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Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppldmentaires: L'Institut a microfilm6 le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographiique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m6thode normale de filmage sont indiquds ci-dessous. □ Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur D D 2r! rs J U i.1 ^cL ■r\ ^- ^i-n rr . n /.\ f'^ :^ '. . u --^^ ■ ■-■ !r^ '---^ '^ ^ A i^':"'!:^:^ -^ir- rrrr C',,'i.J'>'< »% *» «/ry»,>.'\*-<-/X/»^V\/WVN/W%/^ CHAPTER I. She •wandered on from mom to night', High were the trees — the lake was broad ; And not a sheltering roof in sight. Nor friend to cheer the lonely road. Toward the clcse of a' warm and bright day, a young girl was walking alone in one of the sublime wildernesses of Upper Canada. She might be fourteen or sixteen years of age. Her head and feet were uncovered ; and the tattered English frock which she wore, with tight sleeves, barely hiding her shoulders, left her arms also exposed. As she walksd slowly, she leaned on a strong branch of a tree that she had picked up, but it was evident, that even with the assistance of this, she could scarcely move onwards, so much was she fatigued. In truth, her solitary journeying had continued nearly t i M 2 ' TUK CANADIAN OIKL. all the (lay ; during which time she had not seen one human habitation. lk>undiess woods surrounded her; and, with the lake whose margin she pursued, were silent to-awfulness. Scarce a bird nmong the trees or on tlie water was seen or heard ; sometimes a fawn darted from the thicket on her right to slake its thirst in the clear broad stream, and at the sight of the girl, scoured off to join its companions ».t a distance ; but the noise the animal made tended rather to heighten, than disturb, the deep repose of the scene. The brief Canadian summer had opened here all its finest beauties, which the mois- ture exhaled from the lake, prevented from becoming scorched and withered. The soil, always fertile, had now cast up its rarest productions, which no hand of man had sown or planted. Long grass, of a brilliant green, covered all the wild undulations of the ground, as far as the windings of the lake and the woods permitted them to be seen. Herbage, in luxuriant variety, mingled with the grass, and exhibited the utmost freshness, its tints comprising all shades of green, with sometimes a bright brown or red. Occasionally, openings in the tangled underwood, revealed spots of fairy-like beauty, sheltered under the long overhanging branches of enormous trees, and in such spots the few coy flowers which graced the solitude, were principally gathered. There were six majestic trees standing apart from the thicket to which they belonged, like a family growing in close union, side by side: their far-extending roots touched the water, and their combined foliage formed a dark shade upon the grass for a considerable distance round about them. They were Canadian oaks, of ancient growth^ and of more than the usual size of that species. THE CANADIAN GIRL. a As tTie girl advanced toward these oaks, she perceived that the knotty fibres of their roots made the ground, on the lake side, very hard and unequal for her blistered feet, therefore she turned aside to the thicket, and fol- lowed its course instead of that of the stream. She had not gone many yards forward before she heard the click of a rifle behind, and turning her head (quickly beheld two Indian hunters in the shade of the detached group of oaks ; one was on his knee taking aim at some object on the top of a tall cotton-wood tree, just beyond the spot where she stood, and the other stood in an easy attitude by his companion's side, ready to watch the re- sult of the shot. The next moment the frightful scream of a young eagle rang through the air at the same time with the startling report of the rifle. The noble bird fell to the earth beating its wide wings with a loud noise, in the agony of death. *' We have her — we havo kur!" shouted both the hunters, in the Indian tongue, springing forward to seize their prize. " 'Tis the calumet eagle, brother," ■aid the taller hunter, '* that carried off the red deer 80 gallantly, last sunset ; she's as brave a white-head as ever wore plume. I know her own screech — it is the loudest and the fiercest I ever heard." " She has screeched her last, poor bird !" said the other, who was a twin- brother of the hunter who had just spoken. •' We are in luck to day ! this has been the best shot aimed for these twelve moons past ! Come, help me to sling it upon my back." The tallest hunter, however, stood ^vith his keen black eyes fixed with awe upon the thicket, and allowed his brother to buckle the leathern strap around the body of i.i ! 1^ 4 THE CANADIAN GIRL. the eagle, unassisted. The two Indians exactly resembled each other in all points, excepting height. They were well-made, muscular, and handsome; and apparentfj had no more than just reached the period of manhood. Their countenances expressed openness, honesty, and daring : they were inseparable at all times. Their rifles were made of the same kind of dark wood, of one length, and of the same weight ; the pouch and horn which each had hanging from the shoulder, were of one shape and size; and the scanty, primitive garment of skins, with the hair outwards, was worn alike upon both figures. In the deer-skin belt drawn around each waist was placed a broad knife in a leathern sheath, with a stout handle of budihorn, both made of one pattern. " What is it that my brother sees 1" asked the shorter Indian, who was stooping over the eagle, and with aston- asKment perceived the awe-struck looks of his companion, for which he could discern no adequate cause. " Softly !" cried the other, with uneasiness : " 'Twas a white spirit I No woman of the Pale-faces would be abroad here — ^'tis an impossibility ! If she had the foot of a hunter, she could not reach the nearest settlement before to morrow's dawn 1" A few more words passed between the Indians, and then leaving the bird which they had had the unusual good fortune to bring down, they pressed side by side into the thicket, where the girl had appeared to the taller hunter — but she was not to be seen. " What did I say to you ?" said the Indian who bad espied her. " Did I not see a white spirit that had come from the Indian's happy hunting-grounds whither our fathers are gone V m THE CANADIAN GIRL. ** We will search further,'* said the other, sendinjf a keen glance around: "there may be* some Pale-faces here, from tie farm of the good old white man, the Pastor, as they call him — he that teaches them out of the Great Book : they come many days journey to hear him ; they may be lying shaking in the grass now, for fear, thinking we are savage hunters who would take them prisoners and scalp them. These Pale-faces, brother, have womens hearts, and their women are like the fawns, they drop down at the sound of a rifle !" '■* " No ; it was a white spirit," said the taller ; " 1 saw it pass under these outside trees, alone, before you fired. Hark! did not the bushes rustle*?" and he stooped with his hand in that of his brother, attentively listening for a considerable time. All was still, however ; and they both became convinced that no human being was near : fully satisfied of this, after the most vigilant watchfulness, they returned to the spot where they had left the bird of prey. The taller Indian looked on with quiet exultation, while the other traced the passage of the lead through its body. " A clean shot, Sassa !" said he, turning it over, and pointing with his finger to the ruffled and stained feathers on the left side of the breast. " It hit her right under the wing !" Sassa disdained to express the pleasure he felt, but it was sufficiently seen in the dancing light of his fearless eye, and in the proud, but smiling curve, of his lip. Grasping the legs of the eagle with both hands, and exertmg all his muscles to support the weight, the shorter Indian swung the bird on his back, and proceeded with it to the side of the lake. Sassa followed^ carrying the 6 THE CANADIAN GIRil, I two rifles on his right arm, while his left assisted in supuortinor the body of the eagle, the left hand affection- ately resting on the farthest shoulder of his brother. " This is the first calumet eagle you have touched since we have hunted together, Sassa," said he who bore the bird. " It is a rare piece of luck ! but who can tell," he added, '' that it always lived in a nest ? Our people have wonderful traditions ; and the good white Pastor told us, Sassa, what we know to be true, that the Great Spirit can do greater things than we know of. Who can tell," he said, turning upon his brother a look of real seriousness, " long before the crack of a bullet was heard in the Canadas, or the mocassin on the foot of an Indian had pressed the grass of the wilderness, the spirit of the eagle you. have killed might have dwelt in another shape — ^the shape you have just seen, Sassa ?" " Would the spirit of an eagle dwell in a woman of the White race, when it was once so seldom found in their men ?" asked Sassa. The other did not reply ; but throwing down his burden at the edge of the water, stood reflecting ; then exclaimed under the sudden im- pulse of that generous afiection for which both these Indians were remarkable, " I am glad my brother struck the eagle ! It is fit that Sassa, who has the steadiest hand, and sharpest eye, among the braves of our tribe, should win feathers with his own rifle for his head ! It shall be told to his honour before the aged hunters in our lodges !" Sassa stretched out his hand — and his proud lips quivered with manly sensibility, as, emulating the grace- ful humility of the other, he said, " The old hunters have given my brother the name of the Eagle Eye ; and the buffalo^ and moose-deer, know that his hand is steady !" i KiiitXi imm THE CANADIAN GIRL. He paused — ^leaning in a dignified attitude on his rifle, then resumed, with something of passion in the depth of his tones, " Shall I tell the son of my father, that our hearts are as one ? This eagle which he sees, is his ; and the buck, whose plump side sheathed his ar. ow to the head yesterday — is mine. Have we not one lodge t Do we not eat together? The Pale-faces have taken away our woods on the west, (where Lake Erie, and the rivers which run inland, have borne our fathers canoes,) but here they come more slowly — ^here they dread more the snow and the cold. My brother and I, with the few that remain of our tribe, will hunt here as our fathers liunted in days past ; and Sa&sa will die with his fellow hunter — for he was born with him !'* As he concluded, a canoe, covered with sheets of birch-bark, which had been hidden under the bushes and weeds of the bank, •hot into sight upon the watei. The valuable prize the hunters had obtained was placed between them in the narrow vessel, and they were soon at the opposite side of the lake, where vast trees formed a dark wall, growing within the boundary of the stream. From the hollow trtmk of a decayed beechi-tree, when tne twin-brothers had disappeared, stepped the girl, half doubtful that she had indeed concealed herself so eflec- tuallv. She looked anxiouslv on all sides ; and then, with the aid of her branch, again endeavoured to move for- ward ; but her limbs failed to perform their office, and she sank on the ground. ^ ', t .. , Night came on, and mists rising from the lake, hung suspended between the sky and the eallh; but the air was soft and refreshing to the wearied and fevered girl. She had found a little honev in the tree-hollow which at'- a r % I , i' .1 • ■ •. . V ■ I f THE CANADIAN GIRL. had sheltered her, and had spread it over half of a small cake that had been given to her when she started upon her extraordinary journey ; with this she drank a little fresh water, that she obtained in the hollow of her hands from a rill which bubbled up from the ground within the labyri tth nf the thicket, and flowed past her tempcjrary resting place. When the last morsel of her cake was eaten, she clasped her hands on her knee, and looked up fixedly to the darkening heavens. Her lips moved with inward prayer ; and instead of expressing appre- hension, her pale countenance was irradiated with a smile of thankfulness. She next arranged for herself a couch of balsam-tree boughs, and broad leaves, in a spot entirely hidden from sight, just within the thicket, and there yielded to the welcome slumber that stole swiftly over her senses. When she awoke, it was with a convulsive start, and she sprang up crying in shrill tones that sounded far through the thicket, " Father — father — take me in the boat ! Leave me not in the burning ship ! O, father, as you hope for mercy, save me I save me !" The words died off on her tongue, as, trembling from head to foc% she revived to consciousness. Looking at her bed of balsam, her lips moved again with thankful emotions. She kneeled down, and thanked the Almighty that Ae was safe. It was strange that so young a girl, entirely unprotected, in a place so wild, and lonely, should be thankful for her safety ! Yet so it was — and the feeling was ardent too, again producing a flickering smile on her lips, as she took up her branch with renewed activity, and proceeded on her toilsome way. The mists were dissipated by the rising sun, which threw its long IE, •f^yii^*].^u--''i-'- -^ THE CANADIAN GIRL. 9 tracks of fire on the lake. Wild-ducks were floating out from their coverts, and arranging their feathers witli their bills ; woodcocks and snipes, in considerable numbers, added to the exhiliration of the scene ; and, as the lake narrowed, she heard the loud clarion notes of a pair of majestic swans, that moved slowly and heavily' over the surface of the water. The heat incrcfised; — but she walked onwards with the steadiness and speed of one who had from her birth been inured to danger, hardship, and fatigue, and who was supported by a resolution based upon no common motives, which buoyed up her spirits to a pitch above that usual with woman. About the time of noon she rested in a sweetly shaded spot, where she providentially found a piece of bison- meat and some scraps of venison, which had been cooked and left by hunters; there were other remnants scattered around, all of which she collected in the skirt of her frock, as she acknowledged with tears, the kindness of Him who feeds the young ravens when they cry. Thus re- plenished, she felt new vigour, and, hope leading the way, she pressed on once more, having bound around her feet some broad leaves which defended them for a time from the ground. When the leaves wore off she replaced them with fresh ones, but by this time the way had grown much softer and easier, lying on a gentle descent, and covered with a thick layer of turf, and tender grass ; a breeze, most grateful and refreshing, abated the fervent heat ; and cascades, and small water courses, delightfully varied the plain upon which she was now entering, and replied to the soft murmurings of the breeze with a soothing and stilly sound. ^ - • l\4. 10 THE CANADIAN GIRL. "li CHAPTER 11. " I wonid you did bat see how the storm chafes, how it rages, how it takes np the shore ! but that's not to the point." — Shakespeare. ** They hurried us aboard a bark ; Bore us some leagues to sea ! where they prepar'd A rotten carcase of a boat, not rigg'd. Nor tackle, sail, nor mast ; the rery rats Instinctively had quit it x there they hoist us, To cry to the sea that roarM to us ; to sigh / To the winds, whose pity sighing back again. Did us but loving wrong." — Shakspeare. ! i: ' '.I' ! -lii *' : li! "! The recollections of the young girl just^ introduced, went as far back as her fourth birthday. On 1. at day she was in the interior of a chip which tossed very much under one of those violent storms which are so frequent and dangerous on Lake Superior — This lake is the largest and most elevated, as well as the most remote, of the singular inland chain of great North American seas of fresh water, which, says a writer, " may well be considered the wonder and admiration of the world ;" beyond this lake, lie interminable wastes of the dreariest possible description, utterly uninhabitable, and buried under perpetual winter. During that storm she remembered lying in her fa- ther's cabin, while he sat by her, eiideavouring in a very THE CANADIAN GIRL. 11 kind manner, to keep down the terror which every now and then caused her to scream aloud, and to cling rouud his neck in convulsions. Frequently he was called upon deck, by the title of " Mate !" and then an old sailor, called Toby Haverstraw, took her father's place, and administered brandy to her. The storm being over, she was led by her father to the forepart of the vessel, and shown the boiling waves, which, as far as the eye could see, appeared like mountains of white foam, inter- sected by pitchy vallies, and gulfs of frightful depth. The clouds seemed to hang so low as almost to touch the crests of these dazzling and innumerable heights — and altogether, the spectacle was such as the child could never forget It precipitated her mind forwards in intel- ligence, and roused her faculties to premature action. She could retrace with what extraordinary quickness, after that day, she had imbibed new ideas, and how swiftly her capacity for affection had enlarged itself. Her father was loved with more and more devoted ness ; — the water and the sky unfolded more and more wonders ; — the ship was more and more a place of strange occur- rences ; — and these composed her world for several years. She became pleased with every variation of the atmosphere. She learnt by degrees to admire the very phenomena which caused her dread. Isolated from all but her father, and ignorant of the world, she early en- tertained the design of devoting her life to his good. He was a man of proud and careless mien, and of a reserved, disdainful temper, which had procured him the nickname of " Seignior," among the crew, who,* nevertheless, paid great deference to his distinguished nautical skill and courage. He seldom suffered his child % M H THE CANADIAN GIRL. ''I to leave his cabin in order to go on deck, unless in company with nim, and then never kept his eye off from her until she returned to it again. When she was gettinj^ dull, he would send in Toby Haverstraw to entertain her by answering her multitudinous questions concerning such a coast, such a sea, or such a storm ; and to provoke her to question him further, the sailor would tell tales of marvellous events that he had picked up from seamen at different periods of his marine life. Hence, Toby be- came .'ilso much loved by Little Jenny, which was the name he bestowed on her. The use of these two words was a particular favour permitted to Toby by the mate her father, and to him only, for none else were allowed to address her by any other but the English appellation — Miss Anderson. Her father himself 'jailed her Jane, as did likewise the captain — a grave, good old man, who seemed to leave all the active manaorement of the ship to Leonard Anderson — his mate, Jane was sometimes left on shore in the care of persons on whom her father could rely — once she was left at Quebec, in Lower Canada, in the house of the captain's iddy, where she learnt more of the true nature of right and wrong, of good and evil — with the addition of the ordinary rudiments of female education — than ever she had learnt before. There was an originality about the little girl that delighted Madame Barry, and she took considerable pains vill'ix her. This lady was childless, having lost her only son in the disease known as the March fever. Long-enduring grief for his loss had imparted to her bearing an air of touching melancholy, which called forth the sympathy of all who approached her. She constantly retained her IBff'gBMW tf'g* * "^" " TllK CANADIAN tilRL. 13 mourning dress, which she purposed wearing without change during, the remainder of her life. Its never- varying style, a la Francaise^ rather stiif and antique, but charmingly relieved with snowy-white frills, ker- chiefs, and ruffles, harmonised with, and expressed her character; her precise head-dress, composed of white crape, under the surveillance of a reputed French- Canadian milliner of Quebec — suited very well the settled placidity and gravity of her matron features, which were marked with the sorrows and trials of fifty years. The captain, her husband, was fifteen years older than herself, ar ^ it was while Jane Anderson was at his house that he was gone upon what he had hoped would prove his last expedition, before he finally grave up a sea life. And his last expedition it proved — for he never returned more. Madame Barry, leading Jane by the hand, daily visited the Quebec Harbour in search of her husband's vessel, or with the expectation of receiving some intelligence of it; but month after montb passed away, after the period when his return was ex- pected, and hope was gradually changed into agonising doubt and apprehension. At length Madame Barry re- ceived tidings that a vessel had been cast away in the north channel of the St. Lawrence, between Ileaux Cou- dres and Quebec, where many shipwrecks had before occurred. Further particulars arrived to confirm her worst fears ;■ and at length it was proved, beyond all doubt, that it was Captain Barry's vessel which had sunk almost in sight of the bay of La Prairie, on the north side of He aux Coudres, and it was supposed that all on board had perished. But in a short time after came still more distressing 1 -*♦ 14 THE CANADIAN 01 RL. i i' tidings. The weather, at the time of the wrecking of the Antelope vessel, belonging to Captain Barry, had been particularly calm, and this circumstance, joined with others of a still more suspicious nature, led to the appalling supposition that the ship had been purposely foundered by some of the crew. Madame Barry no sooner became convinced of tho truth of this report, than she sold off her few possessions and entered a convent of Quebec, Upper Town. Pitying the forlorn condition of Jane Anderson, whose father she supposed had perished with the captain, Madame would have taken the friendless girl into the convent with her, and would have provided for her education and mainte- nance there, until she was grown to a more advanced age. But her kindly intentions were frustrated, by the sudden disappearance of the object for whose benefit they were exerted. Jane was wandering in the extensive garden adjoining Madame Barry's residence, when her father and Toby Haverstraw appeared on the path before her, just within the gate. She would have screamed for joy, but was prevented by the former, who immediately took her to the St. Lawrence river, and placed her in a smali boat, which, rowed by Toby and another sailor, quickly reached a long, but lightly-framed ship, that Jane had never seen before. Upon this vessel she heard her father hailed as " Captain,** instead of " Mate," the latter office being now assigned to Tobv Haverstraw. Before she had done wonderinsr at this and other strange alterations, for which she could not account, and of which she received no explanation, Leonard Anderson directed the " Vulture " to be set for- ward up the St. Lawrence toward the great Lakes of 'oby thi n was the Ich, Ire. to lat lid r of ' I i' i I |H. urawn byT.USietaerd* ii,;* try V.'V.'alliinj 'Ml ii < It LxnAi-'JTr.:- . .'ANi; lay ucwn hy n oktti.kuk.v:', *VKD SI. KPT!' J "If Tii£ CANADIAN GIRL. 15 h^ Upper Canada. — It was done ; — and the Pirate (for such was Anderson now) continued navigating on these in- land seas, his daugliter living in his cabin, until the pe- riod of the opening of our story, when Jane had left the ship under circumstances of peculiar terror, and had fled for refuge to the wilderness. At the eve of her second dfiy's journey, being exhausted, she lay down by a settlement and slept. She had walked during those two days from a river connected with the Ottawa, a distance of thirty or forty miles, but had now, though she knew it not, reached the place of her desti- nation. She was roused about midnight by the noise of a North American vrattle-snake, one of which had coiled itself under some dwarf bank-pines alnrost close by the felled tree on which she had pillowed her head. She arose immediately; but found her joints so stiff and painful that she could scarcely stand. Now, indeed, her heart sank fearfully; she stood moveless for a consider- able time, hardly daring to breathe, but yet all the time endeavouring to call up sufficient of that energetic courage, which was native in her heart, to resist the in- fluences of her dreadful situation ! Presently, while a clammy dew overspread her face and her hands, while she appeared under the starry sky, and amid the dusky foliage, as 9, fixed and rigid figure of marble, the cautious dash of the paddle of a canoe came upon her ear as the most welcome sound ever heard beneath heaven. She turned her head in the direction from whence the sound had come, and beheld a scene of the most picturesque description : — an oval basin of calm clear water from the lake lay stretched out in front of numerous log-houses and cabins, wiiich were backed by lofty pines firs, and m ,!' '1; ." 1 ''i ■| m ■'r'4 i • ,.1 ] » M 16 THE CANADIAN GIRL. P cedars; its banks were formed of high and wild green slopes, thickly bordered with bank-pines, juniper shrubs, and other small trees, such as flourish principally in low. well-watered districts. The dark surface of the water mirrored these around its edges, while in the centre the twinkling orbs above were reflected with all their solemn beauty. But the eye of the girl gazed not at any of those parts of the picture — neither did she take any notice of the bold ridge of rocky hills which ran by the settlement on the right, exhibiting a lofty mass of shade, and an out- line of positive grandeur — nor did she observe on the left, an abrupt and deep ravine, which descended from the level land ; — but her eye was strained through the all- pervading gloom, on perhaps a dozen bright red lights, irhich were burning near together — sometimes stationary, sometimes moving — a few inches above the surface of (he water. She knew they were formed of blazing pine- knots, placed in iron baskets at the heads of fishing-boats; and thus she was aware that succour was nigh. *' Ah !" she cried, trembling and weeping with ex- citement, " I shall yet be safe ! I have reached the settlement ^vhereto I was directed. In a few minutes- only a fe'.v minutes — I shall have made the flshers hear me, and then I need fear no more !" She endeavoured to call aloud, but her voice was weak and hoarse, with the heavy cold she had caught by sleeping on the damp ground. Having walked with pain and difficulty to that part of the bank nearest the lights, and farthest from the dangerous rattle-snake which she had espied, she again strovo to attract the attention of the fishers ; but failing, sat down close to the water and wept aloud, drooping her head on her knees, and clasping her hands over it. ' •' - ' i: '.-a s '■•*".'! ■ "i H' > i •* THE CANADIAN GIRL. •' » ,. .<; :*) ' } r ^ ' CHAPTER 111. •♦ What is my oUeace ? " — Shakspear*. 17 n ^ • • ai:.^.' ', tV <• i -.'..' ^- ■<• IEl f 1^ i . ' ' >"g. In this valley stood twro principal farms, lying near to eacK other, and enjoying a highly prosperous con- dition. A little beyond them was the romantic resi- dence of a magistrate of this district, named Wilson, ivhose office might be considered almost a sinecure, but tor the circumstance that he received no salary. He was tlie resident pastor also, and engaged himself unceasingly in the labours belonging to this profession. A grandson and grandaughter, Arthur Lee, and Lucy, his sister, were his endeared companions amid the wil- derness; the one adorned his small, Dut nteresting efftablishment, over which she presided — the other shared and cheered his study and his mentiil toil, and also* overlooked the cultivation of his grounds. ' l^he poor wandering daughter of the Pirate of the- l!>akes, a short time after her arrival in the neighbour- - hood of the two large farms of this settlement, sat em- ployed in making nets at one corner of the main apart- ment of that farm which Jay nearest to the iarge pool on i *F', 18 THE CANADIAN GIRL. 1- •' i- I;: which she had seen the fishers. In this apartment were at least a dozen persons assembled, to whom Pastor Wilson was continually exclaiming, " Good people — peace ! No sense, nor reason, is to be heard in such confusion, 'i his is worse than Babel ! Will you be silent — that those may speak who know something of t 9 matter !" His gold-headed cane was frequently rapped on the floor to assist the effect of his words; and at length the hubbub, which had existed for a quarter of an hour without cessation — ^began to subside. " Now, Pastor Wilson," cried the master of the farm, subduing the rough and vindictive tones of his angry voice, into a more respectful modulation, " please you, let us know your mind ?" " If you will hear me, Joshua," said the pastor, " I wifl. But hitherto there has been no opportunity for me to speak one word. Bring the young man hither, and place your family around my chair, farmer. I must first hear 1h© statements of you and your's; then con^^erse with the accused; and afterwards, I hope to give such a judgment as shall satisfy all of you." " Judgment !" muttered the farmer (or backwoods- man), casting his eye toward a young man of very pre- possessing exterior, who advanced to the left side of the arm-chaii ^n which the benevolent pastor sat. " Judg- ment! were I on the States-frontier, out of reach of the law — a tough hiccory-branch, and a stout cord, should soon give the rogue judgment ! There he stands, pastor !" continued the half-wild settler aloud, pointing to the youth, who, with a smile of calm contempt seemed to defy his threats : — " there he stands — ^the knave • ¥rith ^that cursed care-for-noihing look of his — which I THE CA^ADIAN ClllL. 19 )re- Ithe of K Is, I k< « « guess has stolen awa^ the wits of all the fujiish girls in the two farms !" — ; *' Softly, my good Joshua," interrupted the pastor ; •* we will see justice done to you — do not fear. What id your name, young man ?" " Nicholas Clinton," replied the person addressed^ with a peculiarly pleasing tone of voice, acci^mpanied bjr a respectful bend of the head. And your country 1" demanded the venerable pastor. Germany." Germany — Germany — ^" repeated the interrogator — your name is not German — T think ! it is more like one of my own country. Your appearance is English, too.'* At these words Nicholas Clinton avoided the pas- tor's eye, and appeared slightly embarrassed. "And how long have you been from Germany 'f* said Pastor Wilson. " Nearly four years,** replied Clinton. *• And what were your intentions in emigratm|; hither.''' " I came to see a near relative, my mother, who liv jd in Lower Canada." was the reply ; " but the ship in which I sailed was foundered ; its commander. Captain Barry, and all his crew sank with it I got to land by floating on a piece of the wrecU, until a passing vessel picked me up. Afterwards, I made my way with great difficulty to this part of the country, and then — ^" " He imposed on me^ so that I took him into my farm !" exclaimed the backwoodsman ; " and here he has been treated like one of my own sons — let him denj it if he can J" ^* X nerer will deny it t" said Clinton. ^' I have found w.-J I i ■■.Ml Mil mo THE CANADIAN GIRL. you liospitaoie and generous — and I have done all that ]ay in my power to repay you. Certainly — I could not toil as you and your sons have toiled : my frame," he said, stretching out his arms, and surveying his very slight figure with a smile, " is of a different quality from your's. — I was never made to wield the hatchet ; — but I have k6pt your reckonings — penned your letters — con- tracted your bargains — and seen your timber floated down the Ottawa, for saie — besides — "^ " Corrupting the household!" cried farmer Joshua, with a look of rage. " Whom have I corrupted?" asked Clinton, very coolly. ''' " Whom !" repeated the backwoodsman. " Here, Dan — Dan, step out into the light, boy, and tell your tale I" With an air of authority he beckoned as he spoke to one of his sons, whom the females of the household were endeavouring to keep baclc. " Come liither, Dan — or it will be worse for you !** exclaimed the fathfir. " Put aside the babbling women, and tell Pastor Wilson the truth. — Do you hear !" The last three words were pronounced with startling power, and they were answered immediately by the ap- proach of Dan to the head of the room, whither he wa« followed close by his mother and sisters. " If you speak one word more than is true — ^may yout tongue be blistered for a twelvemonth !" said the settler^s wife. ^ ' *' Go ! — you were always a mischief-maker, and a trouble-sower, you were, Dan! Could nothing serve \our turn, but you must set this fire raging ?•* cried his eldest sister, with bitter emphasis. *^^^ i ** I! THE CANADIAN GIRL. 31 " I guess/* sai<^ .l,')an, casting a half-apologetic look toward Clinton, " I have made more stir here than 1 meant to make." " Why I am glad to hear you say so !" said the pastor, who felt secretly much interested for the youth. " Well, then, after all it is some slight offence — nothing of any consequence, which Nicholas Clinton has committed." " He tells you a lie, if he says it is no more !'* cried the settler. " There was a time when no son of mine durst stand and speak a lie in my hearing ! and as it is — 1 warn him — I warn him !" " Father," said Dan, laying his hand on the settler^* arm, " I will tell the pastor every word I told you — only do not let mother and the girls rail on me. — Bid them not look at me as if I invented the story to drive out Clinton from our house. As sure as I am standing on our own 'arth, mother," he continued, turning toward the females, " I mean Clinton no harm ! You know no one in the farm had the liking for him I had. Havn^t I taken his part often when my brothers complained against him ? — Havn't I been his friend up to this present time V* *' Its true! — Its true!" cried the settler: "1 have noticed it." ** His friend!" reiterated the mistress of the fapm.— *' You havn't man enough in you, Dan, to be any man's friend — you know you havn't !' *' Go — go !'* exclaimed the three young women, witn stinging disdain. *^ You take his part!" — III would betide Clinton's cause — if only Dan were to defend it !** •* There now, iather!" cried Dan^ " they mock ine aua upbraid me, as if I — ' ^v .■J 22 THE CANADIAN GIEL. I-- It! if < • . ! ''(f»'r^ '' Go on !*• imperatively exclaimed the settler : and his ion hastened to give a tolerably clear account of Clinton's offence. The very large apartment in which this animated scene occurred, was, as we have said, the principal room of the farm. The praiseworthy industry of the settler's wife and daughters, had kept this, and every other part of the building, in a state of thorough cleanliness. The eye could not rest upon any spot which indicated neglect. All was well ordered, shining, and regular. The com- monest utensils were made to serve for ornament as well as use. The three expansive window-benches were loaded with flowers ; and the white-washed walls were hung with ranks of implements of husbandry, fishing, and hunting spears, rifles, knives, shot-pouches, dirks, &c., which were kept in admirably neat array — ready for instant use — by the four sons of the settler. The fire- place, in the centre of the apartment, consisted only of a vast hearth, and a chimney ; which, being without fire, afforded the inmates of the farm another spot for dis- playing the flowers of the season. The lower end of the room, connected with the kitchen, exhibited a goodly collection of trenchers and drinking cups, in rows, on each side of the doorway — the upper rows being of bright metal, the under rows of polished horn. The opposite end of the room led into the sleeping apartments, and it was at this end that the pastor sat, in a large easy chair, to decide, m his capacity of magistrate, upon the case brought before him. He was nearly seventy years of age, but his cheek was fresh and ruddy, and his fiamv^ bore not the slightest vestige of decay : his s'lver hairs were covered with an English clerical hat, looped up at i5,..i. m- svfMn THE CANADIAN GIRL. 23 the sides: his figure was perfectly upright, aiif) ons leg rested horizontally over the other, neatly coveted with black cloth gaiters. He retained, in these solitudes, the black dress, the white lawn ends depending from his cravat, and the silver knee and shoe-buckles, which had together characterised liis appearance when, in former years, he resided on a benefice of the county of Suffolk, in England. His countenance expressed the goodness and mildness of his disposition ; his manners were unas- suming and kindly ; and his speech was particularly persuasive, affectionate, and instructive. At his left hand, stood in an easy, careless position, the young man who was known in the farm as Nicholas Clinton, " the scholar." His throat had been bared on account of the heat, and its uncommon fairness con- trasted the sunburnt tinge of his face, which, however, added richness to, rather than injured, his almost femi- nine complexion. His figure was rather below the middle height, very slenderly formed, but of most ac- curate proportions, making up in activity what it wanted in strength. His manners were such as might have been formed by superior education and society ; and yet, to a very close observer, there was something in them not easily to be defined, which was not altogether satisfactory. On the surface, he was all that was pleasing ; and no one knew better how to adapt himself to different characters in order to accomplish an object — than Nicholas Clinton. Farmer Joshua, the Canadian settler, from the States, who was standing opposite Clinton, might be viewed in some respects, as a specimen of his class. He stood more than six feet in height — sinewy — shrunken— of great ■u 24 THE CANADIAN GIRL. !.l| Strength*— tnd unrefinod manners. His dress was a long brown surtout, of the coarsest possible manufacture, with leggings of the same sort of cloth. His face had been exposed to the elements until it had become nearly as dark as that of an Indian, and bushy black hair, matted above it, considerably added to the uncivilised character of his aspect. A slouching stoop of the shoulders, made his height seem less than it was, and in some measure disguised the strength which he possessed. There was in his features an invincible independence, a perfect re- liance on his own resources, and a patriarchal authority. Tlie inroads of civilization into the wihls which he had penetrated, he viewed with great jealousy ; and his aver- sion against persons from civilised parts, was easily ex- cited, and difficult to be overcome. The sons of the settler all more or less resembled him. The eldest, who bore his father's nrme, had married the daughter of a States frontier-man, and had built a farm and cleared some acres of land around it, at a convenient distance from that in which he had been reared up. On the present day he had joined his brothers and sisters in his father's house, to hear the charge wliicli Dan, the settler's second son, had brousrht ajrainst the favourite — Clinton. The wife of farmer Joshua the elder, v/as in most re- spects a partner suitable for him. She was robust, ac- tive, and cleanly, although violent in her temper, and rough in her maTiners. Her daughters inherited her virtues and infirmities ; but few more healthy, lively energetic women existed, than those brought u}) bewenth the settler's roof. Kefinement, which so much enhances the beauty of the sex, is not without many attendant THE CANADIAN GIRL. 2S evib, from which these persons were free. The perfection of the female conciition, perhaps, would be, when, to the attainments, the soilness, and sensibility of polite society, ware added the advantages of the uncultivated. The forlorn Jane dropped her nettins^ as Dan spohe nis charge against Clinton. She saw that all parties were eipectant, and as Clinton had behaved to her very kindly, her sensibility was awakened for him, and she tremblingly noped he would be cleared from the threatening dis- honour. When her eye turned toward the accuser, and from him to tlie accused, the contrast between them in- creased her prepossession for the latter ; and, misled by fancy and by deceptory appearances, she entertained not a doubt of his innocence. Her own acquaintance with misfortune, the sense of her own solitary situation, united with inexperience, induced! her to yield to first inipress- sions in favour of Clinton, without examination. He had thrilled her youthful heart, when he told the pastor his brief story, and tears of pity and of sympathy filled her eyes. She had ill endured to hear and see the settler's behaviour to him ; her colour came and went ; she breathed quick and loud ; and shrank within herself as one violent, and, as she thought, savage speech, suc- ceeded to another, from farmer Joshua's lips. Her attention was now fastened upon the speech of Dan, which was to this purport : — Clinton had fre- quently hinted to him how easy it might be to advance themselves in one of tlie populous cities of the Statea, had they but a few hundred dollars. Dan at length be- gan to think there was more in this than met the eye ; and, to try the other, pretended to encourage the sug- gestion, and to invite him to speak with less restraint 26 THE CANADIAN GIRL. roncerning the moans by which the srim might be ob* ;^Ained. They were much thrown in each other^s way (luring the floating out of a quantity of timber from the settlement, the rafts being entrusted to their care ; and it waa during these journeys that Clinton, by degrees, pro- posed to Dan to borrow from the settler, without his knowledge, a bag of dollars, which they were aware he had concealed in the farm. « There!— There! Pastor Wilson!" cried the infu- riated settler : " do you hear that ? Hanging is too good for him ! A traitor by one's own 'arth ! He has come in and gone out under this roof of mine, just as free and welcome as I who built it I He has been idle when it pleased him — and yet 1 call all here to witness, he has had as much of my store as any of the children of my own flesh and blood, from my eldest-born to my youngest ; and there has not been one of them, though 1 say it, who would not have done a week's work, where he has done a day's !" " I acknowledge it may be so — and I regret it," said Clinton, with calmness. " Perhaps to you, pastor, 1 scarcely need say, that habits of contemplation and study, and the indulgence of reveries, for which my tem- per was always peculiarly fitted, are not easily overcome, especially amid scenes such as this wilderness supply. Farmer Joshua ha:, been entirely unable to comprehend my character, and has had so often to accuse me of inat- tention to the rougher parts of his occupation, >hat I must say, 1 have feared for some time, an open dismission from his house." ',' You were formerly accustomed to a sedentary life >'' said the pastor. ,„ , - \ .'5-;j ^m THE CANADIAN GIRL. 27 ** I was," replied Clinton, colouring, as some secret remembrance was awakened by tbe inquiry. " You have been accustomed to writing, to books, and to accounts ?" asked the pastor. Clinton replied in the affirmative. '* But for this untoward affair, I should have been glad to accept your services," said the pastor. " You honour me," said Clinton, bowing ; and while the receding flush left a paleness on his cheek, a half smile played on his lips. " And now, Nicholas Clinton," cried the pastor, " let us hear your answer to the settler's son." " No, sir," said Clinton, \rith a negligent air ; " 1 make no answer to Aim, whom I too perfectly despise ! I would not put myself to the trouble. He has declared my offence — it is for you to give judgment, (which I trust will be severe enough to satisfy the farmer,) and so the matter is concluded." The pastor deliberated, and found it difficult to en- tertain a senous belief that Clinton's intentions had really been of so guilty a nature as Dan described. The lattei had evidently been reluctant to give his testimony, and had faltered in diflferent parts of it; he had contradicted himself more than once, and both at the commencement and termination had said with anxiety, that perhaps Clinton might not have meant exactly what he said. Then the pastor considered what Clinton had remarked concerning his own disposition and habits ; and the good man could not but feel that the scholar must have been very much out of his properelement here, where manners were S(* rough, language so unpolished, ignorance of literature so entire. He saw at once that the settler and Clinton ccu\{\ never have assimilated, and therefore far- i 5 28 THE CANADIAN GIRL. mcr Joshua^s bitterness did not in tlic least prejudice his mind a-iJiinst the young man, but on the contrary, rather disposed him to bo lenient. Suspicions more than once crossed his mind, that the whole charge was an in- vention on the part of Dan, and it was under this im« pressing that ho again requested Clinton to defend him- gelf if he could do so. " Sir," said Clinton, " only to yourself will I conde- scend to make any remarks upon this most extraordinary accusation ; and I entertain not the remotest hope that by them, T shall at all succeed in removing the stain from my character. Reputation is a brittle thing, and once broken, there is no repairing it. But you will perhaps be'surprised if I attempt to turn my enemy's weapons against himself; in other words, if I charge him with the very design which he has said was mine. He told me thiMo wore dollars to a considerable amount concealed here, or I should not have known that circumstance ; and he needed my counsel how to turn the money to most account, or he would not have risked a discovery by placing confidence in me. When I was fully master of his intentions, I resolutely told him, that, if he did not immediately swear to abandon them, I would expose him ; then, as 1 imagine, fear drove him upon this supposed rem }dv — and I am made the scape-goat of his guilt" " AVhat depravity !" exclaimed the pastor. " To wljatoror part of the world men go, there does evil iionrlsh among them !" " Now mav I never handle an axe, or shoulder a rifle more," cried the settler '• if this is not the blackest lie that ever mortal coined ! Dan ! havn't you a word to say for yoursrlf ? Are you struck dumb ? I'd wager my THE CANADIAN (;IKL. 2'J right arm, boy, you should 8])eak quick enough, if it warn't for the law, you should !" The pastor fixed a frowning look on the settler's son, who displayed to appearance all the signs of guilt on his face, his eyes being wildly fixed on Clinton, while his lips moved inarticulately, and a burning red hue ensan- guined his bronzed visage. Dan hi'id been the least liked in the settler's household, except by his father, who regarded all his children e^ally with strict impartiality. At this unexpected turn of af- fairs, family pride naturally inclined even those who had always been jarring with him, to stand forward for his vindication ; but when they saw his confused, alarmed looks, and observed, as they construed it, his guilty si- lence, one whispered with the other, .and no one spoke for him but the settler himself. " Where are you, — his brothers — his sisters — his mother ?" cried farmer Joshua, casting his eye down the room : " have you no nat'ral feeling for the boy ! Is there none among you who will use your tongue for him ? Shame ! — Sli;ime ! You could talk fast enough for a worthless pupi)y !" ** Dan's got a tongue of his own, let him deny what Clinton says," said the eldest daughter. " If it is not true, let him say so." " Speak, fool — speak !" cried the settler, turning im- peratively to his spell-bound son. "Tell the gentleman- rogue he lies !" *' I darn't father — I darn't," at length articulated Dan, with difficulty, and then throwing himself down upon a seat, he hid his face. The settler groaned, and walked at once into the open 30 THE CANADIAN GIRL. 1^. •t':' air. The pastor arose : — " There is no more to be done," said he : "I leave you, Daniel, to your conscience, and to the natural punijliments which wrong-doing brings. As a justice, I conclude here, I have no means whereby to demonstrate your offence more perfectly, neither are Ihey needed. I am afraid that even your nearest friends concur in convicting you. My office as a ministw, how- ever, gives me the privilege of entreating you to let this timely discovery, work your ultimate good. I will not think you are yet familiar with thoughts of crime — I would rather suppose that you have been tempted beyond your strength, and so have let go your honesty only for a time ; — God knows ! This young man, Nicholas Clin- ton, was a stranger in your house ; he had been torn by a mysteriouj providence from the society to which he had been accustomed ; he was far from his relatives and friends ; and yet you would have laid upon him the im- putation of guilt he never committed, and have seen him driven from your father's house, innocent, yet a miserable and degraded man — branded with your crime !" . The pastor buttoned up his coat, and pressed his hat on more firmly, then grasped his walking cane in his right hand, and replaced his cambric handkerchief in his pocket. " I wish you all good day," said he to the as- sembled family of the settler. " My Lucy will be this way I suppose to-morrow, with her brother, and may step in among you to dinner, if they will be welcome." " It is many a month since I saw them," said the set- tler's wife. " I thought th«v had clean put us out of mind. Farmer Joshua wiir nave some plump fruit for them to taste , it is as good as any raised by Mr. Arthur, so yon may tell him, pastor." She endeavoured to con- THE CANADIAlc< GIRL. 31 ceal the pain which the disgrace of her son occasioned her, and looked as lively as usual, when she came out at the door to see the pastor depart. " I had nearly forgot," said he, " the young man within, dame, will hardly like to stay in the farm after this occurrence ; and his presence might very possibly stand in the way of Daniel's reconciliation with his fa- ther, besides causing unforeseen unpleasantries. Now as ho is destitute of a home, and as employment suitable to his attainments does not abound in these districts, I will take him to assist my grandson and myself in our little nest among the rocks, if it be agreeable to him, to you, and to the farmer." ; " As for me,*' said the settler's wife, " I shall be heartily glad to see him so well provided for, and we can't think old Joshua will be sorry to lose him. To speak the sober truth. Pastor Wilson, Clinton has been of very little service to him — ^he is too clever, and too bookish, for our way of life; he would never make a far- mer while the world lasts." ** You are exactly of my opinion," said the pastor ; ^< and it happens fortunately that just such an one as Clinton I have for some time wished to have with me, to-" r "Yes," interrupted the settler's wife, without cere- mony, "very true; and as I was saying, Pastor Wilson, Clinton is no helper to old Joshua ; and I can't say, if the truth be told, but I shall be glad to see him away, if I only know be is comfortable ; for he is a gentleman, that PU say, and very civil and obliging to me and the girls. I have long seen something in Dan, pastor," she said, with a sigh, " that I h^ve not liked; and I must Hi- k i ! 