08 BRIT ANN Y AND THE CHASE. 



friend warmly at home, and the dinner, &c. coming out 

 of the house purse, an invisible thing of legerdemain, whose 

 existence is never felt until it is finished — your dinner 

 costs you four or five hard francs, cash down " on the 

 nail," is more a feed than a feast, and being in a public 

 room with waiters and strangers about, lacks the friendly 

 warmth and comfort of a home dinner, and a fireside chat 

 over the wine afterwards. 



A young friend of mine had a letter of introduction 

 to a merchant at Havre. He called and was received 

 with much kindness. " You w411 dine with me to- 

 day ? " "I shall be happy, " said the other, and at five 

 o'clock he repaired to his friend's house. The merchant 

 w^as glad to see him, and they talked a little, when 

 ^'Allons" said the host and led the way — not to the 

 dining-room — but out of the house to a neighbouring res- 

 taurant, where dinner being ordered for two, they sat 

 down amid a crowd of people. The youth thought 

 it a very disagreeable exchange for the English custom. 

 Hence to see a friend at home interferes dreadfully with 

 domestic habits, for he can hardly come at the right time, 

 instead of with us at the wrong. In the morning, all is 

 dust and clearing up, Madame with hair eii papillottes, Mon- 

 sieur in deshabille assisting in the work. At midday, 

 Madame promenades in full figure to show herself, and 

 Monsieur goes to the papers or to billiards: afterwards, 

 Madame returns to undress, and Monsieur goes out to dine 

 at his cafe, and, 'twixt all, the friend falls to the ground. 

 Doubtless, living in etages has pecuniary advantages, but 

 it is decidedly opposed to hospitality, and lacks many of 



