THE GOOD FELLOW. 691 



for his amusing combinations treasuring up the nice traits and eva- 

 nescent distinctions which individualize character, and transferring 

 them to paper with a fidelity that leaves nothing to be desired, and a 

 rapidity of execution which is truly surprising. His last work " Un 

 bon Enfant" is the history of what is cfalled among us, A Good Fellow. 

 Charles Darville, the personification of this character, is the son of a 

 wholesale silk mercer, who died, leaving his widow and son in excel- 

 lent circumstances. Charles is a most dutiful and sober youth, up to 

 the period when our history commences ; when, with the best disposi- 

 tion in the world, he is led into the commission of innumerable 

 follies and absurdities, which reduce him to the utmost distress. The 

 character of Miss Edgeworth's Vivian bears a strong analogy to that 

 of our hero. We first meet with him in an omnibus on his way to 

 dine with his mother, who has invited a select party, and, among the 

 rest, his intended bride, to receive him He is recognized by one 

 of the passengers, a frank, bold, good-humoured, good-natured, 

 swaggering, swearing lieutenant, named Mongerand, his quondam 

 condisciple, who forces him into a tavern to celebrate their meeting 

 in a bowl of punch. In vain he urges his appointment. Mongerand 

 overrules all opposition, with most plausible volubility ; and from 

 the tavern hurries him to the house of a mutual schoolfellow, with 

 whom he was going to dine. 



After dinner they adjourn to a billiard-room, where Mongerand 

 quarrels with some of the players ; a general fight ensues j Charles 

 receives a prodigious blow in the face from a stool hurled at Monge- 

 rand, who dexterously avoided the missile ; the waiters turn the 

 combatants out, and Mongerand follows his antagonists for the pur- 

 pose of arranging the preliminaries of a duel. 



By good luck Charles loses Mongerand in the street, and he gets 

 to his mother's a little before the party separates. The evidences of 

 recent mishap which he bears upon his face, confirm a fictitious 

 story of his falling in the street, which serves to quiet the fears, as to 

 his steadiness, of an old merchant, whose niece he is to espouse. He 

 escorts his intended home, and to his horror meets Mongerand, 

 whose notice however he fortunately eludes. Mongerand fights, and 

 receives a dangerous wound j Charles gets married, and is installed in 

 the flourishing house of business of his wife's uncle, who forthwith 

 retires to the country. Leonie soon perceives the difference between 

 her uncle's management and that of her husband. The latter ne- 

 glects his books, misses his appointments, and makes acquaintance 

 with every body he meets. 



" Far from resembling his wife, who desiied to become well acquainted 

 with people before forming an intimacy, Charles is at once intimate with 

 the friends of his friends. It is sufficient for him to breakfast with any one, 

 or to drink a glass of beer in the same company, to make his acquaintance. 

 He will accept the punch they offer him ; he will join a party of pleasure, 

 proposed by people whom he sees for the first time, on leaving a coffee-house, 

 where at first he knew but a single person; he will shake hands with three or 

 four individuals who come to talk to his friend. In this way, one runs a 

 great risk of prostituting one's friendship; but, again, Charles meets none but 

 those who shake hands warmly, and slap him familiarly on the shoulders." 



