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pearance, considerably advanced in years, I believed I ran no risk of losing my baggage.
Luckily, as I then thought, an opportunity presented itself of passing the night more agreeably than I expected. On mentioning my design of proceeding by myself to Strasbourg, the postillion shook his head in disapprobation.
"It is a long way," said he; "you will find it a difficult matter to arrive there without a guide: besides, monsieur seems unaccustomed to the season's severity; and 'tis possible that, unable to sustain the excessive cold———"
"What use is there to present me with all these objections?" said I, impatiently interrupting him: "I have no other resource; I run still greater risk of perishing with cold by passing the night in the forest."
"Passing the night in the forest?" he replied. "Oh, by St. Denis! we are not in quite so bad a plight as that comes to yet. If I am not mistaken, we are scarcely five minutes walk from the cottage of my old friendBaptiste:
