A TOUR ROUND MY OARDKN. 



A TOUll HOUND MY GARDEN. 



IIY ALl'lIONSE KARR. 



A Tour Round My Garden is the title of a little now Froiifh book, the name of 

 which attracted our attention, and from which we shall make a few extracts. It 

 may be said to be intcmtcij/ French and tolerably amusing, but instead of facts and 

 information, it is mainly humorous or satirical j the satire is however, so good 

 humored and self satisfied, that while it attempts to laugh at care and human 

 nature, and philosophises upon the follies of the world and nf all who do not prefer 

 a garden to everything else, we cannot but be entertained. The follo\ving is the 

 best we could select for translation. 



THE ENCROACHING VISITOR. 



"The sun has disappeared behind the high trees some minutes since, so that I should 

 not have recognized the fennel and the Angelica if I had not been pretty well acquain- 

 ted with them. The weather is hot and close : this is a capital opportunity for testing 

 the phenomenon of the fraxinella. 



"Varai, bring me a taper." 



"Monsieur, there is somebody knocking at the garden gate." 



"Give me the taper then, and go and open it." 



"Monsieur, I have lit the taper twice, and twice the wind has extinguished it. Only 

 hear how they are knocking!" 



In fact, somebody did knock — almost enough to break the gate down. 



"Yarai, go and open it, pray." A man presents himself, whom at first I did not 

 recognise. 



"Well Stephen, my good fellow, what a while it is since I have seen thee ! I am 



going to , and I could not pass so near thy hermitage without passing a 



few days with thee." 



Only at this moment I recognized Edmond. You know, my dear friend, or else you do 

 not know, what Edmond I mean. Perhaps, like me, it would be necessary for you to 

 have him before your eyes to remember that he ezists. He had never taken the liberty to 

 tutoyer me in his life. I remember that he once borrowed a few livres of me, of which 

 he never said anything since. Nevertheless, he gave his vaUse to my servant, and said, 

 "Thingummy ! What's your name ? Pay the coachman and give him something to 

 drink. Ah ! by-the bye, Stephen, I can't think wdiy thou dost not get the road put to 

 rights that leads hither, that is, if thou canst call it a road ; it's enuugh to break one's 

 back. Fortunately, I have not my horses here. I have left them at the top of the hill. 

 Hast thou dined? 



I had been for some time endeavoring to recover from the stupor into which this 

 avrival or rather this invasion had plunged me, and I racked my invention for a sentence 

 in which there should be neither a iliou nor a you, not being willing that the said 

 Edmond should force me to tuioyer him, and being equally unwilling to offend him by 

 not thee and thouing him after he had made use of tliat mode of speaking towards me, 

 which would have appeared to me equivalent to witholding your hand from a person who 

 stretches out his to you, an insult that can only be caused by a deep resentment. I 

 ht I had discovered a sentence, 

 es, but I have not supped." 



