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Les diagrammas suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 \ MICROCORY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 I.I 1^ III 2-8 i^ tarn tim gn III 2-2 Li KU Vi |4^ 2.0 ■kUk i '•« ^ /APPLIED irvHGE Inc ^^ 1653 East Main Street S".^ Rochester, New York U609 USA '■^S (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone SSS (716) 288 - 5989 - Fax a Oaa i"F; /^// Under the Kings Sostion A KOMANCK OF gi'KHKC, COMPlUSIXtJ MANV TKli; AfiC IXTKKK.STIXU HIHTOKirAI, 8KKTCIIK1 AM> ill H- CUIITICINS OK THK C'lHTOMW ANI> II AIJITs OK TIIK PKOPLE OK gUKIlKC — ANflKXT AXD MODKK.N HAROLD SAXON <- 'op YH I - Frank Cakrki Under the King's bastion Chapter I " Akah Quebec exalt her trest on hi^h. Her rocks and battlements invade the sky. . . And proud Cape Diamond towers above them alt With jerial and embattled wall Till on the highest point were birds scarce rise, The flag of England floats amid the skies." ' Pittsburg, 25th May, " My Dear Fred— It was my intention to run up north this summer and have c look at the improvements in the old city, of which I have heard a great deal lately • but business obliges me to sail for Europe ; Under fhc A'ini^'s /^as/ion iiiimccliately, so I must postpone the pleas- ure till next year. " However, Mrs. Fortescue, anoUl friend of mine, with her niece, intends visiting Quebec, and it occurred to me to ask you and your mother, who is always .so kind and hospitable, to call on the n and give them a few hints on the sights, as they are both complete strangers in Canada. You would confer a great obligation upon me if you could comply with this request, for I am afraid my change of plans has rather intei • fered with theirs, as I nad offered my .service as cicerone. " Apropos, my boy : I don't know if you are still fancy free, but if so, it might not be a bad spec', as we say, to bestow a little friendly attention, for Kdith Darrell, besides being a thoroughly nice girl, has about $5,000 a year in her own right ; though her old aunt is preciously careful of both her and it, and is constantly running away from .suitors with questionable motives. In fact, that is why she is leaving town so early, if I am not mistaken. They will arrive some time next week, nnd put up at the Chateau Frontenac With the rest we have no concern. 1 i Under the KIhi^^'s /hi si ion 5 Tills letter was addressed to Fred. Clif- ford, Ksq., St. Louis vStre.'t. Quebec, and li'j was reading it as he strolled on Dufferin Terrace, the beautiful and far-famed j)ro- nienade of Quebec. He was not thinking, however, of the beauty of the scenery, with which familiarity had bred entire disregard, if not contempt. He was taking into con- sideration, far njore seriously than the writer intended, the suggestion concerning the lady with the S5.000 per annum. He came to the conclusion that she should share it with him, if Jiis endeavour, aided by cer- tain outvvaru attraclionsof person and man- ner, could persuade her to do so. He was urgently in need of money at that moment, b-sides which, b-ing a young man of ex- pensive tastes, and rather above supplying them by either mental or physical labor, he had been searching for an heiress for some time, and had never wasted much attention on penniless maidens in case of raising false hopes in tb ir innocent hearts. "It won't be my fault if she goes home <5 I'Hdn i/u h'inju's inntiou unciiKaKcd." uns his last reflcdion. nccom- panicd l,y tlic mulcrlyiiiK convidion. tliat apart from the money, the misfortune would he her's. And then he \ve!it home to dimier to announce his friend's recjuest to his mother. Under the A'inir's rin^tum Chapter IT ^ WKKK or so later, in the early morning, ^ -^ an elder'y lady and two young girls stoo Undct the A'i//i;'s /iasfion ly <|Uc.stion, Mrs. Clifford made no discoveries ill that respect. However, bis mind was jiretiy nearly made up. " KverythiiiK poir.ts to the se- cond one." he mused in soHtnde that ni^dit. " vShe is prol)at)ly in mourninj; for the father, who left the money. She has much more the manner of a rich girl used to be run after, and she thorou^^hly looks the heiress. Confoundedly handsome, too, by jove ! I shall not introduce her to the other fellows. Of course a day or two will show, but I'm sure I'm riglit. And to think how I racked my brains for an hour to please that other little thing," finished Fred, annoyed at the mis-direaed energy ; and then he slept the sleep of the self-satisfied, and dreamed of a private steam-yacht, towards which his ambitions particularly tended, unlimited money for clubs and betting, and entire liberty from anything that savoured of work. In all of which visions, with the rather useful exception of providing the where- withal, the girl had not much share. /cV (■ndn the A7;/;'*.v Ha ^t ion ClIAl-rKK IV TTis opinion was confirmed next day, \ when he discovered the name of the beautiful Miss Darrell was " Kdith." and heard Mrs. Fortescue address the younger one as " Aline." He also overheard Mrs. Fortescue say to Kdith : " You know, my dear, if he continues to write to you it mu.st b:; on your own responsibility," and at once coinieaed this remark with the suitor from whom Mrs. Fortescue was "running away." ilenceforth Jie younger Miss Darrell was a nonentity in his opinion. All his tender glances, his in.sinuating speech s were re .ser\-ed for her fair cousin, and he managed to make himself so agreeable that they, cs})ecially Mrs, Fcrte.scue, whom he was desirous of conciliating, voted him a charm- ing young man. "w.", I _> '%.i-v*t '^::^ Under the A'ittx's Ihstiou /^ The Kirls thoroughly enjoyed the drive to Montmorency, through the rambling vilhiKe of Beauiwrt, which straggles out in one long street of seven miles, l)et\veen the city and the gorge. They paused on the way to see the remains of the old building, once Montcalm's headquarters ; and after leaving the carriage at the hotel, walked through a pretty park, and caught their first glimpse of the falls from the very edge oF the pre- cipice. Its great height very nuich im- pre.s.sed them as they stood at the top of the long steep stairway, which is suspended from the almost perpendicular cliff. Ahr.e declared she nuist go down to the very bot- tom, and soon stood, enveloped in drifting spray, on a level with the subterraneai chasm, through who.se unexplored outlet the great volume of water finds its way to the river bed. The less enterprising Edith remained half way up, and Fred with her, for it scarcely seemed necessar\ to take the trouble to follow i young lady who was not an heiress. 20 Under the J\iiii>;'s Bastion The roar and rush of the falls fascinated them for a long time ; then they walked through fields and woods to the natural steps higher up the Montmorency River, a freak of nature which drew forth even more of their admiration than the better known cataradl. Something of eerieness mingled too in their idea of the place, for the silence was broken only by the rush of the water. Not a bird twittered— not a leaf stirred in the warm afternoon, and the dark over- hanging trees lent an air of sombre mystery to the winding ravine. They almost ex- pected to see the thicket above parted, and the painted and feathered head of an Indian warrior peer through, to scent out an enemy's camp-fire, or wash away his own trail in the foaming rapids. On the homeward drive, they turned aside to see the creek where Jacques Car- tier's three frail caravels wintered in 153s, and where the remains of one were dis- covered as late as 1843, and returned to the hotel charmed with their first view of his- torical scenes. Under Ihc King's Bastion 21 Fred had entreated to be allowed to accompany them on their first visit to the citadel, and accordingly next morning they started out at ten o'clock, and wended their way up to the fortress trough the narrow massive Chain Gate, the main entrance to the works, A young soldier in the plain dark blue with red facings, of the Canadian Artillery Garrison, was detailed to " show them round," and took them first across the " Hog's Back," as the large interior square is called, to the King's Bastion. From this point is- embraced one of the widest and most comprehensive views of varying scen- ery on the continent of America, added to which the lingering traces of the memorable events which here changed the face of his- tory, still hover over the ground where nations contended for supremacy, and ren- der it one of the shrines of the world. Well might Mr. Kirby put into the mouth of one of his characters the exclamation, '■ See Quebec, and live forever ! " W m^smm 22 "■!-' 1 1 V i ! l-ilder //„■ A-iug-s /Sasthn The bl„e Laurentian l.ilb on the north gorge of Montmorency, sce.ie of the skir m.sh between Wolfe and MontcaL of luj, "f '/f 9> ^° O'-^-'^us to the Brhish the lovely Island of Orleans, dividing the mer nito two ch-iiinoT„ j . * the ^uM-f, "° "'"''""^■'' : and, a mile across the sw ft current, the spreading town of d^,s of,, : "T '"^'^"" '" *^ ^■"■"^ days of ,759, shot and shell were hourlv hurled ,nto the beleaguered city, enc S a glonous bay, fair as a summer sea^ morthrfift ""''""'r'''^ "'^ '" ^ harbor thonVh Th ?'" """' "' '""Sth. Below, though the distance is so enchanting as a Imos to make us forget the foreground ma,, be seen all the old city within the walls, „,cl„di„g Dufferin Terrace and he handsome Guest-house, built on the sL of the famous old Chateau St Louis taval University on the tapering eudof the promont. y ; church towers and spires uncounted ; and below these again "^^ crowded wooden tenements of the Wr Undct the King's Bastion 23 Town, with their picluresque steep gabks, piled one on anotlier it seems from above, and clinging to the time-worn rock, like the offshoots of some deeply-rooted creejv ing plant. And above and below, day by day, and year after year, the tide of a simple, healthy, Peaceful life ebbs and flows, always under the grim shadow of the King's Bas- tion . But where so many illustrious pens have striven to portray this scene, and yet have failed to do justice to it, my very limited powers can scarcely bring before my readers, a pi(5lure which language is inadequate to describe, even when most gifted. While Fred was pointing out the various land-marks, they overheard an amusing conversation between another party of tou- rists, who seemed to be quizzin ■ their guide, a French Canadian. The latter, leaning over the parapet, pointed impres- sively down the precipice, and delivered himself of the following remark : '• Montgomerie — he fall down dere." ^^tm I!l IN H ( '„dn- the k'in^i^s Bastion ''IncleecV said the gentleman of the party bent on a joke, " you say a man fell down there ? " ^ m icu " Ves," responded the soldier i^ravelv " he^is a gen-ral-he try to fight de cite-he The tourist produced an eye-glass, and cramng Ins neck over the edge, said • "Seems pretty steep. Could vou tell me If this-this gentleman-hurt 'himself when he fell ? " The man looked blank for a moment, but his knowledge went no farther ' ' \ dunno," was his answer, accompanied bv a shrug of nidifference. Thei^r own guide, better informed, re- marked snn-Iing, '« Of course you know that Montgomery was killed at the base of the rock, just below where the tablet is nut up 111 memory of the event, and not in trying to climb the cliflF as some people suppose. ' ' p'^^pie " How exciting it would be if ever the town were besieged again ! Do you think Undct the Kings Bastion 2^ you could make much resistance ? ' ' Aline asked him. The last time the enemy came against us, the odds were very great in his favour, and Canada was a small and jioor country, but the tablet says he '///,' " the soldier answered with emphasis. Visitors to the Citadel are not permitted to see much more than the views from the King's, the Prince's, and Mann's Bastions, and after locking at the outside of the magazine, and the little gun captured at Bunker's Hill (not much of a thing in itself to boast of, even if Canadians were addicted to boasting, which they are not), they walked round the outworks, coming through a queer sally-port in the looped-holed walls, and examining curiously the contriA ince for flooding the wide ditch with water in time of war And then they had just time to reach the hotel for luncheon. 25 Under the Kind's Bastion Chaptkk V YjTdith had brought a kodac, and Aliiie ^^ was fond of sketching, so in the after- noon, while Mrs, Fortescue dozed over a novel, they set off to take some snap shots, and look for pidluresqne corners for future occasions. They began their march of dis- covery by visiting the old-fashioned English Ca hedral with its beautiful east window, and the remains of two shot-rent flags, peacefully furled, their battles o'er, on each side of the chancel. A few yards away is the Roman Catholic Basilica, whose foundations are older, pro- bably, than those of any church in America,, dating from 1647. It is a handsome edifice, but the girls thought it gloomy, rather than dimly religious. L'udcr the k'!)iii's Bastion n In both these sacred buildings mural tablets recall many names well known to history, who played out some part of their life drama in this old town. Governors, bishops, soldiers, and priests, rest from their labors in the quiet old Basilica — chief among them Louis de Buade, Count Frontenac, who told the envoy of an English admiral, " I will answer your master by the mouth of my cannon, ' ' and — did it. He sleeps the last sleep within hearing of the careless tread of nuiltitudes along the street which still bears his name. The bones of the founder of the city, Samuel de Champlain, may also rest here, though the facl: cannot ba ascertained with certainty. He was buried somewhere in the vicinity of the Chateau St. Louis, but strangely enough, the exadl spot was, in the lapse of time, forgotten. Some forty or fifty years ago bones were discovered near Mountain Hill, and re-interred in the Basilica, and opinion was divided as to whether Champlain 's tomb had at last been 2S lender the A'/z/^'s Ikntion discovered, or whether it was destined forever to remain unknown. Tile square in front of the church is uninteresting enough now. A handsome new city hall stands just opposite, and stores occupy che street to right and left. But very difierent was it in the old French days. Then the weekly market was held there, and many curious scenes have taken place 'V. the enclosure, when red Indians brought their furs to barter from the dis- tant wilds of tht; Great Lake^. and Hudson Bay ; traders jabbered and bargained ; soldiers swaggered and quarreled ; dainty French ladies tripped in and out an ong the various heaps of commodities ; priests of the Recollets order, or Jesuits from the newly-founded college just beside the market sauntered in groups, discussing the mi.ssions, the latest news from France, and a good many items of town gossip withal ; and silent nuns glided meekly through the crowd, with lowered eyes, and lips mur- -muring their beads. ( 'ndcr I he A7//i,''.v liastion 2c/^ luHth and Aline, however, were more interested and anuised witli tlie cit.v a., it is, and did not jKiuse to repeople its streets from the past. Catching si^ht of tlie river down a lonjj; hill, they immediately walked in that direction, and came on to the Cirand Battery, the fortification defending the city on the north side, " Whore all uIdhk the Kii»y enihn.sdred steep. Ill K'ii" repose the wiitehful euiiiion iieeii." From this point the whole valley of the little River vSt. Charles lay spread before them, and close below the large, artificial basin, named Louise, after Queen Victoria's daughter, whose husband was a popular Governor-General of the country. A large ocean liner was discharging passengers at the Breakwater, and within the dock vessels of al) sizes and nationalities weie moored, some being loaded with lumber and cattle^ others receiving a last coating of paint, others again spreading their .sails to bleach in the sunshine, while busy little tugs, snorted here and there, with much fuss and ^ s so Ihidcr the A'i//j>'s Jiasiion 11 puffiiiK, towing schooners to their hcrths. and white-winged yaclits stood out into the river between tlie stone walls of the quay. Closer toward the steep, on ground reclaim- ed from the river (for in olden dajs ships used to come so close to the ro-^k that they were fastened to iron rings driven into it). trains were whistling and shunting, in the yards where three railways converge. It was an animated scene, and the girls were attraded towards it. Descending one of the numerous flights of stairs which conned the upper and the lower towns, and which causes .some of the visitors to remark that " if you are not climbing up hills, you are climbing down steps," they wandered through by-ways and alleys, certainly the oddest, if not the airiest, they had ever seen. The cliff overhung them all, as some of the names, ' ' Sous le Cap, ' ' and ' ' vSous le Fort, ' ' unchanged since French days, still intimate. The former which, perhaps, more artists have carried away on canvas than any other scene in Quebec, simply charmed Aline, ■ >jrv. -•!, •/'.'VlJ.. / 'iidif the A'/f/if's /hstiou ^/ though I'Mith very imiclj i)rcferR(l a ikoic elevated view, even at the expense of tlie picturesque. So narrow was it that neigh- bour, on opposite sides of the street niij^ht ahnost shake liands over the heads of llie visitors, and a caleche entirely blocked the way in its passage, seeniinj; to have driven full tilt into an open shed door, in disap- lH;arins round a crazy corner. The rod- protruded in one place 1 '.'tween the wooden walls, and many bridges, a foot or two above Kdith's head, coiniecled the second stories of the leaning dwellings, while garments of every size and hue flopped in the breeze from a network of clotheslines. Aline wondered if there was a city by-law ordaining that all the inhabitants of the quarter should make Frida\-, their laundr>-- day, but when she had been some time in Quebec, and had become familiar with cer- tain favorite haunts, she gave it as tie result of her experience that ' ' it was al Aays wash- day in Fous le Cap." Town in this region there is a charming .?-? I'uder tilt Kini^'a /tasfioii inconsistency almut the streets. They y.uvn everywliere invitinKly, hut to follow their tlevious courses is not al\va>s an easy matter, for they change their direction every few- yards, and conse(|uently an utter confusion with regard to the points of the compass is the result, when one reaches an ujiexpected ending, and wonders how in the world one Kot there. They would have been still more interested had they known they were walk- ing' over the very ground occupied by Gen- eral Arnold in his ill-fated assault on the gate at the summit of Palace Hill, which he was to force in conjunclion with Montgomery, who was advancing from the opposite direc- tion, on the night of the 30th December,. 1775. They were ignorant of the !v»i. Tty at the time, but some weeks later they made a special pilgrimage to the spot, and had the fight at the Sault au Matelot Barriers and the subsequent surrender of the invaders,, thoroughly explained to them. Their progress was .'-low, for Edith stop- ped every few minutes to take a photograpn. ^!S^i^^^!