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The posi ofti filmi Orig begl th« •!on othi first sion or ill The shal TINI whi( Mar diffi entii begl righ requ metl This item is filmed at the reduction ratio ehaclced below/ Ce document est film* au taux de reduction IndiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X itx 22X 2IX aox y • i?X 1IX aw 24X 2tX a2x Atails w du nodifier n une ilmage n errata to I pelure, 9n A D 32X The copy filmad hara haa baan rapro Illpllllll fc »» -ift «g» <» C0 l.-cg»_ifil Ift iPl t ft ^ < » > rth rt b„xi t>« ^ A T«h > 0. .O. ^ ^ |] LIBRARIES THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO LONDON CANADA i1.S. %f. © t f: P: t^i'f- 'Je^ rt' y^-\ ••• '.'h-i-' ■%&.i>' •1* a-'^Mj, % / / Wi-. . . , M iv^./ .^ J^^^'%i4fM>^' ■5 (. l" i ■^ J ' Entered Mccordi Kno ^ ONE MISTAKE i Entered iiccording to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year 1888, by Tiiu Canaua Hank Ncnu KnciRAViko and Phinting Comi-anv, limited, at the Department of Agriruliiire, A. MA Cais ONE MISTAKE. A. MANITOBAN REMINISCENCE. BY ZERO. MONTREAL: Canada Bank Note Company, Limited. 1888. a Thit " Enter I "At " oval fa< " more r< " smooth, " which ] * ly pen< ** majorit •* but do gasligh 'eyes; g ' nose th * coming this in I * ity, acct admirei The riend, ar le, it stil hen to ou have rust mys I am were inci ONE MISTAKE. This stage is for myself to strut upon, and therefore, " Enter Miss Devigne " : — " Average height ; better than an average figure ; an " oval face, the whiteness of the skin of which is rendered " more remarkable by the crowning presence of abundant, " smooth, black hair, and by the frequent flows of colour which paint the cheeks with little provocation ; distinct^ * ly pencilled brows, arching over eyes classed by the * majority as brown, which sometimes positively glitter, * but do not keep the constant glint, in sunlight and in 'gaslight, so often seen in certain of the prettiest brown * eyes ; good teeth, on which account you often laugh ; a ' nose that certainly set out intending to be Grecian, but, * coming to the point, shews sympathy with Rome, though ' this in such a slight degree that you may, with equanim- * ity, accept the compliments of any of the ancient World's ' admirers, according to prevailing light and shade." • The above is ME, as painted by a somewhat partial riend, and unreliable as such description must naturally , it still composes (and comprises) all my stock in trade, hen to this you add the motto I uphold, " Vive Tamour," ou have as full a knowledge of my personelle as I can rust myself to write. I am, or rather, have been — and fear I should still be, were inclination all I had to guide me in my future life — 6 a thorough-going flirt. Opportunity has favoured me with large experience in the great profession, for more years than I dare venture to unfold, and now — my tether grow- ing shorter day by day — I wish to give account of my last year of liberty, whilst yet the taste is in my mouth ; before the misanthropic stage arrives. My object in so doing is purely philosophic. I wish to shew the kind of world in which we live, and the way to travel best; and, if you take the good advice, dear girl, of one who knows whereof she speaks, and follow Moore's behest to love the lips that are around you, when dearer are away, I am sure my labour will reap gratitude. Good people (a word to the wise), this is but neces- sary training, for are we not informed, by the very first of Authors, that the atmosphere of that celestial place to which you all aspire is love? And yet we hear, again, that marriage is an unacknowledged state — ^in fact there's no such thing. Then, what is this, if not flirtation in its purest form ? And very right it is that such should be the case. It were a crime, with little palliation, to suppose that angels, ecstatically blessed, should pass their time in twanging harp strings (albeit golden ones). Yet this is what is offered to the " very good " on earth by ignorant pretenders. Imagination must, indeed, be at low ebb when such a state gains reputation as the best of all things possible. ... However, my intention never was to deal with possi- bilities of Heaven, or probabilities of Hell, or any other subject half as blue. I simply wish to say a word in favour of a very good old pastime, but for which my life would, indeed, have been a sunless one, and many, many happy hours would be erased from memory. Men have their fun in landing a lively twenty- pounder of a fishy and one successful effort is e lough to fill a life with joy. How he struggled, jumped, then sulked, and would not move an inch. It was sublime, undoubt- edly. How marvellously does the gallant creature grow ! He can, without an extraordinary eflfort (though occasion- ally he owes a little to good spirits), run up his weight as high as thirty pounds, some ten years subsequent to death. But woman looks for larger prey, and who will hesi- tate to name the nobler sport ? The salmon's course is stayed by a thin, but also quite strong, line. Our captives are but seldom held by anything more stable than a woman's hair, and even that is sometimes of a very startling hue — though (safely hid myself) I have, with something very near akin to genuine amusement, watched the look upon a victim's face as he declared, with all the fervency of innocence (though doubtless adding to the lengthy list of charms possessed by his gay fisherwoman the culminating one of idiocy) that the manifestly purest red-brick top-knot in the world was nothing less than "Auburn Glory," if you please. But, spite of all our troubles, we still amuse ourselves, and occasionally land a salmon, too. I have just returned from that land of Vast Futurity, the Canadian Northwest, and must admit that, taken on the whole, sport there is good. To be sure, the game is somewhat small ; but the fisherwoman used to angling for the old and wary nibblers of blas^ London drawing-rooms feels no small pleasure in pulling up a trout or two upon occasion, if only for the purpose of proving her ability to fish. i My sister Olive and myself, in making our visit of a year (or rather, of ten months, for the intended stay was shortened to that time), were offered as a sacrifice to a mother's great affection for her son. Our brother Jack, four years ago, had emigrated to the North, and, though he came a " cropper " in what is now world-famous as the " Boom," ever since his fall (which never had excited in his family the sympathy it ought — we had become so tired of his "croppers" whilst at home) his movements were described by " Oh, he's getting on," which always sounds just one step higher than " He's going to the Devil," and often means, if only we could see our distant friends, much about the same. Our world appeared to wag, in spite of his departure, and we had come to think of him as almost " gone before," so rarely did we hear a word from him. Suddenly, however, a letter came, in which he tried to get mother and ourselves to pay the " country of his choice" a visit, "for a year at least," he said. Mother declared it was impossible. As for herself, entre nous, it prejudice she had, it was against the West. " I'm sorry, " Nell, but I could not stand the voyage, not to mention " wha.t your uncle said about Canadian cookery — ' God gave " the food and the devil sent the cooks.' Wasn't tliat the " way he put it ? " " But, mother, we can manage all those things if we " have a house ourselves," I pleaded, for I had a most outrageous longing for a change of air and scene. " We.i, my dear, I don't mind watching your most " wonderful experiments in the culinary art at home, but " would rither be excused from trying to subsist upon " them for a year. Besides, of course, there can be no " society ; except, perhaps, such as might form an interest- u (( to r'notomounf ir visit of a ed stay was crifice to a other Jack, md, though nous as the 1 excited in >me so tired ments were vays sounds Devil," and iendsj much , in spite of m as almost 'om him. ch he tried untry of his id. Mother ntre nous, it "I'm sorry, to mention — ' God gave m't that the things if we had a most le. ; your most it home, but jubsist upon e can be no I an interest- ' 9 . " ing study for philanthropists, and, personally, I think " everyday humanity a far more worthy subject to dissect.'* Of a truth, here was a Philistine ; and, though I pushed for proofs of this alleged barbarity, the only evidence I could obtain was that a certain noble officer once stayed in Winnipeg and dined with their Lieutenant-Governor. During tne hospitable meal he was compelled to drink deep of ginger pop, as being less injurious than the strong green tea alternatively offered. But ginger pop for soup, ginger pop for fish, and ginger pop to a fourth or fifth long course brought matters to a crisis, and when he would fain have smoked a fine Havana, Nature cried aloud for a visit to the most convenient doctor, and nothing but successive " bran- dies, neat," had brought the patient round. " But, mother, we are not like men, and do not need " to tipple brandy for enjoyment's sake." " No, dear, but you see how ignorant the people are " of what goes to form the comfort of a man. Can we " expect them to have any other civilized ideas of modern "days?" And so the matter lay, and would have lain till now, but Colonel Denton, an old friend of my mother's (a gay old boy, and quite a "masher" with the widows, who were very much enamoured of his six feet two of military man- hood), came in one day, and intimated his resolve, in company with young Clifford, who wished to make the trip, of " seeing the Northwest ranches near to Calgary, visiting some friends out there, afterwards returning home by way of China and the East." Then the history of Jack's wish for some of us to visit Winnipeg was talked about, and, after some discussion as to time, ways and means, etc., it was finally decided that \ ; 10 ■ t our party, comprising Colonel Denton, Mr. Clifford (whom I had frequently met at dances and found very tolerable), Olive and myself, should start from Livei ^ ool a fortnight later, on board the ship "Parisian," of which we heard some very good accounts. < ; Thus, everything was well. Our mother was de- lighted that Jack would now see " some of us," and we looked forward to a year of life without the leading strings. HI. At last we really were afloat ; not valiantly buffeting mountainous waves, to be sure, but with a steady, sober motion, churning our way down the unromantic Mersey, and making certain progress towards the more poetic ocean, — albeit its poetry is sometimes very much akin to that of Browning — definition beyond the power of mortal man, but exciting feelings we fain would hide from all our friends. The churning soon gave way to a rather more effective choppiness, but even this, destructive as it was to the happiness of some, appeared to spare our party. Olive looked as bright as, and rather prettier than ever, I thought. Her clear-cut features, the brilliant colour of her cheeks, a sparkle in her light grey eye and little wisps of dark brown hair escaping from their bonds, all combining to create what Colonel Denton most gallantly stiid was " the British maiden as she ought to be." Oft-repeated yachting trips had made her and myself respectable as sailors, and the freshness of the breeze did nothing more disastrous than increase our appetites, already not unhealthy. At Queenstown we said good-bye to the British people, who at that pretty spot 'e not seen to advontage on it fnotomount lifford (whom ry tolerable), ol a fortnight ich we heard iher was de- us," and we ading strings. itly buffeting steady, sober ntic Mersey, more poetic nuch akin to i^er of mortal > from all our rather more i as it was to arty. Olive ban ever, I nt colour of 1 little wisps il combining ^ly said was • and myself breeze did ites, already itish people, vantage on i s I board the passing steamers; and, shortly afterwards, the night drew down upon us. Then Cape Clear's warning light came into view, and apparent to the senses of us all was the long Atlantic swell. Here was an opportunity for a volunteer to gain immortal fame by the singing of *' My Native Land, Good Night." But no one's voice was in the proper trim. The last of all things tangible grew gradually less, and the vessel forged her way ahead, like Destiny itself, into the unfathomable blackness ot the sky and sea. Mr. Clifford and I had struck upon a " cool, sequestered " nook, from which to watch the slow extinction of our country's light, at that time shining, most inappropriately, as we both agreed, from the inhospitable shore of Ireland. Mr. Clifford was a dark, good-looking man, with an incipient moustache ; brown eyes, and a rather square-cut face. His forte, as it appeared to all his first acquaintances (female ones, of course,) was telling tales of former "mashes" he had made, and cdlingall the gods to witness that " he never really cared a straw for anyone before." Briefly, Mr. Clifford was yet young, and the character ot " Wild" had still some charms for him. Report, however, said that his success in love had met \Yith one reverse, at least ; and certainly he quoted poetry that night with a feeling such as does not often come with- out some knowledge of a desperate affaiit du coBur. After the light hod made its bow, and the lonely feeling which ensued on its extinction had somewhat merged in the sweets of tete-a-tete with a positively inno- cent young man, I commenced to feel somewhat more at home, and tried to make the best of things (and men) — my invariable custom. The prey was that very night almost within my clutches, but fog and cold declared their ^1 12 war against me, and drove us down the hatchway and apart, me to toss and roll and kick through the first night at sea, of which my wild young man would spend the greater part in cultivating " dreadful habits," as his dear aunt would doubtless say. IV. On ship-board, where one's number of acquaintances is very circumscribed, the idiosyncrasies of each are matters of importance to the whole, and (always granting three days' grace to conquer Neptune's bumptiousness) a change of front, or other deviation from the customary course, of any of our friends gives rise to speculation. Curiosity in me was very much excited by a sudden gloom which seemed to cloud over the (as it at first appeared) rather overpowering flow of Mr. Clifford's spirits. This feeling once aroused, it tore down all its bounds, and soon I found myself straining every nerve of the imagination to plaus- ibly account for the young man's voluntary exile from his native land, with the London Season at its height and money in his pocket to enjoy its every charm. I resolved to try my best to draw the mystery from its mysterious owner, if opportunity would but serve me decently. Meanwhile, however, everything was dull. I sat upon the deck, from morning until night, and struggled hard, though vainly, to believe that sea-life was enjoyable. The relaxation from my usual work was altogether too com- plete. I MUST have some excitement or expire. Olive, seemingly, existed happily enough, thanks to a library which, though of limited dimensions, yet contained " the very latest fiction." With this, it grieves my heart to say, she was evidently bent on vitiating Colonel Denton's literary taste. Judging from appearances, her efforts were a ful r-ni iHuiTra itchway and le first night spend the as his dear uaintances is are matters anting three iss) a change iry course, of Curiosity in jlooin which ared) rather This feeling soon I found ;ion to plaus- xile from his i height and I resolved 8 mysterious ently. I sat upon uggled hard, jyable. The ler too com- pire. Olive, to a library itained " the my heart to lel Denton's efforts were 18 not unattended with success, the dear old boy devouring anything and everything, with an avidity and interest which would have put to shame the average school girl in her teens. I even caught him bargaining with a fine, well dried-up specimen of maiden hopefulness, for an exchange of "She" for "Moths." Of the latter of the two he vowed he never heard before, and, on my expostulation, was quite prepared to swear that he was interested through belief that the subject of the work was really entomology. " Yes," he was driven to confess, " I read it through, dis- " gusting as it is. It would never do to let a maiden lady, " however antiquated, get the better of me now. I hope " you never read such trash." " Oh, mother does not like either Olive or me to read " such books as that." (Somehow, they do get read, though I never could explain the modus operandi — very shortly after publication, too.) About the fourth day out I was sitting on the deck pretending, and really trying hard to make myself believe the sham, to read what, in my hurry, I had mistaken for a " latest novel." In front of me, as I occasionally could see, when I raised my bead to watch the ocean's swell, and noted its effect upon the ship and me — for I was now the least bit squeamish — walked Mr. Clifford, with the air of him who takes a constitutional, despite all obstacles. Backwards, forwards ; forwards, backwards ; like the tick- ing of a clock the sacrifice to hygiene was made. Weary of this monotony, the good ship gave a lurch, and by a com- mon accident my wicker chair shot out, doubled up, and left me on the deck, a sight to raise up pity in a Stoic's heart, and which quickly brought the walker to my aid, full of commiseration. tin . I ! \ (I 14 " I hope you are not hurt at all," he said, picking up me, cushions and book, in the strictest " order of merit " way. *' Oh, no. Thank you for your very timely help. " These chairs are the most stupid things I know — alway« " trying to shut up when you want to sit upon them." Dropping into another of the kind, and leaving the oflfender gaping for one victim more. " Possibly they are something like my own poor sex. " You sit upon them and they must shut up. Now, I can " rest without the slightest danger," settling himself into the chair which I had so ungracefully vacated, and thereby walking straight into my net ; " they never play their " tricks upon a man." Of his man-like crow, on the power of his sex to take their seats (some ladies say that women shall equally be blessed ere long. Tyrants, beware!) I leniently took no notice, but simply said : " Unfortunately, it is not always " as you would make out. The people one attempts to sit " upon are just the ones who never will shut up." " However that may be, I pray you, Miss Devigne, '' have mercy, and don't experiment on me. I feel quite '* flat enough already. I don't know when I was so "blue." ** I see that you are reading * Henry Esmond,'" turn- ing the leaves of the book he just picked up, "Thackeray's " woman is *just too sweet for anything,' is she not?" " Speaking for myself, I think I could forgive her if " she lost some savoir faire, and grew a little closer to the " natural. What a curious ring you wear." " Yes. This is about the only heirloom I posscBB. " Juist look at it," holding out his hand for my examination. ( ( id, picking up der of merit " timely help, know — alwaj^ upon them." ig the offender own poor sex. i. Now, I can ? himself into i, and thereby er play their lis sex to take all equally be ently took no is not always attempts to sit up. iliss Devigne, I feel quite en I was so aaond/ " turn- " Thackeray's jhe not?" forgive her if closer to the om I possess, examination. 