250 EEMTNISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 



well then : so I sang duets with Madame la 

 Prefete, who screamed most discordantly; 

 danced with the daughters, who were not 

 beauties ; and, with the help of the General, 

 so ingratiated myself with the Prefet, that he 

 promised me £l porte d'armes, and all his interest 

 in procuring shooting as soon as it was opened, 

 which it was to be in a day or two. I thus 

 soon found myself in clover. I shot where I 

 had leave, and poached where I had none. I 

 missed a great many partridges, red and grey 

 quails, and hares, and snipes ; but then I was 

 young, and had time to learn. In the dragoon 

 regiment the General was inspecting there were 

 some very nice young fellows ; and between 

 shooting and balls and dinners and plays, 

 merrily went the time. 



At last the neck of the inspection was broken, 

 and a grande jpartie de cliasse was arranged to 

 come off in a royal forest some eight or nine 

 leagues from Rennes. We started one fine 

 morning in such a carriage, with four such 

 long-tailed horses, and such a coachman with 

 such a cocked hat, and such a pigtail ! I 

 thought I should have choked. We ambled 

 gracefully along, a little slower than we could 

 have walked, and arrived about eleven in the 

 centre of the forest — a place something like 



