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Tous les autres exempiaires orlginaux sont filmds en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — »>s':gnifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre fil.nds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est filmd d partir de i'angle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d drotte, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes .uivants illustrent la m^thode. rata D lelure, I d H 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 f THEY TWO; OR, PHASES OF LIFE IN EASTERN CANADA, PIFTr YEARS AGO. WRITTEN IN 1876. BY AN EX-JOURN\LIST. PRINTED BY JOHN LOVELL & SON. 1888. FOR SALS AT THE BOOKBTOBSa. v^S'e>4So lu^^223 T4-5 -I < ^ fC o 1 «0 ®nt of out f aruwt, tttcot tonotmt, nnh libtvM patvow of m0 mm i0 irw„i,rtfttU9 inomm, By the Author. ^^ii 1 I 1 ( ■l : EXPLANATORY. As the author of this book, who wrote it fourteen years ago, had not the fortune to publish it, a few prefatory remarks may be permitted. It is no commendation of a novel now-a-days to assure the reader that the incidents are all actualities ; for the more absurdly false they are, so long as they are sensa- tional, the more popular are such stories with a certain class of readers. What influence the perusal of such " Munchausenisms " will have on the literary taste of the age, and on the morality of the rising generation, the future alone will solve. This book has neither falsehood nor sensation to recom- mend it. It was written by a parent for the amusement of chil- dren, but the adult will find in it something of interest. To those who read between the lines, another object will become evident, and they will perceive that the writer intended to crystallize some phases of Canadian life into our literature. Had the author been the publisher, some needful cor- rections might have been made ; as it is, the public will have to receive the work as men accept their friends, with their faults and imperfections. The Editor. CANADA. Our country, first of all. Free, fresh, and fair ; No serf,— no human thrall. Has breath'd our air. Fresh from her Maker's hand. As rose new blown ; There is no other land Fair as our own. Fair as the morning's smile On dewy height ; Or fairy, dea-girt isle Bath'd in moonlight. Our country, first of all. Fair, fresh, and free ; Until death's shadows fall We'll live for thee. ^ > : ':\ illH '(I H THEY TWO; OB PHASES OF LIFE IN EASTERN CANADA. CHAPTER I. "What wordy story-tellers these old men were," said Lucy to herself, as she laid down a volume of "Les -Relations dcsJdsuites" she had been reading. " How minute they are, too ! the slightest detail of every incident is recorded. I should like to be as able as tliey were to set clearly before my readers what I write. And yet I should not choose them for my model ; they are too trivial. I should like to be purely Canadian, which these Relations are not, and after all what is there in Canada to write about ? We are too young ; and what is more, we are what the French term, * sec' Our climate lies in that direction. Summer bakes our juices, and winter freezes them. Our life tends to materialism. We are all straining in the race for wealth, and even those who have obtained the prize enjoy but little of what is known in Europe as ' elegant leisure.' ' The world is too much with us,' and as a consequence we have little romance and less poetry." Lucy had got this far in her thinking when the silvery tinkle of sleigh bells fell upon her ear. The sound ceased opposite to her door, and looking out she saw her cousin Huntly alight from his cutter and come up the steps. She was glad to see him. He had only got back from Quebec a few days before, and after the holidays he was going up to the pine woods; and it was now only a week till Christmas. Huntly had come to ask her out for a drive, and she gladly accepted his kind offer. She was soon ready, and in a few minutes was gliding over the crisp snow. The air was keen, but not disagreeably cold to one nestled close in furs. The stars sparkled in the blue above, and the moon shed floods of splendor on the snow beneath. The i\ iiil ^!ll' 10 THEY TWO. tinkling of the bells, the prancing of the horses, the smooth and rapid motion, and the bracing air, more intoxicating to young blood than champagne, made driving delightful. But they had not gone far when a huge dog from an adjacent farm house attacked them. Huntly, who could cut with his whip within an inch of where he wanted, struck him across the nose , which so infuriated the brute that he jumped at the horses, and as the whip oame down upon him the second tiue he got among their feet and frighteued them. They reared, and plunged, and taking the bits between their teeth started at a mad gallop. Huntly had a cool head, a strong wrist, and a steady hand, and could he only keep the cutter from upsetting aP would be right. Though carry- ing a whip he never used it upon his horses, and bearing steadily upon the reins, he let the animals take their head. There were but few sharp curves in the road, and few travellers out at that hour of the evening, so the chances of an upset or a collision were diminished. Sometimes