door; fortunately however for me Florentine made her appearance at the instant, and after having whispered to her father that she had shown the two new-comers—who appeared to be Englishmen—to No. 7, she sat down beside me at the table, and resumed the conversation.
“Not married then! Then surely he must be engaged at least; the ladies of the capital would never allow such a prize to escape them!”
Here the house-bell again rung, and we were a second time interrupted by the appearance of the waiter, announcing a new arrival. But Florentine before she left the room gave me such a significant look as assured me she would be soon back again; so I kept my seat quietly for this time, only lamenting that such a pretty and intelligent girl as Florentine was, should be subjected to such a menial employment as receiving strangers at the bar of an inn, and asking myself whether it would not be an act of real charity to remove so innocent a mind from the contamination of such a sphere of life. I soon however began to wonder at the length of time she staid away; my impatience became almost visible, and it was with difficulty I refrained from again rising and proceeding in search of her. She must be removed from this place, I thought to myself; to leave such a girl in the hands of such imprudent and mercenary parents was an outrageous inhumanity; not an hour longer ought she to remain in her present situation. Once already had I approached the door while forming a thousand schemes for Florentine’s deliverance, but had possessed sufficient command of myself to turn back again,—the door now opened, and Florentine entered leaning—oh sight insupportable!—on the arm of a major of hussars. I was ready to die with vexation when she sat down beside me and ordered a chair on her other side for the major, with whom she continued laughing and chatting in the easiest manner imaginable, without paying any more attention to me than if I had not been in the room. I was about to erase her from the list of seven; and yet I felt
