politics; and Sir Arthur has two or three times been half affronted,
that a man so young and so inferior to himself, as he supposes Frank to
be, should venture to be of a different opinion, and dispute with him;
who was once in his life too a member of parliament. I am obliged now
and then slily to remind him of the highwayman and Turnham Green.

And now, Louisa, traveller like, could I regale you with a melancholy
narrative, relating how the fields in this country have no hedges; how
the cows are as meagre as their keepers; how wretched the huts and
their owners appear; how French postillions jump in and out of
jack-boots, with their shoes on, because they are too heavy to drag
after them; how they harness their horses with ropes; how dexterously
they crack the merciless whips with which they belabour the poor hacks
they drive; how we were obliged to pay for five of these hacks, having
only four in our carriage, and two of them frequently blind, lame, or
useless; with many other items, that might be grievous to hear, could I
but persuade myself thoroughly to pity or be angry at the whole French
nation, for not exactly resembling the English. But do they themselves
complain? Mercy on us! Complain?--Nothing is so grateful to their
hearts, as the praise of that dear country, which English travellers
are so prone to despise!

Frank as usual has been all attention, all ardour, all anxiety, to
render our journey as pleasant as possible. His efforts have been
chiefly directed to me; my ease, my satisfaction, my enjoyment, have
been his continual care. Not that he has neglected or overlooked Sir
Arthur. He overlooks no living creature, to whom he can give aid. He
loses no opportunity of gaining the esteem and affection of high and
low, rich and poor. His delicacy never slumbers. His thirst of doing
good is never assuaged. I am young it is true, but I never before met a