1 m 32 THE CANADIAN GIRL. ♦♦ say, if the truth be told, 1 thought that all was not right." ' I hope he will see his error, and amend it,'' said the pastor. — " But here comes Nicholas Clinton." The pastor hptt^ that the latter was taking his leave cf the farm, and that he was about to go he knew not ."hither. A kind smile from the benevolent old gentle- man, invited him to pause in his hasty progress from the house, and to turn back. The pastor held out his hand, Clinton took it, and bade him farewell. " No," was the rejoinder, " you must walk along with me ; and, perhaps, while we improve our acquaintance, I may persuade you not to forsake the wilderness alto- gether just yet, because one unpleasant afiair has troubled vow in it." Clinton appeared to hesitate; but presently, with a very ingenuous manner, accepted the proposal, and after exchanging many adieus with the females of the farm, set forward with the pastor across a romantic country, to the house which the latter occupied, occasionally fttopping with him to admire some striking feature of the *)xtensive landscape, some new beauty in the r-zater, the earih, or the sky. In front of the settlement of farmer Joshua, they passed the glassy fishing-water, called the Trout-pooi, on the bank of which Clinton himself had discovered Jane. The bark in which he was, when he first saw her, haJ been a little in advance of the others, and as he was raising the spear in his hand to ,, ITie house stood surrounda^l by a garden at the bottom of the dell, its glistening white walls contrasted with the dark groves that clothed the hill facing the orchard. On the right, a descent of water, over a precipice, fell into a circular basin, whence it foamed along the ground in a deep, but narrow channel, about a hundred yards from the house, and at a little distance was employed to turn a picturesque mill. An irregular path conducted from the elevated spot^ where now stood the pastor and Clinton, to the door of the house, first passing down a slope of the dell, through the midst of the orchard, and then through the garden. " This is a very wilderness of sweets," observed Clin- ton, as he began to descend. ; " Stop !" exclaimed the pastor ; " my grandchikiren &re near. Haik! that is Lucy. They are \ery happy you hear, Mr. Clinton." ■ ^ U f ^^ 36 THE CANADIAN GIRL. The clear, ringing laugh of a youthful female came upon Clinton's ear; it sounded from within the recesses of the orchard on his right, and while he looked that way, the pastor elevated his voice, and called aloud the names of Arthur and Lucy. He was directly joined by the delighted brother and sister, who welcomed him home in the most affectionate manner. The stranger was then introduced, and in a few minutes the little party moved toward the house on the most cordial terms. But the innocent gaiety, the uncorrupted bliss, of these attached relatives, had the immediate effect of saddening Clinton ; therefore perceiving that they had many ques- tions to ask and answer, which were of no interest to him, he availed himself of the opportunity, slackened his steps, followed more slowly, and gave the reins to his thick- coming fancies. Arthur presently noticing his being considerably be- hind, turned back to him, and the pastor and the young lady stood still in the garden until both came up with them again. A seat of curled-maple, within a summer- house, was approached, and the four sat down on it, while the pastor related to his grandchildren the occurrence which had been the means of separating Clinton from farmer Joshua, on hearing which, they expressed a gene- rous indignation and sympathy. Clinton, while the pastor was speaking, employed him- self in mentally painting the characters of the persons among whom his lot was thus unexpectedly cast. The young lady was about the age of eighteen, her brother, a few years older : their English dress was neat 9r^ unpretending ; their countenances beamed with in- THE CANADIAN GIRL. 37 telligence and virtue, health and happiness ; and it* we would draw the summary of Clinton's conclusions con- cerning them, it would be this — that they knew little or nothing of the actual world, but inhabited a hemisphere of their own creation — a pure, a bright one — teemin j with truth and joy. Lucy realised Wordsworth's de- scription — " She dwelt among the untrodden ways. Beside the springs of t)ove, A maid whom there were none to praise, And very few to love. " A violet by a mossy stone, Half hidden from the eye ; A single star ^^hen only one ' Is shining in the sky." ^Uka. , . ,t • ■ '•■ ■;;> -i^vi ,^:.>,,i -:^,.' v.ju.,;:=-:>-,.j\, •-iiji ' i •\>\y'jiYi'M-i :\t\^, [ ^-#t: l:{ ■■1 Lsiiiy:/;. ill 38 THE CANADIAN GIRL. . i CHAPTER IV. ** Hear my soul speak; — * '• The very instant that 1 saw you, did .' ■ " My heart riy to your service ; tlier« resides, To make me slave to it ; and for your sake Am 1 thus patient." — S/iaksjjearc " And I, of ladies mcit deject and Avrc<'chcd, That suck'd the honey of his music vows." — Shakspeare, Clinton was not the only stranger introduced about this time into the pa-stor's abode. Jane x'Vnderson, the Pirate's daughter, was fortunate enougli to be taken from the farm of the settler by Lucy, to assist in the household affairs of the isolated lodije : and as Arthur Lee became attached to Clinton, so did Lucy to Jane. Often was tlie Pirate's daughter reminded here of her former residence with Madame Barry, and she loved nothinof better than to talk of her to her vouncf friend and mistress, and to describe her looks, her dress, and her discourse, But her father she never could be induced to speak of. If asked concerning hini, she sighed ; a kind of horror was In her eye, and she would be melancholy for hours after. Clinton, also, if interrogated on his early life, if asked to converse about his former friends THE CANADIAN GIRL. 39 and associates, looked as if suffering hidden pangs, the nature of which were not explained. Thus a mystorr hung over them both. But still they advanced in the lavour and confidence of the pastor, and in the esteem of his grandchildren. The employments of Clinton chiefly confined him t . Insects, she was too humane to kill by the barbarous method of impaling with pins, which Cliiiton recommended as the practice of some European ladies, who esteemed themselves for fine feelings ; but Lucy gratified her cu- riosity more guiltlessly, and more perfectly, too, by ob- serving the fragile creatures in their pleasant haunts, possessed of freedom and life, sunning their gauze wings bedecked with splendid colours, and humming aloud with joy as they pursued their airy sports, among countless myriads of their kind. When Clinton was with her, he acted as the interpreter of her observations on them. Theories regardinff the cause of the colours they exhibited, he set before her in the most pleasing light. He endeavoured to make her sensible of the wonders which the misroscope was able THE CANADIAN (SIRL. 41 to revenl m their minute bodies : lie narrated anecdotes of their habits, of their governments, of the changes they assumed. The military manoeuvres of the ant, the mo- narchical empire of the bees, the transformation of the chrysalis to the butterfly, and similar wonders of the in- sect world, were his delightful themes. He gave such names as Lucy approved to most beautiful parts of the scenery around the house. The basin of the cascade, was cal^led the Marble Fountain — its diverging channel, the Milky Way — (alluding to the colour of the rapid current, which, being pent within confined boundaries, became white as milk under the concentration of its force) — the dell itself was called the Happy Valley, (in reference to Dr. Johnson's prose poem of " Rasselas," which was a favourite book of the young lady.) A slight bridge was thrown over the Milky Way by the mill, and just behind, a path wound up the front of a steep and bold rock, to a commanding situation, where Clinton constructed a couch av>d table of branches and moss, and at the edge of the precipice, piled a low wall of stones covered with sod — this spot was designated Lucy's Observatory ; and here Ae guileless girl listened to the musical tongue of the designing Clinton, when he pointed out the planets and the fixed stars — explained the nightly changes in the heavens — the moon's relation to the earth — and the true nature of planetary systems ; and when, gradually raising her imagination, he repeated the suppositions of noted astronomers regarding those immense tracts of the universe which seem unpeopled and in darkness, and those tracts, which, on the contrary, are not only strewn tlick with innumerable stars or suns, each the blazing centre of revolving worlds, but also dis- o r 42 THE CANADIAN GIRL. play misty appearances of light (called nebula), which it ^3 supposed ibrrn the material of which worlds are cuxr.* posed. Arthur's Seat was a noble crag about half way up a mountain, so named, because, when reached from the yellow-pine walk above the valley, it afforded an admi- rable bird's-eye view of all the land which Arthur Leo had cultivated. It was a sublime pinnacle; overhanc^iug rocks above, and a tremendous precipice below, inspired the heart with fearful emotions, yet the prospect would have lured thither even the most timid. Tho dell was sweetly pictured at the mountain's foot, with its bright streams, its cascade^ its smiling enclosures .>f Indian corn, fruit, and flowers. From this remarkable c.Mg was seen on the right, rising ground, cluthcd with trees that nodded their majestic tops to every wind ; on the left, the gentle ascent was odoriferous with fruit-trees ; and opposite to the spectator was reared a rugged elevation of granite, (yielding in point of grandeur only to Ar- thur's Seat,) bearing Lucy's Observatory, raised on its front, at a comparatively small height above the level of the ground. Thus was the Happy Valley shut in by hills ; and on whatever side it was viewed, appeared com- bining sublimity with beauty, romantic wildness with rural simplicity. The house was small but convenient, with an oven- house, and sheds for the cattle, adjoining it. As the polished windows became yellowed with the evening or morning sunbeams, stages of geraniums, myrtles, musk, and lemon -plants, reared against the walls, were watered by the gentle Lucy, and rewarded her for the nourish- meut imparted, by a richer fragrance, and by more THE CANADIAN GIRU 43 ohtrming tints. Nor was the humbler, but delightful mignionetto, with other pliints, overlooked, but all alike rejoiced under the grateful moisture her hand distributed. Next, she fed her fowls, and after that arranged the do- tiestic operations of the day. Jane was very serious, and always seemed to be full of thought. The pastor took a growing i)iterest in her, and sometimes endeavoured to lead her into religious conversation, bnt she was so excessively humble that h« could scarcely draw anything from her. He observed that at family prayers s^:^ seemed usually much aflfected, and sometimes he found her sitting by the marble foun- tain in tears, reading the Scriptures. She perused all the memoirs of pious individuals that the house afforded ; she gathered from Lucy and Arthur all the examples of living persons worthily professing religion, which their memory could supply, ;tnd especially sought accounts of such persons as had ventured much, and sufFercd much, for the sake of doing good. In the alTections she was the same. Lukewarm feel- ings had no part in her ; and yet she was not at all of tha* sort of character to be termed impassioned or en- thusiastic; certainly it would be difficult to draw the line which separated her from those, but it was to be drawn. She was meek in the highest degree, of simple manners, and absolutely impenetrable to provocation. Filial devotedness was the virtue which she most loved to hear of, and any story illustrative of this virtue seemed to open all the springs of her heart. She embraced the doctrine that love, oncefixed^ should not be removed on account of any guilt in the object, but should be steady, unchangeable, immortal ; *' For," said she to Lucy, \ h t : 44 THE CANADIAN GIRL. ^ '* otherwise love has no grandeur, no dignity, attd is un- worthy of the praises bestowed upon it.** -m ** I think," said Arthur, who was sitting by her side oil this occasion, *' that when the object of affection ceases to be worthy, our love should cease." *' If it does cease," said Jane, " call it not love— call it by some other name. Esteem may cease — respect may cease ; — but true, unadulterated love — never." " What would be the result of that principle upon the morals of communities ?" asked Arthur. " What would be the result !" she repeated : '* hap- piness — peace— if-^eie would be the result at last. Did you ever know any thing but love, reform the bad? Who are the bad, but people who do not, cannot, love truly, any but themselves ? Evil, is selfishness I'^take ^way selfishness, all would be happy. And can indit- ierence, dislike, proud contempt, and hard reproaches, ever subdue one grain of selfishness ? No — no ; but love every day will soften it, and subdue it." .u ^.qi Arthur meditated, gazing upon her countenance, which was suffused with blushes for the ardour with which she had expressed herself; her eyes were cast down, and she pressed the hand of Lucy, which lay upon her lap, as if entreating pardon for her boldness. There was another person on whom her words made much impression-^ Clinton — ^whose eye sparkled with ill-concealed pleasure as he persuaded himself her heart was secretly inclinetL to him ; and rejoiced that whatever she might eventually ^liscover to his prejudice, would not destroy his power over her. But he greatly deceived himself: Jane thought only of her father, who was the sole object of her solici- tude. The dangerous interest she had at first taken in wi m( til THE CANADIAN GIRL. 45 Clinton, had subsided ; particularly as bis attentions to Lucy appeared to ber so unequivocal, and as she was aware that the latter bad already fixed ber affections on him beyond the possibility of recall. Of Lucy's prepossession for him, unfortunately, Clinton was aware, for she was too artless to conceal it entirely. He continued his tender attentions to her, omitting no means for fixing her attachment, exoept that of a posi- tive declaration, which be guardedly avoided. On this day be reclined by her side, after having amused her with some of her favourite strains : the guitar upon which he bad played was on her knee, and every now and then be whispered to ber, and touched the strings with gaiety. " Leave them to finish their debates, Lucy," said be, m a low, bland voice, bending bis head toward Arthur and Jane, who still continued to converse, " and let us go to the spice-wood thicket in search of some specimens of those plants I told you of yesterday.^' •* O go, sister, go !" cried Arthur ; * we can very well spare you both. — I have something particular to say to Jane." " No doubt," said Clinton, affecting to laugh, but inwardiy chafed. Lucy pressed the hand of Jane ; an open basket of roots and wild-flowers hung on her arm, which Clinton transferred to bis own, taking the guitar also, and then agreed with Arthur and Jane to meet them 3t Arthur's Seat in a half an hour. Arthur, with a thoughtful and anxious look, watched them slowly ascend to the top of the orchard, where they stopped a moment, and smilingly waved their bands to him. As soon sis they were out of * f:i .Si ! f'l ii; 'i ii 46 THE CANADIAN GIRL. sight, Jane would have returi;pd at once to the house, but Arthur gently detained her. " Stay a few minutes," siiid he : "I liave for sonoie time sought a private conversation with you, and I must not lose the present opportunity. How long have you and Clinton been here, Jane ?" '* Two years this month," she answered, and sighed abstractedly. " Do I mistake the meaning of that sigh ?" said he ; " Are you not wearied of the Happy Valley ?" *• Wearied !" she repeated, half unconscious of her words : " Oh no — not wearied ; if I could only hear some- thing of my father I should not wish to leave it ; but — ^ "Go on," he said. " I have said too much,** she cried. ^^- Let me go, I beg of you!'* ** You shall not go^ Jane," said Arthur, " until I knovr from your own lips whether you will be my wife or no.** Jane turned away from him with confusion and sur- prise. He followed her, and said, " I have not the ac- complishments of Clinton, or I would have wooed you difierently ; but if you will accept a plain ofier from a plain man., Jane, as you are a sensible girl, say so ? I have already spoken to my grandfather, and ^ ou mnst not think that our engagement would want hi? favour. He only wishes for the true happiness of my sister and inybolf ; and I have his own authority for saying, that he believes you, dearest Jane, can, if you will, make me l)ernianently happy for the rest of my life." Jane was distressed : she seemed to wish to say some- thing of moment, but checked herself. She was not totally indifferent to his suit, yet her demeanour forb.id hi cli< THE CANADIAN GIRL. 47 him to ho])o. After a brief silence Arthur resuh-.ed: — * Since the lirst time 1 saw you 1 have been attraalcd toward you : I have watched closely your conduct, your habits, vour sentiments, your principles. You will not think me bold when I say you have improved essentiaVty m all these since you came here, especially durintj the last year. I am sure you will make such d. wife as I can reiX)se my heart upon ; such an one, as I can truly cherish, because I can truly honour her." ** I am poor," said Jane ; " I have nothing — not even any relatives, which the most wretched persons have." " What do you say, Jane !"— exclaimed Artlmr. — " Have you not a father, and a brother?" ' ** Yes, I believe I have," answered she ; " but all the time I have been here, I have heard nothing of my father, and my brother I never saw. My mother took him to England with her, when he was very young-, and there left him at school, under the care of her fathers friends. She returned to Canada, where she died, whilst I wAr an infant ; her remains lie at Quebec j I have seen her grave, and mourned over it." " And where is your father f asked Arthur. " 1 will see him, and ask his consent to our union. I love a filial spirit : I would not marry you, Jane, until I had paid him the honour, which in such a case is due to bim." " I knew your principles, sir," said Jane, " and 1 cannot tell you how much I respect them ; — but oh ! my father is—" She broke off, and was much agitated. Arthur was much alFected, and, forgetting self, he exclaimed, catch- ving her hand to his hcarf, " Dear, d'^ar Jane, end this m THV CANADtAN (ilRL. mystery. Put ronfiibncf? in m \ Tell me what your father is. Tell me why you arc ahvayH so disturbed when he \9 named ; and if to nerve yo\i, I am even required to fBthfi up my fondest hopes, I will pled^fe myself to do it.*' ♦* I do need a friend," said Jane, weeping; ** and if this promise of yours is sineere, and sacred—" ** Both sineere and sanrcnl, rely upon it, Jane," cried Arthtir ; " and my word was never yet broken to man or woman." " llemember." said Jai^e, after a painftil hesitation, ** to what you phnlji^e yourself — You will servo me in reprard to my father, thou^pfh even to the loss of — ^our hopes ?" *' r will," he cried firmly : ** not but I think you will roquii*e less for pity's sake." ** Perhaps I may — ^perha|K9 I may not," said Jane . ** however, Arthur, I will tell you all, If you ivlll keefi mv secret.'* ** I promise you this, too !" cried Arthur. \ " I will not ask you, when you have heard my story, to pity the jwor Canadian Girl," she. said, " nor to re- frain from visiting upon her head, her father's sini. I know you will pity me. I know you will not blame me."t Blame yon, Jane !" ejaculated Arthur. Hush, until I have told my story," said Jane, then sitting down on the side of the little bridge by the mill, she began thr.s : — ** My mother was born in England, she was the daughter of a country clergyman, and in opposition to her father's entreaties and arguments, as I have hoard, married the mate of a North American vessel, and came out with him to the Canadas, where his parcuLs «< u w « <«i i x ^ii ^ ii im iaK THE CANADIAN GIHU 4a and friends lived, Af^er a foir yoara aHo hoc. uie very unhappy, and d»tormin(!(( to return tr) Knglaml tu her fatiior'fl houso. " Ah 1 boforotold you, she fulfilled this design, taking my brothor with hor, but, when she arrived at the par- ionage where her early years had been spent, wtiat was her disappointment and grief to find a stranger fd ling her father's place ; and what was her astonishment tf» learn, that having had an annuity of four hundred |*ou ids a year bequeathed to him, he had sold his houses ami fur- niture, and was gone out with thci money to t'u' very country from which she had just returned, in i i« i f 52 THE CANADIAN (Uaii. he tras called, or elso my father, constantly kopt guard, aa it »?cre, so that my cabin conhl not bo af proachod by any hut thomsolvcs. A no»ro woman was broujafht on board to attend on mo, and I only wont on dork at par- ticular times when my fatlior was with ine, and then there wore sehlom more than one or t;vo men about. I am sure I knew little more of what was ^oinj^ forward in the vessel than if I had been on shore, and it was many months before I discovered the true character of the cruiser. When I did, I was very much fri^rhtened, and not without reason, for presently after, occurred more than one fiojit between the crow of the Vulture, my fa- ther's Vi'ssel, and M>e crew of a ship he had attacked." " The Vulture ?^^ cried Arthur. " I have heard of a pirate- vessel by that name — but T ir'errupt you." *' The noise of thegunsj" she continued, " of the shrill winds in the ^ails and cordage — of tho splitting of the masts — of the giving and receiving of orders for firing — and of the loud, impati'^nt tramp of my father's feet on the planks over my head — I can think I hear now. It was after the second of these dreadful conflicts, that an old missionary, who had travelled many thousands oi miles to spread the knowledge of his belief, and had un- dergone great hardships, and passed through a number- less succession of dangers, was brouglit from the conquered ship, in which he had been been sailing across Lake Su- perior, and with several persons, u liom I did -not see, confined in the cruiser. This remnrkable old man, during a heavy gale, heard my screams, and in the confusion ot the time, was allowed to pass into my cabin, where 1 sat on the ground almost beside myself with fear. 1 tliink, Arthur, I never can forget that old man I — [uh com^josed, .• v THE CANADIAN (ilRL. 59 h^i 1 hiH collected manner, tlic Nulcmnity of his reinarkf, and the hope, whlo'i oven at hucIi a inomirit) when an unex- pected death appalled the stoiilest-hearted, beamed m hi§ oyc. lie soothed me, tanj^lit me, be^^ged me to ho re- signed to my Maker's will and repeated sublime veruei from th(? worn liible lie carried with liiiu, addressiiii»; me in the name olCiod. The Scrij)(ures 1 had never before thought of, and his (]uo'iati()Us (roiii them ailected me in Hueli a manner as I cannot describe; it wan an if, in the midst of the wild roar of the elements, 1 had 8i!en a <^lo* rious anf^eljwho, lifting me from the horrors of the deep, gave me assurance of safety, and bad(! me be in p(>ace. 'V\\c storm over, the old man still obtained access to me occasionally, and every lime he came he taught me more of myself, the world, and eternity. '* One day lie was Ltauding on the deck, looking over the edge of the vessel, and speaking to a fellow captive, when, by some false movement, as he ail at once turned his head, he was precipitated into the lake ; his last words were * Friend — go hence;' and the sailor to whom h« had been addressing himself when he was drowned, never forgot them ; he left off his bad habits, and, after being the ridicule of the rest of the crew for some time, went on shore, parted from the Vtdture finally, and from ait. belonging to it, and settled at the bay, which lies about" forty miles from this valley, in an honest way of life as a fisherman. " The Pirate's crew, some time after, mutinied against him, and against three men next in command, and set the holds on fire, after securing to themselves the boats, filled with the riches of the vessel ; but my father, who had bee^ partly aware of the stratagem, and had been taking mea- Mi ^ mmm 54. rilE CANADIAN til III.. surcs to r-revnnt its siicnoss, immwdlutcly seriiroH the principal otTendors, whereupon tlio rest vielth'ci witDou*. makiuii; any opposition. When tho ilanios l)og;in to ns« ccnd ho was horror-struck, but instantly manned th(^ boats with tlioso sear ?n wlio had adljcred to liiu). Tlicso WLM'O for pushiui^ off in haste, wlien I flew upon deck shrieking. There I saw the most horrible spectacle that YOU could imagine. Tlie mutineers were left to perisli in the fire they had kindUd. They prayed, they cursed. Some struggling in mad des])eration, got loose. One of these jumped into the lake; one ran uj) the rope-ladder.-^ and fell headlong from a mast ; one darted up and down the deck amidst the eddying smoke ; two others groveller! on their knees, shouting to the ujen in the boats for mercy, but they woidd not listen to them ; and the rest of the mutineers, who were still bound, with shocking oatiis defied God and man. "1 can recall all this ; I can see the rising flames, and hear the awful clamour, then around mo; I can see tlic boats rising and sinking on the waves but a few yards off'i and can distinguish my father standing in the centre of one, holding two pistols, and threatening to shoot the seamen with him, if they would not return to the edge of the sinking Vulture to save me — but what occurred afler that is all a blank — I felt dizzy, and instantlv became fnsen.sihlo. " 'I'he next day I found myself in a neat bed in a cot- tage, tended by the good-natured wifi^ of the fisherman ,vho had formerly sailed among the pira^.s of the Vul- ture. He had been fishinir at a lonnr distance from tho Ottawa, havinix crossed Lake Nipissing, and the French River, to Lake Huron, when a small blaze, n\ the tiistan^ THE CANADIAN GIRf-. liorixon of Huron, infortnod him of ta ship on tirj. Jacques, tor tliatnas the f]shcM*nian's riaiiiL*, imiucdiatoly went out to tho assistance of the vessel, and had nearly reached it, when it went down stern-foremost, hissing and roaring, in one unbroken sheet of tlainc, until the watera closed above it. " Jacques was going to return, melanclioly enough, lo ♦he shore, when he saw a drowning sailor clinging to a plank with one arm, and with tho other, supporting the body of a senseless girl. From Jacques' description I -h by tlie bye he is rather an elegant, than a pro- found scholar. I find litlle solidity in his attainments. Perhaps a very quick fancy, and a very strong memory, such as he possesses, might have enabled him to pick up, and treasure, a quantity of shinivig facts, such as lie most on the surface of the arts and sciences, without much trouble, which the constant play of London talk, in lively society, kept in use. I can see it is not the amou.*:: of learning, but the method of using it, which makes a man agreeable. Doop study may be requisite for a scholar, but certainly is not requisite for a man of the world. He may dazzle without it; his object not being to enlarge his own immortal mind, but to charm his fellow-men, and gratify his self-love." Arthur was leaning on the ground, raised on his right :uT.., and his face turned toward Jane, who sat on a low seat of sod, her hands crossed on her knee. He extended his loft arm frequently in his earnestness as he continued , to speak, and she heard him with increa'i.ing fears foi the happiness of Lucy. " I Cvould not oppose him if he is really attaclied to my sister," continued Arthur, " although he is without any means of dependance separate from us; and although I iliould never wi^ll to see her deprived of those indulgences she has hitherto enjoyed. I know that a woman wl^o ioves can bear any sorrow better than losing the object of iier lendrrness ; and what right h." .'e I, or anyone, to tMllict upon her the greater sorrow, in order to spure her tl tnl llj A TIIK CANADIAN GIRL. 68 tlie lesser — No. I perr ve too well she is strongly at- tached to Clinton, and I suppose that he would have it iljouiht that he returns her atluction with equal force. And were it so indeed, 1 shouM not speak against it. I shr)uhl priiy for her welfare, do lier all the good I could, and allow her the natural privilege of woman, to decide whom she will have for the partner of lier jo^'s and sor- row??, without Inierfcrcnce. But what think you, Jane, speak freely, for I am very anxious on this matter, do you think Clinton sincciroly prefers Lucy to every other wo- man ?" He fixed his eye very attentively on her until ,sho answered, which she did, after a brief reflection, du- biouslv: — *' 1 tiiink — lie does: fiis behaviour Is very particular — he is scarcely ever absent from her side when out of the study — he is always striving to amuse her — " she stopped, and Arthur observed — " "\'ou are not perfectly satisfied yourself, Jane. Youy niisgi vinos keep pace with mine.'* Slic did not widi to increase his doubts, not knowing how it might terminate for Lucy, therefore she said — • Clinton must see that Lucy regards him. and surely we ought to he satisfied; for what nnist he be, who encourages an affection, which he is conscious he cannot return 1 There cannot exist a more dishonourable man than one capable o'" such a piece of duplicity ; he deserves never to he lovetl ; ne deserves the severest treatment ; he is the worst enemy cf woman. I would not think Clinton Wtis fiuoh a man." " You express yourself strongly, Jane," said Arthur, hut to mv mind not too stroui-lv. It is bitter to '^ntettam f von the most distant probability, that Clinton is such % 'I i; ! \A 64 THE CANADIAN GIRL. man. Yet he makes no open avowrai. Week ader week got-s on — my sister pines and wastes — she is unhappy — she is restless. She cannot long bear the excitement of suspense, and the conflict of hope with fear — her health is not strong enough for that. I have borne this suspense and conflict for you, Jane ; but I am not the fragile being she is ; hardly the butterfly now fluttering on your shoulder, is more tender th.nLucy; hardly yon thin, soft cloud which lies upon the bosom of the blue sky, is more delicate. Let the cold arise, and where is the butterfly? — let the wind blow, and where is the thin cloud? — let disappointment in this, her first love, fail upon my sister's heart, and where is she ? The spot which you see yonder, below in the dell, Jane, under those melancholy trees, near the Marble Fountain, I have planned for a burial place for the settlements that may spring up in and about the Happy Valley ; and I have, you perceive, provided an enclosure for it; in that spot, if Clinton is wearing a miisk, mark me, before long, will my sister be laid, and the earth which I have left un tilled for the reception of mortality, will receive her pure »» corpse " Oh, do not say so !" said Jane, casting her eyes m the direction which his extended arm pointed out, and at the same time, secretly sharing in his forebodings. " No — heaven forbid !" " The Majesty which created these scenes knows with wliat sad reluctance I do say it !" exclaimed Arthur. " My sister I love most tenderly. Her fine sensibili^ has knit our hearts in one — yet the excess of that quality will, I fear, destroy her. She has not the least strength of mind, not the least fortitude with which to tl i THE CANADIAN GIRL. G5 bear suffering. Had she passed through your trials, Jane, she would loni^a^o have been a sleeper in the cold £^round. AH her character is soft, exceedingly soit, and tender to excess. Her gaiety is but like that of the white convolvulus, which flower, you know, laughs on its stem with its beautiful pink blushes, but which is so very frail, that the least change of atmosphere, the least unwary touch withers it. Her mother died of decline, and Lucy inherits a tendencv to that fatal English disease* Have you not seen the hectic crirosoii on her alabaster cheek ? You have admired it, and so has Clinton : but I and my grandfather have tremblerl to look upon it. We recog- 2iise the si^rn ; we leel that she who displays it« is mariied for an early grave. The tiuu scarlet ol \\Mt lips^ too« is a concurrent witness of tne malady ; and her figure, or I am deceived, Jane, slight as it always was, has become slighter of late ; and her eye, more brilViant than formerly. — Oh, I grieve to see such brilliancy " — *' Hush," cried Jane, raising her hand in the act of listening, " they are near." Lucy's laugh, so peculiar to herself, so silvery, so gushing — like a quick, and sparkling run of waters, for the first time breaking from a verdured rock — like the iaugh of an untainted child, but more intelligent and subdued — rang from a height near; and Arthur and Jane saw the delicate girl of whom they had been speaking, advancing down a path that had been cut deep between two bold elevations. Clinton was by her side. Two soft and long ringlets, of a light brown, half out of curl, were blown over her face from each ^ide of her forehead; her back hair was knotted simply up; a plaia white frock, and a white silk scarf, composed her dress. M- 5 &G 6C THE CANADIAN iiWU.. ** See," whispered Arthur, briefly to Jane, ** she is much wasted." it was so, indeed — Lucy teas much wasted. His tbre- l)odings had been too correct — she was sinking under the excitement, and watchfulness, which had of late possessed her. A slight cough, and a quick, fevered breath, as she came near, gave further tokens that the insidious foe was gaining fast on her constitution, though concealed under an aspect of increased attractiveness. She fre- quently looked up into the face of Clintan, and as ire- quently, with snr^'ins; tr shl dness, 'i-amec* her eye away. Thai iniio^ ot ejiquisite feeling to give promise of permanent happiuet*^ on earth. TB£ CANADIAN GIRL. W I ./ I' \ CHAPTKK V. Soft wa« the vale I its cciitlc habitants Lived pea(r<'fully, \Viid wt/otls 8evered them lioiii ll;t' worM ; and they Could only toel swett nature's softest carca, And only nought hei- guiltless joys profuse. ** See, my dear brother," said Lucy, takmajt. small basket from Clinton, mih a half-suppressed '^^^^ " we have found many varieties of flowers since we left you. Here is a very large wild peach, too, Clinton plucked it for Jane, he said, but I shall give it to my brother, and if he will, he shall give it to Jane." Jane raised her eyes to Clinton, and saw him gazing at her with a peculiar expression of the eye. He then looked at the peach, and again at her, giving her to un- derstand by his glance, that he wished her to take it But Jane, when the fruit was offered to her by Arthur, at once refused it, with such a manner as she hoped wouldf convoy to Clinton her stroniy sense of dislike at his con- duct. The Pastor was now seen walking deliberately up to the elevation. Lucy went to meet Wm, but Clinton re» mained, leaning against the rock that rose at the back of Jane, 08 I'HB CANADIAN GIRL. " Well, children," said the Pastor smilingly, when lie ^ad reached the summit of the craj^, "You are enjoy inj^ this fine weather in a very grand situation. Well, well. Do not let me disturb you. Nay, Jane, sit still. I see Arthur has been entertaininj? vou here with the sublime and the beautiful. He has been, I make no doubt, pointing out to your notice every object of the surprising prospect before you, and has gravely instructed you by very pro- found homilies on them. — Very well — very well." Arthur laughed, a little confused, while Jane looked down, and especially when the former openly took her hand and drew her back to the scat of sod on which she had been sitting, not altering in the least his position by her side. Emotions of happiness arose in her breast as she marked this evidence of his sincerity, nor were they dimiuisbed when the Pastor himself sat down close bv her, apd spoke to her more familiarly than ever he had done before. " I came home,'' said he, " about a half an hour ago, and inquiring for my children, heard that they were all out on a ramble ; and, said Irish Deborah, who was stirring, w ith all the strength of her strong red arms, a pot of preserves in the kitchen, they have got the kitar with 'em, your worship, and the rush basket, so I don't expict 'em afore dark at any rate. Hearing this, I turned, about, and bidding her prepare the tea, came away to look after my riniaways." He then talked of a farm he had been visitinjj. " Have you had no refreshments, grandfather, since you came back ?" inquired Arthur. On being answered ID the negative, he called to Lucy, who was standing at the farthest end of the broad rocky platform, barkening TIIK tA.NAUIAN (IIRL. 60 fo Cllulon, who fo-„o,.,„,,;:'^-7';;-»«on..hef.U. 5-"". And ho.v doe ;„,,::''"''''•?-«» «.»«o„, among ,h.e .re^endo.;,! L""' •°""''' **'• «une a le,v gj.nzas on if l^,- ' ^uppoje vou "•- I..ndle ,!.„ p^t'« L^^': .? """"- home. Vou ,,,e3... "' '° «"«e /avo,.ri,„ air of the Britil it ,^!;?'''"P''""«"'" guitar beneath h,sar™ . . 't softly and tenderly. san» ,„ """'"' «n<',tou,;(m» "•« following irregulars " K T'''°' '"^'«> »'<""-! the precipice :- "'' " ""^ "'""d "ear (he edge of S'-'-mg .1.. w„rM-,;i„ .Cr '* 72 THE CANA.DIAN GIRL. over your breast, the brcoze is growing stronger, and though it is warm, yet you had better not meet it tvith- oiit a covcrnig. >' " You are very tender to me," said Lucy, restraining the teirs which pressed upwards to her eyes. Ill 3 Pastor led the way down an irregular mountain path, and the younger persons followed. Their steps were slow, and they spoke to one another as they went with gaiety and freedom. Few would have surmised that the heart of either had ever felt a wound. Yet even now, what doubts — what apprehensions — what jealousies — what anguish — what poignant regret — rankled beneath triose five seemingly happy countenances. The Pastor sighing for his departed children, and trembling for the life of his granddaughter — Lucy suffering the pangs of a breaking heart — Arthur the anxieties of a brother and a suitor — Clinton tortured by jealousy, and the socret slings of conscience — and Jane, although enjoying the unequalled luxury of a first affection, enduring more real dastress of mind than either of the others. In the most blissful situations, ^' the ills that flesh is heir to," will find out their victims — the most beautiful scenes of nature, and the most retired, nourish hunian troubles. High above the valley towered the noble mountain which the party had newly left, whose vast summit was nearly flat, and loaded with pines, and whose lower half formed a perpendicular wall of granite, extending along the side of the doll to some distance. Wheat-fields were laid out along the base of that .monn'ain in soft beauty ; the breeze gliding over the fall ears, caused them to bend on their long stalks, and they appeared to Jane, who was expert in such associ- TUK CANADIAN GIRL. 73 ations, to resemble exactly the waves ol* a quiet sea un- lulatinsf in iron tie swells. Tiio Piisfor and the yoimi; porsouA crossed the slender /Oridire, and passed a sliallow pool, studded with little patches (»!' verdure, and surrounded with beautiful wil- lows. Several horned cattle , happier than 1 could be any v/here else out of Ireland." *' And liow, uiy good girl, since you loved your country no sincerely, came you to leave it ?" Deborah's homely face was all on fire at the question; 4( k( THE CANADIAN (JIRL. 7n a chord was touched that vibrated painfully : — '• Ah, your worship !" said she, " niost persons have a tale to tell ; and every one, high or low, at my age, have had a taste of affliction. I came out to be married, your worship; but ray husband that was to be, united himself to a Ca- nadian-French peasant, instcod of to the girl he had sworn faith to in Ireland, and that was me. I broke a piece of silver with him, twelve years ago next autumn, and here it is;" so saying she drew from her breast the token she named, wliich was suspended from her neck by a piece of black ribbon. " He was a playmate of mine, your worship, and went to America to seek a situcation. And indeed O'Reilly did send for me, your worship, I have his letter in my pocket now,'* — she groped in that expansive receptacle, and brought to the Pastor'*s view an old sheet of paper, written over, which had been evidently preserved with great care. The Pastor, as if the circumstances she related were of the highest conse- quence to him, read the relic to the bottom (though this was no eas) matter, the writing and spelling baing very bad, the ink palo, and the creases of the paper nu- merous,) then returned it to her, with as much real respect as if she had been a lady of the first order of rank and refinement. " But he decaived me," said Debonili, and wiped her eyes, " and I have never seen the face of him since the first week I landed, when he told me himself lie was wedded to another." " He behaved very ill to you, Debby," said the Pastor. " But why not accept the miller, who is so sinccro in his regard for you ?" " O'Reilly has broken his troth," said the girl, " but I have not broken mine j and I'll wear this bit of a s»l- 'lii^ ' i :i. re THK CAN AD [AN U\RL. ver token till 1 lie down in my gr.ave, at any rate, your worship.'* " The beautiful flomn* of constancy can grow, you see, in rough soils," said the Pastor, to Clinton and Ar- thur, then shutting the gate the three valkecl forwards. The summer-house was large, and delightfully shaded in front with a maple tree, which, as it was now July, was fast becoming clothed with richlv-tinted foliagre, that drooped upon the roof of shingles. The long table, of black walnut-wood, was in the middle, chairs of the same material, and of easy shape, stood at the uppor end, aad stools at the lower. The Pastor occupied the chief place : Lucy was on his ri<>ht, a bubbling English tea-urn, and a silver teapot, being before her ; from the latter slie filled the cups with the incomparable and far-celebrated Chinese decoction ; Arthur, on the Pastor's left, dispensed small cakes, of different sorts, some hot, casting up thin smoke, which blended with the fumes of the tea, inviting the unsophisticated appetite with the most pleasing smell. Clinton sat near Lacy, lower down the board, and cut for the domestics and labourers as they came in from the fields, the house, and the outhouses, liberal slices from a majestic pile of beef, that had been salted and boiled to the exact point of perfection. Opposite him Jane helped portions from a stately round of mossed pork. On the other parts of the table were grouped moist new cheeses, and butter fresh from the churn, rich creams, omelets of eggs, custards, buttermilk, syrup of molasses (or maple- sugar in a half liquid state), honey of a pure tint, rolls of rye, barley, and wheat, and sweet cyder. T!m roni €nt ujion me, at the time when that fool, the Settlers son, uttcnipted to injure me, I knew Jane, at least, ac- quitted me. and then I — loved her." The last two words were pronounced with tlnilling emphasis, and immedi- ately Jane turned her head, thinking she heard a faint rry behind the bushes, but. seeing no one, she supj)osed .she had beon deceivcJ. ••' We have been here two years," resumed Clinton; *• have been treated well, and made happy enough. Bfj.t c;in such souls as vours and mine, Jane, bear to be ii. - mured longer in regions of rocks and woods? I am wearied of solitude and America. I intend to take my lease of the lodge very shortly. What wonld be my transport if I could have a companion with me — such as \m '¥f. 80 THE CANADIAN GIRL. it .Tjino I Win yoiicro with rnc '? I will take you to England, to niv relrtivos, who will welcome us io homes of stvlc and splendour. Yow will bo adored there. Thert* are no people m the world like the English nobility ; the society in which my I'riends move is full of spirit. Abun- dance of wit, and elefj^ant repartee, will give zest to the refined (.onvei-sation you will partake in. They are rich, and you will have apartments of your own, deco'ated with enchanting furniture, and hung with ])ler-glasses, that will reflect your image from glass to glass. You w il) have a fashionable servant, whose sole duty it will be to attend to you. And I — '* " I thank you, I am quite contented here," «?aid Jane. Clinton still mistaking her character, was t iboldened by her mildness, and went on vehemently urging her to leave America with him, omitting nothing that he sup- posed likely to inflame her imagination in favour of the iournev. •• 1 will give you my answer in writing,'* said she, *^* to- morrow morning," thinking this the easiest way of dis- ))cs'ug of tlie question ; but he declared he could take no denial, for .is very life was at stake, and she mttsi aijree to jjo with him. *• Then, not to keep you in donbt," said she, " I re- ply at once — I cannot jjo from the vallev with vou — 1 have given my word to Mr. Lee, and I must keep it." *' You speak so coldly, with so much apathy, as if jove was a set of formal lawyers deeds — a bundle of written promises. But how spoke Shakspeare's Jul'et — ' My bounty is as boundicsb a^ ihe sea ; My Sove as deep.' You are no Juliet — no Sappho — no Dido — Jane. You THE C.WADIAN (URL. 81 whould o]'»v;ito vonr lioart to love w.tn more nobilitv — inoro rorvencv — more ])}issiou." Jane smil(Ml. " I do not admlro tlic two last/' sh", said: " the other I woiihl not vvish to itnitate." " Not arltniro Sapj)ho and Dido, those wonderful wo- men ! — not imitate a Jnliet!" " I have read little of the latter," said Jane, '•an'! nothitifr of the former ; wh;it I know of them has heen derived I'rom von. You have recited to Lnev and 1 a ft' V jijreat many passages from Viri^il, about Dido, some poems of Sappho, and some of Juliet's speeches, all containinsf tine l)eauties, I dare sa,y, but surely danjjerous when hehl up to youui:^ women as ex.nnples. Excuse my i)resunjp- tion ; I give nvy o;)inioH — it may be foolisli what I say. We like and dislike frv^m impulse, and often know not why." " There is one character yon like," said Clinton "Madame Cottin's Elizabeth." " AV vi^"* said Jane; " she devoted herself to obtain her fejtKcr s jiardon — went from SioeriatoPetersburgh,on foots alowe. That is such a journey as I should like to have taken. I wish I had been Elizabeth. How happy "s^he must have been when she saw her father free '" But that was only an imaginary woman.'* Not imafrinarv altooethcn : Madame Cottin had, I dane say, seen scnne one who would have been capable of filial virtue as p-reat. Simple, unobtrusive goodness, is to be found in the world as well as in works of fiction." " I think you would be equal to Elizabeth, in similar circumstances,'* said Clinton. *** I fear not," said Jane ; " and yet, for my father. I could sacrifice much — and he is not a parent like hew,*' «4 ) (/. X? 84 THE CANADIAN GIRL. had her licar tne for a thousand pounds ! It would be the death of her!" , ** But even in that case, you know, Mr. Clinton, it would be very hard for you to have the bhime of the event — it is all the fault of the pretty sentimental suf- ferer herself." f " Jane — Jane — a sight like this is sufficient punish- ment for me," he cried, then kissing the hand of the insensible girl, protested, with an agitated countenance, that he would instantly remedy the evil ho hacl caused, were it not too late. Jane said there was no remedy in his power now. She then left him, with one knee on the ground, supporting Lucy in a sitting posture, while she hastened toward the house. Seeing: Deborah, she beck- oned her quickly, and turned back to the spot where Liicy lay. " O my young mistress !" exclaimed the warm-hearted Irish girl ; " it's I will carry you to the house, in my own arms, at any rate ; for I love you with all my heart for your tindir disposition !" and so saying, she took up thesliorht figure as if it had been a child's, and conveyed it with care to the door of the lodge, where Arthur stood. He could not see Deborah until she turned an ai.ole of the wall near the doorway, but as soon as his eye fell upon her, he started forward, and received his sister from her breast. Immediately lie carried Lucy into the family apartment, and laid her upon a sofa. The Pastor was called. Clinton remained in unpleasant meditation and sus- pense outside the house, walking backwards and for- w\rds. under the windows of the room in which liUcy was. Jcfciio asksisied Deborah in restoring her, while Arthur lini. THE CANADIAN GIRL. 85 sent off a man to the nearest village for a physician. Lucy opened her eyes and gazed around on the anxious faces collected near her. A long-drawn sigh which shb heaved brought the tears into her brother's eyes. " Lucy ! — sister !" he exclaimed, " what ails vou ? Do you know us ?" She placed his hand on her heart : — " I atn so oppressed here, Arthur," she said, and then closed her eves. " She has fainted again !" said the Pastor. " I wish (he doctor had arrived. Jane, you went into the garden immediately after leaving me, and there found Lucy on the ground, did you not say so ?" " I was speaking with Clinton, sir, in the little path by the tulip-trees, when I heard a cry, and going inside die bushes I saw her Ivin": as she is now." '• Well," said he, " it is little use perplexing ourselves to determine the cause of her illness, when she has re ooveredshe herself will inform us of it, and we must have patience." • The evening wore away, and midnight approached, none of the inmates of the lodge were retired to rest, but all awaited the arrival of the physician with anxiety. The miller and a field labourer set out about one o'clock with lights to meet him, and returned at the dawn of daylight, with a Doctor Bathurst He ordered his pa- tient to be immediately undressed and put to bed, which, having been done, he drew out his lancet and bled her in the arm. This experiment was attended with so little satis Aictory result, that he was entreated to remain a day or two in the house, that he might be at hand in case of any more serious symptoms occurring. To this he con- sented^ and a man was dispatched to the village to in- U\ : But Arthur, young, impetuous, unused to sorrow, and indignant against Clinton, after his first burst of distress was over, sought the man whom, in his haste, he accused as the destroyer of his sister. He was passing Lucy*8 chamber, and looked in, pushing the door inwards noise- lessly ; the curtains were looped up at the foot of the bed, so that he could see her half raised on pillows, her eyes closed ; green blinds, drawn down to the bottom of the windows, subdued the strong light of the afternoon sun to a soft hue, just suitable for a sick chamber, an'' combined, with the white furniture of the bed, to exhibit the invalid in the most interesting point of view. The full borders, edged with English pillow-lace, of her mus- Ihi cup, heightened the soft expression of her now colour- less features ; and a large shawl formed a simple drapery for the upper part of her figure. Arthur beheld her with melancholy and tender admi- ration. No object, to his partial eye, had ever ai^peared IHE CANADIAN GIRL. w more fair — more spotless j but as Vie looked^ the reflection that her d.ivs were numbered, smote hnn witn ov^r- pov^ering anguish. He went to her; she opened her eves with :i sad smile, and attempted to raise hersell : — " Brother, have you begun harvest yet V she m- quired." " Not yet in earnest," said he ; '^ but how do you find yourself now ?" ,j ' , r .. , " Nearly well again," she answered. " But tell Jane to make the tea at five o'clock, for the Doctor will not- let me come down to-day." Arthur felt half choaked with emotion, and kisped her forehead in silence. - " I feel strangely altered," she said, " since morning; " it must be with having been bled, for 1 see my arm is bandaged." She presently added, " Brother, look at the flowers when you go down stairs, if you please, for I am afraid they have not been watered this morning ; to- morrow I will change some of the geraniums into larger pots." ,, : ,. .. . .;. ■,?;,,,,■, .,, ,,;:^ ■•: ,.. He assured her he would look to them. ,.;, . . " T am very cold," said she ; " winter will not be un- welcome to me — I shall be glad to see it come back, and then Arthur" (she smiled again) " we shall have the great log burning once more in the broad kitchen chim- i.ey, and the heat, and the sparks, and the corn, parchmg, under Deborah's eye, in the ashes — and the roasted hickory-nuts, and apples — and the mince-pies baking on the hearth — will not all this be delightful ? I am very cold; 1 should be glad to get up before some right large blazing logs now." •* My dear sister," said Arthur, " I will tell Doctor ?f- Fm4\^ V THE CANADIAN GIRL. m Bathtir?it that you are cold; perhaps you are not wrapped up suffi 'iently ;" and he begfan tacking the shawl under her arms, and drawing it more closely about her neck. . " That will do, thank you ; yes, you may tell the Doctor that I am cold, and please say to hini, also, that a flfood fire is all I want to make mo well." " I will tell him so," said Arthur; and, kissinij her acrain, he withdrew. " That coldness — that perfect unconsciousness of her danger are, my dear sir, unfavourable symptoms, said the Doctor a short time afterwards to Arthur; " I must not disffuisc from vou the truth of the case. " ** She says she has felt strangely altered since this morning. ?? " She certainly has not altered for the better 'I am sorry to say," rejoined the Doctor. " Let me take the lioerty to pour you a glass of wine, Mr. Lee. These are the periods, sir, when the strength of our fortitude is tried to the utmost. Believe me, 1 feel for you. I myself have Dassed throu| .