^TkTjT Ihidcr the A7;/(,''.v nai f^ till she had exhausted all her plates, and at last they reached a small sleepy s(|uare. enclosed on three sides l)y tall, steep-roofecl houses, and on the fourth hy a little church, which they, of course, did not ueKlecl io enter. It was Notre-I)anu> des \'ic^.)ires. and everything in it had as ancient an ap^ pt'arance as though it had been Imxed up since the time when the pious inhal)itants hung a piclure of the Virgin o.i the steeple to pre.serve the church from ICuKlish battery shots. Hijrh up in the dark corners above the altar, [^atiii inscriptions record the facl that, throuK'h the intercession of Our I.ady, the city was twice saved from iMi^lisli fleets,' and a very primitive old pit^lure on the wall' beariuK^ the date rjio, seems to r.fer to the same bles.sed intervention. They sat down on one of the benclies to rest, and look up the history of the church in their guide-books, and when they came out they were quite puzzled to know by which one of the four corners they had entered the little square. "iJk;-'.'^' ^-!fiir^<-t.-J- ■j^rn^ ^4.%^,.:- j^ Under the King's Bastion i I " I reallj' think we have lost ourselves. What a joke ! " cried Aline. " There will not be much excitement about it," answered Edith, " for I hear an eledlric car .somewhere, and if we take one they will soon put us right. ' ' Stepping out into another queer dark street, for all this lower town is in the shadow cast by the huge rock, hours before the sun sets above, they were surprised to see the turrets of the Chateau Frontenac above them, while just in front a big sign read : ' ' Passenger Elevator. ' ' They availed themselves of this rickety old conveyance and five minutes later, after passing through a gallery excavated under the terrace, they stood at the entrance to the hotel, where they found Mrs. Fortescue wondering what had become of them. In spite of their long ramble, however, they Were quite prepared for their usual evening Stroll on the terrace, without which no day seemed complete. bnder the Kitig's Bastion 35 Chapter VI U YrET US drive to-day and see all the ^^ monuments," said Aline next morn- ing, anxious to start at q.cmd a.m. and " see things," as she expressed it, while daylig.^t lasted. By common consent, the manage- ment of their itinerary was confided to her, as being the most acftive of the three, and she did not allow her position to become a sinecure. " My dear child," said Mrs. Fortescue in mild remonstrance, " I have just had my breakfast, and must take a little time to think about our next movement. I have not the least objedtion to your doing this town just as thoroughly as you like, but we have plenty of time and need not see everything in a day. Besides," she added more seri- m '5^..'^.... 36 Under the Kitii^' s Hast ion ously, " I liave some letters to write and, Aline. I want to si)eak to you about one of them." Tliey left lulitli in the window, and when Aline returned half an hour later, herbn\-ht face wore a shadow, which her cousin noti- ced by sayinK^ " Well, what is it now ? " " Oh, that tiresome Jack Murdoch has written a^ain, and would like to .spoil my summer by comiuK- licre. Between us, auntie and I have concoded a letter, which I hope will have the desired effect, and make him understand that I can never like him better than I do now." " I don't believe that is verv much," re- turned Kdith. " He is a sem.sh fellow, but then he is not singul.M- in that of cour.se. Most men's hearts are centered on them- selves. The only distinction between them IS the degree of distance from the centre at which they place you." Now, Edith , ' ' replied Aline reprovingly " there are exceptions. I know you have seen more of men's society than I have, and Under the A'i)ii>'s /iasfion ^y I dare say have had reason to think tlietn mercenary, but yon can do just as you like now, if it will make yon liai)py." " Ah, my dear, that's the trouble — I can t," Ivdith bej>:an, l)nt Mrs. Fortescne came in and announced that she was ready for any plan they had made. Aline's j^ravity .soon passed away, and in a few moments they were driving up St. I^ouis vStreet. They had already become familiar with the most modern monument, which stands just outside the windows of the Frontenac, and is a beautifully executed memorial. Champlain, in bron/.e, after the lapse of two hundred and ninety years, looks toward the oldest street in Quebec — the first path, which by h- •ders. was cut through the primeval fore:. ip Rouge, and called by him "Grande .\iiee," a name which it still bears for the greater part of its length. Their cabman was well versed in the usual train of touri.st conversation, and commenced ere they had gone ten yards up the street : " The Kent House, ladies, where the Duke 11 iJi! iii!;! ::i !;iii Jc? Under the A'///i^r's Bastion of Kent, Htr Majesty's fotlior, lived when he was coniniander of the .orces here." A little further en he paused to point out a mural tablet, recording that on the site of tho present dwelling stood a small house in vvhich General Montgomery's Iwdy was laid out on New Year's Day, 1776. Then tliey drove past the Esplanade, through St. Louis gate to the Hou.ses of Parliament, where Aline sat in the Lieutei.- ant-Governor's high-backed chair, feeling vastly important ; then on past the handso'.ne Drill Hall, in front of which bronze busts commemorate two soldiers of the garrison who lost their lives in one of the terrible conflagrations which again and again have almost wiped the city out of existance ; and so to the famous Plains of Abraham, much reduced in size now, but still large enough for the purpose of a review ground, and, at th- east corner, the simple, severe column, cro'\iied with h'.lmet and sword, which marks the spot where the renowned general " praised God " for his vidory, and " died happy." Under the Kiiiii^' & Bastion ? fell, Mont'j;ilni, iniiii'jrliil, with gre it Wolfe shall dwell,' This union of two peoples who warred against each other of old, and whose des- cendants, whether of French or iCnglish race, are proudly content to call themselves Cana- dians in this day, is in evidence everywhere. Another monument, lower down onl the 40 I udcr thf Knui's Jhnlion liciKhis. iscivclcd, in part, of tlic iron found on the scene of the n^Iit, to the nietnorv of the brave of hoth armies who fell in the second battle of the Plains in the spring- of i7fH>- It also bears the names of the rival leaders—" Levis -^Murray," and the statue of the -oddess of war on the summit was a Kift from hVance to her lost children over the sea, dead in defence of her j^reat colony. And the niches on the facade of the Parliament Buildin^^s contain statues of Frenchmen and Ivnulishmen alike. Here is Lord IClKiti. and Colonel de vSalaberry ; here Krontennc and his cannon ; Montcalm,' with unsullied .sword .still by his .side : and Wolfe, with outstretched arm pointing to the Citadel, which he won, but never entered. One of the most decisive battles of the world, and only lasted twenty minutes," read Aline from the guide-book. "And that is the distria prison over there. What desecration to ground that should be kept holy forever ! ' ' was her indignant comment. Jii I w ( 'iidvr I he A'/z/i^'s Ihtslhvt // The (lay was so exciuisite that tlu-y i>n)- lon^red their (h-ivc ior sonic- miles into the country, relnrnin^^ by the lower vSte. I'oye Road. Thoii^^h lo. the most ])art wealthy private residences lined the St. Louis Road, still a homely little cotta^^e peei)e(l out here and there anion>r the trees. Near one an ideal Darby was tendinj,^ his beehives scat- tered aix)Ut an old-fashioned garden, while Joan in the window sat at a spinning-wheel, which had probably belonj^ed to her grand- , mother in the middle of the last centiiry. By a previous arrangement, I'red ciifTord accompanied them to promenade on DufTerin Terrace that evening. A military concert is given here twice a week, and especially on Saturday night, all the world of Quebec "goes to the band." Mrs. Fortescue pre- ferred to remain at her window, just above the band pavilion, but nothing would have induced the girls to forego the pleasure of mixing with the crowd of four or five thousand people, who early assembled from all quarters of the town. Bo}-s and girls, Ill ^2 Under the A'i/i^ii's Bastion youuK French misses, and their "beaux," blooming matrons and their husbands, hatless visitors from the Chateau, labourers in holiday shirt and collar after the week's toil, members of the provincial parliament, sailors of all nations from the merchant vessels in port, soldiers of the garrison, cane in hand, with jaunty forage caps hanging over their right ears, old and young, rich and poor, mingle in good-humored com- panionship at this bi-weekly event, and the hum of cheerful talking and laughter, and . the muffled thread of many feet continue till ten o'clock, when the first bar of " God save the Queen " sounds. Hats come off, soldiers pause with hand to forehead in the military salute, and as the last note dies the throuir [uickly thins out, then melts away altogc.aer, and in a few miiuites only one or two strollers are left, to finish their pipes in peace, or a solitary wheelman spins along the boarded platform, which affords him a clear quarter of a mile for the manip- ulation of his " machine." i'udiY the /\'i//j^'s /his /ion 43 Quebec goes to bed earlv. You may tra- verse the streets at eleven o'clock p.m., atul not meet a creature abroad, scarcely see a lij^lit, except far up in some third story window, and the echo of your own footfall will be all to break the stillness, except for the distant bark of a dog, or the whistle of a steamer on the river. Our girls had noticed several odd couples and groups, and had tried to keep them in sight, but found it impossible in the ever moving throng. They could not imagine where all tl: j people came from, for the streets had seemed (juite empty to them ever since their arrival. Clifford was delighted to be able to " show Kdith off " to his acquaintances, for her beauty was notice- able enough to attract attention, and he was aware that many were admiring her. The " society " population of Quebec is so small that "everyone knows everyone else,' and a stranger is recognized as such on her first appearance. Fred ventured to carry him- self with a good deal of assurance and cmprcsscmcnt, which was designed to give u Uudt't the A'i//i>\tions ; after these many ladies with missal and chaplet walked two and two. These alone wore hats, others — men, children and priests — being bare-headed. One sweet young girl made a lovely pidture of devotion. She was in deep mourning, and her eyes were reli- giously lowered ; one hand daintly held up her long gown from contadl with the dusty .street, and from the other depended her white pearl beads. Then came other organizations headed by their respective banners ; and orphan child- ren in a regulation dress, in ch.irge of nuns ; after these, pupils of the Seminary carrying their peaked caps, and wearing green sashes ; and then pas.sed little girls lately confirmed, all in white, and with veils and frequently crowns of flowers on their heads. Behind thtm again, a great number of tonsured lludcr the A'lHg's liasiiou 47 priests in gorgeous ganncnts, and acolytes with snrplices of rich hice, swinging golden censors ; then more priests chanting the Latin ritual. Following these walked an- other company of boy>, clothed in blue and purple silk, scattering flowers on the ground from hugh baskets; and then, under a crimson and gold catiopy, the Host, borne by the Archbishoji — he and his household wearing the magnificent vestments sent out to the early Church by Louis XI\', and brought to light for this ceremony from their vault in the Basilica. Zouaves with drawn swords guarded the casket which they regard as containing the manifestation of the Diety. The scene' was indscribably strange and mediaeval to eyes fresh from a bustling city of the United States, in this materialistic century. It seemed a bit of Rome dropped into the modern life of Canada, yet it did not arouse the contempt and ridicule which some sects heap on any- thing savouring of superstition. One could ee that these people loved their religion, Ilfiill 48 Under the King's Bastion and that it was a good and holy thing for them. Along the way young trees were planted and at the junction of streets the procession passed under graceful arches covered with green boughs and adorned with marble angels. At the approach of the Host, the dense hues of spectators all along the route fell on their knees, and bowed their heads in ador- ation, so that a :uish fell on the whole street. "Gracious!" exclaimed Aline, " is one obliged to go down on one's knees ? " and she glanced in dismay at the dusty pave- ment. "Well," remarked Edith positively "I certainly do not intend to ruin my white mushn skirt, so let us get round this next corner, for I would not have them think me disrespectful for the world." They carried this plan into effedl, and afterwards went up to the top of Kent Gate and watched the procession enter and leave "A-i.Joj'*, wJiuyi^ Citatlel Entranre lie. of MartfJIo Tou'tm -•I ! ! ! r '1 ''.':t Jl Kiw/s Baxtion. View from the Citttdel. Under the kings Basfion ^g the little Jesuit Church of the Congregation. The people all knelt again on pavement or roadway, just where they stood, and then closed in behind, choking up the narrow street with a kaleidescopic vision of l)right colors, waving banners, falling flowers, and the mist of incense. It was a spectacle if you will, but one which insists on the existence and worship of a God— a reli- gion which acknowledges that belief which the colony has retained, while France the first Motherland, has drifted into polished atheism. By this time it was nearly twelve o'clock —too late to go to church, so thev sat in the Terrace till lunchon, and were so im- pressed with the remarkable sight they had witnessed in the morning that the\- went t6 \'espers at the Franciscan Conx-eiit, where a sandaled monk, wearing a coarse browji habit with a knotted rope about his waist, preached a pa.ssionate sermon, and they gazed with wondering eyes at the white 1 1 ll I li 50 Undir f/ic ''ino's /nis/iivi robed and veiled fit>urcs of the nuns pros- trating themselves before the altar, while an invisible choir sang hynnis behind a grating. Under the A'/nt^'s /A?. /.c;; S^ Chapter VIII T/isitoks from all parts of Canada and -^ the United vStates filled the Hotel, together with a sprinkling of English tour- ists, and many were the discussions, political and social, amicable and the reverse, which took place at the dinner table, and in the smoking or drawing-rooms afterwards. One exening the gentlemen at Mrs. For- tescue's table were recapitulating that never- failing topic for the past eighteen months among people from the U. vS. A.— the war with Spain. A New Yorker evidently con- sidered the campaign the most brilliant achievement in the annals of universal his- tory, while a Philadelphian advocated the theory that the war was unnecessar_\- in the first place, and much misnian'i:,^jd in several 52 Under the King's Bastion departments. The words " America " and "American" occurred so often that at length a Torontonian remarked dryly," That word ' American ' seems to have got beyond bounds — 'The American War,' ' The Ame- ricans and Filipinos,' 'The American Navy,' ' American Rule in Cuba,' ' America a First-Class Power,' and so on ad infinitum. One would think you meant the whole north and south continent, while in reality your eagle spreads its wings only over a large third of North America." ' ' There are other things that count be- sides square miles, and we have a consider- able share of them. The world recognizes that, and has called us Americans ; and we'll hang on to the name that to-day is the most glorious thing on earth," said the New Yorker. ' ' I am sure your seventy-five millions of patriotic citizens think it so," answered the Torontonian politely, ' ' but it is prima- rily a geographical question ; and I don't know that the world gave you the name. I'udct the King's Bastion jj I was reading the other clay the ' ' Conquest of Peru," by Prescott, and an extraci par- ticularly struck me. It was this : "A citizen of the United States has no other name by which to class himself among the nations than that borrowed from a quarter of the globe. An American may find food for his vanity in the facl that the name of a quarter of the globe, inhabited by so many civilized nations, has been exclusively con- ceded to him . Was it conceded or assumed / ' ' But whether the question is Prescott's or his editor's, I cannot say however, the point I want to make is this : It is an error to say the name has been exclusively con- ceded to the inhabitants of the United States, by all the world, for in England anyone coming from the wes ^rn continents is an ' American.' Canadians are so called, and also men from Mexico, Peru or Cape Horn. In my opinion, you assumed the title by pure * cheek,' if the ladies will par- don me, and it has attached to you ever since by the very enormity of the vaunt. ' ' 54 ( 'udit the Ki)i}r" s Bastion "Well, I guess we won't change it to please anyone's geographical susceptibili- ties," answered the New Yorker. " What is your opi: 'on, Miss Darrell ? " he inquired,, turning to Aline, whom he had been pester- ing before dinner with very unwelcome attentions, considering he was a two-day's acquaintance of a type she especially dis- liked . ' ' The name of the continent is good enough for the nation who will own it all one of these days, isn't it ? " said he. ' ' I have always thought it very conceited to call ourselves ' The Americans,' " she returned, attentively peeling a peach, " and still more so to defend the claim." And after this shameful going over to the enemy, a slight coolness arose between them to her decided relief. It rained for three whole days after ' ' Pro- cessioji Sunday, ' ' and they read, and worked and sketched a maze of roofs and chimney- stacks out of the window, and at last fell to drumming disconsolately on the panes, and gazing hopelessly at the gray mist K^ ,«■ ( 'in/ii tht /\'///o's />iis//()/t •75' which lumg over the river, and ^t^t.