258 A MONTH IN THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



done. I ascended tlie steps, walked into the dining- 

 rooms, selected a comfortable table, sat down, and 

 ordered for my curious inspection the bill of fare. 

 Being pressed for time, I could not wait to order the 

 most recherM dishes, nor to commence with oysters, 

 a thing when out on a feasting excursion I am some- 

 times apt to do; so I repeated to the most atten- 

 tive and well-appointed gar9on, the following orders : 

 going over them more than once that there might be 

 no mistake. Soupe a la reine, which proved not so 

 good as that I used to get from Ude: filet de tourbot 

 a la creme, cotelettes de mouton a la Soubise, some 

 very good ice, I forget the name of it, a splendid 

 peach, biscuits, some coffee and cura9oa. 



When I came into dinner, at a casual glance I 

 found there were two or three gentlemen dining 

 tete-a-tete with their ladies ; and among them more 

 than one Englishman of my acquaintance — one, a 

 nice, white-headed old fellow, who had not long left 

 off a pig-tail, a pattern as to discretion and virtue ; 

 and bless my soul ! what a difference change of air 

 and scenery and Parisian attire had made in their 

 ladies — they all looked so much younger and more 

 pretty than they did in England, and even the colour 

 of their hair had changed ; so, I said to myself, 

 " Well ! if a man wanted his wife to improve in looks. 