15 I took it in my own. On his little finger was a rather massive, very well worn ring, in which was set a lozenge- shaped, black stone, having as its centre the most dazzling little diamond I ever yet beheld. The gold was formed to represent a snake, its tail stuck in its mouth. " A genuine talisman, I judge, from all appearances," I said. '* Is the story such as one may hear, without too great a danger ? " " Its history is far too long to tell to any but one's grandchildren, born to be tormented in that way. Briefly, according to our creed, a Clifford (in the twelfth or thir- ' teenth century — I don't know which) returning from ' the East, brought that. It is symbolical (also according ' to our creed) of an everlasting troth. The diamond — • which shines more brilliantly since my father had it cut, ' they say — represents a burning love. The ring itself is ' the Talmudic hieroglyph to signify eternity — a serpent ' swallowing its tail. The tradition in our family endows ' the ring with the most unswerving loyalty to the right- * ful Clifford heir. So strong a feeling is this with my ' people that, should it actually disappear and be positively lost (though I believe I have enough of superstition in ' my soul to make me doubt the possibility), I really think that they would look upon me as a king deposed." " What an interesting, medisBval tale," I laughed. " If I had such a ring, I should keep it under lock and key, and live on pins and needles when I showed it to a friend." Just then Olive passed, staring most outrageously, and became aware that I was still retaining and inspecting a nd I had kept lovingly within my own for five minutes the least. I dropped it like a cinder, and Mr. Clifford i ; ^i. i 16 smiled an understanding smile, as though he liked the joke. "Oh, you have no reverence for talismans like this," said he. " It has passed through the hands of scores of ** Cavaliers, as token of innumerable things — its paltry " worth, perhaps, its chief protection — when adherence to " the Cause was somewhat costly, and treachery in men not " utterly unknown, yet never went astray ; and my faith " is that, as long as Cli£fords are, that ring will be, and " they will cling together." " How nice to have so strong a faith in anything on " earth. I thought all men were thorough misbelievers, " and put no trust in aught beneath the sky. What a " treasure you would be to champion woman's cause against " her enemied. Now, don't you think the r61e would fit "you well?" My question seems to drive him back to his starting point of blue ; makes him remember that he should look sad, and sad he looks forthwith. Dolefully : " I should like to be her champion, Miss " Devigne, did I not know too much about her ways. The " World says (the female world, I'll bet,) that woman is " what man has made her. What wretched stuflf that is ! " The woman makes the man ; and * Woman's inhumanity " to man makes countless thousands weep.' Take the case " of any jolly woman, such as we meet each day the whole " year round— a regular flirting bombshell, of whom it " would be flattery to say that her vows were traced in " sand, or that she accidentally spoke the truth : — she does " more harm in two or three short hours than any man ^' could compass during life. It's sure as Fate, a woman's " at the bottom of eve j man's misfortune." he liked the lan any man 17 " I know whereof I speak " was so painfully obtrusive [in his look, that I was quite unable to forbear, and said : " What a statistician you must be ! Have you any Miserable Club ' from whence to draw your figures? Or f* is it all your personal experience ? Please look the other " way^ and I will blush for my unfeeling sex. Though, of course,, a stupid individual has brouj^'it us all beneath I* your ban. Am I not a sorceress? " " I think you are a witch, if that is what you mean" — )rightenii>g up again. " I do feel a little eery now, and believe that I can f* read that terrible misfortune of your heart : the one [* which made you such a woman's' enemy^ I mean. Do p you doubt it?" " No, indeed. I have 'seen enough of the eyes of Miss I' Devigne to doubt their power over all the universe. But, I* just for fun, you may try them on my past." In giving this permission, he did not seem to antici- )ate much "fun/' although he gave the word to "go ihead." " Well, don't add me to your list of deadly enemies, if Y I come too near the truth. And, above all things, re- r member that, as a seer, I am infallible, and brook no '* contradiction." " You loved, rash man ! Regardless of the cynic [' world, and clever Mrs. Norton (perhaps you never read [' * Love Not,' in which case we shall pity more than blame you). Oh, how you loved! And she — she was divine [' (a fact which you were good enough to let her know) ; ' and, by reason of her Godhead, she saw a base mortality r in you (no offence intended, if you please ; I haven't r grown my pen feathers yet). Still, could she not per- 2 r '"■\ l! ; ! It Iff f' 18 " ceive the cloven hoof of an intermeddling fiend, who- " You might spare me these heroics, Miss Devigne, if " you really know my story," he hroke in, with a voice so very low, subdued and lumpy, that it gave me quite a start of sympathy. " I beg a thousand pardons, Mr. Cliflford. I really did ** not know the slightest thing, and I'm very, very sorry " for my thoughtlessness." " Oh, please don't look at it like that. A fellow in " my own condition is so terribly thin-skinned that he'll " imagine anything. But — Miss Devigne — you are so " really honest that I should so much like, if it would not '* bore you awfully, to tell my little tale to you. I'm " nothing but a boy, you know. Do you think you could stand it?" And, truly, he was nothing but a boy (a very nice boy, too, I thought), against whom I was quite an ancient dame. Of course, I could not be so churlish as refuse to listen to his woes, and — and — well. Eve was my ancestress, an accident quite unavoidable. I cannot now recall the words of acquiescence which I used ; doubtless they were dignified and awful ; though, remembering their effect, it seems to me (but so much time has slipped away since theft that memory is perfectly unsafe) the blood within the Clifford veins was not congealed thereby. The night was coming on. Dinner had drawn the little crowd downstairs, and we two were alone. Mr. Clifford rosej put some shawls around me, and slipped down amongst the dozen rugs which lay upon the deck, around my feet. In front of us the mighty waves rolled past, each striking deeper in the heart that sense of utter impotence 19 and — sometimes — loneliness which night upon the sea, above all else, creates in most intensity. And, at such time, how beautiful a thing is human sympathy! Thus Mr. Clifford seemed to think, and the pathos of his story lost no whit because of it. And how skilfully he told the tale ! The blackest of perfidy (in parentheses) was toned down (in the narrative) to an everyday affair, and one which, under existing circumstances, should (this in deep humility) have certainly been calculated on. In face of all this magnanimity, it was difficult to think (though I believe it firmly) that the self-name man (or any other angel of his sex) would, before a picked assemHy of male friends, in the presence of a few half-emptied tumblers, and surrounded by an atmosphere of smoke, so deal with his deceiver that she should have, long ere the midnight hour, neither honour, brains, nor a modicum of looks, with which to bless herself. He had loved — adored — her ; and she was held to be the flower of a family in itself the choicest growth of a very highly favoured place, from the human florist's view. And they were to have been made one in May. That locket held her hair (golden, of course). It was incredible how one so beautiful as she who hung that little locket on its chain could be so false. She had looked straight into his eyes and sworn eternal things. And now — ^but, psha ! All women were alike. " I mean, of course, all women of " that very fair complexion." Yes, a fool of a fellow came from Town ; his reputation as a steady-goer, too, fell far below the average of men. His sole enchantment (the ownership of which his tailor might with justice have dis- puted) being Her Majesty's gay uniform, which uniform, |in three short weeks, had scattered far and wide the fruits of 20 years of education (" Oh, yes ! I educated her to love me ; "you needn't laugh at that") and hard toil. No; they were not married yet. But, did I think that HE would ever look at her again^ even should she go down upon her knees and beg ? My own opinion was (though I did not think my duty lay in offering it then) that a condescension infinitely smaller than the bending of a knee would have made him register more vows of constancy in one short hour than he had sworn terrific oaths of vengeance since the committal of the outrage. But I consoled him as only woman can. The girl was evidently a poor, short-sighted little maiden. Doubtless pretty, in her dolly fashion, but wanting much in genuine character. Yes ; of course, she was an unsophisticated girl. Commend me to the damsels of ihat ilk for wanton trickery, with neither rhyme nor reason. But, possibly, she thought it quite a harmless thing to flirt. It is so hard to say where flirting ends and love-making begins What was Mr. Clifford's view upon that point ? Well, Mr* Clifford really hardly had a viciv (went it blind). Of course, some women do exist, with such sunny, open, jolly souls, that enjoyment by themselves is quite beyond the possible; and, in their downright honesty, these are often said, by Autumnal single ladies and would- be wise young men, to be gay flirts. He thought he knew a case in point, not very far away. But the good and honest portion of the World (himself amongst the number) laid nothing at the door of these maligned ones. It was their great misfortune to be loved by all ; sometimes more and sometimes less; always more at sea. And to blame them for their happy disposition was to blame the sun for ■eawt Tim i T 21 shining, etc., etc., etc., until I saw the Colonel in the dis- tance, and slipped downstairs (leaving instructions for a splitting headache) in fear and trembling lest I should stumble over Olive. , V. After Mr. Cliflford's confidence, the time, for some good reason, appeared to slip away quite unobserved, and never hung one moment on my hands. There was always something to be done, or talked about — principally the latter. If books could not be discussed, then tales of other days could be descanted on, and when these, in their turn, grew dry, some questions would suggest themselves (rather personal they were occasionally, I fear,) which mmt be duly weighed ; at least, so Mr. Cliflford said, and I agreed so long as he produced material to throw into the scales. The phosphorescent light, too, was another of our charges, and entailed some views of moonlight on the sea which, quite naturally, inspired poetic thoughts, and these equally of course, found vent, through my companion, in the words of him whose too intense delight in Nature's varied beau- ties led him nowhere if not to his destruction : I am inclined to think, however, that the voyage lost to him one faithful follower in scepticism as to woman's character. " Since I first met you. Miss Devigne, my views have " undergone a change so deep that now I almost doubt the " truth of that man's sight whose words seemed portion of " my soul a few short weeks ago. I should like to ask of " you, as the most honest woman it has been my lot to meet, " was Byron's reading of a woman true ? " propounded Mr. Clifibrd-^now my almost sole companion (females always shun me like a pestilence) — during one of our moonlight studies of the deep. i It m 22 " I will tell you precisely what I think about it. The " one reflection Byron caught in his adored ones' eyes was " Byron's fickle self. Treat woman fairly, honestly, and " fairly she will meet you. But treat her as a play-thing, " fool or jest, and commonly you'll find the jest a bitter " one, the fool possessed of method in her madness for " revenge, and the play-thing but a fiendish kind of toy " with a devastating power a great deal under-rated." In that short voyage many much vexed questions found their natural solutions, at least the resolutions come to satisfy the ones concerned, a state of things devoutly to be wished for as the outcome of deliberations wholly male. But all things have an end ; the pleasanter they are, the sooner do they close. Our voyage vanished like a very happy dream, and though its every feature still remains imprinted on the mind, the impression is a dream-like one of stingless happiness. I think that Olive must have read her library through ; and as for Colonel Denton, I do not recollect a single thing he did, except to eat his meals religiously, now and then talk literature with Olive, and scandal of the passengers with me. I know he v/as delighted when we drew into Quebec. Glad that young Clifford and myself could take no astronomic notes upon the train ; glad to be rid of Olive's exclamations of surprise, regarding " impropriety," and quite beside himself to think that Winnipeg once reached, and his charges separated, responsibility would trouble him no more. At quaint Quebec or busy Montreal, we had no time to stay, the Colonel being in a hury to reach the Promised Land — a feeling not so plainly visible in Mr. Clifford's case, who wished to stay a little while in Montreal " to rest," fnotomount 23 but his chaperone declared that no rest could be found for such as him. We " got on board " our Pullman, went to bed, and very soon forgot the myriad joys and rampant sinful- ness which (I take the natives' word) were being left behind, untouched and unregretted. We spent three days in travelling through scenes which differed but in their variety of wildness, one ques- tion only arising to the mind — How mortals could be found to squander years of their existence (I am not capable of that gross flattery which would call it Life) amidst those barren rocks and half-charred stumps, or still more naked looking prairie. The feminine mind can never be, with any certainty of ultimate success, educated to the point which calculates the intrinsic value of a rough and ugly rock, or the maximum of wheat, per acre, which a sterile looking prairie is capable of yielding, puts all into one picture and calls the whole " Sublime." Such occult reason- ing is left exclusively for the naturally strong imaginations of those "Bonanza Kings" and Croesuses of farmers with which their ideal Paradise, now known as " Our North- west." is, in a faso approaching age, to be over-populated. The " cars," however, were really comfortable, and, during all the journey there was nothing for Olive or the Colonel to complain about, more serious than monotony, which cannot be affirmed to know existence only on the C. P. R. And we rolled and puffed along until, one bright June morning (" long ago," it seems, indeed, to me) they rolled UH into Winnipeg — the Metropolis of the Mammoth West. A faint idea of its attributed importance may be gained from the remark of an Americo-Manitoban who, re- ferring to L«)ndon, England (to distinguish it from London, which is in Ontario) said " Oh, it's a nice sized place, but too Mi ; ■ ! ' i'.i ' t ■■■1 It ■' I ' [f ■{ ' \ li i Hll „ •" >• i ^illi 1 ■ ■ 1H ! !