A COUPLE OF CONTRASTS. 537 



offering his sacrifice to the sea god. Two nautical monsters ac- 

 cordingly lugged him over to leeward, where he sunk down, utterly 

 heedless of the waves that almost every instant broke over him. 

 There he continued until we reached Dover, exclaiming, as often as 

 his paroxysms would permit, " Mais mon Dieu est-ce possible ?" 



When within a few yards of the pier, all again became bustle and 

 animation : the old dowager made her appearance in a superb 

 chapeau, probably the last " improvisation" of the celebrated Vic- 

 torine ; but in her hurry she had only rouged one side of her face. 

 It was really amusing to observe the metamorphoses the toilets of 

 the ladies had undergone in a few minutes. Vanity had given them 

 " le pied marin" all sported some article of finery in order to 

 cheat the harpies of the custom-house. On getting alongside the 

 pier, a general rush was made towards the steps. In the rear of the 

 column I observed the little commis voyageur, but 



" Heu quantus mutatus ab illo Hectare !" 



His superb redingote was besmeared with tar, and drenched with 

 sea water. " Et vofre pied marin, Monsieur" said I. He did not 

 hear me, but tottered along, endeavouring to argue himself into a 

 conviction that he had been dreaming. On reaching the steps, he 

 cast a hasty look back at the scene of his distress, and went off, 

 muttering " Cependant je me flatte d' avoir toujours le pied marin ! 

 Norn de Dieu !" 



A COUPLE OF CONTRASTS. 



THE " impazienza del luogo," as the Italians call our passion for 

 travelling, or some other more cogent reason, had induced an English 

 nobleman and his wife to take up their abode at Port Mahon, in the 

 course of their peregrinations, until some of his majesty's ships should 

 be at leisure to convey them to Sicily. This is a most convenient 

 mode of travelling, particularly for those who have gay wives and 

 handsome unmarried daughters. In the first place it costs nothing, 

 and some of our captains and their officers are gay young men of 

 good families, fortunes, and expectations. Then a voyage by sea 

 affords such opportunities ! walks on deck by moonlight an entire 

 seclusion in a little world of one's own music and propinquity ! 



I first met the noble family above mentioned, and her Royal High- 

 ness the Duchess Dowager of Orleans, the widow of the famous, or 

 rather infamous " Egalite," on the same night at a grand fete given 



by Sir on board his own ship. The English family were all 



life and spirits on this occasion. The Earl was a quiet mean-looking 

 man, the Countess a magnificently beautiful woman of fashion, 

 the elder daughters were lovely as angels, and the younger ones 

 promised to grow up like them. Scandal accused the mother of 



M. M. No. 89. 3 P 