■! •,'mM , I ■ . :^] mm mi t&MjjtaiM, ' 04 THE CANADIAN (Jllll,. lier temples; other active means were also resorted to, and the utmost stillness was inaiiitained tlirou sellout the house. The same morning it was knowu in the lodge that Clinton intended, almost iiuuu'diatcly, to take leave of the valley. Here, as at Farmer Joshua's, lie had been a favourite of the subordinate UK'udjers of the family, and they all were grieved by the intellip;cnc(N Tliey had ex- pected that he would have been the husband of Miss Lee, and the announcement, therefore, that he was going to a distant part of America, would have excited surprise and disappointment at any period — how much more, then, at the present ! It was unaccountable to them, that, attached to Lucy as he had appeared to be, he should choose sttc/i a time for quitting her, and for quitting her, as it seemed — for ever. . , . , ! VM ' ( I » * ! '^ Mti ■'»:» ■-. U \ ( 1 11. • < f> m <' 'T *"'^^,^ ;• i \ ] ->' f; ■•u:>5:''^ ^-'i '•.i. 7UV. lANAHIAN GIRL. All ;.. ' I. . t 95 1 : ri .» 1 ••» ' >'' IB' < 11 T1 ciiArrER vii. < I " The -'.^riof that on luy qniot preys, 'riiHt rciidrt my lu'tut — that checks my tongue, I fear v/ill last mo all my ilnyo, liut feel it will not last for lonjj."' , ,, , . , On the third evenins^ of hor illness, Lucy, still wan- tkrinor in mind, contrived to elude *he vigilance of her friends. She persuaded Jane, who sat with her, to go into an adjoining room, pretending that she wished to sleep, and could not while any one was in the room. No sooner, however, had Jane disappeared, than Lucy darted out of bed, and searched the room for her clothes, making no noise whatever. She was unable to find any of them, for they had been removed by the orders of the Doctor. She looked round bewildered and perplexed, until her eye chanced to light on a white morning dress, hanging on a nail. Instantly she took it down, put it on, and whispered, " This will do — this will do ;" then tying the strings around her waist, said " though it is Christmas, the wind is warm, and I know Clinton ad- mires me in white." She sighed twice, and sat down with an air of frenzied melancholy, taking into her hand a paper of verses which had been addressed to her hy Clinton. , V ■' m iV (l-^ ^ .ii '*! THE CANADIAN GIRL. i: B- ; 1 r, 1 . ml m^M. All at onc« she seemed to recollect where Jane was, and ailro/Iy fastened her in, ^till without making any 110188. Having performed this, she smiled, and, like a "bird let loose, ran out to the landing, and listened there. ]t happened that no one was on the second story, and she went from room to room without beinsf observed. She talked to herself, and seemed to enjoy her freedom. Octasionally, she laughed softly and joyously. Here ^he opened a window, and there she shut one. In one place she turned over a half-filled cask of apples, in another a box of seeds. She set chairs in tiieir order, picked up from the straw-matting of the floors whatever bits of flue had escaped from the beds, then went down ijfiiirs, and passed out into the open air unperceived. , By cautiously choosing her way, ^he reached the Marble Fountain without interruption, and sat down, /istening to the dash of the waterfall, and to tlie screaming oltlie birds fluttering about it. Her smiles ceased; sue (lro])ped tears; she shook her head; she sighed; and spoke pathetically to the objects she saw. Clinton had been wandering alone, over the yalleyy taking a final view of the principal beauties it contained, before preparing for his departure. He had reached a detached height by the cascade, on the top of which he now stood ; the beautiful sheet of water leaped from crag to crag, almost within the reach of his hand; its last fall into the white marble basin below was fifty feet in depth, and coloured with brilliant tints as the sun shone on it. Hardly less beautiful than this fall, were the fine vapours, which congregated above it, and the dazzling white foam below. t — , -. . . Clinton held by a tree near the edge of a rock on THE CANADIAN GIRL. 97 whose sloping sides grew dark pines and cedars. The britnches, leaves, and bark, were ever bathed or sprinkled with brilliant spray, which the wind had caught up, and. phed over them. On the other side of the fall, also, thick woods rose on ascending rocks close to the torrent. 1 h© contrast of colours was truly fine. Here, Clinton feas^ffd his luxurious imagination, and repeated to himself in a loud voice, overmastering the din of the waterfall, lines from Byron's Childe Harold. The wildness of the sceoe pleased his lawless humour ; he felt himself as a part of it: the hurrying rush of the water resembled the quick tide that rolled in his veins; the eccentric motions of the spray, spread momently by the breeze to the sunshine, now high as the cascade, now far on the right hand or on the left, was like his inconstant fancy. While he stood gazing, listening, yielding to sensations rapid, vivid, and ecstatic, a darkness came over the sky., wtiich induced him to turn his eye upwards that he miffht discover the cause. Two huge clouds, of a fearful biacJc- ness, were rolling from opposite sides over the vajiey: the eye of Clinton was rivetted upon them, filled with a tumultuous delight. Prudence would have urged him to descend from the rock and to seek the shelter of the lodge with speed, for the violence of the Canadian storms he oa:l before experienced ; but he disdained to listen ta prudence, and stood firm, awaiting the shock of the thunder which he knew must follow the meetina: of the two clouds^ On they moved, majestically slow, until there was only a narrow fissure between them, from which the sunlight descended in slanting rays. The lowing of the terrified cattle could be heard from the sheds whither the herds* man had just driven them ; the wild ducks, that had been * »• 1 . "' !j [) '-f ) ( .Pi ^ THE CANADIAN QIRL. n*- « 1 ■1^ i |l ■M W' m mp ^M m\\!l '■hD w^-" tm i: '^ f^ peacefully floating on the marble basin and its diverging •tream, hastened in flocks to the bank, and took sbeiter under a clump of willows and alders ; several head of wild red deer hurried to the woods which clothed the sides of the valley, and the noble creatures panted for fear ; some fawns were with them, whom they stopped once to lick with evident signs of anxiety; the beaver looked up out of the pond as if putting forth all its sagacity to dis- cover the cause of the strange closeness of the atmosphere, and as the thunder reverberated among the hills, it struck the water with its tail several times, to acquaint its com- panions in their castles below that some unusual peril was at hand; birds of splendid plumage flew by hundreds and by thousands through the air, giving vent to wild cries of distress ; a shot from an adventurous and unerring hand, brought down the largest of them, on which the eye of Clinton had been turned. He pursued with his gaze the fall of the fluttering victim, and saw the two Indian twiu'brothers, Sassa and Taota, raise it from the ground. " Ha ! they are hardy fellows — they are worthy to be called braves ! Well done — well done !" exclaimed Clinton in delight. " The tempest, aha, it does not appal them ! they are brave spirits ! they know no touch t)f fear ! Their minds, I swear, are tempestuous ! and iheir blood is not tame and watery ! They liAe the roar of the thunder ; and when the lightnings flash, why they help it with the flame of their gunpowder. By Jove f ttcat was a confounded blaze !." He shaded his eyes for the moment, as sheets of electrical fire enveloped the valley. When he again looked below, he observed that the Indians were running to the lodge. Another tre- il THE CANADIAN GIRL. 99 mendous peal of thunder, and with it another descent of lightning, subdued his daring a little — and but alittle. He overmastered his rising terrors, and compelled him- self to fix his eyes on the line which still marked tne ' outline of each cloud from that of its fellow • and truly no grander sight had ever man beheld. Momently now that fissure closed and opened, raining sheets of the most beautiful rose-tinted fire, vivid and broad ; with these * sheets came deep-red, sharp-angled forks, glancing in every direction down to the earth. Every second Clinton expected to see one of those deadly darts aimed at the buildings of the valley, or at himself; but pride made him insensible at present to the fear of death, and he i» stood like some young deity of old Greece, defying the elements with his scornful and yet admiring glance. The rain burst down as if a general deluge was com- mencing. The ground smoked every where; the thunder and lightning were almost unceasing ; and the pressure of the atiuosphere was nearly suffocating; globes of fire seemed falling from the clouds, which now lowered them- selves still more. At times, as the storm raged, Clinton fancied he heard cries in the valley, as of persons hal- looing in alarm. Presently he perceived the figure of a man, whom he thought to be Arthur, running over the grounds around the house like one distracted. • ->' " There must be something the matter," said Clinton; and seizing the roots of a tree, at the uttermost extremity ot the rock, he swung himself over upon a projecting shelf, and there obtained firm footing. With a step as steady as any mountain hunter could boast, he trode along to the end of this shelf, from which he leaped forwards upon the summit of another rock, that was as soft as ¥ .1;, w U 100 THE CANADIAN GIRL. TeJvet to the foot, and shaded with five or six mou ancient trees, standing separate from each other; fioiu here he again heard the shouts of men, which the nun and the thunder again overpowered. *•• Perhaps the lightning has struck some part of the lodge!" cried Clinton, aloud, pulling his hat on more firmly. A solitary woodpecker was hopping about this verdant platform, half drowned with the rain ; Clinton caught the little panting thing and put it within the hollow of a tree. His deficiencies were not on the side of sentiment, but principle. The poor bird shrunk instantly to the darkest part of the hollow trunk, and showed no dis- position to move. Clinton had not lost half a minute ^^ with it ere he descended with intrepid agility the side of this rock also, and alighted on a round hill, from which several rivulets and streams flowed over into the marble basin. There was a path leading down to the ground from here, but the violent rain prevented him from availing himself of it, as it now formed a channel for the pouring water. He did not hesitate long, but descended by clinging first to one tree, and then to another, on the side next the cascade, where the hill slanted out. When he stood on the level ground he looked up, and scanned the way by which he had come down with no small portion of surprise at his own hardihood. Exul- tation then swelled his breast, and he confronted the storm with a glance that seemed to say, " I who have accomplished a feat like this, will not tremble before youl"" Turning; round, he saw a figure in white, lying near the foot of the cascade, apparently dead. He felt a snock THE CANADIAN GIRL. 101 d e Id lo Ie of fear. At first Tie could only stand gazing on it» while flashes of lightning quivered about the pallid face. The marble fountain was apt to attract the lightning, by means of the jKreat height of the trees on its edge, as well as with the cascade itself, and hence it was considered a dangerou*} spot in a thunder storm. Poor Lucy, in her bewildered state, fancying it was Christmas, had watched the storm come on, and expected a fall of snow. When she found the valley grow so dark, she said to herself, '* Christmas is likely to be severe this year ; hail may be coming — I will get under the thickest branches of these trees, and Clinton will seek me presently with a mantle, in which I shall wrap myself, so that the storm will not touch me.** She had not sat five minutes under the trees when a thunderbolt clave in sunder the root against which she leaned, and she was laid prostrate. Clinton shook oft the paralysing surprise he felt, and hurried to her, just as tlie Pastor and Arthur appeared. A few hurrieil exclamations, a few rapid questions and answers, were all that passed, before Arthur bore his sister back to the house. The Doctor again bled her, and, to the joy of all, she revived, in the full possession of her senses. She remembered nothing of what had passed since the moment when she fainted by the tulip trees. She was alive to all the misery of that moment, and as her eye fell on Clinton, who stood at the foot of the sofa, sne coloured painfully, and hid her face. He ventured once to approach her, and silently pressed her hana^ which trembled like an aspen in his grasp. Ttiis was his farewell of her, for she never saw him afler. He was the same evenlp^ wandering from the valley, he knew not whither— cared not whither. Ill mi .n4 ' 'I 102 THE CANADIAN GIKL. I fill "' ?'!i ill! Hi No one durst tell Lucy that he was gone. The storm was over. A splendid evening ushered in a nis^ht of beauty. She was not removed from the sofa of the family apartment, and when the family were all withdrawn, she sat up partially, and looked through the windows with eyes full of calm tears. Jane, who was still her com- panion, about eleven o'clock, brought her medicine to her. When Lucv had drank it, she looked at Jane with an expression of affection, and rested her head on her bosom. I .'■ ; , " Give me your hand, Jane," she murmured in weak tones ; " here, on my heart. Jane, I had hoped to see vou married to my brother, but I must now relinquish the hope. I am in my last sickness — I feel it — I know it" There was a mournful silence. Jane could not trust herself to speak, but she bent her head, and kissed with fondness the pale forehead which was supported on ner bosom. . i . . " How pure — how celestial !" Lucy exclaimed, ? eking her hands in each other, as she beheld the moon, and the ether round that fair planet, which was of a surpassing green, ineffably woven with her light. " How wonder- fully lovely !" a veil of rich purple cloud was stretching across the moon's track, filmy and transparent as the web of the gossamer. Neither of them stirred while this effect was operating, but both sighed witli a solemn rapture. Presentljf Lucy said, " This is such an hour as best suits death.'* " My dear Lucy, you are sad," said Jane. Lucy rejoined, " You think so because I speak of death. But why is death sad ? Does it not seem that it should be otherwise ? It ought to be pleasant to us THE CANADIAN GIRL. 103 to die. Christians should rejoice to dlie — for to them the dark portals ot' the grave are openings to glory.** Hitherto she had not mentioned Clinton or the con- versation she had overheard ; and the Doctor had directed that no one should speak to her upon any subject likelj to cause her agitation. But now she whispered — " Jane, how was it he was not present during family prayer to niffht?*' Jane was at a loss how to answer. She could not bear to say any thing that was not strictly true ; yet, to tell Lucy the truth, was impossible. Her invention was not very quick, and her feelings were so much excited, that she could only- again kiss the forehead of the querist in silence. *' You weep, Jane," said Lucy, after a brief pause, during which she had been meditating. Then throwinjf herself from Jane's supporting arms, she sat upright, and, as the moonlight fell upon the face of her sympathising companion, viewed it with attention. " There is grief in your countenance," said she. " Grief for me ! O Grod ! hold my heart firm while the blow lights." Jane wound her arms around the sufferer, poured into her ear the softest words which pity and sensibility could furnish, with the most natural and yet earnest manner ; and in the extremity of the need, might perhaps have said something more or less than the truth, had not her organl}ation been so unerringly true to her principles, that she was compelled to tell the secret by violent tears. Lucy was unnaturally calm ; she spoke with unnatural firmness : — " I know you have something to teli me, and I assure you it is idle to think of hiding it fix>m me. Has Clinton gone T^ !< i 104 THE CANADIAN GIRL. I<'9 This question was asked with a decisive and imperativer tone, that Jane could not evade, however she might wish, to do so. * " Your silence tells me," said Lucy, closing her eyes and sinking back on her pillows upon the sofa — " you silence tells me." Jane hung over her : " How shall I comfort you ?" she said. i " I now know the worst that can befall me," was Lucy's only rejoinder. The sofa was large, and so ar- ranged that two persons might lie with ease upon it. Jan^ placed herself by Lucy's side therefore, and, very soon* fell asleep. When she awoke the sun was shining full Into the room, she turned herself, and took the hand of Lucy — dropped it — it was icy and rigid ; bent her head down to her mouth — but found no breath there ; laid her liand on the heart which last night had ached so sadly — , but it had ceased for ever to beat ; and then throwing up her arms to heaven, screamed, " She is dead ! — she is dead !" The wild grief which spread through the house was d' .mal indeed. The lament was loud and vehement. Arthur, who had given Clinton the coldest adieu possible, on the evening before, was now filled with the bitterest resentment against him. He looked upon his sister as a victim to his cold-blooded vanity. He felt that her death was to be attribute^ ♦n Clinton almost wholly. The Doctor strengthened this idea, by saying, that although there certainly had been signs of a consumption having fastened itself on her constitution, yet, had she lived quietly and peacefully, with a tranquil mind, she might have got over it. Jane repeated now the whole of Clin- ton*s conversation which Lucy had overheard, and Doctor THE CANADIAN GIRL. 105 Batburst did not hesitate to say that it had beeu the shock she had then received which had caused her to die so suddenly. The sofa on which Lucy had expired, and on which she still lay, was lifted with care into the middle of the apartment; two handsome windows, elegantly hung with summer drapery, threw the rays of the sun on it. The body had not yet been disturbed. The three women- servants, silent and awe-struck, stood at the back of the sofa. Jane knelt at the front, sobbing and weeping. Arthur, with masculine ntensity of agony, leaned, tear- less, over the upper arm of the sofa ; hi-s look was con- centrated, his 2ips sternly compressed, his face pale, and h)s eyes turned on his sister's lifeless countenance. It was for his sake that no one moved for some time. There was something in his bearing which would have imposed stillness on the most careless individual. All present were conscious that he was suffering a depth of anguish greater than they had ever before witnessed or experi- enced. All remembered that she was his onlv sister : that he had never been separated from her a week since his birth ; that she had been his friend, his confidante, on all occasions; that she had shared his domestic happiness, his domestic cares ; and that they had so tenderly loved each other, that no one could speak of an hour in which they had been seen or heard to be at variance. Their tempers had exactly harmonised ; their sentiments had been exactly the same ; they had had the same tastes and the same interests ; lastly, they had loved at the same time, and under similar circumstances, though hitherto with different results. i . , i v But when the Pastor entered, to look upon the relics ' ■''! PM i \: '■M n I m Mi 106 THE CANADIAN GIRL. \f' " r \'' '' ' of his (granddaughter, he inspired even more sympathy" than Arthur, if that were possible. He leaned upon the Doctor's arm, and his limbs trembled ; coming round in front o^ the sofa he fell upon his knees by the side of Jane, solemnly repeatinsrthe words " Our Father — Thy will be done — Thy will be done." He removed the counterp&ie from the arms and neck of the body. The hands were placed palm to palm, near the neck, and be- tween them was a piece of paper, which the Pastor drew away with difficulty. There was eagerness and curiosity manifested on each countenance present. A few verses were written on the inner side of the paper, in a fine,, bold, running hand. . " This is Clinton's hand-writing," said Arthur, scan- ning the lines with a flaming eye. < w " The Lord forgive him," said the Pastor, " for trifling 90 fatally with the happiness of an unsuspecting girl.'' These verses were in a passionate strain, flattering her^ and avowing an attachment for her of the most ardent nature. . ■ " Dear, broken-hearted girl !" exclaimea Arthur. " Would to God this specious villain had ntver come to our valley ! And now he is gone to employ hij arts where other maidens, as happy as Lucy has been, may become as she is ; where he may desolate other homes as he has desolated this ; where he may win other hearts as he won my sister's, and cast them forth, like hers, to grief and death." ^ ■■■ K- ' --'^ " Sorry am I, indeed," said the Pastor, " that I brousjht him to this house. But do not reproach me with that error, my grrandson. I was deceived in him as Lucy was. I saw, as I thought, something excellent aud THE CANADIAN GIIU. 107 uncommon in him. His manners deceived rae. His attainments deceived me. Since he came here, except in this sad circumstance, lie has conducted himself well. He has made himself agreeable and useful. I observed his attention to my Lucy, as I did yours to Jane, and I pleased myself with anticipating many years to come happier than any tliat had gone before. I thought to have married the two children of my never-forgotten daughters, to the objects of their choice, and to have spent my old] age with them in tranquillity, imder the favour, and enjoying the bounty, of gracious heaven. But be the will of God done !" Here he uplifted his hands, and tears flowed from his eyes. Arthur raised him to a seat. ■ • *' Forgive me, my honoured grandfather," said he, *' if, when I said would to God Clinton had never coroe hither, I seemed to reproach you who introduced him. My heart, I assure you, was clear of any thought of blame to you ; and what I suffer now would be greatly aggravated if you, in the least, were to blame yourself. You are as blameless as our beloved Lucy was." " No — I now see otherwise," said the Pastor. " I was very wrong to suffer my grey hairs to be so imposed upon. Discrimination, caution, and a calm judgment, should attend old age — but I have shown neither : I have been partial to this young man with the heat and impulse of youth — I have my punishment ! Ah, my son, I have my punishment !" *'• Grandfather, I beseech you, add not to the sorrow of this dreadful morning by casting reflections on your- self," said Arthur. The Pastor put him aside, and turned his face to the body. ?>. 't\M m „ ,;, .^f. 'Ml I 1'' -bf ■•P-' '[if. i- .''lit ''iW ioa THE CANADIAN OIRL. Tils anguish became so overpowering that Doctor Bathurst, with friendly violence, forced him from tho room. Deborah and her fellow-servants, with many a piteous expression, and many a sincere tear, decently prepared the body for the grove. Tlio house-carpenter constructed a beautiful and durable coffin of black wal- nut wood, and Jane lined it throughout with white satin. A melancholy task ! but she went through it with serious bCrenity. She had endured many trying scenes before this, and she felt that many more were before her. No vandyUed shroud, that thing of " shreds and patches,^ that most unseemly of modern inventions, dis- fic^ured the lovely corpse ; but in its stead was put on a simple white dress, drawn to tho feet in graceful folds. When til© remains of Lucy were thus ready for burial, Jane, as she looked at her could not refrain from saying : — - ■> ' . ** * lovely appearance of death ! i> *^ No sight ill the world is so fair; Not all the gay pageants of earth, ^ V" ' ' Can with a dead body compare.'" TUB CANADIAN CilRL, "W* 109 */ ♦ » V » . . I ! . . CHAPTER VIII. *' But now thy youngest, dearest one Iiaa pcrish'd, Tho nursblinff of tliy widowhooii, who grew Like a pale ttuwur by some sad rauidcn cheriah'd And fed with trui'-love tears instead of dew ; Most musical of uioiirNers weep anew ! Tliy extreme liopc, tho loveliest uiid tho last, The bloom, whoso j)ctals nipt before they blow, Died on the promise of the fruit, is waste, The broken lily lies — the storm is overpast."— »SAt//,y, •4, '■l*'i On tho second clay after Lucy^s deatli, Artlinr wcnC out to tlic sjjot lie had selected for a burial place. It was a iittle elevated above the level of the valley, and Ibrraed a square, backed by a mountain ; it was well shaded, especially at the boundaries, with high and slender trees ; and was as solemn and retired a spot as any that was to be found throughout the valley. Tho grass was very high, of different sorts and colours, and matted. In some parts American reeds rose to the full height of a man. A labourer was employed in enclosing this spot with oak palisades ; another was digging in the soil. Seeing Ar- thur, the latter cried out — • " It's of the right sort, master ! I thought nothing but tine deep clay could bear such a burden of grass a» we see here.** «t , 1* / . ^ 110 THE CANADIAN GIRL. 01 m ^'f U: Arthur walked to him, sighing, as he waded through the weeds and clover. *' Clear off the decayed vegetation," said he, in a voice low and unmodulated ; " make the ground in iriw condition. Carry a path through the middle, and cut i few steps to the ground below." " It shall be done, master, as cleverly, I guess, as by any yankee, or old England man, be he who he may," said the States field-labourer, commencing operations with lusty readiness, that, to do him justice, sprang as much from honest sympathy, as from the love of gain. Arthur passed over the enclosure, sometimes stopping with folded arms, his eyes fixed on the earth, and then viewing the place with a careful and sorrowful eye. At length became near the centre, where four of those most melancholy looking trees called the cypress, grew in pairs, leaving sufficient room between their twin-roots for two roomy graves. " Here," said he, " the ground looks as if no mortal foot had ever trodden on it since the world began. Here shall my sister lie — ' ■ ' And from her fair and unpolluted flesh May violets spring.' " He went back to the busy labourer, and after a pause, during which his emotion was great, said, pointing — ** You see, Jacob, that middle space between those four trees — " . - . " Yes," said the man, " I was noticing it this morn--. ing, and, thinks I, it will just do, I guess, for — ^'* The agony visible upon Arthur's face checked the speaker. The former laid his hand upon the labourer's arm, and said, in scarcely audible tones — THE CANADIAN GIRL. Ill ** Make it with the head to the hill ; let the depth be not spared, and smooth it well at the sides." *' That I will, master ; it shall be as neat a grave as ever was made in the Upper Canada country. You may depend on me. And when am I to have it ready V* " By Saturday," Arthur replied. " Saturday be it then," said the man. " You need not trouble yourself any more about it. The stakes will be driven in round the 'closure, and all done as you have ordered, take my word for it, master." " I may c/ejoe«fl? on you, Jacob ?" ' " Unless I fall mortal sick, or die, all shall be made ready here by Saturday, as I hope in the Lord. Yes, to a sartainty, you may depend on my word." " Very well; on Saturday evening, Jacob, I shall come hither, as Sunday is the day fixed for the interment, and if you have kept your word, and all is prepared as I wish, it may prove to your interest." " 1 am not thinking of my interest, master," said Ja- cob, wiping his eyes, and then pressing down the spada in the soil with his foot. On the Saturday Jacob had finished his task. The grave, the path, and the few steps leading up to the path, were made. All but the freshest grass and reeds had been carefully removed ; the palisades were completed, and evergreen shrubs were planted close to it on the inside ; besides all this he had placed a wooden seat around each pair of the cypress trees, by the grave, and had planted the borders of the path, which conducted thither, with simple and hardy flowering plants. "Will it do sirl" said Jacob to Arthur, as they walked along to the grave. .% TV, I m ylP^' ',•■4 i.® 112 THE CANADIAN GIRL. :t :■ I fi. : U • " You have exceeded my expectations," said Arthur ; " and next week I shall raise your hire, and make you a sharer in the product of those two meadows under the great crag which bears my name. I have for some time proposed to advance you. No thanks, Jacob — I am not in a mood to receive them. I am grateful to you for this favour vou have done me. Now be so ffood as ffo to the house, company are arriving, and your services may be required ; you may put up their horses, and assist, the other servants, who are all as busy as they can be in preparing for to-morrow.'* Jacob accordingly went to the lodge, in compliance with his master's rec|uest, leaving Arthur musing alone. The Pastor was shut up in his library, where he had re- mained almost unseen during the past week. Jane was compelled to receive all the friends that came to the valley on this occasion, and they were not few. Among them were Miss Bathurst, Farmer Joshua ana his wife, and a son of the latter, who had once boen an admirer of Miss Lee. It was usual for many persons to come from settlements around to the Sabbath services, conducted by the Pastor in a large log-house, on his grandson's estate. Those V o came from places the most distant sometimes arrived on the Saturday evening, at the lodge, where they always found a bed and a hospitable welcome. It was thought the prepai-ations for the Sabbath, by public prayer, in the chapel, would not be performed on the present evening ; but the place was lighted as usual, and at the exact time the Pastor entered, leaning upon tl ,e arm of his grandson. There was no pulpit; a chair, a reading-desk, and cushion, included all that was provided for the minister. 'ik^'^' 113 THK CANADIAN GIRL. the small assembly havincr fnr iU • c-airs. stool, a„a Z/ et":":''' '"''' '""'"'^' wood. , oxocks ol somo imperishable " My frionds,- ^^id the Pacjfnr «c • bere to Ceb.te the p.isL f 'e ^ '^^ ^ -' one who was dear to me » U ' ^ ''*''^ ''«'' sently grew stronger. " Sh" /"'" T"''' "^"^ P^^" '.er; she met with „s here SLwS ^^' ' -"""l '"'«'^ -..i.husofthejo,sofheave„ Tenr^tr 'r ': ""^f »<" «-■»§ yet ? May not the hear 7Zi^''^'' "rmly fasten on the belief that she ihapov '.,?"'' see her not ?*' "^PPy> thouoh we -^S^o:;!rar'''i'^°'*^*--™'^'^°-^'<^ ;-a.Sassa.wTLt:£ fatter :7;r7 ''7 h'S eves quenched in tears of feeli„/ ' '" '""^ °^ o " My father asks » «,M « ' ' '' ' ' English, his breast la g!^:it:^ '" ^"'^'"^'^ ^0 frequently amuses in the loll "'^l'"^'" 'elig'oH ".if our white sister is liitj y" l^d t^f ''' .°^ -'-«. ^3 rtnger upwards, impressively "t'd if t TT' """• He looked around, standin. T, jl '""J'' '''^ '" ;vas something exceeding, °e,a"'! I ' '*^" '"^ eye was full of a subnl . 1 " '""""^"ance. ^»ther who has taurju ?„ t hel" "ITT''^''- " ^"^ -a Sass. the brave^ells ^s t!r-;fr'^ir^*'''^ J'ved as the Great Snirit , ! . , ^^^- Has she not , «-* be gone to X , " *" ""« '-"'^^''^''-e ^ho Spirit is. Has she „„ '^^ """"'^ ''''-« 'l-e Great iere, and bas H not ca 1,7:""' "■'■"■ *''^ «-' Spirit Po-ed to the large folio on epttJs" T" f"" 8 ;"ei asters reading desk r cr : *|' "if. 'Ij 'I 114 THI^ CANADIAN GIRL. 1 13: the minister bowed down his face, for the Indian had strengthened his heart, and he inwardly thanked God for the words of the convert. " The Red men know that they will not die," said Sassa. " They know they must go away from their tribe, from their wives, and from the woods and prairies in which they have hunted — but they will not die I Ask them ; — they will tell you they shall live as long as the moon. They will tell you they shall eat buffalo -flesh, and corn, and fish, after the earth is laid on them. They will tell you the bad Indians will be punished, the good Indians will be happy — very happy. And if the Red men know ail this, do not the White men know more ? Look in the Great Book, and see." Again he pointed, and the Pastor said to the as* sembly — " He has spoken well. Let there be no selfish repin- insrs in Christian mourners hearts. Some are here, who have lost, like me, beings whose lives seemed as dear as their own. Ah, friends ! shall we murmur at Providence ? The Indians teach us lessons, shall we not show them examples ? Help me to say, God be thanked for our sorrt)ws, as well as for our joys, for we know that all things shall work toorether for good to them that love God." The usual form of devotion was then gone through, and did not occupy in the whole a half an hour. A stranger would have seen a heartfelt spirit of union and of gravity pervading the chapel, but no sound of grief would have informed him of the peculiar sorrow in which all shared. The hymn last sung, it was weVI known, had been a favourite one with Lucy, and the Pastor and Arthur were observed to close their books, ■"IE OANADUN GlKl. jj^ -nd at the same instant to kneel down Th sing congregation went on to the ! . * «J"»Pathi- ften ceased of their own ae r r" T.' ''"'^' "«' -s offered up b, Arthur, it wa^ t-euZ'Tf- '''"" . ^° "»"">? o"t of the chapel the P.T '"=• cpal communicants collecting IrolTl" ""'' ^'' ''"''- forted and condoled with him " ' ^^ ™'»- Jeftrence and good wi 2 "^ "^ "'"" '^' ""»<»' '■« »-- meant, shook hands Sh'"T "'"'" ''''""'^ « ">at the burial would t"ten u ""' '"'"'•"'^ "-em -»-. in order that the L'^^;:^;;'^«^^^^^ «■« -« proceed without any int^rr. , / ^*''''**'' might had beentryingrrtrrt ^"^'^ *'— > -hreh -« "'afe had fallen the manUe of Lu TT^'^^^y- "po" J*»e *e house had been pl/eedTnl ^^^ ''-*''°%^ «« though contrary to her w'sh '•^'"'■'^""^"dence. ^^h- the, ir f.r rtr?;-; f °'■-'•-^• been Lucy's exclusively jj ' ' *"''' "'''='' h«l «»■« of the stately bird; w^ ^^ """ "^""'''''^ '» <=»«*« "er, and he seemed loc^kingM-th, ill 1)6 THE CANADIAN GIRL. nr.merous vvinflows of the house. She raised herself in- staijtiy, and turning to Deborah, whispered — " Who is he standing near us there I** " Wiiisht, darling ! I know him ; its the villain who desarted our dear Miss Lucy, as O'Reilly desarted me," said Deborah, with energy. " III luck light on him, for a desaiver as he is !" Clinton turned, and came deliberately near. His ap- pearance was much altered. He seemed to have joined himself to the daring hunters of the woods, for in his risjht hand was a carabine, and at his w^aist a shot pouch, a knife, and a wallet ; a small pack, also, was slung at his back; a cap of fur covered his head; and he wore mocassins and leggings. .' " Miss Anderson," said he, with more respect than familiarity, " will you have the goodness to tell me why it is that I see the windows of the lodge all curtained so closely?" . ' .s I , " Oh ! agrah ! Is it yourself that asks ?" began De- borah, with a wrathful countenance. " Shame on ye for a desaiver ! and its I that wish you may never meet with any one in the time to come to love you as she who lies, poor young lady ! in her coffin, in that same , chamber which you may see over the kitchen, only the window-curtains are down and hide it. You know that same room well enough, you do ; for many's the time I ,have heard you playing the kitar under it, witching the heart out of her with your singing, and so you did, like a false gintleman as you were, and shame on ye!" Clinton placed his carabine on the ground, and seemed moved: — " Miss Anderson," said he, after a minute's silence^ <' can jou not so far feel for me, as to permit « j'l- 1 THE CANADIAN GIRL. 117 me for a moinent to view^ the being who loved me ? Deborah, you are kind-hearted, I know ; dismiss your anger for the present, and contrive to bring me in sight of the body." _, " Me, i? it, tiiat will bring you in sight of Miss Lucy, jjoor darling ? — No, that I'll be bound I wont ! We should have had a wedding in the house instead of a burying if you had not been a base desaiver ! I'll con- trive no such thing at any rate ! Miss Jane may do as ishe will, but you wont persuade me." , She was walking away, but Clinton stopped her, saying, with a dash of careless and melancholy humour, " O, Deborah, I see now how it is with you — , • To be wroth with one we love, Doth work like madness in the brain.' ^ '- You cannot mean all this bitterness against me ! Do you forget telling me all about O'Reilly and Ireland \ Come, I know you will forgive me, Debby! and I can assure you, if it will be any satisfaction to you to learn it, that I am far from happy." " Happy, is it? Oh, then, ye'U never be happy again while the world stands, I'll wager any thing," said Deborah ; but at the same time she relaxed her repulsive demeanour. Clinton perceiving this, urged his request to her with such determined persuasion that she yielded, and turning to Jane, said, " Its but a trifling matter that he asks, Miss Jane, darling ; I'm in a mind, if you have no objection, just to step with him up the back- kitchen stairs. Maybe the sight of the corse '11 do his soul good." " You may do just as you think proper," said Jane j ** I cannot take upon me any of the blame." . liil ■ r li. t m ' ,11 ■ • 1 118 THE CANADIAN GIRL. " Lave that to me, darling/' said Deborah ; and Clinton, having gained his point, followed the latter, as she led the way with a stealthy footstep and an uplifted finger, to the chamber of death. ,, They reached the chamber unnoticed, and Deborah, laying het hand on the key of the door outside, whispered, ** This is the room, Mr. Clinton : you can go in now, but don't stop above a minute or two. I will stand in fix)nt of the door, and listen. If I hear any foot coming this way I shall give one tap over the lock, and as soon as you hear it you must come out as fast as your legs i^ill bear you, mind that." "" '" '--!» ' <•• ,.^. " Very well," said Clinton ; " only be sure and make the tap soon enough, and loud enough, for I should not like to bring blame on you, Deborah, and if I were seen, I fear you would not find it easy to excuse your- self." ' " »■ ' --I'^-^'ii a» 'I'T' ■ <:.,.. " Don't stand talking, sir, but go in, and make haste lo come out," cried Deborah, turning the key softly, and admitting him into the room. " Maybe it was what I had no right to do, the bringing him here," she said to herself, as she stood listening on the landing-place ; " but for the life of me I couldn't deny him. Sure and its no marvel at-all-at-all, that Miss Lucy brake her heart for him. Oh, murther! there's Mr. Arthur comin'! Was ever any thing so unlucky ?" She rapped her knuckle on the door, not once only, but several times, and as the summons was not imme- diately answered by Clinton's appearance, put her head into the room, and cried, in as loud a whisper as she etmid produce, " Sir, sir, Mr. Lee's comin' I" '\r .i ** By Jove, that's unfortunate!^' exclaimed Clinton; THE CANADIAN GIRL. 119 and the words had hardly left liis lips when h« heard Arthur addressing Deborah thiis : — ** Why are yon standing here, Deborah? Is there anv one in the chamber?" The Irisli ijirl answered readily — " Yes, a gintleman, there is, Mr. Aithur." • . *^ Who is he?" '• Whisht, sir," said the cunning girl, " or you will disturb his honour, the Pastor, for he has complained afore now against talkin' in this passage, which, he says, disturbs him at his prayers." • » .. • " My voice will not disturb him, Deborah. You have not answered my question — who is the gentleman within ?" Deborah was seized with a fit of coughing, which af- forded her an opportunity for preparing her next evasion. " If you plase to step down stairs with me, Mr. Ar- thur, I have something to tell you, which its my bounden duty not to concale." " Surely," thought Clinton, " she is not going to tell him I am here !" The next minute he heard them both go down stairs, and would have opened the door, and passed out, but it was fastened. ..- : " I have placed myself in a confoundedly awkward position here," said he, aloud. His voice startled him- self; it sounded like a rude, unhallowed discord, in 8uch a scene as this in which he stood. A small glass lamp burnt dimly on a table by the bed on which the coffin was placed. Clinton approached It, took it up, and surveyed the room, wishing to fix every object there permanently in his remembrance. A small drawer in the frame of the looking-glass caught his ^ 120 THE CANADIAN GIRL. il I! i^Mi i'. attention, and he dreiv it out, almost without intending to do so : there wrere some articles of jewellery which he had seen Lucy wear, in it, and also a note, folded, and superscribed to himself He returned the drawer to its place, but retained the note in his hand, and examined every letter of the direction with emotions strange and perplexed. Presently he opened the paper, and read two verses, written in small and delicate characters. He must have been destitute of feeling had they not affected him. Their simplicity and truth touched the chords of his better nature, and, too late, he regretted that he had trifled with the heart that had dictated them. They were as follows: — „„,.,, Farewell! was never wish so true, .,,i As this which Lucy breathes for you ; ;. * i . Was never prayer so fervent given Into the sacred charge of hravcii. When Lucy's form ami voice are gone, And one low grave is hers alone ; ' When of her faults and griefs none tell, » • " t . ' ■ i. May you with health and hopes — fare-well. His eyes (Ided with tears — he was overpowered almost to suffocation. The note was put in his breast ; his feet approached the bed ; he bent over the coffin and ventured to touch the liand which had penned the verses ; it was cc/ld and fair as unsullied ice — nevertheless he raised it an instant to his lips, then dropped it with despair ; he SDoke the name of the deceased girl with fondness and anguish, but there was no response on her lips. Myste- rious change! at his lightest whisper, a little month ago, her heart would have palpitated violently ; her eyes would have betrayed a sweet confusion ; her cheeks would have been dyed with blushes, pure and fresh as those of THE CANADIAN CIRL. 121 niornmjj; ; now, the heart was pulseless, the eye unmoved under its dull film, and the cheek had parted with colour for ever. His power over her could be exerted no more. A mightier magician, had bound her iu his spells. The door was unlocked, and Deborah stepped in on tiptoe, securing it behind her, and then standing to listen. Arthur was heard retiring to his own room. *' It's a nice predicament that I have got myself in for you, Mr. Clinton," said she. ** I hope you have not told Mr. Lee that I am here,'* said Clinton. * " Lave that to me," said Deborah ; ** I told him as a grate matter, that I'd seen you about the house, and he's gone back to his chamber — no, as Pm a true ca- tholic, he's a comin' to this room, and sure enough he'll come i?i this time. O, where'll I hide myself out of his sight!" ''• Rather talk of hiding me," said Clinton, looking to see if there was any closet in the room. There was not, and he had only just time to throw himself down on the floor on the opposite side of the bed, and to bid De- borah unlock the door, before Arthur entered, with a slow, sad step. Deborah was very busy smoothing the furniture about the bed, and dusting the mahogany posts. " You will oblige me by leaving me alone here, a few minutes," said Arthur ; and his monotonous and sunken voice, still expressed how much his heart was burdened, *' Oh to be sure, sir — but now I think of it," said she feigning to be vexed with herself, " Miss Jane said an hour ago, that she wanted to spake with you, and 1 forgot i v^ iiil i h I t M i! !| .'i! if i ■ ''> M :< ■ ' ■i 122 THE CANADIAN tilRL. to tell yoii — but if you would pljise to cfo to Uer in tho ffardon — not on tho pond sido, but on tiie other." « I will go to her shortly, Deborah," said Arthur Lee. ' Deborah's invention w.ia now at a stand. She was dblitjedto leave the room, and asshewentout,she muttered to herself — " He is sure to bo soon bv Mr. Lee, and Til be bound he'll say who it was let him up to the chand)er. Sure and if he had a little raal Irish acutenoss in his brain he needn't tell at-all-at-all. Now I'd like to know how I shall get out of the bog in which I've thrust myself over the head and shouldhers. It's true, if I'm put out of this place," she added, " I'd have very little throubleto find another, where I'd get as much wages, and as good lodging, and boarding, the year round, as I have here, and no better, for there's no better to be had in any farm in tho Canadas ; and go where I miglit, from Lake Huron to tho St. Lawrence, I should be happier no where than I am here. So I'll just listen as near the door as I dare, and if I hear them talk in' I'll run to his honour the Pastor, and tell hiin how it happened that I let Mr. Clinton into this house, and if that doesn't get me out of the scrape I'm in, nothing will, and with tlie lave of the saints I must seek another habitation." Clinton was most uneasy. He feared that his breathing would betray him, or that be sliould be compelled to cough, or sneeze, or make some movement. The part of the room in which he lay was quite in dark shade, so that unless Arthur came round to the back of the bed he was not likely to be seen ; but every instant he ex- pected that Arthur would come round, and he inwardly sMl Tlin CANADIAN OTflL. 123 cursed his tolly in l)avin.. .? . j / 5 "II «vever extraordinary," said Clinton, " my op- pearaii^e liere may seem to you, I beg you to believe, sir, that I had no other object in entering this chamber, than that of beholding once more, and for the last time, the fair and lifeless being before me." , Arthur arose from the chair — trembling with passion : his ashy lips could scarcely speak the words with which they were charged. *^ V ** Mr. Clinton," at length he said, in very stern and \\ C mm fl^ n i,! 'mi. 14 'ill ^'■. 'I " ill : ill ! I: li'i i.v^''if 124 THE CANADIAN GIRL. subdued tones, " yoar audacity is equal to your false- hood. It would be incredible to me, that you could be so utterly lost to true feeling, as to venture to insult my sister's sacred remains by your presence here, if I did not see you with my own eyes, and hear you with my own ears, though really I could almost distrust both my eyes and ears. Tell me, sir, by what means you gained ad- mittance into this house this evening. Who, under m}*^ roof, was presumptuous enough to bring you hither? Whoever that individual was, though it was Miss Af derson herself, she should lose my friendship from this hour, and nothing should recall it." " I certainly shall not say who it was admitted me«'^ said Clinton, rattling with assumed nonchalence while he spoke, the leads in the pouch at his girdle. *' I per- suaded them with very great difficulty, and they are not m the least to blame — not in the least.*' ' • " -' *' Your refusal to tell me will be of no avail," said Arthur, speaking quicker ; " I shall know, immediately after the interment, who it is. I mil discover — and when I have discovered, I shall not forgive. This, how- ever, concerns you but little. I shall not dispute what you assert, Mr. Clinton, that to see my sister as she is, Sisvou have made her, was the object which brought you hither. But now, I presume, you have gratified your curiosity. You have seen her breathless, colourless — DEAD— stretched in a coffin — prepared for a grave — which grave, if you are still curious, you may see near the cascade. I recommend you to go and look into it ; 9xamine it well, gir, and feed your vanity with the de- licious tliought that the weak girl, who, tomorrow at this time, will say to the worm * Thou art my sister, and my THE CANADIAN GIRL. 125 V* : u r brother,' died of a broken heart — and that you had bro- ken it And in the meantime, if you have the courage, look at vour victim in the presence of her brother. Come near, sir ;" he took up the lamp and passed it over the coffin from the head to the foot. " She is here — view her." He then put down the lamp, and, changing his ^nanner, walked to the door, and opened it, throwing it back to the full breadth of the doorway. " Mr. Clinton," said he, " your presence here, is an unexampled impertinence. I request that you will leave this room, and this house immediately.^ Instead of complying, Clinton sat down on a chair close to the doorway, and very deliberately drew his belt tighter, saying — " I obey no man's bidding. I am an adopted son of the woods. Free as a panther, or an eagle, I now come and go as I list. I shall lodge in this house to-night. It is the fashion you are aware for American farmers to be hospitable. It is also the fashion for American wan- derers, like me, who become their guests, to remain in the quarters provided until they are tired of them. 1 shall not be one to break a good custom. I shall stay to-niffht in this house." " You refuse to go?" said Arthur. ^ , .^ .,. " I will not budge a step, by Jove! Take care Mr. Lee — take care how you lay hands on me ; I warn you — vou see I have a knife in my belt." " By heaven, you shall go !" exclaimed Arthur, seizing him by the collar to throw him oat of the room, and at the same time disarming him. A short, but fierce struggle, ensued : and Arthur, being much Clinton's superior in strength and height, succeeded in his aim. Clinton was nM-m :^'f 'r i 1 1 t i Ill rrfi It: 1.1' fll- m i3l' ''ii'i M Ik ;« 126 THE CANADIAN GIRL. fleiiit feeling out on the laiming place, and Arthur drew the door close and locked it on the outside. ^^ " I am not desirous to disturb the house," said be, ** and therefore I shall not say any thing more to you, Mr. Clinton, to-night. To-morrow is the day of my sister's burial ; during its sacred hours, also, you will be safe from me ; but if, on the day succeeding that you are about these premises — " ** I shall be in them," said Clinton, whose complexion had whitened into a startling paleness, and whose eye expressed a most dangerous sense of the indignity he had received. " And I shall be in them with one intention, that of seeking from you the only satisfaction for this insult which it is in your power to give me. On Monday, sir, either I must have your life — or you mine." '* Be it so," said Arthur ; and at that time he forgot that his principles were opposed to duelling. • "> '•*« They parted. Arthur returned to his chamber and there remained ; Clinton went to a neat back kitchen, where the miller and Jncob, the States iield-labourer, were sitting at a small table. They were sp?aking to- gether in undertones, and enjoying, between the pauses of their conversation, a jug of cider. Clinton approached them, and, laying a hand on the shoulder of each fa- miliarly, exclaimed — " Well Jacob and Thomas! are you holding a private ^consultation on the qualities of loam and grass, and the grinding of Indian corn, oats, and barley 1" ' "You here again, Mr. Clinton ?" said the miller, rising, and shaking him by the hand. " I cannot but say I am glad to see you, in spite of all that is said to your disparagement. Sit down — ^take a dtiok of cider.