^i l! ! 1 ! 24 far away from Winnipeg ever to amount to much.'' I should have thought the speaker was in earnest, but having, ere I heard the speech, become au fait with the customs of the country, 1 easily detected too truthful an appearance to leave upon ray mind a doubt as to sincerity. Arrived at Winnipeg, or so much of us as was left, and the remains of our "baggage" having been dexterously shovelled all together, in a heap, it next, of course, occurred to us to look at our brother, who, for the last quarter of an hour, had been greeting us persistently. He certainly was changed ; and in a way which five years of ordinary wear and tear did not seem satisfactorily to account for. Leaving home at twenty-three, with the freshest of red faces, we now saw him a man who might have been of any age from thirty up to forty, and in English calculation, the first named age was the youngest possible. He stood without his hat, for our inspection, and one could see his head was growing bald, and he had an air of grave responsibility, without which many men in England attain the age of fifty years, and which acairded ill with the vision of a bright, good-looking and most mischief-making boy, which came constantly be- fore me, whilst at home, whenever " Jack" was mentioned. His brigiitness still remained, to some extent, in an ability to make sharp little speeches al)out his friends in general, and this replaced the old exuberance of spirits poorly, a^< /(an interested party) thought. There he stood, however, evidently as fond of us as in the 'lays gone by, and, though he rather frightened me by looking ;M) antique, for reasons nincli too personal to tell, 1 think 1 did the "loving sister" fairly well, and placed niyself beneath his core, midst the (yolonefs great rejoicing' (at seeing Jack again, he vowed, but getting rid of us. particularly me, 1 knew it really was). P^Otowount 25 Jack took us to a " Principal Hotel-," which represented home for some few dreary days, pending the completion of arrangements in the house which he had taken for us. Here we vainly tried to gather up a little of our wonted energies (an utterly unnecessary task, had we proposed acting as the Romans do) and fortify ourselves against the coming onslaughts of climate and the critics, both of which, some English people told us, were trials most severe to every immigrant who boasted flesh and blood. But various little incidents frustrated all our plans. One man^ who occupied a bed-room next to ours, took on himself to die, and not content with doing it in the real, old-fashioned way, positively groaned out of existence. Though this may, of course (and probably it did), have aided in securing him good rest, it acted not so soothingly on us, and any fortify- ing that was done was " with neatness and dispatch " at dinner-time, when, inwardly we fortified ourselves with — well, my memory is not reliable, and I might mortally offend the chef, who, by good luck or management, did us no mortal injury, if I went into details. But, outwardly, the pretty waiting girl erected such tremendous bastions and formidable walls, composed of little dishes (reported to contain the Lord alone knows what), that any enemy might look and sigh in vain when it was our royal pleasure to retreat, a not unknown contingency, I found. Two or tiiree days sojourn in the house, however, and all excitements seemed to disappear. We came to look upon it as quite natural that strong and hearty men should wash soi-disant dinner down their throats with the mildest of green tea, occasionally varied by a draught of bluish licjuid, said to be cow's milk. It occurs to me to-(hiy that the cows ol Winnipeg are the only water drinkers there, Ii<' I. 111 26 but they must be the most confirmed of tipplers of the beverage. We gathered " pointers " too, and learnt the proper meaning of the verb " to eat." It is, in Manitoba, just "to swallow" in another form, and the action is a marvellous time-saver, though rather paralyzing if the wit- ness has been reared to look upon a dinner as the one divinity of whom men take real cognizance. The fourth day was eventful. In the morning Colonel Denton and his one remaining charge departed for the fields still further West. But Mr. Clifford (from thenceforth known as " Fred " under dreadful penalties) before he left, had placed upon my hand a token that the heart so desper- ately wrecked two months ago was now in my possession. In short, we were engaged, though very privately ; and the ring he made me wear was the emblematic one. He said : " It exists alone for the Clifford heir, you know, and I " feel absolutely safe so long as you retain it. The ring is " certain to return to me, and it will bring you with it. " And, Dearest, don't forget to write to me whenever *' you've a moment's time to spare. I shall get home as " soon as possible, and pray for this long year to end, and " then ! Won't it be jolly ! Now, Nellie, don't you think " I might let the Colonel into it? I feel as if 1 must tell " somebody.'' " No, Fred, don't let a single person know. Just fancy " what a fickle heart they'd give you credit for. Wliy I jy " don't want the reputation of a kidnapper, if you please. " Olive would get the whole thing out of you, if you stayed '* two days longer here, so it's just as well you're going " away, perhaps, though its very, very hard on both of us. *' But never mind, dear, I think I slmll Jail ill, and have to " leave for home again by the time that you reach there." Photomount 27 So we exchanged the most formal of good-byes, in the stiffest kind of way, as if the " Parlor " in the dull hotel had not been witness of — well, well, it is enough to know we said good-bye, and the many changes in the stream of life Aiirhich would occur before we met again could, luckily, exert no influence then. The engine rings its bell, puifs, jerks, and, finally, in triumph, bears away the last of ties which bound us to our land and home. VII. " Our Place," of which many pleasant, and some bitter, recollections, will be carried to my grave, and possibly beyond, was a little, square-built, house, in, or to be true to the country of which this story speaks, on, St. Mary street. It had a cosy look inside, and was plentifully furnished, though chairs and tables, and bric-a-brac especially, upheld " Noli me tangere " as their alarming motto, and would, sometimes, if even looked at steadily, collapse without a warning, involving many innocents in their unexpected fall. The bottom flat consisted of four roums, which could, luckily, by means of folding doors, be melted into two of ordinary size. The kitchen being quite separated from the house, created no annoyance. The upstairs portion of the house was a thorough Chinese puzzle. Rooms of the smallest possible dimensions were mixed judiciously with passages so short that com- mencement and conclusion as applied to their extremes, ap- ptMired gross flattery. And yet this jumble had some note- worthy attractions. Flirtation Paradise could not have beer, devised more skilfully. Each passage had just room enough for two, and no more could, by any possibility, squeeze in. ^ 1^ 11! lb 28 And here, on Thursday nights and even Friday mornings, for several months, without a single bye, might have been shewn convincing proofs of the wondrous popularity of that old pastime, which, in spite of age and sameness, does yet, and always will, retain at least a spice of its freshness and excitement for us all — except, of course, the cynics, from whom the gods deliver us. Flirtation was the deity who sanctified our maze, and most bountifully did he prosper all his devotees who therein worshipped him. The first two weeks had fled before we dared attempt to rally from the shocks which were sustained in continu- ous succession during the general absorption of customs and surroundings, and, though eventually we overcame them all, yet some with weaker stomachs or less healthy consti- tutions would undoubtedly have given up the ghost (if the natives had considered that worth taking). Still, I reflected, I had come to live for one short year, no matter what turned up, and I was by this time quite too well accustomed to even harder work for the sake of a sensation, really to object to any exercise which was so well repaid by its astonishments. Several introductions, the oflices of Colonel Denton (who, in his short stay, appeared to gather round him half the town), together with Jack's (principally male) con- nection, had made for us a circle of acquaintance from which it would have been a little difficult to eliminate the weeds, had such a thought occurred to us — a most absurd contingency. An indulgent brother chaperoning two gay damsels breathing liberty for one short, solitary year of life, is not a combination one may quite confidently trust to travel precisely in that roiid laid down by Mrs. Grundy, especially in its course throughout the Colonies. i"iiQtoniount 29 viil' Take India's Summer Season, remove the Native ser- vants and all the life-preserving adjuncts of that clime, and you may almost realize the day, in Winnipeg, of which I am now writing. Hearing someone give the time as five o'clock, I pulled the remainder of myself together, called on Capt. Warwick, a fair, good-looking and tired (perhaps that was the weather's flattening effect) specimen of England's officer abroad, and with tremendous effort and his aid, rose from the couch upon the grass where I had lain to witness Olive's most successful battling for the honour of our Nation, in the noble, though somewhat overheating, game of Tennis. Her de- monstration in the argument of Canada against the " Effete old Laud" spoke English ii, such volumes that approbation rose in cheers all round the field, from the small but cheeky infant whose " Papa had come to farm," and the dawdling English idler, with a day or two to spare for "doing Winnipeg," indifferently. " Are you going to leave before they finish this last " set — ^just when we may fairly crow a little. Miss Devigne ? " yawned the gallant Captain of Hussars, after the exertion above alluded to as raising me from off the ground. " Oh," and in sheer sympathy, I yawned, "I think I leave the " Country's flag quite safe in Olive's hands, and if I stay " much longer, a grease spot on the earth is all that will " remain of Miss Devigne." "If you are really going, perhaps you will permit me •^ to escort you home." Such tremendous condescension almost staggered me. " What, will you, too, desert the field of triumph. "Who will cheer the victor?" He was already one of 30 i'f vwi I' \ Olive's pets, and I could not understand this wild desire to leave. > " I think, that Esmond will do all that's necessary in " that line, assisted — or even unassisted — by your brother. " He seems beside himself with joy — and very full of " energy." " And there was light." Poor Mr. Esmond, who had occasioned this bitter feeling, was at that very moment working like a Trojan, with a fan, in the vain endeavour to raise a cooling breeze round Olive's flaming cheeks. The girl looked pretty too, in her loose, white sailor costume, her eyes sparkling, and everything about her speaking of a perfect state of health. " Well, Captain, if you are determined upon going, " you may act as my protector as far as Forty-two (our " number) and I will there reward you with a cup of Eng- " lish tea, since we must be national or nothing, it appears." " Unwittingly, perhaps, you state an awful fact. I can " assure you, Miss Devigrie, if you had been a man (that's " sacrilege, of course ) you would quite understand how ex- *'■ istence here is rendered bearable by the English ladies " only. What we should do without their angel visits, I " do not dare to think; " assuming an attitude which should, according to his own idea, be apropos of thought. I must say, I consider (japt. Warwick intolerably slow. These laboured compliments are such an awful bore, admit- ting of no use of eyes or any other of the blessings which Nature sparingly has granted to us mortals. I was tired, so I simply drawled : " Our stand-points in regard to angels are so very " different, you know, that I can form no idea. The men " out here seem very nice, and as to numbers, an English " girl can hardly realize the state of things." a 81 " Well, yes, they are not bad fellows — at all events, when you have not known them long, they seem quite " nice." Wonderful to say, this praise by no means damns or injures those discussed, but rather raises them in my poor estimation. They stand in need of some sort of a lift, be- yond a doubt, for up to now I have not met one who could hold a post as " passable " at home. " Half-past five ! How time does fly in some society. " I must be off" at once, though of course you know how " much I should prefer to stay and drink your tea." A bow, a smile, a lie, and away goes young Adonis, leaving me in speechless gratitude. I walked into the little room where the darkened windows, tall plants, and an enormous piece of ice upon a sideboard created an atmo- sphere verging on the bearable. Here I sat and sipped strong tea, and thought, and my thoughts were somewhat blue. Since Fred departed not a man had come beneath inspection whose claims to interest were visible enough to meet the eye of one not usually too exacting. Fred's image had remained with me in such a constant way that, had I been in England, and moving here and there, I should have quickly come to the conclusion that the model lover had at last been found in me. But out in Manitoba, I waited, and concluded not at all. It might be nightmare, change of atmosphere, or anything. At all events, a year of freedom does not come to everybody even once in life, and those who are the blessed ones should use the boon as if thev valued it. It occurred to me that there was something radically wrong about the place, however. The women had not time to make themselves agreeable to " girls." The men 32 i '% i i were — well, I had not had a chance to test that point quite thoroughly. Olive's dictum was that they were " Just de- lightful," and from their ranks had chosen, as chief aide-de- camp (ray blood ran cold to think of it), the very Capt. Warwick who just before had left me at the gate. His jealousy of a certain Mr. Esmond (whom I had never met but pitied most sincerely) was almost too realistic to be funny. That audacious beggar, in his lazy kind of way, had dared to gaze admiringly on Olive, and even went so far as to fan her scarlet face, and gained thereby some measure of approval ! To be sure, Capt. Warwick in Olive's presence was a very different being from Capt. Warwick with the uninitiated — forgot to give the harrowing recitals of his Colonial miseries ; grew bright, and sometimes even rose to cleverness. He was good-looking too, beyond a doubt, and the pair of them seemed bent on gathering rose- buds whilst they might, quite unaffected by the fact that I stood shivering in the cold. Luckily, before the recollection of my ills had quite driven me to the suiciding point, Olive, Jack and the ver- itable Esmond entered, wound up to talk of tennis and the " Glorious Victory " which Olive had achieved, for hours, or for days. To do him justice, Mr. Esmond simply floated on the tide, and really rowed but little. Thanks to his laziness. As I shall have occasion to mention him quite fre- quently, I will try and introdr.ce this Englishman (of course we entertained no other nationality at our " residence ") at the time I met him first, though I cannot now describe him as he then appeared to me. Conclusions subsequently formed have intermingled quite inextricably with the im- pressions left at his debut among us. miMmmt 33 Tall and compactly made, with shoulders well dressed back, he might have had a military air but for the indol- ence which permeated him and showed itself in every action, however great or small. Light brown, curly hair, a large, thin Roman nose, a sharply chiselled chin, and light