■al^s of water that swished along the Terrace. AHne could hear inac1ivit>- no longer, and Mrs. Kortescue, needing some silks tor her work, she volunteered to fetch them. " I rather like rain than otherwise," she declared " and I am longing to see some of the ' Chien d'Or' places, especially the dog himself, which is (juite close, some- where on the ])ost office ; and the rain i.s really less heavy." Edith could not be jx'rsuaded to leave her lounging chair, and the " Choir Invisi- ble," so Aline, equipi>ed to defy the ele- ments sallied out to do her trifling errand, and then returned by way of the post office to .satisfy her curiosity with respect to tn . ancient stone. She had no very clear idea where to look for it, and though she had brought the book and its well-known cover for com- parison, saw nothing that resembled it from the main .street. vShe concluded she must S6 I 'ndt'r tin- A'/ni^'.'i /iastion ask to have it iMiintcd out to her. Very few ]K'()i)le were out in the rain, whicli still came chnvii steadily, hut seeing a respectable- looking workinj? -man. she venture to ask him for the desired information. He seemed surprised, l)Ut .ifter a slij^ht hesitation led her to a small house, plainly a restaurant "licensed to retail sjurituous li(|Uors," on whose window indeed was em- blazon;jd a representation of a yellow do^. Explaining in broken iCnslish that this was the " Chien d'Or," he was withdraw- \\\^, when Aline retreated hastily from the ojien door, throuj^h which men's loud voices and the clink of glasses could be heard, and turning suddenly round, beheld a very tall dark young man with an honest kindly fac, surveying her, and seeming to thorough:/ understand the situation. Though an ex- ceedingly gentlemantly fellow, Carleton Sinclair was guilty on this occasion of the rudeness of staring for fully thirty .seconds in the most pronounced manner at Miss Darrell. \:>f ( 'tniir i/i(- k'iitii' s /iasii'ii ^j This was what he saw : A sli^jht ^\v\ of twenty-one, not very tall, a face rather sweet than beautiful, delicate features, dark blue eyes, a clear healthy conii)lexion, colouring a little now under his earnest scrutiny, and fair hair straying in little natural curls from under her sailor hat, while one hand held her umbrella, atid the other gathered up the skirt of a perfectly-fitting ulster. Sinclair was not of a very romantic tem- perament, and usually studied things from a cool standpoint. Therefore, he played entirely false to his previous characler for deliberation by promptly falling in love, for once and forever, with the unknown young lady, though perhaps he scarcely realized more than a strange new sensation at the moment. He recovered his presence of mind with a siart, and courteously raising his hat, asked if she were looking for the " Chien d'Or," Aline replied that she was, and no longer restrained the mirth which was break- ing forth from eyes and lips. They laughed PFT "TH i.v Cui •!(• /\'{ !/}:'> fiilslioil togetlici ." ed higli «•) row stret? has done and fifty golden (u ni.^cdi.-. and then Sinclair poini- ■ ;inK in an absent minded fashion, liis inward vision entirely occnjjied for the first time in his twenty-nine years of life, by the inia>;e of a woman. Hitherto he had scarcely noticed women and had taken al)solutely no interest in thetn. He had the repntation of being tiuiet. and in fact shy ; but older men with whom he came in contact, predicted that he would soon prove that his brains were above the average, and Canada would yet Ik; proud of him. Nevertheless he had led a very monoto- nous life for some time, not being able to afford, for various reasons, nor indeed caring, to take part in all the amusements of the young men he knew. Uncongenial relatives left him prac1icall\- alone in the world, but as he was fond of reading, and occ.isionally wrote a leading article for the press, he managed to sjiend his time a good deal more profitably than most of his accpiaintances. That night, however, when he sat in his silent room, he 6o Under the Kinp-'s Bastion w. felt somehow that it was horribly lonely and dull. He opened a book which had interested him deeply the previous evening, but before he had read a page, a girl's face with appealing eyes, and lips twitching in a suppressed smile, came before him, and after vainly trying to fix his attention on the chapter, he rose hastily, with an impa- tient exclamation at his own folly, and re- membering she had mentioned being at the Frontenac, he strolled up to the Terrace, a thing so contrary to his usual habits that he was lost in wonder at himself. He insti- tuted a keen search there and at the hotel windows, and told himself he was a fool for not walking up to the Frontenac with her in the morning. He might have offered to carry her umbrella— girls from "the States' ' were not prudish ; she would not have thought it intrusive. What a dullard she must have considered him. One of his friends had accused him the other day of being prematurely old and " slow, " and evidently he had been right. He did not Under the King's Bastion 6i see a sign of the being who all unconsciously was making him so restless, for the party were spending the evening with Mrs. Clif- ford ; nor for many days afterwards were his eyes gladdened by the sight of her. tli ■ 62 I'ndcr the A'i/iji^'s /nrs/icyi/ ^'■' Chaptkr IX ,1. that week and the next aunt and J '^ nieces devoted to sight-seeing, visit- ing, among other buildings Laval Univer- sity, with its old French picture gallery and the mouldering coffin of its founder preserx'ed under a glass case in a vault con- taining many of the things used by him in life ; and the Ursuline Convent, where they spoke to invisible nuns through an iron grating, and where the ancient ponderous door seemed to entirely shut out the world from the cloistered silence of the interior. Montcalm lies buried here, and his poor sightless skull is treasured by the inmates. In the chapel still another tablet, erected, like the otlier memorials, by his admiring •con(|uerors. bears the beautiful inscription : I iidi't the A'i//i;'s Jnisiion ^3 " Iloiineni- a MONTCALM Lc destin en liii (liTobant la viotoirc l."a ri'coiupcnst' par liie Moit (ilOiicuse ! " The lay sister who coiulucted them related that one of the nuns had recently come out of her retreat, by order of the archbishop, on business connected with the founding of a new convent. vShe had spent fifty years within the walls, entirely cut off from the life of the city, and when in the evening she returned, dazed, exhausted, and actually frightened by the unaccustomed contaci with liberty, sound, and movement, she declared that she would not have known her way if alone — the city had quite parsed beyond her recognition in the half century of her buried existence. vShe had only heard of railway trains and steamers, and the trol- ley cars filled her \\ ith nervous honor ; of all the wonders of this electrical age, which we who live in it regard as though they hr.d always been, she had only a faint and child- like conception. if ^ i i I 64. Under the King s Bastion The girls, throbbing with love of life, and air, and sunshine, shuddered, and has- tened to leave the precincts where so many pale shadows are doomed by their own voluntary sacrifice to a total surrender of everything that colours earth with beauty. As for churches, they started up round every corner, and the girls " did " them faithfully, but Mrs. Fortescue soon declined to be of the party when this particular form of sight-seeing was involved. ' ' My dears, ' ' she said, " my feet will not permit me to walk up and down the aisles of five or six churches in a morning, and as to remember- ing a particular object in any of them, it is quite impossible." Aline's favorite chapel was that of the Sisters of Charity. They noticed it quite by accident one afternoon, and were charmed with the quaint little interior, cozy and dim. An old woman sat in one of the dark, high-backed pews, a faded bonnet set on top of a white frilled inner cap, and a large apron covering lier dress. A little girl, probably her grand- Under the King's liastion 65 child, held the wrinkled hand, and was clasping a small wooden doll closel\- in her disengaged arm. A nun or two glided in from the convent by a side door, and knelt with their rosaries before the altar, and the dusky silence was only broken by the tick- ing of a clock, even that in a soft key, hidden in some adjacent alcove. Aline alsfi discovered many other interesting out-of- the-way corners mentioned by people she met in the hotel, spots which cluster thickly in a town where even the names of the streets suggest a history-, and ever\- foot of ground boasts a legend. They varied their daily tramps, too, by a pleasant excursion to Lorette, the Indian village at the foot of the mountains, where the once-great Huron nation became extinct, and where the des- cendants, with no ferocity whatever in their mien, displayed their wares of bark and bead-work in front of huts bearing little re- semblance to the forest wigwams of their fathers. Another day a friend lent Kre 1 Clifford 66 Under Ihc King's /tas/io/i his yacht, and they intensely enjoyed an afternoon's sail on the glorious river, going up stream as far as the Chaudiere Basin, where they had a picnic tea, and then glid- ing swiftly down with the current and a light breeze towards the Island of Orleans, a long trail of foam in their wake, and around them the flapping sails of baUaii.x, the rattling chains of trading brigs from Scotland, England, Nornay and other lands, swinging at their anchorage, the hoarse whistle of ocean steamers signalling for pilots, the restless rocking of smaller craft, and the never-ceasing ' ' clack-clamp ' ' of the machinery of the Quebec and Levis ferries. Indeed this was one of their pet days, and they talked so much of another trip on the water, that Clifford proposed they should on the ensuing Saturday afternoon go down the river on a small steamer which plys between the city, and various parishes for twenty-five miles below. Under tke Kings /iisfioi 67 Chapter X Jrf HE day arranged, therefore, found them on board. All through the past two weeks Clifford had spent most of his time in their company, a day rarely passing without a call from him. He had really tak'iw more trouble to gain Edith Darrell's goodwill than he had ever bestowed on any other object in his life. But after his best efforts he was aware that an intangible bar- rier continued between them. She laughed at compliments, and was not to be betrayed into listening to sentimentality. All this he ascribed to the fad that she must always be on her guard against fortune-hunters, but he hoped that his persistent attentions would have some effect on her. Edith felt the lack of sincerity, thoug'.i ilie could not 68 Under the King's Bastion guess his real object, being quite uncons- cious of the revelation Mr. Willing had tnade in his letter, which was likely to bear fruit that gentleman recked not of. To tell the truth, these weeks had been quite a strain on poor Fred, as playing a part always must be. He was thinking, as he leaned over the deck railing, that he might get on faster if only Aline were disposed of, for she nearly always accompanied Edith. At the band a few evenings before, the latter had gone alone with him, and he had made a more decided advance in love-mak- ing than any he had yet attempted. He was at once checked, it is true, but she had not seemed offended, and he did not doubt that she would succumb to his suit in the end. Meanwhile, time was passing ; some hotel acquaintance might enter the field as his rival, and betting debts and other bills of which his mother knew nothing rose before his mental vision in an appalling heap. If only some fellow would take Aline off his f Under the King's Hast ion 6g hands — some dull creature who would know nothing of the heiress question, and a<5l as a foil to his (Fred's) attra<5lions ! Just then the girl who was unfortunate enough to be causing him this unrest of mind, was pointing out to Edith a man's figure in the bow of the boat. His back was towards them, but Aline had caught sight of his face, and told her cousin he was " the man of the Chien d'Or," as she had laughingly called the stranger. Fred had heard of this incident, and now looking in the direc- tion she indicated, he exclaimed ; " Why, I know him. It is Carleton Sinclair, a very good fellow, thought not much of a ladies' man. May I introduce him ? " he enquired, struck by a bright idea born of his recent refledlions. Permission being graciou.slj' accorded, Sinclair a moment later found himself un- dergoing the ceremony of an introduction to the girl whose face had haunted him €ver since he had seen it, and of whom he had been thinking at the very moment mi 70 bvdcr the h'tmr's Bastion she recognized him, although he had not observed htr presence on board. He could not help feeling a little conscious as she gave him her hand, but of course she could scarcely guess that, and was frankly pleased to meet him. After some laughing remarks about their first encounter, the talk drifted into larger channels, and when Mr. Clifford and Mrs. Fortescue suggested "tea," they insisted that he should share the impromptu lunch they had provided. Altogether, Carleton soon felt perfec5lly at home with the jolly little party, and was very grateful to Clifford for introducing him although as a rule he had not much in common with that young gentleman. When the boat started on its return trip something of what Fred had meant took place. The elder ladies sought a comfort- able corner, Clifford took ostentatious posses- sion of Edith, and Aline and Carleton found themselves together. Naturally enough Sinclair asked her if she had been doing Under the Kiu^' s Ha si ion 7/ any innrc exploring. This led to a discus- sion alMJUt Kirhy's fine novel, and tlie periwl of Quel>ec history it describes so graphically ; and Sinclair found himself, to his secret astonishment, offering to take Miss Darrell out to the ruins of Chateau Bigot, the Intendant's shooting lodge, still standing in the woods some six miles from town. Aline had scores of question to ask about the history of Quel^ec, and found the young man able and delighted to answer them, and finally he gave her a brief account of the siege of 1759, pointing out the various positions of the English army long the banks of the river on which they were now l)eacefully sailing, and told how, on the moonless night of the 12th of September, the gallant band clambered up the precipice, and fell into rank on the plain where next day they were to win an empire of whose future vastness and grandeur they had no conception. Aline listened fascinated, antl seemed to see the whole drama enacled before her — 7-? i 'mi(P the Kind's /tasdon fancitil shf heanl in the water rippIiiiR under the Ixnv of the boat, the echo of the funeral dir^e which Wolfe re^ieated to his officers on that eventful last night of his life : ' riio pi; iH of Klory load but to tlx' grave." " But forgive me," Sinclair said after a moment's .-.ilence ; " I'm afraid I have been talking to you as tliough you were a man." sundry recollec-lions of tlie frivolous nothings he had heard some women indulging in, reeiirrifig to his mind. " Inilced I like that," said Aline earn- estly. " It has l>een perfectly grand, and you have made me understand it so well." Carleton promised to introduce lier to the Library of the Quebec Literary and His- torical Society, which, though small, con- tains main- treasures, in the wa>' of old accounts of Quebec in the French regime and curious records of early Canadian his- tory ; and then as the city with its hundreds of eleclric lamps flashed into view, all former things were merged in the over- Under the A'/fixx Ihisiion 73 whelming perfe(5\ioti of the present. There it hiy floating on the water, brilhant. spark- ling, against a darkly-blue hack-^ioniiil of sky, the refle<5lions sinking tleej) into the glistening river, while above in tin pro- founder depths of ether, huti;.; Hie great mysterious moon, tipping the ;nii s and towers with silvery light, but thnnviti'; u softening radiance over the outliiis ol lack and town, mountain and river, • U •>♦ the shinuner should be too da/zling." Moonlight has a powerful influence on most sympathetic minds. Imagination reels at the thought that her pure, cold, distant face has been fixed for five thousand years on the deeds of man, and for man\- ages before he came who can tell what wonders she beheld ? We teel sometimes that the panorama of our world's life must have stamped itself indelibly on the satellite's sensitive surface, if we could on]>' read the characlers and unroll the pidlures. Adam saw her ri.se with wondering awe ; Solomon gazed on her silver face with ad- 74 Under the King's Bastion ! i miring reverence ; wisemen and shepherds studied her phases and marvelled, and all down through the ages of history, heroes, and sages, and poets, and the millions who were none of these, have looked w^ith earn- est enquiry into that calm, inscrutable coun- tenance, feeling, rather than asking, those unsatisfied questions of humanity which pulsate through time, from one eternity to another. "Whence? Why? Whither?" Something of this ancient wisdom of the moon Aline dimly felt, as her thoughts lingered on the countless yesternights that the white beams had pourec own on this fair scene, and the unnumbered morrows, (unnumbered '\\\ our calendar,) when still the light should shine, though she and all her generations should have passed into the great beyond ' ' where moons shall wax and wane no more." Under the King's Dadion 7S Chapter XI /^(arleton hastened to keep his promise ^ concerning Chateau Bigot, and a few days after they all set out to the secluded spot, sometimes aptly called " The Hermi- tage," though certainly in the days of the founder little deserving of the title. Aline and the men rode wheels, while Mrs. For- tescue and Edith followed in a cafeche, and Clifford kept close beside them, Carleton made the ride so interesting by relating legends of the country side that Aline felt no need of other company, and when they dis- mounted to examine a huge mass of rock by the road they had become very good friends. This enormous boulder was the same, Aline felt persuaded, which had marked the path- way or the murderous old hag the night ?(> Under the King's Bastion she crept through the forest on her evil mission. Perhaps it is an aeroHte, or per- haps a lonely relic left by the subsiding waters of the flood, but at any rate, there it still lies close by the same narrow bridle- path, over which Bigot so often rode from the city to the lodge one hundred and fifty odd years ago. Deep in the heart of the woods they came to a little rustic bridge, thrown across a tin}- shallow stream, and found thei.iselves in front of the mouldering olu ruin, once the scene of wild wickedness and revelry. Little remains of it now, and time seems determined to tear down every stone, and consign to oblivion the tragic evert of which it was the only witness. They spent half an hour wandering about the clearing where the limits of the Chateau garden could still l>e traced ; and Aline identified, to her own satisfaction at least the entrance to the secret chamber where dwelt the fair Caroline de St. Castin, and which all too early became her grave. On the ride home Carleton and Aline dis- Under the King' s Bastion m 77 covered they had many tastes \\\ common, especially as regards books. Both were thoroughly well read in standard works, and the best class of modern novels, but Sinclair had added to this a wider and deeper range of reading, historical and scientific, and Aline thought him the most interesting man she had met for a long time. Ever since the day of his second meeting with Aline his whole manner and habits had undergone a change. He walk- ed briskly through the streets, he whistled in his room, and when evening came his books and pipe were deserted, while he betook himself to the Frontenac. His land- lady had become so accustomed to his un- varying habits in the five years he had boaMed with her that she could not under- vStand it at first. Finally, one morning, when he ran down downstairs two steps at a time, and out of the door without even waiting to get his letters, sh' lifted her hands in amazement, and then opening the kitchen door ejaculated to her daughter, '.H«| I J 7^ Under the King's Bastion " Law sakes, Maria, did you hear Mr. Sinclair, and him so dead and ahve like for five years past ! I tell you what it is, Maria, he's got struck on a girl, that's what he has ; and a nicer young gentleman for a husband no one could wish, I'm sure ! " And the landlady had had some experience of the genus. Carleton was very happy, and though in his humility he considered himself unworthy of his godde.s.s, still she was kind, and that sufficed him for the present. Two days before this she had asked him to show her Wolfe's Cove, and they had climbed down a giddy stairway, and regained the heights by the steep path, now a winding cartroad, which Wolfe and his army scaled. When they returned from their long walk he was more in love than ever, for her live- liness and enthusiastic interest in every- thing had called out powers in him which he scarcely knew he possessed ; and the sense of giving pleasure to this intelligent girl caused a genial expansion of the re- nsw*«vfi¥W!i Under the A'if/i;'s Das! ion 79 ser\-e of his nature. This very afternoon she had promised to go with him again to walk over the Glacis and walls, and he was waiting for her long before the time ap- pointed. Edith joined them for a short time, as she had not been on the walls, and they climbed the steep flight of steps that leads from the extremity of the Terrace to the Point, just under the King's Bastion. There they sat on a bench to take breath and look at the glorious view, of which they never tired ; and Carleton showed them where a great slice of the rock broke off some years ago, carrying death and des- tru<5lion to many homes beneath, and poin- ed out the position of the old ship-yard, whence was launched the Royal Williani, the first vessel to cross the Atlantic by steam power alone, in the year of grace 1.S33. "I feel up here," said Aline, " air.