what money I had left her, gave my distempered fancy an opinion that she had been maintained by other people, and so had had no occasion to spend.

I must confess she had a difficult point here upon her, though she had been really honest; for, as my head was prepossessed of her dishonesty, if she had been lavish, I should have said she had spent it upon her gentlemen; and as she had been frugal, I said she had been maintained by them: thus, I say, my head was distempered; I believed myself abused, and nothing could put it out of my thoughts night or day.

All this while it was not visibly broken out between us; but I was so fully possessed with the belief of it, that I seemed to want no evidence, and I looked with an evil eye upon everybody that came near her, or that she conversed with. There was an officer of the Guards du Corps, that lodged in the same house with us, a very honest gentleman, and a man of quality; I happened to be in a little drawingroom, adjoining to a parlour where my wife sat at that time, and this gentleman came into the parlour, which, as he was one of the family, he might have done without offence, but he not knowing that I was in the drawing-room, sat down and talked with my wife. I heard every word they said, for the door between us was open, nor could I say that there passed anything between them but cursory discourse; they talked of casual things, of a young lady, a burgher's daughter of nineteen, that had been married the week before to an advocate in the parliament of Paris, vastly rich, and about thirty-six; and of another, a widow lady of fortune in Paris, that had married her deceased husband's valet de chambre, and of such casual matters, that I could find no fault with her now at all.

But it filled my head with jealous thoughts, and fired my temper; now I fancied he used too much freedom with her, then that she used too much freedom to him, and once or twice I was upon the point of breaking in upon them, and affronting them both, but I restrained myself; at length he talked something merrily of the lady throwing away her maidenhead, as I understood it, upon an old man; but still it was nothing indecent; but I, who was all on fire already, could bear it no longer, but started up, and came into the room, and catching at my wife's words, Say you so, madam,

AFFRONT HER GALLANT.

467

said I, was he too old for her? And giving the officer a look that I fancy was something akin to the face on the sign, called the Bull and Mouth, within Aldersgate, I went out into the street.

The marquis, so he was styled, a man of honour, and of spirit too, took it as I meant it, and followed me in a moment, and hemm'd after me in the street; upon which I stopped, and he came up to me; Sir, said he, our circumstances are very unhappy in France, that we cannot do ourselves justice here, without the most severe treatment in the world; but, come on it what will, you must explain yourself to me on the subject of your behaviour just now.

I was a little cooled, as to the point of my conduct to him in the very few moments that had passed, and was very sensible that I was wrong to him, and I said, therefore, to him very frankly, Sir, you are a gentleman, whom I know very well, and I have a very great respect for you; but I had been disturbed a little about the conduct of my wife, and, were it your own case, what would you have done less?

I am sorry for any dislike between you and your wife, says he, but what is that to me? Can you charge me with any indecency to her, except my talking so and so (at which he repeated the words), and, as I knew you were in the next room, and heard every word, and that all the doors were open, I thought no man could have taken amiss so innocent an expression.

I could no otherwise take it amiss, said I, than as I thought it implied a farther familiarity, and that you cannot expect should be borne by any man of honour; however, sir, said I, I spoke only to my wife; I said nothing to you, but gave you my hat as I passed you.

Yes, said he, and a look as full of rage as the devil; are there no words in such looks?

I can say nothing to that, said I, for I cannot see my own countenance; but my rage, as you call it, was at my wife, not at you.

But hark you, sir, said he, growing warm as I grew calm, your anger at your wife was for her discourse with me, and Í think that concerns me too, and I ought to resent it.

I think not, sir, said I, nor had I found you in bed with my wife, would I have quarrelled with you; for, if my wife will let you lie with her, it is she is the offender, what have I to

do with you? You could not lie with her, if she was not willing, and if she is willing to be a whore, I ought to punish her; but I should have no quarrel with you; I will lie with your wife, if I can, and then I am even with you.

I spoke this all in good humour, and in order to pacify him, but it would not do; but he would have me give him satisfaction, as he called it. I told him I was a stranger in the country, and perhaps should find little mercy in their course of justice; that it was not my business to fight any man in his vindicating his keeping company with my wife, for that the injury was mine, in having a bad woman to deal with; that there was no reason in the thing, that after any man should have found the way into my bed, I, who am injured, should go and stake my life upon an equal hazard against the man who has abused me.

Nothing would prevail with this person to be quiet for all this; but I had affronted him, and no satisfaction could be made him, but that at the point of the sword; so we agreed to go away together to Lisle in Flanders. I was now soldier enough not to be afraid to look a man in the face, and as the rage at my wife inspired me with courage, so he let fall a word, that fired and provoked me beyond all patience; for speaking of the distrust I had of my wife, he said, unless I had good information, I ought not to suspect my wife. I told him, if I had good informatiou, I should be past suspicion; he replied, if he was the happy man that had so much of her favour, he would take care then to put me past the suspicion; gave him as rough an answer as he could desire, and he returned in French, Nous verrons aux Lisle, that is to say, We will talk farther of it at Lisle.