^' Ml% THE CANADIAN GIRL. 127 *' That I will, with all my heart, for I am thirsty, and a little tired," said Clinton, dropping into a chair which the miller brought to the table for him. - .... Jacob, although cooler in his greeting, directly filled fov him a large horn goblet, which Clinton rested on his knee. " You (Jo not drink," said the miller ; as he spoke the goblet fell from the nerveless hand which had held it, and, on looking at Clinton's face, the two men per- ceived he had either almost or wholly fainted. His chin sunk on his breast ; his eyes were half closed ; and his breathing became inaudible. •' To my belief," said the miller, chafing his hands, ** he has not such shallow feelings as some suppose. I'd be sworn it is the death of Miss Lucy has made him ill. He loved her well enough." >.• . :%,. Jacob also busied himself in recovering Clinton, but said, shaking his head, " Don't believe it, Thomas ; if I have any skill in reading signs, he was more 'partial to Miss Anderson, and I will tell you why — Miss Andej-son cared nothing for him. Miss Lee could scarcely live out of his sight." ** A strange reason," snid the miller ; •' the woiran that loved me I am sure I should love." " But Mr. Clinton is another sort of character, I guess," said Jacob ; " he fancies he knows what the real affection of the heart is, but I can tell you that I don't think he does. All he sought from Miss Lee, all he would seek from twenty other young ladies, to whom he would sing, and recite, and talk soft nonsense, was, and would be, to be loved; but the deuce a grain oi true love would he give to any one of them. Yet^ Thomas^ t,r'-ji ir W4 128 THE CANADIAN GIKL. ' Ml t IS.., ■.' ^ I' 1 1 il ; : , i women always listen to such as him with more favour than to a plain, honest, man. Only to mention Mr. Lett« why before one lady would attach herself to him, a dozsn would die for this gentleman here." ' ^ " No— no ; you are too sharp in yo.-r discoavse, Ja- cob," said the miller. " Who is too sharp?'* inquired Clinton, mak!n<» a vehement effort to recover himself. As he opened his eyes they fell upon a stranger who had just entered the kitchen, the house doors being always left unfastened, as it is the custom in most Upper Canadian farm-houses. The stranger appeared about fifty years of age, above the middle height, and of majestic proportions ; his dress was that of a French-Canadian mariner, and around his waist was tied a crimson silk sash. As he came into the light his weather-beaten face exhibited a truly class* outline ; it was such a face as a Grecian sculptor might I.ave given to Achilles — bold, massive, haughty, and handsome. When he drew off the sable fur cap from bis head, his ample brows were seen surrounded and adorned with an abundance of coal-black hair, which added to the stern effect of his countenance. In his eye, slept all the dark and fierce passions of which men are capable, but his mouth was not without softer traits. His veice, like a fine organ, could express every varia- tion of feeling and passion. It was deep, rich, and per- fectly at his command. ' .. .1 . . ; :■ , " Your servant, friends," said this stranger, inclining his head to each person present. He slightly started as he saw Clinton, over whose countenance, just before pale to delicacy, a deep and angry flush was spreading. The former was invited to sit down, which he did without j-V-A- THE CANADIAN Crl. . hesitation ; and when the cid^,. . took it up, and .said- '"^ P"' '<"*"d I'im, I,,, " Thank you, friends: J ,vii| , • / "i '' •r>t be agreeabio; the.; h . tT VrT ""' '""' ""'»y miles during the last .T . ' ^ '"»'*' ''""^d -Pi•" f-^d flask, and. kingI/::j;'-.'Pfet a tit poured out a little of a kind of ! ^^ ^^ ""=''''^^> ;"» ;-e.i. P.-onou„ced d:ti!:'j7!-' «^»' -/! f'"s liquor formed a theme for fT •,• ^' .'"''""Pa^Lie. Mvered the stranger's pn^j" '*■""''" '^"'. "«• so an- "Are you better Mr ^7; * «, ' ^ '; OK ,es-i am'^^stt: rr"T?« "-■"- As he thus replied Clmf. ^ °''^' ^ thank you'' -' -;.'°» »''« be ^ed« .hat could' be mrd t : ^ '"" ^""' ^°^ ''» ^-r P'^rfour, I know are encased V ! '"'"' '''''^'" """^ y°" have heard that savin". """"• *'^* served, • ^'7 ^hall sleep as s^ § S^ f;^ ' ^ dare say/' '''W'on, as on the best feafh , J ^ ''"''' °^"""^ •■■^ ™-ner. « I h,,;td: / tr'r°'''''''' -« 9="* ""^ ^nd soft in my ;«.,! I „ ff* "all :i |)-! ' ' i % 130 THE CANADIAN GIKL. time, I can assure you. I have slept on the top of a rockin"" mast, on the deck of a vessel drenched with salt water ; and, indeed, in all kinds of rough situa- tions." " I have often slept myself on the ground under a tree," said the yankee labourer, '' with no other roof above me but the sky — and a grand roof that was, I guess, 'specially when the stars were shining ; I never minded the moon half so much as the stars ; I used to love to lie and look at the little twinklnig things, all so brio^ht, and yet so solemn like; and the wind would play in the leaves, till I fell asleep. My gracious, talk of music ! I never heard any music that went to my heart like that of the wind in the trees at midnight ; it sung so wild — now bigh, now low — sometimes loud, some- times soft; I often likened it to a spirit that had lost its way in the woods, and was grieving to get Wck to its kindred." ** Poetry— poetry !" exclaimed the manner. ''' "• " Never mind — its truth what I say," said the iieid-la- bourer, evincing some tokens of modesty. " I have not the gift of the tongue like Mr. Clinton there ; but I have seen something of natur', and felt something of it too. and the works of the Lord, Mr. Navigator;" he struck his knuckles on the table. " The works of the Lord are wonderful, and the works of man are not to be compared to them, wheresoever tliey are found, and ho^vsoever they are to be praised ;" and having pro- nounced this truism with fervour, he rose, and obtained a fresh supply of cider. " But the mast of a ship at sea must have been a queer hammock for you," heresumed% '^and a deck soaked in brine, would be little better. THE CANADIAN GIRL. 131 Yet, after all, a contented mind is every thing. Soft is the bed that content makes, wherever it be. And so I drink to you — and success to your next voyage.** " Thank you," said the mariner. i Here Deborah entered the kitchen. " You have had a hard day of it, Debby," said the miller in a kind manner. " Are the folk*: all asleep in the parlour and great kitchen ?" " All in the fair way of going to sleep," answered she. « But what'll I do for Mr. Clinton and the sailor 1 There's no help but they must wait till day break, and then get a bit of slumber in the beds that will be emptied ^nen." " This bold navigator shall have my place on the pillow," said Jacob. " The night is not so mighty long now, and its a tarnation queer affair if 1 cannot stay up a few hours at such a time as this." " And Mr. Clinton shall have mine," said the miller; " so give yourself no more uneasiness, Debby, about ac- commodations, but go and take rest yourself — you are tired enough." " I'm vexed enough," said Deborah, aside, but in Clinton's hearing ; then clattering the culinary utensils on the dresser, she muttered something to herself in the Irish language. r i. : • ,» . " Deborah," whispered Clinton in her ear, " depend on it I shall not say who introduced me to the chamber, and Mr. Lee cannot possibly discover if Miss Anderson plays hei part well. You must instruct her — you must impart to her a little of your inimitable shrewdness and tact." . .. " I think you was clane out of your senses," said she, " to get up in the sight of Mr. Arthur without the laast f: li »i 132 THE CANADIAN GIRL. ni»cpssjty in the world. Och I by St. Patrick, I tliought IM have dropped when I see you !" " How came you to know that J did so ?" *' I was peeping through the keyhole," answered Dehorah. • . n .;; "Indeed!" said Clinton, smiling; "and how long were you so engaged pray ?" *' Oh not long, I'd be bound. As soon as I h«ard you spake I was off fast enough to his honour the Pastor."^' Clinton would have ill endured to have heard that Deborah, or any other person, had been a witness of his Ibrcible expulsion from tht chamber by Ar ':!ur, and he was sensibly relieved by the evident certainty that she knew nothinof of that humilialiii"- incident. '• But what was your intentic»n in going to the Pastor?" he asked ; " to engage him as your friend in the trouble your kindness had brought upon you, was that it ?" " Oh, then, you have just hit it. Sure enough I had no other intintion. But little luck had I when T went, at any rate. I might as well have saved my breath to say my prayers with." " But what passed between you and the old gentle- " AVhy," said Deborah, " this was what passed : — 1 rapped softly at the door, and heard him get off his knees, and shut up his book. Come in, says he, and in I went, making a curtsy. Ho was w'ping his eyes, and seemed in great distress of mind, which was to be sure 110 wonder at all. I beg your pardon, your honour, says J, for intruding on you in this way. Never mind, De- borah, says he, is any thing the matter ? Then I said my say, and tould liini liow I had seen you, and how you THE CANADIAN GIRL. Loo I had persuaded mo just to let you have a poop at thw bonny corpse of my young missthress, and how Mr. Ar- thur had seen you in the burial-room, and how I was afraid I should be very much found fault with ; but ha catcluis me up sharp, and, says he, Deborah, did you say my grandson has seen Mr. Clinton there? O, sir, says I, they are both there together this blessed minute. Then, Deborah, he says, says he, you have most likely done a mischief which you can never repair ; and so he goes away without a word more to Mr. Lee's room, and laves me standing in the middle of the floor without the laast relief for mv mind." " Well, you must make up your mind to the worst, Debby," said Clinton ; " I am heartily sorry that I have led vou into such an affair, but it is not to bo helped now." " And that's thrue at any rate," said Deborah ; ''• and so I shall keep myself ar> asy as 1 can, and tho timplst may make as big a noise as it likes ; the wind may blow high, or blow low. — By St. Patrick, it shall be all tlie same to me ! At the worst, I can only be bade to quit ; and though I can't deny it would be a heart-sore to me, yet I would make no word about the same, but quit, and quickly too. The world's wide enough — I should not starve — I should find a bit of bacon and a pratee some where, no fear of that." , ,,. .,(; . ^ > .^^Vv-^ Clinton and the mariner refused to avail themselves of the kind offers of the miller and Jacob, and it was ac- cordingly understood that they were to remain up to- gether. Before the latter left them, with the intention of retiring, the sailor was asked many questions, such a.s to what vessel he ueionged — when and where he had left i V:im V i<:' ,i.;;;.. m ■mm p4 ^-m I i'^- .M0 1 ;,h.*^ ^#1 ■^^ia, i:K' 134 THK CANADIAN GIRL. it — ^whither it was bound — what countries ho had visited in it — and what articles it traded in. Clinton at the time was standing with his back toward the person interro- gated, but immediately he turned round, and fastened upon him a look, which tlio mariner seemed to avoid a little uneasily ; however, he spoke with freedom enough, and did not seem at all at a loss for a reply. " Why," said he, " my little schooner, that, is, my captain's, is a tight vessel enough, draws a good deal of water, and can bear a gale as well as any ship ; she runs fast when there is occasion, and her crew are a bold and a jolly set ; as for her trade, she carries peltries (iurs), tobacco, wood-ashes, and all so^ts of things. She never stops long in one place, but goes passing about the great lakes. I will show you with this bit of chalk her way on the waters.'* Seeing many interested faces about, he drew, with rough accuracy, on the surface of the table, a kind of map within a square, on which Clinton looked with the most curious attention. * ' ■' '' " Now," said the mariner, pointing with his finger to a slanting chalk line within the left side of the square, " you may suppose that to be the St. Lawrence, (one of the largest rivers in the world, you know,) with the gulf at this end next me, opening out to the Atlantic ocean. But at that end of the river, farthest from me, fancy my ship takes her start. There," his finger was placed at the end of the slanting line, and moved along a stroke diverging horizontally, ** where the St. Lawrence ends, twelve miles wide, starts m}' little schooner on the Lake of the Thousand Isles, Ontario, which is one hun- dred and eighty-fivp niiles long. Here the States are on one .Jde, B,i,i^,, y "S - "o go along, „.e .na^ ^^^ '^'^ <'"''- "<•'-. Non '■"f 7 Ba,, o, ,,;,, 'i;. ;^ .-to Q..i„„-, „r bu. ''"J change our cargo as Zn ^"'""'"' ''"'^^•. bargains." . f '"""» "««••«>• n:-te good " ^-.''■-e^rc^slX"''""''''^^-^'^ ''»-'«. P'™«ft.l on all tl e UkJ "'^' " ""^ '^"o^ are burdens too; but, deed """ "' *«'» -"^ heavy " Well no„y,l^]ty '""" °'*" --««•" '<""«, and leaning £ ClT« '" ^"""^' ^ «•>« «>- were -.tled^on the eh f. ^"^ ""''' '^''"^ »■" ™-'« finder rested, " Ih „ ti ,t °" '""■^'' "-« »»- '" 'he end of this Uke of" ^ . "''"'"^' •>- «"» " Then it take. » / ^'°"»and Isles-" * ^ marine, ' and i ri^^^'^ ^""^ '" ~ed •^-d -d fift, „,,, long '"Vf """'':'"•» '>vohu„. ™"gh treatment here; naLaH """^ "''*"''« *'' hare ^"PPose, the vaters ru„ ,Jun '" ^°" ''"<»^> I <"'--> and that circu: .:„*::;'" '"''^ '«ke than the «ett,„g dovrnwards, and .he ll t """''*"* ""^^^-t -t ,ales, make It dang • T™^"' ^'"' -"*- «Pert at their craft. Mi d ,! .," " "'° '^« "<" States are on one side, and E„:,,- ^'^ 7^ '^« ^''. '^e -"^ow „i,I, hi, fi turn.^ '"'* "" «he other." h'^'^ drawn, and Tnoved olnlT"" "' ""^ ^"J-- ^e ' -■•-d a little i„v.a,ds "t;"'^ "" " '^ird line, which St- t-'lair, >vhich is jusi a sort r"*' ^''" ''' " ^''« Sreat Lake Huron. This 2 ''"'*'^'' '"'"■ "^ '° *he ^ "IS water ,s two hundred and fifty sW'i'i 130 THE CANADIAN GIRL. '1 1' 1 ^■^^\l n les lonjif, one Imndretl and ninety miles broad, and eight Inindrod and sixtyfeet deep — it covers five million acres »> f •* I •■ " And all fresh waier — not salt!" exclaimed Deborah, i\ho, with a pan of milk upon her arm, was leaning like the rest over the centre of attraction. •* Not in the least salt,". said the mariner ; " as frosh as that milk you carry." « I have heard that it has a great many large bays and islands," said the miller. * '' ' '^ ' ' ** A countless number indeed," said the mariner; "and by looking in upon some of the Indians, and 'he half-broed hunters, and fishers, to be found upon thtm, wo may pick up peltries of value, and other articles w<.^*th seek- in ^y. The coasts are so set with islands and bays, that they are grand and singular, I can promise you ; and how many fine rivers flow into it, I suspect is not known. However, suppose the little vessel to the end of Huron, here she reaches the bottom of my square, at this right hand corner, and gets through River St. Mary into Lake Superior." • There was now a movement of Increased interest around the table, for this majestic inland sea, and the most re- mote of all the lakes, had not been visited by any one whom the listeners had met with before. " If you are not rocked in your hammocks here," said the mariner, " it is not for want of waves ; and tliere is a ground-swell rolling you about so lustily, that if you had been at sea a hundred years I would defy you not to feel qualmish about the stomach. There are from two hundred to two hundred and fifty rivers running into this lake. The coast, on the Canada side, is twelve THE CANADIAN GIRL, 137 hundred miles long at least, anil ncv<;r evo ot man saw lublimer shores than thero are to be found here: but the inisls and cold are terrible, and — " ' . i ** (»o on to your next place," said the ni'.llnr. " Beyond here, I have taken a dip into vl«e Mexiran Guir, and Hudson's Bay, but my ordinary route crvfines me to the four great lakes I have spoken of, and tbt»if branchinsr rivers." . • , , : . " Am? wray what rank do you hold in this schooner?* inquired Olinton, speaking to him for the first time, and in a peculiar tone. " I am a common sailor," was the answer. ' •'You have acquired much information on nautical afliiifs, ' said Clinton. I. * *' I am supposed to be a tolerable seaman, I believe," 8a\d the mariner. ** Pray did you ever navigate a vessel from England to toe Canadas?" inquired Clinton. Tie keenest glance was shot upon the mariner from tbe qae'Mst's eye, as the question was put, and the former evidently shrank within himself, while his breath was caught back in a kind of gasp ; then a terrible gleam or ferocitj was seen darkly lighting his face, and he returned the glance of Clinton with one from which the young man in kis turn recoiled. > «(. . Tliere was something: strange and unaccountable to ii\\G lookera on, in the manners of the two toward each other. It was apparent that they had met before, and not under ver^ pleasant circumstances. No one felt per- fectly satisfied with the mariner. His bearing had Romethlng singular about it. Occasionally, a sraue of disdain, that seemed habitual to him, sat on his lips ; he i l!| :M :'l M ■ A,nm Rr »H Ja ^ '■• ■■■^il .'T-M IBIBt"'tB 1" '■ ■v'hjI ^M JKsf-m ■ 't^a ^^^Kf"' ''^Hl l^lBitfil '^'m 1 1^1 i M 1 r 1 li H' Ijiii b\. •!'; 138 THE CANADIAN GIRL. vas thought too well informed for a common sailor, yet, if of higher rank, why was he disguised ? Though a French- Canadian, he conversed in English, with striking correctness of pronunciation ; and though, as he said, a common sailor, he could speak in a superior manner, without using nautical phrases ; his gestures, too, though strangely lofty, had a remarkable dignity in them. All this awakened curiosity, and his reply to Clinton was waited for eagerly. *>ii Atth wMiuA " " Why yes, young sir, I have crossed the Atlantic more than once," said the mariner ; *' why do you ask V* " Because I suspect I have seen you before." " Very likely — very likely — though I have no recol- lection of you." • *>' ii.M|U " You have no recollection of me !" repeated Clinton ; " were you never mate in a vessel that brought aut emigrants from England? I should think you m'ght remember me." " You will find a little more liquor in the flask," said the mariner to Jacob, who had accidentally laid his hand on it ; " as you are going to rest let me advise yoa to drink it ; it will make you sleep sound. " I sle«p sound enough," said Jacob ; " labour in the open air is better than all the liquors in the world trt make one sleep." "Yet I have found it insufficient sometimes," said the mariner. He spoke with a gloomy cadence, and his large forehead suddenly contracted itself between the eyebrows. " A burdened conscience is apt to pretent sleep,' said Clinton, in a low voice, and pointedly, while at the same lime he involuntarily sighed himself. >tt 9» -.U ttnht I THE CANADIAN GIRL. 139 " It is 80," said the mariner ; " but my conscience is, I hope, as free as any man's ; and I am sure it is as clear as yours, young sir " " What do you know of my conscience ?" said Clin- ton, now pale as he had been before. " What do you know of mine ?*' retorted the mariner. " Nothing, it may be," said Clinton, turning away. " But have you been a mate in an Ar>erican vessel ?'' inquired the miller, addressing t je stranger. " If I had," said the mariner, with a manner cal- culated to put a stop to I'urther questioning, ** I should hardly be a common sailor now.*' ' n i'li ' 1 • Hi r. .' r >v-i 'fiC'M'. -L ." ff U '►": )■■ 'W, 'vM . 'ri' •• li i*j r' 1 /.'» ii " Hi ' - I ; ^"^ : ' 1 ■ -■» f , f •• ( l-f ." ,1 -'■! t- ■'.I, . >•■' •%<> ■j'JJ* ••• I - •>!! ;;t: ' r 5 -i 'i\\ nf(. 'i;i' "k, '-»- ■;' I., «■!;:•.. ir r,..f.,v m •.,-, ■I 'A^-f? i^.^ I'll "31 140 THE CANADIAN GIRL. ■•><: ^ I. 1 •' ■ F > •|f;,:.:"f; -^.i) J •;: V ■!'?-;;;. CHAPTER IX. ♦ - •♦ Oh ! make her a grave, where the sunbeams rest, '; ', , , i ) ^ _ When they promise a glorious morrow, , They'll shine o'er her sleep, like a smile from the West ' ' , i, ( ,i From her own lov'd Island of sorrow !" — T, Moore. . f , » The next morning was most beautiilil. The valley was filled with the joyous beams of the rising sun ; dew glittered on every leaf and flower ; the grass which so luxuriantly clothed the ground every where, might be said to be strewn with diamor.ds ; a thousand birds darted to and fro among the branches c f the trees ; to be sure, they had not the melodious voices of our English warblers, and some would have thought their splendid plumage could not compensate for such a deficiency ; yet, occasionally, the wild and animated cries of the hawk, the crow, the plover, and the blue jay, sour.Jed in fine unison with the. scene. At four o'clock Clinton lifted the latch of the back- kitchen door of the lodge, and passed slowly along the path which crossed the garden. A little rain had fallen in the night, and the flowers which had been refreshed by it, now gave forth a delightful odour, and their coloui-s were vivid and lovely. But Chnton heeded them not — he was wrapped in earnest thought. THE CANADIAN GIRL. 141 Beyond tlie garden he pursued a path which had heea a sheep walk. He descended a lower part of the valley ; the iio^ht brown corn, ripe for harvest, was spread out in fields on his left, under the wild and steep side of a mountain. On his right, gilded streams were flowing over the broken rocks, with lively noises. A mild wind curled the shallow pools on the ground, and awakened ani- mation every where. The atmosphere was slightly hazy, but dry and soft. The sky in the east was superbly co- loured with the roseate blushes of Aurora. Clinton had walked nearly a quarter of a mile, when the narrow way he was upon, began to ascend ; some wild fowl fluttered past him, he heard the dashing of the ^vAterfall, and came to a natural platform. The ground rose abruptly, and a few steps had been smoothly cut in the soil. " This, then, is the place where Lucy's grave is made,** said he, as he went up to the level of the green en- closure, and walked silently along its borders. His mind was agitated by many thoughts — many recollec- tions. He reverted to his life in Eno:land. Scene after scene was revived before him ; his school hours, his vacations ; the aching of heart he had experienced when his fellow boys rejoiced, for he had no mother to welcome him back to the mansion he called his home, no father to bless him. His uncle and his aunt were his nearest relatives, and these were not kind enough to satisfy the yearnings of his youthful affections. How he useo Joss of t'he Hv -'a '/r'"""""""" '''"»- ■""St see me on my way to , f '"'^-''-V-four hours P-duoed a small brown^^^p' „T, '""■'■^P''-^-'' He «oat before her, ^ith he, eCl '^ '' ""'^ '"'-^ " «" 'he "-othree-thrd o^e" "''""^^""''^^'"-"'''-> «-at service, if yo . 1:,;;"T ''''" "'""'' ''o "^ » '•' P'ivately to the o,v^e ,' "^ "^'"^ '"" -'o-"? -I Knoiv one nf ♦!, the amount LZl]'' "^^ '"*""'""'' ""'^ -ke up .^'-'o"-- " '-t noC t Vr '•'•' '0 you," said » o«o ('rief and terrible !^IStC'' ""^ '""'"»'™*«'J 10 'VI 1 m III. w p ^r •A 1 m "■■'\ ' ^^ Mm d^'' ■;il, ( ti •, I , ' .'fi"(I ^^m%^ •» t. \y ■■>r. 146 TUK CANADIAN UlRL. i ''•fi! fll H i!) . Il- ill', i " Adieu !" exclaimed Lady Hester ; " heaven <^raut you may live more wisely and happily, than you have lived here, in the scenes to which you are going !" Her fortitude began to yield, she drew her hand away, and Clinton eight hours after was on board a North American ship. During this voyage, he lost all he had, even to his clothing, excepting only the articles he wore. The vessel, as our readers already know, was purposely cast away by the mate, and part of the crew. The unfortu- nate Captcin Barry perished, and Clinton, and three othar passenp^ers, narrowly escaped losing their lives. " Have I," saidChnton, *• fulfilled that part of Lady Hester's 'vislj, which it was in my power to fulfil — have I lived wiser since I left England?" The grave of Lucy answered him in the negative ; recollections of the lost peace of mind of the Settler's son, lost through his artifice, also answered hira in the negative. He sighed ; conscience bitterly reproached him. " Some demon must be propelling me on to my ruin," said he, walking quicker. He paused, and then resumed, " I was once told by those relations on whom I depended,, that my father had been wild and worthless, and my mother a vroraan of sorrow, so I suppose I inherit from him, my erratic disposition, and from her, my sufferings. *' I am now," he proceeded, " in the country of which I was told my father was a native, and in which my mother died. Scanty has been the history I hs.ve received of them in England, and who in Canada can I find to fill up the meagre outlines ? Where shall I look for my mother's grave? where shall I learn whether my father be alive or dead. H'^ was a soaman — ne may have been swallowed up m the ocean, or may : V l^E CANADIAN CIRI„ be sailing thoMsamls of mil« f, .l ' ^'^^ --•»• M,i™agi„.,i„: , 7 -Po"vhe.ohi..,<„. oave been. Like „,« ,„ ' = *^ '""=' "''"'tever I,e m,,y alien Tron. all .v,,o valJed m7 h1 '""''' '"■'""•"' •"' have battled with seorn •,„,. \ '''" """' '''' ""^''" •"Other left an abundant hoi r T"' *"°''*'""' '^l ^ -'hhimonthewoHd X;'^"'':, •'-''"'*'. '0,. her mfant, ray ,,,i ^J^^; He deserted he,-, anrf returned broken-hearted 1 I "=" '""'' ' »"'< ^he her early f,,ends. B an ^'^ '''■■ ^°""*'->-. ""J he endured than a Slt; „ r"''^"' ^""^ - better to least to be envied of'the two M """^ ''"'" ''''«» »hc parted from „,e, with the „re,f r '"^'" """''"■ "f"^" 'he to understand, that she 1' M T"™^"*' ' '•-« heen led -rid-left wi,h ,,;:~"r?"'"^ ■"»-'•" 'hi^ me, her endeared picture 2. M '"^ ^""^'ed i" -vhich I was wreeked .nf ?' "" '""'^" «'e ship ^^ettea a.. ,„„ ^'ttir^^^ --e'e .nore re-^ «-H the otrers I ufd "fCT '^'"■"'' -"'<1 ho dea^ thing of those two eousinTof • {"'' ' ''^^^ ^'^''^ ""- dwelt in North A^e 1 ', ""' ^ "'^"^ '" ""^ 'eW ' taken the. out with 'CZTl' '''''"'' "'" '^^ had died shortly after the ereS''"'""'^''^^^''' His reveries were interru tib/r T "" h.m with a g-raver sal.,t»,; ^ ""''' '"'"> »eeosted had eo«eto%ee;:t:;7;'T:'''"''^^'''' ''•''*'>« W washed down anv f Zu '^'"^ '" '"« -ght, ^-ve. Clinton walked w th ht /'? *^ ^'''^^ "^ the some of the loose earth had f»ll • ^^P'"'' '--^es ; '•«'' been dug between he „ ^h:? ''' ^^'^ ^^<^ -l he American threwr his i % J Vi'l 148 THE CANADIAN OIRL. spalo III, and stoopiiifr, rested one hand upon tbe ground and sprang in after the implement. While he was em- ployed v\ throwing up the light, fragrantsoil, Clinton ob- served the approaching fir.oral procession — if so pompous a name might bo given to a spectacle so simple and un- alfected. The cc.i.in had been placed before the house, wiiero a hymn was sung around it, and as soon as the sun began to ascend the west, between the liorizon and mid-heaven, four men belonging to the Dirm, took it on their shoulders — six young ladies, attired in pure white, bore up the pall, and the funeral slowly advanced. There were no mutes, no crape head-bands, no black- hoods, no plumed hearst. The persons who preceded the coffin, were the principal riiembers of the Pastor's chape!, and wore all in their ordinary sabbath dresses. The Pastor leaning on his grandson'*s arm, followed next to the boily. The former, wore ^lis English clerical dress, precisely as he had always worn it, anc? his benevolent countenance looked serene and resigned ; the latter, in dark brown clothes, neat and manly, also seemed to havo strengthened himself for this melancholy hour. Jane and Miss Bathurst were two of the pall hen rers. De- borah in slate-coloured Stufl*, and a plain silk bonnet of the same hue, followed, with her fellow-servants, after the Doctor and Farmer Joshua, with a train of other mourners. When the path the procession was upon, which was the same Clinton had pursued, began to descend, the sobs of Jane, and of Deborah, broke the silence that pre- vailed. On each side were stumps of trees — which are always seen on ground not entirely cleared, being the roots and trunks, which latter have been sawn thrcuu;h Tilt: CANADIAN GIRL. 149 l>reast-lilgli, the upper parts of tlio trees having been consumed by fire, or taken away for use, and the lower pirts left standinnr. On two of these stumps that wore abuost covered with bright greon moss, tlic coffin was rested, wniletho men who bore itjclsanged sides. Arthur covered his face until again the procession set forward. One of the persons who walked first, now commenced a hymn, which sounded very sweetly and solenmly Jn that solitude, amonjj the rocks and hills. By the time it was finished, the burying ground was nigh. Clinton, not wishing to be seen, had gone to that side of the en- closure where the mountain rose like a wall, and stood behind a large detached stone, to view the lowering of the body into its dark and final abode. No sooner had the Pastor entered the enclosure than he opened a prayer-book which he held, and with a faltering step, attended by the kindest sympathy of all present, went to the head of the procession, and began to read the burial service of the Church of England At first, his unequal voice could scarcely be heard a fen vards from him, but soon it became firmer and more dis- tinct ; and seldom have wouds fallen more impressively on humiji ear, tliau those of that service, on the ears of the mourners present. The coffin was not immediately lowered into the grave, but rested close by it on a board supported by two logs, while the Pastor, placing his hand ori the lid, read the sublime lesson from the fifteentli chapter of the epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. When all was over, and the last look had been taken of the coffin, Arthur lost his self-possession, and yielded to violent grief. -,M m 4^ i !,1 1**4 1/50 THE CANADIAN GIRL. II J ! '■' '1 i " My dear son," said tlio Pastor, vvlio was also now nearly overwhelmed with anguish, *' ho comforted — look .upwards!" ho pointed to the orb of day sliining in the sky; *' the Sun of Righteousness smiles upon us in our affliction ! Be comforted: this morning air is revivinfl: to our bodies, and the influence of the Eternal Spirit shall, in like manner, revive our drooping minds ! Do not sink, my deal son ; but rather support me, whom age and previous bereavements have robbod of that mental elasticity which youth possesses. I am in the autumn of my days — you are in the spring. All that is before •me in this world is cheerless, and barren, but you hjive a thousand temporal pleasures in store for you." " I had but one sister," said Arthur ; " she is gone — where shall I look for another ?" The Pastor said no more, his own heart was quite cast down. The procession did not return to tlie lodge in the order in which it had left it. Tlie elders of tiio Pastor's little flock came around him, and he walked , first by the side of one, and then of another, leavin:\ Arthur to give his arm to Jane, in the rear of the con. pany. " Now Jane, we have parted from Lucy indeed !" said Arthur; " while her dear body was in the house, she did not seem wholly gone from us, but now — " He was checked by his tears; Jane, wlio also wopi, was unable to speak a word to him, but she lightly pressed with her hand the arm on wliich it rested, as a token that she shared his grief. Breakfast had been prepared for tlie mourners in the large sitting room. Eggs, pork, liam-rashers, potatoes, and strong tea, appeared on the table ; and cakes, made MMMP THE CANADIAN GIRL. 151 of tempered .Indian corti, baked on slanted boards bo- fore tlie fire, (a very ancient metliod) were being brought in, as the company entered. Jane went below in the kitchen, after havinp^ taken off her bonnet and gloves. Her first step inside the kitchen door was arrested in its advance, as a thrilling fear crept over her frame, strangely mixed with affection and delight. The mariner was standing by the hearth, on which Indian cakes were warming. His back was toward her, but she could not fail to recognise in that commanding figure, the person of her lather ! The opening of tlie door caused him to turn his head slightly, and he saw her. The next minute she had sprang to his breast, and was folded, v/ith nothing less than passionate fondness, to her parent's heart. " My Jenny — my Jenny!" said he, kissing her face and forehead; " I have walked thirty or forty miles from the ship to seek you. I heard you were somewhere in this district, and I could no longer be without my darling. You must go back with me, you must — ^you must indeed, Jenny!" She made no answer, but her foreliead sank on hi» shoulder, and she wept sadly. He spoke to her in a most gentle and soothinsf manner, and sittinjj down, placed her on his knee, and drew her arm around his neck, « " You know," said he, '' my Jenny, your mother is dead, and I know not at all what has become of vour brother. You should not desert me, therefore, altogether, bad as I am, for I have no one but you to care anything about me, and to guide me." My own dear father!" said Jane, " much do I wish, . 1 \m m ■•ftp i\ I 152 THE CANADIAN GIRL. you know I tlo, that we could Jive togetlier — and why may we not ? Only give up that dreadful trade of pira .y, and I will never part from you, but by your own wish and consent." " Conditions — conditions, Jenny !" said the Pirate, with an air of dignified reproach. " You must not forget I have an authority wherewith to command, as well as an affection with which to entreat. Tell me, if 1 have ever been rough to you, if I have ever given you cause to complain of ill-usage ?" "Never," she answered; "you were always kind to me." During this meeting, wiaicli was at once affecting and painful, no one but themselves had been in the kitchen. But, as steps were presently heard approaching, Jane hastily drew her arm from her father's neck, and arose from his knee. " Not a word Jenny, to any one, of who I am, or I am destroyed," he whispered in her ear ; and Jane, re- luctantly resorting to artifice, pretended to be engaged in examining the cakes on the hearth. The feint suc- ceeded. Deborah, who entered, had no suspicion tliat in the mariner, Jane had found the individual from whom she had derived existence. " If you plase. Miss Anderson, his honour the Pastor, and Mr. Arthur, wish that you would come to the break- fast," said Deborah. Jane accordingly went, and joined the breakfast party, and a mournful party it was ! Arthur noticed her pe- culiar tremour as she placed herself in the seat which had been Lucy's, in order to make, and pour the tea. Na- turally attributing it to the agitating ceremony in which THE CANjC:...:. CIRU J slie had been enlaced -inJ . "* ^"'"'■•■•o" in her hand fto^ tT ', "^ "'"■"'' -' '-.V. Presently she raZd ."""'" '' "P°" ">« engrossing sorrcvf ,vhich a • "■"'''"' '""' "'« ""- sort of insensibility. '' "''^PP^'l •"'w in a The Pastor said nothin.. until tf«. . • P^*. but it was ,00 evident Lr ''"'"" "''"'^ '«- tenselythewholeofthelim" f I ""' '"'^"'"^ i"- '•''lling fast and lar^e ^1 1 L " """ """"""^ tinnally. = "^°'" '"^ "^'es, and ho sighed con- 'Vhen the (able n-as cIear„J i. ;^-> corning devotioLt Iffitrirr"^"'' ''" he was compelled to stn« ir • '™''"^^3' and irequentiy «ight. . "•"'^^ '^'^'^n impeded his 154 THE CANADIAN GIRL. I*' I ( I. \ . CHAPTER X. ** A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which IS but saying in other words, that lie is wi^er to-duy tluin he was yesterday." il m ** Now," said Clinton inwardly, in the evening, as he folded a letter on the kitchen table, and addresit mine, as the only satisfaction I could render him for having wounded his pride." The Pastor then read Clinton's letter, the contents ran thus: — ■> " Sir, — I shall, expect that you meet me, as I consider you bound yourself by your word to do, at half-past three to-morrov morning, beyond the cornfields, or else- where, in order to render me the only compensation for the insult I have received from you, which I will accept, namely, your life. If I fail to take that by honourable means, I shall be quite ready to yield my own. One of us must certainly perish to-morrow morning. You are at liberty to choose your own weapons. Small swords would be, I think, the best. You have pistols, however, and you can adopt which you think proper." *' And have you answered this letter ?" inquu'ed the Pastor. *' I have," replied Arthur ; " you shall see my reply before 1 seal it." The Pastor was greatly shocked to read as follows :-- ■''v-4 '^ : m .% J'lS %% 158 THE CANADIAN GIRL. i| 1 ■ X f 1 4 11 ;1* '1 . 1 . P; ■ 1. 1, (■ • 1 !■ 1 -J * si yM 4 ^* Sir, — I shall not fail to meet you with short sworib, which I believe we can both handle a little expertly, at hall* past three, beyond tlie cornfields." '* You cannot intend to leave me childless?" said the Pastor. " You cannot intend to rush into the pre- sence of your Immortal Judge in such an impious man- ner ? Surely I am not deceived in you ! Arthur arose, went to his grandfather, and took his hand with veneration. " You are not deceived in me,'* said he; " but, if you will allow me, I will remain silent as to the resolution I have formed concerning this matter until after the hour of meeting, named in the letters^ is passed." " And then your soul may be beyond the reacn of ex- hortation, and instruction," said the Pastor. " Not so, I trust," said Arthur. *' Mv dear grand- father, suffer me to keep what I purpose hid within my own breast, and at the same time believe that you will see me at breakfast with you to-morrow morning, with- out being stigmatised as a coward, and without having denied my principles. Let your mind be at rest. Sleep to-night without the least fear for me. With the blessing of God all shall be well." " I am glad to hear you speak in this manner," said the Pastor ; " and I will not think, that after having so spoken, you will venture to risk your eternal welfare by voluntarily quitting life through such a passage of de- struction, or that you will deliberately put yourself in the way of perilling the soul of Clinton ; or that you will leave me, of your own accord, quite desolate." •' I will do neither of these things," said Arthur: ** satisfy yourself, dearest grandfather, with my assurance ml THE CANADIAN OIRL. 159 to that effect. 1 am truly sorry that I should even have contemplated such a thing." " Yet you will send that reply which you have written ?*' " I must send it ; and if you hear me going out in the morning be not alarmed. I assure you, if God so per- mit, all shall be well with me." " I rely on you — my grandson — I rely on you. You never yet broke a promise to me, and I cannot think you will now.*' *' Depend upon me, grandfather." The Pastor affectionately wished him good night, and left him. The divine worship of the day was over, and all retired to rest in the lodge. At half-past three the next morning there was a slight rain falling, but this did not deter Clinton, who had slept iii abed in the kitchen, from springing up, and dressing for his engagement. Just betbre he left the house he looked earnestly at a very small and exquisite ivory miniature of Lady Hester, then placed it with a sigh inside his waistcoat next his heart, that, in case he was struck there by the ball or the sword, it might be shivered at the instant on the fountain of feeling and life. He had also about him Lucy's fare- well verses ; for next to the object of his love he placed in his affections the memory of her who had loved him ; lastly, he took with him a small roll of paper, and two letters, which he had written in case of his death. Ar- thur was at the place before him with small swords. The young men haughtily greeted each other, and, at once, whatever fears Clinton might have secretly felt, all vanished. He was buoyant, and keenly eager for the desperate contest. Arthur, on the contrary, was somc- f A -II i t*!? I . i t 160 THE CANADIAN GIRL. Bii ! 1 what depressed — not with cowardice, but with moral eucroy struggling with natural temper. Ho, too, telL tliat peculiar elasticity and recklessness which tiic pre- sence of a foe ofttimes produces in men of ardent blood, and he could have fought with Clinton to the death ; but, ivithin his heart, and his mind, was throned a principle which checked every impulse of this sort, as a skilful rider checks the paces of a fiery steed on the brink of a preci- pice. But it was the force of the conflict between ^ho strong desire ^o fi,,) t. 1 is adversary, \nd the principle which V. jii'.ed W gr,i*'ficaticn, that produced the passing gloom on his bi\'> '•. '• Now, Mr. Lee, I am ready," said Clinton, in a voice of striking fearlessness and confidence. " And I," said Arthur, making an effort — '* i)ut not to fight. Mr. Clinton, you have known me two years and upwards — did you ever have reason to think that I was devoid of the spirit of a brave man?" " Whv do YOU ask ?" " Favour me with your answer to my question — I will then tell you why." . *• I see no possible use in it — but if I must answer, I will do so truly : — I never knew an individual of a man- lier spirit than yourself; I do not think it would be easy to know one." "I thank you," said Arthur, his face flushing a little. " Now I may speak to you on this occasion with more frankness : and as vou have had the candour to acknow- \eds:e so much, and the politeness to soothe me a little wilii a flattery not unpleasing, you will perhaps not deny mo a just apjn-eciation of the motives which now dictate wiiui i am going to say. Mr. Clinton, I cannot use THE CANADIAN GlfiL. H'eapons of blootl m « ^^ unk-ss I am fo^cibl, deXJlcTv' °^"" """«' " What do vou nipan sir ? r " I "ill nc.tnfle .vi.^' u" m;.,":' '° '^ •"'^'' '^"•■- ' ».>,Ian mean-spinte.l ' Zf ' ^ """'• ^'•>°" '^'"^ '"■'cl like tl,is ,vl„V • '^'^■''^'"'"«<"">epointofa reft-e ' fi„|„ ? ' " " '"""'"^ "hiel. causes me to " I "III not say it is," said Clinton ■ " „ ^^"^"0 you as bold as I am " ' "'^ '°"'' ^ -I nen, on mv soul sir » • j a , *--:a„dirraa;e,i;jL;'^.^^^^^^^^^^^ ■-say "•e, I „.ould prove it ' '" ""^ ^°'1> '"•' -ou suffer -."-^'y arm hoL :, pas ::: ""Tr ^'^ ^-» P-.ions„.ereatsta.e:iTr::;trt':"'^^^^^^ ^^htly mingled' '" "^"'' '» '^'"^■'' 'eo«L and he paced the snrl '1 "" ""'^^^^ ^^^ hi»^' ; "I almost feel Mr T « ?j • , , "-tome. it'lWacr r; '"*''^''™"''--l'«- P"noiple JJtll led :: ''^' ^ ^"^"-- °f 'he quest that you ,,111 „i,^ ^ ' ^"'' ^ '""'« <">'y to re- at the pnee of my Jiie." • insulted honour, even fe' " iin i! ''im ^ t|ln £S ;| M} 1*- .'«:< '«■ i i' ''-('''j^i ■. .. E |;|fl B |'f''r n9 ■ H 1^^ p.,^h ^•--;'' ■. / ' t ■• I'-i • ,1- 1 \. ^4^ 162 THK CANADIAN GIRL. ! I' « That I will willingly do,'' said Arthur. « It can- not be denied." ** Then now we part," said Clinton. " I will no more trouble you with my presence. You have undoubted reason to wish my absence from the valley, and I can no longer be happy in it. But before we separate I must give you a paper signed with my name, which contains a statement of the mutiny of the crew and mate of the Antelope vessel, commanded by one Captain Barry, who was murdered by them on ship board, while entering the St. Lawrence river ; several emigrants were on board beside myself, and might be found to substantiate my statement." Clinton here handed to Arthur a small roll of paper, and resumed, "A mariner is in the lodge now, and intends, I hear, to set out on his return to his ship this morning. That is the mate of the Antelope.'* ** What ! the Pirate ?" exclaimed Arthur, in amaze- ment. " No doubt a pirate," said Clinton, " although he passes for a common sailor." " The father of Jane Anderson !" exclaimed Arthur, incautiously. Clinton echoed his words in surprise. Arthur was extremely grieved with himself; he had betrayed the secret of his betrothed. " Sir," said he, " I have said what I should not have said. As a man of honour, impart not to any living being, I entreat you, the disgraceful relationship." " I will not," said Clinton. " The Knowledge of such a fact shall never pass my lips, without Miss An- derson or yourself gives me a release from the promise I now make you. But vou will see, Mr. Lee, that the ;■ I.J TIIU CANADIAN OIRL. 163 man I liavo named, be he mato, or. pirate, or common uailor, does not escape you. It is, of course, a case which requires the sacrifice of any personal feelings you may have towards Miss Anderson. His life is forfeit to justice, and he ought not to be left at large." " 1 hope," said Arthur, " no personal feelings will deter me from fulfilling my duty. I shall, of course, take care that the mariner be in safe confinement, if my grandfather determines to commit him upon the credit of vour written statement." *^ Hold him safe on that," said Clinton ; " I shall make my way to the Lieutenant-Governor, from whom you may expect to hear. He will require the prisoner Irom you." They parted with constrained respect, and cold polite- ness. Clinton taking one of the most unfrequented paths that led up by a difficult ascent to the top of a moun- tain, and Arthur returning leisurely to the lodge. The Pastor had not slept in the night; fears for his grandson agitated him every hour, and as soon as he heard Arthur leave the house, he arose, and walked into the garden So happy was the old gentleman to sec the latter re- turn safe and uninjured, that he grasped him by the hand and shook it repeatedly, as though Arthur had but just arrived to his home after a seven year's absence. " 1 feared, my grandson, that you would not be firm enough," said he ; "I know how difficult it is for a young .man to bear the least imputation on his personal courage. Bur, thank the Lord, you have been strengthened for the trial." *• 1 am thankful that the trial is over, and I hope that I may never be subjected to such another,*' saidArtburi I 1 ;',-'• V: ,^- . i. '>i if.'*-!: 'it > 164 THR C-ANADfAN GIFI. i .1'^ ** and now, grandfather, oblige me by mentioning this oc- curriMice no more, for, whenever it is alluded to, I shall certainly be tempted to wish that I had met Clinton in his own temper." The Pastor shrank from the sight of the swords, and said, ** I deem it a mercy indeed, that they are not stained with the blood of one of vou rash vounar men." Clinton's account of the mutiny of the Antelope \ym put into tli»3 Pastor's hands by Arthur, without any ex- planation. " 1 wish you particularly to read it throughout," said Artliur, " as soon as you can, and then I will speak to you on a subject of some importance to me, which is connected with it" " Must I read it this forenoon?" asked the Pastor, ** because 1 have some writingf in hand which I am rather anxious to finish." " Not only in the forenoon, but during the earliest part of it, if you please," replied Arthur. " Very well, I shall betake myself to the perusal im- mediately after morning prayers," said the Pastor, who presently retired into his library, Arthur went to the door of Jane's room, and knocked several times. As there was no ainswer from within, he concluded that she had risen, although it was not yet five o'clock ; accordingly, he stepped softly down stairs to the kitchen, the house-door was open, and the mariner was just preparing to set out. Jane weeping, hung oa bis breast, while he was urging her to go with him to his ship, speaking in a low entreating voice. As Arthur came near, tlie mariner said — '* You will not, you say, Jenny? — did 1 ever expect to ICO THK CANADMN Oini. hear my ,|„),„g ^ay so » \l' 1 1 ■ '«•« me i/l l.„.l :,.,i,;j , " ""''' '■'■' "'Other l.ave ,o Vo" will „o, bo a Sir r ^° "'"' ""' ''"'-ygoour Vou will not J W ;7"S ^-J "omfort to your .hther : P'i-^l'ed n.y errand VVhTn ^^ ""'"'"' '"*""« »«=°'"- f--''ap3 an evil death a V'T ''«- o'' -y .'..11, Jenny, ^ «ball have eo„.2!7 ''';■•- ^-- '•--.r.la. c„-„J B"' I ''are not ITnJ; T^T" "" '""'' "^ ••■''• "" '«'"•'" •ho vcsel of Cant nR? ^"'l"^' ^""*°" '^'" '" •»'-•• I have hazardedtv If' ""' '" '" '*''"'?--'■' -f 'vh, have I ha.::s t; ti:rr'Tr"'°"«~ child back to mvhearf. i . . ""«^* S^*'" my »"« -II not dS: '„':"!.""' *^"' - 1 - a Pn.atei i'O^ — no —no • r I* I "-"'•ng, dear fat'her 1":;,;^"';'/ ''"' ""'""''' "^ -*"" ■•" a pirate-ship. 1 i'd 7' "'""' '° ^^ men'y." * ^ sultered so dreadfully for- ever?' ^ ^naerson, forsake rne no»v /or mten JiJf ""•''* ''""°--="'^'. -d her ana.er .a. „«. ■ ^■••" '■' r;t„7;;;:tle?: "■"^' ''"'^'"^" "- «- 1 care not.'- "''' ''*=°'»«« "^ n>e hencefor,vard •'-started and he pSlZrf^^ *° *"« *- <"• » fcnife „hieh had be IZ" '."'''''"= ''""'-"'- --t. and dra.i„, , hX X '" '"^ ''^"' " -"'^ ii ;i ^fl: !■ i'j km |!:'::«^i: 166 THB CANADIAN GIRv '.'-;: ** Unintentionally, 1 have heard your words to ,vouf daufifliter," so id Arthur, nothing daunted by the look of the mariner ; " and, though against my will, have re- ceived in them confirmation of a statement which has this morning been made by that young Clinton you have named ; he asserts that you are the murderer of Captain Barry, and the robber of the contents of his ship. Yield yourself, therefore, a prisoner to the laws you have violated." - ' " No — do not detain him, Mr. Lee !" entreated Jane, using all her influence with Arthur for her father's sake. " He never was — he never could have been guilty of murder ! Do not believe Clinton. He falsely accused the Settler's son ; he is, therefore, capable of falsely ac- cusing another. I have told you the worst of my lather; he has been a Pirate — but not a murderer I" " And so you have betrayed me Jane 1" exclaimed the Pirate, *' Ltt him not think so, Mr. Lee," said Jane; " re- member that you sought my confidence, and that yon bade me rely on your secresy and friendship." " I have not forgotten it, my dear Jane," said Ar- thur, *' and nothing that you have said to me shall hurt him in the least. I arrest him as a murderer, not as a Pirate." *' Mr. Lee, my father is no murderer !" said Jane, with more spirit than she had ever shown before. Her youthful figure was again encircled by her father's arm, and a warm energy was added to the usually quiet ex- pression of her face Til ere is such a thing among virtuous people, as the pride of virtue, which some imagine (we think errone- THE CANADIAN OIRL. 167 re- lyon ine, Ler Irm, lex- the Ine- ou9ly) to be necessary to its existence. Such pride marred the uprightness of Arthur. He extended his abhorrence of guilt to the individual ; the guilty were, to use an Hebrew expression, as smoke in his nostrils. The Pirate, therefore, found little favour at his hands, although the parent of his betrothed. To favour the escape of such a man from the just vengeance of the law, Arthur would have thought nothing less than a crime — a crime which he was too proud, as well as too conscientious to commit. " My dear Jane," said he, " whether he is a murderer or not, remains to be proved. It is certain he is charged with the crime, and I cannot allow him to go from hence until he has been examined by my grand- father." *' You will find it difficult to prevent me from going, young gentleman," said the Pirate. " If my father remains," said Jane, " he will be con- demned as a I irate, even though he be acquitted as a murderer." " Clinton's accusation says nothing of piracy," said Arthur, " and of course, I shall disclose nothing which Jane lias entrusted to me in confidence ;" at the same time, !ie reddened, for he remembered he had that morn- ing inadvertently informed Clinton of nearly all he him* elf knew. ' " Mr. Lee, you cannot suppose that he will not be linown. Have not all the magistrates of Upper Canada been furnished with minute descriptions of his person, and been commissioned to take him prisoner, as the no- torious Pirate of the Lakes 1 Would not Pastor Wilson discover who he was?" m i m 1; -f I jj H' mi 168 THE CANADIAN GIRL. t I u ^ •* G-ood bye Jenny, my child, good bye," saidtlie Pi- rate; *' it may be a very long time before you see me ac^am ; and then you may regret that you chose the society of a lover, in preference to that of a father." He was turning away, leaving Jane much embarrassed and distressed, when Arthur, who had stepped aside a moment, returned to the door with a loaded pistol, which he deliberately aimed at the Pirate, who was off his guard. Jane screamed at the sight, and sprang on her father's neck, stretching out her hand as though to repel the ball. ' ^ * " You alarm yourself needlessly, my dear Jane,'* said Arthur. '^ I only mean to show this man, whom you call your father, that he musi remain, and abide the result of an examination. »> t II nu { r-. . " And that result," said Jane, " will be — his death." " I should be sorry for your sake, Jane," said Arthur, ** if it were so." " Put asideyour pistol, sir," said the Pirate^ *'• I render myself up." I .. , . (!