the vehicle would glide only on one runner for quite a distance, and then glance back upon the other as quick as thought, but the driver's body swayed as quickly and preserved the balance. After a five miles' run he had the satisfaction of seeing the horses slacken their speed, and pay attention to his voice, and though his wrists ached from the extreme tension of the muscles, he had no difficulty in getting his horses in hand and turning their heads for home. Lucy had not uttered a word, or made the slightest movement all this time. She simply watched and prayed that their heads might not be broken when the cutter upset, for sho dreaded that event every succeeding second. The danger was now passed, and her pulses beat again in unison with freer breathing. The drive home was very pleasant, as the enjoyment was not marred by any sense of danger. The horses were quiet enough, and chat flowed on freely ; and as they reached Lucy's house she inwardly regretted that the drive was so soon over. There was heightened color in her cheeks, intenser light within her eyes, and with gladdened pulses she pressed Huntly's hand, thanking him for the dri"'ei and bidding him good-night. Before retiring, she wrote in her ' *>*!1!H THEY TWO. 11 journal :— "It was not exactly right to conclude that we had no romance or poetry in Canada ; it is only so comparatively. In old countries like England and France, time, wealth, and study have fostered an-', developed poetry, as they have also the arts and sciences; and the romance of these countries is that of olden time. In Canada we just begin to live our romance. Ours are the days of discovery and adventure. Much of our country is unexplored. Our virgin forests still sleep beneath the speil of secrecy. Our boundless prairies weave their tall grasses to winds as lone and mysterious as those that wander over home- less seas. As we grow older the beauties and the mysteries of nature will mirror themselves in our poetry; our love and woe, the joys and sorrows which make the sum of human life, will become crystallized in a pure and wholesome literature. The old world is a matron, wrinkled with thought and clouded by care while Canada is fresh as Eve, with the daybreak of creation en her face. What a dear, kind friend Huntly is, I wish I could ask him to help me with my book ! But that is still a secret." Whether the young lady was more correct in this entry in her journal than she had been in her musings a few hours before I leave the reader to determine. ' i.li!* CHAPTEE II. I i!' 1 ; Lucy Delisle was the only daughter of a Canadian lumher merchant. Her father was now dead some years. She lived with her mother in a pretty village on the Lower Ottawa. She had an only brother, Edmond, who was a land surveyor, and who was absent from home on duty, and would not return before the holidays. Lucy's mother was Irish, and her father French Canadian. Lucy had received a liberal education, and had embraced the faith of her mother, who was a Protestant. Her brother Edmond was a Roman Catholic. She had spent two or three seasons in Europe with her father, where she enjoyed the hospitality of some old English families, and joined one winter in the gaieties of Paris. She returned to Canada unsj)oiled, — the same dutiful and loving daughter as when leaving home; and after the loss of her father, which brought loss of property as well, she was even more dutiful than before. No murmur was heard from the lips of any of the little family, when forced to abandon the old home in Quebec, and journey up the Ottawa to take possession of a cottage and grounds which remained to them after settling up the estate. They had early learned the lesson of contentment, and under such circumstances there are few situations in life in which we may not enjoy a degree of happiness. It is the old secret of the Apostle to the Gentiles, " Having food and raiment let us be therewith content." There was much to interest Lucy in her new home. The cottage was comfortable and finely uituated, with an outlook on the river, and a beautiful garden well stocked with fruits and flowers. Here were exercise, health and pleasure combined. During the summer months the garden afibrded plenty of occupa- tion and keen enjoyment to both mother and daughter. Edmond found a pleasure boat upon the premises and Lucy soon learned V to manage it. Her flowers however were an unfailing source of THEY TWO. 13 joy. They seemed to her gems with which old earth decked herself, or rather, the smiles she returned to the sun for his warm kisses : " The sun's a bridegroom, earth a bride, They kiss from morn till eventide; The earth shall pas?