-- ^ as though I were in a balloon. There i. so much air and sky that one can scarcely breathe it all in. The people in Lower 8o Under the Kind's Bastion Town are such mere dots, and we seem lifted above the earth." " You must know, Mr. Sinclair," put in Edith, lauglinig, "that this is the kind of thing we hear all day. Aline is forever going into these raptures till the words fail her. What with your kind guidance and her colle(5lion of books on Quebec, ancient and modern, she will soon be able to write a treatise on the subject herself, beginning with the remarkable stone in the Frontenac Gaceway and ending with the particular kind of asphalt used for paving the streets." " Well, you ought to be grateful to me for doing all the looking up," retorted Aline. "And do you know, Auntie was telling me this morning something I had never guessed. She says I was born in Quebec. I look upon everything now in a new light. It all seems to belong to me somehow." They walked over the Glacis, which slopes up to the outer ditch of the citadel. It is quite extensive, and affords a grand •JIKHKC t-AI-KC'IlK. KKN"I- iJA'IE. 1 i ::i n^ \^-^- ■u.';. ■ -H . : 1 .r» .101 IN (;a'1 K. i»I.: :M»I|.1«^IIKI» IN 1M07, Under the King's Bastion ,Si view of the city and country for an area of ix^rliaps fifty or sixty miles, including the harbour and tlie town of Levis. As tJvv crossed the Citadel road, in order to coi;. tnuie the circuit of the walls, Aline noticed a queer sen. -circular building on the left side, and asked what it was. "The old military prison, used now as a garrison store house," replied Sinclair. ' Montgomery's body lay there for forty years, and his .,/V/,., and thirteen soldiers are still buried in the square. Have you not been in ? " "Why, no. Mr. Clifford never told us the day we went to the citadel." said Aline " Perhaps he doesn't know about it " remarked Kdith with a slight smile "' I clon't believe Mr. Clifford is much interested in historical research." " I'm afraid a good many Quebecers know very little about their own city, Miss Darren, ' ' said Sinclair. ' ' I have frequently '>een disgusted at the answers given to most ordinary questions. You tourists learn more Sz Under the A'n/x's /fas/io/t alxmt it in the short time you are here than many of the inhabitants do in a lifetime." " Well, if many tourists are like Aline, I am sure they do," said Kdith laughing. Carleton oi)ened the gate into the old pri.son yard, and showed them the graves marked by four cannon balls. Then the caretaker took them into one of the store- rooms where they saw skulls and bones, bullets and buttons, turned up in another part of the square. " There is not nuicli to see here, but would you like to have a look at some of the old cells ? " said he. opening a low door, through which they followed him into a passage where the\- might as well have had no eyes for all the use they could make of them. It was pitchy black, and inclined downward. Their guide told them there were four steps to descend, and they had better count them. They were proceeding to follow this advice, when Edith stepped on something soft, and shrieking, " A rat ! a rat ! " picked up her skirts, and fled back PTT" 1T, .■■ ■ .VV!ty/A.1 Under the A'iftir's fin sf ion g^ to daylijrht, wlience no iiKliiceiiients would tempt her again. Aline, however, wanted to see everythinK^ so she went on cautiously fcelujg her wa> till Sinclair said. "If you will take n.y hand, Miss Darrell, you will jK-rhaps feel more secure." She at once put her hand into his which elapsed it finnly, and thus the>- passed throuRh the few yards of dense blackness. Aline felt strangely trustful of his strong support, and as for Carleton. he wished the passage would meander on iudefinitel\ , and knew that no other woman's hand would ever thrill him by its touch as did this one. Then they walked along the Ksplanade wall, Carleton explaining where the five ancient gates had been, now torn down b>- the rude hands of government and corpora- tion vandals, like many other of Quebec's antiquities which would not have interfered with the modern progress of the city if they had been allowed to remain, and the re- moval of which must inevitably detraa from its historical chara<5ler. MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 1^ i^ III 2.5 Hi i^ us 1^ ^ 1.8 ^ APPLIED IM/^GE Ir 1653 East Main Street Rochester, Ne* York 14609 USA (716) 482 - OJOO - Phone (716) 288- 5989 -Fox Si Under the King s Bastion Edith had an appointment with Mrs. For- tescue, and left them as soon as they des- cended from the walls ; but the other two, with the dawning of a deep mutual interest between them, pursued 'heir walk outside the walls, over the ' 'Cove Fields, ' ' the rough natural plateau that extends along the river back of the Citadel. It is here that one appreciates the real height of the cliff, for nothing breaks the sheer descent, and lean- ing over a proje(5ling mass of rock, one can look right down into the chimneys of the little houses, 330 feet below. The town seemed quite shut out by the mounds which Carleton told Aline, were the remains of the old French works ; Sillery Point was in misty blue shadow, the long stretch of placid river flowed smoothly by, the other shore was tmged with pink and yellow light, and here and there a tinned roof or a pane of glass flashed back a scintillating fire in the rays of the slowly declining sun, while the shrill bark of a dog, and the shout of a boy at play in the street far down beneath, was Under the King's Bastion 3$ wafted to them as they stood ri^ht up aga,„st the sky. " Mr. Sinclair/' sj^l there not a proposal to erect a monument to Mongomery in Quebec, made by some of our people ?" ^v^uie oi "I think there was," he replied, "but I beheve it has been abandoned, very wisely in my opinion. ^^y wisely. " Why wisely ?" inquired Aline. " Well there would have been much Plam speakmg on both sides, which wou d not have conduced to pleasant feeling. Even the mention of such a monument caused protests from all parts of the coun- iTv • r?n h'"''/' ' '"^'' '^^^'^ ^' ^" this way .Canada refused to have anything to do with the American Revolution, consider- ing It as no business of hers. The people had a perfect right to remain loyal to Ene and If they chose, and were even pr^parS to remam neutral in the strugglc^iftt^ S6 Under the King's Bastion revolted colonies wished to force us to join them with or without our consent ; and Montgomery and a few like him thought -he time opportune for seizing on the whole of North America at once. He came, de- vastated a peaceful country, and died under the wall down there." "But he was very brave," interrupted Aluie, " and a monument to George Wash- ington is going to be erected in Westminster Abbey. ' ' "Doubtless he was brave," answered Carleton, " but brave men are not always entitled to monuments on foreign soil As to Washington, the memorial is not in the Abbey yet, and if it should be placed there I don't know that it would furnish a parallel case. Times and ideas have changed so much since that date that many English- men honestly admire Washington now, and perhaps if ever they had to submit to any tyranny some of them might feel like follow- ing his example. He fought for a principle now recognized in every civilized nation Under the /^in^^s Bastion 87 and moreover, he did not invade England. But Montgomery, on the contrary, deter- mined to deal a fatal blow at our liberties- the fir.t of a long series of unjust attacks on inoflFensive Canada, which have made us unable to believe iii the friendship of our border neighbours. " " But see what you have done for Mont- calm s memory," said Aline, unwilling to give up a preconceived opinion " There is really no analogy between the 7^% vT"'^ '''''''''''' '^^^ French and English were at war, he defended the city nobly, but we won. It was the ordi- nary fortune of war ; we rank him beside our own hero, and thousands of his coun- trymen are still united to us on the soil which first belonged to them. Montgomery w^ a rebel against the authority he came to destroy, and which we still acknowledge He used knowledge gained in friendly visits to assau- ^he town, which he order^ to iS sacked ...a burned when taken ; and above all he was an invader unreasonably attacking 88 Under the King's Bastion a people with whom he had no quarrel. His fate made us wilHnor to let all animosities rc^t ui liis grave and we respected that grave when it was among us, but now that his bones have been removed there is abso- lutely no precedent for erecting a moiuiment to him. A great deal of nonsense has been talked about magnanimity to the dead, etc but con.siderations of common-sense come first, and though Montgomery's conduct is quite defensible by the rule that ' all is fair in war,' still he cannot lay claim to a monu- ment extolling his memory in the country he ravaged." Sii.Jair said no more, but if he had been talking to a man he would have added : " Erect a monument to Mont- gomery in evey State of the Union, if you hke, but until we are unreasonable enough to ask you to give ns ground in your coun- try to commemorate the defeats, aye, and the victories, of our heroes of the war in 1812, don't rouse the ill-feeling of the des- cendants of the United Empire Loyalists or of those who, in defence of their beloved Under the King's Bastion 8g country, have driven back a^ain and again >o:ir unwelcome colours." * Aline would not admit to being convinced. but slie was not in an argumentative humor and just then they came to one of the four martello towers, which form the outworks of the Otadel on the land side. Carleton exp a,„ed that the walls were immensely thick on the outer side, and that all the towers are supposed to be connected with the Citadel by subterratiean passages, and then t^heyuirned their faces town ward again talk- repnlse,U he asslu ,1/ of t ; i:'' !Ji'^ ' '^"'^'l'"" '^'^" forward in V^t^ by the Sonsof fL i?" ''T'^*?*'" t"«"8ht Mass. It provoked a St rm.f e I{e,ol»ti„n of Uoston. in Canada' J^:^^:^^':::^^ ""' Plain-speaking «-osuIt.thatn.n,.h nderH ^ in ^Ir'"'^-' '° *•'"'•'■ ^'^^ '^« Patriotic, historicl an f '""''^''"*f ^'""^ ^o the surface. tion« were ZZ^X^J''''''^'' ^'^'^'^^^ 't, and peti- Praylng that " s ct 1 ins",t to thrd'V'' 1' '"' '"""•"°" might not be pern.itted It L Jairf ''"!?""'^ "^ <^'*n«'J« " Of the United' Stat"slc:;; S'^thT^ic? ^7 ^'"^«- po Under the King's Bastion ing of many things happening in the great world. Aline said " one could not talk of trivial things up there." So they walked over tlij golf-links, dotted here and there with the .scarlet coat of a player, and gained ghmpses into the reces.ses of each other's thoughts, realizing that their love for nature, and their admiration for everything true and beautiful in life, made them kin. They ended the afternoon bv climbing the Parliament House Tower. Aline had said there must be a fine view from there, and Sinclair exclaimed : " Why, haven't you been up there ? Oh, you must .see it'.' " And, indeec', she was unprepared for the grand prospect afforded after a climb up a spiral stairway, 302 steps from the ground. Every part of the city, except the lower town is unrolled, like a map in relief. Away down the river, twenty-five miles distant, the Island of Orleans fades into mist ; the Laurentides form the horizon on the north ; the town, with its little toy citadel, and the country parishes stretching Unda the Kings liastion gi out to Cap Rouge, are spread at one's feet, and dim in the south, in clear weather, a faint blue outhne marks the mountains of Maine. 92 Under the King's Hastion ClIAPTKR XII IjJ "i'.'^ between sketcliinr: or reading in the morning (Aline was ;leep in Park- J'lan's " Montcalm . i,d Wolfe " now), walknig or driving to some new point of interest in the afternoon, time sped away swiftly and pleasantly. What can be happening to-day > " ex- claimed Kdith. looking from her window one morning. There were flags on all the public bnildings, flags flying over in Levis flags strnng up and down the masts of the vessels in the harbor, and long, flapping streamers attached to the diiTerent pavilions on the terrace— each named in honour of some former Governor. It was the Can- adian national holiday-the 32nd anniver- versary of Dominion Day-celebrating the t'nda the A'hg' s /ias/ion ^j confeclerntion of the several provinces of Brmsh North Atnerica utu.er or.e centra Roven„ne,.t in ZM67. The signing of the appea for Conferation, lik. ahno^t every o her h.toric.U event in Canada, took place '» Qnel>ec, where the premiers n.et to dis- cuss the greatest question the conntry has yet had to deal with. They were told a salute would be fired fro.n the Citadel at noon, and. of cours" '"adeaponit of being on the steps, dose "ncler the Bastion at that hour. They we e "ot expeding the first gut,, and the deaf- ening crasn right over their heads ahnost stunned them, and that they seemed to have received no bodily injury, thev dec ided to •-emain at their post, and .see what happened atterwards The bells of the city churches then pealed out. and after the usual number of guns had been fired, the band inside the Bastion struck up " The Maple Leaf For- ever and the strains of " God Save the Queen.'' clo.sed the ceremony, while the smoke cleared slowly away, and the inevit- 9t IJndcy the k'in}y's Ihxstiou able hoy and his package of firecrackers rcsiniit'd operations. One day the three huHes drove all throuRli Levis, and saw the line of forts, so con- structed as to sweep all the valle>- to the .'outh, and also the fine Kravin^^-dock at vSt. Joseph, where a ,ship was being repaired after an accident in the river. On another occasion the\ visited the beau- tiful Lake lieauport, twelve miles away, among its dark blue shadowy hills, and enjoyed an afternoon's rowing on the calm, glassy surface. vStill another trip was that to Lake St. Joseph. This is another of the man v beau- tiful sheets of water in the viiMiiity of Que- bec, which alone make the region worth visiting. A little steam-launch carried t' m round the lake, and they had just ;. glimpse into the loviest fairy river, wh^se mouth was almost hidden by tangled grasses and water-lilies, and where the overhanging trees mingled their drooping boughs, and ,y SOUK. h,,MH„„Ms„u„ a. ,,. ,,, ,i,,^, >""..u.r was s,K.„Ii„K. nway, „,„, ,,.f„ , LI fford telt ven- „„o..nai„ al,„„t his nck„„«.,edKe privately tha, h. „„„ J " „' »o <."couraKcn,c-„t fr„„, her, ,1,„„„1, ,,„.!," "o. actually see,n«, averse ,„ „t s„ d ' On. l to have a ,eco„ „■ ,■ ' "'•"^ ™""--r was barelv civil to nu. o ^ °^^^°^^' He to „,e, and since then lias gS fender the King's Dashoii scarce!}- noticed my existence. The first day he called his manner was quite different, but when you appeared on the scene, I sank into insignificance." " Oh, he is simply a professional flirt ! That cannot be said of Mr. Sinclair. He has absolutely no eyes for anyone but you, and you know you can't speak a word that he doesn't hear. He has, in fadt, consti- tuted himself your shadow. ' ' "Nonsense, Edith, how ridiculous you are ! We are great friends, and that is all." " A it all ? " questioned Edith more seri- ously, leaning towards her cousin's averted face. '• I know he loves you dearly, my little cousin, and will tell you so some day. But on your part— if you don't mind my asking — don't you care for him a little ? I am sure he is that rare article, a completely trustworthy man — he reminds me in many ways of Hugh— and he is so thoroughly in earnest. ' ' Edith paused to note the effect of her words, but as Aline remained silent, she (^nder *he King\, Basfion 99 she quoted gafly • •• vf. '''■"'■ ■"" :-gine a tragedy being \,o„gr'™'' "ifluence, Edith." "™uglit by my -Do you like him? "persisted Edith nfe i^bet1:r':h^'""'"''^'°«•'^'^.s -t. and I do fc " T'",,' ''^« "- "-msh;hutrt::ot::TLr-<' as one ouffht for f^.^ *°^ ^^m onr;:.