<» , • i • r. *..{,;. ,,.i " First hand me the knife, and what other arms you cfirry," said Arthur. ■ ■ • • * ".-'....' v - ..- The Pirate delivered them without any aj)peiirance of perturbation, and then followed Arthur without a word, into a room, which was locked upon him. Jane remained as if stupified, leaning against one sidj of the doorway, until Arthur came to her, and en- deavoured to justify himself in the conduct he hart pursued toward her father. •^' Mr. Lee," said she, *' I had deceived myself with the belief that my peace was dearer to you than 1 find it U ' THE CANADIAN OIRL. 169 (**i again. to be. I will not, liouever, so deceive nivself Our enijasfement is bn^ken." " Jani ," began Arthur, but she interrupted him by a firmness equal to his own. *' Do not — do not distress nie more, Mr. Loe. I am not to be shaken from my determination ;" and when she had thus spoken, she retired to a room adjoining that one in which her father was ; here, sinking on her knees beside a chair, she leaned down her head on the seat, covered with her apron, and abandoned herself for a short time to her affliction. " ] have no one to advise with now — no one to cheer me," said she. " If Lucy, my dear friend, were alive, things would not be as they are. Full soon /feel her loss — a loss indeed for me ! All my fair prospect of happiness here is overcast with darkness. But all the disappomtments in the world, should be as nothing to me, if my father were only in safety. Well I know he can hope for no mitijnation of his doom, he will die — he will die." Here she wrung her hands passionately, and sobbed aloud. * " What's the matter thin. Miss Jane, darlin ?" asked Deborah, who had entered the room half dressed, carry- in? her gown on her arm. " Sure and I'd like to know what it is ye're braking your heart for at this rate." ^' Oh, Deborali, noth'ng — nothing at all — in par- ticular," said Jane, rising, looking out at the window, and making an effort to speak unconcernedly ; " the sky is very cloudy this morning, I should not wonder if we have many successive days of rain." " Mighty fine, Miss Jane, you may throw your throuble Hside with great pains when I am prisint; but it wont i: V' IP I -i.T 11 Z'S' *-'i'& 'if' . (■•■' 1, (jj m 170 THE CANADIAN^ GIRL. i'll c II V lli I' I*; do. You can't desave me. Come now, darim, just tell me all about it. Mane as I am, may be, I might serve you Miss, if you would only think it worth while to open your heart to me. If it's a secret, I'll keep it as close as the grave, I'll be bound." It was not easy for Jane, in her present frame, to deny the fervent Irish girl, and Deborah was allowed to coax from her an explanation of her tears. " I love you, darlin," said she, " with all the love of my heart, and I would grudge no hardship to do you a service. Only till me your cause of sorrow," ** Mj' father, Deborah, is a prisoner in the next room.**^ " Your father ! did you say your father, darlin ?" ex- claimed Deborah in unfeigned astonishment. " Yes, it is indeed he, whom Mr. Lee, above all others, has forcibly confined there ;" and here followed another flood of tears. Deborah was now put in possession of the remaining facts, namely, that the mariner and Jane's father were one and the same person ; that Mr. Clinton had accused him of the murder of a ship-captain, and that Mr. Lee persisted in confining him on that accusation, until Pastor Wilson, in his majristerial capacity, should have examined him. Jane said nothing about her father being a Pirate as yet, but she said she could not under- take to assert that he had not been, in some respects, a guilty man. Still he was her father, and being such, she thought Mr. Lee would have had a little consideration for her feelings. However, she saw very clearly, that all the ideas she had been led to entertam of settling peic»ifuliy in the lodire, must be renounced. She had Wo much rtisistci bei father's wish, that she would agaiu THE CANADIAN GIRL. 171 share his fortunes, wild and turbulent as they were, and she would now resist them no longer. If he was freed, she should go with him to his ship ? IT he was sent to jail, she should attend him in his confinement, and remain with him to the last moment of his life. " And I commind you for the risolution," said De- borah ; *' 1 would do the same, with the lave of the saints. If my dear father, who is under Irish ground, could as the clay which lies upon him, were only alive, be he rogue or honest man, I would never desart him while I had bre h. But if you go from the lodge, darlin, I would fain persuade you to take me along with you. Sure enough, I'd never be happy here, if you left me without yoursilf, and Miss Lucy lying in the grave. I'd go with you to the world's end, and keep your spirits up in all weathers." ** Thank you, Debby,^ said Jane ; " I feel your kind ness particularly, as I am so much depressed. You are called from below, we will talk again in ^he forenoon, when we go up to make the beds." " Keep your heart up, my dear Miss Jane, things will turn out better than you expict, I'll be 1 nd. Take my word for it darlin, though I am no phet, your father will be all right again soon." " I wish I could hope," said Jane, shf ng her head v'ith a melancholy air. " Hope — you must hope ; it become a Christian to hope, and -espicially one who has made a warm frind of an Irish girl," said Deborah, with ?, look indicative of d project. .1'' m I'liff 'Mi; 1:2 THK CANADIAN GIUL. I ! rilAPTKR A I. ■tit '" •• Oh . that hallow'd form is ne'er forgof, Which first lovotrac'd; Still it lin)(ering haunts the greenest spot On memory's waste ! *Twas odour fled As soon as shed ; 'Twas morning's winged dream ; rw«» a light, that ne'er can thine again, On life's dull stream ! Oh ! 'twas a light, that ne'er can shine aeain. On life's dull stream !"--T. Moore. It was afternoon when the Pastor was seated in his cliair of authority in his library. Arthiir ariangeil be- fore him the open paper which Clinton had given him, together with several law-books, ppn and ink, parch- m "its, writing-paper, and letters sealed with the Lieu- tenant-Governor's oflicial seal. " That will do my son," said the Pasf or ; ** now go and bring this guilty man before me." Two men, messengers of the Governor, arose from chairs on which they had been sitting, and went with Arthur to tlie room wherein tliey supposed the Pirate to he confined. Th(» door appeared locked, biit when Ar- thur applied tlio key which he held, he found that rt could not be opened bv any ordinary meaiis, the luster- 7HK CANADIAN OIUL. 173 mf^s liavliig been purjxjsely injured. lie then knocked, but received no answer. " This is strange," said he; " surely the prisoner has not escaped !" " Could he have jumped from the window?" asked one of the men. *' No, it is too hi^^h," said Arthur. ** Break the lock open," said the second man. The requisite instruments had ))een wilfully mislaid, and some time was lost in searching for them, and after all they were not found. " What is the matter ? — where is the prisoner ?" asked the l^lstor, coming into the kitchen surprised and alarmed. " The prisoner seems to have flown, your worship, or else he is dead," said one of the men. " We have ham- mered loud enoujjh at the door in which Mr. Lee suv?* he shut him up, but the deuce a ' -i of answer could \ve get. And the lock has had some strange tr'cks played with it, so that we shall find it no easy matter to pet in." " Why not force the door open ?" " That is what we are going to do, your worship, when we can find the instruments. But every thing we want seems to be out of the way just now." '' Where is Deborah — where is Jane ?" " Grandfather," said Arthur, " I know not where they are. I can see nothing, hear nothing of them '* *' Here — Alice," this was a young girl who had as- sisted Deborah in the dairy and cooking o}X}rations, " go directly, and as quick as you can, to the up-stair room's, find Deborah and Miss Anderson, and tell them they are wanted here immediately." %\ ■I I t r rl iii 4,l| di 171 THB CANADrAK GIRL. The girl was cryintr, *< Deborah, and Miss Jane are nol in the house, sir." ** Not in tlie house!" echoed the Pastor and Arthur, *' not in the house!" '* I have searched all over it, sir, and they are botli gone, and have taken their clothes with thcni ; they have left their boxes empty, and everything belonging to them has disappeared." " Bless me," exclaimed the Pastor, " I am astonished !" " And 1," said Arthur, changing countenance ; " but let us make sure of the fact ; follow me," to the two men, ** we will not mind injuring the door, it shall be opened by some means, and I care not wliat. If the prisoner is fronc, it is clear that Jane and Debo. h have aided his flight, "nd have gone with him." The door, around which the men of the lodge and the Governor's messengers were presently gathered; burst inwards with a crash, and two panels fell out ; there was no prisoner to be seen ; but as Arthur stood m the middle, surveying it witK looks of anger, gloom, and regret, he perceived a letter on the table. Hastily openiivv it, he read these lines : — " Mr. Lee, — you must not charge me with my father's escape. I discovered this morning early that he was gone, and (k'tcrmined to follow his steps, with the hope of finding him at the spot where I knew he had left his ship. Deborah had received her discharge from you, and therefore she considered herself at liberty to go when and where she pleased. Slie is with mo, and ex- presses herself determined not to leave me during the time I may spend in my father's slii p. We hope you will find all correct in the house, and I bid you, sir, larewell.** THE CANADIAN OIRL. 17n " So perishes," said the Pastor, when he too had read the letter, " my last dream of domestic happiness/* " The Governor," said one of the men standing by, " will be very much put out of the way, when we go back wth the tidings. He said he had rather lose fifty common prisoners than this Pirate, for he has baffled pur- suit a long time, done a great deal of mischief, and caused a great deal of useless trouble and expense." *' You see," said the Pastor, " how it has happened ; nd )iad a daughter living in my house, and she has con- trived, with an Irish servant I had, to set him at liberty, and has fled with him. You must be so good as tell the Governor this, and it he pleases, I will visit him, to ex- plain the vexatious nvatter myself." In the meantimis Clinton had reached the house of the Lieu tenant -CTK)ver nor, and had had a private inter- view with him. Nothing could exceed the vexation of the Governor wlien his messengers returned from the Pastor with ^nUslis^ence that the Pirate had made his escape. lie was a very passionate man, and all at once ho burst k»lo a drawing-room which opened by glass doors upon a Kwn, and began pacing up and down with angry excla- mations. " What ails you my dear Governor ? yon seerti greatly ypixt out of your way," said the Lieutenant-Governor's My, a }X)rtly, good-'ooking, over-dressed personage of Just her husband's age, that is to say, fifty,, " No ill news from England, I hope. Governor,-' said a lady of dazzling beauty, about twenty-five years of age, dressed with equal richness, but more true elegance. *' No. Lady Cleveland, I have received no news of any kuid liom England to-day.*' i''^ 1 1 17t) TIIK CANADIAN GJItL. f'. •* T!»en what can be the rnatttM* with you?'' said his llixcellency's lady. ** The dinner to-day was dressed exactly to your taste. None of the plate, glass, or best china have been broken lately, I believe — the wines you have just received answer particularly well. What can be the matter." *' That cursed Pirate has escaped me a^ain, madam," ,v ^ ^iFj . iiii ^a ill H 1 '^n '1 W^nfi 4 i'f'^^i^ ^^^ nfS^^fa )fi ^'^^IbJ! 4' i^ mi ■ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) k /. t ^ my 1.0 1.1 UilM 12.5 ■50 "^^ Hm £ us no ^IMIJA Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 \ :\ \ "% ? /i % I' • , ;^' r rs THE CANADIAN GIRL. wUh one foot advanced, pfazing after her, until the closirig of tba glass door roused him. " It cannot be — 1 surely dream !" he exclaimedaloud. The Governor was astonished. " What are you looking at, sir, so attentively?" he asked. " I beg your pardon, but may I entreat that your Excellency will inform me the name l)orne by the young lady who has just gone into the garden?" " Lady Cleveland is he^ name. She bears her hus- band's name ; he is a colone, — Colonel Cleveland. They have come out from the mother country by appointment under the British crown." " Her husband!" echoed Clinton, grasping the top of the chair. " Her husband ; Colonel Cleveland of the hussars. But it is not posssible you have known the lady before V^ " I had a passing recollection at* her figure," said Clinton. " But now to business, if your Excellency pleases." " Yes — yes, to business," said the Governor. " Vou will be accommodated in Toronto to-night. My servants will put you somewhere to sleep, and in the morning 1 will tell you what I have decided upon." The next morning the Governor sent for Clinton into the same drawing room, and the latter was allowed a certain provision on consideration of his assisting in the pursuit of the Pirate. The engagement, which was much to Clinton's satisfaction, was barely concluded when Letitia ran into the room. " How provoking," said she; " we have hardly been in this place Toronto, with its Indian name, a mouthy THB CANADIAN GIRL, 179 [th, and now we are to go to some out of tlie way ])lace, I know not where, auioni' strangers again. I bate tra- veiling." " Suppose you take your favourite, the kitten, with you," said the Governor, " you will not hate to travel then, eh, little lady ?" " Ah ! she is such a pretty creature," said Letitia, shaking her beautiful long hair about her laughing face ; " but I will tell you why I do not like to travel/' cod- tinued she seriously ; ** my sister was happier by half at home in England — but that is between ourselves, as my Governess would say m French" Here she broke out into a laugh ; " Nice dull companions they are, my sister, and the stiff Colonel, grand, silent papa, and my governess, with her never-ending — hush Lady Letitia — don't look about you so, Lady Letitia — do demean your- self more becoming your dignified station, Lady Letitia." ** But are you really going away ?" asked the Go- vernor, laughing, and patting her shining head. " My governess, and our maids are packing up," said Letitia. " I am a little surprised — so soon — I was not in- formed," muttered the Governor, in disjointed sen- tences. Clinton was gazing at the young sister of Lady Cleve- land with a look that puzzled the Governor. It was a look at once sorrowful, tender, and intense. " You do not know this little lady, I presume ?" said his Excellency. " 1 do not," replied Clinton, sighing. When he had left the room, he had to cross some rather intricate passages, and in doing so, found that he t j.hould see her sailinnr ! she can skim the waters like a swallow ; if she were built of cork, she could not swim through troubled seas lighter or more buoyantly. These are my private cabins — enter." > Clinton followed his conductor into a room of good size, furnished in the style of an English drawing-room, with a rich carpet, chairs of fine polished wood, rose- wood sofa and tables, and ornamented fire-place. " This excites your surprise, I see," said the Pirate, locking the door, and drawing against it a handsome painted screen. - " Certainly it does," said Clinton, viewing an oil painting that hung on the wall. " I little expected to see a place so fitted up in a — " " Pirate's vessel, you were going to say," said the captain. " You may speak out plainly, I can bear it. Besides, there must be henceforth no secrets between us two, if I can succeed in proving to you, now you are here, the reality of what I told you on Gibraltar Point." " If you can indeed prove it," said Clinton, " there shall be no secrets between us.** J* 1 1 '''i 190 THE CANADIAN GIRL. " Then the best way," said the Pirate, " to do that, will be to relate to you the history of my past life. Yoa say you can stop here until dusk ; we have, thirrefore, eight hours to spare, and surely I shall be able to open all my budget to you during that time. But I must have another listener." The Pirate here went to a door that opened into an inner cabin, and called aloud — " Jenny — Jenny An- derson." - V " What ! — can Miss Anderson be here !" exclaimed Clinton. " Captain," said our former Irish acquaintance, putting her head in at the door, " Miss Jane will be in to ye in a half a quarter of a minute, if you plase." " And Deborah here too ! — what wonder next !" ex- claimed Clinton. Deborah nodded her head to the latter, by way of re- cognition, and then withdrew it. The Pirate leaned his elbow on the mantle-piece, and fixed his eyes sorrowfully on Clinton. " I am astonished," said he, " th^t I did not recog- nise you before. Now, every feature, every expression upon your face reminds me of her whom I never truly valued until I had lost — of her who was an angel on ray wild path, and whose instructions and principles, had I followed them, would have conducted me safe through the dangerous seas, in which, since her death, I have ship- wrecked honour, conscience, and hope. Yes, you are in- deed like her! She had just your figure too, only, of course, more feminine. How strange to think I should not have known you before!" Just as he was speaking this, a loud and confused Mr THE CANADIAN GIRL. 191 noise was heard over head, and the captain, hastily begging to be excused a few minutes, hurried on deck to see the cau-e of the disturbance. He did not return for a quarter of an hour, and during this space, Jane An- derson entered. Deborah had informed her that Clinton was here, she did not, therefore, show much surprise at seeing him. She somewhat coolly met his warm greeting, and sat down on the sofa, as he occupied a chair near her. " I accidentally learnt," said he, " that vou were the daughter of the — the Pirate, as we must call him, before I left the valley, but I have yet to learn how he escaped, and how, and where it happened that you joined him." '' And I," said Jane, " cannot tell how it is I see you here on amicable terms with my father.'* . " To tell you the truth," said Clinton, *' I had just agreed with the Lieutenant-Governor to assist in the search after the captain, and was walking on the pen- insula beach, when I saw the very man whose capture I was meditating, and he made a mysterious assertion, which he is now to give me proofs of He says, Jane, that the j,icture which I lost on board Captain Barry's vessel, was the picture of his wife. Now I know that it was a genuine resemblance of my mother — and what follows." " This is too strange for belief," said Jane, yet at the same time looking at the features of Clinton with anxious curiosity. " 1 cannot think that you are my brother — my brother, what an idea !" " Your brother he certainly is," said the Pirate, re- entering ; " fetch a looking glass, and examine your features both of you, in it, and compare them with the picture of your lamented mother." Jane fetched a hand-mirror, and the picture Clinton ', -1 * r H A, 1^1 mm %^r m ulx '.-*; 5- '■ ;; 1<»2 THE CANADIAN GTHL. }iad lost was laid on the table. Smiles were exelianc^ed as each, in turn, presented a face for the reflection of tTie mirror. ; ■; i .- • . . . -.,■'>., . i ;•; • " Really we three do look to have a family likeness to each other," sd'A Clinton; " and this portrait certainly would pass for that of the mother of Miss Anderson. The mouth is exactly yours, Jane." " And the eyes are strikingly like yours," said Jane ; " and see, father, the shape of the forehead, yes, you must be my brother ;" and in her joy at havino^ found a relative so long dreamt of, she caught his hand, and pressed it fondly to her heart. " My sister — my dear sister ! from this hour you have in me a friend and protector," said Clinton, kissing her cheek with great tenderness. ' The Pirate looked on his children with feelings of the strongest kind. . ..; r •■ > " Nicholas I" he exclaimed, at length giving vent to his emotions. " Nicholas, my son ! guilty as I am, and unworthy of my children's love, I do crave it, and 1 feel it the only pleasure of my existence. However bad you know me to be, therefore, do not set me down as being without natural affection. Do not utterly despise and abhcr me, Nicholas !" " Father !" exclaimed Clinton, " for now I do not doubt you to be my parent, believe me, though I have seen but half your years, I have lived as wild, and reck- less, and bad a life as yourself — perhaps worse indeed. If 1 meet an erring father, you meet an erring son. But for Jane's sake — for my sister's sake, father, we must both amend." " Oh P' cried Jane, *' how great will be our happiness THE CANADIAN GIRL. 1^3 if my father will be persuaded to leave the way of life he is now in ! Try — try, brother, to persuade him !" The mild eyes of the speaker, eloquent with persuasive tears, were turned to the liice of iVe Pirate, and she caught at the belief that she should nr gain her dearest wish. The Pirate, anxioys not to damp her spirits, replied — " Don't agitate yourself, my Jenny ; all will be right Bome day or other. Nicholas and I will talk the matter over by ourselves ; but now let us have a glass of wine or two togetner, and then for my story.'* While the Pirate was bringing upon the table some of the same dehcious liquor which had been so approved by the inmates of the Paster's lodge, Jane whispered to Clinton, " Do not give up the point — do not rest until you have induced him to forsake the evil men he is now associated with." Clinton warmly assured her 'he would do hi? best; and the Pirate handed to each an antique and costly wine-cup, which he told them with a sigh, had once graced a richer board than any he had sat down to for a long period. v This introduced the expected story of the Pirate s past life, which he told in nearly the following words : — " The adventures I have passed through, my dear children, are too many for me to relate in full. I must, therefore, confine myself to the most important ; and, to speak the truth, some of them it would pain me too much to dwell upon. I was the only child of poor and very young parents, who died in my infancy, and left rne without home or friends. In this state 1 was taken into an indigent relative's cabin, and lived there in a half- starved condition, until my third year ; the cabin stood 13 ■:!i % '% m p ^ m- 1 m ' } ' ? Uf 194 THE CANADIAN GIRL. on the extensive seignorie of a very rich man of solitary and eccentric habits ; he was accustomed to take long walks and rides alone, but never had been known to pass the boundaries of his estate. There was not a hut, however insignificant, tenanted from him, that he did not visit at stated intervals with the most precise regu- larity. He always inquired at such visits into the wants of all the inmates, and never failed to leave a blessing behind him. Sometimes he had the small buildings re- paired, or he erected convenient outhouses, or put in windows ; sometimes he gave the cottager a stout beast of burden, or an additional piece of ground, or a stock of homely blankets and winter furs, or a fishing boat. But his aim was not to prevent the necessity of fore- thought ind industry on the part of the peasant, but to assist and reward them. The woman with whom I was, he had visited duly foi* three years, but had bestowed little on her, for she was not a very worthy character, and her temper was as deplorable as her habits, but at the end of the third year, to her great astonishment, he told her that he would remove from her one who was evidently a cause of misery to her, th/3 little urchin she had taken out of charity, and that he would have the boy provided for at his own expense. I was thereupon removed to a large and ancient baronial house: a man of learning was in a few years hired to inform me in lan- guages and the sciences ; a yearly provision was legalK made over to me upon certain singular conditions, and the bulk of his fortune, and his noble residence, were se- cured to me at his death. Would you think it possible, my children, that with such advantages, and with such intellects as I possessed, I could be unhappy ? Yet, Ion of THE CANADIAN GIRL. 195 SO I was. But I must explain to you, if I can, some of the causes — apparently very trivial ones — that made me so. Ir the first place, I must never stir beyond his grounds — then I must not go beyond the gardens around the house without being accompanied by him or my tutor — then I must hold no intercourse with any jiersons that had not first been seen and approved by him — then three times a day I must attend prayers, long and dull ones, repeated word for word, without variation, the year round. I feel that such obligations must seem to you very trifling sources of disquietude — yet they ultimately caused me to throw away fortune and favour. My character as a youth was singularly independent, and I could not brook the idea which was constantly presented before me, of what I owed ray benefactor. I could not endure that my inclinationSi^ which were of a wanderinof, open, inquisitive, gay nature, should be so continually checked as they were by my tutor's ill-judged represen- tations — that my benefactor would be angry — that he would cut off my expectations. And let him, I at last broke out, I will no more be immured as I have been. This place is like a prison to me, and I have found companions beyond it that suit my taste well. If I was destitute when he took me, I will go from him in the same condition. I will not take a single dollar with me, nor any more clothes than these I wear. 1 will seek my fortune on the s^a, I care not to whatever part of the world chance may direct me; and let my way be rough or smooth, I shall not heed, so I am at liberty, and master of my own actions. " ITie tutor repeated my words with considerable ex- aggeration to my foster-father, who called me before wp *;■ 'i! mm 1 s h t :m m^ I "fl 19d TFIE CANADIAN GIRL I'l hiru. \)\\t the deed which had been executed in mv favour into my hands, and asked me in a concise, p*?- remptory way, if I would comply with the conditions it contained, if not, the world was before me, 1 miJ^'ht go whither I chose, but from his house, and his presence, I must be for ever banished. My proud spirit over- mastered prudence, trratitude, and every other feeling ; I threw the deed from me, and refused to be bound by any rules such as it prescribed whatever was the conse- quence. The document was then burned before my face, and I was discarded. But just as I was leaving the house, I saw the good, but eccentric man, who had so long protected me, standing in the way I had to go, waiting to speak to me a parting word. At the sight of tears upon his face, I believe I felt some pangs of shame and regret, but if so I am confident neither my words nor manner betrayed them. He held out to me a pocket-book, which I hav" no doubt contained bank notes to a large anbount, and begged me to take it as a final gift. I proudly declined, thanked him in the strongest terms for all his unexampled liberality to me, and hoped he would find some worthier being on whom to shower his remaining bounties. Thus we parted, and I became a common sailor in a vessel of superior sailing powers, on the Canadian waters. . " Now, my children, you will easily guess that J was not made happier by this change. For a little while I pleased myself with my apparent freedom from restraint, and set myself with all my heart and mind to learn the art of ship-management. But too soon the realities of my condition forced themselves upon my notice. I found 1 was placed among companions who excited in THE CANADIAN Gllil.. 197 me disgust and dislike, and tiiat I was subordinate to men, whose arrogance, tyranny, sensuality, and want of mental refinement, also made me bate and despise them. For some time I kept myself aloof from all, and hid the passions which burned within me, employing myself un- weariedly with my new profession, and making myself master of both its theory and practice. At length, my success, and some accidental praises which it drew forth from the master of the vessel, brought upon me the envy of the crew, who already jeered me for my lofty humours as they termed them, and detested me because I would not join them in their vulgar carousals. I left this ship, and joined myself to another of still larger con- struction, and of a different craft, which sailed further out, and in waters more difficult of navigation. My ob- ject was to perfect myself as much as possible in sea- manship in order that I might ultimately raise myself to th6 command of a vessel. And after beating about a good while, and sufferingr much that I should be fflad to forget, I did get advanced until I wa? second in com- mand, and, I believe, I may boldly say first in skill, on board the Antelope, owned by Captain Barry. Drink again my son." The Pirate averted his face for a minute, and then drank deep of the rich wine ; Clinton took a turn across the cabin ; Jane felt uneasy, at once being conscious that both were in possession of some dreadful secret con- nected with the Antelope of which they wished to spare her the knowledge. The suspicion entered her mind that her father had really destroyed the good old captain, and she turned exceedingly pale ; but the dreadful idea v.'as instantly overcome ; nevertheless, it was with fearful :#i! % ' t iiiM t 1 ,'■1 III m i"iiv It 1, VK \-:.-l il9 ' ' " ' 'Sf ICjl '•j|! - >)« '■|'^! m l%i^i U i: h- ". , • i . ■if ':4 U)S THE CANADIAN OIRI.. ill pxpectation that she heard her father resume his nar- rative. *' The next event of importance vvliich I must relate to you," resumed the Pirate, " is my first meeting with your mother. It happened in this way : — Captain Barry had a particular acquaintance living near the sea-coast in. England, and in one of my earliest voyages to the mother country, with the Captain, I was invited with him to spend a day at this gentleman's house. I went, and there became acquainted with your mother, who was on a visit at the house, being at the time in delicate health, and on terms of intimate friendship with the gentleman's eldest daughter. » ** I wish that I could describe to you the only woman I ever loved as I remember her at that time. That picture of her which is before you was taken several years afterwards, when hardship and sorrow had taken the gloss from her beauty. I say beauty, though none ever called her in the strict sense a beautiful woman: but she had a fine delicacy of complexion — a sweetness of expression about the mouth — and a bashful, but deep tenderness in the eyes — which, if it was not beauty, i know not what other name to give it. You may see by the likeness that hers was not a common face. It shows her i'lir, but she was much fairer than the painter could delineate, for hers was a fairness of the soul which shone through her countenance. Her hair was extremely light' and soft, as it appears in the portrait ; but that shade of melancholy diffused over her forehead and mouth was not there when first I knew her. *• You have read the wooing of Shakspeare's Othello, Nicholas ; well, mine in some respects resembled it. I :*r* THE CANADIAN GIRL. 190 was full of stories of American life and sea adventures ; the young lady loved to listen to them, and the more i narrated the more she seemed interested ; and the more she listened the more I had to narrate, until we were both so pleased with each other's society that it became necessary to our happiness. Our ship lay -to off that coast a fortnight, during which I contrived to see the charming girl who had bewitched me nearly every day. The Antelope then steered up the Thames to London, and on returning anchored at the same coast, where I again renewed my acquaintance with your mother, and asked her to become a sailor's wife. " Poor Pknny ! then her sorrows began. She was in character just what her daughter is now — serious, affec- tionate, mild, and of a most filial temper. Her parents objected to me on grounds that 1 have since seen to be reasonable enough, but which I then thought frivolous and arbitrary. She had been brought up in a strictly religious way — I had no concern about or regard for religion : she was of quiet, domestic habits of life — I had no other home but a ship, and was constantly roving over the wide world of waters. But these objections, and others like them, my passion would not listen to. I daily pressed for an union, and at last, when the time of my departure from England was fixed, my earnestness overcame Fanny's scruples, and we were privately mar- ried in a village church near the house in which we first met. Thus love conquered, and so I thought it ought to do ; but at that time I ci'd not comprehend the tender and conscientious spirit I had won. She drooped under self blame, for the violation of duty to her parents. * I have given them sorrow,' was her crv* ' who never gave ■if m 7(^' ■w •v. ' •• k> : i ni 200 THB CANADIAN GIRL. mvt Other than happiness; the tears and the sighs of my father and my mother will always be present with me go where I will ; their home was a paradise, until my disobedience set regret and misery in it; their broken peace will pursue me to my last hour, though I go to the ends of the earth.' " When those complaints came to be repeated, I was annoyed and angry. I told her I would have sacrificed twenty parents, and twenty sets of brothers and sisters into the bargain, for her sake. ' Ah, my love,' said she, * you never knew the love and tenderness of one such father and mother as mine, or I hope you would not say so.' •* Her father was just setting out to fetch her back to ner home, when she arrived there to take her farewell of him and of the rest of the family. She took with her the friend with whom she had been on a visit in order that the Intellicrence of her marriaofe mi°:ht be softened to her relatives by the kind representations of that lady. They received that intelligence with bitter grief, but after the first burst of liiuble was over Fanny received every kindness from then which it was in their power to bestow. I received a note from her desiring me to come to her at the parsonage. I complied with her wish, though it was no wish of mine, for I had no desire to see the persons who had so opposed my suit. The reception I met was one of genuine feeling, and I felt that it was a pity to remove Fanny from such a happy, peaceful circle, as were there gathered. I felt that I had com- mitted an error in clandestinely obtaining her hand — an error whose bitter fruits I could not then count, and, after listening to the truly unselfish speeches of the good fa oi f>0( bi THE CANADIAN OIRL. 201 father lor an hour or two, I was so wrought upon, that I offered to quit ray claim upon Fanny, to renounce her pociety, and to leave her still in the bosom of her family, but this proposal was on no side received with assent. The clergyman declared that to part man and wife was a sin he durst not commit. She was mine, and to me he commended her, hoping I would never for'il ':» ■<:,<:,'}']''. '>. '.' 'J*f ' i ,■■• ■-'I,- .'tf!-: f X- ■■ • r ' i /! \- ' ' 11* ' I ill: m m I.., 212 JM I .s > ,'i.. 'I ; I . , ..I .' « I. THB CANADIAN GIRL. CHAPTER XII. t \ y , ..; .■ _ ■ -. . . . ■-.. '>K •• Farewell again I and yet Must it indeed be so — and on this ihore : ' ' '•-•'<< Shall you and I no more Together see the sun of the summer set." — Barry CormcaU, • I \t\ The afternoon had been extremely hot and bright, though the winter was close at hand. The evening came on soft and mellow in its more sober colourings. The blue- Winged duck flew over the tranquil waters of the lake, beneath a sky so splendid that it would outvie the gaudiest pageant of man's invention. Yellow clouds were sprinkled over the wide blue ether, becoming, to- ward the west, gorgeous with other brilliant colours ; and there was the mighty sun himself, his enlarged disk just ready to dip beneath the water, that burned with a golden glory, streaming out far across the lucid tide toward the beach. After Haverstraw returned to the ship, Clinton walked by the lake, endeavouring to calm the fever of his mind by the tranquillising influences of nature, which he of all men was fitted to understand and feel. But there were at least two spirits in his breast which the most potent spells of nature could not exorcise — conscience and THB CANADIAN GIRL. 213 passion. New ties were now entwined around him, with new sorrows, new pains, new anxieties. His father he had been prepared to love, even before he met him, and he now did love him — ^}^es, love him even for his errors' sake. But his sister^ she was a character so excellent in her unobtrusiveness, in her purity, in her gentleness, in her piety, and in her devotedness to her parent, that he shrank back from himself with abhorrence when he thought of her. It had been with inward shame that he had sat in her presence — ^remembering a\\ that had passed in the Pastor^s settlement— knowing that she was a mourner for Lucy, whose death he justly charged him- self with having caused — and feeling satisfied that she, at least, had suspected latterly the truth of his statements regarding the son of the backwoodsman. There was no relief under heaven for him from the burden of his conscience. He now learned that a loaded conscience is an awful thing, and will permit no peace to its possessor, unless it be the peace which stupid indiffer- ence yields — and Clinton was not moulded for that. Once, after a fit of deep, remorseful melancholy, he stopped abruptly in his walk, raised his eyes from the gravel, and, while a light suddenly flashed in them, and while his cheek burned, the name of •' Lady Hester," broke audibly from his lips, in an accent of lively passion. All other feelings — ties — remembrances — ob- ligations — were cast in an instant from his mind. She, and she alone, was now the object of his heated thoughts. He recalled, with dangerous minuteness, every word which he had overheard her say to the Governor's lady— • her sobs, her vehement utterance, and her expression* of hatred against her husband. He dwelt upon them 1" ' ffl =f. m^-^'- w i ' ^1 lalii ..;&;: fil^ a>|4«Bz> m^iaii EMvijiDB ¥'■■ ■W'^ '? ^*f .: •■■ il'l mm mmM -1' '1:1 ^^■vH #5 ■ ^BJn ■ '^'' '"'^ "* jfii 15^ .M.W^M amx^^'v 4 .^, H^F 'ix 'V^^H piil^^ff ^^ui Kii! |OT ^B^'- ^ i { ' »| ™ , *^ iMl m^^i ^hJ^4- ■'■'.' '^."^^^ ^St '''^■'^*™M Ih H wBt nm^ Ws^fWj^Bt . ^i '■,''■ '''' ^^^' li Ti^^ '.''■ '8 ^i ' i ■ ■■•:^mkitH.:;.l ' ' ff ■ '^ ? BBwrilfJ^H&N '' ' rJ' "h ! !»ffif^?i^^ c ymm ■■•:4 ' .{ ' ,.lt^« 214 THB CANADIAN OIRI^ entirely absorbed, until his train of thought was inter- nipted by the passing by of many persons. He then found that he had unconsciously walked with very rapid steps to the most frequented part of the beach, and tliat his look of abstraction had already drawn upon him the notice of several individuals. Rather confused by this discovery he stood still, and aflfected to be engaged in observing the motions of hall a dozen men who were conveying stores into a strong steam vessel, upon which the eyes of many curious gos- sips, male and female, were assiduously bent. From the flying small talk which was alive among them, he learned that this was the vessel appointed to *' hunt the Pirate," and that forty picked men were paid to man it. How miraculously had a few hours altered his feelings with regard to that Pirate ; he could not look upon the vessel without a sick shudder; his right hand closed on the air tightly, so that the nails pierced the palm, as if some instrument of death were in it for that Pirate^s defence. ' As he was anxious to escape the crowd of loiterers of the lower orders, which the closing of the hours of trade, and the calmness of the evening, had drawn forth from the streets of Toronto, he ascended the nearest cliffs, on whose white sides the amber flood of the sunlight rested with beautiful effect. ' * ' - 'He proceeded with unwearied steps along the head of the line of cliffs, meeting few persons, and choosing the wildest tracks in order that he might meet with fewer. At length, he sat down to rest near the edge of the precipice, on a spot which was well known for the prospect it afforded'-perhaps the fipe:^t of the fine ones tor whicli THE CANADIAN OIBL. 215 Toronto cliffs aro dislinguislied. At first, in darkness of 80u(, he suffered liis head tu drop upon a rocK. and closed his eyes; then forgetting himself, started up, and as he thought of Lady Hester — inarried — wrung his hands and groaned. Afterwards he shed tears, as hd looked over the wide spread lake, and saw the distant vessel which contained his outlawed father and his home- less sister. Imagining himself to be perfectly alone he did not re- strain in the least the outward expression of his feelings, but found a relief in giving them free vent ; when he grew calmer, he drew the parts of a flute from his pocket, screwed them together, with a sigh raised the instru- ment to his lips, and played upon it the air of a song which had been composed by Lady Hester during his first acquaintance with her, and which he had often sang to the unfortunate Lucy. The notes charmed him, and something of a fanciful delight stole over his senses. Withdrawing the flute from his lips, at the close of a tliird repetition of the ah*, he surveyed the scene before him, and several exquisite descriptions of such objects as he beheld, in the poets of his own country, occurred to his memory. Facing him was the western horizon with all its mag- nificent clouds, where the sun had a ^ew minutes before disappeared ; nearly in the same direction were shores covered to the water's edge with majestic woods, whose frequent openings revealed the white houses of flourishing settlers from Europe. Golden light, reflected by the transparent water, was slowly retreating from that cheering part of the picture, and was becoming replaced by tender and varied shadows little less beautiful. r ;V. r ■ ^^ ^t w. fi« PI l€i '^ Ul IM ' f -mr nf ^'% |,i » l-.w IT '•■■ 111 ms *^'*&^ 216 ¥MR CANADIAN 6IRL I!' ■J •* There are homes of happiness !" said Clintoi), as he watched, with an eye expressive of many sorrowful re- grets, such as had not been accustomed to find a lodge- ment in his breast, the lights that cheerfully twinkled among the darker woods ; " but I — and those dear to me — are wanderers !*' Then his glance went farther out on the prospect— " Wandering among the lawny islands fair, Whose bloMomy foreatt starred the shadowy dcop." . Those islands slept in tranquil shade on their own mirrored resemblances, for the lake was so clear that every where it gave accurate reflections of the objects on its surface. " Ah," said Clinton, " I could dream now of a bower of love on one of yonder lovely islands — no society but the ancient trees and their denizens, and the beloved obiect — what would be the censure of the world to us there ? She, whose name is set in diamonds in my soul, should then never weep again — she should never be again the slave of a foul tyrant !" A dew broke out on his forehead — wild ideas were brooding in his mind, and he pronounced, in impassioned accents, some lines ^ a rhapsodist of poetry who bad been bewildered like himself with ungoverned feelings of the heart and iismjy. The breeze from the lake had grown brisker as the evening advanced, and it was just at the present moment that it bore toward Clinton a scarf, which dropped nearly beside his feet. He looked along the cliffs, on the side where the article had been buoyed along, and saw two ladies at some distance who were proceeding with slow steps toward the town. He instantly took up the scar^ THE CANADTAN OIKL. 21' and followed them with it, but wlien lie had gone somo way he stopped — the figures of the ladies were those of Mrs. INfarkham and Lady Hester. He directly suspected that they had witnessed his stranjie reverie — if so, Lady Hester was in possession of the present state of his feelln£![s ; but the distance from tlie phiee where he had been sitting corrected this idea. His heart throbbed with mingled and intense emotions as he approached her — she was just looking around for the stray article. " Madam,'* said he; she started, and that trembling intonation of voice went directly to her heart. ** This scarf, I believe, is yours. The wind conveyed it to my feet, and 1 am happy in the opportunity of restoring it to its owner." " I thank you, Mr. Clinton," said she, very softTy, and without looking at him. At that instant Mrs. Markham felt the lefl hand of Lady Hester press heavy on her arm ; she perceived also that her young friend trembled, and on looking in her face, saw her eyelids sinking with faintness, and her lips turning white. Clinton also observed these symptoms of agitation, and again he triumphed inwardly with a bitter joy. ' Presently the ladies rested on a seat, and Clinton stood by the side of Mrs. Markham conversing with her on the beauties of the view, his manner combining the most gentlemanly ease and gracefulness, with that mo- dest distance suitable to his circumstances. " This evenincr has reallv been most enchantinor," said he, after some previous talk ; " one regrets to see it fade." He sighed, and glancing toward Lady Hester re- peated expressively — i f ;!;• «.,.' '■ i 218 THE CANADIAN GIRL. 111 "' Yet even then, while peace was singing ;. - » . Her halcyon song o'er land and sea, •^' '■■' ' Tho' joy and hope to others bringing, ».' She only brought new tears to me.' Such hours — sucn scenes as this — should not be pro- faned by gloom. It was for your clear and serene spirits, ladies, that such were made,'' he added, with an air of gallantry. Lady Hester arose as he said this ; her self-command, great as it usually was, had nearly forsaken her; she felt unable to bear more, and asked Mrs. Markham if she was willing to proceed, as night was setting in. . " For a moment longer let me detain you," said Clinton, going to the side of Lady Hester, and pointing over the lake. " Observe that remarkable high-land in the distance, how boldly and beautifully it is defined against that soft sky — and those refractions of the lake at different parts, how lovely and singular they are." Lady Hester replied to his remarks on the scenery in monosyllables, and carefully avoided meeting his eye. Mrs. Markham was so much pleased with the young man that she would have asked him to walk with them into Toronto, had she not again seen too visibly impressed on Lady Hester's face, the pain of mind she was en- duringr. " We shall hardly get home before it is quite dark, my dear," said Mrs. Markham, rising and drawing her shawl more over her shoulders. She took Lady Hester's arm ; " We have loitered much too long here, you have some fatigue you know, my dear, to bear to-morrow. Mr> Clinton, you have heard I suppose at what hour the packet will leave Toronto?" _ .^ . , ? 11 THE CANADIAN GIRL. 219 in ler jr's ive )W. ur ■'. •* Do you mean, madam, the vessel in wliich 1 am to saiir ' ' '■ *' Yes, that one which the Governor has been so busy fitting out for the capture of this Pirate whom all the folks are talking about." • ' ' " No, I have not received any notice to day from his Excellency, to acquaint me with the time proposed for getting out; indeed 1 have not been in the town since raornmg. 5» " Then yon have not heard the news of the Pirate, with which the whole town is already ringing from one end to the other?" ' -: • ' •-* / ^ )> *» What news, madam V said Clinton, eagerly. " No — I have heard none !'" " ft was reported to thft Governor, while he was sit- tinor at his wine after dinner, that a brig had been plundered close to the harbour last night by the Pirate's men, and that he himself had been seen on the beach to day in disguise." r> • ■ ' • /•--..-. - -n ; . . j " Indeed!" exclaimed Clinton. " And his Excellency is satisfied of the truth of the report?" ~ " O, perfectly ; but, more than all, it is said that the pirates are really in the harbour now, under a false ap- pearance. The Governor intends as soon as it is dark to-night, to make a private scrutiny, and, if he discovers nothing, you will be called on to join the bold band who are engaged to search for the privateers, at ten o'clock next forenoon." " I shall be quite ready," said Clinton. " T wish you less difficulty and danger with your en- terprise than I fear you will have — and good weather too," said Mrs. Markham ; " the water and the sk;J afe**! 220 THE CANADIAN GIRL. promise well for you at present. 1 hope their flattering appearances may not prove deceitful." ' ^ . " Lady Cleveland too, I have heard," said Clinton, diffidently, " intends to quit Toronto by water in a few hours — for her I hope the elements may be calm, I am indifferent to their changes for my own sake." These words, spoken with ill-disguised tenderness, were not lost on Lady Hester. ■ ' . j' i ji-. " Well, we may not see you again — at least not until this projected expedition is over," said Mrs. Markham. " I sincerely wish you well. Your life has been unfor- tunate hitherto 1 know ; but you must not despond ; you cannot tell what good things Providence may yet have in store for you." ■ m« . j , , .. . *' It can have nothing better for me, madam, in this world," said Clinton, ^' than the good wishes of a heart like youks." Mrs. Markham's eyes were moistened with the tears of kindness as she gave him her hand; and pronounced a fi;.a.l good bye, her heart full of the melancholy tale which Lady Hester had t^ld her of his early disappoint- ment. Lady Hester, also, just as they were turning from him, offered her hand ; he took it, pressed it, and said, fervently, " Peace and health be with you, lady I" 'I'hus this unexpected meeting terminated — but not w> its consequences. • , < .. . = « ?i.."»' /:'" l\' 'W'-'t '') •■'.'t: »• ( • J\- t i . . ,« i : ,'•» ■ i ' . < . • THE CANADIAN tilRL. CHAPTER XTII. 221 :..- -i- ,i>. -..^ ' . .' * 'fji'l ill. 12 land not Misibrtune binds us in her powerful bands ; .^ tir , . Danger enchains us heart to heart ; and fear, And need, iuid sorrow, and remorso, .,.'.'... ' ' Draw round our hapless selves a circle charmed. — Mary Benneti. Clinton determined, at all hazards, to apprise liis father of his danger. Having^ left the value of a small canoe with its owner, he paddled himself out from a re- tired sand-bank, at the foot of the cliffs, and made to- wards the spot where the Pirate's vessel lay. It was between ten and eleven o'clock, there was no moon, and only a few scattered star3 in the sky, but it was sufficiently light for him to he enabled to avoid coming in contact with any of the boats and canoes which still plyed on the lake. He found the ship he sought, moved from its former position, and spreading all its sails to the wi'.id as if about to ^in^ its way to a safer distance from its pursuers. Lanterns were moving about the decks, and as Clinton glided under the gun- wale he heard the voice of the Pirate issuing commands to the crew. His mind was instantly relieved of some of its apprehensions. " All is quiet within the ship,'* said he to himself — " that is a happiness !" if.; 'tJ. ■ f .