Volume V Part 75 (2/2)

Daturi toldto see me at dinner, and I was not astonished to hear of it, for I had not taken leave of anyone I accordingly went, and the following incident, which served to justify me in the eyes of all men, took place:

We were at the roast when one of the prince's servants came in with the Jew I had beaten The poor man came up humbly to me, and spoke as follows:

”I a the authenticity of the bill of exchange you gavefined the amount of my commission”

”I wish that had been your only punishment,” said I

Hethat I was only too good

When I 'got back to the inn, I found a letter fro been once to see her all the ti me to breakfast with her in a little country house

”I shall not be inlady of your acquaintance, wholad to see once lected her at Brunswick becauseher a handsome present I resolved to accept her invitation,rather sti lady

I was exact at the ti in a pretty roo artiste whom I had known as a child shortly before I had been put under the Leads I pretended to be delighted to see her, but I was really quite taken up with Redegonde, and congratulated her upon her pretty house She said she had taken it for six months, but did not sleep there After coffee had been served ere on the point of going out for a stroll, ho should come in but the prince He sonde for interrupting our little party

The appearance of the prince enlightened htful fellow countrywoman, and I understood why she had been so precise about the tionde had made the conquest of the worthy prince, as always disposed to gallantry, but felt it his duty during the first year of his land's sister to preserve sonito in his a up and down and talking of London and Berlin, but nothing was said of the Jew or the bill of exchange He was delighted with hed with all his heart when I said that unless it had been for the intellectual nourishment I enjoyed, the bad fare at the inn would certainly have reduced raceful farewell to the ny away on his horse

When I was alone with Redegonde, far fro for new favours, I advised her to be faithful to the prince; but though appearances were certainly not deceitful in this case, she would not ad

This was in accordance with her part as young mistress, and I did not reproach her for her want of confidence

I spent the rest of the day at the inn, and started the next , I took a letter of introduction from General Bekw---- to an officer He shewed

However, I was very ree, contenting ht to Berlin, without caring to stop at Potsda was not there The fearful Prussian roads with their sandy soil hteen Prussian miles Prussia is a country of which much could be made with labour and capital, but I do not think it will ever become a really fine country

I put up at the ”Hotel de Paris,” which was both comfortable and economical Madame Rufin who kept it had entered into the spirit of her business without losing her French politeness, and thus the inn had got a reputation As soon as I was in my room she caements for my comfort There was a table d'hote, and those who ate in their private rooement,” I said, ”may suit you, but for the present it will not suit me I want to dine in my own room, but I don't want to pay double; I will therefore pay as if I were in the public room, but if you like you need only send ree, on the condition that you sup with me; ill not put it in the accounts, and you will only ht her proposal so curious a one that I had a great inclination to laugh, but finding it at the saeous I accepted frankly, and as if we had long been friends

On the first day I was tired, and did not sup with her till the day following Mada, and a son, but neither of them came to these suppers The first tireeable and sensible gentle mine, and called himself Baron Treidel; his sister had married the Duke of Courland, Jean Ernest Biron, or Birlen

The baron, as extremely pleasant, became my friend, and remained so for the couple ofmerchant, named Greve, and his wife, whoht see the 's Court She was as pleasant as her husband, and I paid her an assiduous court A lively and high-spirited individual called Noel, as the sole and beloved cook of his Prussian Majesty, was the fourth person He only ca's kitchen As I have said, his majesty had only this one cook, and Noel had only one scullion to help him

M Noel, the aue, is, as I am assured, the son of this cook, as an excellent man And here I must say, in despite of my hatred for the French Revolutionary Government, that I am not at all ill pleased that a man of talents should be enabled to fill exalted offices, which under the old systee were often occupied by fools

If it had not been for the culinary skill of Noel the cook, the faestion, for the pie he succeeded in eating in his extremity was made by Noel

Laht it disobliging of him to die so soon, for I should have liked to know hihing, though it is said that death froestion is the ht Lametrie the most obstinate Atheist in the world, and I could easily believe it after reading his works The King of Prussia hi the words, ”It is not wonderful that he only believed in the existence of matter, for all the spirit in the world was enclosed in his own body No one but a king would venture on such a sally in a funeral oration However, Frederick the Great was a Deist and not an Atheist; but that is of little consequence, since he never allowed the belief in a God to influence his actions in the slightest degree Some say that an Atheist who ponders over the possible existence of a God is better than a Deist who never thinks of the Deity, but I will not venture to decide this point”