families who had preceded me in the same lodgings, that I had taken up
my abode with the most disagreeable people, who would impose upon us and
annoy us in every possible manner. One exception, however, to this
general report I met with in the account that was given me of our
hostess and family by a Colonel Barry, who with his lady and children
had resided some time with Madame Fournier, and they assured me that we
should find we had chanced upon most worthy people, who would do all in
their power to make us comfortable; but it so happened that the Colonel
and his family were persons of most conciliating manners, devoid of
hauteur in their demeanour, possessing in fact the very qualities
calculated to propitiate a good feeling on the part of the French. After
we had been in the house some time, we observed to those persons who
assured us we should be so ill treated, that we found the case quite the
reverse; and, the answer was, wait until the time comes when, you are
about to depart, and then when you are called upon to produce the
plates, crockery, glasses, knives, forks, etc., you will see who you
have to deal with; if there be any thing in the slightest degree
chipped, they will make you pay extravagantly for damages. But when at
last the awful day of departure arrived, I had every thing collected of
the description alluded to, and Madame Fournier would not even look at
them, and observed if there were any thing injured she was sure it was
to so trifling an amount that it was not worth noticing. But it was not
so with an English lady who was our fellow lodger; towards her they
certainly were neither obliging in their manner nor disposed to render
her any kind of accommodation beyond the strict letter of their
agreement; and the reason was, because she always addressed them as if
she was speaking to her servants; in short, with an arrogance of manner
that they could not brook. Thus whilst they were continually practising
little civilities and attentions towards us, which greatly contributed to
our _comfort_, they were following a totally opposite system towards