■ ,1 -}■'■' • *■'! ntj m ■M f .If' '^r:m ii-Hi; w- *;ii«1 222 THE CANADIAN GIKL. " Who goes there ?" shouted a pair of brazen lungs from tlie edge of the forecastle. " It is I — ^your Captain's son," answered Clinton, in a voice only just loud enough to make itself heard. " I bring you important intelligence." " Why did you come so close without hailing us T* said the speaker in the ship: " you might have had a half score of bullets into your boat before you had thought of saying your prayers." The Pirate started when he heard that his son had returned to the ship. He was standing by the foremast, and without moving he waited Clinton's appearance, still giving directions to the seamen in clear, sonorous tones, not allowing himself to appear conscious of any inter- ruption. ♦ II ;%•:;*! I k The animated, yet orderly see ^ which the vessel presented to Clinton's ey© when he stepped upon deck, was new to him, and inspired him with interest. As he walked from the half deck to the forecastle he looked on all sides, then upwards at the shining cordage of the rigging. The privateers were busy every where, and their Captain's orders were repeated and answered by them, both below and aloft, in that wild, monotonous recitative, which is so pleasing on the water to a ro- mantic ear. ; ..» , > < The Pirate beckoned to Clinton to stand by him, then proceeded with his duty. When all the ship was in perfect sailing order, and the privateers were each set in their respective places ready to unfetter the ship from her moorings, and to guide it out into deeper waters, before he exchanged a word with his son, he called near two men, and said — U***''- Jm ro- THK CANADIAN GIRL, 223 ** There shall not one word pass between me and this young man on his present visit hither but in your pre- sence. You have seen th:ic I have not yet spoken with him. I demand that you will now be witnesses for me with the rest of the crew, and repeat to them every sen- tence you will hear pass between us. I sacrifice my private feelings t, the peace and safety of the ship. I shall behave to my son as to a stranger, in order that the cpnfid«*ice of my men, now once again restored to me, may be preserved." The two mariners he addressed muttered something to the effect that they did not wish to separate father and son. Now the Pirate, though he made concessions to his men as a body, was too wary to do so with them individualfy, but he made every man personally feel strictly subordinate to him. As he would make no con- cessions but to the whole crew, so he would receive no remission of them but from the whole; therefore, as if he had not heard what the two men whom he had called near had spoken, he turned to Clinton. " Nicholas," said he, *' what has brought you back to this ship to-night ? Have you forgot the peril in which you were so recently placed by the suspicion that was here entertained a^^ainst you ?" " I have come," said Clinton, " to tell you that the Governor is making strict search for you in the harbour. Even while I speak, armed officers are just at hand pre- pared to surround you." • " How has he learnt we were in the harbour ?" asked one of the men, with a sinister look. « Tha* I knotty not," said Clinton; " but," he added pointedly, " in my opinion, the informant would hardly ■* ll.SM km III Nil 5 f il 2ia4 THE CANADIAN GIRL. have risked his life to give you warning of flight. But this is not all — there was a brig rifled last night by you, at a spot not far from here, so the Governor has received tidings, and he has heard, also, that the captain of the men who rifled her, was to-dav in disguise in Toronto.'* " This is news indeed !" exclaimed the Pirate, again starting. " Thanks, son ! In an hour I shall laugh at all pursuit," he added ; *' I have got stores enough here to last under a long chase. 1 fear nothing, only let me get my anchor on board again. I have held our foes at bay before this. Have you any thing more of conse- quence to say ?" " No, I have told you all that I myself know of the Governor's movements," replied Clinton ; " and, in doing so, I have compromised my honour to save you, for before I knew that in the Pirate I had a father, I had engaged with the Governor to join those who were to endeavour to capture him.'^ " Well now, if you join us instead of them, gallant young sir," said a third privateer, who had also been listening, " we shall be glad to shake hands with you, and you shall have my voice toward making you one in command under vour father. He is a bold and a clever buccaneer, no one can deny it, and carries his brains full of learning of all sorts. We have all been pioud of him as our Cap'n, until those two fellows you saw last afternoon made a hubbub here with a parcel of lies — but they have had a taste of hemp this evening, and arp lying together in a watery hammock under our gunnel, just below the bottom of your canoe there ; but as I wa^ saying, young sir, blow me, you must have had your father's spirit to venture back here now ; and as there is »» THE CANADIAN GIBL. 225 something genteel in your cut, and you have got a head full of scholarly brains like our Captain; why you shall have my voice, as I said before, toward the making you his mate." Chnton expressed a due sense of t lO proposed honour, but declined it, although it was now pressed upon him bv several others of the privateers, and objected to by none, all being more or less desirous of conciliating their Cap- tain, «ind of inducing him to forget the bad treatment h(y had lately received from their hands. " I refuse you," said Clinton, to the privateers, "be- cause I think 1 can do you ^ Jtter service by keeping my engagement with the Governor. The vessel which is to pursue you starts at ten to-morrow. I shall go with it ; and if you will decide upon some signals by whicli I may make known to you our approach to your hiding places, I may prevent you from being surprised." " You know then that we do not intend to keep on the open lake?" said the Pirate : " I am positive that I did not tell vou that." " You did not, but I surmised as much," said Clinton ; " and I do not ask to be informed in what caverns or rocks on the shores you intend to hide. You will most likely bo kept on the move, for depend upon it they are keen and hardy men who will come after you ; but this I ask, that wherever you hide you will light a small flame on some heicfht that commands a view over the water, and, when our vessel is so near that I can see it, I «hall warn you by three pistol discharges." " And you will take a catholic oath," said a privateer, ** not to tell the Governor's men that we are hiding whero that light burns?" 15 '•<•, ilk': " M I !i ti: y>l m m % i 1/ . is mM ■i a'- '■ m"5 226 THB CANADIAN GIRL. I ill " I will take oath," sairl Clinton, with a manner cal- culated to disarm all suspicion, ^' to say nothing that may endanger the life of my father and of those who are faithful to him. Believe me I am one of you — ready to assist in preserving you, although not among 5> you The signal ha proposed was decided upon, together with others likely to suit tlie different exigencies that were expected, and Clinton quickly made himself on good terms with all in the vessel. Throwing into his speeches and his deportment the fanciful gaiety which sat so well upon them, he elevated in the air a glass of brandy, which Merry, tlu black, had put into his hand^ and wished the stout ship a clear path on the waves, no foes in her wake, and good feeling and good fellowship within her iron-bound bosom, A shout arose among^ the sailors — bottle after bottle cf fine brandy disappeared in their hands to the sarao toast, with sundry hearty additions, until the Captain interfered, just as the health of himself and his son had been drunk, and forbade the circulation o[ a drop more. He himself had not tasted of the spirits, but looked on the sudden enthusiasm ot the crew with a calculating and vigilant eye. He recalled with authority every man to his office. The capering black became instantly still as tho gun on which he sat down ; old Toby threw overboard the pipe which he had just lighted, and stood with fixed attention ready to echo the Pirate's orders to any part of the ship. The important work of unmooring and floating out was done, and swift went the Fearless over the dark flood. Just before the vessel started off, Clinton had gone •If' k ot THE CANADIAN GIRI.. 227 down the cabin companion-way to speak fo his Sister a few hurried words before quitting the vessel. He found Deborah with her in a small inner cabin, that looked very comfortable. The Irish girl v>as busy combing and brushing Jane's curls, and putting them in papers for the night. There being a good deal of noise about, she was chatting in a very high key, and with all her rich Hibernian brogue, while Jane rested her elbow on her knee and her head in her hand, looking " Like patience on a monument r.' Smiling at grief." . Neither of the two heard Clinton open the door or come in ; and, as Deborah's face as well as Jane's was turned from the cabin entrance, they did not see him, until he playfully touched his sister's neck, and thus drew her attention to him. He had had an opportunity, therefore, to hear that the Irish girl was discoursing of past days, and past scenes, in which he had shared. The names of Mr. Lee, the Pastor, and poor Miss Lucy, made him slightly shudder, and he did not wonder when he saw a tear quietly stealing down Jane's cheek. " My brother !" exclaimed the latter, rising and pieeting his embrace, " have you ventured to come back ?" " Only for a few brief minates, dear sister, to cheer you, and say adieu again. There must be no fear in your bi'east, mind, .util 1 see you again. Every thing is in aj good train as possible. Our father will evade every pursuer, I have no doubt, without a shot being fire'l, or a life being endangered. I have quite satisfied the crew of my friendly intentions, and now I am going to aid their plans of escape in a very effective manner.'* mm "^1 228 THE CANADIAN OIIIL " Do be careful of your )wn safety, and of youi re- putation too, my dear brother !" " I will — believe me I will — for your sake, Jane ! and when the peril which now threatens our father is safely got over, I feel persuaded that we shall be happy. Wo will then hide ourselves together in some quiet and pleasant home on land, unless you should forsake us for the society of Mr. Lee, you know, Jane." She answered his lively smile by a pensive shake of the head, and blushed. " There is no Lucy for you now," said she. He in his turn coloured, but liis was the dye of shanin and compunction — hers, of innocence. " Forgive me the allusion," said she, looking in his face with concern, while observing the confusion visible there. 1 " I do,'* said Clinton; *•' but never — O never, if you can avoid it — mention that name again in my hearing! I assure you I deeply repent the part I played in that a:/air. " Let the remembrance of it be a chock on you in future, dearest Nicholas !" said Jane, softly and with timidity. " It shall — it shall !" said Clinton : " and you, I be- seech you, erase utterly from your mind the recollection of that unworthy conversation I had with you — I mean that which proved so fatal to her you named — ^and all which you observed that was unpleasmg in my behaviour to you while we were in the valley — forget it all." " It h all forgotten," said Jane. " But when shall we meet asain — and where ?" • *' 1 wish that I could answer you satisfactorily," said THB CANADIAN GIRL. 229 of be- ;tion leap all nova shall said Clinton, " but I am sorry to say that is not in uiy power now. Do not let your heart sink !" he exclaimed tenderly. " You trust in a rulincr Providence, that ffuidos till events on this stranoje world — make it vour stay now — and believe that we shall meet again, and ^vith more peaceful prosperts.'* The ship now look her ,nst » jvement forwards, which was done with an elastic bound, as if with joy at release iVom thraldom. She went as smoothly as possible, alter her first spring, and as fleet and stately as a wild deer scouring some smooth prairie for its own delight. Clinton stood still for an instant, then kissed his sister affbctioniitcly, slfook hands with Deborah, told her to make herself and Jane as happy as she coultl, and hastened up on deck. The canoe in which he had come had been drawn up out of the water, it was now lowered. Clinton grasped the hand of his lather apart, and said — " Some hard struggles may await you — but I hope whatever happens your courage and skill will boar yovt well through it." " I have no fear," said the Pirate ajjain. " I am olad we are off, and since that is elfected I am confident of escaping all who soek mo, though they were ten luousand in number, while the crew keep in their present temper. You heard that Jonas and Michael have suffered death ? I was compelled to make an example of tliem — they ^rere rank villains!" yet, as the Pirate spoke of the stern necessity, he groaned. In another instant Clinton was in his Solitary canoe. " Remember the signals!" said he to tlie Pirate. The latter nodded to his son, and then waved his cap until the Fearless had left the boat so far behind that, under j'l firi' llii ■m 230 tHR CANADtAtt OfRL. the gloom of niflfht, it was not to bo (listinjTuislied. Clip- ton had to pfo back nearly two miles to got a landing but the lake was in so quiescent a state, tliat he would have felt perfectly secure had the dist;inco been twenty miles. Ii- I'v ! J'* •~Vtj'\'S ""''l'l "'^1 '* «*i»|i '■ *■ !?♦' !■,-> THE OANADIAIf 01 RL 231 ■t- V' ;■»., ■ CHAPTER XIV. >♦ *' Sair do 1 foar tliiit to hope i« deniiul nic, Sair do 1 fear tluit ditspair maun abid(! inc." — i}!irn« CoiiONKL Clovolantl liad been spending" tlie evening in the fort at the mouth of the harbour, with a party of officers, some of them belonging to the regiment whose head-quarters are settled here, and the rest being military gen lomen on half- pay, who had been invited to dinner from their elegant cottages at the borders of the town. He left the table about eleven o'clock, having previ- ously sent his servant forward to the Governor's resi- dence with a number of letters and despatches, which he had undertaken to convey to the different forts on the frontiers of Niagara, Erie, and Huron. He was so much disordered by the large quantity of wine he had taken as to feel more than usually irritable, but no un- steadiness was communicated to his walk or to his voice. He had to traverse that long and narrow strip of land which has been before described as enclosing the ex- pansive basin of the harbour in a circular form. As he wentalong he occasionally stopped, and his eye, lustreless and bloodshot with long excess, looked vacantly on the various objects in sight, resting more fixedly on the 1^! M^l^^i i H Ka^L'^ iWa pll^ '§m nM;") im H^"' m wm '•P-^t -^m 232 THE CAITADIAN GIRL. shipping and the piers, whilst he was striving to connect together some angry thoughts that were flitting in dis- order about his brain. " Where could that fool Williams have heard that Lady Cleveland wished to separate from me ?" said he at last, speaking aloud and hiccupping. " Where the devil could he have heard it ? Separate from me ! No, by , she shall never do that ! Never ! no, by , I will pistol myself if she leaves me ! I know she detests me — but she shall stay with me ! — ^yes, by ! Per- haps I am a horrid wretch — perhaps I am ; but what- ever I may be, stay with me she shall P"* Ht moved on with a quicker tread until the town was just before him : all the scene was silent and dark. He stopped again, and exclaimed — " There is a hell within me ! I hate to go into Hes- ter's presence ! Her looks are arrows — and every word she speaks to me is like a sharp sword that cuts my heart to the core ! But she shall never — never— sepa- rate from me ! She may abhor me as she will — she may as often as she likes reproach me with that scorn which "he knows stings me so much — but by , stie shall never go from my side !" • « .f He now went forwards into the spacious main street of Toronto, more than once grasping the hilt of his sword, and muttering to himself — *' What right had Williams to make use of her name at all ? If I was going to stay another day in this place I would make him publicly ask my pardon for his boldness. There was every one at table took up the matter. ' On my soul,' said Cornet Brown, ' 1 shall \)e sorry for you, Cleveland, if you lose that fine mi THE CANADIAN GIRL. 233 woman.* * And so shall I — ^and I,' said Dickens and Thompson. And I had completely to run the oauntlet there. I was made a butt for every one's wit and rail- lery. By , Williams should pay dearly for it if J. was going to stay here !" In this mood the Colonel entered Ihe Governor's house. " His Excellency, with the Earl, and the ladies, sir, are in the small, drawing-room," said the servant who admitted him. " You are requested to go to them." " What ! has not La(iy Cleveland retired yet ?" ex- claimed the Colonel. " No, sir," replied the servant; '' Lady Cleveland is with the Earl, and Governor, and my lady ; they have been waiting up for you, sir." ^ ^ " Do you know whether my servants have talvoii all oiir luggage down to the packet, and whether they have seen the boxes packed away safely '^" ** All is done as you directed, I am quite certain,*' re- plied the man. , " Very well ; tell my valet to wait for me in my dressing room.'* ; , The Colonel entered the small elegant room in which his friends sat, while they were in the midst of an im- portant consultation, which his appearance instantly •checked. " I have disturbed your conversation," said he, throwing himself down on a couch ; " pray, if It be not of a very private nature, proceed with it." " It concerns you most particularly," said the stately Earl, with a look of much unhappincss. " Ah, I suspected so, for I heard my name pronounced by you as I entered." ! ' IP! ■•-■.". ■'i'f>. « i' ■ m -:r .':■& m 'ii§ m 234 THE CANADIAN OIRL. cc You did," said the Earl, with slow and painful utterance. " I was just observing, that when I bestowed on you the hand of Lady Hester, my eldest daughter, the hope and pride*of my ancient family, I little thought ever to have seen the hour in which I should be called upon to demand your separation from her." " Demand ray separation from her !" repeated the Colonel, starting up from the recumbent posture he had taken. " AVhat the do you mean ?" The Earl heard the coarse expression used oy his son-in-law with a shrinking movement, and took the hand of his daughter into his own. *' I beg," said he to the Colonel, in a very subdued voice, " that you will allow this unpleasant, but I now perceive most necessary change in our family ar- rangements, to be concluded without discord, without heat, which you must be aware can be productive of no good whatever. 1 assure you. Colonel, my daughter is determined henceforth to live apart from you — and I am no less determined to carry her wishes into effect.^* , " And bv I am determined too," exclaimed ft ' the Colonel, springing from the couch, and advancing to the table, on which he struck his clenched hand, '* Hester shall not leave mc while there is breath in my body ! No, by ! She is my wife! and never shall she live under thfi protection of any man but her husband while I exist — no — ^not even under her father's!" " Protection !" echoed the earl, with a loud and meaning sigh. " Indeed, Colonel, my daughter has nevei known the protection of a husband. You have ^ossly neglected her — you have not protected her! This is my most serious complaint ; and I tell yott THE CANADIAN GIRL. 235 honestly, I cannot trust Lady Hester under such mere nominal protection as you are likely to afford her, during the long voyage which it has been intended she should presently take with you. I have received certain letters by which I am informed that my presence is required very speedily in England, and it is my determinatiofi to take Lady Hester back with me to the peaceful home of her ancestors ; there, I confidently hope, she will regain that peace which her unhappy marriage has, during the last two years, entirely banished from her bosom." " My Lord — my Lord — you are mistaken in me — upon my soul you are!" cried the choleric Colonel. " I am Pot the tame fool you take me for ! You will not r§b me of my wife so easily as you imagine !" He suddenly raised his voice almost to a shout — " She is mine ! and by , I will have her !" The Governor interfered to soothe the Colonel, who was distantly related to him. Mrs. Markham endeavoured to persuade Lady Hester to withdraw to her chamber, but the Earl detained her. • t --. " A few minutes longer, madam, my daug-hter must remain," said he ; " it is necessary for my purposes that she distinctly state her wish regarding Colonel Cleveland before him, the Governor, and yourself, which done, she may instantly retire, and make herself per- fectly easy as to the result of the affair." " Her wish — yes — let Hester state her wish before me," said the Colonel, his irritation for the moment be- coniinff mixed with softer feelinsrs. " Let her tell me to my face, if she can have the heart to do it, that she is determined to separate from me for ever.'" Lady Hester was very pale as she slowly raised her ' »l 5.-;. him, she look his ban . and so led him by degrees to the house, and to the dressing- room >vhich be had occupied. There she persuaded him to allow the medical gentleman she had called in to examine the state of his pulse, and even to take a little blood from his arm ; after which he silently drank a half-cnp of chocolate, and then lay down on the bed, faint and exhausted with the agitation of the liiffht, THE CANADIAN GIRL. 241 , • ,- '■^ 1 ' t 1 '/ ' • ! ' , \ . , ' t ( ^ 1,^ .;'i V t\ / ' OHAPTEli XV. " O mischief! thou art swift To enter in the thoughts of desperate men! — Shilifi^ea^e, The Colonel did not long remain in a state of quiet. Springing up IVom the bed, he sent a servan,. to inform Lady Hester that he wished to see her. The servant returned with a reply that she was too nmch indisposed to loave her room. " Then I will go to her," said the Colonel, drawing on his boots with haste. lie went to her chamber door, \i was fastened ; he knocked ; Lady Hester's maid came out, and immediately the lock was secured behind her. •' I must see your lady," said the Colonel, with the most determined air. The maid replied that Lady Cleveland was too unwell to be spoken with. " 1 will see her !" said the Colonel. " No excuses will put me off!" " My lady positively refuses to see any one," said die attenda.it. . " Go in and tell her that I am here," said the Colonel, *' and that I swear I will see her ! — /md see he,r alone ^ too — mind that !" The girl assured him that she durst not go in witk 16 •:J i!ij w\ ■i .m ..:- i ' U ■'*i 'i'^. 4 MS', 1 '*-^ 1^ '242 THE CANADIAN oIRL. such a message, for her lady was quite ill, and both the doctor, the Earl, and Lady Cleveland herself, had given the most unequivocal orders that she sliould not be dis- turbed. In vain the Colonel commanded, and remon- strated, the girl was fiiin. lie then mused in silence an instant, his eyes rolling in their sockets, and his fore- head knit into a hard frown. " I will send her a note," — said he, decisively — " yes, that is what I will do:" and he returned to his dressinfj- room, and called impatiently for paper, pen, and ink. His valet hurriedly brought the first he could meet with in the house, but trembled and turned pale when his master, stamping furiously on the floor, threw both pens and ink at him, swearing they were not fit for satan to use. Others were instantly procured, and the Colonel wrote the following letter, in uneven, distorted charac- ters, that plainly denoted the state of his mind: — *' Lady Cleveland. — You have refused to see me. I luiderstand very well why you have done so. Your illness Is only a pretence — a pretence I say — to promote the schemes of your father, and work my ruin ! Madam, let me tell you one truth before I humble myself tj you again and for the jfist time ; it is this — if I have wronged you, you have also wronged me ! — You married me without loving me! Your fall i or was the cause I know ; but whatever was the cause, you stood up at the altar of God and vowed to love, and honour, and obey jne — while you knew that you never could do either. I ask you, if I was not injured then ? If you had really loved me, you would havp sought by tender attentions, and by those gentle and winning looks and words of kindness, in which I haveseQn some women excel, to lure me from ( « y I THE CANADIAN GIRL. 243 my bad habits and connexions. If you had conscien- tiously lionoured me, you would have refrained from those bitter and scornful expressions which have often driven me back to wickedness, when I was inclined to repent and amend. But now I once more ask if you will recal your determination of last night ? I shall sue no more for your forgiveness if this attempt fails. I make no promises of reformation, and my reason is this — I have often raach; them to myself, and always broken them. But if you will throw yourself on my heart once m(jre, apart from all othei' influences^ and trust to me, you may save me — I believe it is almost certain that you will — and I shall bless you, Hester, and you mjiy yet be liappy with me." In an hour Lady Hester's femme de chamhre brought to the Colonel a reply, which he eagerly seized from her hand. " Colonel Cleveland. — I am exceedingly sorry that you should not have considered my word decisive, and that I should be put to the very painful necessity of again declaring to you that it is so." ^ When the Colonel had read thus far he threw down the letter and star tec' across the room. He had indulged a little hope since his last appeal to her, and now it was at once dashed from him, he felt over again all the hor* rors he had lately suffered. He grew almost black in the face, and his breath became loud and gasping. Presently throwing aside his cravat, he took the letter up and read on : — " This distressing duty to myself and my relations done — and oh, that I could tell how to soften to you our \ melancholy and final parting !— I turn with the utmost It is 0, m :$vi ^ «L.i- ^ 244 THB CANADIAN OIRL. regret to other particulars of your note, tliat especially demand my attention. " Tt may be too true, Colonel, that when we pledged to each other our hands nt the altar, I had not a heart to ^'ive you. My father committed a common, hut se- rious error — he made my marriage one of family accom- modation, rather than of love. Yet you aio incorrect in saying I knew that I could not keep my vow at the time I made it. I did Intend — solemnly purpose — to fulfil to you all the duty ;ind affection of a wife ; and I know so much of my own heart that 1 am confident I should have done it, had you been true. " Again, with respect to the Earl, my father, duty to him requires me to give you my warmest assurance that he has striven to turn my thoughts from the painful event which we now anticipate — that he has exhausted every argument to induce me to remain with you — and that it was not until last evening ihat he gave my wishes on the subject any encouragement." " Lies ! — lies !" burst forth the Colonel, not knowing what he said, and crumpling up the letter in his hand. *' I'll not believe her! 'Tis the Earl, and no one else, who has hardened her heart ! — My curses on him !" '"' He again opened the scented sheet of satin-post, and turned to the conclusion of the letter, which was written in a beautiful hand, of fashionable hair strokes, sharp- angled, regular, and delicate. " I forgive you all the sorrow you have occasioned me ; I am perfectly at peace with you as far as my own feelings are concerned; and I entreat you, Colonel, pardon in me every thing which has given you dissatis- faction, and let us part with mutual kindness.'*. V THE CANADIAN OIRL. 245 Again tlio Colonel gathered up the letter in his hand, and stared haggardly about him to see if he was unob- served ; assured that he was, he opened the lock of a carpet bag and took out a pair of pistols, tho priming of whith he deliboratoly examined, then laid them on tho table. " Now will I strike a blow on that proud woman's heart," said he, '• which shall last her all her life! I will live one half hour from this time, but not another minute, so help me God I*' This frantic resolution he proceeded to confirm by a more formal oath, and actuallv searched in a book-case for an old Bible that he had observed, which he found. He laid his hand on it, and kissed the leaves where they opened, at the same time repeating to himself certain awful words. " There— it is settled!" said he, laying the sacred volume on. one side, and sitting down again to write to Lady Hester, His distraction seemed to be past, and a singular stillnnss came over him. He placed his gold repeater before him on the dressing-table, the minute- hand was at tlie fiofuro six, the hour-hand between two and three. .,M " The first stroke of three," said the Colonel, " shall free me from this cursed life, and shall plant a scorpion in Hester's flinty heart !" He wrote a few sentences — *• Hester. — I have asked you for pity and forgiveness twice. J ask no more. My death be on yoii ! My blood shall cry out against you when I am in the earth! Hard-hearted woman ! I refuse your forgiveness, and I refuse to forgive ! I have no peace in heart toward you, and you are guilty of hypocrisy when you tell me M ,1^1 *' I *l ■JtA m '. \ ]■',' Mm m -H'l m 24Q THE CANADIAN GIRL, that you liave toward me ! If you had one tiiouglit or feeling of kindness for me, you would not have made a. suicide of me! The watch you gave me on our mar- xiage-day is before me. I listen as T write to its soft tickings — every single tick tells of a moment gone. There are not many moments to be sounded before the hour of three strikes ! — and then Hester — and then — we shall have parted indeed! My pistols are already in my hands — five minutes only remain to me. I shall now closes this note and send to you. I am an atheist as you know, and as such I boldly dare all that eternity has in store for me ! You — ^you only, and your father — have caused the act which I am now on the point of com ^ mitting! and so farewell !^-farewell for ever! Four minutes only remain for me !" He opened his door and sent up the note to Laily Hester. The housemaid to whom he gave it obscvcd the singularity of his aspect, his stony paleness, and the vacant horror of his eye; she ran up stairs to Lady Hester's room without a moment's delay, and knocked loudly at the door. The waiting woman appeared. ** Tell Lady Cleveland," said the housemaid, breath- lessly, " that I am convinced the Colonel Is intending something dreadful! Oh, do beg of her to coma down to him ! He stared at me in the most dismal manner I — I am frighted to death !" " What is that ?" cried Lsdy Hester within the chamber. " Come in, Nancy." The servant went in ; the lady was still in mornmg dishabille ; she had been lying down on the outside of the bed, but had started up when she heard a second knocking, supposing the Colonel was again at the door. THv, CANADIAN GIRL. 247 " What is the matter, Nancy ?" she exclaimed, her lips blanched with i'ear ; at the moment she spoke, she perceived the note in the housemaid's hand, and hastily- taking it and unsealing it, while the woman described the Colonel's gestures and countenance, cast her eye over the contents. She uttered an exclamation of terrific dread ; the Colonel's note dropped to the floor ; she looked stupified, bewildered ; then wildly cried to the two women who stood by— " Go down ! — alarm the house ! — The Colonel in- tends to destroy himself ! Fly! — fly! — or you will be too late to prevent the dreadful deed !" " Who shall I send to the Colonel, my lady ?" hur- riedly asked the waiting-woman ; " the Earl — the Governor ?" " Both — both — ^whoever you meet with first !" replied Lady Hester, vehemently. She then herself rushed down stairs to the Colonel's room. " Cleveland ! — Cleveland ! — admit me !" she loudly exclaimed, rapping at the door. At that very moment the report of pistols within smote upon her brain. She shrieked, and running back fell into the arms of her father, who, with the Governor, his lady, and his ser- vants, was hurrying to the spot. " My child ! — Lady Hester !" reiterated the earl. At first she heard him not, but presently started up from his breast, just as the door was burst open by the Colonel's valet and others. A pool of blood lay around a chair and was pouring its /ed streams toward the entrance of the room ; still sitting upright, with the watch, and pen and ink before him, appeared the suicidb ! his stiflening hands yet grasping the pistols with which he had shot im ill K W\ ' lit 11 !*■ iJ. 248 THE CANADIAN GlftL. i himselt in the head, ami his featares frightfully distorted and convulsed. *' My husband !" cried Lady Hester, breaking from her father's grasp, and from others who would have held her back. She was the first who reached him ; her hands took the deadly instruments from his and cast them across the ensanguined floor ; .he then threw her- self on his knees, and, embracing him, held up his falling body. " My dear Colonel !" she exclaimed. " My husband ! — my dearest husband !" He rivetted on her liis dying eyes — he tried to speak, but finding himself at first unable, his eyes remained gazing on her features with an intense expression of revengeful exultation, until the heavy lids fell suddenly over them and relieved her from their dreadful look. He was instantlv attended by a skilful surgeon, who discovered, that whether from unsteadiness of the Colonel's hands, or from any other cause, both tlie pistol balls had missed his brain and had lodged themselves quite at the back of his head, in consequence he lived for more than an hour aftor the act, and retained his senses nearly the whole of that time. He was laid on a bed, his shoulders raised on high pillows ; his face was towards Lady Hester who kneeled by him ; his hand was clasped in hers. In the distrartion of her mind she forgot the train of reasoning with which shs had steeled herself against his supplications. She at once accused herself of tlie catas- trophe, and implored the Colonel to pardon her with agonising tears. He for some time seemed not to hear her, but suddenly opening his eyes, whose sight was fast fading, he drew her hand nearer towards him ; she fsaw that he wished to speak to her, and bent her ear to THE CANADIAN GIRL 249 his Hps. Her fe^lincrs may not bo described, when he uttered in an emphatic whisper lier own words of the previous night — " I am impenetrable T^ After this he grew anxious to live, and sent for another surgeon, and also, to every one's surprise, for a clergyman. The reverend person not coming directly, he requested that a dissenting minister, whom he had re^ularlv ridiculed at the mess-table of the fort, mi^ht be sent for. That gentleman was fortunately at home, and came with speed ; he spoke to the dying man with gentleness, but plainly and earnestly. The Colonel frequently pointed to a table by the window, and on beinof asked the reason, said — " The Bible tliere — brinnr it." The volume was brought, and the nainister, sup- posing that he wished to hear some portion of the sacred word, had opened it; but he directly made impatient signs that it should be closed. He then beckoned to the Governor to come near, and bade him take the book from the minister, which he did. *• Major-general Markham," said the Colonel, *' give that Bible to our fellow-officers at tha fort. Tell them I swore on it, and by it, and by the God who it is said dictated it, to shoot myself at three o'clock this afternoon. 'Twas the oath of a soldier, and I have kept it. But tell them I would now give all the treasures of ten thousand worlds to live! Tell them it is horrible to die ! Warn them against self-murder. It is better to be a living worm than a dying man." He stopped, and ©very listener's face was pale, every heart chilled. Ho began again. — " Give them my word, too, that they are fools who mock at God, and scoff at a hereafter. There w a life to come, Markham — I am certain of it now ; m '! II \1 t^ 1 1 v'' 1 '^ '!'#] 2.50 THE CANADIAN GIRL. I but what it is, or where it is, I know not. They and voa have time to search out the matter — ^^I have not. must jump the gulf — the black abyss — and take all consequences." It was impossible not to be fearfully in pressed by the mixture of passions in his speeches, and still more in his looks — remorse, despair, fear, desperation, penitence, and dpiiance, raged by turns. Lady Hester was scarcely able to endure the scene ; and Mrs. Markham, who now supported her as she knelt by her side, was also shocked beyond expro^ on. *' But though it be the twelfth hour," pleaded the minister, addressing the Colonel, " you may lind re- pentance, and salvation, and an immortal crown, yet ; only believe in Him who disappoints none who trust in Him ;" and in words sweetly persuasive, he sought to drav/ the sufferer from his impious despair ; — but it w as in vain. " Sir," cried the suicide, " I now stand between two worlds ; the one I am leaving is all I have any know- ledge of, IS all 1 have any affection for. The vne I am going to, is one vast accumulatioi" of hoirible gloom. * Where the treasure is,' — I know that text, sir — * there the heart will be.' how all my treasure is on t/iis side the grave — I have nothing at all on the other. ' Doctor !" he all at once exclaimed, turning to the me- dical gentleman who stood on the side of the bed oppo- site to the minister — " doctor! are you sure I cannot outlive this affiir? — are you positive? Now if you can give me eve « a straw of hope to catch at, do ! for by — it is horrible to sink like this !" , •* You must not allow me to deceive you," said the THE CANADIAN GIRL. 251 clw:».ior with grave firmiiess ; " it is ini;)ossible that you can recover unless the Almighty were to work a miracle In your favour." " The Almighty !— the Almighty !" reiterated the Colonel most furiously, " what have I to do with the Alaiigl ty, I should like to know 1 I have denied His very existence, sir ! I have made a jest of His laws — of His name — of His book — and of ail who have professed to serve Him ! And what makes a sensible man talk of miracles ? Miracles ! — trash ! Hark you, doctor !" he added, " if there is a God, and if he ever performed one miracle, I shall go into perdition! — 'tis true, by !" Mrs. Markham and Lady Hester were here taken from the room, both totally overcome by that which they had heard and witnessed. As they went out, the Colonel exclaimed — " There ! — I have seen the last of those two ! Mark- ham," said he, catching hold of the Governor's arm, but fixing his eyes on the Earl, " I have plagued my wife already for her obstinacy — she will suffer for it when I am gone ; — that is a supreme satisfaction for me now !" A strange smile p'ayed on his lips, which, when the Governor observed, he shrank back, and whispered to the Earl— " I have seen manv death-beds, but never one so shocking as this." The Earl shuddered, and uplifted his hands in silence. " Let us pray that the grace of God m-iy even yet shine upon him," said the minister. All knelt down around the death-bed, while he sup] Heated heaven with unafl'ected eloquence and solemn fervour ; every eye was moistened with tears, evei-y heart was fhrilled with awe. ■^m .'i 'I n 252 ThK CANADIAN GIRL« The prayer over, the minister again exhorted the Colonel to confess his sins to God, and to trust to the divine word for acceptance with Him ; but ho was violently repulsed. "Tel' me not of such things'" cried the Colonel. " A'.vav with vour cantinjj folly ! I hate the sound of it! All is over for me! I have no hope — none! and none will I. now seek! — t/iO'e is not timeP'* he added. Immediately hegrew delirious, and the shocking language lie had learnt in the ill company he had frequented, was so vented forth that more than once the minister pressed his hands on his ears, unable to bear it without con- siderable ])ain. in this way the Colonel died, his last moments being more horrible than any that had preceded them. His remains were then laid out, and the room cleansed of the blood with which it was stained. Nisfht had scarcelv darkened the apartment before the so-lately gallant Colonel, the man of fashion and of pleasure, lay stretched out cold as mountain ice, silent, alone, unmoved by good or ill ; while liis spirit had winged its way to that in- visible tribunal before which everv human soul must appear. IT •»'/■ fVf THE CANADIAN GIRL. W.'l> -fT y .tl» . I • . 1 I • I . 1 1 I CHAPTER XYI. ** Oh I breathe not his name, Ipt It sleep hi tho shad-i. Where cold antl unhoiicured his relics are h.u\ ; Sad, s;l(»nt and dark, be tlie tears that we '.-.Vah], Aa the night-dew that falls on the grass o'or liis hr?ad I" — 3r .rii. Li\DY Hester, 'lurino: the niwht, wa>; closelv ati' ndinl by tlie amiable wife of the Governor, who suggested every argument she could think of that was likely to calm hei* young friend's mind. The Earl, too, every liour came himsrir to her room to inquire how his dauglitcr did. Kecciving unfavourable accounts, he became agitated and restless, which Ladv Hester learnincj- she sent for bim, and Mrs. Markham withdrew, leaving thorn to- gpiher. " My dear daughter, you look ill," said the Earl. embracing her. They sat down sighing. Lady Hester put into his hands the Colonel's letters, with her reply, which had been taken from the pocket of the deceased. The Earl read them through in silence, and wept. *' My dear — " ho bc^an, and stopped ; then resumed, clearing his voice, " Hester, my love, you blamed me justly here — you also defended me justly. I am now convinced M:?? T erred extremely in jriving yoni- hand ;i t^M THE CAN DIAV GIRL. to tliAS niisjruided, unfortiuiaie riian. Yes, my daughter, I am forced to confess niysell" tl.'o dostroycv of the hap- piness of your life. Bhime nie only — to you no blame can attach itself. 1 hope I have no necessity for entreatins^ you to turn an indilFerent ear to what the unhapi^y man wrote in these letters concerninof vour behavior ;o him since marriai^'-e. His upbraidinofs were mcrel}'^ tli • Cifect of rage and disappointment. He had no f;^nui^' ca e of complaint, none whatever. Your conduct 'as bten pe fec'ly correct, my love, I have ail along regarded it T'.jth di9 earnest eye of a parent, and 1 ciui certainly say ill', ii has not been the least flaw in it." Lauj Hester heard him with great deference, such as she had been taught always to pay to the Ear), but in her conscience the reflection arose that her conduct to tho Colonel had been merely correct — that something more than a cold correctness is the duty of a rife, and that the Colonel's upbraidings had not been entirely un- deserved. Hence the painful sigh she breathed as a reply to the Earl — and hence the convulsive pang which was for a moment visible on her beautiful face. " You are sutfering much," said the Earl, regarding- her with anxiety. " I fear you are troubling youi*self with the thought that it would have been bettor had you yielded to the Colonel's wish, and submitted to live on as before." " No," said Lady Hester, " I do not think it would have been better. I believe poor Charles deceived himself very much in thinking so. I do not regret my resolution, now I reflect upon it calmly. It was neces- sary, things between Cleveland and I had come to sucb « pass. If I regret any thing it was that I made no THK CANADIAN OIRL. 255 efforts to win his heart from evil to ijood, Ix^fore aOkirs were at the worst with us ; I regret nothing else in my own conduct." The Earl was pleased to hoar her say this, and his luind was considerably relieved. ColFee was ' rou^ht in, atid Mrs. Markham and the Governor w^^re ^nvited into t^^e bourdoir to join the early repast, v-ith her accustomed strength of mind, Lady Hester exerted her- self to appear collected and composed, and only by the unusual paleness of her countenance could be known the pain she was enduring. The arrangements for the funeral, and for elegant mourning, were discussed and decided upon, and the Ea 'vas gratified by hearinj^ Lad}-^ Hester express wit'i c posure her wishes on these points. On the seventh day from ^.a' of the Colonel's deaths he vras interred in the t rv-ng-ground of the principal protestant church of Toronto. The archdeacon at first refused to admit the body, on tlie plea that the Colonel having committed self-destruction iiad no claim fa Christian burial in holy ground. The Governor used all his interest to overcome the difficulty, and succeeding, many poor persons took offence at the transaction, not hesitating to assert that the rich had undue influence, and that the archdeacon was partial. The funeral was one of pomp, suitable to tha rank and wealth of the deceased and his relatives. The body was enclosed in two coflins, the inner one of lead, the outer of handsome wood, and elaborately ornamented. The hearse was adorned with the Colonel's family es- cutcheon and armorial bearings, and a train of mourning carriages, in wbi^^h v? the Earl, the Governor, and ■, M.-? ^n,. ./'ta.^ I .1 :1 M ^50 THE CANADIAN GIRL 'f- thnir main frienJs in Canada, moslly orticor55, followed >rilit;iry honours were paid to the deceased over the <:frave. At seven oVU\pk in the evening a large funeral party assembled to dinner in the Governor's house. Lady Ilostor did not appear, but Mrs. Markhani presided at the table, the Earl and his vounirest daughter sitting on h'}r riglit. The Colonel's first night in the grave was perhaps the most distressing to Lady Hester of any tliat slio had yet endured. Unable to sleep, her imagination was wliolly possessed with the astonishing change tliat had taken ))lacc. Where was he, whose erring conduct had fill'id her heart to overflowing with the very gall of bitterness, with scorn, contempt, and indignation ? lie was lying in the grave ! Mysterious truth ! Her thoughts pene- trated the dark eartii in which ho was Iving. She seemed to feel its pressure upon the coffin, and to place hersell beneath the lid in her husband's .stead; the stillness, the cold, the deep rayless darkness, il.e airless narrow- ness of the coffin, she felt it all witii horror! Then her mind strove to break from these dismal reflections, and to view the departed Colonel's present condition by the cheering light of religion ; but alas ! the more she meditated, the more she found that religion shed no light on it at all, but rather a darkness, if possible deeper and more awful than that material one from which she ihrank. It was not to be expected that she should foci any very profound sorrow for the Colonel's death; the re- vengeful spirit which had principally prompted hiiu to the act, and which he had so painfully manifested against her, even to his last 'noment, made her dwell with much TAB CANADIAN OIRL. 257 le io it losf> tenderness upon his memory than slio would othor- wise have done. He had made a grand mistake, too, in isupposing that she would always look upon herself as the cause of his death and be wretched in consequence; lit first she did so, but her strong mind quickly released lier from the distressing idea ; she firmly examined the subject in all its bearings, and blamed herself only where blame was strictly her due. Lady Hester in some respects was, as may have been already seen, a woman of no ordinary character ; she was highly gifted, possessing a powerful mind, with its usual concomitants — strong passions. That trembling, enervating delicacy, which in some women is called a grace, in others a weakness, just as their situations in life may dispense or not with activity and fortitude, was not possessed by Lady Hester. She had an excellent con- stitution, had known little bodily pain, and no privations. These advantages partially account for the firm temper ol her mind, as it is too true that corporeal weakness lias a direct tendency to induce mental weakness of some sort or other. In society. Lady Hester Cleveland had been a pre-eminently brilliant woman ; her words, looks, manners, her letters, even the smallest billet, her dress at all times, her sarcasms, her raillery, her music, her painting — all were brilliant : she was brilliant in every thing, and without the smallest appearance of pretension, without the least taint of affectation. By women of a softer, feebler mould, she had been feared for the poig- nancy of her wit and satire, her facility in which was certainly a snare to her ; by those of quiet temperament and sickly nerves, she had been envied and disliked for the dazzling intellectual animation, which spread a sort 17 . .•^llalav,' s ^''2 ' *'\* m ■i ill TH I m W 25S Jim CAVAPIAN auL. I wM of magical fascination around h^r circle wh«rA ever she moved; but all the time I^y Heiter scarcely knew that slie was witty or satirical, animated or fascinating ; she well knew, however, that among her female circle of acquaintances she was not loved; her discerning eye, keen to discriminate heiyreea the false and the true, saw, with eagle glances, into the souls of the crowd of flatterers who ever gathered about her as the reigning &tar of fashion. But little was her heart satisfied with empty adulation ; large in its cravings, it thirsted for love, 'disinterested, iervid, such as her warm feelings told her she could well return ; unfortunately there was only one, of all who bad sought and sued, in whom she perceived, or fancied she perceived, a realisation of her ideal picture; aud to that one (Clinton!) she could not even dream of being united. The lovely widow remained in the house of Mrs. Markham for tfvo months after the Colonel's demise. The last two years bad seen her lose much of her bril- liancy ; mortified feelings, arising from the Colonel's neglect and infidelity, had damped her wit, blunted the silver arrows of her satire, dulled the sparkling light which a glowing intellect had kindled in her eye, and sobered the captivating energy of her m^^nners. The Colonel's awful death completely confirmed this altera- tion. A new world had opened before her, eternity, aeen through the, shadowy and tremendous gates of death. With her characteristic ^^rength she surveyed the vast, the sublime region, with dauntless and scrutinising eye. She did not % from the dread scene to society, but shunned society that she might contemplate it. The longer Bhe dwelt upon lt> the more she lovpd the mighty THR CNAADIAN GIRL. 25d inage8 which it called around her, until this present mortal life — so brief, so petty, yet so painful — lost all its charms in her heart, and she dedicated all the choicest of her thoughts and feelings to a preparation for that grand futurity on which !ier imagination was now solely tixed. She was familiar with different ennobling systems of philosophy, but found no one of them noble enough, or solid enough, to buit her while death and eternity were the themes of her meditations. The Christian writers only suited her — they only completely triumphed over the gloom Uiat obscured the borders of the everlasting world — tUey only gave it a tangible and positive shape — they only filled it with ecstasy and holiness, with joy and ineffable purity, with crystal rivers of life, and pleasant trees for the| healing of all nations — they only set the glorious throne of a perfect Deity In the midst of it, and made it to have no need of the sun and the moon, but to be lighted only by His unclouded presence — a presence which is love everlasting. The Earl of Wilton hoped once more to see his daughter the admired of fashion's chief circles in Eng- land, and already his thoughts glanced around the peerage in seardi of a second distinguished individual on whom to bestow her hand. Eager to take her back to England, and to London, he lost no time in proposing their voyage, but Lady Hester declared her intention to remain in America until the following spring. '* I shall mix no more with the world of fashion," said she ; " I have entirely done with it." " Lady Hester ! my dear !" cxciafmed the surprised Earl, '' surely I do not undevstand you ! At your age ! with your wealth ! and beaui} ! and taku.'s ! and wit !'