^J:r-"--'e opinion satisfy her nretfv « 11 ^^ '^^"'^^ to >^ner pretty well on another. Now, " continued Aline afw a silence, " as von T.o "^""^^^^^'^oinent's lOO Under the A'i7i<^'s Hast 'on you to say al)out Fred Clifford ? Jle has been dangling around >ou now for two months, and I am sure the people '.n the hotel think you are engaged, I am per- fectly free to do as I like, but you are not, and I nuist say I don't think you are treat- mg him quite fairly." " Oh, don't worry about him ! He only considers me a ' sunnner girl \ to be made love to," answered Edith indifferently. " I know men better tlian you do. Aline, and if I had thought 1 e was likely to fall in love with me, I should have told him the truth, and dismissed him at once. But there has been no question of heart in the matter. I really don't know why he has been so attentive. If he thought I had money, that would be likely to attract him, I imagine, but I don't see what reason he could have to suppose that." ' ' You may be right, Edith. It has seemed to me sometimes that he was not very sin- cere ; and he is awfully conceited, but still he nuist mean something." Under the Al,iff\s ficntion Tor 'or I feel that .t is nil o„ the outside • bu don t be afn,i.,, ,„, „en. I „,.,. ,; ' ^Z ,> fell "',,"" ''^''''''- H-"«tk„ow Krfeaiy well that I don't care for hi„, i„ e leas, and he has seen n,e post sever letters to Hn.h, so he has „ot ,„,. on Nothing „,„re was saie land. Land of my birth, what mortal hand Can ere untie f le filial hand That knits me to lny rugKod strand ?" Under the King's lias/ion ^^3 ClIAPTKR XIII JjARi^v one Saturday ,„onn„^. tl.e two ^ girls salhed forth to explore the open- air n.arkets, which are held durin/all •seasons, in large sqitares reserved for them m three or four quarters of the town. Thev threaded their way through a busv crowd o^ animated purchasers Three wide boarded '\^^^'^^^ from the permanent stone building ther./""' "" '°''' "^^' «" ^''^^'- -de o^ with n ''""'?' '''^^ '''''' '^'-^^^^d "P. filled head, and munclnng at bags of hav behind their respective vehicles. The habitant women sat in the carts with no possibility of moving any part of 'their bodies except head and arms, surrounded by pumpkins, boxes of small berries eggs /fV Undo the k'inir's Bas/ion butter, herbs, fruits, maple su^ar, vejreta- blesof all kinds, small bouquets culled from the cottage garden plot, besides home-made rustic tables, gaily-painted wooden rocking- horses, and other toys. A continual clatter resounded, made up of the shrill voices of the peasant women driving hard bargains 'ni voluble patois, the clinking of coin, the stamp of the fidgeting horses, the steady rustle of movement among the throi.g, and the various noises of live stock in coops or [)ens among the crowded stalls. It is a scene not easily forgotten — one which has preserved almost unaltered all the characleristics of the old Ficnch days, changed only in the actors who now play their parts upon the stage. In another of the markets, the goods of all descriptions were heaped on the wooden square beside each habitant, while she sat on a low stool guarding her wares, her fingers knitting rapidly, but her .sharp eyes glanc- ing here and there, ready for business, and her unwearied tongue screaming out the f 'inia t/ie A'//fi^'s /iastion 103 attradions c,f her stall to likclv customers The niarket-uonian wears a liu^a., l,road- brnnnicd hat of home matiufadiire tied under her chin by hroad strings, a shawl of some kiml han-s on her shoulders, and in enormous apron, checked blue and while covers her short skirt, and reaches to the top ot her thick, heavy countrv sabot < The market-man is not of nnich account in bar- SanuMK^ He loun-es round with his hands 1" li>s pockets, talkiujr leather and crops to his neighbors, and seems to be of „o use at all, except to hold the reins as tlie weary old nag jogs along the well-known homJ- Ktead roaa late in the evening. The girls lingered nearlv all morning among the markets, buying a few odd trifles made after a pattern which was held fifty years ago. and taking snap-shots at the old ladies when they were not looking The mid-day gun was booming from the'citadel as they turned homeward, remarking how deserted Almost the town was by its all the residences were locked and own citizen.'' fo6 Undn the A't\i>\s- /fas/io/i shuttered, and presented a dusty, unitiliabit- ed ap,H.'arance. Ivarly in July, all who can afford to do so leave the city for the numer- ous vvaterinjr.places on the St. Lawrence though strangers fro.n the South find it hard to iniderstand the reason for the ex- odus. The heat is never oppressive for more than two or three days at a time, and hot evennigs and nij^hts are ahsolutelv ui^known on the hre z\ rock. Instead of the citizens, one sees a host of tourists at every corner. Kuide-book, paint- hox or kodac in hand, readiti.ir up or noting down the objects in tlie environs, and plving every passer-by with innumeral)le (luest'ions relatnig to nearly everytliiuK that ever was, IS. or will be under the sun of Queber' The hotels h* orally overflow, in spite of the .size of the Chateau Krontenac. com- pleted onl3 a few years, the citv finds it xMll have to provide further accommodation for the nnmen.se surplus population which flows toward the north every summer. The " sea.son " in Quebec is the cabman's Under the A'wi>'s /iasfion /„y. carnival. A constant stream of cal.s and caleches rolls np to the Citadel from ei^ht o clock m the morning till snnset ; and after the Canadian Tonnny Atkins has d. .. the honours of the ' fort." on they roll again to the Parhan.ent Hnildin^rs. the Plains of Ahrahani. and ov.r the nsnal Knide-h<.ok route of sight-seeiuK. Tommy carries his f.es to the canteen a u cabby pockets his extra tariff .^barges and make, up for a dull winter bv dr-ving loads from dawn to dark, and wearing out nuich vocal energy i„ th. process of dissennnating iuforniation. • • , The rain came down in torrents that evet. - "IS. neither of the young men put in an appearance, the band did not play. anrtescue and her charges were fain to content then.selves with uriting letters remainder of lad afternoon thei tea with Mrs. Clifford, Sincl of the party. Afterwards Fred tried air also being to per- /o.y I hi lilt I he Kiiiii' i /hist ion suadf I'/lith to ^o for a walk with him instead of to church. " .Surely you don't WiMit to sit for an hour and a half iti a hot church this lovely evenin. " he urjjjed, discontentedly. " The time has >j;one ]>y when i 'ople did that kind of thinj; because they thought it was their lut>-, and all that l)()>h. Xow-a-days only a Tew ^ootly-j>()odies stick to church-M;oinj.,. The world hns about come to the conclusion that it had l)'v.-tter look after its j)resent con- cerns and leave the affairs of the future to attend to themselves." So said Clifford, " smartly " (as he con- sidered), and il)-humoredly. Ivlith certaiidy could not be described by th( word " jj;oody-^oody." but she disliked the 'ippant tone of the younji; uian's speech, and Miily replied coldly : ' cs, at least. I think tl ic stTvice iti the church we went to last Sunday .so heautiful and simple. I,et us .r„ th Ivlitl ere aj^ani. > intimated that ClifTord need not acco!n])any them, hut of course he did. thou;li w ith no j^ood •'■race. Do \i)!i hold til ClifTord with re>j:ard to churcl egreat r tW° "7 r'""' '"^ ■'°' -'hodox are thej ? asked Aline. ■■ i ,en,en,be .^jJ^^y.-'/'^r^tKi,, \ 112 Under the h'i/io's fiasiion some lines in the ' Faerie Queen ' on the subjecl, and Sliakespeare's ' Undiscovered ronntry ' is so niucli more lojrical than the details of a future world one liears given sometimes." "Yes, those two words express a great deal," answered Carleton. "And the in- spiration of poets lias often been curiously alike, tht-ngh expressed - Keats', Byron, and even Tennyson, all betray that they lack certain faith, not in the existence, but in the detailed accounts that have been' written about the pasi and the future, and caiuiot get beyond surmise a})out manv things invisible. I don't see tliat it makes much difference, though. When we were children we were taught that the world was literally created in six of our days. Xo one believes that now, but it rather strengthens faith in essential things to find that the Bible and science do not contradicl each other." "E.ssential things?" said Aline, ques- tioningly. " T ey might be reduced to five or six, might they not ? " ■k'-^^M^m^rnkmi you read these lines by Matf,:^ .^,,^Z hended." ^ '°° '"'^'^P "> '^ co.npre- Aline answered Iiim h.- . i , . "-'■•ccon,prehensi: ".^\: '":,': °'»>-P- churcl, door for her and fef^ '"" ""^ 'o talk to hi„, nt,,i, , ' "'"-■ """I'l like penetrate s ,C d" "* ■'"''■'^■«-^' »"" e.>cle o, his ..:,:; tf^Pi^L""" «- '"..er pew alone, for Edith and ri^ff"^'" """ ••• '■•"■e late, and as theU.e rohM , """ '' Pa^ed up the aisle si, gl ,°' " ^'">"-'"-- '■>■■"■., they both joined e,rh IT"'""'' se'itly, however f-, , 1 "^'"^"'y'" 't. Pre- for th; n.::; e's^ e :^" ^"'.PP^'' -■■■Sn.s to >.er ™ice,^nd''l:l :;■■!;;';- '««- Charm to bind his henrf ^ "^ "^^^' iu ills Heart more wlioIJv fo i. Then as thev knelt sir!, j " ^'''■- confession, andhehea:dre:rt:f;::,et /// Under the luni^' s Basiiou known words, a strange thought came to him, his heart gave a great throb, and then stood ahiiost still, the colour leaped into his face, and with a rush of tumultuous ten- derness, he bowed his head, hearing as from a long distance, the phrases of the absolu- tion. If oidy one day they two could kneel together in yonder chancel, could hear holy words pronounced for them alone, and after- wards Sunday by Sunday, come together to this sacred place through long years of contented and happy life ! He felt some of the intensity of his emotion must be communicated to her and did not look at her again till they knelt after the creed, and then the sweet unconsciousness of her face calmed him, and he felt they had come so close to each other that evening that it was a hopeful augury for the thread of their future lives. As they sang the last hynm, " Lead, Kindly Light," they felt it to be a brief commentary on their grave talk, and were both rather silent after they joined the others, realizing that a strong II- ^'ndcf the A'i\i^'s liasfiou bond of .S3.„pathy had been for^^ed betweer them ,n some undefined wav ^ ''^^^^"^'' taii;':i:d'''^;^^^^^rTr'^^'^^-^"^ ^^ioyed.bei.vi.:^C:ri:^^ Mt had not been for the kindne;, ,;!^/ -"-•and Mr. Sinclair, too. has be, obhgnig. By-the-by, yon have known hi ■some time, liave you not ? Is he al or a young man as he seems - '^'- "Indeed he is," rephed Mrs. Ch-fford warmly. " t 1^,.^ n„ , . ^""oni Helms an,o,. .supported l,is step-,„ot "er ^Z^'^C^^ ""P- O" ..in, - ine\ iia\e quite a sufficient ~o their ovvn, but they are fX^ -stJ le as they term it. and Carleton verv- foohshly supplies the means • ^ " Ah ! •' said Mrs. Fortescue. interested He IS rather handicapped in his caree ' then, I. should think." ' ii6 Under the King's Bastion •' Well, I believe he is at last getting tired of their greed and ingratitude, and w'll l^e persuaded to disencumber himself of the burden. Then he would have enough, with his salary, to live on comfortably, and he is considered one of the rising young fel- lows in town. But if I am not incautious," she continued, aftc* i pause, " are you par- ticularly interested in hira ? I have noticed a change in him lately, and have once or twice thought it was due to your niece." "Yes," said Mrs. Fortescue, frankly. ' ' I am getting a little anxious. Aline has had one or two offers which have been easy to refuse, but I begin to imagine her heart may be concerned in this case, though I have not spoken to her on the subject. I con- fess I have been very favourably impressed with Mr. Sinclair, but if I thought there would be an impediment to any deeper interest between them, I would take Aline away at once, for I feel a more intimate acquaintance would be dangerous to both." ' ' Carleton will make a splendid husband m^M-^^m.t^'-Yi^i'm^¥- m,\M:,^ *fe;- fk^ .idcr the AntiT's Bcxstion n^ for any girl, believe „,e, Mrs. Fortescue kind said Mrs. Clifford with a sigh. W ell we shall .see, ' ' said Mrs. Fortescue as she rose to go back to the hotel "Ifi; comes to anything. I am glad to hear he has some income, for I could not think of a Icnving Aline to marry a man without a cent. The future of my other niece is already assured." she added rather signifi- cantly but her meaning was lost on Mrs. Clifford, who was unaware how much time ber son Fred had spent with Miss Edith Darren during the last two months B» S ii8 Under the King's Bastion Chaptkr XIV Y\rRiNO the following week the party carried out a long-deferred trip to the r,hnne of vSte. Anne, second only in note to that of Our Lady of Lourdes. It had been arranged that the men should accompany them whenever they went, but Edith was rather weary of Clifford's attentions, and hoped that something would prevent his going. However, he duly appeared at the railway station, and she could only resolve to give him no opportunity to be alone with her. Her undisguised coldness had no effecfl on Clifford, who was a young man unac- customed to snubbing, and slow to accept hints that did not flatter his vanity. After an hour's ride, close by the river Hank all the way, they reached the pretty ysm '%''ms:'-im*fm?rmLW^'ismms^^p^m^&w^m Under the A'injr's lia^thn 119 vIIaKe ^vhich yearly attrads tlu,.:saruls of he mva Klecl a„d sorrowful, not o„lv fro:„ Canacla hut from the United States and even from distant ICurope. to its peacefnl seclu- sion. A three days' pilgrimaKe had just departed, and another large gathenng was expeded on the morrow, hut in the inter- val the village was con.parativelv emptv and the hotels deserted. There are alwav. some patients, however, who remain for weeks at a time, hoping, by pravers and masses to appea.se heaven, and cause La Bonne Sanite Anne to cure their diseases "1 reward for their patient hope. Many of these-bhnd, lame, racked by the cough of consnniption, crippled by rhemnatism or o her^,sedecrepit-were out on the wooden platform m front of the church, .some sitting apart w.th bowed heads, others tended bv sympathizmg frends. Our party went at once to the churcli betweeti whose towers a colossal statue of Me. Anne presided over her sanctuarv, and the first view of the interior was a surprise to ■i^^-''. J20 f 'nder the King's Hast ion them, much as they had heard of it. Huge piles of crutches left by the many thankful pilgrims were stacked on each side of the door, while cluh-boots.ankk-irons, ear-trum- IH-'ts, etc.. hung on the walls, testifying to the catholicity, at any rate, of the healing. The main body of the church was impo- sing enough, but the extraordinary pi(5lures painted on tiie ceiling shocked the refined taste of the visitors. Numerous tablets on the walls commemorated some divine favour, and besought the intercession of .some patroil saint. Many simply bore the words : " Re- cmnaissaucc d Saintc Anmr accompanied by the name of the pilgrim. Chapels opened of! from the nave, each dedicated to a differ- ent saint, and built by certain societies, or by private wealth, as a memorial of deceased relatives. The colouring, which in all was very rich, varied widely in each, and in a few the general scheme of decoration pro- duced a beautiful effect. Very few chapels were deserted ; most of them had their votaries kneeling on the hard a>^r*t^'i^ I..* ■-*« 'tr *»'■ 't% /«■ '^CiSi:^, ■"ItfOraJi^-'Ii^-;^- will , K s„my nrra„Kcd Each „, '""'^ ''■°'" *'■ '"'"l"'^' ''"etic Stir:;:- :-•—'« . Here were articles of jewellery betok,.,, ...g some rich believer, wix-candLprte ." books, a handkerchief, a Klove, a tin'dTk i,Tf' ,>•■ :^'^^ 122 Undct the King s Bastiou "(Of-': ing-cup, even an old pipe — anything in short that the poorer class had about them to offer to their patroness, who, two centuries ago, deigned to look with favour on this smiling vale of New France. The man at that moment kneeling in fiont of the shrine was a paralytic, only his head and left arm being capable of movement. He was fervently gazing at the relic, his witheretl hand pressed to his breast, and his eyes almost starting from his head in the intensity of his eagerness to call down supernatural aid from the heaven that so often makes no sign in response to the agonized appeal of humanity gazing afar into the blue vault which "over-arches all earth's gardens and her graves." Two women, evidently his mother and sister, were telling their beads close beside his wheel-chair. It made the strangers sad to linger near this poor wreck of credulous manhood, so after whispered comments on the scene, they went into another chapel, where they were met by a fitie-looking young ^H^^^isT Under the kln^^ s 'h^twn J2j priest u-lio bade them a . >rdial '■ (Jo, jour " aticl.nquired"v%,.,^,,,,,,^^,/^^^^^^^ /, ^^^ he.r replying i„ the negatn^. he said, -^mggently..^,,,,.^,^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^'^J^'Porfc renc.. si rous rou/ec, voir /., cadeau^ /aissn /., /,, ^.y,,,-;.. de toutcs na- twualith. ' This colleclioii was m a room behi.ul the a ar, and consisted of a strange, medley of g'fts vahiable and the reverse, stowed away m glass cases. Nearlv everything, so it seemed by the guide's account, given with an obvious mtention, had been presented by the I rotestants, converted here bv the blessed niter\-ention of the saint. " Ves," he said, " there had been a few "nracles th,s season, but not manv. Sainte Anne had not been pleased to beVerv era Clous this year." ' When they were leaving Carleton put his hand mto his pocket, but anticipatL the action, the priest said they we^e nof allowed to accept money for a little ordinary courtesy, but if the strangers would pu^ H f 1 /^/ f v/fl^dv f/ie A'inq's Bastion something in the box for " Les Pauvres,'' or " Les dmcs en Piirgatoire,'' it would be very welcome. Outside, small shops displayed Ste. Anne medals, statuettes, little sacred pi^ures, prayer-books, rosaries, and bottles of water from the stream, which is supposed to pos- sess the gift of healing. This was not a flourishing day in the trade, however, there being no pilgrimage. The ancient church, where the first mi- racles took place, was the next point to be inspeaed, and then they climbed the Sancla Scala, with stones from Palestine enclosed in each step, which the faithful must ascend on their knees, reciting a stated ritual. As they came down again, an old crone hobbled up to Carleton, and, stretching out a shaky hand, begged for " C/iariti, pour J'amojtrdu bon Dieu,'' adding, in a hoarse mutter, that she would pray to the good Sainte Anne to " bless him and his pretty lady, and make them happy for always. ' ' The young men glanced hastily and con- Under the King^s Basiion ^^s fusedly at the eirl but ^!i^ i, i h.s pocket, and made the old hlrlTt eyes hVht nn ,v,-fi, • ^ -^ laded q."-cki.v on to avo,d,er:ha,ls'b ;:::""!" -4::c:::t;^e:^rrr^^ "ig lier promise '*"' on redeem- ^^^■Jhat did she .say >.. asked Aline.in- -i^s::;:etM:;t;tCtLr^- '°^ -^ Carleton. '"'^' ''eturned Clifford, however, i .3^,, ,, , -id, knowing. Sinclair would dh-kTit "T -eaningto be disagreeable: i^t^^^^ stance. Miss Aline, she has gone to U ^or two souls, those of SiniT a^'^^ bnde, as she evidently considers you ' atd he glanced maliciously at C-irl.J . inefnrp \r " -^ ^^ '-^"eton s frown- "ig race. Alnie colored vivirlK- ^ ^ . quickly to her aun/ •.'' "'^ ^""^^^ ^e»^..^and.lr„:Lc::;e:rJr.Sf^ '?^f "e*t^i rT^my:^ 126 Uudcr the A'l flip's /ias/Io- I look at her, she had ciuite recovered herself and her inatiner to him was as unconcerned as usual, though he, being a man, and less able to conceal his feelings, was afraid he must betray that he could not forget the incident. It seemed utterly to have passed from her mind, however, and he thought he had never known her so l)right and amusing as during the rest of her stay and the jour- ney back. He had grown to love everything about her from the faint rustle of her silk skirt to the tiny curls which broke loose from the thraldom of hairpins, and one day had touched his hand as he helped her to put on her coat. He had rather fine sen- timents about women's belongings, though he had not studied them much, and Aline satisfied every idea of his in that respecl. But her greatest attraction in his eyes was her girlisi! mischief and love of fun, the amusing little speeches she made — not espe- cially witty in themselves, perhaps, but which set them all laughing at the moment —and her light-hearted way of making the rndn ifn- k'in^^'s Pmstiou '~7 IK^st of the small annovanc-snnrlj;., • a fine v,„v of the falls wl,i!e ,|,e ,'' : A."« water l,ere." fn.ler .„e i,„„res „ .at the others were followh,,.. lidith Z 'l""k.nHlyspran,,ofir,and.hevhad'crce V --..