* but love abide." The Great Teacher points us to the flowers, that we may feel Bftfe in the fatherhood of God. A modern poet exclaims :— " Were I, O God, in churchless lands remaining. Far from all voice of teachers and divines, My soul would find in flowers of thy ordaining, Priests, sermons, shrines I " The adjacent woods, too, proved new sources of pleasure. Wliat delightful rambles in the sweet September weather ; and when the early October frosts flushed the forest with gold and crimson, how glorious to drink in the splendor, and to gather rich harvests of autumnal leaves and bright berries for winter decora- tions. Then grand old winter with its sports driving, snow-shoe tramping, sliding, and skating ; while for indoors, there were books, composition, fancy work, drawing, and music. Altogether life on the beautiful banks of the Ottawa did not entail much self-denial or furnish food for bitter regrets. Huutly Marston was a native of Quebec as well as Lucy, and few were prouder than he of the Fortress City. Her "grand battery " to the East, her northern Esplanade, and the Citadel, which crowns her western heights, had been to his boyish fancy the most glorious places on which the sun had shone, and inaturer views had but little altered his opinion; while from Durham Terrace, from the Cape, or from the Ramparts, the eye takes in a scene of beauty and magnificence difticult to surpass. History, too, had embalmed her name. Men, in imagination, still hear the echo of her guns, the trumpet blast, the clash of arms, and the cheers of victory. The names of Wolfe and of M(mtculm stir men's blood till this very hour. No wonder Huntly felt proud of dear old Stadacona. He was an only son, and had a good i ; U THET TWO. iil i I deal of his cwn way, except when pressed into the service of his sisters, of whom he had three, and all charming girls. His father had been a general merchant who made advances to lumber men, and had grown wealthy. When he had made what he thought a competency for his family he prudently retired, and after a time removed to Montreal. His wife and Mrs. Delisle were second cousins, and during Mr. Delisle 's lifetime he often received advances from Mr. Marston, to whom he consigned most of his timber rafts. Towards the close of Mr. Delisle's life, however, there came a depression in the timber trade, and requiring heavier advances than usual he transferred the licenses of his timber limits to Mr. Marston as security. Jlr. Delisle's death was sudden, and occurred before any final settlement had been made with Mr. Marston. The widow was not on intimate terms with her husband's relatives, and left the winding up of his affairs to the creditor. The latter, though fond of money, was strictly honorable, and dealt fairly by the widow, who, after all claims were settled, would still own the limits and the cottage and grounds on the Ottawa. So Huntly was anxious to commence business, his father proposed making him the necessary advances if he could arrange with the widow about the limits. Huntly, with all the generosity of youth, proposed working them jointly, as well for the benefit of the Delisles as for his own, espocinlly as Lucy's brother Edmond could be taken in as a partner. Mr. Marston thought it best that Huntly should buy the limits ; and the Delisles agreeing to sell, he invested the money for them, and charged the amount to Huntly. He had already lumbered on these limits for three years at the time our story opens, and had removed to the village where the Delisles resided, in ordiT to be near his winter operations, and probably for some unconfessed reason. These details and explanations will enable the reader to understand the relations existing between the two families. tmmm CHAPTEK III. The Legislaturo at Quebec had just adjourned for the Imlidays. There had been the usual number of crude measures introduced, most of ■which would be hurried through near the close of the session. It has been too much the custom in Canada to allow undigested nieasuiss to appear on the Statute books, and then go on year after ytar amending or repealing them. Tiie consequence is we have volume after volume of enactments one half the penal- ties of which are never inflicted upon offenders. Better far never to have enacted such statutes, because men lose respict for law when its provisions are not enforced, and to offend with impunity is always demoralizing. This year before the members lel't the House on tlie night of adjournment, there had been the usual noise and disorder. Firing of paper pelletF inkst.mds, and ponderous tomes, heavy enough to floor our grave and worthy Legislators. These demonstrations were accompanied with cat calls, and other classic noises, so elevating in their tendincies. But then we must unbend sometimes, or the sevire mental Strain would hurt our worthy representatives. During the recess the Commissioner of Crown Lands, who loved a quiet smoke and a little gossip, used to stroll down of an evening to spend an hour or two in his private office at the Department. There was always a confidential ch^k or two in attendance on such occasions, and it was a well understood thing with those behind the scenes that these were fitting opportunities for trausiicting a little business. It was Christmas eve wlien Mr. Gervais, the great contractor, came sauntering into the office of the Commissioner. After the usual greetings, and some chat on things in general and nothing in particular, he a.^ked the Commissioner if he would allow him co see the last list of appli- cations for grants of timber limits. "Certainly," replied the Commissioner, for the contractor was a liberal subscriber to the election fund, and boasted of holding at least half a dozen con- ,,.