calculated to minister to a barren vanity on the part of the
moon."

At the last lock, some little way out of Landrecies, I refused to go any
farther; and sat in a drift of rain by the side of the bank to have a
reviving pipe. A vivacious old man, whom I take to have been the devil,
drew near and questioned me about our journey. In the fullness of my
heart I laid bare our plans before him. He said it was the silliest
enterprise that ever he heard of. Why, did I not know, he asked me, that
it was nothing but locks, locks, locks, the whole way? not to mention
that, at this season of the year, we should find the Oise quite dry?
"Get into a train, my little young man," said he, "and go you away home
to your parents." I was so astounded at the man's malice that I could
only stare at him in silence. A tree would never have spoken to me like
this. At last I got out with some words. We had come from Antwerp
already, I told him, which was a good long way; and we should do the
rest in spite of him. Yes, I said, if there were no other reason, I
would do it now, just because he had dared to say we could not. The
pleasant old gentleman looked at me sneeringly, made an allusion to my
canoe, and marched off, waggling his head.

I was still inwardly fuming, when up came a pair of young fellows, who
imagined I was the _Cigarette's_ servant, on a comparison, I suppose, of
my bare jersey with the other's mackintosh, and asked me many questions
about my place and my master's character. I said he was a good enough
fellow, but had this absurd voyage on the head. "O no, no," said one,
"you must not say that; it is not absurd; it is very courageous of him."
I believe these were a couple of angels sent to give me heart again. It
was truly fortifying to reproduce all the old man's insinuations, as if
they were original to me in my character of a malcontent footman, and
have them brushed away like so many flies by these admirable young men.

When I recounted this affair to the _Cigarette_, "They must have a
curious idea of how English servants behave," says he, dryly, "for you
treated me like a brute beast at the lock."

I was a good deal mortified; but my temper had suffered, it is a fact.

AT LANDRECIES

At Landrecies the rain still fell and the wind still blew; but we found
a double-bedded room with plenty of furniture, real water-jugs with real
water in them, and dinner: a real dinner, not innocent of real wine.
After having be