At _Lyons_ I saw a _Macinoise_ girl of fashion, or fortune, in this
dress; her lace was fine, her gown silk, and her shoulder-straps of
silver; and, as her head had much more of the _bon gout_ than the _bon
ton_, I thought her the most inviting object I had seen in that city,
my delicate landlady at _Nismes_ always excepted. I think France cannot
produce such another woman _for beauty_ as _Madame Seigny_.
I bought a large quantity of the _Macon_ lace, at about eight-pence
English a yard, which, at a little distance, cannot easily be
distinguished from fine old _pointe_.
Between _St. George_ and _Macon_, at a time we wanted our breakfast, we
came to a spot where two high roads cross each other, and found there a
little _cabbin_, not unlike the Iron House, as to whim, but this was
built, sides, top, and bottom, with sawed boards; and as a little bit of
a board hung out at the door informed us they sold wine, I went in, and
asked the mistress permission to boil my tea-kettle, and to be permitted
to eat our breakfast in her pretty _cabbin_? The woman was knitting; she
laid down her work, rose up, and with the ease and address of a woman of
the first fashion, said we did her honour, that her house, such as it
was, and every thing in it, were at our service; she then sent a girl to
a farmer's hard by, for milk, and to a village a quarter of a league
distant, for hot bread; and while we breakfasted, her conversation and
good breeding made up a principal part of the _repas_; she had my horse
too brought to the back part of her _cabbin_, where he was well fed from
a portable manger.
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