I

I told him I did not see the benefit either to him or me of going so far as Lisle to decide this quarrel, since now I perceived he was the man I wanted, that we might decide this quarrel, aux champ, upon the spot, and whoever had the fortune to fell the other, might make his escape to Lisle as well afterwards as before.

Thus we walked on talking very ill-naturedly on both sides, and yet very mannerly, till we came clear of the suburbs of Paris, on the way to Charenton; when, seeing the way clear, I told him, under those trees was a very fit place for us, pointing to a row of trees adjoining to Monsieur

-'s garden-wall; so we went thither, and fell to work

Immediately; after some fencing, he made a home thrust as me, and run me into my arm, a long slanting wound, but at the same time received my point into his body, and soon after fell; he spoke some words before he dropped; first, he told me I had killed him; then he said he had indeed wronged me, and, as he knew it, he ought not to have fought me; he desired I would make my escape immediately, which I did into the city, but no farther, nobody, as I thought, having seen us together. In the afternoon, about six hours after the action, messengers brought news, one on the heels of another, that the marquis was mortally wounded, and carried into a house at Charenton; that account, saying he was not dead, surprised me a little, not doubting but that, concluding I had made my escape, he would own who it was; however, I discovered nothing of my concern, but, going up into my chamber, I took out of a cabinet there what money I had, which indeed was so much as I thought would be sufficient for my expenses; but having an accepted bill for two thousand livres, I walked sedately to a merchant who knew me, and got fifty pistoles of him upon my bill, letting him know my business called me to England, and I would take the rest of him when he had received it.

CHAPTER XV.

DISTRESS OF MY WIFE-I CAST HER OFF, AND TAKE HORSE FOR LORRAINE-I ARRIVE SAFELY IN LONDON-NEWS OF MY WIFE, TO WHOM I SEND A SMALL SUM OF MONEY— HER GALLANT RECOVERS, AND CLEARS MY HANDS OF HER-I MEET WITH A YOUNG WIDOW IN A STAGE COACH, WITH WHOM I FALL IN FANCY, AND MARRY WITH EVERY PROSPECT OF HAPPINESS-SHE TAKES TO DRINKING AND DIES.

HAVING furnished myself thus, I provided me a horse for my servant, for I had a very good one of my own, and once more ventured home to my lodging, where I heard again that the marquis was not dead. My wife, all this while, covered her concern for the marquis so well, that she gave

me no room to make any remark upon her; but she saw evidently the marks of rage and deep resentment in my behaviour after some little stay, and perceiving me making preparations for a journey, she said to me, Are you going out of town? Yes, madam, says I, that you may have room to mourn for your friend the marquis; at which she started, and showed she was indeed in a most terrible fright, and making a thousand crosses about herself, with a great many callings upon the Blessed Virgin, and her country saints, she burst out at last, Is it possible! Are you the man that killed the marquis? Then you are undone, and I too.

You may, madam, be a loser by the marquis being killed, but I'll take care to be as little a loser by you as I can; it is enough, the marquis has honestly confessed your guilt, and I have done with you; she would have thrown herself into my arms, protesting her innocence, and told me she would fly with me, and would convince me of her fidelity, by such testimonies as I could not but be satisfied with, but I thrust her violently from me; Allez infame! said I, go, infamous creature, and take from me the necessity I should be under, if I stayed, of sending you to keep company with your dear friend the marquis. I thrust her away with such force, that she fell backward upon the floor, and cried out most terribly, and indeed she had reason, for she was very much hurt.

It grieved me indeed to have thrust her away with such force, but you must consider me now in the circumstances of a man enraged, and, as it were, out of himself, furious and mad. However, I took her up from the floor, and laid her on the bed, and calling up her maid, bid her go and take care of her mistress; and, going soon after out of doors, I took horse, and made the best of my way, not towards Calais or Dunkirk, or towards Flanders, whither it might be suggested I was fled, and whither they did pursue me the same evening, but I took the direct road for Lorrain, and, riding all night, and very hard, I passed the Maine the next day at night, at Chalons, and came safe into the Duke of Lorrain's dominions the third day, where I rested one day only, to consider what course to take, for it was still a most difficult thing to pass any way, but that I should either be in the king of France's dominions, or be taken by the French allies as a subject of France; but getting good advice from a priest at Bar le Duc, who, though I did not tell him the