THE VALUE OP KISSING IN FRANCE. 251 



my wishes known as to my dinner and bed, for 

 there was not a soul around me who understood 

 English; and as to the plump chamber-maid, she 

 nearly died of laughing. 



Having been called, I think at seven o'clock in 

 the morning, and made a good breakfast, myself and 

 my terriers got into the omnibus, and in our way 

 the vehicle stopped at the door of a convent or 

 habitation in Nevers of the Soeurs de Charite. The 

 door into their house being open, I saw a young 

 priest in the passage, in his clerical dress and shaven 

 crown, kiss the sisters all round ; and in one or two 

 instances, the ancient enemy of mankind within me, 

 ever anxious for good that leads, I suppose, to evil, 

 prompted me to descend and civilly relieve him of 

 his agreeable occupation ; but, just as the battle 

 within me was at the full, all jealousy ceased when 

 I beheld him, having finished off the women, proceed 

 to a similar operation with some men. " Oh ! thou 

 false fiend," I said to the throes of Sathanas within 

 me, " get thee gone ; there was nothing in the kisses 

 the young man gave to the women ; I saw them only 

 through the deceptive eye of the devil. Hang me, 

 if he seems not to have as much zest when he's 

 smacking at the men." He entered the omnibus, 

 and I fell into a reverie as to why or how a kiss 



