6 ROVER. In fact he delights in sport of every kind, and if he cannot have it with me, he will have it on his own account. He frequently decoys the greyhounds out, and finds hares for them. Indeed he has done me some injury in this way; for if he can find a pointer loose, he will, if possible, seduce him from his duty, and take him off on the same lawless excursion; and it is not till after an hour's whistling and hallooing that I see the truants sneaking round to the back door, panting and smoking, with their tails tucked up between their legs, and their long dripping tongues depending from their watery jawshe the most guilty and most barefaced caitiff of the whole. In general, however, he will have nothing to say to the canine species; for notwithstanding the classification of Buffon, he considers he has a prescriptive right to associate with man. ROVER is now about six years old. He was born about half a year before our eldest girl; and is accordingly looked up to as a kind of elder brother by the children. He is a small, beautiful, liver-coloured spaniel, but not one of your goggle-eyed Blenheim breed. He is none of your lap-dogs. No! Rover has a soul above that. You may make him your friend, but he scorns to be a pet. No one can see him without admiring him, and no one can know him without loving him. He is as regularly inquired after as any other member of the family; for who that has ever known Rover can forget him? He has an instinctive perception of his master's friends, to whom he metes out his caresses in the proportion of their attachment to the chief object of his affections. When I return from an absence, or when he meets an old friend of mine, or of his own (which is the same thing|| He is, in fact, rather cross with other to him), his ecstasy is unbounded: he tears and curvets round the room like mad; and if out of doors, he makes the welkin ring with his clear and joyous note. When he sees a young person in company, he immediately selects him for a playfellow. He fetches a stick, coaxes him out of the house, drops it at his feet; then retiring backwards, barking, plainly indicates his desire to have it thrown for him. He is never tired of this work. Indeed I fear, poor fellow, that his teeth, which already shew signs of premature decay, have suffered from the diver sion. But though Rover has a soul for fun, yet is he a game dog too. There dogs; but with children he is quite at home, doubtless reckoning himself about on a level with them in the scale of rational beings. Every boy in the village knows his name, and I often catch him in the street with a posse of little dirty urchins playing round him. But he is not quite satisfied with this kind of company; for, if taking a walk with any of the family, he will only just acknowledge his plebeian playfellows with a simple shake of the tail, equivalent to the distant nod which a patrician schoolboy bestows on the town-boy schoolfellow whom he chances to meet when in company with his aristocratic relations. The only approach to bad feeling is not a better cocker in England. || that I ever discovered in Rover, is a slight disposition to jealousy: but this in him appears more a virtue than a vice; for it springs entirely from affection, and has nothing mean or malicious in it. One instance will suffice to shew the manner in which he expresses this feeling. One day a little stray dog attached himself to me, and followed me home. I took him into the house and had him fed, intending to keep him till I could discover the owner. For this act of kindness the dog expressed his gratitude in the usual way. Rover, although used to play the truant, from the moment the little stranger entered the premises never quitted us till he saw him fairly off. His manner towards us became more ingratiating than usual, and he seemed desirous, by his assiduities and attentions, to shew us, that we stood in no need of any other favourite or companion. But, at the same time, he displayed no animosity whatever towards his supposed rival. Here was reason and refinement too. culate upon more than two." To be sure, the cases are not quite parallel; for Rover, unlike the demi-solde, might be sure of a meal at home. But to return to my subject. The consequence of this over-stuffing is, that, although constant exercise prevents his getting fat, his skin (saving your presence, delicate reader,) has, if not subject to frequent ablutions, rather a doggy odour; and, moreover, candour obliges me to declare, that, from the same cause, he is apt to use the nails of his hinder feet in a way not altogether consistent with good manners. If fleas he have (and I shrewdly suspect him of harbouring these outcasts), they must, like most humble companions, lead a sorry life of it; for if he can coax you to scratch his back with the edge of your shoe, which he endeavours to | do by placing it under your foot as you sit crosslegged, or to use your stick for that purpose, he will never forget the obligation; but only indulge him with the sharp edge of the fire-shovel, and he is yours for life. Rover is a most feeling, sweet-dispositioned dog. One instance of his affection and kind-heartedness I cannot omit. He had formed an attachment to a labourer