You are suspected of carrying secret dispatches, then!' replied Johnson. You hav'n't-no-you can't have taken advantage of coming with me to tamper with the Government! What papers have you?'

'Nothing,' answered Ledbury, 'but some Penny Magazines.'

'That's it, then!' said Johnson. 'Good heavens! how could you be so imprudent as to bring a Penny Magazine into France? They saw them at the Boulogne custom-house, and have telegraphed the intelligence to Paris. We shall be sent to the Bastile!'

'Oh!' groaned Mr. Ledbury in acute horror, as the man reclosed his carpet-bag, and gave him the key, telling Johnson in French that he could go when he pleased.

'What does he say?' demanded Mr. Ledbury, anxiously.

'That we are in extreme peril,' replied Johnson. 'He adds, that we must go to the Hôtel de l'Etoile du Nord, and there await the prefect of police. How could you think of bringing a Penny Magazine into France, when you knew it contained a picture of herring-curing at Yarmouth??

'I did not mean anything-upon my honour I did not!' cried Ledbury, energetically. I never knew what herrings had to do with the French government.'

It is now too late,' said Johnson, mysteriously; our doom is sealed, and here comes one of the government cabs to convey us.'

A citadine rattled into the yard, and Jack thrust Mr. Ledbury in just as he was about to appeal to the passengers of the diligence. Then getting in after him, they drove off to the Quai St. Michel, where the hotel was situated which Johnson meant to patronize; nor did he undeceive his companion, with respect to the treasonable conveyance of the Penny Magazine, until he had amused himself immensely with his extreme fright.

Having chosen a pleasant room on the fourth floor, with a cheerful view of the Morgue on the other side of the river, and the towers of Notre Dame to the right, our travellers refreshed themselves with a comfortable breakfast and a warm bath, and then made their toilette. Mr. Ledbury carefully unpacking his clothes, and having burnt his Penny Magazines the mere sight of which gave him a nervous twitching, he arrayed himself in such garments as he thought would be calculated to impress the Parisians with an idea of his style; including a waistcoat which had been amazingly admired at an evening party at Hackney, and a pair of very severe short Wellington boots. When this process was completed they sallied forth, Jack Johnson acting as guide, a situation which he filled very well, from his perfect knowledge of the localities of Paris.

A plan is laid down in some of the itineraries for seeing Paris in a week; but Mr. Ledbury, under the auspices of his friend, very nearly made the tour in a day. Jack Johnson was one of the true push-along-keep-moving' school; he first rushed through the Palais Royal, and then up the Rue Vivienne to the Boulevards; next he took an omnibus to Père la Chaise, and haying whirled Ledbury through the cemetery, and showed him the tomb of Abelard and Heloise, he dragged him to the Place de Bastile, and then drove in a cab to the Louvre; from this, he gallopaded rather than walked through the Tuileries and up the Champs Elysées; and, having pulled Mr. Ledbury to the top of the Arc de l'Etoile, and allowed him five

minutes to see the view, he bolted down again, crossed the river to the Invalides, and finally stopped to rest in the gardens of the Luxembourg; where Mr. Ledbury, to use Jack's phrase, appeared completely circumslogdollagized' with what he had seen; and had a very indefinite notion whether he was upon his head or his heels.

Now I'll tell you what we'll do,' said Johnson, as soon as he found breath to speak. 'We will dine outside the Barrière du Mont Parnasse, and finish the evening at one of the guinguettes.'

But is it not Sunday?' observed Mr. Ledbury; a vague idea to that effect just striking him.

It certainly was-although there were few evidences of the fact. All the shops and cafés were wide open, the click of billiard-balls and rattling of dominoes issuing from the latter; music sounded in most of the streets, which were thronged with well-dressed people; and the bills of the various theatres against the walls all offered superior attractions. The students had donned their best grey trowsers, and the grisettes their prettiest caps. In fact, all looked as gay and cheerful as well might be.

Having rested themselves for a short time, they passed through the gardens, and crossing the Boulevart du Mont Parnasse, arrived at the barrier. Here an amusing scene presented itself. The entire length of the street was thronged with holiday-keepers: the windows were all open, and from each of them quadrille bands were pouring forth their harmonies; swings and roundabouts were revolving on either side of the way with singular pertinacity; images of plaster were stuck up to be shot at from cross-bows at four shots for a sou: perambulating kitchens, for the sale of goffres, gallettes,-the never-satiating gallette of the grisettes and their admirers, and fried potatoes, sent abroad enticing odours to the hungry; delicious melons at ten sous each were lying about upon the ground for sale; whilst conjurers, fortunetellers, and soldiers, pure idle tourlorous, completed the motley throng.