blue eyes (I think the most expressive ones I ever saw), shaded by distinctly pencilled brows of a colour almost black. Such was Mr. Esmond. In any company or nation he would have passed for handsome. In Winnipeg his looks, together with a knack of dressing well (which would betray itself, even in a country where the costume of a Hottentot would not be looked upon as outr6), had gained for him such worship as the gods of old might envy with some reason. Despite his great advantages, however, he was far too constitutionally tired ever to be priggish, and the "self laudation" quicksand of the colonies would never cause him trouble. If anyone who reads these lines has travelled in the " West," he or she will bear with me for mentioning this quicksand, which swallows up the best Canadian youth, as well as many of my own poor countrymen who sojourn in that land. I have listened to a so-called conversationalist (my name for him had fewer syllables and a good deal more expression) discussing "What I've done," "Am doing," "Can, could and would do," from 8 p.m. until 11, not a pause occurring long enough to offer him a drink, and not a single opportunity for me to faint arising, though I have fainted dead away a score of times for half the pro- vocation. After that experience I grew a little shy of introductions of their " Men of Society," and even thought the somewhat languid tone of " That very queer chap. a iM> 84 Esmond" better worth the attention one must give to catch the point of his remarks (and point there always was) than the vapid talk of half a dozen would-be blas^ boys was worth the trouble and dexterity brought into play in turn- ing yawns to smiles, and groans to exclamations of delight. During dinner, for which Jack persuaded Mr. Esmond to remain, I could not help devoting a great deal of atten- tion to this (in my opinion, the only prepossessing) one of Jack's familiars, and I saw many things to excite some speculation ? How did a young fellow of this calibre take root in Manitoban soil. His was not the mould in which successful farmers or boomster kings are cast. Then imme- diataly came into play that detective principle which is part and parcel of the female system through the world, and which would, did mankind but know us one tithe as well as they flatteringly tell themselves, dispose of ninety- nine per cent, of Earth's inexplicables. Does a woman love a man ? Feminine instinct says " Beware, your sex is blessed " with eyes, and must, therefore, see that mai: 's good quali- " ties, nd, just as naturally, will set traps to ^dtch him." Woman No. 1 will, therefore, watch her swain; write anonymous letters to him ; dot down the number of smiles he ventures to bestow on this fair partner, and recollects precisely how many times he dances with the " other one." Jealousy now joins cause with loving Nature, and if the combination does not manage to unearth the blackest, most atrocious of misdeeds before one week after the signing of the compact has elapsed, you may safely risk your life upon it that an imbecile is somewhere within touch. The curiosity aroused in me (for I have just as much as others of my sex) was somewhat of an antidote to the unsociability which followed on my fit of blues, and when, ■mwp"MP «' w " 'p — ^'— ^ wwH " ""— 35 couple of hours after dinner, I found that Mr. Esmond nd myself were occupying respective ends of the same mall couch, I reduced the intervening space to minimum, ind commenced investigations. •■ We talked of home ; discussed the theatres, weather, olonial and otherwise, and as regards the object of enquiry seemed doomed to draw a blank. The contact into which now was brought served only to intensify my first ideas, nd made inquisitiveness more acute. He would not come |down to " Self." I grew quite desperate, and simultane- usly asked of myself and him ** Is life worth living ?" He took the question up quite naturally — indeed, he took everything quite naturally, and sleepily as well : — " Personally, though I hate the rank and file of those " who, without rhyme or reason, pose as misanthropes, I do " not think it is. The truest wisdom is that which decides " upon a course of the utterest inaction. *To drift' better " (to my mind) expresses the highest of existence, than the "bustling word of *life.' The longer we exist — or live — " the rottener does everything become. In youth, we see " the fairness of the apple, and strive our best to reach it. " The result of its attainment is a by-word. The genuine " part of Nature, as we see it, is the rasps and saws which " constantly and remorselessly wage their warfare on our " suffering flesh, from the day when first we see the light to " that on which we leave these scenes, for what would be the " summit of all bliss, couli we but say it was oblivion?" "Don't you think, Mr. Esmond, that you are just a " little too severe ?" I ventured to suggest. " Perhaps I am. My views on this may be (and I can " only hope they are) untrue and prejudiced, but the little " observation which I "have been compelled unwillingly to iiifc ! H.Um ■ :f:|. I ft)] tr :6.2|i r ■ |i •1 ' I (( ii 36 " give the matter has resulted in my own conviction that the " man who lives the longest sees the most misery. This, " however, is called * experience ;' and the world will dub him * happy/ forsooth ! To my mind * happiness,' a word which mortals should not use, conveys the one idea of utter '• ignorance in man. Hence, a being without knowledge or " a memory would represent ideal happiness attainable on | " earth." A pause of some few moments, during which 1 tried in I vain to gather any clue to test the honesty of this dark | cynicism, but all was calm, unruffled and unfathomable. The one expression on the face of him who spoke so bitterly was that of languor. " I cannot agree in such a theory, Mr. Esmond, and I " fervently hope that pure and simple theory it is. Suicide " would altogether lose its power of sensation if what you " say were fact. Do you never feel a pleasure in excite- " ment ? Have there been no moments in vour life which " you do not wish undone ? Why, I can go into a ball- " room — good music and the etceteras understood — and " enjoy myself in the gaiety and smiles of partners ; in the " rhythm of music ; in a piece of cold chicken and a glass " of cool champagne. And I shall never discover that my " partners are sneering ; that the music is not classical ; '* that the chicken died from unknown but natural causes; " or that to call the champagne * Gooseberry ' is gross flat- " ter V . Genuineness itself in each would probably delight " me little more. If one decides to enjoy the world, witli " its faults and all included, standing honestly before it and " determining to be comfortable, the earth will bow itself " beneath the conqueror's feut, and he will spend a happy " life." Pholomount I had worked up quite a tempest of enthusiasm in m3^8elf, and expected a surrender on my opponent's part, but all I got for answer was : — " I think that if you called these differences of degree " in misery, we might join hands upon the question of the " possibility of earthly happiness, given an education equal " to the strain of arriving at the sum of two and two." " According to my views, you give the brutes too great " a precedence of man in the strife for mortal bliss," said I. " However, we won't discuss the point a moment longer, " but revert to our staunch old friend the weather, shall we ?" " Thank you, Miss Devigne, but I fear the topic is too " inexhaustible (as well as most exhausting) for the time " at my disposal. Some other evening I shall be enchanted " to go into it with you, and deal as thoroughly with the " subject as we have dealt with * Life,' but just now I think " I must be marching. Good night." And so he disappeared, leaving me more bewildered and more interested than before. Next night I met him at a boating-dancing party, and followed up my quest. Presently I found that, though formerly I never saw him out, I now stumbled on his path quite frequently. In fact, whenever there was anything going on, there was Mr. Esmond — and I continued studying. '* Look here, Nell, no doubt you and Olive are having " first-rate fun, but does it ever occur to you to think of the " pickle which is being prepared for me at the Mater's " hands, when she gets to know how things are going on ? " Now, last night, at the IJenton's, 1 got hold of young *' Thompson (he's very rich, you know, and told me he was <' WM I jlliil ^1^' ■I it l'' iff" mi 'PI \ 38 ■: ■ ,, "dying to be introduced) and skilfully worked him over " every square inch of the house, in search of either of you, " and all I could discover was that some quarter of an hour " since Esmond and yourself had disappeared in the Con- " servatory. Everyone could tell me that, but there their " knowledge ended. Olive was, of course, enjoying the " most delightful t^te-£l-tete with Warwick ; looked as if " she never met the man befc . e and he was fresh as any " traveller to her. This session had, 1 learnt from others "of my knowing friends, demoralised three dances up to " then, and, judging from appearances, it bid most fair to "outlast the next half dozen." With which our worthy chaperone and brother dabbed the butter at his toast in a way intended to be awe-inspiring, but owing to some care- lessness or clumsiness in the execution of the movement, | * the toast slid off the plate, and the knife came down upon i his thumb, besmearing it with butter and threatening the most tremendous gash. Very fortunately, the knife was native to the country, and, like its confreres, harmless, back and front. " Ha ! ha ! Jack, that's very good. And coming from " such saint-like lips, your words must carry weight. Of I " course, that was a Sanskrit joke which little Mrs. Landon I " and you were deciphering by holding up against the lamp i " w:hich stood upon the table in the hall. Judging from " the way you greeted thaiy old jokes are not always stale | " and feeble, especially when (apparently) there's no one " within sound or sight. But I had no idea the widow was " so deeply read." > This from Olive startled me It is so rarely necessary for her to act on the defensive (not so iiiuch because her actions are all irreproachable as becaust she takes great us? a n ii a a a a " mi "Li "of "be ".yc "til his f^hotomounl ^9 care that the good speak for themselves and the bad ones do not readily appear) that at home we all consider her something worse than valueless as advocate : she had so little practice in the learned art. This time her judgment seemed quite accurate, how- ever, and I hurried to the rescue. If Ja?,k turned stupid (and he had been known to do so) what would become of us ? We had a joint ca'ise now for the first time in our memories, thrown upon the remnant of that circle from which we carefully had sifted and attached to our train the only two available male warming pans. " What utter nonsense, Jack ? To begin with : Have " we done more than fall into the customs of the country ? " As Rome, so Winnipeg. And you surely would not wish " us to forswear the one excitement of which the place is " capable. Secondly : You know that to think of danger " is the wildest of absurdity. Granted that Olive and " myself wcie naturally idiots, I should imagine that it is " with extremest difficulty Mr. Esmond (I won't pretend " not to understand you) finds the wherewithal to keep " himself and his expensive habits. Captain Warwick may '' be an embryo millionaire, but his family has no reputa- " tion for their worldly riches, if 1 remember rightly. His " head would certainly not rank too high in the Manitoban " market, especially if his heart had been already stolen. " Lastly, old boy (most affectionately) you need not think " of Mother. I don't consider Olive and myself as likely to " bear tales, and there's no one else to do it, unless it be " yourself, and I know my brother is incapable of such a " thing." And so he had to go away, having been once more, in his efforts to be proper " clean bowled by those two sisters," jJi i 40 ;.;.;,., as he would put the case. He was far from satisfied, I am sure, and, I think, dreaded the developments a -good deal more than he would say, though he pretended to be quite convinced that no one in the family could possibly become a fool — notwithstanding some examples to the contrary in no very distant ages — even an uncle who had turned a buxom barmaid into a bride not being allowed the leader- ship. " De mortuis nil, etc.," however, becomes the attain- ments of these gentleme'n mo'^t aptly, and (as nice people go) we were a very tolerabU imiiy indeed. Mr. Esmond and myself ad (there is no use in deny- ing it) become a little necessary to each other. To myself this was readily accounted for by the absence of any other man or thing with which to keep oneself amused. The rest of the small place — the CAPITAL, I mean — edified itself by accounting for what it pleased to call our " curious attachment" in its own funny little way, and I learned from various female sources that we had been engaged some weeks. I forget the date of the engagement, but they knew the very hour of its inception. This hubbub was becoming somewhat of a nuisance, and I feared that soon I should be compelled to show myself to Mr. Esmond's view in an icy overcoat, when one morning Jack burst in upon us with the news that " Esmond " had gone down to Montreal for the remainder of the " winter, it was thought. Gone to see a very wealthy " cousin, who has a wealthy sister, too, the fellows say. *' Esmond might do worse than marry money, I believe." After delivering hid little budget he disappeared, leaving the projectile to burst and do its work. . " 'Tis true, one never wants for comforters in time of real drstress. Olive addressed herself to my relief at once. ; • tl • • ' f Pliotomount " Never mind, dear. Do you know, I think it just as " well that he has gone away before some genuine trouble " did occur. I think you grew to like him just a little bit " too well." This looked too much like the ancient battle of the pot and kettle for my appreciation, and I hastily rejoined : " I am so much obliged for your kind sympathy. Did " your philosophy ever stretch so far as to include within " its range a case at all resembling that of yours and Capt. ''Warwick's?" " Mine and Capt. Warwick's, indeed ! I don't mind ** owning that I do like Capt. Warwick, and consider him " very nice ar^d friendly, but you will please observe that " beyond the point of friendliness, our relations do not go." Quiet Olivf was getting righteously indignant, and I was nervous, irritated, and oh ! so unfortunate. No one seemed to care for me, and even in our home I stood alone in misery. " I do not know -or care to know — what you mean to " infer by the majestic emphasis on OUR. / never had a " friend with whom I sat out six successive dances, as I " believe I heard of other people doing." " And what matter if I sat a dozen out ? I thank my " stars I'm not aflfianc^e to any man at present. But, " should I ever be so, I think I shall possess more feeling " for the absent one than some whom I have seen." " Again I fail to follow you, but this time I should be " obliged if you would take the trouble to explain a little " for my benefit." " Nelly ! why do you wear that ring upon your finger ? " Do you think that I am positively blind ? I know that ** Mr. Clifford gave it to you, and if it has no meaning you 42 l.tl ' ii; " should not wear it so ])ersistently. Oh ! Nell, dear, I did ** not mean to be so cruel." I had simply given up my consciousness and claimed a little holiday. According to Fred's wish, I had never moved his ring from off my hand, but by a little artifice (habitually hold- ing the stone within my palm) I hoped to stave ojff curios'ty, and even thought to baffle Olive. But no such luck could be. She made no comment on It, either because she saw the whole from first to last, or else was waiting the initiative from me. The initiative did not come, and Olive formed her own conclusions, which she at length imparted to her sister with very great effect, as has been seen. How many of Life's horribles I have been spared by my happy knack of fainting it Avould indeed be difficult to tell. When very young I used to faint at the commence- ment of a thunderstorm, and thus escape the worst, though such behaviour fearfully disgusted my dear old governess, who much preferred the lightning to my fits. Growing older, and, to ail appearance, strong as possible, I still retained the fainting faculty in its intensity, and when the world refused to run according to my views of what its duty was, I quietly, as Jack used brutally to put it, " keeled over, and left the enemy the undisputed owner of the field, though he always had to buckle to and bring the adversary back to life before he realized a victory." From such attacks I usually rallied quickly, but on this one occf.sion