™;;«.:i;::^i.:;;;,:-;-ru;[ a».n X . ^ou• what am I to do - Surelv you should have knouri we had not i to iret off." ^ ^'"'^^ ■'-'^^ydc-ar Miss Darren,' -he replied with assumed renitenrv^ " r ,• swear I r t '" '-^^vlullysorrv. I "'''"' J really thou.o:ht it staved her^ at least ten minutes." " ^^ ^'iiSL'l 128 Under the King's Last ion Edith looked at him keenly, but she had no reason to imagine he would be Ruilty of such an ungentlenianly acftion, and she felt she had to consider it as an accident. How- ever, she instantly made up her mind that he should derive no advantage from it, and as she was a young lady remarkably capable of managing her own affairs, she was able to keep her inward resolution. " Please find out when the next train leaves, as my aunt will, of course, be anxious," she said, coolly walking on a few steps to look at the falls ; and Clifford took himself off in haste as the best way of clear- ing himself, if she should by chance harbour any suspicion of him. She followed after a minute, having no intention of letting him arrange things in his own way, and encountered him just he came out of the little station-house. On seeing her, he drew a long face and answered her enquiring look with a deprecating air, " I don't know wdiat you'll say to me, Miss Darrell. We have to put in three ('ndcy (he Kin^r^s Bastion j^^ hours ill tin-; nlnrf Tf ; . J «ill know hotter tinii t„ ,\ tl.e ,s.at,o„, ,0 his secrc-t annoyanc, '" till!, inconvenience," he reiie-,t,.,l .i >ook bolder than his uor Is' u ^ " '^ 'O- to „,ake the inevitable 'as ', "';';: -^tthe^i^t-rs^:- "-^"-''^ »ot^ "»il»«^faBWlK.'-«^ ^.awD ■.■inmrmssxm 1^2 IJndet the h'tNg's Bastion They found Mrs. Kortescue at the town station, and she was so relieved that nothing serious had happened that she did not scold her niece very seriously. Explanations of a kind were given by Clifford, with profuse apologies, but he would have l)een savage if he had heard Kdith say to Aline that evening : " Well, my dear, if he did it pur- ♦losely, he, as the popular saying is, ' got left.' " ''-WKm^F^K. ^'"dcrt/ieA'i„g's/Jasfio,i ^33 Chapter XV X S-HU. Of bad „-eatl,er then set i,, ^ and Carlcto,, fou,,,! „o opp„rt„„itv o rtra«,„g.roo,„ for several Javs, Ma.Mikc he was growing i„,p.,„e„t to tell her he edl.r, and hear whether she cared fo "". She, on the contrary, snre of being St 'tTof 17.^°"'-".'" ''^t the same dreamy -state of affairs contnuie indefinitely As weeks pClrfftdr"^"-""™'"^'"'^ men tho'e that follow "■^^^^"""'' "•«• Meanwhile, having a delicate sense of honour, he wrote to his step-mother, inform- .ng her that he thonght of marrying a„d •n that event, would sell his prope ty fn Ottawa, and that after the present year n ^34 I ndit the /\in}>'s liasiion any case, she must expecl no further assist- ance from him. He determined to wait a few da>s to allow her time to reply before he formally j^roposed to Aline. One morn- ing Aline was just starting out to make a .s':etch of vSous le Cap vStrect, when in the distance she heard a military band, and ran back to tell Kdith. Anything conneded with soldiers made the two rush hatless into the street on the shortest notice, and on this occasion they saw a march out of the whole garrison— infantry, artillery, and a field battery, with its guns drawn by prancing horses. The heavy wheels rumbled over the roadway, chains rattled, helmets shone, and the fixed bayonets of the dis- mounted division flashed in the sunlight as they tramped briskly along to the strains of the regimental air. The citizens scarcely notice any of the every-day soldiers' parades in the martial old town, but to strangers who have never lived in a garrison city, the military happenings are pleasantly unfami- liar. f''f's /ia.tion ' fS So.nctMncsth.yuillsccashnhhv.IookinK old cart sowly crawling thro.,Kh the streets followed l,v a soldier ft.Hy ar.ned. and if tliey enq.nre u hat precious article has need of escort will he told that the cart contains K'un-powc er hein^ taken to the ^reat n.a^- n/nie in the fortress r^^ . i of tiw. . , ., ' I'^^^'^'U^. "M one of the steep lulls thev may watch a huue KUn beniK^ hauled .,pl,y ei^ht or more horses asquadofnftyn,c„ straining, at the stoui rope harness as well. A^^ain, at ahno.t any •ouroftheday. trumpet calls come HoatinK down from the citadel, or one is startled 7 the loud blast of the "' assemhlv,' o 'retreat.- or -last post,- as one p..;es" barracks down in the town. If the visitor I'appens to be in the city about the first week u, July, he will be st,re to see many red-coated volunteers in the streets, mem- bers of the country- battalions, who come "ito .amp for their annual field training clos„,g with a sham-battle and ^^eneral re^ view of the five thousand men or so who compose the brigade, .sometimes swelled by the city corps of the district ^J^ U)ider the King' s Bastioji Almost every morniiip^ gun detachments may be seen practising on the Esplanade — battery-firing, ordinary gun-drill, or range- finding. Sometimes the battery horses are in the midst of a thundering canter when a hoarse voice roars, " Action," and, too quickly for one's eyes to follow the move- ments, the gunners have thrown themselves headlong to the ground, the cannon are unlimbered, privates tear up with ammuni- tion, elevation is found, the gun loaded, and in a moment the motionless figures of the guimers are awaiting the word, ' ' Fire ! ' ' You, if you are there, think it has been very smartly and expeditiously done, till you are undeceived by the sharp voice of the officer, watch in hand, saying discon- tentedly, "Slow, slow, too slow! " and then they ' ' limber up ' ' and do it all over again. And you, in your ignorance, feel sure the man in command must be a fero- cious martinet, whom nothing short of absolute perfedlion will satisfy, and wonder what will happen if they don't do it in less than a second next time. Under fhe King's Bastion ijy Then, if you go round bv the King's Bastion, you may see, to vour astonish- ment, a soldier wildly waving his arms skywards above the parapet. On coming nearer you discover he is not mad. as vou have feared, but simply with small flags signalling to a comrade, who replies bx' frantically agitating two specks awav down in the Lower Town market place Besides all this, there is alwaj-s drilling inside the walls, and fatigue parties of all kmcis, so that the man who wrote, "soldiers in peace are like chimneys in summer," had not lived for a season within the walls of Quebec. But all the time we have been doing the mihtary routine of the town. Aline and Edith have been standing at the Fruntenac gateway. When the pageant had passed round the cur^'e of St. Louis street, Aline went on her way down to Sous K Cap and painted steadily for a couple of hours sur- rounded by a crowd of grimv little street arabs, who were not backward in making ^ss Under the King's Bastion r i • - any remark that occurred to them, compli- mentary or otherwise, about her work. A little before one o'clock, she was leisurely putting a few last touches to her sketch, when a voice, well-knocvn now, made her turn hastily, with a slight accession of colour, to find .Sinclair looking over her shoulder. ' ' This is the third sketch you have made of this place, is it not? " he asked looking fondly and appreciatively at the /ivins; pic- ture. He was going up " Dog Hill" he remarked, and was happy he had come in time to carry up some of her belongings. Just then a caleche came rapidly along the narrow alley, and the horse, taking fright at Aline's easel, shied, and knocked down a pretty baby girl, who had been prattling to the young artist all morning. The man coolly drove on, but the cries of the child brought the whole female popula- tion of the street to their doors and windows, whence they screamed enquiries and advice which set a dozen dogs barking, and pan- U,ider the Amg's Bastion jj^. tteTv,","" '''8"^<' »"?■•-"«. Carleton lifted .hech,M and carried her i„,o a house pointed tel Ld "°"'".' "■■'"*= ^""^ d"-ed its T^l t Z"^ P^'''"'"^' -''x^cessful in amu.s- ■"g the baby with her trinkets. As soon soir''^'r'^""'^'C"^'^'°».-''oh:d some knowledge of surgery, said he thought "o bones were broken. •■ Don't be fright- ened, the child is only b,„i,ed,.. he fold he mother. " However, I will Jend a d«. or over to .see ,■ there is one two or three streets from here. But I am afraid I sial! not have the pleasure of walking up vi " you to day, ".smiling at Aliue *^ "^ '"'" h "'/^f ?."" "•«■•= "-yfault, and it will be awfully kmd of you to send a doctor " she returned. ""i-ror. After he had gone she remained a few mniutes talking to the i,: i then had to hurry away TZ'"'"''' "*"' "•> 'iwaj , as they were to ''7,^T::'?"""^h-°» •■ but she eft i.Tthe baby s chubby hand a gif, which its „,o,rer w„h more likely to appreciate when WL- Vf- ..iimf?m«w^:^ r J 4.0 Under the King's Bastion Edith's comment when she heard what had happened was, " Well, my dear, if he missed his lunch for your sake, he has given even a greater proof of devotion than before. ' ' Next day, Sunday, they were lingering with the true chara(5teristics of their nation, to see the Vice-regal court, then visiting the city, come out of the Cathedral. After having a good look at His Excellency the Governor-General, the Countess, and the Aid. ', and having seen the soldiers return from their church parade, headed by the band, they were entering the hotel, when they met Carleton, who somehow or other was frequently to be seen in that vicinity in those days. ' ' I suppose you have not heard anything about the little girl ? ' ' said Aline. " Yes," he replied, " I went round that way last night, and there was nothing the matter, as I thought ; so you needn't worry •about it. ' ' fJa^L^.i m^^^^.^'r Under (he King's Bastion "It was very good of you." Aline thanked him with a lovely Lile. a,fd to her.. fsHe said,'. How k^^^ tul he IS for anyone." i s?^5*r:?T;si^?*. ''I£^ 142 Under the King's La si ion Chapter XVI MRS. Fortescue had expedledsome friends from Boston to join them on their trip up the Saguenay, but these now wrote they should be unable to come, so the girls at once settled a day, and took their passage tickets, as it was already late in the season. They had often discussed whether they should go up to Lake St. John by train, and return by boat, but finally decided, as they were all fond of being on the water, to make the round-trip by boat. Clifford announced his intention of accom- panying them, as he said it might be useful to have a man with them. Carleton also wished intensely to see the place with Aline, and renew former impressions through her •eyes. When he said something about it to I'mln llic Kiiifi's llaslhn "'" °»'-'«^-';""'K. -^lie .leclared I,e ,vo„kl l,e "elco,,,., and l,e understood, too, fro,,, her ™.™"er that she had rend his ,s.crr',< wxshrstrieml. What Aline thought of the arransetnent she did no. express ver, fo ! c.bly, but her face proved that she was thoroug dy happy and pleased with iTfe Her pleasure was clouded, however 'the «e,„ng before they were to start, for C "ig ven glum, and said he wis nfro,-^ i wouldnotbeab,eto«etaw.a;,:^o:H2r from England, and the ship had not ve conjetn. Sinclair did not wish to be aUm oah.sarnval,sothecase,see„,edhoS::' Mrs. tortescue and Edith were lo ,d ,' their regrets, but Aline could not "ay " -rd, lest her great disappointn.ent should be pparent, and hersilence seen.cd hat Tul to herse,,, and nmde poor Carleton ery dispinted, as he walked hon.e thinking ■ ■ ^1 e doesno, care in the least whether f got ^/; Under the h'in^^s Fiastion Aline hoped that at the last minute some- thing might occur to alter the circum- stances, but the crowded boat left the wharf next morning without his apiJearing, and she resigned herself to a spoiled excursion. The day was beautifully clear, and after passing the lofty \ip Tourmente, they set- tled themselves comfortably on deck to en- joy the rural beauty of the scenery on the Lower St. Lawrence. They sat in one group, for Edith did not mean to be drawn into a tete-a-tete with Clifford, and Aline pretended to be inunersed in a book, but her thoughts often wandered to the city out of sight up the river ; she wondered what " he " might be doing now, and if " he " would come to see them immediately on their return, two whole days from that time. For a moment she was a little resentful. " He might have managed it somehow surely, if he had cared very much," she argued with herself, but a moment after she murmured loyally, " I am sure he did his- I'AKI.TAMKN'r MU'II.I >I N( iH. lender ll,e King-, /;„,/,„„ ^^^ fet, and / kncu. he was disappointed I adu..e h,„. f„. no, sacrificing d'u'y .o p,ea! Soalldaytheys.ean,edon the broaden- Bay and r""' »'°PP'»S "' catch the train, and join the boat a* R lu Loup. " My landlady wili .^'ivf^nJsing forme,'* he laughed, " for I Ci\'i;o o f \'ithout having time to go up and l 11 .\ci, and bis eyes glanced happily at Alnie, Hnt hf'" vere carefully examining •&. st*- 1 ;^ of the deck flooring in its n nut j la . His coming had brightened iverv? .or her, and she thoroughly enoyed the test of the evening, for Carleton''. happiness overflowed in every look and tone, and he was so jolly and eiii< rtaining that it was quite a revela- tion to Mrs. Fortescue, who had not seen hitn in this mood before, and Fred Clifford found himself, to his disgust, decidedly playing " second violin." vSo they crossed the river, rather rough here in its thirty miles of width , to Tadousac and the mouth of the gloomy Saguenay. And Carleton told tliem the legend of the naming of the country ; how Jacques Cartier, seeing some Indians here on his first voyage, had pointed to the shore, enquiring the name of their t^'Jlt Ikt kwg's Baslwn ,^y iMd, and ,h,y, thinking he mean, .hiir .^old, ha. .he name of his new dominions was pZh™,"" ^'''' "'■'■^ '" "■«■' state-room Aline, I do beheve I forgo, to say koo<|1 n.gh. ,0 my future cousin,- .o which T„. per.mence Aline deigned no reply. The men were smoking a last pipe „„ deck, and were no. very talkative. After " wh.le ChfTord abruptly a.sked Carle.on f h^ were gomg in f„r matrimony. ■ • ■ ■ i i„ 1 ,! toaskaladytomarrymeifshewillW me, he answered shortly. •■Oh, she'll have you all right. You owe me one for mtroducing you. Butlamnol certam of the other one. I think she"ikes me well enough, but you see there's a for tune attached, and she and her aun. want .„ hang on to that light, I guess. " I i^S Under ihe King's Bastion " Oh, I had no idea either of them had a fortune," remarked Carleton, looking at him curiously. " Didn't I mention it to you ? Oh, yes, Edith has a nice tidy little sum, $8,000 or so a year," said Clifford, exaggerating. " One ( ould do a lot with that, eh, my boy ? and have rather a jolly time with a nice little steam-launch — no more darned work in the office, and dinner at the club every day." ' ' One v/ould think you cared more for the lucre than the lady," said Carleton, drj^ly. " Oh, well, old chap, you know I'm not very susceptible, and I admire her immen- jiely and all that, which is more than lots of fellows who marry for money do. Now the other one has nothing, and you have cash of your own, .so its all ver>' well, but what can a poor devil without a cent do ? " Carleton did not feel called upon to point out what the gentleman in question might do, and he could not help feeling that Fred r ndcr the King's BasLon /, g vvas flattering himself unduly about Edith's liking for him, so he rose to terminate the conversation, which he found rather dis- tastetul, as also being dubbed " my bov " and "old chap," by Clifford. "I am glad 'she' is not rich," was hi^ last thought, as he drifted away into the deep sleep of healthy manhood The ntxt day Aline still remembers as oiie of the most noteworthy of her life They were all o. deck early, and the wild onely scenery of the Sa,-enay hemmed them m on every side. Tlie boat threaded Its way through the tortuous channel of the narrow stream, narrow at least in com- parison to the St. Lawrence, the opaque blackness of the water testifying Jo its unfathomable depth. The sullen-looking mountains, rising on every hand to a great height and seeming ready to topple over the intrepid little steamer that dared to explore their deepening solitudes, sank abruptly into the flood, without a slope, and they expeaed to see a great bear, or peVhaps ^50 Undet the King^s Bastion il some earlier animal, which man has long since classed as ' 'extindl, ' ' part the branches, and gaze with startled eyes at the first in- vader of his lonely haunts. The solemn, expectant hush of opening day hung in the fresh atmosphere, not a vestige of habita- tion could be seen, and they found it easy to imagine that they were the first intruders who had ever sailed on these wilderness waters. ' ' The Saguenay always reminds me of that line of Byron's in his address to the ocean," said Carleton to Aline, as they stood together on deck. "If we substi- tute the word 'ancient' for 'azure,' it might have been inspired by this scene : "Time writes no wrinkle on thine ancient brow. Such as (Creation's dawn beheld, thou rollestnow.'" It was almost a shock to come upon the flourishing town of Chicoutimi, deep in the fastnesses of these everlasting hills, which were old before Egyptian history was writ- ten. They were quite pleased, when, after a few hours' stay, in which they, of course, Under the King's Bastion i^r visited the church, and saw something of the village as well, the steamer started on its return trip, and the traces of civilization disappeared again round a wooded point. All morning they admired, and talked, and speculated on the unknown histories of their fellow-passengers ; and as they sat at dinner in the saloon, some one called out that Cape Trinity was in sight, and there was a hurried stampede for the deck. There, on the right of the vessel towered the huge, bare cliff, 1850 feet above the deck, its three terraces leaning back one above the other, a.iddistinaiy visible on this veritable "rock of ages," the tiny statue of the Virgin, which has returned the gaze of thousands of Saguenay tourists for six months of many past years, and during the other six has had no company save the spirits of the air and the monsters of the deep. The boat shut off steam, and drifted slowly in right under the impending mass and they read in the guide-books, with a rS2 Under the King's Bastion "pleasirg fear." that the water under the keel was 2000 feet deep. The girls thought they might have touched the rock with a boat oar, but when the Captain handed Aline some pebbles from a bucket placed on deck for this purpose, saying, " Try to hit it then," she found that her utmost effort only caused to fall with a dull -plash into the water, far short of the mark. Nor were the men more successful, so deceptive is the distance when ordinary methods of measuring are not available. Up they gazed right into the sky, till their eyes were strained, and their heads ached with the doing of it, and then the boat slipped into Eternity Bay, where mountain overlapped mountain, each over 1,000 feet high, and where the dark water lapped without a sound against the fringed bank, and seemed to hold the sublime secrets of nature in its inviolate keeping. The steamer's whistle awakened reverberating echoes that struck back and forth among the purple hills, first startlingly loud, and coarsely inharmonious. Under the King^s Bastion j^j. [n'tL'V^'T'" ?""'"'' ^^^th-^ going," till, n the far dim distance they died away in sobbing whispers, only to start up again in answering melody, like the " horns of Elf. land faintly blowing." At the other side of the portal of the Bay stands the twin giant. Cape Eternity, more beautiful, but less imposing than Trinity for It IS covered with forest. The sublime majesty of these great capes tinges the con- templation of them with something of a religious awe. as it did for those who named ea™ hr Jf ''^'"'"' ^^^ ^ ^^^°"g' black sea, broods forever over this treasure-house of nature, and one can believe, that cen- turies ago. some Indian dreamer, with the film of death upon his eyes, would turn his canoe feebly towards the great gate-way musVr.t"'^ T'""'''' feelingthatwithin tinseen. > ' '' '' " ^'^ ^^^"^ ^'^° ^^^^ Our voyagers continued to gaze at the receding grandeur of the huge outlines, till they were lost to view round a point, and -msm- .Vi^'SHr.