Elbowing their way through the crowd, they arrived at a large building, on whose front was inscribed:

" TONNELIER

AU SALON DES 200 COUVERTS.'

They entered the hall, and ascending the stairs, took possession of one of those small rooms entirely appropriated in Paris to eating, drinking, and philandering. Here Jack Johnson ordered dinner, and whilst it was getting ready they amused themselves by looking out of the window into the gardens, where a quadrille-band was playing, and a large assemblage of young people dancing. Suddenly Johnson darted from his companion, nearly dragging off the table-cloth and everything upon it in his anxiety to get out; and then flying down stairs into the gardens, Mr. Ledbury beheld him, to his astonishment, offering a series of intense bows and salutes to a little black cap, with crimson ribbons, that enclosed a very pretty face.

Bless me thought Ledbury: he is going to bring a young French lady up here l'

Hereat he pulled up his collar, wiped his spectacles, and brushed his fingers through his short hair to improve his appearance, wondering all the time who it could possibly be.

His conjectures were cut short by Johnson's return with the young lady on his arm, whom he formally introduced as Mademoiselle Aimée. Upon which Mr. Ledbury made a polite bow, and got as far as J'ai le plaisir,' where he stuck fast, and then, not knowing what to do, blew his nose, and knocked a crumb off the table-cloth.

The new-comer was a perfect specimen of the Parisian grisette— small, but perfect in figure, with chestnut hair lying in smooth bands upon her fresh cheeks, and dark eyes that almost spoke, so eloquent was their expression. A very becoming, yet withal exceedingly common shawl, was thrown over her shoulders in a manner only to be accomplished by a Frenchwoman; and her small foot was set off by an equally inimitable chaussure, without the least speck of dirt upon it, although the back boulevards are not the cleanest thoroughfares in the world. Her gown was made of some cheap fabric, yet with a style and perfection of fit that would have raised the envy of any English milliner, and her gloves were equally faultless. How this tournure is kept up upon thirty sous a day-the usual wages of the grisette-we do not correctly understand; it was not until we discovered so many shops for the sale of little jean brodequins and black silk mittens in the neighbourhood of the Ecole de Médecin and Sorbonne that we could at all draw an inference with respect to this singular fact of foreign domestic economy.

'Do you know the young lady?' asked Ledbury, when the confusion of introduction had subsided.

'Rather!' replied Johnson, taking her hand in a most familiar manner, and putting it upon his own, which proceeding caused her to smile. She is a very old friend. I used frequently to dance with her last year.'

'She is very good-looking,' observed Mr. Ledbury, and has excellent teeth.'

'I believe you,' returned Jack; 'regular mineral ones, as good as the sets on black velvet outside dentist's doors.'

'Que dit-il?' asked Aimée, appealing to Johnson.

Que tu es bien belle, m' amie,' was the reply.

Dinner now appeared, and the trio took their seats at the table. The young lady did the honours with becoming grace. Jack Johnson acted as interpreter, and tossed for a bottle of champagne with Ledbury, who of course lost; but nevertheless drank his share, and after the third glass grew quite hilarious, and entered into a long oration upon the charms of female society.

I wish I spoke French, Jack,' observed our friend.

'You'll soon learn it,' said Johnson; never be afraid to try."

I spik Angleesh!' exclaimed Aimée, divining the subject of the conversation with the usual perception of a foreigner wishing to be agreeable. I spik Angleesh-rosbif-God-dam-portare-beer.' Bravo!' cried Ledbury, quite enchanted.

ther?"

'Yes,' returned the girl, with a pretty smile.

How's your mo

The dinner passed off in the most pleasant manner; and then, as they had commenced lighting up the gardens, the party descended, and took their seats at one of the small tables which were placed round the space enclosed for dancing, Johnson ordering a bottle of wine at twelve sous-the ordinary outside-the-barrier price.

Our own Vauxhall, as it now exists—and we hope after so many

false alarms it will continue to do so-is infinitely superior in the coup d'ail of brilliancy and extent to any of the guinguettes of Paris; but it lacks the style of company that raises all the continental amusements so far above our own. Place the ordinary frequenters of Vauxhall, with their unmeaning, noisy mirth, in the gardens of the Barrière du Mont Parnasse, and they would sink below notice; but, transfer the spirit and gaiety-the students and grisettes,-the cabinets particuliers, and general arrangement of the Chaumière and places of its class to Vauxhall, and a fête would take place to which even the gorgeous festivities of the Arabian nights would yield in attraction. And yet, with all their licence, a female might go alone to any of the French dancing gardens, without the slightest chance of insult.

