net and long cloak on, got out of the coach with
her, and in a free-and-easy way helped the things upstairs. She called
her Louise. The wench put down a big box, and on my turning round after
giving Camille a kiss, I saw she had seated herself on it, and hands on
her knees was looking at me. "Uncord the box," said Camille. Said the
girl, "I am tired." She uncorded it, again sitting down, and looking at
me said, "Is that your young man?--he's a good-looking fellow." Camille
told her to hold her tongue, to go on unpacking, and that I understood
French, eying her at the same time in a savage way, and looking at me at
times very uneasily. She was a rough sort of girl, she said, a relative
of a friend of hers, had come as her servant, and in a short time would
understand her place; smiling at me in a knowing way as she said that.
Camille always addressed her servant in French, me in English; but I
understood French tolerably well.

Louise did as she was told, but bounced about in an independent way,
threw off her cloak and bonnet, and putting her hands on her hips stared
at me again. I stared at her, thinking of the virginity I was destined
to break up. Certainly she was appetizing; her cloak off showed a thick
woolen dress of dark brown striped with blue, a fine big figure, a
couple of big breasts; her arms naked nearly to her shoulders, as
French peasants usually wore them, were large, fleshy, and brown; the
petticoats were half-way up to her knees, and showed the thickest woolen
black stockings on a stout pair of legs, and feet in thick shoes with
brass buckles; she had immense gilt earrings, and was in fact in the
dress of a Bordeaux peasant woman.

I did nothing but stare at her, Camille nothing but scold her, talking
to me at intervals. The girl got the boxes ready for opening, then
walked about, taking up poker and tongs, chimney ornaments and
everything in the room with curiosity. Camille and I had so much to
say, that we took little notice of her; then she threw up the window and
looked out. As she bent forward her short petticoats showed her legs
up to her knee-backs; Camille was about to stop her looking out, when
I winked, and stooping saw a thick roll of stockings just beneath the
knees, and the flesh just above. Camille understood. "Madame, madame,"
said the girl, "come here, here is fun." I heard Punch squeaking in the
streets; she was delighted; her mistress went to the window giving me a
knowing look, and l