^y^Rlk^SPy ill: I" *4Vi J 54. Under the King's Bastion then they came down to ordinary levels, and were disgusted to find a party of men playing cards in the saloon, and some list- le.ss young ladies yawning over sensational novels. During the afternoon a brief but violent thunderstorm broke over the river, and echoed and re-echoed from side to side, now like the crash of the artillery of the mighty genii of the river directed at their frail craft, now like the low rumble of some grand Eolian organ, played by invisible agencies. Carleton and Aline found much to say to each other all afternoon, and incidentally he told her a good deal of his previous life, and she felt sincere sympathy for the lonely boyhood she could see he had spent, the only person who had taken any interest in him being a bachelor god-father, of whom he seemed very fond. And so they came again to Tadousac, and plunged out into the open St. Lawrence, leaving behind them regretfully the sombre Saguenay and its fascinating retreats. Crossing the river they 4^:'»;fi«*t... Under the King's Bastion /jj were much amused by seeiup an enormous shoal of porpoises diving and flopping up agam all round the boat : the gleaming white bodies tossing themselves above the surface for a moment, then rolling over into the deep again with a puff and a snort. That evening Aline sat at the bow of the boat, grudging every moment that brought the trip nearer to its end. Yesterdav morn- ing these two days had stretched out inter- minably before her mind's eve— now the hours simply took wings and would not be held back. Carleton had arranged a cos>- nook for her with a cushion and a rug, and she felt his care and tenderness anticipating all her wishes. They had been talking ot all sorts and conditions of things, and then suddenly a silence fell upon them, andthev were content just to be together, they two alone, under the wavering moonlight Almost unconsciously Aline .said softly • " And with joy the stars perform their shiriing, And the sea its long moon-silvered roll." Then Carleton looked at her, all his love in iii 15^ Under the King's Bastion his honest eyes, could she have seen it, and she knew by the thrill that comes only once in life, that she need deceive herself no longer — this stranger had become for better for worse the lord of her life, whom henceforth she delighted to honour. What Carleton would have said is uncertain, inasmuch as it- was never uttered, for at that instant a pierceing shriek startled every one on board, as a dark object was hurled from the upper deck into the shadowy river. A family among the passengers was to leave the vessel at Murray Bay, which would be reached in another half hour, and a noisy twelve-year- old boy, left to himself in the hurry of preparation, had lost his footing while climb- ing on the railing. Scarcely realizing what had happened Carleton and Aline sprang to their feet, and could only distinguish, amid the confusion, that someone had gone overboard. The young man instantly kicked away his shoes, and was pulling off 1 is coat, when Aline said with shaking lips : ' ' What are you going to do? " " Dive for him," Under the King's Bastion ,^y he answered quickly. « i am a strong swimmer, and the moon is bright " Then he turned to the raihng. but she caught his arm with a smothered cry: •< Some one else, was on her lips, as she realized, with a gasp of fear, what this man was to her He turned, saw the terror in the giri's face, and gently disengaging her hand, said passionately: "Would you care, really Aline ? " and then was gone into the cold,' deceitful depths. It had all occurred in a moment and now Aline stood alone, rooted to the deck, unable to take her eyes from the spot where he had disappeared, and clasping tightly the coat which he had thrust into her hands. There the others found her, and the look on her face convinced Mrs Portescue that her niece had given her heart to the man now struggling beneath the waves, as the by-standers told her. for Aliiie herself was speechless. Amid shouts, waving of lanterns and throwmg of life-belts, the little group were almost jostled into the river themselves /j«f Under the King's Bastion and to Aline the agonj' seemed prolonged for hours. She did not hear Clifford say with light carelessness, as he strolled up with a cigar between his lips, " What did he do it for, anyway ? Only one soul more in Par- adise," but Edith did, and with haughty scorn moved away from him, and did not speak to him again that night. Only a brief moment really elapsed, before Carleton ro.se, looking carefully round, and with a few vigorous strokes, grappled the boy, just .sinking for the second time. Mean- while the necessary orders had been given, and willing hands hauled .he young man and his .senseless burden on to the low freight deck. He escaped from the volley of praise and congratulation that assailed him, and was going to his state-room, after wringing out some of his dripping garments, when Mrs. Fortrscue and Aline, who was still carrying his coat, meet him. The latter cla.sped his wet hand in both of hers, and though she said nothing, her eyes were eloquent with feeling. ' ' We are all proud ^'Fw^.^ium Undet the King^s Bastion tS9 Alme looked at her gratefully. " Now - sensTbl. « f!t u ''"^^'' "'^ >'°" a^^ as to bed. It ,s nearly ten o'clock, and I shall ftour, so I won't say good-night yet." I suppose I must obey orders " ^^iA Carleton with a lingering smil^f t liine f. she gave him his coat and he retreated rtat the exctement was over, she trembled spatched both girls to their state-r.^m re- ni.nd.ng them they were to land at'^x o clock he next morning. Then she M^k he^lf to Carleton's room, in time to hTar outpourings of voluble thanks from the ex^ cted French parents of the boy, who had J^covered under a doctor's hands ;md wouW ttrnZ": :r "" '" ^^P'°"- Telling them they had better hasten, as the boat w^ about to reach Murray Bay, she manag^ j6o Under the Knitr" s Bastion to get them away, and Carleton laughingly thanked her, and swallowed quite grate- fully the decoction she had prepared, after which she bade him good-night in motherly fashion, and, knowing instin<5tively he would hate to be *' fussed over," she left him to close his eyes in drowsy contentment. It was long, however, before sleep visited Aline' s pillow. The scene she had witnessed rose again and again before her eyes, and through it all she heard his voice saying in tender accents : ' ' Would you really care, Aline?" Next morning he w^as on deck before any of them. His evening swim had only made him sleep well, he declared, and begged theip not tc mention the subjedl again. Clifford felt himself quite aggrieved, and made a few satirical remarks, which Mrs. Fortescue, however, quietlj- checked. So ended their Saguenay trip— an event- ful time for two of them at least. f'liiii Ifx' Kinsi's fiastuu, ifu Cmaptkk X\'n Jt u.s n|,,„,r„,i. ,,.,,, „, , . ^■•*•^"f^|"T'"•'|'>iM.-sc.|.■,,l,„,l,,,,-,„:; Kn,,,,,,,,,,,,.;,mi,s favor,, Ik-.I.-ut.,!,, "> mt l„s luck t„ the u-st ,„,,>. ,,„ ,„ . >t "Ht; It 1 1„„„ c f,v„„rf,l l,i,„ , ,-,„ ,|,v. after tlK.,r rcfnn f,,.„, „,.. S;,«„c-,nv L ,■::,/; " '■•";"■ ■■■"-. .-.".I .. M,; , Koomt,, the. r.ovc.r„„,..s (•.„,*.„ „i,h,,, hav,„g the leeli,,,. she „„„ht ,,s „, 11 ; seated „,,,,e. .he trees he ,.«,,„ :;,,,: "M..-. self-c„„fi,ie„ee : - V..„ „„,st ^,Z. why I have ,,r„,„h. you here. Miss ,,,rrf ^ 1 ave l„„g „,she,i to tell yo„ that I ,„ve ir>-a 162 Under the Kings Bastion " Please do not go on, Mr. Clifford," she said quietly. " I was afraid this would hap- pen, and I have tried to avoid it, as you nuist have noticed. I am engaged already to be married." "Engaged ! " almo.st shouted Clifford, aghast. ' ' Why have you never told me ?' ' " My friends have not approved till quite lately, and I scarcely thought it was a matter of vital importance to you, for though you have done me the honour to propose to me, I cannot help feeling that your disappoint- ment will not be irreparable." Clifford was stunned, but he mana"-e^- to say angrily : ' ' You have all deceivto me very well indeed ; you knew I wanted to marry you and you led me on — ' ' "I think you are forgetting yourself, Mr. Clifford. You know I never encour- aged your attentions,' ' said Edith indignant- ly. " As I have told you, my engagement has only been a settled thing for a few weeks back ; and if it had been of older date, was I to announce to every man I met, te.'i;t.»«fiS? .r&^iK-' Under the /0\^r's n^rstion j^j f">.o.vo„fo.,o„.uL\,:^1;:^-«-'7 have not recciv«l your attentions wi li.My ond have taken son.e trouble to p I^ ,; you from doing what you have to-dav ■ Seeuig he had gone too far, ClilTord with "O very good grace, tried to redee , hi «rorby protestations oflove aud de ' wh,ch somehow rang false) v e,-en IT^ aec Kledly . I can hear no more, Mr Chf ford and of course, I shall tell no one of what has passed between us. I am so ° youthinkyou have cause to blame me •■• and with a .sigh of relief, .she left him and' returned to the Chateau. cm '^f'""''^'' •'^"'"'^ "'°nnngs later, Mrs Chfford sat opposite her .son who, with a restless and moody air, read the n.on h" paper, wh.le he ate his meal. Pre^u^ Mrs. Fortescue that day, and receiving no answer, contniued as much to herself as to 164 Undet the Kiug' s Bastion him : " I hope Miss Aline is going to make Carleton Sinclair happy. He deserves it, and will not waste her money any more than he has his own . ' ' "What?" cried Fred, nearly springing out of his chair. " Her money ! what do you mean , mother ? ' ' "Well,. she has money, hasn't she ?" asked Mrs. Clifford, startled by his vehemence. " Why, of course, not," replied Fred more quietly. " It is Miss Darrell who has the money — f>5,oo He tound he had to turn all his preconceived Ideas tops3- turvy under the new aspec5l of affairs. Oh, no ! It was too absL to beheve^and yet-his position was preca- rious^ He knew his proclivities for cards and dice had come to the ear of his manager and on the previous da3- had received a Inn intimation that, unless he was more attentive to business, his services were likely to be dispensed with. He had never needed money so badly, and those ^5,000 danced taunt- ingly before his oes. \\niat if there were still another chance .> It would be worth trying at any rate, but how to work the sudden change of taclics surpassed even his fertile imagination. Hi. mother passed out on her way to market, and he said with as much carelessness as he could assume • " I say, mother, find out from Mrs. Fortescue to-day, will you. which of tlie girls really m -ji i66 Under the King's Bastion is the heiress ? I had a bet with a fellow about it. He said he could tell that Edith Darrell had always had lots of money simply by looking at her, and I don't want to pay him if he is wrong." He was preparing to :^o out himself when the telephone bell rang, and a man he knew slightly, and who boarded in the same house as Carleton, informed him that the latter had sprained his ankle, and wished Clifford to tell his friends at the Frontenac, that he would not be able to see them that evening. The gallant Fred was struck by the news. Things had come to such a pass that no chance must be neglecled, and it seemed as if a "special providence " (so he called it) was thrusting an advantage into his hands, if what he had heard that morn- ing should prove to be true. He sat down and stared thoughtfully at the carpet for at least fifteen minutes, trying to arrange the details of the risky game he had half re- solved to play, now that the stage was cleared for him ; and then lighting a cigar, 'z'':i^':^^W^s^-^^Wi^M::f^ Under the Amur's liastion J67 he strolled leisurely down town, forgettin. the old adage : h^iung ■■"'."S!;:!^::':™-"'' - Cl.ffo ,sedly:"I,,uppo,sel,e wants ,0 show me he ,s not heart-broken, which I k, e^ before, anyway ; or perhaps, thongh I won't i68 Under the A'i/iii's I hut ion have him, he thinks it will annoy me to see him consolint? himself with someone else." Then she and her fianei' went off on the Terrace, and TVed proceeded to business, but could elicit no iniormation, as he was too anxious, and not clever enough for deteclive word, Aliiie was kind, for she thought the ar- rival of Orahame nuist have been a blow to him. He did not guess her heart had passed beyond her own keeping, not having paid much ai;tention to vSinclair's wooing, nor considered him a likely man to attract a girl. . . . He thought possibly he inight turn her attention to himself from pique, for the part}- were leaving in a few days, and if he could cha'ii.^c her opinion of Carleton, and hinder a meeting between them, he was sure the latter would be too hurt and proud to ask for an explanation. Once away from Quebec, he flattered himself he could ex- plain everything, even his devotion to Edith, and make her believe in his honesty of U,ider the A'hji:'., nasliou j6g purpose. He awoke fro.n his re^•erie to hear A „,e asking Inn. if he had seen anv- tlmiKof Mr. Sinclair: " He was to have l,een tip here this evenino." she was sayine absent y. " and we have not seen hin, £«; three days," " Oh, said Ch-fYord, deliheratelv, " I dare- say he has run up to Montreal to see his lady-love." ;; Hi;^ what - asked Aline, ineredulouslv His lady-love: it seems he had one hidden awa>- all the time. Prettv deep fel- ow, Sinclair. Von may remember my telling yon that he was not a ladv's man so I was amazed when he told me one even- ing that he was going to he married " "When did he tell you?" said Aline slowlw ' "Oh. : forget exactly when. Wait— ye.s, It was on our trip up the Saguenay. ' ' ^ ' The second evening ? ■ • Aline .said quick- Fred appeared to meditate " No " he answered, after refleclion. " it was die first lyo Under the Jungs Basfion evening; after he jj;ot on board at Riviere du Loup. He had had to stay behiml to meet this ^irl on some early train, I believe." he went on, bravely inventing as he entangled himself more deeply in the maze. Aline's eyes grew bright and hard, but she only .said, with well-feigned indifference: ' ' Indeed, Mr. Sinclair has never hinted such a thing to us, but then, of course, we are mere acquaintances." Then she changed the subject, and as soon as her aunt appeared, left the conversation to her, and retired early on pretence of a headache. Clifford left soon after, being afraid to approach the subjedl of money, as he might easily have done : and on his way home his doubts re- turned, and he was inclined to curse himself for a fool. If all the world is divided into "fools" or "knaves," he must certainly have belonged to one class or the other. " I am sure it is all nonsense," he said, irresolutely, " and if the worst comes to the worst, I'll .say I only did it to tease her, but won't Carleton Sinclair be furious? " Uude, the An/x's liastion ryr The poison he had cunningly distilled into Al.ne sear was doing some work, though not altogether in the way he intended. She told herself she did not believe it. yet he had broken h.s promise to her that evening, after not seeing her for three days. And surely after that moment on the boat he should have said something more. His manner, when he made this appointment, had caused her to think he meant to say it this very evening. Could it be true > If so she would never trust a n,an again. She cer- tanily did not like Clifford, but what could be hisobjea m telling her a falsehood. Through all her despondency and perplexity however one thing was perfectly clear to her Car- leton might be bound to another girl", might even marry her ( Aline shivered a little at ^e thought), but his love, she knew, had been g.ven to herself, and nothingcould rob ner ot the comfort of that faa. Mrs. Fortescue was quite worried when Ahne confided in her next day. Not onlvr had she taken a strong liking to Carleton, m J72 Under tfit King's Dast'oti but she was extremely foiul of her pretty niece, and felt responsible for her happiness, so that she blamed herself luisparingly for not making every enquiry about the young man. " I don't think it is true, my dear, though I presume Mr. Clifford has some reason for saying such a thing. I must take the first opportunity of finding out, and in the mean- time, if you will be giiided by me, you will not see him, even if he should be in town and should call." Aline felt the advice was good, and re- mained in her room that evening, which happened to be Sunday, finding it very dull and miserable. Of course, Sinclair did not •come, and she was forced to believe he really had gone out of town. Down in the sitting- room, one of those chance coincidences were taking place which occur oftener than we think in real life. A cheery little old gentle- man, a new arrival, commenced a conversa- tion with Mrs. Fortescue, and gave her a ingh ' My connng now is jnst to x-e niv godsoi. a your.g Sinclair, whom I mnst look np to- morrow." Mrs. Fortescuc uttered an e.vclamation. Is Ins Lhnsiian name Carleton ;^ " s .id she. • Just what it is," answered the old gen- tleman, heaming on her. ' X^nv. I dare- say yon iKivc run across him in this small place. ' ' "Yes I have met him. and he seems -, very nice young man," said Mrs. Fortescue guardedly. "That he is. madam, as fine a lad 'as I know ; and likely, from what I hear, to make Ins mark in the world." ^IffBWl m MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) aim 1^ li£ ^0 Li 1^ us us 1^ m 1.8 ^ APPLIED IN/MGE Inc ^^ 1653 East Main Street r^S Rochester, Ne* York U609 I'SA '■^S; (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone ^= (716) 288 - 5989 - Fax I! : ^7/ Under tin A'i//^'s Bastion " He seems clever," answered Mrs. Vw- tesciie, and seizing the moment, added casually, " he is engaged to he married shortl) , is he not ? '" " Well, that is what I have come down to see him about now, to tell the truth. I have always laughed at him for not caring for women's society, and told him lie would soon be an old bachelor like my.self , though not for the .same reason, ' ' said the old gentle- man, with a sigh, for he had loved Carleton's mother. " However, .some time ago I re- ceived a letter from him, telling me he had fallen in love at last, and wishing to know if I thought he was ju.stified in asking any girl to .share his small means with him. Such rubbish. In ni}- day, madam, young people married earh', worked hard, and made small means do till they earned larger ; but times are changed — times are changed," said the old man, testily. "Then, I suppose, he lost no time in pro- posing ? " enquired Mrs. Fortescue. " I have not heard from him since. I ( ^nda- (he King's Uasfion /-- vvt^te ]n,„ a Ii„e to give ,„y blessing, and tdl hn„ how pleased I was to see h^„ J sensil.le. and tlien I went out to tlie Co 4 and by this time he is engaged to lier-,nnr- ned.m tad. for aught I know to the eon- trai-y. Wh^n these deliberate tVllows once gest^med there is no knowing where thev ^>Hstop he answered, nodding his head knownigly. taken h!'"h \ ''" '''^''' ^"^ ^'"^ ^^^' "'^^ taken tlie final step," Mrs. Forteseue said maskmg her anxiety." What is the nan,: ot tlie young lady? " Her new acquaintance ruminated for i moment and then said : " I am very stupid about names-never could remeniber a new one though it was repeated often enough n the letter, too, I remember. I saw he >ad,t- badly. Stay, perhap.s. I have it iitre. fumbhng ui his pokets " Xo t Wn;t, either," he said, a second ;at;r. It s in my valise, that's where it is I'M look it up and tell you to-morrow, if you would like to know • ' ^ iy6 I ^ndci Ihc h'inW/,„, n? Chaptkk x\'irr ^•'tl. sparkling eyes. I, ;^/"' ''"■°"'-«' have told you\s*i'?