|t ■ll 16 THEY TWO. <^ t stituencies in his vest pocket. After glancing over the list which had been handed in by a clerk from an outer office, Mr. Gervais ticked off some five or six of the applications, and turning with his blandest smile to the Commissioner, informed him that he desired the apportionment of these. The Commissioner did not even trouble himself to examine the checked off numbers, and without any show of interest informed the man with the large vest pocket "that it would be all right." Mr, Gervais said "good-bye," and expressed his gratitude. He had no sooner left the office than the Commissioner seized the list, and to his dismay found that most of the marked applications had been made by friends of the Government. One of them had been made by our friend Huntly Marston. It was for this purpose that he had visited Quebec some time before. His reasons for doing so were these : he found on working the limits bought from Mr, Delisle, that tliey had been pretty well cut over, and the timber in a few years would be exhausted, and he thought himself a lucky fellow wi.en Edmond Delisle gave him a hint of a well timbered vacant limit neighboring his own. Edmond had found out the valuable nature of this limit when running some lines in tliat vicinity, and lost no time in telling Huntly ; for Edmond expected one day to be a partner, and follow the business of his late father. Huntly was quite sure of getting this limit. He had agreed with the Commissioner as to the amount of bonus per mile, had lodged the money in the bank to the credit of the Department, and was daily expecting to receive his license. What was his surprise, however, on receiving instead the following letter from the Commissioner : QuEBKO, 26th Dec, 18 H. Marston, Esq. Dear Sir, — I am sorry tliat n misunderstanding has arieen respect- ing the timber limit for which you applied some time since. It has been promised to another party ; but you are at liberty to choose a limit elsewhere, and I will see that in this instance you shall not be disappointed. Yours, etc., etc., Commissioner Crown Lands, THEY TWO. 17 L8 respect- It has loose a not be ANDS. This was bad news for Huntly, He had spent some money in gettii)g the limit explored, and being well wooded and close to his other works, was to him really valuable. What was he to do ? Take the suggestion of the Commissioner, or fight it out with him ? He did not know who the " other party " was to whom the limit was promised. Was it not promised to him, was not his iipplication first on the list, and was not his money deposited ? Yes, he would fight it out with the Commissioner. The same mail brought a letter from his father, hoping tliat he would spend the New Year with them in Montreal, now that provisions and teams must all have been despatched to the woods. They had felt lonely for him at Christmas, and as he was to be absent in the woods all winter, the least he could do was to pay them a New Year's visit. Though he had intended starting for his shanties the day after New Year he now decided to accept his father's invitation, which just came in the nick of time, and aftir obtaining his advice he would proceed to Quebec and beard the Commissioner. He would get ready at once, but before doing 80 he must see Lucy and her mother, and explain to them the reason why he could not spend New Years's Day with them, as had been arranged. He flattered himself that Lucy would feel disappointed, yet felt sorry that she would be deprived of the sleijih drives he had intended giving her. When he reached tlie cottage he found her and her mother discus.iing a point he had not anticipated. Lucy had received a letter from his sist< r Mary, asking her to come down with Huntly and spend some time in Montreal. She urged many reasons why she should come. Some pleasant sleighing parties had been planned ; various entertainments were in a state of progress, and above all the skating rink was to be opened with a grand carnival shortly after the New Year. This was Mary's crowning inducement, for she knew Lucy to be passionately fond of skating. Still there was a fly in the pot of ointment. Mary regretted that Mrs. Delisle should be left alone, for such a journey in winter was out of the question for her. Lucy had decided to remain at home with her mother, nor did "Le intend accepting Mary's invitatiou B 18 THEY TWO. i!* until after seeing the cloud on Huntly's brow when he first heard her decision. So it was arranged that they two young people should start on the morrow. Mrs. Delisle hoped that Edmond might be home for New Year, and that in any case she hnd the old servant man and the maid Sally, and that they would get along cliaruiiniily for a week or two. Huntly was smarting under the bad news about the limit, but he said nothing of it to the Delisles. He dearly loved sympathy, but would say nothing to excite it. He felt grateful to Mary, his favorite sister, for thinking about Lucy; and in the anticipation of such pleasant conipanionsliip on his journey home, he nearly forgot the annoy- ance caused by the letter of the Commissioner. The home he was about visiting was a very plensant one. The