XLI
No matter how, or in what moodвБ†вАФbut I flew from the tomb of the loversвБ†вАФor rather I did not fly from itвБ†вАФ(for there was no such thing existing) and just got time enough to the boat to save my passage;вБ†вАФand ere I had sailed a hundred yards, the Rh√іne and the Sa√іn met together, and carried me down merrily betwixt them.
But I have described this voyage down the Rh√іne, before I made itвБ†вЄЇвБ†
вЄЇвБ†So now I am at Avignon, and as there is nothing to see but the old house, in which the duke of Ormond resided, and nothing to stop me but a short remark upon the place, in three minutes you will see me crossing the bridge upon a mule, with Fran√Іois upon a horse with my portmanteau behind him, and the owner of both, striding the way before us, with a long gun upon his shoulder, and a sword under his arm, lest peradventure we should run away with his cattle. Had you seen my breeches in entering Avignon,вБ†вЄЇвБ†Though youвАЩd have seen them better, I think, as I mountedвБ†вАФyou would not have thought the precaution amiss, or found in your heart to have taken it in dudgeon; for my own part, I took it most kindly; and determined to make him a present of them, when we got to the end of our journey, for the trouble they had put him to, of arming himself at all points against them.
Before I go further, let me get rid of my remark upon Avignon, which is this: That I think it wrong, merely because a manвАЩs hat has been blown off his head by chance the first night he comes to Avignon,вБ†вЄЇвБ†that he should therefore say, вАЬAvignon is more subject to high winds than any town in all France:вАЭ for which reason I laid no stress upon the accident till I had enquired of the master of the inn about it, who telling me seriously it was soвБ†вЄЇвБ†and hearing, moreover, the windiness of Avignon spoke of in the country about as a proverbвБ†вЄЇвБ†I set it down, merely to ask the learned what can be the causeвБ†вЄЇвБ†the consequence I sawвБ†вАФfor they are all Dukes, Marquisses, and Counts, thereвБ†вЄЇвБ†the duce a Baron, in all AvignonвБ†вЄЇвБ†so that there is scarce any talking to them on a windy day.
Prithee, friend, said I, take hold of my mule for a momentвБ†вЄЇвБ†for I wanted to pull off one of my jackboots, which hurt my heelвБ†вАФthe man was standing quite idle at the door of the inn, and as I had taken it into my head, he was someway concerned about the house or stable, I put the bridle into his handвБ†вАФso begun with the boot:вБ†вАФwhen I had finished the affair, I turned about to take the mule from the man, and thank himвБ†вЄЇвБ†
вЄїBut Monsieur le Marquis had walked inвБ†вЄЇвБ†