^l'^'','--''' ■^''fo"l "ill my ankle'sli'^h'^^,' ffew dnv ' "'" ' ■^"""■« was unable to keen rnv^, ^ •''*^°' ="'<' "lus yesterday. Let n,e" aKf ""^"'«W> yo„ now, and tell voi. i,„ i ^ """ ■''PoloRies been .since las. ,^.:S„^:;,,'°"« "'^ InAZ that is only Sunday fV '<^^""<" Wieve least, since I sa" y'„„ "i'*,^"'» "'"ks, at have thonght aeain nf ,., \ ""'"ier if yo„ the Saguenay boa " .°nd ptrl f' "'^■""K on me presumiituous for^^ I?'^'^haps considered J78 Under the Khi}^' s I nut ion then will \ou give nic an (xcasion.tl stray thoujjfht, and Believe nie to be Now and always, Yonrs devotedly, CakmvTox Sinclair. September 9, iSgg. Just before Aline received this note, Mrs. Fortescue was having another interview with the old gentleman. " Good morning," he said briskly, coming into the drawing room, where she sat with her work. " I am just setting off to discover the where- abouts of i;.y godson ; and, by-the-by, here is the letter, and the girl's name. Let me see ' * — adjusting his eye-glas.ses — ' ' some new-fangled thing ; plain Mary and Jane are not good enough now-a-days, it seems. Here it is — A-1- Aline, it looks like ; Aline Darrell. Why, bless me, madam, anything the matter ? " he enquired in astonishment, as Mrs. Fortescue rose suddenly, and began to shake his hand vigorously, wh'le his II Khisses fdl off hfs ,„„,. ,„„, „,^. , ■I rcst,,,^, ,,|acv „„ the r.-,rpct. " Kxcuse my fim.ctno.sity, „,v ,kar sir ■ «nd Mr. >.Wu.scuc, ,a.,«,,,-,,,.- .,„.;„„ the „as ^'y ex|)e-et f-, ^r..,,,, uonid, of "<»iirse, end. ()„ly those utterly itre would l.e n cmselves crushed m tlit lO conditions of life y iKiiorant of the f^iich a mad attempt. Tl n Canada could "iiajjjine - -1 ir onlv chance of M.ccc.,ss would ,,e an nlhuKX- with v.,„ Canada „,„l,hc.Sta..swcr.,,t war., likdv Peace Co„fcre„ee, hue they would ,„„. ,,,,,.' -d,v,d„a, „f.. e„tir..,v cn,s„„, o,,.. nZ "er Iam„otonc.,f,|„«^. ,,.,,„ I,,,,,,., j,, h= l,eo,yofwi,kspr. ddis. .„v. I e!, U.-ndtha.,heKrenel,-Ca„a„ ,,s luu. proved should the need arise," " Yes they are ; but it is the ••V.uce of a jSj I'lidtt (/i< /\i>i}i's /histii liuiulrcd \ tars ;!»;<). Von forKct thai these ]K'Ople arc (k'scciidants ot" monarchists, and have had no conncclion with the reimhlic. I donl)t if any of the echtcated class vndd retnrn nnder the rnle of the nnstahle l-rench Governnient. especially after the dis^racefnl proceedings in that conntry. hich havedis- ^ntsted the whole world this year {1S99), and which cansed one of the French-Can- adian eleruy to ' thank (iod he was no longer beneath the fl;ig where snch iiijnstice was possible.' The I'rench-Canadians, too, are passionately fond of Canada, as you would know if you heard them sinRing their national airs. Mosi of our patriotic songs, indeed, are written and sung in French in this Province." " And do you mean to say that they would not prefer to l)e annexed to us. and form part of the glorious Republic i* " asked Grahame, incredulously. " Oh, for the present, I think they are satisfied with such measure of glory as attaches to the British Kmpire," answered L'Haty Ihr A ,0 ,;,• ' v /his/ ion /Sf Mr. Stanton, chceratlly. " Unflt-r Hritish rule, they enjoN- privih-jr^s wl-.k-h no other country, yours inchided, would ever ^rant ■' '.-ni. Their reli«;ion. l-is:iiaKe and hnv>. '.. ■ not only protected, l.ut allowed the a^- ^endancy. and their j.uhlic men. no matter what their sentiments jnay he, fdl anv of the important po.ts of the Government. Not but what, you know, KtiKdish states- men made a jrreat mist.ke in allowing it • England ^va.s foolishly generous, as she ha.s been on many other occasions, in spite of all the accusations of land-gral)bing, and selfish empire-buildijjg, brought against her. As for plotting to put the Stars and Stripes over tlieir lieads instead of the Union Jack, that is the very last eventuality to be looked for. As Charles 11. said to his Brother • They will never kill me, Jamie, ' or Sammy ' I should say) to make you king.' " " Well, it is quite a new idea, to me " said Grahame. ' ' We Americans, especially during this last year, have felt as though all nations were turning their eyes to us. 184. Under the King's Bastion and longing to have some share in our un- paralleled glory." '' Yes, yes, it's all in your magazines," said the old gentleman, raising his hand deprecatingly. " You have assured the world that 'you are the people,' and not only will ' wisdom die with you,' but that it was born with you, as well as valour, and a few other etceteras. One thinks with regret of the wasted time one spent in school days, and later in life, too, learning and reading of the petty deeds of the other petty nations of the world, which have now paled into insignificance before your achievements. There is one thing, how- ever, which I believe no man among you is capable of doing, and that is, writing a ' Recessional.' " " I am afraid you are satirical, sir," said Grahame, nettled. " You hint that we have been boasting, but we have only been stating incontrovertible facts. The war was a phenomenally brilliant enterprise, proving, us at least the equal of the great powers of Under the King's Bastion jg^ Europe, and the battle of Manilla, the greatest naval victory in the historv of the world, surely is something to talk of " Mr. Stanto,! opened his mouth, clasped a ittle, repeated in a stupefied manner under Wh"'''';."^'"""''^'-^'^^ greatest naval battle in the history of the world'" and was about to ask if he had heard arieht when Grahame handed him a stamped envelope, saying triumphantlv : "Talking of boasting, no Canadian can say much in censure of that fault when he stamps his letters with that thing. ' ' "Ah ! where are my glasses > Oh yes, the Imperial postage stamp issued last Chistmas to mark the introduction of the penny rate in many of the colonies.-Oives rather a good idea of the Kmpire. doesn't It ? But you said something about boasting. ' ' What do you call that legend at the bottom of the map ? ' ' "'We hold a vaster Empire than has been, " read Mr. Stanton. "Really, Ida not see the boast. That is an ' incontrover- j86 Under the Kino;' s DasHou tible fact,' you know. A population of about four hundred millions, something like a quarter of the earth's surface, and the command of the sea, is, I think, 'vaster' than anj' former empire." " Well, if it is," put in Grahame, secretly longing to contradi<5l the.se remarks, "it certainly is bad taste for an old country like England to stick that remark on every en- velope that goes out to her neighbors. ' ' " Ah, you are falling into several errors, Mr. Grahame. In the first place, the stamp is entirely and solely Canadian. England had nothing whatever to do with it. Then, it was intended only for use between this country and other parts of the Empire. If individuals, for novelty's sake, put it on foreign letters, as I know they very largely did, it was not meant as a challenge. It no doubt opened people's eyes a bit, and created jealousy, perhaps, and I agree with you that continually to use it on foreign mail would be in bad taste ; but I repeat that to •celebrate a great advance step in the closer ii I I'mif} the A'i/iQ^'s nosfioii /,y- union of all the scattered ])ortions of the tmpire, it was simply a reminder, in our own tann-ly circle, as it were, not that we were perfed, not that we were the llrst and last ot nations, not that after lis would come the delu-e, hut that, standing where we stand, and holding what we hold, we should bind ourselves more closely toi^rether bv a solemn conipad — rememhering the lon^r past we .should look hopefully to the respon- sibility of the future." Wliat eloquence over a posta-e stamp >' ' said Grahame. pocketing the envelope. \\ell, I think it ought to be prohibited from leaving the boundaries of the Kmpire it talks about. Americans couldn't be bothered with all that extension and imperialistic business. We have an enormous, compact country of unlimited capabilities, where we are all one people, and to look after the concerns of the continent of America is enough for us." " Including Canada and Mexico ^s well as South America?" .slyly i„ou. She is friendly, but upon mv word you don't seem to be." HI^^BH^R^^^ ripsn lijo Undo i he /Kind's /fas/ion " Ivnglaiul has given yoit proof of friend ship again and again, even at her own ex- pense," said Mr. Slanton, " and after all yon have never been iti a i)osition to injnre her since the Revolntion. Bnt with ns it is widely different. Yon cannot cease to hanker after ns. We do not say that you are onr enemy now. bnt we say yon have been in the past— the only one we have had hitherto, and that yon are not in any case a proven friend. As to Alaska, we look after our own treaties and negotiations now, and .so the line is not likely to be moved back this time to suit yon, and England recognizes the justice of the claim Canada makes to be ' Mistress in her own house.' I suppose you won't trot out another man with a false map up his coat .sleeve, but you'll do other things, and though it will need pretty keen e\es, no doubt, to .see through >onie of your dodges, we'll put on our strongest .specs, and try," " Why, you would like to make us out to be rogues," exclaimed Grahame, nearly losing his temper, while the whole wc.rlcl acknowleclK^es that we lead the nations i„ freedom, progress, good govern.nent, and all the science of modern life." "There you go again,' broke in the old man. '• I suppose you can't help it, it is the nigrained national instinct : but it does sound so odd in the ears of anxone who has studied the outlines of world history We wdhngly admit you are the cleverest people on the planet, in carrying through an under- taknig, and you have never been equalled m practical adaptations of science, nou have done astounding things in the United States by means of your brains and wealth, and in certani lines of literary and mechanical art you are certainly a long way aliead of older nations, who cling to consen-ative systems But when it comes to saying that the little war with Spain produced heroes unsurpassed in history ; that the United States could now diclate terms to any other people if she choose ; that Europe is trembling at the success of her Western rival ; that the Fng- I 1Q2 Uudc) the Kiuj^'s Hast ion lish lanj^uaKc means to-day tlu.t sj^okeii by the greates: braiicli of the Atiglo-vSaxon race who inhabit the United States of Anierica — all these things, remember, and others equally absurd, have appeared in print this year ; it must provoke a smile from a citizen of a country which has fought and ruled, discovered and civilized for ten centuries. In facfl someone has said that the history of the British lunpire is the history of the world. Of course, I can quite understand that much foolish writing is done by your blatant and aggressive press, but apart from the jingoes, you all seem to believe, in full sincerity, that the United States is the dic- tator of the world ai present. You are certainly a great nation, and in a few hundred years of experience there is no tellir.g what may have happened, but at present you are not quite as great as you think, and— there are others." " Well," said Grahame, only slightly mol- lified, "you will not be convinced of our ■superiority till you see Old Glory flying up i 'Ndn- the Khiii's liasiiou ,yj tl>ere 0,1 the Citadel. If we come „p a^ain •t W.11 be wuh our victonous veterans Li Cuba ami the Philippines. Can.ula will a ways be a -country without consequence' till we annex i,er. and then she will be "Hghty pleased with her destiny '• " If •"• said Mr. Stanton. "' There wis once r Spartan, you remember, who. to'a somewhat snnilar threat, .sent back for re- ply, that one wei-hty little word, ' if ' a. for your Philippine veterans, thev will' I think be veterans indeed before 'thev get om of those islands, if mvjudKnnent.^erfes Mth the tdipmos would cea.se in the next two weeks, and the discu.ssion was brought to an end by the reappearance of the tL Kirls. who had gone into the hotel to f-^tch their aunt, and as .someone announced -i mast rounding the point thev concentrated their attention on the incoming men-of-war A big first-class cruiser led the vvav, and J>eh.„d her three smaller frigates swept up igj. Uudo the k'injf's fiasiion the harbour in a graceful curve, while a little torpedo destroyer rolled wickedl" 'ong like a whale sporiing about the ^eet. On they came with slow dignity, eliciting expression of admiration from the spedlators, till the crowded decks could be distinguished, gay with bluejackets, and scarlet marines, all eyes upturned to the fluttering l^nion Jack far aloft on the King's Ba'Jticn. Then signals ran up the rigging of the Admiral's ship, the anchors plunged overboard with a musical splash, the welcoming gun boomed out, flag dipped to flag, the army and navy clasped hands on this stronghold ' ' grown old in war," the fortress of a past age re- turned the respecflful salute of the modern battleship, as yet unbaptised by fire, but ready for her maiden fight in the late hours of the nineteenth century. '.' ,.W!t.*5"AWi«^."^ ^-^'idn IhcKinfi'Uia.tion ^'/f Chaptkr XIX. £(AKMnoXlUK,spe„, six ,„,,,,,,,,,,. I."' 1 , ■ ?,""•• '"^I'y <^"»""- Aline ,„.o. pass, he slioii < sec her On ii ■ , '"■^' P'.o..e- he dis- patche ^y"^" Tues " I. If I hear an ignoranuis occa- sionally utt. a slighting remark about the Queen's qualities of heart or head, it makes me perfeaiy rabid. I long to put such cri- minals (for it is a crime ) back into the reigns of the Second Charles or Fourth George, and let them get a thorough understanding of the difference that a bad sovereign can make to the country, to cure them of their cavilling, and make them sadder, but wiser individuals. I was reading to-day a little incident which is worthy to rank beside the thousands of kind acts which have beautified 20/ 20 y I have .something to say to you." And with- out a word she obediently put on her hat, and the>- went, ' ' both of them together. ' ' up the steep Glacis to the " Point." 2o6 Under the King's Bastion ClIAPTKR XX. _^ri,o\vi.v, aiul almost in silence, they climb- i. ed the grassy slope. vSlowly, because Carleton was still lame ; slowly, because there was no need for haste ; slowly also, because certain thinK^s lo.se an indefinite charm by the rude touch of speech : '• MvnvA melodies ,iic swott, l)ii! those unheard ftweetor." are Once Aline paused, with head bent forward a little and gazed long on the darkening city below her, while Carleton stood silently at her side. The hills in the distance had faded away into infinity, the bright lights of Levis marked the other shore, and be- tween swung the frigates, outlined by their signal lanterns, and now and again a mellow bugle call floated across the water. The ?'=ll«-*4riu.">;- ■amps of the Uwenw,, twinkled ,„, he h f Rloo,,,, „ suan,, of people ru.s.led a ™t^ tl.e 1 errnce ,„„Ier the illuminated Chatca f rttr^^-"-"^'-^"-^«---^--.:p freedniii «i. •*" ''"'■''V ''er est::/;™; """•'"' P'-™-. -.d now "^ stoml at tile partnig ways l'erha,« every girl feels thus at some tin.e before her n.arriage, „o matter howmich she «,ay 1* capable of loving ; as the brook hesua.es and curls itself b'a^kwI'Z::' ■•n er. W ,th a n,an ,t ,s different. He alwavs ga.ns sotnething in marriage and need ^t- luost frequently does not-give u.) -.nv If ., ■ ormer,ife.Iti,s.ohimmere'y ■•e;sl'" mh,scareer,of„,oreorlessi„,p:;.:^e But tor a woman there is no retttra She gives herself, and with the gift t- tl 2oS I'micy lilt' Kiuii' s /iaslion t'vcn ill the happiest circumstances, passes beyond her control. vSoniethiii},' of all this stole dimly upon the Kirl as her eyes dwelt on the landscatKr without heediiiK it. A mood enthralled her of which a jKiet wrote : • Ti". n-i iinicli .«kiii to xininv. Ah till' iiioi-row Holilcth ilioiiKlii of yeMterday." Ti?en roused from her reverie by the mag- etic influence of Carleton s presence, she moved on a^ain, and set her face toward the days that were to l)e. And then when they stood at last up above the throng half way ' twixt earth and sky, Aline's heart beat quickly, and she began to talk fast and gaily of the scene below, as women will play with assured happiness, and hinder, if but for a moment, the declaration from a man's Jips. " I can't understand, ' said she, "how people who l)elong to Quebec can prefer other cities, remarkable only f' r the numbei •of the population, the size of the stores, the l^nda the K'iu^^'s Ihsdon 30,, mimberof factory chi,mK.vs. or tl,e ex port < f pork (to.nention theold.nanwhowastalkinLr ofLlucnKo this evening). It /. .son.ethinK to live in a place which reminds one everv tiny of great deeds done in the past. If those who go away really lose interest in (^nchcc It must mean a lowering of their whole ni- ture. It seems to me (^uehecers onght to have very elevated instin(5^s from havin-^ around them .so much that is noble in nat.irc'' and nispiring in history. Are von .,// ri,„.r characters here than elsewhec? " she isked humourously, looking at Carleton But the question was forgotten, and it unanswered neither of them thought of it again, for Aline felt her unresisting han"'«' J«^^to„c (;,>!.• •a.nl the lou.l report „f the 9.^0 k'Uu nearly cai.sed Aline to fall „Uo the river. fn,„, which catas- trophe however. Carleton's restraining arn. saved her. "f wish everyone onl.lhe as Happy as we are." he said presentlv. '• I)<, you thnik your cousin cares for Cli'ffonl .> ' ;'Xo, she does not indeed.' answere.l Alnie. "^)'^-".> with which nionosvllable he made his exit, and therewith disappears from the narrative. It is always a little sad to leave a' place where one has had a pleasant visit We wonder if we shall ever come back again, and under what circumstances. We think of the spots we should like to have seen once more, of the things we meant to have done, and of the anexpecled that has hapi>ened snice we came. lu Mine's case no unhappy mcidents marred the memory of her sum'- mer trip. Looking back upon it, she could scarcely realize she was the girl who, three short months ago, had seen the rock of Quebec looming up in the distance. She was already coming to regard it as her future home, and as she caught the last glimpse of Carleton's tall figure on the station plat- form, and gently cares.sed the new ring on her finger, she felt glad she was not saying "farewell," but " Aufwiedersehen " Then Onder the King's Ihntion ^,~^ the train, steaming swiftly along, horethen, out of s,ght of the gray oM ' ' Sen inel C ever keeping faithful watch and ward . ;,. eastern outpost of the vast Dominion. ••