recovery was slow, and unconsciousness, departing, left some disagreeables behind. My sleep wan troubled with the most horrible of nightmares, the promin- ent figures in my dreams being always Fred and Mr. « r • l rt I Esmond, invariably bitter foes,- and once I thought I saw the latter's mangled corpse, and heard a weeping voice reiterate the one word " Dead," each time with deepening agony, the whole scene being so vivid and ghastly that I screamed aloud, and almost swooned away before I could persuade myself of the picture's unreality. This and various other oddities of conduct and of dis- position, I { ccounted the effect of hot rooms, confinement, want of exercise and sudden change of climate. Accord- ingly I devoted great attention to the study of my health ; walked much ; always rose from table hungry, or thought I did, for I ate so very little. The result was just the same. I went to bed early and got up when I felt inclined (which I found was earlier than my wont) ; shunned gaiety as Satan's self. Needless to say that within two weeks from the adoption of my hygienic course I felt as if it mattered not how long I sat and ate, I was sure to rise up hungry all the same. Gaiety I avoided sedulously, until I one day overheard " Our Captain" (by which name Capt. Warwick was now known) airing sentiments regarding woman's self-conceit, the love of admiration predominating in her every action, and entirely superseding and sup- planting any motives of genuine affection with which she might be born into the world. Though I did not give the gallant captain much credit for orij^inality, attributing the creed a good deal mr^re to Byron (from whom I had upon occasion, when feeling very blue, and needing something disagreeable to ponder, borrowed the very same belief) than to him, I still acknowledged that he made a good quotation. This was, of course, to bring up thoughts of Fred. I had endured some pain on his account of late — a good deal more than any average woman has to bear — and 44 III ri, ii '»■ I was the cause of all my trouble any better for it ? His vanity might possibly be flattered for a moment, when he should hear of all my wretchedness, but such fleeting ecstasy was dearly bought by what I (the only woman who would dream of doing such a thing) was paying in the coin of misery. Two moments spent in sweet cajolery upon returning home would raise me, in his estimation, far above the pinnacle of any poor and lonely faithful one. I had been, for the last two weeks, hiding all my blaze of glory under a most ignoble bushel of indisposition, and now I felt quite assured that, without debiting to myself anything for flattery, a little trouble spent in the brushing up and buckling on of armour would enable me to reduce male Winnipeg to a point at which I might (withal all events as much of justice as could be claimed by the illustrious author of that unintentional satire) exclaim "I'Etat c'est moi." Though I had no real desire to wrest from the many anxious brows surrounding me the literal crown herein expressed, which, to give honour to those whose due it is, they wore with such good grace and artlessness (?) as to raise no pangs of jealousy in even me. Whilst I live I shall be impulsive, and to arrive at a conclusion as to the advisability of any course of action, is contemporaneous with the commencement of assault. In this case, the immediate result of my decision was consider- ably to upset the tempers of sundry of the shop-keepers of Winnipeg, who were tormented by the visits of a maiden unmistakably on w^t intent, and desperately in wpnt of something " fetching " for the " Soiree Musicale " of the great Lieutenant-Governor that evening, at which the family Devigne was expected to appear more charming than the circumstances (which comprised flat ginger beer ^BBHBT^r^^^fr'TBBB it ? His when he fleeting man who I the coin ery upon far above I had of glory low I felt thing for ; up and uce male events as llustrious Etat c'est the many n herein due it is, (?) as to rive at a action, is ault. In consider- eepers of i maiden wpnt of ( " of the hich the [jharming iger beer 45 and Methodism) seemed in any way to promise. I own I was much tempted to shock the fine susceptibilities of moral Canada in my most decollett^ dress, but prudence inter- vened, and I decided to keep this delicious morsel of excitement for the wind-up of our term, in the meantime trying to content myself with the further galvanizing of these naturally rigid bodies which surround some festive boards in that model, chilly country, by my "flippant" treatment of their spouses, the utter lack of principle dis- covered by the way in which I flirted with engaged young men, etc., etc., etc., for a full and true accr mt of which see the Bla(;k Books of good Winnipeg, carefully compiled and annotated by , by , I forget his rame, but someone very prominent and very blue. X. • " Blow, ye trumpets! Beat, ye drums! Let all be gay and merry !" This night His Honour the Lieutenant- Governor gives a joyous soiree ! Time was, these tr'eats were very scarce indeed, and I hear, from most undoubted lips, that Conscience strove with Manitoba's leader for many months, ere she succumbed to circumstances, and allowed him one short step towards the sociable. This premier pas was musical, and not, of itself, a fall. But, if the art had once the power to draw from Hell's own gate, it also has the power to lead poor mortals down, and (sad, sad case !) ere eighteen months had passed, the faithful gazed in awe and grave amazement. " Our own Lieutenant-Governor gave a dance !" And, sure enough, the holy man had given way some lengths. In one large room the gaudy throng of sinners dared disport themselves and dance ! Yes, dance ! And not a whit I ^ i I """■ 1*1 III -I 1*4, 46 cared they for sacrilege. "But then — " and here the lovers of a ** dear Lieutenant-Governor " raised their voice, " Had not the truly good another room to fill ? " Why, yes, to be sure they had, all who gathered there owned faces long enough for two, one for the righteous "Me," and one for a wicked counterpart of man, who waltzed and twirled around to suit Damnation's self. What if the Funeral March of Chopin sometimes did break in upon one's dance? Real life is just the same, and none delay to murmur. These satellites of sin just raised the mirth a note, and felt how nice it was to be amongst the bad, with nothing worse to fear and all the work detailed to them to try and make the godly think they've missed a heaven on earth, at least. How difficult a task this is only the righteous know, and to them I leave the question. The goodly godly simply kept the *' even tenor of their way," praised Providence, who gave them better sense than that which makes its owner skip and jump to prove his ecstacy ; wondered how on earth an erstwhile solemn Methodist, and a right good prayer, too, could ever hope for heaven's cushioned seats and still abet this heathen immor- ality. For divers good arid all sufficient reasons, however, it came to pass at length that the dancing herd were enter- tained alone — when all was wickedness and death. At other times a Musicale was given, and here the righteous flocked by scores. Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregation- alist, and, sometimes. Church of England, mingling with the saintly band. C. of E., however, must always show some special cause for entree to the set. Sometimes it lay in cer- tain pious acts. At others — well, I draw no inference, but true it is that the crowd of would-be suicides which filled IHHBV^^^^^^^'mHHp n iramor- 47 the City Police Court as surely as the morning rose succeed- ing these gay parties was Episcopalian to a single man. I am inclined to think that our creed was known to be the Anglican, but other people said we owed our invitation (for we had never called upon the Governor) simply to acquaint- ance with "Sir John" (meaning Sir John Macdonald), and therefore Paradise itself should open to our eyes. Be that as it may, there we were, in nice, symmetric rows. On my right sat. a long-haired, long-eared parson, with accents truly harrowing. Had I been in his charge, I should never have known wrong. Those tones would kill the devil. Every word he spoke seemed to be his last. But this appearance was of the usual sort, and disappoint- ment dire and dark awaits the lover of the brief whose hopes are raised thereby. On my left I had a vacant chair, from which I chal- lenged sympathy, and got it, too, for it absolutely stretched itself upon the. floor, with overwhelming grief — and some few pounds of Manitoba meat — when a certain well-known gentleman would fain have made it his, preparatory to addressing me with one of his famous, sometimes prosy, always lengthy, dissertations upon Manitoba and that " grand country's" prospects. The leading spiritual comforter having mentally num- bered the aristocratic crowd, canvassed the most prominent, and placed them on the tablets of his memory for a " call," retired to a corner and indulged in silent meditation for a season. No further shrieks from dauntless A. D. C, occa- sioning a rampiige of the brain for what was possible in Englirh patronymic, a perfectly congenial hush fell on the saintly crowd, and I sat in expectation that " Five minutes silent prayer " would be announced. CRASH ! And 48 every mouth was open to its full extent. Jabber, jabber, jabber, for five minutes, by the clock ; then the death-like silence came again. The first piece of our Musicale was gone. One gallant Aide perceived the " long felt want " and flew upstairs with speed which Love in vain might emulate, returning laden with *' the neatest thing in placards," as he said. Each measured some eighteen inches long by ten in breadth, and in the finest, squarest type displayed the following request : — "GUESTS MUST NOT TALK WHILST THE PIECES ARE BEING PLAYED." With this fine legend the principal mirror, most prominent screens and every point of vantage immediately blazed, and awe and horror fell upon the gathering. This royal ma. date was certainly too hard. The people's one great inspiration lay in really classic music — it formed their very speech, and when it stopped, as social beings, they died. I glanced around, in fear, expecting nothing but col- lapse or a rebellion. The fine old Governor rose to the occasion. His classic organ (the feature of his face, I mean, no Wagner breathing instrument), smelt danger on the wind. The hunt for votes, popularity and place is a won- drous sharpener of these same nasal nerves, and tactless politicians are too much loved by gods to trouble mortals long. One word to an attendant and the obnoxious card was gone — relegated to the history of the past, and the memory of all present, in whose minds it burnt, one livid spot of rage, and vengeance for the insult reigned supreme in every pious heart. - ^ v- ^ ^ ifl|v ^HBH ' ^^^^^V^^^sHHB rror, most 49 • For two long weeks the unhappy A. D. C. knew not what existence meant, unless it were a pitchforking from one thorn to another. Why will repentance always come too late, and prick and spur one on when every hopT is past? This poor young man was quite a ** masher," too, and the disastrous contretemps so utterly abased him that even his most favoured fair — with whom he filled one nar- row sleigh for hours, two days previously — would now hardly look upon him (or that was the impression which she meant to be conveyed, for, owing to a certain " piquancy of eye," the wretched man might readily be pardoned for any slight mistake ) But let us hasten back to our merry-making, which, after the bill-posting episode, appeared to flag a I'ttle, despite the unexampled efforts of our good old Hostess. Ye*^, there is a Hostess, too, and one who makes a picture perfectly unique, from which a painter might, if sufficiently inspired by his art, reap fortune in one sheaf. As the portrait of " A Hostess," it would set the world agog. By the terrible calamity of inefficient — not insufficient — ears, this lady has lived divided from us all so long that interest in our actions could not but be utterly absurd, and to strike the rock of ridicule would sink a Governor's wife. But, ever on the alert to merit praise, this dire misfortune has been turned to good account, and real, well-bred indifference to all her guests may do has triumphed over what, in others, might be purely frightful. 'Tis true, there is a sort of dull, mis- leading look, apart from well portrayed ennui, which inexperienced people have been heard to say expressed nought more refined than the wish to go to bed. But that, of course, is too outrageously absurd. The lady of a real Lieutenant-Governor desire to leave an atmosphere im- 4 f* 'A '1 i 50 pregnated with " Sweet Tschaikowsky's notes!" In the country's own vernacular, " Not much !" The average new comer could hardly be expected to discover the tremendous heights and depths of this fine character. I, however, being somewhat quick in my recovery from the effects of dazzling brilliancy, soon over- came mch disadvantages, and, when I really grew to understand, my admiration was intense. This well con- sidered habit simplified communication to the last degree, so that we said, one word more, " That's volumes over- much," one word less, "We did not speak to-da}'." Would that the common people knew what goes to make a Gov- ernor's wife ! I should be guilty of the gravest misdemeanour did 1 omit to mention the daughters of this rare old family, who so nobly bear themselves (the daughters), and so well appreciate the beauty and attractiveness of utter abnega- tion that the casual visitor hunts for them in vain. But, should he- accidentally come upon their stand, he will indeed have great surprise, and from that time will mark the corner well. So much for the Governor and his family, whose most ordinary features are somewhat hard to reproduce, be it never so imperfectly — and whose peculiarities would tax an abler pen. To talk of their surroundings, tastes and rules, the people who compose that " Light which beats about a throne," I leave to some St. Simon, or, failing so congenial a chronicler, some native-born Munchausen, of whom the country boasts a plentiful supply — indeed, the increase seems to be so very far ahead of any home demand that the one great question is, " What can become of all the surplus stock ?" And then we think of Manitoban farms, • *1 Plibtomount 51 the great demand for honest immigration men, and the problem disappears. Well, some day, by means of this fine talent, which far out-rivals all their vegetable world (and that is heavy praise) the 'oc ttoaaoi who know not Win- nipeg, shall see the very faces tf these grand Conserva- tives. Until then, I fear the veil must stay. The ire of gods would light upon my sacrilege were I but to attempt to brush the cloud away. Of the people who attend these Musicalea, however, and whom the glory of " prime favourite " does not envel- ope, X must, en passant^ say a little more. About the room, where all the time I had beeii sitting painfully aware of smothered wrath on every side (I say "painfully" advisedly. Did you ever see a farce enacted, sub rosa during service in a church ?) were scattered small and serious looking groups. The stately, proud old Metho- dists, all evidently conscious of their high positions midst that mob, arranged themselves most statuesquely. and broke the hallowed silence with no word. The unhappy Church of England people disconsolate, afraid and longing for those doors (they lead into the dining-room) to give the signal for a dash, made the most abortive of attempts to look as if they were (where each one fain would be) at home. But hush ! (Since the placard incident one could hear quite a little music, and what a treat it was!) A dapper, silky-haired young man was hammering off Mozskowsky, aa himself, and wonderfully well he did succeed (in render- ing himself ) as just one-half the audience admitted. Tlie other half, of course, " Really did not know." In which confession they wore very honest, and should have l)iit their fellow-men to shame, but, wonderful to say (of cours^ the light was bad, and I am perhaps maligning some *.