house and grounds were near the head of Bleury Street, and every arrangement had been made with a view to comfort and convinience. Mr. Marston was a careful and wise man, his wifi! a model housekeeper and kind mother, but when occasion required, the black eyes would snap, owing probably to the fire of her Milesian blood. Mary was the eldest daughter, two years the junior of Huntly, and like him had her mother's dark hair and eyes, anc bright complexion. She was like Huntly, too, in decisiveness ol' character, thoughtfulness for others, tender and unchanging in her friendships. In her, the elements seemed " kindlier mixed" than in her sisters Florence and Edith. Flo- rence was a pretty blonde with blue eyes, a little vain, and somewhat sentimental. Edith was a saucy brunette, and what the French call ^n'guan^e. Mary loved her brother, Florence felt proud of him, and Edith, while she admired still felt like ruling him. They had been carefully educated and were not only amiable but clever girls. Mrs. Marston did not consider herself too old to be the companion of her daughters, the youngest of whom was now sixteen. She made it a rule to go out with them when household duties permitted. Mr. Marston was generally busy with real estate speculations and local politics, and when meetings for charitable or religious purposes did not interfere, he always spent his evenings at home. THEY TWO. 19 There was a very cordial welcome for Lucy and Huntly on their arrival in Montreal. After tea, for Mr, Marston would never alter his one o'clock dinner hour, Huntly retired to the library with his father, and the girls formed themselves into committee in Lucy's bedroom. There was less danger of being disturbed there than in the drawin-; room, and any way they were not to be *' at home " to visitors that evening. They all thought their guest much improve ' since they had last seen her. " After all," said Mary, " there is nothing like country air nnd regular hours for health, and health is the great beautifier." Lucy, who was tired and did not feel called upon to be enter- taining, remained silent. Florence thought her jtist bewitching, with her rich Franco-Irish blood tingling in her cheeks, masses of dark hair shading her white forehead, and the clear blue eyes, sometimes found with " raven tresses," lighting up a face peculiarly winning and expressive. Florence was in the gushing mood and could only talk of rural scenery, summer evenings on the Ottawa, musings by lone waterfalls, and walks by moonlight, spiced a little with romance and lovemaking ; but if it was her intention to draw out Lucy and learn her secets, she failed utterly. Lucy had the faculty of being a good listener, and shewed suflScient interest in all that Florence said to clear herself of any charge of inattention or impoliteness. Edith was waiting her chance for a little good-natured raillery, but was too much charmed with Lucy to be in any way sarcastic. Such a girl, she thought, was just fit to set young men crazy ; and she suspected that Huntly, poor moth, had singed his wings. Turning her saucy eyes upon her visitor she said : " Did you not feel as if Huntly wore running away with you, while driving down the Ottawa ? " Such an unusual question asked so abruptly took Lucy by surprise, but she was imme- diately on her guard, and answered quite naturally : " Oh, not at all, I frequently drive with your brother, and he knows so well how to manage horses that I always feel perfectly safe with him." Edith bit her rosy lip, but returned to the charge saying : 20 THEY TWO. % " I am so glad for Maud Maxwell, she loves driving, and Papa intends that Iluntly must call upon her." Mary's quiet eyes had not been idle, and catching a shade of distress passing over the face of their visitor, she rebuked Edith for her gossip, and proposed that Lucy should retire early to rest, as she must be tired after her long journey. Lucy, when alone, did not retire to bed. She pat a long time thinking. She felt sorry that she had accepted the invitation of the Marstons. Of course it was kind of them to ask her, and they had been num- bered among her oldest friends. Home was tlie safest place; yet after all it was not best to drop out of society, people grew somewhat stupid always immured at home. They grew angular or moss-grown. The social mill was the place for getting rounded off and polished. If, as the French tell us, we must suffir to become beautiful, so must we also suffer to grow strong mentally. Lucy decided that she would not shrink within her shell, even for rude touches, but that she, would be very guarded, as she always had been, in her intercourse with Huntly Marston. She desired to live in peace and charity, and kneeling, as was her W(int, before undressing, she committed herself to the care of her Heavenly Father, and invoked blessings on her widowed mother in her lone home up the Ottawa, on her brother Edmond in the far off woods among rough companions, on the friends at whose house she was stopping, and on " A nearer one still, and a dearer one. Yet, than all other." CHAPTER IV. The library to which Mr. Marstoa and his son retired on the ni^ht of the latter's arrival was not