* It I*] «tj M •1i 1; :i^-i i'.rti 260 THE CANADIAN GIRL. :^ " With all these advantiijros," said Lady Hester, smilinor, " I positively intend — not to shut myself up in a convent, and therefore do not look so very much alarmed, my dear sir — but to travel in America privately, and to seek for enjoyment only in the study of her sub- limities, in meditation with my own heart, and in tranquil intercourse with my two or three travelling companions, one of whom I am sure will be — the Earl of Wilton, my accommodating papa." " No such thing, Hester !" cried the Earl. " What enjoyment should I have, do you think, going aboi.t a great wilderness ? and x\merica after all is little better ; 1 see nothing to admire in American scenery more than in English scenery, not I — one place is as good as another for me ; besides, there have been some important changes lately in the English cabinet, and I wish very much to go to London ; Lord R writes to say that he desires to consult with mc on certain diplomatic movements in which I am particularly interested; and there is my steward in Huntingdonshire, too, wishes to see me, and — " " Oh, you will easily get over all these obstacles," said Lady Hester ; " you positively must stay with me at least six months longer, papa, and by the end of that period — " " You will be ready to accompany me back to Eng- land,'* said the Earl. Lady Hester smiled, and neither assented to or denied this conclusion of her sentence. " Well, the next six months will include the wmter season," said the Earl, taking that into consideration. " How do you propose to plan your tour, and what places TKR CANADIAN GIRL. 261 will you first visit ? If I remain it will solely be to pleasure you, and therefore 1 shall consider myself en- titled to a leading voice on the question. I propose that you spend a month at Kingston, a month at Montreal, a month at Quebec ; and then suppose you give a month to Niagara, and pass the other two months on the great lakes." This arrangement, with some minor alterations, was immediately adopted by Lady Hester. It was about the middle of November when she took leave of Mrs. Mark- ham and the Governor, and, with her young sister, the governess, and the Earl, left the infant capital of Upper Canada in a small vessel that had been comniodiously and elegantly fitted up for their u.se. Lady Hester never remembered to have seen more delightful weather, ami she could not avoid comparing the month of November here with the foggy November of England. The beauties of the summer season, which had declined in October under heavy rains, were now all revived ; the shores were lively and luxuriant, the sky cloudless, the sun pe- culiarly bright, but mild in [)oint of heat, and the air of a delicious temperature. So charming always is tho revival of nature here in this month, and so remarkable, that it has obtained the name of tlic Indian Summer. The vp 'Wire rs were passing out of the entrance channel of the harbour, which had two and a half fathoms of smooth water, when they fixed their parting looks on Toronto. The Earl pointed out to Letitia tho parlia- ment-house and offices, a fine pile of buildings wliich fronted tho lake, anal amused himself with asking and answering her questions concerning the history and pros- pects of the town, e.\pressing himself pleased with the m m MIS' !'. n' I 20» THB CANADIAN GiRi;. I m :i! observations she had made there, and charging her to be equally attentive in the places to wliich they were going. He then sat down under the awning spread on deck^ and engaged himself with the politics of a high tory newspajicr of London, an occasional glance at the scenery around quite satisfying him, until he forgot it altogether, completely absorbed in a speech of his friend Lord R on the Irish Church question. Lady Hester could not take a final look of the receding town without dwelling upon the thought that she had left the lifeless bodv of her husband there. She con- t;astedhcr arrival with her departure, and scarcely could her mind realise the change that had occurred. When she looked toward her father she almost expected to see the Colonel in health and spirits by his side. Many, and self-accusing, were the reflections which crowded on ber, and she drew her black crape veil over her face to conceal her emotions from notice. The liurl)our was now far behind, and the vast surflice of the lake, plated in different parts as with gold, spread itself out around the neat pleasure-vessel, without a barrier to the view. No waters in the world can excel, or hardly equal, those of the Canadian lakes for trans- parency and beauty of colour ; and when seen as now, studded over with steam- vessels, timber-rafts, and canoes, beneath a pure blue sky, they form a lovely and animated spectacle on whiclithe eye of taste might lon<» gaze with unwearied delight. The travellers proceeding, tne lahe deepened to within fifty and a hundred fathoms, and the refractions on the surface appeared uncommonly fine. Letitia cried out in an ecstasy of admiration, per- ceivinsr small verdant isUndii and trees inverted over the THZ CANADIAN GIRL. 263 green mirror, and the snowy surf 6f the distant beach on either hand elevated ia the air, driving along like the white smoke of artillery, while fountains and walls of water were rising to a considerable height in the horizon, pouring down glittering streams. The sliores were in some parts low, formed into meadows of rich verdure, or covered with woods of pine, fir, and cedar trees, havinor a chain of hills behind; in others precipitous and bold, but always rich to a wonder in vegetation of that larjr** growth peculiar to transatlantic scenery. As evening advanced, the fishing-boats in the numerous creeks and bays, with their lights, were a picturesque sight. The Niagara shore now came in view, and villages, surrounded with gardens, and divided by meadows, streams, and woods, appeared under a sofl dry haze. The travellers entered the Niagara river, and landed at the town of the same name, which is seated within a short distance of the point of the angle made by the lake and river. They had a letter for the brother of the American representative of the town, from the Governor of Toronto, and havinjg: sent it to his house bv a servant while they engaged apartments at an inn, he canne im* mediately to them, and invited them to make their home beneath his roof as long as they chose to stay in the dis- trict. They accepted his offer, and after resting a night at the inn, were welcomed with courtesy and hospitality at his large and rich farm, which stood on the borders of the river, just outside the town, Mr. Charleston, as their host was named, was an intelligent man, possessing an abundant knowledge o( fads on all subjects, especially ])olitical. The Earl was at no loss for interest, therefor^ while Mr. Charleston was in the way to converse with Mm 0. UM I *v'j 'i ., llli^ ||l imk .i\ twM' '• i'lM Wi " 'iB^ ^l '''< iB' m ||| '■'M *'i If i'J IBvii » -11 261 THE CANADIAN GIRL. Hi P'Kf l^f':. him. The latter, too, frequently walked out with him to view the news-rooms and institutions, the buildings in progress, the chief depots of trade (which flourishes here), the grist and saw-m''^s on the heights, and es- pecially Fort George, in which there was a strong de- tachment of BritiFh troops, to whom tlieEarl had loiters and papers from Toronto — papers tliat tiie deceased Colonel was to have delivered. Lady Hester and the Earl, with Letitia and her co- verness, accompanied by Mr. Charleston and Iiis two daughters, went to see the far celebrated Falls, on the third day after the arrival of the former in Niagara. The country through which the river flows is more populous, and in a higher state of cultivation, than any other part of Nortli America. Its wild fruits are abundant, and of the rarest and finest sorts, and the salubrious nature of the climate is seen in the healthy countenances of the in- habitants. To prepare Letitia to understand the spec- tacle which they were about to view, the Earl informed her that this river vras a channel by which the vast lakes of Huron, Michigan, Superior, and Erie, with their countless rivers, rush from the interior of North America to pour themselves into the ocean. Tlie travellers left the farm by daylight in the morning, but early as it was, tliey found the road to the Falls crowded with eager visitors in vehicles of all descriptions. The enjoyment of the day was greatly lessened to Lady Hester by the sight of the thousands who were gathered about the place of attraction, lor her weeds of widowhood, and the grave and painful fe«lings of her heart, were little suited to such hilarity and bustle as hero presented itself Sti 1, the awful magnificence of the cataracts impressed %: i ' THB CANADIAN GIRL. 265 itself indelibly on ner astoniaiicc! imagination. The tremendous noise — " /\s if the world's \rMc» c'^ntinc?nt Had fallen >ri universal ruin wrac^jt," l)G\viIdcred lier senses as slic stood on the Table Itock, which is on a level with the great Horse- shoe Fall on tlie Canada side. Here — " Tho thunder of the earlh-upliftiii^r nar, Mr.do the air awoop in^vhirlwinds from tho shore." Tlio river before her was divided by a small green islard, called Goat Island, on each side of which it rusi 1 headlonsf down a descent full of broken rocks with tremendous speed, increasing every moment, until it hurled the vast flood of the great American lakes over the mighty precipice in two twin cataracts that united below. Her eye scarce knew wliere to rest — she was astounded. The gigantic liquid sheet of emerald and of silver, " horribly beautiful !" — its semicircular front, nearly three quarters of a mile broad, grandly shrouded by revolviug columns of mist tl;at rose perpetually from the thundering gulf — inspired her with sublime admira- tion ; while a lovely sunbow radiant in tlio very midst of those columns, awakened 'nsations still more exqui- site; the glowing and vivid )lours of that beautiful iris, lon£r fascinated her caze. »ut now the columns becamo confused and broken, the jhes of the bow melted from their centre that still i aincd unaltered, the spray, risinar like an immense curtain from the foot of the cata- racts, formed into prodigious shapes, and a number of ihattered rainbows suddenly appeared, playing in frag- ments about them. Entranced, she watched this splendid W Hii \k 3 iff t \ - -^1 I, I » ' *: am TUB CAKADIAl* OtKU trans rormat ion, then her soul, overtrroiight with the heirrht of its sensations, found a welcome relief m the soft placidity of the island on the river and the opposito American shore, which strikingly contrasti^d with the awfulness of the wild rapids and the matchless cataract which they overlooked. Letitia, aflter the 6rst surprise and enchantment had a little subsided in her youthful breast, was eminently pleased with the sight of thousands of water-fowl, who, coming from northern lands in search tf a milder climate, swam down, or flew on whistling wings a little over, the Niagara river to the brink of the Falls, there advancing in the air about the mists fronting the stupendous sheet of water, and lingering in the neighbourhood with evident joy and wonder ; ducks of many species, the teal, the widgeon, the shallard, and the swan, were among these migratory birds, and pointed out to Letitia by the governess. Frequently were some of the interesting creatures borne down by the glassy current into the gulf and drowned. Letitia particularly grieved for two noble swans, which came on boldly past Goat Island, then became entangled in the confused and dashing waves of tlie rapids, and were presently precipitated together over the precipice. She was in tears, but a fresh succession of novel objects rendered her regret no more than mo- mentary. The Earl, who had little relish for the^ sublimities of nature, had cbJefly interested himself with calculating the altltudo cf the two cataracts and their curvilinear length, and, coming to the conclusion that these great fiill.«j were not so large as many others in different parts cf the world, he decided that they had no particular TRR CANADIAN GIRL. 267 claim to praise. The Misses Charlestons, piqued for the reputation of the wonder of Niagara, asked him if in all his travels he had seen, or even heard, of any so astonishingly sublime, leaving out of the question the quantity of feet they measured? The Earl pleased the young ladies by replying that Mr. Charleston had in- formed him that one hundred and two millir^ns of tons of water, it was computed, were hourly precipitated down these rapids, and he must say he had never known any Falls which poured such a quantity as that ; certainly, in respect of quantity, these cataracts were magnificent. The travellers left the flat surface of the Table Rock, whicli juts over the terrific abyss, by open steps cut in its lofty side, and crossed the ferry a little below the Falls, in order to have a complete front view of them r there, on the water. Lady Hester was, if j^ssible, more amazed and awe'StrVit* with the immense scene, than before ; but, turning iibi* head, the Niagara, with the flocks of birds flying along with, or upon its current, now appeared calmly flowing on toward Lake Ontario, thirteen miles distant, without exhibiting one trace of that tremendous agitation which it had just passed through, and whilst she was delighted with this beautiful change, it suggested to her many similitudes of the changes of human life. At Queenston, seven miles from the Falls, on the fiver. Lady Hester and her friends dined. it six in the evening, and there they staid a night. The next morning they went four miles above the town to view another wonder of the Upper province, which would have been a secondary^ attraction nowhere but in the neighbourhood oi the stupendous cataracts — this was the Whirlpool of the n' i 26fl THE CANADIAN GIRL. I"l* i pip 1 in Nla;jara. Tlie country was now entirely altered, rising into bold and high ridges, known as the Queenston Heights ; the river passes between perpendicular preci- pices ^ tlie current becomes extremely rapid and powerful ; suddenly leaving the direct channel it advances with maddening velocity round the circularly excavated banks; then, having made this circuit, regains its ordi- nary course, which suddc dy contracts, and dashes along contined between frowning rocks. Here Lady Hester renewed her former sublime sensations, and elevated her thoun^hts to that Beinff, whose infinitelv varied works of beauty and of grandeur, form a continual feast for tht^ enlarged soul. M Charleston stated the mouth of tlie Whirlpool to bo j . least one hundred i'cet wide, and two thousand in length ; the estimated depth was learl'ul to contemplate. The water was terrifically agitated, covered with raging froth, of dazzling whiteness, whirling round the centre of the vortex, convulsed, writhing, curling, and hissing, like a boiling cauldron. Letitia's youthful sensibility was again called into ])lay, for heivy as at the Falls, slie saw some fine water-fowl perf-iling Lower Canada. The inastcr of the vessel, wliicli the travellers liad Inreil, was a skilful sailor, advanced in years, w!io was assisted by three otluT seamen eq'ially experi( iced. None of the jjarty felt the least hesitation in trustinfrjifo and a largo amount of money which they carried w-ith them, to his care, for he had given many references, that had proved highly satisfactory, to persons of respectability in Toronto, both as to his honesty and intimate knowledge of sailing en the lakes. The trim ship was stored under his eye with provisions for a month, and the travellers passed from the Niagara, through the Chippewa Eiver, into Lake Erie, on the day after their visit to tlie Wliirlpool. m §■' f'lii ff' '*■ llf ' .11 ■ , 1 » ' .1 ■ ..I mi »ru [tiy m -AT 1 v'M^ I .,!( .1 Hi 270 THE CANADIAN OIRb CHAPTER XVII. '4 IJ ^ I ■ ** Watchiii); their leader'ii bock »nd will. All silent tliorc tlicy Htoml »nd »tiU. Ii«« I v^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) «?. 7. Vl L17 <^ > \ '^. >. 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. I4S80 (716) 872-4503 "^ I / 272 THB CANADIAN GIRL. IflP lilll his hand. *« Merry, lower the boat I" he cried. " Ho! Haverstraw ! where ate you V " Here, at your eibow. Captain," said the ancient sailor. " Stop the ship!" exclaimed the Pirate; it was almost instantaneously done. He then himself sprang into the boat, and darted to the spot, where the, screams of f;^- males, and the distressed shouts of male voices, announced the fate of the vessel that had been struck. He waved the blazing torches in the stiflincr fog, ard presently per- ceived a sloop, with her mast thrown lown, and her timbers split, in the act of sinking ; the head was already under water, and several ladies, and male figures, vfer:Q clinging to the rails at the hinder end of the deck. The unfortunate vessel went down within half a minute after receiving the shock, but with promptness and cou- rage, the Pirate, assisted by the black, succeeded in picking out of the water two ladies, a gentleman, and two sailors, who were safely lodged in the boat. One of the ladies, the last person rescued, cried out fervently as soon as she was in the boat — *' Thank God ! — ^thank God ! — I live ! But are you all here ?" she asked in a thrilling tone of agonising anxiety. " Father \ sister ! Miss Gresham ! — Let me hear your voices if you really exist !" The former and the latter, to her great satisfaction, answered — '' We are here ! — ^we are safe I — thank heaven !" but when she repeated the name of " Letitia !" no reply was returned. " There is a young lady still struggling in the water, Merry I" cried the Pirate, hastily giving the torches to the black. " She has caught the floating spar on our lee ! Keep the flame playing here as well as the fog will THE CANADIAN GIRL. 273 let you — ^I must plunge to save her, for she is sinking!" He said no more, but bound a cord round his waist m an instant, and threw himself into the lake, while Merry twisted the other end of the cord round his own arm. The vessel which had sunk so suddenly, was that in which Lady Hester and her friends left Niagara ; they had been bewildered in the fog, which had spread further on the lake than had been known for many years, and had run on that dangerous course which the Pirate was traversing when he met them. Had they not come in contact with the Fearless, it is most probable that they would have met a more complete destruction on the rocks concealed under water in front of the beach. The Earl and Lady Hester were smitten with horror when, by the feeble light of the torches which the mist deadened, they saw Letitia sink within a few yards from them, stretching out her anus, and calling on the Earl to save her. Then the thick gloom baffled their sight, hut presently the torch-rays again penetrating to the surface of the water, they beheld the Pirate diving where she had gone down ; a moment of breathless suspense followed, and obscurity again prevailed. Now the splashing of a strong swimmer was faintly heard close by the boat, and the Pirate called out, " Merry ! — ^the lights !" The black lowered the torches, stooping over the boat's side. The Pirate was treading the water, and striking out one arm to keep himself afloat, while with the other arm he supported the senseless body of the fair child. His herculean strength resisted well the force of the powerful current, and he succeeded in seizinjo; hold of the boat. Merry passed the torches to the Earl who, with Lady Hester, stood by him trembling, and 18 '■ ! M i trii ->;,« ■i I • m\ 274 TUB CANADIAN OIBI^ Ml balanolug himself on the edge of the boat steadily, took Letitia from the Pirate, and raised her to the savM qC her lather. Tiie Pirate sprang in, and in tea laiauites more all were on the deck of the Fearless. " Hav^rstraw," said the Pirate, " go down to the bold-^unstop a bottle of my best wine ; you know the mark on the c(>rk, and bring it to ray cabin. Merry, go down and hand a light to the foot of the ladder lor these strangers .'' It was done, and the Pirate led the way down to his cabin, where a bright coal five was burning cheerfully. " Jenny, my dear," called the Pirate at the door of the inoer cabia. Jane came out immediately, but shrank ba^k at the sight of the strangers. lady Hester felt no surprise at the elegant appearaBc# of the furniture around her, for she knew not as vet the character of the ship in which she was, but supposed it was aorae superior trading vessel. This idea was een- firmed by the Pirate's introduction of Jane as his daughter, for there was something so modest and refined about her interesting figure, that even had Lady Hester suapeoted the truth it would have been diiicult for her to persuade herself at first that su^h a girl wag indeed living among a gang of privateers. " Gom^ forward, Jenay," said the Pirate ; " the ship ire struck agaiqst has gone to the bottom, but I and Merry have heatn fortunate enough to save all lier pas<» sengers, those three Ifidies and th^t gentleman, as well as two of her seamen, We ourselves have received little dfUMge, and ^at little will soon be put to rights. But HQV do you see that the. younge^ lady is in a senseleflA Cftodi^ii i you must attend to her directly, and let ?*•„;• THE CANADIAN GIRL 275 Deborah assist you. She has had a narrow escape from being dvowned, and requires strict and inunediate at- tention." The sofa was in front of the fire ; Lady Hester sat down there, and the Earl, who had carried the dripping fomi of Letitia down the ladder, now placed her on her sister's lap, and anxiously looking in her face, called her by name, but no sign of animation was discernible. Jane, having quickly set Deborah about making up a good fire in the inner cabin, proposed that Letitia should be taken in ihere and laid in a warm hammock. At this instant ancient Haverstraw entered with the wine, and toQching his white locks respectfully, told the strangers that he had once been a surgeon in an American maa- of-war, and that he had prescribed for all the ailments of time ■ atsS. .1 ' -STO 1.1 2tiO THB CANADIAN GIRL. II " Well, you shall go to Kingston or where vou like in futu"*©, and be afraid of no man, if I can do it»" said the Earl. " I will sec that your purchase is made from Somers so that he can never again have any power over you. Make your mind easy ; within two months at the farthest, my good fellow, you may write yourself a freo man, rely on my word." The black, overjoyed at the prospect of getting rid of the uneasy fears which had frequently disturbed his quiet, held out the notes to the Earl, with the intention of re- turning them, perfectly trusting in his promise. The latter was pleased with this reliance, which he put to ' the proof by taking back the money. When Merry, however, was quitting the cabin to whisper his good for- tune among the crew, he said to him-— " But you have forgot the Virginia leaf, and the rum, and brandy, and the treat to your friends of this ship: take again the hundred dollars, I will buy your freedom with other money." " And now, once more, sir, what can I do for you ?" said the Earl, turning to the Pirate, and shaking his hand with an enthusiasm not very common with him. " You nave done me an unspeakable good ; my young child — my darling Letitia ! — would have been lost but for you. You, individually and alone, placed your life at imminent hazard for her. She is the heiress of a maternal title and fortune, though my youngest daughter, and it would not become me, her parent and guardian, to let bare thanks be the only return made to you. No, Captain Anderson, you must, to relieve my feelings, and satisfy my mind, say in what I can serve you. I have much influence among persons of distinction on this side of the THE CANADIAN GIRL. 281 Atlantic, as well as on the other, and it shall be used lor you to any honourable extent, and in any honoiirable way you think proper." They were alone ; the Pirate meditated ; some changes passed over his face ; he began to speak, but his voice was at first lost in secret agitation. " Sir, or my lord," he resumed, " (for I do not know liy which to address you, since you tell me you are a man of rank,) were I to persevere in a compliance with ray lirst impulse, 1 should refuse plainly, in few words, £nd for ever, the acceptance of any favours from you on the present understanding ; but, sir, there are struggling in my breast, thoughts, and yearnings, and reviving prin- ciples, which oppose and overcome that impulse ; — yes, they overcome it !" he exclaimed, repeating the words, and rising from the chair^ — " I master that impulse ! — ^I accept your kindness !" The Earl was surprised by his manner ; he fixed his eyes on him with expectancy, and listened witti a par- ticular attention to the Pirate's fine, full tones, expressive, against his will, of powerful emotion. " Sir, I am a man who has ever thirsted for distinction, for rule. Had my situation in the world afforded me the opportunity, I should never have rested day or night until I had reached some dazzling goal beyond the stretch of ordinary ambition. I have wished for command over ray fellows — I always thought I wished it for their good, but that was self deception, I see it now. Dependency of any description has always been torture to me. 1 have always fancied myself out of my proper sphere. In my wild dreams I have sighed for empire. Oh, had I been but a Bonaparte !— a Washington ! — I have been mad : Air m I I m \^^m ; ^ikm. II 28e THE CANADIAN OIRL. enough to sty to mysell. \Vhon I near of the two heroei of England and France, AVolfeand Do Montcalm, who fell so gloriously on the plains of Abraham at Que- bec, envy wrings mo at the heart ! And so it is when I hear of other heroes — no matter whether they be naval or military, whether they have lived in the present, or a remcfte age. You see, sir, the disease which has been inv bane." " It is one," said the Earl, with grave emphasis, ** which has made a few great men, but many villains. From what I have seen of you I should say,had circum- ftances favoured you, you would have been great, that is, distinguished." ** As it is," quickly exclaimed the Pirate with bitter- ness, " I am a villain ! Rightly, sir, have you said, that the passion for distinction makes many villains — I know it. Some of the finest spirits in the world, depraved by this deceitful semblance, which they embrace with eager- ness, become first dispirited with ill-success, then des- pairing, then reckless, and so the world of outcast rogues is abundantly populated: It was thus that I became what I am." " You ! — Why are you not a merchant ?" demanded the Earl. " No," replied the Pirate, " I am an outlaw, flying from the face of justice, and heading a desperate and turbulent set of adventurers of all nations." The unpleasant astonishment of the Earl may be ima- gined ; his first thought was for his daughters. " Good heavens! my children in a ship of this description!" he exclaimed, turning pale. ** Do not, sir, fear, either for them or for yourself," 1 .1 I' I' TKR CANADIAN OIRL. 283 said the Pirate ; " I tolorate no bloodshed on the Fear- less, exceptwhen driven upon the stern necessity for self-preservation. You and jfour party are safe here, I pledge my life for it. The ladies will remain with my daughter, and it will be better for them to bo kept in ignorance of the truth until they leave us, in order to spare them unnecessary alarm ; as for yonrsolf, you shall have at night the use of my own hammock and sleeping cabin, and there you will find both bolt and key inside to make you sleep secure agninst intrusion. The two sailors saved with you I will put with the negro and the old man you have seen, they are always ready to execute my slightest wish, and will watch their safeties well." " Dear — dear ! this is a very awkward situation to find one's self in when it is least expected," said the Earl, shifting his position uneasily in his seat. *' I must say you speak very fair — very fair, indeed. Captain — but I cannot easily reconcile myself to the discovery, and that's the truth. In a ship of rovers ! Bless me ! it is dreadful to think of — dreadful ! Not a single ser- vant at hand — no weapon in my possession ! — We might almost as well have been drowned." The Pirate caught the word " weapon." " To ease you still further, sir^" said he, " and to satisfy you if I can, of my good intentions toward you, I will provide you with weapons. Here is my own dagger, and knife, both of fine temper you see, and in the best possible condition — ^keep them concealed about 'j'ou ; and step here to my sleeping cabin, I will show you defence suflB- cieat for a dozen men." The Earl stepped with him to the place named, and the Pirate showed him a row of small arms placed > i (til 1*4 . 'ii ill ^h VJ34 THE CANADIAN GIRL. fm^A tha wall, ready for immediate use, behind a canviisa screen at the head of the hammock ; he also pointed out several horns of powder, and a bag of shot, and drew his attention to the fastenings of the door. " I assure you," said the Pirate, " you will have no need of these; nevertheless, there they are, and I resign this cabin entirely to your use while you are in my ship, for both night and day." " Thank you — thank you ; I feel reassured now," said the Earl, shuddering at sight of the arms. " But now tell me how it happens, that a man of superior endow- ments and education, such as you evidently are, can persuade yourself to remain in a post so dishonourable as this which you occupy now." " That is the matter of which I wish to speak, ' said the Pirate. " This vessel is mine ; I purchased it of a slave owner ; but were I to attempt to leave the band, and claim my own property for my future support^ the crew would prevent my going, and perhaps take away my life. The want of private means has, therefore, prin- cipally detained me here. I have a daughter, for her I must provide accommodations somewhere ; she cannot bear hardship as I might. Here, then, is the plain case ; if you bestow on me a gift of a few hundred dollars, (three hundred is as much as I would accept, less than that would, perhaps, answer my purpose,) I shall quit piracy for ever." " Five hundred, at least, you must receive," said the Earl. " I give them freely, congratulating you ou your resolution, and I wish you prosperity in a better avocation." ** I now only wish for a hearth in retiremen*, and THE CANADIAN GIRL. 1S5 quit food and clothing sufficient for nature's needs," said the Pirate. " However, let it be as you have said, generous sir; five hundred dollars I will take as your free gift, for I can never hope to repay it, and with the money my child and I will fly from this way of life, and she shall remember your naaie (if you will let me know it,) m her daily prayers." A few minutes after this conversation the Pirate saw nis daughter pass by the door and step softly down to the hold, to fetch something which she wanted for a supper for her guests. He followed her, and called her m a low voice by name. She started and trembled, fearing it was some of the crew, but instantly recognising her father, smiled afiectionately, returning his caress, and asked him many questions which hitherto the pre- sence of the strangers had prevented. ' " You nearly sunk, father, Haverstraw tells me, when you were striving to save the youngest lady, who, I am delighted to say is fast recovering." " It is true I did," said the Pirate ; " and had I lost my presence of mind for a moment, you would have seen no more of the father who has been such a trouble to »» and you " Why do you speak in that way ?" said Jane, tears springing to her eyes ; " have I not always loved you as well as ever daughter loved a father ?" " Forgive me, Jenny ; you are full of tenderness to me — tenderness, heaven knows, ill deserved ! But you have often entreated me to quit these privateers I am 'jeagued with ; what would you say if I could now pro- mise you that you should soon, very soon, have your Msh ?" ill I ^ 286 THE CANADIAN GIRL. I; *' Say !*' excla'med Jane ; " I should say heaven help you to carry out your purpose !" " Heaven waits that prayer, then," said the Pirate, with lower but decided tones ; " for I promise you, by all my hopes to see you happy and light-hearted, that if it be at all practicable, I will not see another moon rise over me in this ship ! O, Jenny ! for thy sake chiefly, and for thy brother's, I determine upon this change ; for as for me, personally, I am lost to society, to myself, to my God, and it is little matter where or with whom I dwelL The strangers whom Merry and I have rescued, are per- sons cf high distinction ; Merry will gain by what he did for them, not only a hundred dollars, but his legal freedom, also, from the slave-master who owns him ; and I have compelled myself to stoop to receive five hundred dollars from the gentleman, in consideration of what I did ; and with that five hundred dollars I will loosen myself from the bands which bind me to the Fearless and her crew, and maintain you in some secret place oa land." '' Oh, this is the happiest news that ever sounded iu my cars !" said Jane, clasping her hands on the Pirate's shoulder, and smiling through her tears. He passed his arm round her waist, and said — ^ Now study to be cheerful a little longer ; within a month you will have solid ground beneath your feet, and no fears of shipwreck, fights, or mutinies, to distress you more." '* Understand my true feelings, Either," said Jane ' ^' it is not to save either of us from distress that I would draw you from a Pirate's life ; honourable, honest dis* tress I would not shrink from sharing with you ; but THIS (;anadian girl. 287 in te's led le herCj father, there can never be either honour or honesty." " You speak severely, Jenny ; is there no honesty in aieek old Toby ^-^-in brave Merry 1 is there bo honour m your father's breast ?" " Yes — there is," said Jane ; atid she liiied his hand with a hasty movement of affection to her breast, and held it there ; " but — " she stopped, casting her eyes seriously to the ground, while the Pirate's majestic fea- tures revealed the most painful feelings of humiliation. '^ But what ?" said he, abruptly, his large brow :on- traeting with sudden impatience ; '' go on, why are you afraid to speak ?" *^ I was going to say, " said Jane, ^ that it cannot be honest or right to be a friend of bad men. I see I ofiend you.'* She paused, and then in more lively terms re- sumed ; '' It is a great sin indeed, for a man who knows any thing better, to be connected with this crew. They live by the ruin of worthy men. They plunder peaceful vessels— they spread dismay around." ^' What else ?" said the Pirate, in a sharp tone. ^^ I will say no more," exclaimed Jane, passing her arm vound his neck, and looking anxiously in his face. ^^ To have my daughter for my judge !" exclaimed the irritated Pirate, disengaging himself from her, and pacing the hold ; *' I tell yoii, Jane, I had rather bear the hangman's gripe, than have my crimes set out before me by you ! What have you to do with my being a Piittte ? tell me that, Jenny. To you I am a fatlier, a fi^ther only ; it is my men's province, and only theirs, to see a Pirate in me." *^ Dea>r fiither," said Jane, ^* my love for you is al- 1 ..:illPi^i5 if 288 THE CANADIAN GIRL. M ways ready to cover a multitude of sins, and no crimes on your part would weaken it, that would be impossible. But 1 would do you good. I know your inward pains produced by the consciousness of partaking in guilt, and I would lure you from guilt. I would not help you to call dark light, and light dark ; but I would win you from the dark to the light." A virtuous purpose imparted strength to her as she went on : — " I must see you as you are. I cannot persuade myself that you are not a Pirate because you have qualities and impulses above those of ordinary Pirates, when I see you at the head of a gang of them. No, father, I must dare to tell you the truth clearly ; I wish to see you forsake this ship, be- cause you are outraging social, moral, and religious laws, by abiding in it ; talents that were given you for the support of virtue, you employ here in directing fifty depraved men how best to outrage all virtue." *« No more, Jenny ! From you I will hear no more on this subject — ^not another word," said the Pirate, with an air of imperative decision. He sighed profoundly. " Jane," he resumed, after a minute of distressing re- flections, " you have spoken well. I respect my daughter. The probing was hard to bear, but it has done me good. We will converse again in the morning, and in the mean- time sleep sound and happy. I know the ruins of a fort some forty or fifty miles from here overland, there we will hide, and I will have no more to do with piracy: — would that I had never had aught to do with it ! I wish to avoid leaving the ship until she is clear of her present danger. I will see her at a safer distance from the steamer ^'hich is chasing her, and then she and I part for ever.'* " Steamer ahead, Captain !" bawled the mo;ht- watch rish lent ler Itch THE CANADIAN GIKL. 280 fmsTi the hatchway, at the top oT his voice. Jane trem bled at the sound. '* Coming," returned tha deep tones of the Pirate; and, pressing his daughter's hand, he disappeared, havinor bade licr not to delay supper for him. " Have you heard rny son's signal?" inquired he, when he stepped on deck. " No, sir," replied the watch; " there has been no shot of any sort heard, I have been on the Hsten ever since you went below." The mists had partly cleared off, and a watery moon had scattered a ?e\v rays of pale light on the turbid water through the remaining vapour which had risen higher m the air. After some time essaying to look through the glass he returned it to the watch. '* I can make no use of it,'* said he ; then pacing up and down the forecastle in deep deliberation he remained occupied with his own thoughts, occasionally stopping and listening intensely. " You are sttre you saw the smoke of a steamer dark- ening the mist ?" he suddenly asked the watch. " Quite sure," answered the latter ; " I would swear to it. I have always been able to tell when one of those- sort of sailors was anigh us. I could almost smell her smoke at any distance." " You are pretty much to be relied upon, I know,'* said the Pirate; " but if it be the chaser, I wonder we^ hear nothing. However, let all hands be on the alert.^ Send Haverstravv to me ; but hark you, make no alarm." He walked up and down, and listened, and planned, and meditated, until the old mariner was at his elbow. He then, in a suppressed voice, gave him a number of 19 1 tl m ij; ' ^ M\)0 THE CANADIAN GrRL. commands. " Have you perfectly understood me ?" he asked. " Clearly, clearly," answered Haverstraw. " Then now execute it all in your best style,*' said the Pirate ; " go, on you depends very much the fate of all in the vessel, remember that. You will obey me to the letter — ^you understand ?" " Yes, I do," answered Haverstraw : " I am no in- experienced boy. Captain ; I have seconded you before lo-day, and you have never complained of me." " I have had no reason to do so, old friend," said the Pirate; " well have I proved your worth." The preparations In case of an attack went on no less quietly than effectually during the succeeding hour, the Pirate contmuing to pace the deck, hoping that the mist would clear off so as to permit him an unobstructed view • of the lake ; but so far from this being the case it lowered awain, and became denser than ever. Everv man was now at his grun roun*. the sides of the • deck ; gunpowder, shot, and small arms, were brought • up in readiness for instant use, and Haverstraw stepped about here and there seeing that all was in the order ^lis Captain had described. Suddenly a crack was heard from an alarmingly near point. " 'Tis the siffnal ! — Nicholas is true fo his word !" exclaimed the Pirate in his loudest tones, with hasty en- thusiasm. " Now my men, look out ! you will be set at work presently. Is all as it should be, Toby V' *' All," replied the old man. X THE CANADIAN OlRL. 291 n- m CHAPTER XVIII. •* But that vain victory has ruined all, They form no longer to their leader's call; In vain ho doth whate'er a chief may do, To check the headlong fury of that crew ; In vain their stubborn ardour he would tame, The hand the.t kindles cannot quench the flame.*'— iByww. " Can Jt be her! and do we meet once more, Only to part, as w« befow have parted I"— -Af. B. I Presently, a sound that was scarcely distinguishable from that of the dashing surges, announced to the Pirate's waiting ear the approach of a heavy steamer. That sound became more distinct, and in another quarter of a minute the engines were heard in full play, and the iongp keel cut throuafh the water at a distance of not more than twenty yards from the Fearless. All the privateers were in a breathless state of sus- pense ; the steamer went on a trifling distance, then stopped, and hailed the vessel which they had passed, ihaving caught sight of the light of the torch which one of the sailors had brought on deck contrary to the Cap- tain's orders ; it had been quickly extinguished — but the mischief was done. The Pirate, seizing a trumpet, replied to the hail of the steamer that he was a trader in peltries and fish-oibji 1 4 .'^,| ill ; III « ;': ^•■"■^iaii ; 292 THE CANADIAN GIRL. and going toward Lake Huron, but had moored on ac- count of the fog. The present danger appeared to be passed now, for the steamer again set off, and was soon lost to the ear as well as to the eye. But the Pirate was too wary to re- lease any of the crew from their defensive postures as yet, and not until midnight did he himself quit the deck. He went down, and found all in silence in the cabins as he wished ; not the least alarm had been excited in the minds of the strangers, who had no idea that Any thing extraordinary was going on. He had just thrown himself into Haverstraw's ham- mock, the latter being now on watch above, and was settling into a sound sleep, when a sofl tap sounded on the cabin door. ** Toby — it is I — I want to epeak to you," said Jane, in a subdued voice outside. The Pirate arose directly, and, half undressed, opened the door. " Wliat is the matter, my dear ? Has any thing frightened you? I have occupied Toby's cabin while he keeps watch above. What is it you want to say to bim f ' Oh, father ! is not some dreadful fight about to hap- pen between this crew and some other vessel ?" " If you suspect any thing, Jenny, it is no use to at- tempt to hiae the truth from you. Now don't look so terrified, my dear! — depend on it there is no occasion. This is all — the steamer which the Governor of Toronto sent out against us has passed very near to-night, and I thought it safest to put all the ship under guard: — but the enemy has long been out of gunshot, and there is no more danger for us — none at all. THE CANADIAN GIRL. 293 lor hap- <« I wish 1 could think so," said Jane, trembling. " Don't be a coward, my dear little girl, don't,*' said the Pirate, trying to lausfh her out of her fears. " Hovr did your supper go off?" ** Very well," said she; " Deborah killed and dressed ^e fattest fowl in the hen-coop, and boiled a piece of poik out of the pickling-tub. I wish you had been down with us, you would have liked both the meat and the cooking, Deborah is so clever at those sort of things. The message you sent down accounted very well for your absence, and the ladieiL Tiade themselves most agreeable. Tlie elder lady I admire exceedingly; she is wonderfully beciutiful, and very young to be a widow, poor lady !" " Now run away to your bed, and sleep well," said the Pirate, " believe me, all b right ;" and Jane did so, having affectionately wished him good night. A second time the Pirate was settling to sleep, when c second time there came a disturbing knock, this time louder and more alarming. He sprang up — *' Who's there V* he demanded. ** Haverstraw," was the reply. He was let in» '' Captam, there has been two shots — not pistol-shots in the air — but gunshots, scouring along the water and nearly hitting our sides, just now. Will, the gunner, who was on watch when he first smelt out the steamer^ declares it is still on our tack somewhereabouts." <' Is it so indeed!" muttered the Captain, throwing on his rough jacket ; " well, never mind, Toby, we are aH ready for it — it may as well come now as at any other time. Stay, before we go up, I must ease my mind' of one burden." He fixed his eyes a moment on the ham- mock, musing ; then starting, put his hand on the old > 41 m i>'i',"i r, '1 i k:,m i' iiffi'il ^1 f a -I 294 THK CANADIAN QIRL. man's shoulder — •*' If I should be killed in the strufffflo, Toby Haverstravv — you hear me? — you mark nic?" " I do, my dear Captain ; but Providence, I hoj^o, will never let my old e}es see a sight so sad !" " Then, in such a case," continued the Pirate, not heeding his last words, *• do you receive, for my d.tufrh- ter's use, five hundred dollars from the «;eiitlenian I and Merry saved last evening ; and see her safe on shore, Toby, and do not leave her, I charge you, untd she is in the house from which I drew lier last — I mean tlie Encr- lisL Pastor's." " I will do it if there should be a necessity for it,*' said Toby ; *' but don't think of sucii a thing, niy dear Captain." " I must think of it, Toby," said the Pirate ; " and now, remember, I have bad a promise from you. Stop another minute;" tbey were at the door, Haverstraw was drawn back, the Pirate fastened his eyes on him again with a secret meaning — " Haverstraw, you must go to the Governor at Toronto, and clear me from that black suspicion^ too, if I fail — ;^ou hear? You will promise me this also ? You will not let my memory be worse stained than is just ?" " I understand you — I will do what you wish, if — ^" said Haverstraw, dashing a tear from his eye, and clearing his voice, which became impeded, as he thought of the probable chance of his Captain's death. There was a momentary pause — -^^ . ff,,My son," said the Pirate, speaking abstractedly, " God bless him! I have no more to say," he added, breaking into a more animated tone ; " now go up, and lo<>)k w^ll that my directions. ^y^ obeyed in ever)[J^ttJ^ » ^ TUB CANADIAN OIRL 295 Sliot after shot now came nearer and nearer, until they rebounded from the tough »ides of the Fearless. The mist again thinned under a lively breeze, and the adversaries saw each other. At the instant of recoff- nition a shone arose from both vessels, and then followed* a volley of fire from the Pirate's ship, which was re- turned by a similar salute from its pursuer. Clinton was looking out on the deck of the steamer, and when the smoke rolled between the ships he shud- dered for his lather and his sister, and every pulse throbbed with anxiety for their fate. So, also, on the Fearless, the Pirate trembled for his son, and every gun that was dred off by his men seemed to pass through his own heart. It was a dreadful situation for both father and son, but each repressed every outward exhibition of his feelings, and braced himself for the occasion. The moon disappeared, the wind grew quiet, and the mist again increased, the darkness was of a pitchy intensity. The firing continued at random, still the strangers on board the privateer-vessel slept unconscious. Letitia was the first to start up : — *' Oh, sister — sister !" she exclaimed in terror ; " Oh, governess 1 do you hear the noise ?" Lady Hester opened her eyes — the whole ship reeled under the shot of artillery. *' What is all this !'•' cried she, hastily springing out of Jane's hammock, and throwing on her clothes. " Keep yourself as quiet as you can, Letty, I will call papa. Miss Gresham, awake —awake, and dress yourself and Letitia!" She threw open the door, and called aloud on the Earl, wno in- stantly joined her, amazed and alarmed in the extreme. Here Jane came in, pale as marble, her faltering >f N, »,J^; «!< i i *■> i': p. ■*,!'■■■ 206 THE CANauIAN girl. „ 1' ill speech incapable of one connected sentence : — " Oli, my brother! oh, my father!'* she wildly exclaimed, sinking into a chair, and pressing her hands on her ears to shut out the awful pealing of the guns, every one of which she knew to be charged with death. " What is the occasion of all this?" asked the Eiirl. " Miss Anderson, you seem in great distress," said Lady Hester, going to her with kindness and sympathy ; ** tell me what is the matter here. Are we attacked by pirates ? Do not hesitate to tell me the trutli." ''Not pirates — but enemies,'* stammered Jane ; "and my brother — my only brother — is with them! Oh, by this time he may be killed ! while here, my dear father is exposed to the same — oh, what a shot was that !" she jumped up from the chair, and clasped her hands. " Loro! preserve them ! Oh, my dear — dear father !— oh, my brother!" Herteetb chattered, and an icy cola- ness spread over her frame. Lady Hester took her hand with much emotion. " I feel for you extremely," said she; " but is there nothing we can do to assist the sailors in their brave defence of the vessel ?" her tone was energetic, her mien resolute. Jane looked at her with momentary admiration. " No — we can do nothing," she replied, shaking her head, *' but remain quiet until the result is seen. To me, that result may be complete desolation ! I have now no other relatives in the world than my father and my brother, if they fall I am utterly alone !" *^ But you shall not be unfriended," returned Lady Hester with warmth ; " Letitia owes a good deal to you and your kind Irish attendant; if such an event as you fear $hould happen (which I hope will not), we will not THB CANADIAN GIML. 297 leave you unprotected or unprovided for/* Jane could only look her gratitude. ** I should like to tiee Captain Anderson/* said tlio Earl, who knew more than his daughters and suspected more, going to the foot of the ladder leading up to the deck. The hatches were closed above, but he could hear the tramping of the privateers, and the orders that were now and then shouted from diflfercnt parts of the vessel. The shots became more and more confused and rapid, and now a hundred feet shook the planks. There was evidently a conflict going on upon board of a deadly nature. The cries of attack and defiance resounded terribly through the ship. The hatchway was now burst open, and the negro darted down and closed it again on the inside with haste and force. The Earl had caught a glimpse of men struggling together, and of closing weapons whose clash he heard. ** What has occurred 7 Who are they that have boarded this ship ?" demanded the pallid EarK " Me not tell you now, massa," said the black, resting for a bare moment to take breath on the steps of the ladder, which, the next instant, he threw on one side. W You must go back into de Captin's cabin, massa. You roust make no noise about it — keep still — not stir — till le Captin come down." \ His manner admitted of no dispute, and the Earl, Ider the influence of fear, stepped back before Merry's midable handspike, and joined his terrified children. % appearance of the young negro was not calculated td^eassure the ladies, or their father, or the anxious Jai^. His blue cotton shirt was rolled up above the dbrs and dyed with blood and gunpowder; his face g^ 4, 'V 398 THB CANADIAN GIRL. was expressive of all the fierce passions which the deadly fight in which he had been engaged was calculated to call forth. L^jiitia covered her eyes and ran back as she saw liim to the embrace of her scarcely less fearful governess. The black's appearance, and the Earl's manner, all at once awakened a suspicion in Lady Hes- ter's mind as to the real profession of the ship. She stepped close to Merry as he stood listening by the cabin door, " Are not the men of this vessel pirates or smugglers ?" she asked, in a tone which he only could hear; her question being firmly and abruptly put, Merry's eye sank before her's, and he was at first quite at a loss what to answer. She did not give him time to recover his self-possession, but continued in a louder tone — ^" You cannot deceive me — I read the reply in your face! Do not attempt to satisfy me with even the thousandth part of a falsehood, for I assure you I am apt at discerning the truth at all times. Are yoU pirates or smugglers ? Tell me instantly," Merry did not speak. " Are you smugglers ?" she asked. He answered, " No.'Vinr^ <' " >f>j.i| tyn i»frnr/t,, " Then you are pirates!" said she very firmly, " D05 not dare to say no, if I am right." ^j ■_^,, He did not dare to say no, and, after a momentaijy pause, Lady Hester again fixed her eyes on him : — ,/;; " Your captain is the celebrated Pirate Anderson j Do not say no, I repeat, if I am right !" y Again Merry was silent. .