A few days afterwards, I was rather unexpectedly stopped in my tour.
For a night I had taken up my residence in the carriage of a young
Englishman, who that day arrived from Rome, the hostler having assured
me that he would remain for some time. I did so, as I found it much
quieter and cooler than the hotel "La ville de Lyon," which was
overcrowded. In the morning, I thought my friends were merely going a
short drive, so I kept my seat. We, however, travelled on till night,
when I heard we were bound for London; but as my companions were very
agreeable, I thought I might as well accompany them the whole way.
They seemed to be annoyed at every posthouse with their passports,
&c.; I was never even asked about the matter. The custom-house gentry,
in their searches, to be sure, occasionally gave me a little trouble,
but I was soon up to their tricks. We had an avant-courier constantly
galloping before us, and we travelled with such expedition that we
reached London in five days; for my fellow-travellers were idle young
men of fortune, who are of course always in the greatest hurry for the
end of a journey, because they don't know what to make of themselves
when it is over.

I had not then an opportunity of seeing Paris, as we only changed
horses in it. I have since, however, spent many months there, and have
always been very much pleased with every thing I saw, particularly the
Catacombs, which were my favourite lounge. When last in Paris, I made
a narrow escape with my life, as I tumbled headlong into a cask of
brandy. I, however, managed to scramble out, with the assistance of a
bit of cord, which happened to be hanging over its side, and which my
friend pushed in to me. I was little the worse of my ducking; for, as
soon as I got out, I was set a-laughing by his telling me how to spell
_brandy_, in both French and English, in three letters, viz. "B.R. and
Y." and "O.D.V."