circles, only one of
whom I chanced to meet, or rather to approach, during my ramble
through France. Whether it was from unexpectedly meeting with a
moderately humanised countenance suddenly appearing among those I
observed daily around me, or that I had met with a face exquisitely
lovely, I will not determine. I had been awaiting the arrival of the
Mal Poste for Marseilles, the passengers of which were expected to
join the table d'hote. For the last ten minutes I had been
contemplating a dark, muddy court-yard beneath the window. The
travellers having arrived and taken their seats at the table, I sat
down, and was instantly startled by the face that I observed opposite
to me, contrasted, as it chanced to be, with a dark unshaven one on
either side of it. The salon was nearly as sombre as midnight, and
there was a delicate and oval face, brightened by a pair of large soft
eyes, "with fire rolling at the bottom of them!" Long, long did I
deplore my deficiency of the organ of language; for with such a person
for my _vis-a-vis_, I could open my mouth but to eat!

We are little aware how exclusively we derive our opinion of others
from their appearance and manner, and so independently of the
sentiments they utter. Until we live among those with whom we cannot
converse, it is impossible to be sensible of this truth; but I am
confident, from long experience, that it is the fact. I have formed as
correct an opinion of a German's character, not a word of whose
language was intelligible to me, as of the Englishman's beside him,
and perhaps more so, as not being misled by what he might choose to
advance. And in support of this assertion, I will just mention, that I
have subsequently met with foreigners, whom it has given me great
pleasure to meet with, again and again, and that a mutual regard has
existed between us, though neither has, for a moment, been verbally
intelligible to the other.

As, then, it is so possible thus to estimate a person, I will just
select the one opposite to me as an interesting example, for I well
remember her. She appeared to be about seventeen, and radiant with
youth and freshness, but accompanied with a delicacy and slenderness,
as excessive as could be consistent with health. Her manner was
completely fascinating, and her voice particularly so, when you
observed the lips and teeth from whence it floated. She was a sort of
fond person, and yet with a great share of humour--very talented, but
all i