UMBRELLA VEJiSUS HAT. 95 



girl in the house. Happily, however, tins girl, attracted 

 by the noise ran to the door, and bolted it, and before 

 anything serious could be done, a neighbour and his 

 man who had been on the watch for my safety, unknown 

 to me, ran up and secured him, literally foaming at the 

 mouth like a wild beast. He was taken away for the 

 night, and on the next day begged my pardon in such 

 abject terms, on the plea of being out of his mind at the 

 time with some brandy which he said he had drunk, that 

 for the sake of his family, I let him ofP with a severe re- 

 primand, and he shortly after left the country. I believe 

 that this ferocity is a Breton characteristic now as it was 

 in the time of Caesar. 



It is a French saying that John Bull's picture is not 

 complete without his eternal umbrella ; to which I will 

 reply, that Monsieur Crapaud's picture is nothing without 

 his hat. He treats his hat as if it were a part of himself, 

 though with a curious caprice. For instance, in the street 

 it is always off, whereas in the house it is always on. 

 Even before ladies it is frequently kept on the head, and 

 in business the Frenchman never uncovers himself, but 

 requests us to cover too. We, however, think it well to 

 keep the head cool but the heart warm, and generally 

 have our hats off. A Frenchman goes to a dinner but 

 carries his hat into the drawing-room with him, or delivers 

 it to a servant at the door, and John Bull, with a blind 

 imitation, has copied the custom without the reason of it. 

 The Frenchman does it because in general there is no 

 hall in which to hang his hat on entering, as he lives in an 

 ,^tage and the hall is common ; whereas wealthy John, with 



