press it into my portmanteau.

The journey to Dôle was tolerably well
got through: the witness being ousted,
as has often happened with him, from
his seat on the banquette, was compelled to
travel inside; and, as the weather was hot,
and the vehicle was full, the air was not
agreeable. At Dôle, while horses were being
changed, it did not prove difficult to find the
house of Madame d'Epingle's sister; indeed,
she seemed to be on the look-out for her
visitor.

The message concerning the existence in
Paris of the amiable and esteemed Mademoiselle
V. was delivered to the fascinating
sister of Madame d'Epingle in her garden.

Madame d'Epingle's sister: "How good you
are! how amiable you are! And this charming
Mademoiselle V. you will see her, is it
not so?"

A. B.: "It would give me happiness to do
so, but it will, I fear, be quite out of the
question."

Madame d'Epingle's sister: "Ah! yes, yes.
(With her hand on her forehead, in deep
thought.) And what have I—(Suddenly
very radiant.) What happy idea!"

The lady darted forward, and selected from
a stand a tall, flowering shrub, of what
nature complainant (who is no botanist) is
unable to testify; but it shot up to the height
of three feet from a large pot, and was
covered with blossoms of a powerful and
sweet, but very sickly odour.

Madame d'Epingle's sister: "Dear
Monsieur, I will send it; you will take it."

A. B.: "Utterly impossible, Madame."

Madame d'Epingle's sister (caressingly):
"Yes, yes. You are so good you cannot
refuse me. What do you say? It will be
spoilt? Not one blossom will arrive at
Paris? You speak true. (Looks very serious,
recovers, calls a gardener, and gives an order
in which A. B. catches the word Pasteboard).
Nothing is impossible, my kind friend, for
you and for me. Adieu, dear Monsieur. My
kindest friendship to Mademoiselle V. Quick,
Adolphe! Quick!"

Adolphe was quick, and complainant testifies
that he had scarcely taken his old place
inside the stifling diligence, when Adolphe
appeared; and, with some difficulty, succeeded
in thrusting between his legs the detested
shrub, so packed as to bear a strong
resemblance to a funnel, and of such height that it
reached to within not many inches of his
nose. The diligence started; but, before
twenty minutes had elapsed, a young woman,
who was sitting opposite the said shrub,
turned suddenly pale, and then fainted;
whereupon a man, who seemed to be her
husband, uttering many sacres and pestes,
wrenched the said shrub from between A. B.'s
legs, and without a word of apology, threw
it out of window. Did A. B. threaten a
duel, or even expostulate? O, no.

A. B. deposes that he pursued his travels
and endured all attendant troubles, duly
fulfilling all commissions as his power served,
but that he had firmly resolved on leaving
London to forget the cod liver oil. His
portmanteau was packed for departure,
when there was a knock at the door of his
London lodgings, and a servant brought up
a half-gallon bottle of that medicine which
was to his mind so offensive and disgusting.
The lady for whom it was intended had with
the prudence of age despatched her order in
a letter to the chemist, to save her kind
friend the trouble of a journey to the shop.

Furthermore, there arrived at the last
moment a draught-board for Neufchâtel,
which there was no time to pack, and which
A. B. was compelled to wear under his great
coat, after the manner of a strait-waistcoat.
For the young friend who expected a gift
from mamma, said A. B. carried, in a round
card-box tied to the handle of his hat-box,
a baby's cap and hood, the exposure of which
at various custom-houses provoked mirth in
the douaniers. He completes the statement
of his case by the relation of this grievance:—

On signing a book at the Prussian frontier
deponent, who takes no part in political
affairs and seldom thinks about them, innocently
entered his address as being Neufchâtel,
and brought himself in consequence under
the eye of the police. At last he was arrested;
and, being unable to speak German—while
his captors spoke with volubility an unintelligible
sort of French—he did not learn, until
after a night's captivity, that he was accused
as a suspicious person, because he had in his
luggage a quantity of poison, made up into
large round balls, strongly impregnated with
opium. Two of them had killed a healthy
rabbit. Not until the poison was produced did
A. B. credit its existence. The production of
the anodyne necklaces explained to him this
mystery. He was accused further of importing
into Switzerland a work styled Daniel
the Prophet, which some person had asked
him to take to the clergyman of Neufchâtel.
and he was asked solemnly, whether in that
book Nebuchadnezzar was not intended to
personify the King of Prussia. He replied
that he had not opened the volume, and
knew nothing of its contents; that if
Nebuchadnezzar was intended for the King of
Prussia, he had no part in such intention.
For his speedy release A. B. was indebted to
Lord Bloomfield, who had been told by some
friendly Englishman of these ridiculous
proceedings.