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On their way, the stranger, whose name was Valancourt, stepped on first

to speak to his hostess, and she cae, ood woers, ere soon cos and ainst scarcity of provisions St Aubert had

provided, and he requested Valancourt to stay, and partake with him of

less homely fare; an invitation, which was readily accepted, and they

passed an hour in intelligent conversation St Aubert was much pleased

with the manly frankness, sirandeur of nature, which his new acquaintance discovered; and, indeed,

he had often been heard to say, that, without a certain si degree

The conversation was interrupted by a violent uproar without, in which

the voice of the muleteer was heard above every other sound Valancourt

started from his seat, and went to enquire the occasion; but the dispute

continued so long afterwards, that St Aubert went hi with the hostess, because she had refused to let his

mules lie in a little rooht The place retched enough, but there was no other for

these people to sleep in; and, with so the inhabitants of this wild tract of country, she persisted

in refusing to let the animals have the same BED-CHAMBER with her

children

This was a tender point with the muleteer; his honour was

wounded when his mules were treated with disrespect, and he would have

received a blow, perhaps, with more meekness He declared that his