with a view to recover my spirits, of which, for several days and nights, I had made too lavish an expenditure, I had thoughts of going as far as the cottage, in hopes of hearing something of the incognita, whose beauty still floated before my eyes in nightly dreams and daily visions. I saw her airy figure this very morning, at sunrise, as I contemplated the sky.-Lovely as the mist, said I, that assumes the form of my Unknown.*

I was somewhat surprised at my own constancy. • She hangs on my fancy rather longer than usual,' thought I. To render me constant, it is necessary, I suppose, that I should never see a second time, except in idea, the woman who fires my imagination.'

Occupied with such reflections, I arrived at the lodg ings of the marchioness.. I was told she was within, and desired to walk up stairs. The French servants, you know, do not always take the trouble of announcing visitors.

I tapped at the door of the room in which she usually sits. She had heard my voice, and called out- Entrez, Entrez.'

When I opened the door→

Il y a mille ans,' said she, que je ne vous ai vu.' 'I must confess, madam, that'

Ah! said she, smiling and interrupting me, Si c'est votre confession que vous allez me faire, parlez plus bas.'

• Pourquoi donc ?'

C'est qu'il y a quelqu'un dans mon cabinet qui pourroit vous entendre.'

While she spoke, a young lady came from the inner room;-aye, and the handsomest young lady I ever saw.

• Pshaw!' you cry; this is the old phrase. I have known you fond of a dozen women, each of whom was for a certain time, some longer, some shorter, the handsomest woman you ever saw; but all of them, within a few months, appeared to you much like the rest of their sex.' What you say, Sommers, has, I must confess, a good

* Ossian.

deal of truth in it; and it is a melancholy truth, which sometimes gives me great uneasiness; yet, I hardly be lieve I shall ever change my way of thinking, with respect to the lady now in question.'

Why should you not change your opinion respecting her, as well as respecting others?'

Because this young lady, whom I saw at the marchioness's, struck me more than any woman ever did; and she really is the handsomest woman, without exception, that I did see."

• You said the same of the rest."

I did so; but, in the present instance, it is different; because it is not so much her face, simply taken as a face, that strikes me; but as it is connected with her person, which is elegant to the last degree.'

• You admired the face and person of the incognita every bit as much, before you saw this last.'

• Perhaps I might; but, as you say, it was before I saw this other: besides, I had not time to examine the appearance of the incognita, she vanished so immediately:

-whereas, I stayed a considerable time, and conversed a good deal, with this lady, at the marchioness's. I had leisure to weigh and appraise her. I found the elegance of her manners, and the good sense of her conversation, equal to her other attractions:-and then, the melody of her voice rendered every thing delightful that she uttered. In short, taking her for all in all, I am certain I never beheld so fine a woman. No; never did I see, in human form, any thing so pleasing, so beautiful, so!But this, you will tell me, is too vague; and were I, in the sublime language of Milton, to say

• Grace was in all her steps, heaven in her eye,
In every gesture dignity and love,-

still it would give no precise idea of the lady's face and person. I will therefore try to describe her a little more particularly. I must tell you, then, that she is but a very little taller than the marchioness, who, you know, is above the middle size.

Her hair, if that be an article of any importance

when the fashion is for women to wear periwigs-her hair, I say, is of a beautiful dark colour, though not quite so dark as that of the marchioness, which, you know, is of a very dark brown.

Her teeth are every bit as white and regular as those of the marchi- : but I now recollect that you never saw the marchioness. However, you may depend upon it, that no teeth can be finer than those of this lady.

Her eyes are of a charming hazel; which, in my opinion, is a much finer colour for eyes than either blue or black.

'Her arms!-to talk of polished ivory and Parian marble-stuff! On my soul, Sommers, I never saw such arms! I will not attempt to describe the rest of her person; but from all I could perceive, or could understand through the drapery, the whole is exquisite.'

I find, then, that, after all your fine flourishes and raptures about the incognita, that she is entirely superseded :-you think no more of her.'.

On the contrary, I think of nobody else."

• How do you mean ??

Why, this is the incognita.?

The devil she is!'

She is indeed, colonel.'-But here I am interrupted. I shall tell you more in my next.

Adieu!-I beg to be respectfully remembered to your lady. Yours, ever,

J. MORDAUNT.

I

LETTER XCIV.

The Same to the Same.

London.

RESUME where I left off.-At sight of the lady, I was most delightfully surprised to recognise the features of the person I had been so long in search of: she also seemed a little surprised. The marchioness, who had been spoken to by a servant just as the lady and I first saw each

other, did not observe the emotions of either. She continued to talk, sometimes addressing herself to the lady, and sometimes to me, till, perceiving that neither of us spoke, she stared first at one, then at the other; and, with playful gesture, sung the first line of a song she had caught from the ballad-singers under her window dear, what can the matter be?'

Dear,

-The lady smiled; but, before either of us spoke--Pray,' resumed the marchioness, are you two acquainted with each other?'

I answered, that I had had the pleasure of seeing the lady once before, and had ever since earnestly wished for the happiness of seeing her again.'

The lady gently bowed; and the marchioness, in a gay manner, rejoined, Well, I have often heard that the English were not a talkative nation, but I did not know before that their method of forming an acquaintance with one another was by keeping a profound silence when they

met.'

We both smiled; and the marchioness continued ;If that be the case, I am persuaded you two will be on an intimate footing soon.

I really suspected,' resumed the marchioness, that you were old acquaintance, who, having had a quarrel, met here accidentally, before it was made up. I was the more confirmed in my suspicion,' continued she, addressing the lady, because you were in high spirits before this gentleman entered: and as for him, he is never otherwise; yet, the instant you set eyes on each other, you both became as melancholy and as dumb as two Carthusians.'

• Depend upon it, my dear marchioness,' said the lady, ⚫ that no woman could be more averse than I should be to making a vow of silence; but, if I really had made such a vow, I should regret it less when you spoke than at any other time.'

Vous êtes charmante!' cried the marchioness, embracing her. Then, turning to me, she added, I have read, in some of your English books, that a French per,

son always takes a compliment in the most favourable I believe the author is in the right,

sense.

After this there were few intervals of silence.

Sure no mortal ever possessed the art of banishing constraint, and putting people on an easy footing, in greater perfection, than this charming French woman.

As for the incognita, her conversation became every mo, ment more delightful. All her remarks were, in an uncommon degree, ingenious. Do not suspect that her ingenuity depends on her personal beauties, like your acquaintance, Miss Blossom, whose reputation for wit stands upon her complexion and teeth. I do assure you, Sommers, that the general turn of this young lady's conversa, tion would be thought ingenious by every person of taste, even though her features were as devoid of meaning as those of Lady Carmine, who, while she was contemplat ing the wax-work exhibition, was mistaken for one of the figures.

The incognita rose at one time to go, but the marchioness prevailed on her to stay.

My horses had stood two hours before the door :-they might have stood two hours longer, had not the mar chioness, with the same ease that she would have asked a pinch of snuff, said, I must beg of you, my dear sir, to be gone; but, as you seem to be disengaged to-day, I shall be happy to see you again in the evening-for I give

a tea.

It was my person alone that left the room: all the rest of me remained with the incognita, until Ben told me, that if I proceeded any farther at that slow pace, I should not have time to dress before dinner.' I then looked around, and found myself at Kew-bridge. I immediately returned to town, and remained at home, with a good deal of impatience, till eight, and then drove to the marchioness's.

There I found by much the gayest assembly I have seen since I returned to England. It consisted entirely of emigrants, of both sexes; some of them people of the first rank, accustomed from their infancy to magnificence