■••*'; Z9 <: I* • •• it • •■ • # 52 of the most sensitive) I did not see a solitary blush. On the contrar}^ the want of unanimity appealed to be vexa- tious, and a little altercation near to me, occasioned by an enthusiast's retort to the stereotyped " Don't know" (which took the form of a somewhat bursque, but, I understand, most gentlemanly expression of an incredulity as to the agnostic's ownership of that knowledge which is requisite for pounding sand), I feared woulr" end in blows. But no ! Though Mendelssohn knew nothing, and Wagner was a beast, their differing disciples, at all events, knew what was what, would always keep the peace, and show such sweet forbearance as I could scarce call human, though I own a poor, weak woman's heart. Hemmed in on every side by musical discussion (the one point kept in view appeared to be the name, Lesche- tizsky, Scharwenka, Tschaikowsky and Mozskowsky, from all that I could understand, were leading favourites), I was fast becoming dizzy, when a distinguished looking, antique man, whose collar knew not starch, with hair which waved triumphantly in every breeze, whose very voice was quavers, asked if I "would care to see the library?" I would, with infinite relief, on this particular occa- sion, have accompanied any well conducted Chimpanzee to gaze upon the inmates of a mcmkey-house, and have listened most attentively to his harangue upon our common rela- tives. There cannot be much wonder, then, that I jumped at this gentleman's proposal. No, I don't mean to say I "jumped," that is a pure and simple figure, for had I dared to even move without at once adopting the graceful " Manitoba Mince," my partner would have fainted on the spot, and Elysium have faded ff'om my view. By dint of skilful handling and good tact, I managed •0 Photomoufil 53 things so nicely that we found ourselves ensconced within a corner of the library which would have been a Godsend to a spooney couple. Plants in front of us ; plants to right of us; plan^ . to left of us, and plants but I must not anticipate. In this quiet nook it was my heart's desire to get a little snooze, under cover of a rapt attention, and wake to life again when the uproar of the supper should begin. But the fates were unpropitious, having previously cursed me and my partner, by bestowing on him at his birth (a hun- dred years ago), a voice pitched, as nearly as I possibly could calculate, in the very highest G. Of this thoughtless gift of heaven he made abundant use to confound the brave musi- cians, whose different masters had performed that feat so thoroughly that he could but make " confusion worse con- founded." Nevertheless, it seemed to ease him very much to call them " cranks." And, having got so far, he must go farther aud describe the pain and agony and bliss which music was to him. Beethoven was "divine." He "felt the power in his chest, a never failing sign of excellence." (He hadn't touched a bite for hours, I'm prepared to swear, and had I been in his place, the symptom would have been proclaimed beneath a less SDsthetic name than "Beethoven.") It is highly probable that I should still be occupying my position, and, like "Old Tommy Day, all dead and tonned to clay," but that I became alfflicted with those tortures of the damned which only the acutest pins and needles can produce, and such an extreme evil calling for Home remedy equally extreme, by a very dexterous move- ment with my fan, I managed to lodge the contents of a rather pretty hanging basket down that old savant's neck. hi m If ! I* ! I > * ^ 64 Just then, and as my handkerchief was all but down my throat, I heard a sculping, scrambling, rushing sound, and dragging my somewhat earthy, but still discursive speci- men of Music's power, away, came upon the once majestic, and now happy, throng struggling for an entrance to the room where, people said, a supper was laid out. I fought. My virtuoso fought. We kicked. We pushed. And, finally, we conquered ! The earthly heaven was here ; and down we sat, dettrmined to do some execution nowy for there might be no morrow. (The doors were still besieged, and what is there that starving people will not do for bread ?) I ate — ate everything (particulars of which I know not), and drank some very excellent, year old lemonade. My vulgar little brother would, of course, have called it " pop;" but what won't vulgar little brothers do? At twelve o'clock, however, by order of the Governor, we left. Some odious people said that they felt tired. I should have liked to stay one hair hour more to see whether, for that short length of time, these gentlemen and ladies could have kept their heads — the upper parts, I mean, for many of them have really good-sized mouths (a lady informed me, confidentially, that "Old Miss Tompkins, over there, had iust a hinge to hold her head together. If she yawns a little more, the top will fall behind her back, and James will have to put it into place again"), and who knows but some spiteful Manitoban draught might blow, and then what would occur? The possibilities were frightful, and, as I thought of them that night, I yawned myself, and fell asleep. Mind you don't do the same, reader. 1 • u (( ii u ii ii ii ii a ii ii ii ii ii ii ii ii (< (( (( ii ii ii ii ii ii ii u 65 XI. " Once upon a time, you must know, when England's Navy was working those * Thrice famous deeds' of which the poet spetiks, two gentle, loving, jolly British Tars agreed, and sealed the compact with " Old Tom " — how much deponeiit leaves in doubt — that, heedless of misfor- tune's course, in love or fight, both Jacks would stick together. Luckily, no trial of their faith in the first named of these contingencies appeared, but fighting was as sure to come as Destiny; and one brght summer morning — I would give the date and minute, but know how thoroughly the fair sex hate all figures — a thunder- ing Johnny Crapaud drew in sight, and very soon, where all was peace and harmony, Old Nick would scarce have liked to call himself at home. The fight had reached the worst, and still our Jack and Bill stood side by side, and always worked together. But, sad to say, the careless cherub up aloft moved his eye, and threw a sidelong glance upon the French. In that short space poor Jack lost both his legs. * I'm done for. Bill. My legs is hoflf. Just carry me below.' " " Oh, that be blowed ; I've seed yer lose your legs afore. You'll be all right directly." Saying which Bill put the poor chap on his back and started for the hatch ; but, just as he was going down, and quite without his knowledge, some chain-shot cleaned off Jack's red head. Bill, unaware of this, the unkindest cut of all, keeps on his way, and coming to the cockpit, drops the helpless trunk. * Just look to poor old Jack, Sir ; he needs atten- tion bad,' says he. " * He needs a good deal more attention than I've got time to give,' replies the surgeon. ' What do you mean. Bill Thompson, by bringing corpses here ?' ,l-..,^i >••*' • *, • *►• 66 " * Oh, his legs is gone, that's all, Sir. He'll come " round all right.' " * Legs ! You fool ; he's lost his head in action for " once and all this time. Take him away.* " Jack turned about with some surprise, and saw how " matters stood. "Well, well, old chap. You've gone at last. But " you always were the d dest liar.' (To the Doctor, " pointing his thumb towards the dead) : * He swore it were "his legs.' " " Gonyers, how dare you draw on ancient history so ** sacrilegiously ?" And a snow ball sent my raconteur racing for his tuque. Since the Musicale referred to in my last preceding chapter the months had spfed along, and mid-winter had arrived. The art of snowshoeing had now no mysteries for those " wild English girls " (it is not so very difficult, despite the tales the elder ones will tell to frighten you) and this was one of our moonlight tramps, a species of enjoyment of which I soon grew fond. Mr. Conyers, a passable young man, though much too dark to suit my taste (I never did like swarthy ihen — they are so sinister) — had aflfected my society with some assiduity of late ; in fact, his entree dated from the time when I resolved to return to that tremendous whirl of gaiety which those who live in Winnipeg alone can understand. He was, when Jack came down upon us, trying very very hard to beguile away the time which would, in my opinion, have been much better occupied in studying the beauty of the night, which was actually enchancing. How- ever, as he had done what he considered duty in my cause, I could not but attempt to champion him. • fiwvviflWHiK 67 * " Why, Jack, / never heard the story in my life before. " Besides, the sailors are such pets of mine that tales of *• them are welcome any time." "Yes, so I understand from Olive. Headless ones, " especially. Conyers, you should know better than to "rake such tender feelings up. This damsel once was " gone " upon a dapper little yachtsman. The public said " that he was headless, too." This was another evidence of sisterly aflfection. I had hardly flirted with the man at all, and yet Olive could remember all about it — and relate a good deal more. " As far as I know anything of human nature, it is a " common thing for men to lose their heads when once " their heart is gone. The object of this adoration often '* saves, for general utility, enough of head and heart for " both," said Mr. Conyers. " That quite explains it all," said I. " I never thought " it out before. That must account for all girls over " two years old being so much brighter than their brothers. " Instance the gross stupidity of this incubus of sin." With which I fell upon that brother with what he insisted was a " fall of snow," though I am quite convinced ^he snowball was as hard as any brick, but, naturally, it splintered on his head. However, with one of my fierce glances, so justly called " divine," that young man withered or dried up, aad for full three minutes no person broke the spell created by the magic beauty of the scene. Tramp, tramp, tramp, with steady, military stride our trio marched along. The crispness of the air, the clearness of the night, and the brilliancy o'' the stars and moon, all struck me as sublime. Every spoken word should be true poetry, sounding, as it did, amongst the trees, round the 58 41: turns, and far away over the spotless snow which covered the imperfections of old Mother Earth with skill that put to shame the modern model statesman, cloaking his empty nutshell of a breast with diplomatic ice. That pretty scene of banks and woods and boundless prairie, the only beings visible the gay and ghostly (if such a paradox may be allowed) forms of others on the tramp, and these so rarely seen (pairs always), and then evincing such retiring habits as very much to heighten one's idea of a northern fairyland. The appearance of an Ice Queen would just complete the thought. The rein- deer, with the silver tinkle of their bells, and a diamond powdering of snow upon their coats, would meet you round the turn, you quite expected. But no! 'Twas true, it was but Earth, and what we ran against, with some unnecessary force, was a common, vulgar, horrid barbed wire fence, which stopped our ma- terial selves and brought us down to fact remorselessly. A short cut (why will the world persist in taking them?) had drawn this fate upon us, not content with the valley of Assiniboine, we must attempt a new and direct course, which brought us up in front of an obstruction more fatal than the Irish, and quite as barb-arous (ahem !) The mer. got over this with great erlat. Placing the stomach pit upon a post, gracefully elevating their snow-shoed feet as if to take a header down below, a dexterous (but, I imagine, peace destroying) twist, a careful flop, and shoes and all were over. But how about myself? On some account (mere prejudice, most likely) the somersault divertissement seemed open to objection. I felt that as a snow-shoe steeple- chaser I was about upon a par with that very fine old fox- hunter, who, coming to a stiffish looking fence, shouted to an urchin loitering on the other side " Hey, boy. Is there a ditch on your side ?" " Naw, Sir," says the lad. " Then down with that d d fence, and let me have a shot at it." But my grinning idiot of a brother seemed to enjoy, my plight, whilst Mr. Conyers looked diligeirtly (but most unsuccessfully) "for a plank," he said. Glancing up and down the fence, I saw a somewhat lower part, with a wooden bar on top, and, resolved not to be beaten, 1 found my way to this. In England, I'm not so very bad at vaulting, and do not stand on ceremony with a five-barred gate. So, wrap- ping my dress around my '' lower limbs," and placing both feet as near together as I could, I gave my finest jump and, somehow, I am not prepared to say " with care," I reached the other side, but whether those two men enjoyed the joke, or not, I cannot tell. I do not tramp acror ^ the country now, and Manitoban days are gone forever. At my suggestion, we now made for the river. I felt quite certain of immunity from fences there. Walking on the lank until we reached a slide, we then, as to the man- ner born, sat down upon our snowshoes and tobogganed down the hill. A little further on we found a prostrate log, which, being near the bank, and having a magnificent canopy of over-hanging snow, invited us to rest our weary selves from the too terrible exertions of the tramp, and remove the cakes now forming on our shoes and becoming large enough to make themselves extremely disagreeable through even three thick stockings and a mocassin. " I wonder where those two have lost themselves (his " time," I said, more as a break in the silence than with any view to eliciting a reply, for, of late, "those two" (by which collective Capt. Warwick aud Olive were rather widely known) had strayed away so often that I, for one, 60 and Jack, who once was positively savage, for a second, were now too tired to interest ourselves again. Mr. Conyers mumbled comfort from the bottom of his throat, and Jack, not having heard, agreed. Silence for three minutes more, and then, as if concensus of opinion had penetrated even his thick skull. Jack rose and thought he would look round the bend and see whore Olive actually w^A. Mr. Conyers and myself remained behind, evidently sympathetically tired, and soon began to thaw beneath the rays of "Yon pale moon." Poetically our conversation moved from moon to sun, thence easily to Love. " Miss Devigne ; what is a true flirtation ? " This looks quite promisiiig for an illustration, at all events, thought I, but said : " Well, Mr. Conyers, from my small outside view, I " feel inclined to say of it as some man did of Love — * The " currency of falsehoods between two persons differing in " sex, which man and man or woman and woman would " laugh to utter scorn.' More briefly told, flirtation is but " mutual flattery." " And what do you call Love ? " said my sentimental youth. " In man or woman ? " " In woman, of course, i know what it is in man, to " my most bitter sorrow." Tragedy, too, beneath this man's "top-coat." His face was certainly uncanny, in spite of its good looks. " Well, my love-lorn friend, I believe the * Grande ^^ Passion' in woman is (when her first love has died its " natural death of disappointment, and left its legacy of " disbelief) a simple thirst for masculine adoration like " nothing but the craving of a drunkard for hi*? one infatu- "rfniimt 01 " ation. That sentiment is one of those stray truths which " Byron scattered through his works with such a niggard " haiid. But tell me of your blighted hopes. You don't " know what wonders I can work in my small way. I " even think that I could minister to some minds which are " diseased." This was growing quite pathetic, and, though I knew my risks so well, the Devil pushed me on and on ; took off my mitten ; toyed with the snow in such dangerous prox- imity to Mr. Conyers that he was forced to stroke my hand. And all without rebuke ! Such is the effect of snow-shoe- ing upon the heart. " I don't doubt your ability to work a perfect cure," said he ; " but are not those ideas upon the subj ect of your " sex's constancy somewhat cynical for a thorough doctor " of my malady ? " " Oh, I should never dream of curing you entirely. Such " incidents are by far too scarce to be rashly blotted from " the mind. I would just apply a little caustic to the , " wound ; shew that of fish there is a plenty in the sea ; and " soon you would forget you ever had a love — except, of " course, your inner man, which they will continue to pro- '• pitiate before all else as long as men exist." In spite of this most shockingly materialistic view of the excellencies of his sex, his hand had crept upon my own, and he said : " I don't need caustic. Miss Devigne, nor do I ask for " pity, but if I dared to hope that at some future time — " not so very far away, you " " Oh, Mr. Conyers ! Do you see that squirrel ? Isn't " it a dear ? " "^ The little beast had mos opportunely brought himself and tail within a yard or two of where we sat. 62 Mr. Conyers, who looked upon this last addition to our party as decidedly de trop, grumpily responded : " As far as my most limited acquaintance with the brute " creation goes, the animal we see is a squirrel, pure and " simple, and very simple, too. A deer would certainly " have had more savoir faire : " picking up a piece of frozen snow and throwing it at our poor visitor with a force that would have stunned an ox — if it had hit him. "Poor little fellow! You've frightened him away. " Why did you do that ? " I took the part of the oppressed with more alacrity than is my wont — from motives not unmixed, I fear. " Because he seemed to me a most unwelcome guest, " and interrupted what I had