atisfaction in seeing
him abroad, and in good health, after the dangerous and portentous
malady he had undergone. Surprised at this salutation, the gentleman
replied, it was true he had been a little out of order overnight, but
there was nothing at all extraordinary in his indisposition. "Jesu! not
extraordinary!" cried the other, "when you vomited three black crows."
This strange exclamation the grave gentleman at first mistook for
raillery, though his friend was no joker; but, perceiving in him all the
marks of sincerity and astonishment, he suddenly changed his opinion,
and, after a short reverie, taking him aside, expressed himself in these
words: "Sir, it is not unknown to you that I am at present engaged in a
treaty of marriage, which would have been settled long ago, had it
not been retarded by the repeated machinations of a certain person who
professed himself my rival. Now I am fully persuaded that this affair of
the three crows is a story of his invention, calculated to prejudice me
in the opinion of the lady, who, to be sure, would not choose to marry a
man who has a rookery in his bowels; and, therefore, I must insist upon
knowing the author of this scandalous report, that I may be able to
vindicate my character from the malicious aspersion." His friend, who
thought the demand was very reasonable, told him, without hesitation,
that he was made acquainted with the circumstances of his distemper by
Mr. Such-a-one, their common acquaintance: upon which the person who
conceived himself injured went immediately in quest of his supposed
defamer, and having found him: "Pray, sir," said he, with a peremptory
tone, "who told you that I vomited three black crows?"--"Three?"
answered the gentleman, "I mentioned two only."--"Zounds! Sir," cried
the other, incensed at his indifference, "you will find the two too
many, if you refuse to discover the villainous source of such calumny."
The gentleman, surprised at his heat, said he was sorry to find he had
been the accidental instrument of giving him offence, but translated
the blame, if any there was, from himself to a third person, to
whose information he owed his knowledge of the report. The plaintiff,
according to the direction he received, repaired to the house of the
accused; and his indignation being inflamed at finding the story had
already circulated among his acquaintance, he told him, with evident
marks of displeasure, that he was come to pluck the same brace of cro