and of those who were brought over, certainly in many
instances their employers had been disappointed; that in a foreign
country all was new to them, and they forgot their former regular
habits, and certainly in too many instances had misbehaved themselves.

"Consequently," returned my interlocutors, "requiring a more vigilant
eye to superintend them. But there is another subject which affords us
much surprise, and that is the manner in which English parents permit
their daughters to go alone about the streets, or to walk with a
gentleman who is neither their father nor brother."

I assigned as a reason for our allowing them so much liberty, that we
had such perfect confidence in them that we felt assured we could trust
to their own firmness and discretion to prevent any improper
consequences arising from the freedom they were permitted to enjoy.
"Unfortunately, that confidence is but too frequently abused," rejoined
one of the ladies, "if we are to judge from several lamentable
occurrences which have latterly taken place in this town amongst the
English young ladies."

I felt the rebuke, as I knew to what circumstances they alluded, and
observed that the English society inhabiting Boulogne were by no means
what could, be termed the _elite_ of the nation, although there were
many families of the highest respectability.

The ladies, perceiving by my manner that I was somewhat nettled,
endeavoured to soften what they had said, by observing that certainly it
would not be just to estimate the English people by the samples which
came to reside at Boulogne, as they had generally understood that they
were persons of indifferent reputation, who fled from their own country
because they could no longer live there in credit, but that amongst the
number there undoubtedly were some very quiet people.

A stranger would not appreciate the degree of praise which is contained
in the word quiet when used by the French, who appear to consider it as
comprising all the cardinal virtues; when seeking a house or apartments,
if you say any thing favourable or unfavourable of them, they never fail
to remind you that they are so quiet. The same eulogy they will
pronounce on their daughters with peculiar pride and energy, when they
wish to extol them to the skies, and in good truth their _demoiselles_
are quiet enough in all conscience, for it requires often a
considerable degree of ingenuity to extract from them more than
monosyllables. We