who worked about my garden, and would frequently follow him to his home, where he was caressed by the wife and children. It happened that the poor wife was taken ill and died. The husband was seriously afflicted, and shewed a feeling above the common. At this time I observed that Rover had quite lost his spirits, and appeared to pine. Seeing him in this state one day, when in company with the widowed labourer, and thinking, in some measure, to divert the poor fellow's thoughts Besides the friends whom he meets at my house, Rover also forms attachments of his own, in which he shews a great discrimination. It is not every one who offers him a bone that he will trust as a friend. He has one or two intimate acquaintances in the village whom he regularly visits, and where, in case of any remissness on the part of the cook, he is sure to find a plate of meat. This brings to my recollection a conversation I once had with a half-pay acquaintance on the comparative merits of London and Bath as places of residence. "At Bath," said my friend from the north side of the Tweed, "I am pretty sure of three invitations to dinner in the week; while in London I cannot fairly cal-from his own sorrows, I remarked to him the state that Rover was in, and portion of his riches in subsidizing asked him if he could guess the some poorer but stronger neighbour, cause. "He is fretting after poor and thus acquires a weight and imPeggy," was his reply, giving vent portance among his own race in the at the same time to a flood of tears. || village to which he could not otherHe then went on to tell me, that wise lay claim. In plain language, while his wife was ill, Rover was con- Rover keeps a dog in pay to fight stant in his visits to the cottage, when his battles for him. This I discohe would get upon her bed, lie by vered by observing, that whenever her, and lick her face; and that when he got a bone or piece of meat which she was borne to the grave, he was he could not compass, he immediateforemost in the funeral procession. ly hid it, and then went off in search It was some time before he entirely of the baker's mastiff, whose more recovered his spirits. potent jaws soon demolished the provision. This I at first set down to generosity, or a natural love of patronage, till I ascertained the true state of the case, by observing, that when he was attacked by a larger dog than himself, he forthwith set off in quest of his Swiss, the said mastiff, to whom he delegated the office of thrashing his opponent. Though a most playful entertaining dog, Rover has no tricks: I hate your tricky French dogs. The only feat he performs is that of catching with his mouth, which he will do almost at any distance. Rover is also useful as well as ornamental. He is a capital house-dog, and serves for more purposes than one: he is as good as a thermometer to me. I have the parlour graduated in my imagination from the fire-place to the door. When his back is close to the fender, the glass is down to the freezing point; when he is at the armchair, it is rather higher; when he lies under the side-board, it is temperate; and when he reaches the door, it is time to leave off fires. Though, like most little dogs, Ro-be in the rose-bed; and, though our ver has a great soul, yet, as must be expected, he is no match for the generality of dogs. But what he wants in physical strength, he makes up for in policy. He wisely employs a A few specks of grey in his face, a diminution in the buoyancy of his spirits, added to a little peevishness when trod on by the children (for he will have the rug all to himself), warn us that Rover has already passed the meridian of life. It shall be our care to smooth his downhill path, and when the horizon of this mortal state closes on him for ever, his tomb shall persons may not put on the garb of VILLAGE SKETCHES NEAR PARIS. No. IV. ALL France is at this moment re- || popular than in our village, we pique signing itself to the joy which the accession of the new monarch inspires, and as he is no where more ourselves upon being among the foremost to shew our loyalty. Accordingly we have celebrated his coming Mademoiselle Mont-Orgueil, who seems to hold her head higher than ever, hopes that now at least the ca place; and that his majesty, by giving his countenance to people of birth only, will cause that most valuable of distinctions to be respected as it ought. to the throne by every means in our power. The manager of our company of comedians has got up a new spectacle expressly for the oc-naille will be made to know their casion, in which he has introduced a pasteboard representation of the coronation of Louis XIV. The mayor gave a public ball, at which a transparency was exhibited, representing the king in full court costume, with the crown supported over his head by a couple of broad-faced duck-winged cherubs. Mademoiselle Mont-Orgueil assembled the whole of her coterie in a belle réunion, where stanzas were sung in the monarch's praise; and Madame d'Agneau invited her set to a grand dinner, at which plenty of fine old Burgundy was drunk to his health. In short, we have eaten, drunk, sung, and danced in honour of him; and we are each ready to promise him a happy and glorious