a largo room, but the shelves were well filled with useful books in solid bindings. Many new volumes had been added since Huntly had last visited it : among which were the recently issued Statutes of Canada, the Code Civil, and other law books; for Mr. Marston had been appointed a Justice of the Peace within the year, and prided himself upon his judicial capability. He was first to open the conversation, and as usual was full of himself and his doings. He cold Huntly that he had netted large sums in his recent real estate transactions, and that since his arrival in Montreal, or in a period of ten years, he had rolled up about one hundred thou- sand pounds. " This," said he to Huntly, " is better than lumbering." Huntly confessed it was, and at once introduced the matter of the limit he feared losing. It might seem odd that an only son with so rich a father should be anxious about the possession of a timber limit ; but he had commenced business for himsolf, was a little proud, and very desirous to be independent. He did not love money for itself, but he prized many things which in this world are not easily procured without money. In order to increase our wealth, some say we must hold tightly to what we have, grasp firmly that within our reach, either by our own efforts or favoring circumstances. If your foot is upon the first rung of the ladder, and the next step attainable, let there be no halting, take the step quietly but surely. Always " take care of the fragments," for, as the French say, " it is what you save enriches you." And yet, "a man's life consisteth not in tho abundance of the things that he possesseth." It every day I 22 THEY TWO. becomes more evident that large fortunes are not nlways blessings to those who acquire them, much less so to their inheritors. Mr. Marston, on learning the ?ction of the Crown Lands Commissioner, decided with Iluntly that he should go to Quebec and fight it out with him ; but before doing so he thought it best to con -ult Mr. Allen, his legal adviser. They decided to call on the lawyer next morning, as no business could be transacted on the following day. After some casual chat they separated for the night, Mr. M.irston making no allusion to the matrimonial speculation he had in view for Iluntly. To tell the truth he would like to see some of the girls settled before he broached the subject of matrimony to Iluntly, but time, time which waits for none of us, was slipping pust. Here was another New Year's day, and this would be the fourth season of Hunlly's lumbering operations. He would be twenty-five on his next birthday, and Mary twenty-three on hers. And himself? Well, it was no matter about himself. It was just as well to forget his birthday. The golden decade between forty and fifty had long been past. But what of that, his latter years had all been golden. Had he been laying up treasure where it would not rust ? Well, he would try and do so ; but he must not defer any longer in broaching his pet scheme to Huntly. Mr. Marston was very regular in his habits, and expected every member of his family to be in the breakfast room by eight in the morning in winter, and an hour earlier than that in summer. Lucy was a few minutes late next morning, which of course was overlooked. Slie had enjoyed a good night's rest, for, *' with a clear conscience we sleep soundly," and she looked refreshed, and quite as engaging as on the previous even'ng. She wore a soft, warm-tinted brown French merino ; a corn-color zypher crape tie round her throat, with the least bit of crimson in her dark hair. Mary and her sisters were plainly but tastefully attired. Breakfast over, the family adjourned to the sitting room for family worship, Mr. Marston rem:irking, as he had often done before, that " prayers and provender hindered no man." He who begrudges ten or fifteen minutes service, evening and mom- THEY TWO. 23 ing to his Creator and Benefactor, is, to say the least, ungrateful. The best, the ablest, and the most successful men of all times are those who have been most frequent at a throne of grace. " Prayer is a breath that floats beyond this iron world, And reaches Him who made it." * After prayer Mr. Marston intimated to Iluntly that he was going into the city on a little business, and wished him to be.ir him company ; and as for the ladies, if they desired an outing, Roger would harness the horses and attend on them ; as for him- self his motto was " use limbs and have them." Unfortunately in Canada our roads, as a rule, do not invite walking, especially for ladies, who in this country indulge too little in this health- giving exercise. The freshness so long retained by English ladies is doubtless owing to their love of walking, rather than to the moist English climate. Before the girls separated for a while to attend to personal matters, Edith decided on drawing another bow at a venture, and proceeded to enlighten Lucy by saying : " She was sure Papa intended Huntly to pass by Sherbrooke street, and see the beautiful house and grounds of Miss Maxwell." I fear prayer had not its legitimate influence on Edith that J. iorning. In the meantime Huntly and his father were on their way to Little St. James street, to Pee the lawyer, who was an early man and generally down to his office by nine in the morn- ing. His law firm had the best practise in the city. Mr. Allen, the head of the firm, was a keen, active man, and probably the best informed lawyer in the Province. He was a politician, as are most of our legal men, and enjoyed the right of placing "Honorable" before his name. He was very affable with his clients and never forgot any one who had rendered him a service. Mr. Mar.