Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

The following story is given in a late French paper.

A young man, about twenty or twenty-two years of age, was lately going home about 11 o'clock in the evening through a street rather unfrequented, and near the theatre of the Boulevard, when he was seized suddenly by three strong men who applied a handkerchief to his mouth, covered his eyes, and carried him in spite of his efforts to a coach which had stopped at a short distance. They at the same time endeavored to tranquilize him and to set him at ease as to his safety, by assuring him that it was only an adventure de chambre which was in question.

After having driven on two or three hours at the least, they made him alight, and he found himself, when the bandage was removed from his eyes, in a small apartment, neat and well furnished. His guide told him to be patient, and that his orders should be attended to on his ringing a bell. They made him a good fire, and persuaded him to go to bed when he had somewhat recovered from his first alarm. He remained a prisoner till the day after the next, well served, well warmed, and having books supplied him to amuse himself. No noise was heard in the house, and the windows of the room, which were defended by bars, looked on an inner court, in which were some poultry; this was all he could observe.

The third day about four o'clock in the evening, they begged him to pass into a drawing room in which a lady, they said, waited for him. He followed his guide, but when he was in the presence of the mysterious lady, she cried out "it is not he," and fainted. When she returned to her senses she made apologies to the prisoner for the mistake of her people, and invited him with much politeness to dine with her. He accepted, and remarked a very handsome woman of 25 or 30 years of age, a sparkling brunette, whose language, tone and manner announced a person of birth. The servants who waited had no liveries. The dinner was silent, the lady polite but serious.

The young man at last begged the liberty of retiring, representing to her that his absence would cause much uneasiness to his friends, and expose him to a risk of losing his employment. The lady incognita set him at ease on this head, and promised that if this misfortune had happened, she would take means to repair it. She even took measures with him to be informed of the event, at the same time keeping her own secret: but she would not consent to let him go away immediately. They parted, and he was told to hold himself in readiness to set out at three in the morning. At that hour he was blinded, as usual, taken from his room and put into the coach, and after a journey about as long as the former, he was set down about break of day, at six in the morning: two men on horse-back escorted him about six hundred farther, while the coach drove off. His guides told him he was on the plain of Boulogne, galloped away, leaving the young man to rub his eyes and meditate at leisure on his singular adventure.