reign, provided that he conducts himself as we think he ought to do. So great, however, is the diversity of opinion among us, that the poor king would have a more than herculean task if he undertook to please us all. He has, however, begun his reign in a manner which unites all our suffrages, and causes every individual to look forward with the hope, or rather the certainty, that he will have the wisdom to go on in the manner that he or she thinks best. So that at present we are very busy in changing the ministry, remodelling some of the laws, and making others. It is really amusing to see how naturally these good people identify themselves with the monarch, and how liberally they gift him with their own passions and prejudices. Vol. V. No. XXV. Monsieur Gasconade is enchanted to see that the king has a proper notion of etiquette. He thinks too, that as his majesty seems determined to see with his own eyes, and presides himself at the cabinet councils, his abilities have now some chance of being noticed. The mayor says, with a face of more than ordinary importance, that as the king has signified his intention to cause the laws to be strictly observed, there can be no doubt that the persons of magistrates will be more than ever respected. Monsieur Sangsue observes with a smile, that the faculty, generally speaking, have a right to augur well of a sovereign who shews a due respect for the science of medicine, by giving the title of baron to his first physician. Monsieur Chicane, though not very favourably disposed towards kings in general, is yet rather inclined to patronise Charles X. because he seems likely to turn out a man of business. Madame d'Agneau protests, that he has gained her warm heart by declaring that he will do his utmost to promote the happiness of his subjects, which, she is certain, means that he intends to give them a great many fetes; and Captain Coulevrine, our ancient officer of cavalry, congratulates himself, that at last we have a king who will not remain long inactive in the war be C ing in the French armies, and a terrible presage seized upon her mind, that Louis, the sole support of her tween the Turks and the Greeks; for he is sure that Charles is too much of a chevalier, to let the swords of French soldiers rust in their scab-widowed age, would share the same bards, while there is a bit of fighting to be had in any part of Eu rope. As I was strolling along the road that leads to Paris with my head full of all these good people's expectations, I met our worthy pastor. "Well, Monsieur le Curé," said I to him, "almost every body of any consequence among us is engaged in chalking out a line of conduct for the new king to pursue: what do you think he had best do?"-"Follow the light of his judgment and the dictates of his own excellent heart: he cannot do better." "Ah! sir, you are right," cried respectfully, but in a tone of great emotion, a very pretty girl who was walking close to us, leaning on the arm of a young soldier.-" You would excuse my wife, monsieur and madame," said he in a tone of apology, "if you knew what his majesty has done for us."-" You will do us a pleasure by relating it, my child," said the curé to her.-" Willingly, sir," answered she in a tone which shewed the satisfaction the request gave her; and she recounted the following circumstances, which I shall take the liberty of telling in my own way. fate: this dreadful thought preyed incessantly upon her heart, and reduced her to the greatest debility. The certainty of her son's safe return produced a partial amendment, but she still continued in such a weak and lingering state, that Jeannette dared not leave her. Louis endeavoured in vain to procure leave of absence: he comforted himself, however, with the idea that his mother was in no immediate danger, and that as he had little more than fifteen months to serve, he could then return and end his days with that beloved mother and his dear Jeannette, whom he hoped he should no more be obliged to quit. Time passed, and he continued to receive rather favourable accounts of his mother; when all at once he was struck, as by a thunder-clap, with the news that she was at the last extremity. This intelligence, which he learned by accident from a man who had recently quitted the town where she lived, determined him to hazard all to receive her last blessing. He again solicited leave of absence, was refused, and immediately deserted. He disguised himself in a peasant's dress, and set out on foot, intending, when at some distance from Paris, to try to procure a conveyance by the diligence. In passing along the banks of the canal de l'Ourq, he saw a man throw himself into the water: forgetting at the moment eve Louis Durand served in the army of Spain last year; he had left behind him in the south of France a newly married wife, and an old and infirm mother. When he returned to France his regiment remained in Pa-ry thing but the impulse of humaris, whither his Jeannette would have hastened to meet him, but a sacred duty prevented her. His mother had already lost three sons, who fell fight nity, he precipitated himself after the unfortunate, whom he succeeded in bringing in a few moments to land, but in a state of insensibility. A |