4^6 PALAIS ROYAL. 



thing wears the afpect of found repofe. Thus it re- 

 mains till eight o'clock. 



Now one fhop opens ; prefently another ; till all by 

 degrees have laid out their goods in order ; the mil- 

 leners and tradefmen s wives flock together in troops ; 

 in the coffee-houfes the fires are lighted, and the water 

 begins to boil. About half after eight all is arranged 

 as it ought to be, for the day. Now appear elderly 

 gentlemen, fingly, and feat themfelves behind a cup of 

 coffee ; and young people drop in one by one, in the 

 deepeft neglige, with their hair in rollers, perhaps come 

 down from the manfards, to recreate themfelves with a 

 cup of chocolate. All is frill fober and yawning. 



But from nine o'clock the coffee-houfes begin to fill. 

 The cries of the peripatetic merchants falute the ears on 

 every fide ; the newfcarriers lift up their voice in the 

 ftreets, and the fruit-women and flower-women ftrive 

 to drown it with their's. 



About ten o'clock young damfels, in night-dreffes 

 of various degrees of elegance and tafte, come down to 

 the gardens, to commence the career they have often 

 refolved on before fix in the morning. They flaunt to 

 and fro in the walks, or feat themfelves at £he tables 

 * before the coffee-houfes, and breakfaft with any one 

 that is willing to breakfaft with them. The better 

 S claffes come with their male or female friends, and take 

 their feats before the cofFee-houfe de Foi. dole by 

 them fits the abbe, the veteran officer, the financier, 

 and the parliament- man, and lively converfations com-, 

 mence. The politicians diftribute themfelves into par- 

 ticular groups, fome larger, others fmaller ; fome more 



fedate, 



