While the company listened to this odd information, by which they
were prepossessed with strange notions of the dinner, their ears
were invaded by a voice that exclaimed in French, "For the love
of God! dear sir! for the passion of Jesus Christ! spare me the
mortification of the honey and oil!" Their ears still vibrated
with the sound, when the doctor entering, was by Peregrine made
acquainted with the strangers, to whom he, in the transports of
his wrath, could not help complaining of the want of complaisance
he had found in the Parisian vulgar, by which his plan had been
almost entirely ruined and set aside. The French marquis, who
thought the honour of his nation was concerned at this declaration,
professed his sorrow for what had happened, so contrary to
the established character of the people, and undertook to see the
delinquents severely punished, provided he could be informed of
their names or places of abode.
The mutual compliments that passed on this occasion were scarce
finished, when a servant, coming into the room, announced dinner;
and the entertainer led the way into another apartment, where
they found a long table, or rather two boards joined together, and
furnished with a variety of dishes, the steams of which had such
evident effect upon the nerves of the company, that the marquis made
frightful grimaces, under pretence of taking snuff; the Italian's
eyes watered; the German's visage underwent several distortions
of features; our hero found means to exclude the odour from his
sense of smelling, by breathing only through his mouth; and the
poor painter, running into another room, plugged his nostrils with
tobacco.
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