ELUCIDATION. 141 



counter. In a few seconds we had recovered our wits. 

 Then she told me : Mr. Louis, (that was my appella- 

 tion there) I wanted to see you, to ask you if you would 



sell me a flower stem of tuberose I shall not tell 



you what I answered You may say whatever 



you please. I have written the dots, you may write 

 the Is, just to suit you. You may guess, as I do when 

 I am in doubt. But I am willing to tell you that : 

 We had a long conversation in French. My English 

 would not have been adequate to express all I had not 

 on hand, but in my heart. I suppose you might wish 

 to know what we said to each other. I wish I could, 

 but it is impossible for me to tell you now, nor imme- 

 diately after, except we talked, perhaps, over an hour, 

 and we might have talked three or four, or more, but 

 she was called and warned that if she should delay any 

 longer she would miss the boat coming from Fl ashing, 

 to go to 'New York, then to Albany. I did not know 

 where to ; it is after, I found it. On reflection, I 

 think we talked on American, English, French morals 

 theatrical performances, practical theology, Tuberos- 

 ology, and many other topics profane and religious, in 

 logy or logics, etc. All I recollect perfectly well is 

 that we understood each other almost by intuition. 

 The sequel has proved it, for half a century, and two 

 months strictly speaking, though two weeks less in 

 reality. lt Man proposes ! God disposes ! " Human 