The lights, the music, and the general excitement, aided by the wine, had such an effect upon Mr. Ledbury that he began to talk French to the waiters, and poke Johnson in the ribs, with an expres sion of sly humour; he being, to use his friend's expressive phrase, ⚫ hit under the wing, so that he couldn't fly.'

At length the band struck up one of Labitsky's beautiful waltzes, and Johnson led Aimée into the circle. Emboldened to a singular degree, Mr. Ledbury thought he would attempt to waltz as well; and after being refused a dozen times in succession by as many different belles, at last prevailed on a lady to be his partner. It may be presumed that the performance which ensued was one of a novel and extraordinary kind. He rushed round and round the lady, like a cork in a whirlpool; and at last completely lost his equilibrium and fell down, dragging his partner with him. A roar of laughter arose from the spectators; and Johnson, not without some difficulty, succeeded in drawing him out of the ring, for, truth to tell, he was becoming rather obstreporous.

This event, however, soon blew over; and they had enjoyed themselves for about an hour and a half, when a circumstance occurred which somewhat spoilt their amusements. A gentleman with a light paletot and long dark hair,—a clean original of the dirty copies that flit about the Haymarket, after dancing opposite to Johnson in one of the sets, came up to Aimée, and asked her hand for the next, accompanying his request by a most winning bow and smile. Now it is perfectly allowable at a guinguette to address any young lady without an introduction, in a polite manner, provided she be sitting by herself; but if she is in company with a gentleman etiquette obliges you to ask his permission. In the present instance this courtesy was dispensed with, and Johnson seeing Aimée hesitating and undecided as to what she ought to do, answered somewhat shortly,

Monsieur, mademoiselle ne danse pas avec les étrangers.'

The student, for such he appeared to be, took no notice of the reply; but, with a glance at Johnson which savoured somewhat of contempt, again addressed Aimée, saying, coolly,

Vaux-tu danser avec moi, mon ange?'

'I have told you, monsieur,' said Johnson, horribly nettled at this last speech, and his taking the liberty to tutoyer in the most intimate manner, that this lady is engaged. At all events, she will not dance: with you.'

The intruder muttered a broken sentence, in which the words 'cochon,'' Anglais,' and sacré,' were very perceptible. At last he

came in such unpleasant proximity to Aimée, that Johnson pushed him back with his elbow, exclaiming, Va-t-en, canaille!'

เ

The student with the rapidity of lightning caught up a glass of vin ordinaire from the table, and dashed the contents in Johnson's face, who returned the compliment by planting a well-aimed blow on his adversary's chest. He reeled back against another small table, which he upset, falling himself amidst the bottles, glasses, and empty coffeecups that were upon it.

There will be the devil's own row!' cried Johnson to Ledbury. 'Keep close to me, and look out!'

The strife attracted the attention of the bystanders, and the table was immediately surrounded by students; whilst a confused clatter arose from everybody vociferating at once, to which Babel was a dead silence. Completely hemmed in by young Frenchmen, Johnson perceived that he and his friend would have little chance in a struggle. Mr. Ledbury suddenly became a prodigy of valour; he seized two empty bottles by their necks, one in each hand; and jumping on to the table, whirled them about with his long arms like the sails of a windmill, without however committing any act of aggression.

The student who had first provoked the quarrel, and who had now recovered his feet, sprang upon Johnson like a tiger, and endeavoured to drag him down. But he had met with a little more than his match. Unless a Frenchman can kick your shins, or stick his fingers into your eyes, he has little power to overcome you. Johnson knew that; and, closing in quickly, he caught him round the waist, and again threw him heavily upon the ground. In a minute seven or eight of his friends crowded round Johnson with the intention of hustling him; nor was he able to get them off, until Mr. Ledbury jumped down from the table plump amongst them, with an impetus that knocked two down, whirling the bottles about like a wild Indian in a show performing a wardance. There would now have been in all probability an awkward row, had not the municipal guards in attendance marched up to the spot, and broken through the ranks of the rioters. The instant Johnson caught sight of their helmets approaching he informed Ledbury of the fact, and darted away. His companion, however, was too much lost in the excitement of the fray, and the wine he had imbibed, to understand him, and in another instant he was somewhat surprised to find himself forcibly seized by two awful-looking soldiers, armed to the teeth.

Explanation was of no use, and if it had been, he could not give it. Half-bewildered, he fell a passive captive into their hands; for as somebody was to be taken into custody, of course the Englishman was the victim. Marching between their bayonets, he left the garden, and was conducted through the barriers into the city before he knew clearly what had taken place; and after a brief interview with the sergeant at the guard-house of the arrondissement, the unfortunate Mr. Ledbury found himself the inmate of a cell in a French police-office-a prisoner and alone !'