-ton had sometimes become his banker in conu' ction with election expenses when Mr. Allen was a younger man, and as he refused to accept any interest the lawyer always felt a pleasure in giving him the soundest advice, and had also put several good * Those who sneer at the reasonableness of prayer should read Sir William Dawson's observations on that subject. ^1 .M umi 24 THEY TWO. ! bargains in Mr. Mar>ton'8 way. After Mr. Allen had beard Iluutly's account of ibe Conimi.-sioner's conduct, be gave them so'iie news. He bad just learned tbat a new writ bad been issued for tbe return of a member for tbe town of Tbree Elvers, «nd tbat the brother of the Commissioner had just decided to be tbe candidate on the Ministerial or Conservative side. Tbe Government had been pushed pretty close lately. The local candidate was a Liberal, but with Government patronage, and above all tbe " sinews of war," success might be considered certain. He knew tbat the Conservative candidate had but little money to spare, the election fund was low, and if Mr. Marston was anxious to save his limit he must give his cheque for a thousand pounds towards securing Tbree Rivers for the Government. He, Mr. Allen, was going down after the new year to ascertain the position of parties. In the meantime young Mr. Marston should go to Quebec, bring what political interest he possessed to bear on the Commissioner, and call at Three Rivers on his way up, and let him know tiie result. If he succeeded, the money would be saved, if not, they would have to make the be>uch, and in their daily married lives dragging them down to their own soiled and sordid level. Will the time ever come when the carefully nurtured, the pure and modest maiden will r.ject with scorn the advances of all young men who are morally defiled ? If our young Canadian ladies would only set the example in this matter, there would be a brighter prospect of mure of our young men attaining to perfect manhood than do attain, in the present generation, and we should see their declining years turn out a benison and not a curse to their nearest friends. Miss Maxwell was alone when Mr. Marston and Huntly called. It was the first time he had been in her company. H ;n • "' •:!; 28 THET TWO. He had only seen her in the street occasionally. She was dressed with much taste, — " divinely tall, and most divinely fair ; " quiet, yet pleasant, and withal dignified. Huntly was favorably im- pressed. They remained but a short time, and after they had left, the elder gentleman was gratified on hearing his son pro- nounce Maud Maxwell to be a perfect lady. He kept his own counsel for the present, and relied on the wit of Edith for bring- ing about further meetings in the course of the coming summer. On her part Miss Maxwell was interested in her young visitor. He was a very different sort of man from her city acquaintances. He wore a thick, black beard, while they were closely shaven. His face and hands were brown by exposure to the weather, while theirs were white and delicate. His appearance altogether gave one the impression of strength, activity, and manliness. Misa Maxwell thought of him several times during the day. The day passed, as do all other days ; only there was more liquor drank than usual, and more platitudes uttered. " A very fine day " was the stock in trade spoken and echoed from east to west of the city. Well, the thing was true, and worse might have been said and doubtless was said, only it hiirdly bears repeating. The day was a long one to Lucy, though but a blink at this season of the year. It would also have proved pleasant but for one cir- cumstance : Among the visitors caliiug on the Marstons came one Frank Meredith, a young American, whom Lucy hud met in Paris some years ago, and where he had been very attentive. Ee- cognizini.' him at once, she managed to leave the room just in time to prevent an introduction. She feared he had seen her features and would make enquiries, as he did not fail doing ; and asked permission of the Misses Marston to call again and pay his respects to an old acquaintance. When Lucy heard this she grew somewhat alarmed. She had no special liking for Frank Mere- dith, and feared complications might arise from further inter- course, especially as Edith clapped her hands with, delight in prospect of a little romance, as Edith termed it, but which ac- cording to Lucy might mean a little mischief. It might natur- ally be supposed that Lucy had no cause for alarm; nor would THET TWO. 29 she have felt any fear, had her heart been in her own keeping, and not carried aoout by one who mijrht wound it unconsciously! Her spirits were further depressed when Edith paid her a visit in her room that nij