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La Fleur and Madame de L—. — The Letter
Tony Johannot
J. Brevier
1857
Engraving on wood
15 cm high by x 9.7 cm wide, vignetted
Fourth full-page illustration for A Sentimental Journey (1857), facing page 80.
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Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
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Madame de L—, in passing from her brother’s apartments to her own, hearing so much jollity below stairs, rung up her fille-de-chambre to ask about it; and hearing it was the English gentleman’s servant, who had set the whole house merry with his pipe, she ordered him up.
As the poor fellow could not present himself empty, he had loaded himself in going up stairs with a thousand compliments to Madame de L—, on the part of his master, — added a long apocrypha of inquiries after Madame de L—’s health, — told her, that Monsieur his master was au désespoire for her re-establishment from the fatigues of her journey, — and, to close all, that Monsieur had received the letter which Madame had done him the honour — And he has done me the honour, said Madame de L—, interrupting La Fleur, to send a billet in return.
Madame de L— had said this with such a tone of reliance upon the fact, that La Fleur had not power to disappoint her expectations; — he trembled for my honour, — and possibly might not altogether be unconcerned for his own, as a man capable of being attached to a master who could be wanting en égards vis à vis d’une femme! so that when Madame de L— asked La Fleur if he had brought a letter, — O qu’oui, said La Fleur: so laying down his hat upon the ground, and taking hold of the flap of his right side pocket with his left hand, he began to search for the letter with his right; — then contrariwise. — Diable! then sought every pocket—pocket by pocket, round, not forgetting his fob: — Peste!— then La Fleur emptied them upon the floor, — pulled out a dirty cravat, — a handkerchief, — a comb, — a whip lash, — a nightcap, — then gave a peep into his hat, — Quelle étourderie! He had left the letter upon the table in the auberge; — he would run for it, and be back with it in three minutes. ["The Letter. Amiens," pp. 79-80]
Sterne, Laurence. A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy. With 100 illustrations by Tony Johannot. London: Willoughby, 1857.
Turner, Katherine. "Notes." Laurence Sterne's A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy (1768). Peterborough, ON: Broadview, 2010.
Last modified 23 September 2018