Sir Francis is very much pleased with the Parisian street commissionaires or porters, and wonders that no such luxury is general in London.  One day he invites the nearest commissionaire to visit his lodging, and tell him his whole story, which the man gladly did.  Setting off at a great rate, he said:—­’Sir, I black boots; I saw wood; I take it up into the apartments; I carry portmanteaus and luggage, and whatever offers itself; I carry letters and parcels; I rub the floors of apartments and stairs; I wash the floors and the dining-rooms; I change furniture from one house to another with a handbarrow—­carried by two men with leathern straps; I draw a cart with portmanteaus, wood, or furniture; I beat carpets, take them up out of the apartments, and carry them to the barrier outside Paris (yes, sir); I bring them back to the persons to whom they belong; I lay them down.  I know how to arrange a room; I make the beds; I colour the inlaid floors of the apartments; I watch a sick person through the night and day (a shrug) for so much a day (a shrug), and for the night also (a shrug); I agree as to the price with those persons who employ me, for five francs the night, eight francs for the twenty-four hours, when they do not feed me; besides, I watch the dead in the apartment during the twenty-four hours that they remain exposed; in short (three shrugs), I do whatever is offered to me.  I receive commercial notes for whoever will charge me with the commission, and who will give me the note to enable me to receive it; I bring back the money to the person who has intrusted me with the note, and the person pays me for my commission; I pawn at the Mont de Piete whatever the public is willing to intrust to me—­jewels (a shrug), chains, watches, gold or silver; I pawn silver spoons and forks, for eating; I pawn clocks, linen; they take everything in pawn (a shrug) at the Mont de Piete—­furniture, pianos, mattresses, candelabras, lustres:  in short, they take in pawn everything of value; and I bring back the money and the pawnbroker’s ticket to the person who has intrusted me with the commission, and at the same time that person pays me for my commission.  Afterwards, I redeem pawned articles from the Mont de Piete for all those persons who choose to honour me with their commissions, provided that the person puts his signature on the back of the paper which the Mont de Piete delivered to him on the day when he pawned the aforesaid articles.  I act as commissioner throughout all the departments of France, and also (shrug) in foreign countries, according to the price agreed on, and at a reasonable price; I travel on the railways (shrug), in the diligence (shrug); I go as quick as I can, and I come back as quick as I can; I rub down a horse—­I can!  I feed him; wash the carriage; drive the carriage; arrange the cellar; rinse out the bottles; bottle the wine; pile up the bottles after they are corked and stamped; lower the hogsheads of wine into the cellar with a