to say, which was this : I love " you, Miss Dfcvigne. Not in the way which you hold " natural, but as my ideas of how a man should love com- '* mend — with all my heart; with all my soul. I never " loved a woman until now, and you surely can— I know . " you must — feel how real my passion is. I have sometimes " allowed myself to think that, in a woman's way, you almost " reciprocated — (painful pause) — but perhaps I was mis- " taken. In any case, I hope you will forgive my * putting " it to the touch ' so brusquely, and tell me whatmy chances "are?" Here was another of the usual contretemps. What idiots these Lords of all Creation really are ! Of course this man commenced his downward course most willingly, possibly with cool deliberation to have a ^gw pleasant months,and joke with me pour passer le temps alone — and had he nailed those colours to his mast all would have been plain sailing for us both until some better, newer game arrived. But he must needs progress with giant strides, 68 and call himself " in Love," and deem the one way out (as it is the quickest, most sure and disillusionizing) to be through Hymen's gate. It really was too bad ; and left no remedy but downright quarrelling. I saw the " Friends forever" was no go. " If you are thinking, Nelly dear," (byplay, decidedly repellant on my part) " what my worldly prospects are — " and such thoughts would be most natural — I may say that " although they are not splendid, they are fair, and Fortune " so far favours me that my wife need never fear the thorns " of poverty." It was evidently time that the farce drew to its close, and so, steadying my voice and making every eflfort to seem cool, I said : " Excuse me, Mr. Conyers, but you have very much " misjudged me, and cannot be aware of my engagement, " otherwise, I think you would have spared me this." " Good God ! " said he, springing to his feet, " Engaged ! "' I beg a thousand pardons, Miss Devigne. I have really, " up to now, never placed the very smallest faith in your " betrothed's existence. Something in your manner — ycur " apparent disbelief in love, or anything sincere, and — a " murdered man should be allowed to speak before the " breath departs — the thorough way in which you carry " this creed out, argued so forcibly against the tale ; and " if what you say is really true, this slight peculiarity ex- " cites the deepest pity of my soul for your unsuspecting " lover." It is my turn now, and rising slowly to my feet — though every drop of blood within my veins seems tingling, and I can feel the glisten of my eyes, I said : " Mr. Conyers. From the gentlemanly, courtly manner " of your speech, it is evident that you have followed me 64 :>'^ " to-night with a deliberate intention to insult " — Crack ! My speech came to a most effective and unexpected close, which far surpassed whatever I could contemplate at the richest moments of a fertile and not untrained imagin- ation. I hope that when the time arrives for me to " shuffle off this mortal coil " I may do it with some small portion of that feeling of relief which rushed upon me as I subsided into what, to all appearance, was my grave. In this short passage of our arms, I saw a look in Mr. Conyers' face v hich was, to say the least, decidedly unpleasant ; it dwelt upon my mind for many days, and the occasion when once more it thrust itself upon my notice will be a dark spot in ihe course of life as long as that stream rolls for me. But stay ; 1 said that Mr. Conyers and myself were in a common grave. Yes, and so we were, and the resurrection which you will naturally suppose occurred (otherwise how could I plague you thus?) was ushered in by a peal of fiendish laughter, interrupted now and then by a r.ost dis- gusted " Ugh ! " which sounded (and actually was) immedi- ately upon us. A superhuman effort, pushing, kicking and struggling generally, in all directions at one time, and I discovered tliat my head was free and I could breathe the air. My partner in misfortune had likewise fought the battle back to life, and when we turned to find the cause of our disaster, there it, or rather he (Jack), was, with snowshoes high in air, and the most woe-begone of faces, evidently quite prepared to welcome anything which pro- mised change — even the appearance of the demons upon whose nest he lucklessly had fallen. I blessed him in my own sweet way, and in my heart of hearts beheld him as the angel which his entrance from above would naturally suggest. My amatory friend, I fear, saw the intrusion in 8!!!: P«ni fitliSLi 65 another light, though he tried his best to laugh the matter oflf. The truant pair whose actions were accountable for all this wild confusion now stood upon the bank and went through antics worthy of the best contortionists in endear vouring to suppress what seemed to be an imminent ex- plosion. The explanation of it all was this : Jack, in going back along the river, had met the couple some distance round the bend, and, movbd by that base love of others' agony which saturates all male humanity and occasionally, as in the present case, meets its own reward, had seduced them into trying that short-cut where I so narrowly escaped humilia- tion (how Olive got across the wire fence I never could find out) and then my gentle brother, v/ho allowed good nature to so far get the better of him as to walk some yards in front, had come upon the river bank a little higher up than where we three so gracefully slid down, the Fates of course directing him to jump upon the overhanging snow which formed the pretty roof, and very nearly pall, of Mr. Conyer* and myself, on whose unsuspecting guiltless heads it and its burden immediately came down, with the result which has been told, and which a most crude sketch, by Olive (who says she couldn't rectify a line for laughing), pretends to represent. f We did not waste much time in tramping home, and my art of management was such that our group of five con» tained that number always. A hot arid hearty supper put Olive, her double and even Jack on the very best of terms with outside things, but, somehow, Mr. Conyers and myself did not readily recover from the dire effects of what the others called our " Sitting on." Thanks to the exertions 66 U ^*H of our walk, however, all troubles and excitements faded into slumber and a vivid dream of England and of Fred. I woke next morning feeling comparatively well, a state which rapidly increased to the superlative when I heard Jack say that " Conyers has received bad news from Ottawa and starts for there to-night." I forthwith shelved the *•' dear departed " with the past, and prayed fervently that Providence would keep him "Down below" (Canadian term for Ontario or Quebec) until the Atlantic rolled be- tween America and me. i7* XII. The event was the " Charity Ball," and all Winnipeg, decent and indecent, mustered at the never threadbare cry of " General Hospital." The place (the Drill Hall) festooned with flags of all Nations, ever-greens and shining arms, really looked (as these accessories will make a dungeon) quite pretty. The dancing square, in the centre of the Hall, as if not, of its unassisted self, dangerous enough to be exciting, was covered by four cannons, one standing at each corner — character- istically typical of Winnipeg. People of the ordinary world consider walking to the cannon's mouth no constitutional. To dance before a battery would seem to be amongst the rare delights reserved for strong North-Western nerves. Ranged round the Hall were little anti-rooms ; now prettily and (infinitely better) cosily arranged to accom- modate a couple or four persons (but never an odd number) whose ideas, running in like channels, made them wondroun kind, deaf and sightless. As compared with balls at home, some improvementn were here visible. Wall-flowers there were none to see. •W; « ••wvwiiiwuii* Pamphlet 67 Ghaneronas but few, and those few young and jolly , having something much more interesting to attend to than the careful handling of reins demanding such manipulation as those which should restrain a maiden. Husbands of the true old-fashioned type would find no place in this fine, fresh land, where " Honi soit qui mal y pense " is a motto for actual adoption, and not worn on garters only. When man here takes unto himself a wife, it is with the assump- lion that both may, in time thereafter, enjoy themselves a little — youth, ability and opportunity permitting. This arrangement struck me as marvellously well devised ; and the results are so enjoyable all round that, but for one or two small obstacles (a slight one being the connubial yoke- fellow's absence ; a larger one, the doubt about the length of time beyond the honey -moon to which good-fellowship may be epun out, before closing, in the orthodox old way, with a " Decree Nisi" of the Court) I would have plunged into the Benedictine throng, and hoisted up my pennon with a scroll to " Live for Life, and be at Peace with all Men." In this Colonial ball-room might be seen men of all degrees hobnobbing with that crowd which belongs distinct- ively to none : the younger son of a peer drank " Whiskey straight " with — and to give the poor devil his due, gener- ally at the expense of — the butcher's son, and neither was demoralized. Someone says that were impossible. I don't dispute ; I simply write the fact. These younger sons have often histories ; and the birth of each one is not registered with that degree of accuracy which such occurrences would seem (in the eyes of an unsuspecting public) to demand. The chronicle of many of the people gathered in that room would make quite U i 6« \i • ma startling tales. The world's failures shake the hands of the success of trade and hardihood, and hoth are gratified — one tangibly, the other by some sops to vanity — for faded aris- tocracy is not the despicable thing the sordid would be willing to believe, and so much blood for so much bacon is even yet a common mode of reckoning. Row is it that the gayest and giddiest of people (amongst whom I generally class myself) do oft en moralize i^ ficenes which to the looker-on appear so full of mirth and happiness as to preclude the slightest possibility of thought ? Because we assume a laughing, bright exterior, they say we qannot think. Do none of these fine, cynical philosophers ever calculate the concentration ot ideas which is necessary to produce that empty air ? The sheer deter- mination to enjoy where actual enjoyment cannot be ? Of all the people present at that ball, how many (who own to twenty years) amuse themselves ? They whirl and whirl and whirl, and in the giddiness will lose themselves ; or they eat and eat and drink, and in repletion will forget themselves ; but, outside of the veriest tyros, they none ot them enjoy. Do I forget the dress ? Oh no ! I bear it all in mind. The understanding^i of a man, 'tis true, declare to him that woman lives in dress. He reckons nothing for the painful consciousness of that little ribbon being out of place, and Mrs. Simmons having got " her eye pn it." He has no corsage to be cut too low; no train to be entangled in an idiotic spur. These are trials which call for the fortitude of woman to endure, backed up by the spirit and decision to dress for self (and the men, of course), uione, regardless of the spite of rival or of friend. On the whole, I do not place much faith in costume uh a panacea for all the female ills. Hnotomount Pamphlet 69 But meanwhile, all looked bright; and we will now descend from our moral rostrum in time to lose nothing that may serve as antidote to untimely lucubration. Olive was at her very best, in a beautiful concoction of her own device, and the amount of drilling which her dressmaker received should make her end her days in thankfulness that the English do not really overrun the American continent to the extent which has been repre- sented. For myself, the mirror — there is no such thing as a pier-glass anywhere; but, judging from a view made piecemeal, I feel that even yet I am not quite repulsive, despite mauvais quarts d^heures, from which of late I have been constantly emerging. My life has latterly appeared but one long explanation. Explanation by post to Fred, who *' ventured to suggest that I should write a little oftener, and put more in my letters," inferring, too, that the few lines I vouchsafed seemed wanting in that yearn- ing note which he would fain detect, and to which he evidently thought he was entitled as a perquisite. . .; Explanation to Jack, who declared that I was " posi- tively heartless." Heartless ! I, heartless ; whose life has been one long struggle to escape the consequence of too soon excited feeling. Finally, explanations to a baker's dozen of men, who had the cool effrontery to call them- selves entitled to apology, if I but dared to appreciate a view of which they did not constitute the vanishing point. Ah ! here comes a wondrous specimen of what is possible in the greenest of green youth. Which, I wonder, is the more objectionable, green old age, or really verdant youth. Truthfully speaking, I think that I prefer the mellowed article. Wilful idiocy has more patent charms, and is capable of at least some unexpected turns, which the sim- 1 I % '"** * 70 .*»» •3* 8i pering, white-haired, callow little fool, who is prancing up to me just now, could never dream about. I am forcibly reminded of some badinj»ge between two boys which I heard a day or two before. " Tom," says Pope embryo, " I believe if an original idea struck you, you'd die of fright, right off." And, cruel as it may appear, I wish that some original idea would just experiment on this bete noire of mine, who imagines that he apes the English d merveille though as yet he has progressed no further than the ape, and much I fear that Nature intends him there to stay. " How d'ye do, Miss Devigne ? Very hot already, " isn't it ? Wonder what on earth it will be like before the " thing is over.*' " It would not be quite proper for a lady to attempt " the simile, would it, Mr. Chesney ? But you strong- " minded, brutal men have words which appear to put the " situation in a nutshell (ahem !)" My " strong-minded " youth siiiiles a knowing smile and settles down to the proper blasS cast of counten- ance, simultaneously and wittily remarking that there was but one woman worth a glance in that " mixed crowd." After which he took a seat beside me, smirked as who should say " Now, isn't that a neat one ?" at the same time leaning back with a look of satisfaction which tells me too plainly that in calculating for a conversation he may be counted out. So, in desperation, I rushed in again. " Pray, where is this gay butterfly who has woven " such a web? — (by the bye, do butterflies weave webs?) " Never mind, this is a Manitoban, ai.d therefore quit j " unique, and she has evidently woven one strong enough " to entangle you, who have passed through so many sieges " quite unscathed, apparently ; her net's material will, a n a Ph<4omount Pamphlet prancing up am forcibly VB which I ipe embryo, ou'd die of , I wish that is bSte noire i d merveille an the ape, I to stay, ot already, e before the to attempt you strong- ? to put the >wing smile )f counten- t there was [ed crowd." ed as who same time ells me too he may be ain. has woven ,ve webs?) efore quitj >ng enough lany sieges erial will, 71 " therefore^ need but little praise. Come, 'jow ; tell me '^ where she is, and how such victories can be gained. I " may need the experience some day, though I should never " dare attempt a fortress so impregnable as that which you " set up." The silent spell is evidently broken. The machinery is started, and conversation (ye gods, forgive me ! ) now flows like a river. Loves, doves, angels and bangles, mixed in inextricable confusion, simply gallop one another down, as the Talleyrand of his day lays out lis stock in trade, places mt to his colossal credit with tl le mental comment " Another mash, by Jove ! — what a thing is this personal magnetism," and finally marches off to reproduce his wares to another customer, with an eflfect as killing as before. Deserted by my cavalier, I ventured to address a few remarks to one of Mrs. Grundy's monitors, who sat upon my right, but, inadvertently, and most indiscreetly, using, in the course of conversation, the oldest fashioned term descriptive of the two appendages by which rude Nature has sustained what brave men dare to call our " trunks " (I wonder whom I'm shocking now !) this worthy chaperone (first looking everywhere, to ensure no male attendance, and evidently fearful lest some breeze should bear the sentence to an outraged native ear, then, gl :\ncing upon me with the amused peculiar smile, usually worn when gazing on a somewhat shocking picture, in a nice retired place) said : — " We don't use " leg" in Canada." With the utmost sang froid possible I sat, despite a fiendish temptation to use my ''legs" once again, for the very best of Nature's purposes, viz.: to rapidly iiicrease the distance dividing me and the occasion of my fright. Over- T2 coming this desire, however, my disposition was to kick, and this was so intensely strong that, but for the timely intervention Of a very gotity toe, the Drill Shed floor would still bear holey witness to my agon v. But the kindly action of this well-fed foot r oved f the greatest service, and wheii peace assumed her i; i ivuil &way (which comfort- able state was thoughtlessly d*^Iag «^ by the owner of aforesaid foot). Jack was bearing down \ ^nn me, the famous Mr. Compton, tall, dark and sombre-looking, with the laissez-aller air of a successful "agonizing" masher, by his side. " Good evening. Miss Devigne. Have you still any- ** thing for an adorer ? I have been searching everywhere, ^* but you don't seem to frequent the too much travelled " portions of the hall, and 1 dare not penetrate to all the ** little nooks and crannies, for fear of getting a broken ^* head in one of them, not to speak of the grunts and black '■* looks which always do greet single-handed trespassers." " Ah, Mr. Compton, I kept that dance (a quadrille ** which had been reserved as a " duty " for poor Jack) " especially for you. I don't dance quadrilles, you know. " Was it not good of me to deal so tenderly with you, in "spite of the conviction that would creep over me that you "would again resort to the horrid little trick you played " on me the other night," (on which occasion I had disap- |)eared in darkness with a more congenial friend at the approach of Mr. Compton's dance, only reappearing to to visit thunder on the errant knight.) " Yes. Indeed, the action showed your natural good- " ness, though I, of course, deny the accusation you so *' unjustly hurl at me. I should have been prostrated at " your feet long, long ago, but for the difficulty in finding -liviwinuuni Pamphlet Hir^ ^4 J to kick, he timely oor would le kindly it service, 1 comfort- owner of lie famous with the isher, by still any- rywhere, travelled o all the a broken md black )as8ers." quadrille or Jack) ou know, h you, in that you •u played ad disap- d at the taring to ral good- you so rated at I finding 73 "you at first, and when at length I did behold the Vision "I had sought so long, I also saw, to bring me to the "things of earth, young Chesney paying court, and you "evincing an overwhelming interest in the man. Then " suicide lost all its horrors, and fain would I have gained "the Peace I seek beneath the waters of the muddy "Red," " but Sympathy declared that at the hands of Chesney you "must inevitably die, though in opposition to all human " laws, on account of too much breath, and so I pressed "your brother into this life-saving service, and Oh,, I " beg your pardon ! " ; The band is striking up, and the partner who, in turn, has rescued n^e from Mr. Compton's harrowing recitals, is a successful student of the local dancing school. The stage of one's existence at which waltzing disappears entirely from the programme, making way for supper in extcnao, is still some years my senior, and as we rapturously dream the dance away, a passing view of Olive industriously pumping "Yes" and "No" from a guileless looking school boy, is the only link to chain my thoughts to the miserable of "ihe world. XIII. The usual Manitoban winter's scene — a brilliantly blue and perfectly cloudless sky, forming a beauteous canopy to what, but for the woods which cast their shadows here and there, would be a sheet of spotless snow, more diamond besprinkled and as pure as the glorious heavens therasolves. The painter of a gorgeous Southern sunset might strive in vain to immortalize the brilliant transparency (if one may use a paradoxical expression to describe the indescribable) of those Manitoban nights. : f»v:ruj:*r'v ^■^\>^.?{'^Kj:m •i fill \ ^ ,:v Si Si! 74 The mooii shone down upon a gay and gaudily arrayed toboggan party, beneath whose feet the loose snow whistled and the crusted cracked in cadence quite poetic; The "Zip" of the toboggan and the far resounding laugh when two stray couples met and exchangedsome jokes, which all four would agree to christen " funny," the fulness of their hearts and tension of their spirits dispensing with the scantiest criticism, were all the obstacles in that sweet course which, Sophists say, has never yet run smooth. What a task it is to mount the hill on which a slide is plaxied! I think that it would take less time to climb Vesuvius. To pull a toboggan up a steep incline is no trifle to be sneezed at. They will slip back; the cushions mil fall oii; or the string of the dainty mocassin which holds a daintier foot must needs untie itself (men tell me that the strings on large-sized feet are never found unloosed) ; and half way up the hill a few thick shrubs will grow, breaking the .chilly breeze and forming an utterly resistless resting place, for man (or woman, either, notwithstanding cynics who aver the contrary), cannot work forever without breath. Once stopped, the hosts of accidents now possible are appalling in their number, nature and effect. The lady will remove (or ha.vo removed) her glove, to cool the heated palm. Fatality springs up. The glove is lost. Sometimes ihe hand goes, too. But why should I multiply supposed events ? The simple fact is that delays do fre- quently occur, and whilst our world rolls round, and Time keeps on its way, such accidents will continually arise, and in the years to come will form green spots in many a way- worn heart — for in the stoniest breast there must sound notes which tell of Love's existence. The scoffer, in his shallowness, vouchsafes a bitter smile at " sentiment." '% Photomount Pamphlet 75 And yet, how ignorant must he be who would deny its presence as a keystone in every human action. Man longs and strives for money. To what end ? For money's self? The millionaire indignantly denies such charge, and, though he will not enter into definition of the motive of his greed, he has a child, perhaps, for whom he thinks his store too small ; the trumpet notes of Fame, at present, are not loud enough for such a jewel as that child. Sentiment ! Why slaves the poorer man, day in, day out, year in, year out ? For something to enjoy. Enough to keep himself and marry on. (Forsooth !) The bachelor pays so much for a smile. A faded flower is dear, and the wherewithal to pur- chase it must be obtained. All sentiment ! For Sentiment the rich are daily pouring out their thousands in a stream, the poor are starving, and the miserable rashly tearing down the veil which screens Eternity. Though day fo^^ms not our dream-time, how many souls there are to whom it represents a nightmare, bringing the sweat of misery from the brow in agony "t /hich only draughts from Lethe's stream can possibly assuage. These men live but in the night. Existence dawns when "business" is dead and "Senti- ment " holds sway. Let demurrers to my creed ask of their close shut hearts, " At whose shrine dost thou serve ?" Ambition's? The joy of conquering others? or convic- tion that the common herd is low, and you, amongst them, Caesar? Friends, beware! The would-be hero sacrifices all. Your only guard is value as a step. When a man loves Fame alone, that man is but a devil. His- tory's pages, from the first to that wliich we are now turning, proclaims this but too plainly. Real nature is but sentiment, and all beyond means a re .less immolation of friends, foes and the Eternal Gof .vhose semblance is m 5 ii' 1 If 1 ::{ ■ I |i :ii '!»• ^1:1 76 obliterated from the heart, and all outward similarity becomes a lie. But all this is very far from Winnipeg and our tobog- gan party, where everything was merry. In spite of the many troubles which had lately come upon me, I enjoyed myself most keenly. The bracing atmosphere was my good friend, as I steadfastly upheld in refutation of some charges made by Olive regarding Mr. Esmond's presence there. He had come up from Montreal the night before and been begged by Jack to join our gathering. (My brother had declined all further espionage of me, and let me go my way, hence this thoughtless invitation.) To my inner self I Was under no necessity to beat about the bush, and I readily acknowledged my delight at seeing this, the only man whom I had met in Winnipeg to call for second thought. Olive had now, beyond all doubt and question, suc- cumbed to Captain Warwick's wiles, but she denied it still. I thought it just within the possible (though I never gave her credit for the rdle) that she tried my old, old game of *'fun," and I ventured on some sisterly advice and kind expostulation. Why, it would never do to have two girls in one small family both followers of the sport. My harvest was not what I had expected, or considered due. Suffice to say I did not touch the pie again, and this resolution seemed to suit the two concerned quite well. None now dared to interfere with their somewhat rude arrangements, which so evidently counted two, the essential number for good company. The ins and outs, the charms and disagreeables, of these toboggan parties are very quickly learned j and I, having snowballed on the level, moralized on the upward path, and grown excited with the many interesting little i( {( a a ii (( a (( (( Photomounl Pamphltt inilarity ir tobog- e of the enjoyed my good ) charges se there, nd been bher had my way, ;r self I [ readily nly man ought, ion, suc- d it still, ver gave game of md kind girls in harvest Suffice to jsolution one now cements, uber for cables, of and I, ( upward ng little 77 incidents which can oqcur in that short space of time whe» everyone holds on to the toboggan (as the neophyte and credulous believe) with death-like grip, and had at length grown tired and quite ready for a move in any new direc- tion, or, failing novelty, for home. Nothing fresh appear- ing, the party all declared in favour of a dance, and a cavalcade was formed, Mr. Esmond and myself being in the van, followed by the rest in couples, at most unstated inter- vals, all deeply bent on studies of the weather. " You do not know hpw delighted everybody is to see " you back again, Mr. Esmond. You have been missed " most terribly. That's what it is to go away, you see. " But, poor fellow, I forgot the pain you must have felt in " leaving sorrowing Montreal's attractions, male, female " and otherwise, to return tp Winnipeg and the untamed " savage once again," v "And can th^s be the once sarcastic Miss Devigne? " Excuse me, but do you feel as if old age were overtaking " you, or is it only the highly moral atmosphere of Canada " which has wrought such change since last 1 sought to " steal a parting glimpse at you through my fast falling " tears — and a crack in your blind ? Did my ears deceive " me, or DID you express delight at my return, and flatter " me in half a dozen different ways ?" This won't do, thought I. He's getting quite im- pertinent, not to say satirical. "Oh, pray don't begin so early to disbelieve your " senses. I dare say there'll be time enough when other " people tell you that you've none. However, what I said " was quite sincere, as all my sayings are. Since you left " town, I've had a large experience. I've heard the jokes^ " from Adam's very own, down to those of h^s less enlight- 1 U 78 V « it a i( u u a ci ti u u « « (( n (( (( (( (< (( (i « ened sons. I've had the benefit of every funniosity which the list of Winnipeg contains, and now I've *got 'em on my list,' all doubly crossed with red." "Ah, that accounts for the serious view you are evidently taking of this life and the truth of the necessity for Christian charity which has forced itself upon you ?" " Of course. But please place one good mark to Gov- ernment House account. I spent an evening there — a Muaicale it was — I couldn't find much music, but oh ! the loveliness of Charity ! And amongst musicians, too I They would not fight at all. Each one magnanimously said he'd sink his own superfluous art, and re igh it with the rest. Such harmony ! I never dreamt of anything to equal it. Did you ever go up there to music?" " No, I never had an invitation. But when I die, I am going to ask St. Peter for a ticket there, instead of going upstairs. From your description it must outdo the jld style of harp and timbrel very far ; and then I hear it's 80 select?" " Select ! Well, if I were a Yankee, ' I should smile.' None but Methodists may enter there — except, of course, some few "sad examples," such as I, who just go in to form the necessary contrast, in order that the pure may see the misery of our outside world, the depth of which, if our faces did not play us very false, must have been sufficiently appalling to satisfy the saintliest of them all. But still, I drank as much of this fine, holy atmosphere as my poor, sinful body would allow, and then I came away so thoroughly impregnated with all that's good and goody that, even now, I would with rapture welcome Lucifer himself. What a jolly, pointed tail be could unfold? (How very rude you are to laugh? That's the n it -iiviwmuuni Pamphlet nniosity 've *got yoa are lecessity 1 you ?" to Gov- here — a oh! the ns, tool limously L it with nything I die, I istead of iitdo the n I hear I smile/ f course, go in to lire may f which, Lve been hem all. losphere I came 5ood and welcome le could lat's the 79 " very best of puns in Winnipeg.) But, failing him, if you " will just pull yourself together, give your memory a " brush, and call up everything you've done and heard (I " won't attempt to bind you down to truth, provided that "the story 's still alive), I'll try you for a substitute." In spite of all my flattery, he lived, though I fear its subtlety was rather overpowering, and after a grand rally of which (as I honestly remarked) I failed to catch the gist — though I know he meant to say, amongst a host of other things, that I was a genuine angei, a certain indis- tinctness as to colour depriving his comparison of point — he endeavoured to enliven me with what there was to tell of Montreal and Ottawa (between which places he had acted as a shuttle-cock since he left Winnipeg), and himself. Elopements, of course, came first, and Canada would be poor indeed were she to own herself behind the world of civil- ization in that exciting detail. Providence takes care that no such slur shall truthfully be cast, and Ottawa can still (in fairly decent seasons) proclaim her home-made scandal second-best to none. " What an exciting slide that bank would make. How " easily we could slip down," I broke in, as we left a grove of trees and came upon the bank again. " * Facilis descensus Averno ' still, and that looks very " steep to me. I h irdly think it wise, but if your Lady- " ship commands, your servant will obey," getting the toboggan ready with speed somewhat alarming. But I am too great a coward to allow of my adopting any course which shall admit of my being stigmatized ns one, and therefore I decided to go down, no matter what it cost. My part- ner's acquiesc^ence was a good deal Tiore than 1 had bargained for, especially as the bank might easily, from all ji rk\ I 1 1 80 appearances, become, to sinners such as me, the veritable path of Mr. Esmond's author. Shelving slowly towards the river for a time, it then dropped suddenly a depth of fifteen feet or more, and afterwards sloped gently down the bank— the very acme of a fine, exciting slide, but rather risky as regards the jump. However, noblesse oblige it was, I felt, and England's fame for courage (what patriotism stirs us five thousand miles from home !) was at stake. As calmly as I could, I intimated my desire to try and break our necks, and then, without delay, sat down upon the cushion, braced my feet as tightly as was possible m the toboggan, and shouted, inwardly, that all would come out right, though a little whispering voice declared the con- trary with very bad effect upon my toute ensemble. y "Ready?" . .,,., "Yes, waiting." ' A push, and off we went, travelling beautifully until the precipice was reached, and on the brink of this our steed seemed gallantly to rear its head, and then we really flew. But oh ! how short-lived was our ecstasy, for when we once more struck the earth a sounding crash told plainly of disaster. But the smashing of our vessel's curled up front and a sudden numbness in m^ foot were quite lost sight of in the one great speculation as to what amount of flesh and blood would, by the Fates' decrees, reach the bottom of the hill ; mere details as to shape were never thought about. That point, however, once cleared up — and Providence knows how, for it, I trust, alone bore witness to the sight — I looked about and saw my cavalier some distance from the phice where 1 cast anchor, gather- ing himself together in a rather startled way, hut evidently still alivt'. The small piect of toboggan which acted as my I Photomount Pamphlet veritable y towards depth of down the >ut rather ige it was, jtism stirs to try and own upon ibk Kn the come out the con- le. i ' :.; ■