*f I see you respect truth a little, whatever be \j way of life," said she. " Now, since I know all thj p THK CANADIAN GIRL. 299 cannot matter much if you tell me who your assailants are ?" " The Governor's people, in the steam-ship," said Merry. " Ah ! — indeed !" exclaimed Lady Hester, turning pale as she remembered that Clinton was in that steam- ship. She went back into the cabin., and stooping to Jane, who was sitting with her hands still clasped on her knee, and with a fixed look of abstraction, whispered — " I know all ; but depend upoi it, if your adversaries prevail, that both I and the Earl, my father, will endea- vour to do you service. I am sorry to see yousufferin^r so much. You say you have a brother on board the steamer, that is singular; may I venture to inquire how it IS that he is assisting your father^s opponents ? Be- lieve me no idle motive prompts me to inquire, but a disposition of real friendliness towards you." " He is not willingly," Jane began, but just then the hatches were opened with a noise, and a voice that was usually mellow and rich to a fault, but now strained and hoarse, called to Merry for the ladder. It ifas thrown up, and Clinton descended, while Lady Hester's heart throbbed in her throat, and her white eyelids sank.; " My sister ! — my dearest Jane !" exclaimed he. She rushed into his arms, and was strained to his panting breast. "Look up, my dear sister! be at ease! You are safe — all is well! Father has almost gained a cpm-^i plete victory! The men I have been with are nearly, overcome !" Jane clapped her hands under the first impulse of her loy, then surveyed his graceful form with glances of af-* f» m feetionate inquiry. .tj'i'ilii. iil^ii -jtJri ^Ul-3iiiot>Jb'i'i.i^ii 300 THE CANADIAN OIRI^ I II m m ^ " Oh, you need not eye me so anxiously, 1 am not hurt," said he, kissing her forehead. « And father— is he safe ?" Clinton's face suddenly became overshadowed: jhe noticed its change, and abruptly exclaimed — " He is wounded ! — Perhaps he is — " *' Killed, you were going to say," said Clinton, ten- derly smiling on her ; *' but, my dear sister, you alarm yourself unnecessarily. No, he is not killed, I am glad to be able to tell you, only a slight injury in the side from a shot, that is all." " That is all !" echoed Jane ; " he is wounded then ? Oh, let me go to him !" ; *' By no means, Jcane ; he will be brought down di- rectly, and after his side has been examined you shall see him, not before ; come, yield with a good grace, and be thankful things are as well as they are." Here he started, a red tint spread over his delicately-coloured face, deeper and deeper still. . *' Lady Hester I" he exclaimed, ** I little expected to have the honour of meeting you here ! I ask your parckci that I did not see you before, my sister had en- grossed my attention entirely." Lady Hester was about to put out her hand, which he tised the utmost courtesy toward his captured opponents. On rising, he bade them consider themselves only as passengers to the nearest harbour, and requested them, ji, in any respect, they had reason to complain of the . behaviour of the crew to them, to inforjn him, and he 20 .... . !■ m 306 THE CANADIAN OIRU w i •' would instantly remedy the grievance. But he trusted they would have nothing to complain of. The battered Fearless was now put forward toward a bay on the British side of the lake, where it was to be thoroughly repaired, and victualled if possible. The place was distant about a few hours sail from the Sugfir- loaf country, but the Pirate resolved not to approaob before nightfall, for many prudent reasons. On the ^ way to the bay he spoke apart to Clinton, who stood on deck wrapped in peculiar meditations. " Well, Nicholas," said he, " we fought them gal- lantly, did we not ?" " You were a perfect giant among heroes, my dear sir," said Clinton, with an attempt at his'wonted gaiety. •** But the sight was shocking, after all, even setting on one side the terrible explosion." ^' I thought nothing of the shockingness of it," said the Pirate, " while I was in the heat of the thing. My blood was on fire, and I dare say I fought like a very horn fiend." " I know that I did, as far as my strength would go,' -said Clinton. " There is something wonderfully intoxi eating in * the grappling vigour and rough frown of war. » jj "Ah! Nicholas — Nicholas! when I saw my men fighting for mere brutality's sake, for mere vengeance and thirst for blood, just before the steamer blew up, I felt what a villain I was. The thought that I was their leader — theirs^ even at a moment so dreadful — sickened me of myself ! I have yet a little conscience left— I am glad that I feel it stirring ! It. shall have a free voice henceforward to say what rouj;;h things to me it ple^^eii^ « £ine< TUB CANADIAN Ol&L. 307 I have done with piracy after this day. My heart will let me remain in this cursed profession no longer. Ah, Jane ! this day over and your father is no longer a Pirate. Bless l»er !" " Father, explain yourself.'* " I win, ray son, to yoM, without reserve. To go back a (ew years, you remember the mutiny on board the Antelope, poor old Barry's vessel ?" " Certainly," answered Clinton, experiencing a shock at this abrupt mention of an event in which he supposed his father seriously implicated. " I see you still think me the murderer of Captain Barry." " I should be glad to believe you were not," said Clinton. " Believe so then — for I cerlainly was not !'* said the Pirate, with an air of haughty truth. The face of Clinton lighted up — then doubt shaded it again. « But did I not see—" " You saw nothing," said the Pirate, interrupting his son, " of the actual occurrences until the last moments of the old man's life. You then saw him dying on deck^ and me standing side by side with his murderer. That is all your memory can furnish you with that bears against me. tC 9> Not all, I think, father," said Clinton ; " unfortu- nately, you were one of those who exposed the passen- gers in an open boat, and you shared the — ^shall I use an unvarnished expression — the plunder of the murdered Captain's ship." ♦ " You forget that it was I who prevailed on the mu- tineers to spare your lives b^ placing you m the jolly- 4 . ■ ^:fl M I 308 THE CANADrAN GIRL. boat, in which you sailed to the shore of St. Lawrence ! I will tell you what part I played in that dark affair, and pray listen to me with belief, and do not think me more guilty than I say. The second mate of the ship often hinted darkly to me that something important was me- ditated by the crew, in which they desired me to take an active part. At first I would not attend to his ambiguous phrases, but when he flattered my pride by telling me broadly that without me their schemes could not succeed, I listened. On my soul, my son, nothing was said of an intention against Barry's life, or I should, in spite of my cursed pride, my evil genius, have renounced the affair I know. Nothing was said either of seizing Barry's ship and the passengers goods, or Ma/, too, would have warned me off from the affair. The plan proposed to me was simply a very profitable smuggling concern to be carried on between British America and the United States. I was to have sole command and direction of the party, and my informant was to advance money to purchase a vessel fit for iu.i purpose. Giving me the command was the bait by which I was drawn into the conspiracy, but the true nature of it I did not learn until it broke upon me in the mutiny. My tempter, ti.e second mate, had pretended to inform Barry of the projects of the crew, and gave up all their names, mine standing at the head ; he being in the Captain's confi- dence, therefore, had more opportunities for furthering the objects of his fellow plotters. 1 was, like yourself, called on deck by the cries of Barry ; he expired before me, pierced with a dozen wounds. The trembling pas- sengers stood by bound, expecting the same fate. You, as soon as you appeared from below, rere tied with the THB CANADIAN OIRL. 309 ter, the ing rest. I stood passive among the mutineers ; had I op- posed them, you must all have perished ; my single arm could have done you little good against their numbers, they would have sent us all into the next world without scruple. No — I knew better than to incur that fearful hazard. I called the second mate, the ringleader of the uproar, on one side the gangway, and offered to take the command of the band, as he had proposed, with this pro- viso, that there should be no more lives taken, except in self-defence — that the passengers should be given a boat and some provisions, and be allowed a chance to make their way to the shore. He proposed this to the crew, and they agreed to give me full power as their leader, their first act of subordination being a consent to my re- quest in favour of the passengers, by which I unknow- ingly saved my son.'* ** And the smuggling expedition V* " Was a mere pretence — piracy was the real object in view," returned his father; " but, as I told you, I did not know that at first ; and, bad as smuggling is, piracy you must recollect is much worse." *' But did I not hear the expiring Captain say, ' And you, Anderson — could I have expected this from you?''' *' I have explained, Nicholas ; my name was at the head of the list of mutineers which the second mate showed him with pretended fidelity; he therefore looked on me as one of his murderers, though really I had no hand in it. — Do you not understand met'* *' Perfectly now, my dear sir, perfectly," said Clinton, reaching out his hand to his father. * I take it," said the Pirate, " but I would not do :i •I : I if-. 'Ih 810 nn CANADIAN OTRL. io if I thought that yon now judged it to have been guilty of the blood of Captain Barrj." *< I do not,'* said Clinton, decisively ; they l^en paced the gangway arm in arm, still in earnest talk. •• You should rest with that wound of yours, my dear sir ; you will irritate it by moving about, I am afraid," eaid Clinton, presently stopping on the quarter-deck. ' " No, no, it is nothing of any consequence," said the Pirate, with carelessness, but at the same time he slackened his steps, and leaned heavier on his son's arm. •* Where are you going, Toby ?" the old man was pas- sing hastily acoss the deck from the head of the com- panion way, with a towel hanging from his arm, and a pair of forceps in his hand. *^ Only to find the steward, sir," answered Haverstraw, meaning the man who now managed the affairs of the larder under Deborah, for it was a favourite habit of the old sailor's to disperse among the crew the titles usual on a regular, first-rate ship, though the privateers were not a little prejudiced against regular ship titles, and dis- claimed all gradation of ranks among^ themselves ; " I want some things for the sick-ward which he has stowed away somewhere or other. If it ^lease you. Captain^ you should not, by any manner of means, be walking here with that gunshot- wound, in your side. You had better take my word as a humble caution, Captain, and go and lie down." ** So I have been telling him," said Clinton ; ** but he is not to be persuaded." ^ Psha ! go and lie down for a trifling accident like this !^not I-^not I !" ** You had better, Captsiin," repeated Haterstraw ; TBS CANADIAN Q\t'^ 311 ** many's tfie woirnd, as trifling as yours, which I have seen carry ofT a tall, strong fellow, only because he wouldn't take advice, keep still, and leave off liquors and strong victuals." « Wall, well, I shall keep off liquors," said the Pi- rate, smiling, ** and perhaps live on barley-water, and •hickcn-broth, during your pleasure, Toby ; but as for keeping still, that I would not do for any bullet short of a twelve-pounder. So go along to your sick patients,, and let me alone to get strong again in this fresb breeze." Haverstraw shook his head, and Clinton sa;w by his look that he feared the consequences would be more serious than his father suspected* " I heartily wish that, if only for my soke and my sister's, you would yield to this old sailor's advice," urged Clinton, " Nonsense, my son I I scarcely feel the hurt at all," returned the Pirate, rather impatiently, sitting down by fhe helm, and casting his glance out over the lake to* ward the line of blue landscape in the distance, which marked the American shore. " Nicholas," he resumed, with an appearance of dis- quietude, " 1 wish you to know why I have persisted in remaining with these privateers, contrary to your sister's anxious and oft-repeated wishes. I durst not tell her, for it would break her soft and tender heart ; I now tell you, you ar6 firmer minded. — I aim dOnsciouff that I have justly forfeited my life, and it has been my determination all along to yield myself up to justice when I left this band. But lately I have quailed in my resolution—-! cannot bear to leave you and Jenny for ever V^ m tti H* i m 4X12 THE CANADIAN GIRU Jffi '" Leave us I no, I hope you will not for another mo- " "tnent contemplate such a thing!'*' exclaimed Clinton. *' Why should you surrender? You have shown me the murder was not your act, and that you were deceived •into joining the mutiny." ," True — ^true, my dear son ; I am glad to see you understand the true nature of that transaction at last. But you forget that I have been now many years a Pirate-chief, and must have share*' in many robberies. •My life is, I repeat, justly forfeit, aud it should be given up, were it not for — but this is idle now. I have settled 4c live as long as I can with my children, and for them. iNow the money I told you I had received to-day from ^ this Earl on board, will enable me to take Jenny to the -)> .ii ^4 TAtt CkKAtAAff OVitL. pi as I used to be #h€n I wfts youitgw. The ladies are scraping lint, add cutting" up old linen, to be sure, that is a great help. Here comes Miss Jenny — bless her dear heart !" He went to the door. ** Now, Toby, here is a large supply of lint, not a grain of cotton in it," sai 1 Jane, standing outside. " You have been very quick, my dear Miss Jenny." " So I should be," she- returned, **' for I have many jifjsistants. Lady Hester, as I think my brother named that beautiful young lady, the widow, has set herself, her sister, and Miss Gresham, tiie governess, at the ffcrapiitg, leaving- me and Deborah to execute all your other commands" ** I love to see the young quick to help them that are in pain," said the old man. " We shall get on now. Captain^ as we have plenty of needful articles, thanks to the ladies. Run away, Miss Jenny, if you please, and get ready the poultices, as I told you. I must bind up Gilpin's starboard -^arm, and that will be no sight for you." " Who is going to assist you ?" siskjd Jane. ^ " That is what I want to know,'' said Haverstraw, looking into the room, his eyes shaded with his hand. *' Harry, our skipper-doctor, is trying to set to rights a steamer- ir»aa's wowtids, which are in bad condition, and all our helpers are about him. Harry," he raised his voice so as to make himself heard at the extreme end of the room, where a group were gathered kneeling and stooping around a man who lay on a mattrass, " can jou spare me a couple of sailors to help me out with a fooublesome job here ?" " Ko^" ansireped the surgfeon ; " itty patient is in a SOI srtj Jai 4t III TKSCANADlAir GIRL. 315 >» a bud svoon, and 1 have eoott^ ior us all ii do here^T pomise you." ** Let me help you, Toby,'' said the Pirate. *' And I can hold the light," said Clinton. " So be it," cried Haverstraw ; " but now we want some one to go in and out fsom the laidies' cabin for the articles we may reqiiire." " Cannot I bring them in before you begin ?" asked Jane. *' Why I am not sore I caa think of all tiU I find the need of them," said the cautious old man. " Then I will wait outside the door," cried Jane; *^ and when you want amy thing raise your voice ever so little I shall be sure to hear you..'' '' That u a. girl worth the name," said Haverstraw, Munng his glistemiig eye to meet that of Clinton^ as Jane shut the door after her : there was no pretence in the mariner's admiration, for he really did believe the Captain'is daughter without an equal any whe*e. •^ « My ancle first, Toby— do that up first," said Gilpin; ** let me have the worst job last. Come> don^t Itet your old hand shake about it; touch it firml^y, and make haste, for this arm gives me confounded twinges." The broken joiL t wsi skilfully set, and firmly bound. ••Now for your arm, Grlpin," said Haverstraw. ** Hold the light steadily here, Mr. Nicholas. Be tfy good as to put your hand utider the shoulder m this fashioTi, Captain." ** I am sorry to say f must give up my post^ — I feel worse than I did," said the Krate, rather faintly, putting: bis hand to his side. ^ I^ think the blood has broken thit3agfa again.' I k 9% y«i; 316 THB CANADIAN OIRL. Sir rt),' *' Help him to his hammock directly, sir," said Ha- Terstraw to Clinton. *^ Gilpin, you will take no harm lying still a few minutes, while I go and give a look at the Captain's side." *\ No- — not I. Away with you, and stop as long as you will," cried the iron-nerved privateer, swallowing by main force the groans which tortured nature wrung from him. < A considerable quantity of blood had escaped from the Pirate's wound ; it vvas speedily stopped, however, by the skilful hand of Haverstraw, and rebound with more care. <* I hope, sir, you will now be persuaded to lie awhile," said the latter earnestly. -'- '* Why, yes, this loss of blood has a little tamed me, Toby; I shall certainly remain here a few i lutes at least." ** A few hours, or a lew days, would be better, sir," said the old mariner, dropping the canvass-screen of the hammock. " Mr. Clinton, you will go back with me to Jiold the arm ?" " Yes, certainly," said the latter, as they shut Haver- straw's cabin door outside, leaving the Pirate to a fever- ish and painful state of forced quiet. The mind of Clinton was by this time highly fevered, and during the sickening operation of which he was a witness, his thoughts ran ever the events in which he had been lately engaged, with confused excitement. The "actual presence of Lady Hester in the pi rate- vessel he could hardly realise — again and acfain he was aston- ished that he should have found her here. A destiny seemed casting them in each other's way. He had parted ..'^SFI^ THE CANADIAN GIRL. 31' from her, as he thought, for ever — then she was a wife ; now she was free — free to marry again, without any re- straint upon her choice. Who could tell what might happen now in his favour ? " Keep your hand steady, if you please, sir," cried Haverstraw. Clinton's eyes were dancing ; he did con- trive to steady his hand, but his head and his lieart were beyond his management. " You may go now, sir, I see it is too much for you," said Haverstraw ; " I can manage very well to do the rest." Clinton would have been glad to have been discharged^ but, when the aged sailor came to the sewing on of the bandages, he found that his sight was too defective for that part of his task, and tne motions of the needle proved uncertain under the guidance of his hard fingers. Clinton attempted the office, but was so entirely unprac- tised in the use of the implement he held, and the heat of his feelings caused such a nervous shaking through- out his frame, that his success was hardly greater. . Gilpin was impatient of their attempts, and declared that he had felt the point of the needle more than once. By this time he was growing faint. Clinton stepped outside to take some thread from Jane, and told her of the trifling dilemma. She timidly offered to do what was required. " The table on which Toby has placed Gilpin is in the nearest corner of the room," said she; " I should only be engaged a few minutes, and hardly be seen." He refused ; he did not like her to enter. But after a moment's thought, he said, " You shall do it if you can. 1 admire in you the noble feeling which prompts 1 i N IN III 111 Ml III III I lii I I 411 CI « y':\i- w 'I't' i.. 't;;ir: ? 518 THR CANADIAN OIltL. you now to rise superior to false dalicacy. Yeg, you shall do it." The door was close bj the foot of the table, and, scarcely noticed by the men who lay on the floor, Jane stepped round between the wall and Gilpin, without once glancing at any object but the half-bound arm im- mediately before her, in the wrappings of which Toby had just fastened a successful stitch. " That was well done," cried the patient ; *' I could hardly have done it better with my right hand — and who doesn't know that Jack Gilpin is the best taijor, as well as the best sailor, on board the Fearless buccaneer-ship, always excepting the Captain and his lieutenant, who are the best sailors in the world, look for 'em where you will. Toby, you like to be called Iteutenant^ don't you, old fellow V Here Haverstraw put his Iwnd to his white forelocks, and made a slight movement of respect, and surprise, perceiving Jane by the table. Gilpin, also surprised, was instantly silent. The Captain's daughter had usually •confined herself very closely to her cabin, and surely, thought he, this room at present was little suited to attract a timid and delicate female. Still more was he surprised when Clinton told Haverstraw that his sister would take the needle from him, if he would direct her where to use it, as women's hands were lyiore pliable for that sort of work than either of theirs. While the delicate fingers of Jane were carefully pas- ping the requsite stitches along the unscientific, although cleverly arranged bandages, Haverstraw, with an ad- miring and affectionate smile, leaned over her stooping hea^l, and pointed out with his finger those edges of the TBTB CAMAPXAN GIRL. 319 linen which he wished to be secured. Clinton stood behind her, shelterinj^ her from the gaze of the seamen who were in the other parts of the room ; his heart warmed with brotherly pride when contemplating the bashful Jane thus conquering her natural retiringn 3S» to minister to the suffering man. Gilpin's smothered groans of pain called tears of pity into her mild grey eyes. He, himself, eyed her compassion *ce countenance with mingled curiosity, gratitude, and respect. He was just thirty years of age, a native of New York ; he had been respectably brought up, but had fallen into a pro- fligate way of life, and deserted his parents and his home. As he gazed on the gentle girl before him, her touching intrepidity in cheerfully undertaking her present task (slight a^ it would have been under ordi- nary circumstances,) and the soft kindness of her modest deportment, all at once pierced the gross film which covered the eyes of his mind, with a light that haa never beamed through it since he had been a stripling; for the moment he forsook his favourite maxim, " that all women were either pretty puppets, horrid shrews, fools, or rakes ;" an indefinable notion of female ex- cellence floated about his fancy, and, from that period, a deep respect for Jane Anderson took root in his other- wise depraved mind, *' Now I must positively take you away," said Clin- ton to his sister, when the last bandage had been fastened on the fractured arnL4 " you have borne the sight won- derfully." Gilpin followed her with his eyes tp the door, and loused himself from his faintness. »" Toby," said h«, when she had disappeared with her brother, trying to 820 THE CANADIAN GIRL. I I ratso himself upon the table on his left elbow, " how confoundedly mistaken I have been about Miss An- derson all along ! I had no sort of idea that she was pretty, but may I never handle a rope, or trim a sail more, if she is not a girl fit to be the daughter of old Jupiter, who my schoolmaster used to spin long yarns about* when I was a boy. What dost say, grey-head, doctor, lieutenant, is she not a fine wench, eh ?" " Grey hairs are a honour to a man if he doesn't wilfully disgrace 'em," said Haverstraw, seriously ; " doctor I am none, Gilpin ; I picked up all 1 know of sargery from the pract'cers aboard th< man-o'-war where I lamed my sea craft. They wet^e piacticers — they were sargens, I can tell you V ' ** And a good one they have made of you, many thanks to them !" exclaimed Gilpin. " Why, I had a considerable hankeririg toward the sp'.gical art once, a long time back," said Haverstraw, with a slight sigh, as his thoughts glanced one passing moment to his younger days, " and the ship-doctors seeing me a little handy in the sick wards, put me for- rard there in war time." ' " But what is your opinion of Miss Anderson ?" re- peated the impatient Gilpin, after a heavy groan ; "you are always particularly shy of speaking about her." " To my mind she is as nice a little girl as ever the eyes of man seed, " said Ha . erstraw ; " I love her as much as if she was my own flesh and blood. I knew her poor mother; Miss has just her amiblencss, only she is a trifle braver-hearted. Now Vie you still, and I will mix you a cooling drink that will send you to sleep, and then I hope you will do well." - . ; TUG CANADIAN GIRL 3i2l liile Haverstraw had been speaking, he had propped Gilpin's head and shoulders with pillows on the table, and had covered him with a blanket. He now gathered up the articles he had used in the operation, and was leaving the room, when >e looked back and said — " Don't you forget, Ilr. Gilpin, to thank Providence that you have weathered this hard gale as well as you have. Either of the blows you have had might have sent you into etarnity.'* " None of your preaching, old gentleman !" eX' claimed Gilpin; " I understand all that sort of thing ; I tell you it is not a little will kill me — and so hurrah for the buccaneers ! — death to the law bullies all the world over ! — hurrah, hurrah !" His shout, as before, was echoed by the other pri- vateers present, and again the wounded prisoners looked unutterable rage. One covered his head with his blanket, permitting only his menacing eyes to appear ; another half arose from his mattrass, and shook his cut- lass at the insulting foes ; a third threw a poker, which he had seized from the fireplace by which he lay, at Gilpin, but it fell short of its aiiu. It was in vain Ha- Terstraw endeavoured to restore order, until the regular surgeon, joining him with his assistant)=!, they removed the prisoners to a septiT*ate cabin, and thigi effected their object. Gilpin fell asleep under t^c Influence of a siroxict sleeping draught, and his dreams of pain were bright- ened by the meek face of Miss Anderson, gazing on him with the compassion of a ministering angel, while she whispered words of pity in his ear in the softest tones imaginable. 21 i.l' ill iWa^^^BBt 111, t [W| ' Hi •M j-r^ 322 THE CANADIAN OIRL. n$i f Clinton and Jane had looked into Haverstmw's c-abin, wnere the Pirate was while his own was occupied by tbft strangers, and finding him in a tranquil slumber, re- turned together to the society of the Earl and the ladies. The Earl was looking out of the cabin windows with uneasiness at the increasing swell of the waves, and cal- culating how long it would be before he should be able to return to the Niagara district, complaining all the while of the folly and danger of useless travelling, and wishing over and over that he had never left Toronto, except to return to England. Lady Hester, Miss Gre- sham, and Leti*ia, were seated at ii mahogany table spread with salves, fragments of linen, sewing utensils^ and other things required for the wounded. " Are you ready to take the poultice. Miss Anderson ?" asked Lady Hester, who bad not observed Clinton enter^ and was busily stirring linseed in a coarse brown pan, her sleeves pushed up on her white arms. Jane replied in the affirmative, and received the pre- paration from Lady Hester. The latter just then raised her brilliant eyes, which instantly sank before the ardent gaze of Clinton. " Lady Hester is not too proud for deeds of charity,'* he ejaculated, in a low, pe.netrating tone; she turned from him with an indication of displeasure. " If you please, sir, will it be long before we reach the shore?" asked Letitia, and the question relieved the awkward silence that prevailed. *' By evening, it was intended, I believe, that we should get into harbour,^' replied Clinton ; " but if it be a little later, I hope you will not feel afraid." ** It will be midnight before we shall get in," s^d THE CANADI/N OIRL. 323 the Earl, turning from tlio window, ** if the ship moves on at its present slow pace. Tho wind seems to me to be growin<5 high, young sir is it not so?" " I am no seaman, Lord Wilton," said Clinton, checking tho Earl's air of superiority by his dignified manner, " and I have not particularly observed tho weather during the last hour or two '' !p certainly •eeros to ride roughly now." He took hold of the back of a chair as he spoke, to steady himself, for the Fearless was now beginning to rock on asurfy swell, articles were knocking about tho cabins, and presently nothing could be kept in its place that was not fastened. Tlie Earl became more and more ill-humoured ; in the multiplicity of affairs that to-day had pressed on Jane and Deborah, he and the ladies had had to put up with a mere apology for a dinner, in the shape of hastily- dressed fish and salted mutton, and the Earl being some- thing of an epicure, this had not tended to sweeten his temper. All the drawing-room luxuries of an afternoon on terra firma, floated before his eye with tantalising minuteness, while the ship continued to toss, and he to be annoyed with the most unendurable sensations about the region of the stomach. He had gone on deck, and Lady Hester had planted herself on the sofa, when Clinton, with seeming uncon- sciousness, threw himseK in a chair by Tier side. He longed to make some allusion to the Colonel's death, but scarcely knew how to do it. At length he said, in that subdued and thrillingly tender tone, which was so well known and so feared by Lady Hester — " The steamer received a communication fronl Toronto III III lit IM II M I II II II »i| l-W^ / 324 THB CANADIAN OIRL. it ^ :l ■ ■;! 4 while I was in it, and tlion I learnt of the great affliction you had sustained. I littlo thought, wlien I saw you last on Toronto- cliffs, Lady Hester, that you were fated to endure so much sorrow." His eyes were turned upon her beaming with iho feelings whicli found no other vent ; he thought that she had never looked so surpassingly lovely as now ; her widow's cap, her plain hair, and deep mourning- dress, rather, in his partial opinion, increased than di- minished her beauty, adding to them the master charm of a sentiment. " And I," said Lady Hester, replying to his speech with great coldness, " never droa.nt of finding Mr. Clinton deliberately treacherous to pe.sons who relied on his honour." She paused in pity for the feelings of Jane, who stood near, and on whose clieeli tlie blood mantled high, as it did also on Clinton's. Treacherous, Lady Hester .'" echoed the latter. Yes, I spoke the word distinctly, and I repeat it — treacherous to those who relied on your honour." •' Madam, you are not aware that it was after I had engaged with his Excellency, the Governor, that I was recognised by my father." " Oh yes, I am perfectly aware." " And would it have been natural, would it have been kind, to assist my father's enemies to destroy him ?" *' It would have been strictly rig/ti,''^ rejoined Lady Hester, with more spirit than she was conscious of, " if you went at all with those enemies, for ^ouhad positively pied|;ed your word to them to assist them, not to cir- camvent tbem. A person's word, sir, should be of some tt cc Ill THIS CANADIAN GIRL. 325 little \aluo, I think. I forgot notliinjj that I have heard; you had quite time to release yourself from your en- gagement with the Governor, so as to prevent the disgrace which in my opinion you have incurred. Letitia, my dear, hand mo your penknife, I daro say the old sailor has not quite finished." She commenced scraping linen on her kneo very industriously, while a bright spot of crimson burnt on her cheek. Clinton was at once chagrined, humbled, and flattered. lie felt convinced that her displeasure would have been less evident, had her interest in him been less lively. Under this impression, he could not restrain himself within the bounds of prudence, but, bending his head nearer to her, whispered in trembling tones, modu- lated to the most expressive sweetness — ** Can it be., that Lady Hester has still the remotest regard for my reputation Y'* " Mr. Clinton !" exclaimed the lady, turning ujx)n him her front face, which was animated by haughty resentment, " sir !" These three words almost annihilated Clinton. Down fell all his towering hopes, more suddenly than they arose ! Lady Cleveland observed his consternation, the sudden change in his countenance alarmed her, and, so variable is the heart, half repented of her severity. " Mr. Clinton — or Mr. Anderson," said she presently, in quite another key, and with quite another manner, smiling in her fascinating way, but hardly knowing what she was saying, " don't you think Letitia and I shall be thought marvellous lions when we get back to London, haying passed through so many adventures in this quarter of the world V* ] I It : ^ •m III II M >l: 'M 326 THE CANADIAN OIllL. Clinton's manner was as mucli changed as Lady Cleveland's; he assumed a distant pleasantry. *' In that case, madam," said he, " your ladyships will almost have been seeking ' the bubble reputation in the cannon's mouth.' I am sorry, for my part, that your qualifications for lionising should have been so ex- pensively purchased, and I heartily wish you no more adventures of the sort you have had lately. As to my name," he added, with a perfect nonchalance that Jane wondered to see, " I do not renounce my former ones, I only add another to them — .Nicholas Clinton Anderson are the cognomons to which I now lay claim." Little could the superficial eye have seen of the keen pain with which Clinton referred to his relationship to the Pirate, nor the noble impulse which made him dis- dain to seem to shrink in the least from the subject. But the eye of love is never superficial, and both Jane and Lady Hester understood his true feelings. He, also, gifted with the same magical quality of vision, saw him- self appreciated, and loved both his sister and the fair widow more than ever. " The loss of life was very considerable last night, I iear," said Lady Cleveland, falteringly. " Very, indeed," was Clinton's shuddering response; *' more than one half of the persons on board the steamer, and at least a third of the crew of this vessel, were killed in the fight and explosion, and by far the larger number of the survivors are more or less injured," " Melancholy !" exclaimed Lady Cleveland ; " this eyent wiU very much increase the public prejudice in Canada against your father, Mr. Clinton." * I hope not," said Clinton, meeting Jane's eye» ^ \ THE CANADIAN GIRL. Si.7 " Well, sir,'* said Lady Hester, sinking her voice a little, " if you ever need a friend for him apply to me ; though I should be on the other side of the Atlantic I will not fail to answer the appeal, that is, I will under- take the Earl shall answer it." " If he be taken, Lady Hester, I will remembw this promise," said Clinton, with difficulty repressing the warm expressions of gratitude which crowded to his lips. Here Deborah entered, bearing i.vo shining and tall brass candlesticks, which she placed on the table ; and, while lighting the wicks of the candles, she cast sundry glances at Jane, which brought the latter to her side. " Misthress dear, there'll be somethin more bad in- tirely happen the day if ye don't prevint. Och ! bad luck to the wicked Pirits, savin your prisince, honey dear, they're a bad set, out and out," '* Hush, Deborah!" whinpsred Jane; " don't let the ladies be more alarmed than is necessary ; go outside, I will come to you in a minute, as soon as 1 can do so without being noticed." Jane tried to attract Clinton's eye, and, succeeding, pointed aside with her finger to the door, and wert out; presently Clinton made a slight excuse and also left the cabin. But Lady Cleveland was on the watch, and observed every thing that passed with anxiety, if not with fear, as might well be, now she was aware of the character of the ship. She kept her oar and eye fastened on the door with fluctuating feelings, while Letitia, released from the re- straint imposed by the presence of strangers, asked maoj questions, which her sister mechanically answered. nil Ill ill III Hi ! II III i H| M / m ^m 328 THB CANADIAN GIRL. : The child's lively eye first passed round the xreiU furnished cabin, the comfortable carpet, the water-colour paintings of lake scenes on the walls, varnished with the resin extracted from the balsam-trte, the glowing fire made up of larch-wood and coals, the pipe which con- ducted the smoke through the ceiling, the sideboards set out with curious shells, water-weeds, and other nic-nacs, the handsome tables fastened to the floor, an elegant clock, a barometer, and thermometer (which had been part of the plunder of an European vessel), a colossal pair of brass compasses hung up on the wall, and the admirable model of a line of battle-ship hung in the centre of the ceiling, these by turns excited her curiosity. " Sister," she suddenly observed, " I don't under- stand what necessity in general there can be for so ma^ny guns about this ship, unless it were a man-of-war, which I am certain it is not. And do you know, I heard one sailor, speaking to another this morning, call him a " buccaneer ;" and that, my governess saj^s, means a privateer of America, that is, a pirate, and a pirate you told me, was a robber on the seas : it would be a very odd thing if the sailors here were all robbei's, would it not, sister ?" " Nonsense Letty,' you must take no notice of what the sailors say to each othei." " I do not know whether your ladyship has observed any thing peculiar," remarked the governess, addressing Lady Cleveland, " but I have noticed many suspicious circumstances myself, which appear to me to strengthen Lady Letitia s idea ;" and Miss Gresham, who numbered "between thirty and forty years, and had about her all the ex T THE CANADIAN GIRL. 329 affectation of ultra-refinement, looked frightenod in the extreme. " Really, the bare thought is shocking ! — J ^3el greatly excited ! To read of bandits and pirates and all those sort of persons in books, when one is safely and quietly at home, is exceedingly pleasant ; but to be actually within their reach is altogether a different affair. I think, if I may judge by your ladyship's countenance, that you know there are grounds for our apprehensions. Really, I tremble all over ! — 1 am ready to faint 1" ** Pray don't, for I left my salts in the water last evening," said Lady Hester, sarcastically. The gover- ness coloured, and Lady Hester repented. " What description of eneimes do you suppose they were who fought against the crew, last night. Miss Gre- sham ?" asked Lady Cleveland. " I could not imagine," answered the Governess ; " your ladyship, when I remarked to you at the con- clusion of the alarminor encounter how singfular it was that a peaceful trading vessel should be thus attacked* said, if you recollect, that you had learnt they were per* sonal foes of the Captain. Several times I should have expressed my suspicions to you had I not perceived that your ladyship's manner indicated a wish for my silence upon the topic ; the presence of Miss Anderson, too, has checked me more than once." " If you will try to govern your apprehension a little, m^ dear Miss Gresham, I will tell you plainly what I have learned. The great defect in your character, per- mit me to say, as I have often in pure kindnebS told you before, is the want of command over your sensibilitiesk If I had let you known ^ as soon as I had discovered tha fact, that we we^^e at che mercy of a set of men who ki f! ^ *:'^ v.. " ! . ?ki li': 290;Z TOS CANADIAN OUtU defied all \&w but their own turbulent and misguided wills — pirates, in short— you would have been fainting or dying" all this day. Fortitude, and self-command, my dear lady, should be your aim ; with your learning and amiable qualities, they might be well combined." *' Your ladyship is perfectly right, I am weak in mind, very," said the governess; " but you will allow me to remark, that that weakness is in a great degree constitu- tional, and thereibre never to be wholly overcome ; it is a disease deeply rooted in my whole system, and per- haps you, who are naturally so firm-minded, can hardly appreciate the great difficulty with which the least portion of it is dislodged." " Perhaps I cannot," said Lady Hester, ingenuously ; " I acknowledge that constitution solves many riddles^ and this among the number. Many of my own vices, (I will not say foibles, or faults, though these words please one better when speaking of self) I trace to the same source. It will be well for us both, however, if we can refrain from becoming contented with our blemishes, after we have ascribed them to haman nature. When we have discovered a bodily disease in ourselves, we are not satisfied with saying " it is constitutional," but we send for a physician, and take all the remedies with which science can furnish us ; so should we act with regard to our moral diseases. There is a Physician, Miss Gresham, and there are remedies, I believe * safe and sure ones,* to be had, if we choose to make use of them." *' Speaking of this Captain Anderson," said the go- verness, presently, " he is a remarkable figure— a perfect Hbrcules — does not your ladyship think so V* Just then the door opened, and the individual of whom <; a THB CANADIAN OIRL. 831 she ipolie, entered, bowing to Lady Cleveland with the lofty dignity peculiar to him ; and the latter, as she returned the courteous movement, could not refrain from scanning, with a critical eye, the remarkable proportions to which the governess had referred so admiringly. J " I hope you have not felt much inconvenience, lady, from the swell this afternoon," said lia; and Lady Hester remarked to herself that his voice, though it had more volume, was almost as rich and flexible as his son's. " Not much. Captain," said she, very agreeably smiling; " the Earl has complained a little, but we, of the weaker sex, have proved stronger than he on this occasion. But I understood that you retired to bed. Captain Anderson, ill, with the wound you received last night." " I did, Madam, and have just risen. I should have remained in my hammock, I believe, for the next dozen hours without stirring, had I not been anxious for your landing." "1 thank you, Captain, on behalf of myself and friends, most sincerely ; and you cannot wonder if, under existing circumstances," (she laid a sti*ess on the words that convinced the Pirate she was acquainted with his profession) " we are anxious to land." " In a quarter of an hour you will do so," said the Pirate ; " it is to tell you this that I am now here. Our proposed place of anchorage is already in sight There has been a strong wind rising lately in the right direc- tion, and now we give our sails fair play, we shall see the beach shingles presently." ' \The tremors of the distinguished party were quite x&. f 51,.; 'i 333 THE CANADIAN GIRL. lievea by this announcement, and with renewed spirits, under the prospect of safety, they tied on their bonnets and mantillas, in preparation for the welcome change. < The Fearless now flew like a winged thing over the rough and boisterous waves, worked by the steady skill of old Toby, who guided the helm. The decks were clear and clean, except where skins or barrels were dis- played, in order to make a deceptive appearance; the guns had been removed, and the sicies of the ship ap- peared of no more than the common height; the striped American pennant, with a small square in one corner, stamped with a merchantman's device, floated from the mast's bead. Before the Pirate had entered the cabin to acquaint Lady Hester with the welcome fact that the harbour was in sight, he had held a private conversation with Jane, Clinton, and Deborah. It appeared that the Irish girl had been in the larder putting away the rem- nant of the salted mutton, when she overheard several of the privateers conferring together ; one said that the Captain was a fool to think of letting the Earl and his daughters go out of the ship without paying a heavy ransom ; another said that he had hinted to the master what he ought to do, but the skipper was as obstinate as ever, and threatened to hang up the fellow that should dare to demand a single dollar from them — there was no end to his whims ; a third observed, that he was de- termined not to help to run the vessel into harbour until he had part of the cash which the gentleman and ladies carried about their persons ; the same villain then pro- ceeded to propose that the party should be compelled to, pay the crew for their release. ™B CANADUM OlBt, When the Pirafe had reflected a little on fh:. • «nformat,o„, he called the privatl r M P""^""* «gning his post as their CaZf '""'''''' """J. re- aideration of their .enounZ 'ef " ''""' .'" <=- 'trangers, all which belon^^d * k '^ "S^'"'' *« -ell as the vessel itseVf bS/:. I!-' ''^ ^■^^^«'' - oath to betra, „o„e of thel'^a ITi?"'' ' ^t"'"^ circumstances, and statino. tLt •. ' °' '""^«'" ^^Y Mke he left. ^ ""'* " "«« «" his children's li « i^.L S34 THE CANADIAN GIRL. CHAPTER XX. ''jiWi Again we part— again we bid fiirewell I Ah ! who the anguish of oursould can tell? Sternly we cover every torturing throe, And bear, with outwaru amilos, our maudoiiing woe l-^M.Bennttti \^ The l«arbour was now close at hand ; the appearance of the ship was not at ail likely to excite suspicion; all the crew were off the decks excepting Hnverstraw, who was at the helm, Merry, who, in a clean flannel jacket, was turning over a heap of undressed skins of different wild animals, and Clinton, who was walking to and fi'o on the gangway. " Ao:ain ! acjain, to lose sioht of her!" muttered the latter, moving quicker. " When I parted from her in England — when I parted from her at Toronto — I did not suffer what 1 suffer now ! Matchless ! glorious woman ! It is not her fortune that attracts me — no ! would to heaven she were poor as I am, she should then kno^y, and all should know, what a pasbion I havc) for hei ! But she is rich — titled — of an ancient aiid proud family — ^and I must be mute !" He listened ; it was her voice he heard below the hatches ; she was speaking in lively ajcents to her young THR CANADIAN GIRL. Sister A • '-ouW have felt soothe.I so h .t f '" '"'^ '°'"' ^<^ "ot; and he called himsdf 1 tl f"f ' '"' ""'^« "« ' Wing fancied .hat she lov^ hi "'"' "'"""' '"^ -- fri^^ D:7.ht;':^ *' *^r '^^''' ''--'^'' ^V her hand to the black who had iS i ' ' ""'"'^ ^'' -d toHaverstraw^vvhohad™ JV"'"^' ''^'- '''^' *e certainly did. Sho knew he It '"'''■ ^^^' a yard of her-she saw the IZ r"? '**'"''"S '^'"'- ""-t coming nearer-^he La 7 h "'""' ''"'^ «°- "ust be aware of what el" ff!" '""'"' ^'^'■- ^'''^ P-t of this third, hopele s ;, ,V 'e? "" """^"^■ glance did she dei,„ to .i^!^'' ^<" ^^ °- k-nd His ejres w-^rt fastened closelv'nn K ■ hope that he should detect iT, "■' '" "'" '"'"•'of'' stolen glance; but no., thi 11'"'' "'T ^''^^ '°<^''-<«- -Pe bonnet, intervenei a«, '.r f ^^■--. "'^ "- thrown and fastened andth! , ^^'^' ^"^''» ''as *e strangers to the 1 o ' llLVf' "^^ '" ^""^^ and the last moment of Lalv H "^'' '^' '^^'«^. less had arrived and tn " ^ " ' '*"^ '» *e Pear- he see. ' ""^ ^"" """""ht of her features could I-ady Hester's distance of "'^' ^' '"'''' ""^^ than '^- was an age Tjsl;Tl''°^ -'"'<-> hi» suffer. --tes that icedeTS^HX'r;'^'^^''^^*''"^ necessity for eo„ceaIi„„ hi, ,.,.'"^" •'^P"^'"^- '«ie ««-*«o«, iu spite Of Sfb"'^""'^ '» - lis effoitshisj eyes fiUed with I ] h *#it ail K I I : 386 TUB CANADIAN QIRL.' tears, and his face expressed a passionate melancholy; hi8 right hand, which rested on a barrel-head, was tightly clenched. His sister, who now stood behind Ladv Hester, touched it, he turned his head suddenly towards her ; instead of speaking she gazed on his fea- tures with alarmed atrection ; he roturued her kind look with one ^f eloquent moaning, and then sighing ab- ruptly, agaiu turned his hearl toward Lady Hester. The Earl had shaken hands with the Pirate, tlie ladch-r had been lot down to the boat, and he had descended with his vouugest daughter and the goyerness. Lady Hester was the last to go down ; her foot lingered on the deck ; Clinton stood still in mute agony. " I will speak to her !" he inwardly ejaculated. " I will be as firm as she is — I will bid her farewell calmly;" but, when he would haye said the parting word, when he would have pronounced her name, his tongue clove to his moutli ; and when he would have stepped forwards, as his father did, and have shaken hands with her, his feet seemed rnt)ted to the floor, and his hnndto the bar- rel-head. He saw her turn to his sister: their hands met; they drew back; they whispered together; he could see his sister weeping ; film took something from Lady Hester and hid it in her breast. What could it be 1 Catching at the least shred of hope that offered itself, ho fancied it must be some parting token of love for him ; the idea electrified him ; he could not hear what they said to each other, but he saw that both were much affected, and he supposed it related to him. There were no reasons for that supposition, but he clung to it pertinaciously, . \\^ The brief Illusion passed m a moment. Lady Hester »^/- TirE CANADIAN OIRL. 337 mt j:te()pe(l over Uio ship's edpro on the ladder. Tier brief '* Good bye, Mr. Clinton," rung like a knell on bis ear- She was now in tlie boat, and his heart sank as a stone in his breast. ** Fool !" he ojaciilated to hinisolf, for the first thne movinii; from his: petrified position, and gazing a.'ter the boat. " Oh, fool, fool ! I have lost my last opportunity ! I shall see her no more !" With this impression he rivetted his eyes on the fine outline of her tall figure, that he might fix it in his memory to feed upon afterwards. The scene, also, in which he supposed himself to bo viewing her for the last time, was an object of no slight interest, even at that agonising moment, to his highly wrought feelings. The shore was distant from the Fearless about a hun- dred yards ; the last shades of twilight, before night set in, spread the water with a tranquil sombreness, that was not darkness, but had the solemn effect of darkness. To the right and to the left, the land jutted out into the water in pale white precipices of the grandest height, and the most romantic variety of forms ; between them glimmered the red lights of a prosperous fishing station, opri:iklingthe rising ground beyond the low, flat beach ; p.Tid there, in the centre of the picture, close to the beach, two blazing torches now picturesquely showed" the boat in which was the object of Clinton's idolatry. f; The boat returned, and the figures of Lady Hester ard her friends were lost in the deep shadowing of the beach. Clinton had rested both his elbows on the railing of the deck, and his face had sank into his hands, while his eye still turned on the spot where the strangers 22 ] , ia. I'T . I* k \. ■III -Ul mip mm i* f ' " . - ^f^ 'HI m THE CANADIAN GIRL. ksd disappeared. He was first roused by Jane, whose ann he felt tenderly gliding round his neck. ** What is it Jane ? — what have you to say to me ?" ht articulated, with something less than his usual soA» " Nicholas — dear Nicholas !" murmured Jane, be- •rechingly. ** Go down to vour cabin, I will come and talk to jou presently — as soon as 1 am able ;" and he sighed. " Nicholas, I have something for you — something Lady Cleveland left with me for you," Jane whispered, with much feeling. ** For me!" exclaimed Clinton, turning short round, and speaking with vehemence and quickness. " What k it ? — where is it ? Give it me — quick ! Blessings on ymi, dear, kind girl ! you have snatched me from the ilepths of despair l'' and having grasped in his hand a small square packet, which Jane put into it, he ran off to a private place below, where he might examine it undisturbed. His father's sitting-room, which he entered with a Iwunding step, looked somewhat melancholy without the company which had so lately occupied it ; but he little hetded the change, only pressed closer in his hand the precious packet j the door was locked behind him, and lie lighted a candle which stood on the table by thrusting the wick into the fire. " Now !" he ejaculated, " now for the secret on which my fate hangs ! Does she — does she love me still 1 Love me well enough to marry me ? Well enough to trample on the expectations of her friends? — on her pride of birth ? Well enough to overpass the difference THE CiNADIAN OIRL. 839 it which fortune has cast between ui 7 Now I shall see !'' He opened the packet ; a small bit of paper dropped out on the carpet ; he hastily picked it up, and instead of unfolding it at once, tried to conjecture, by feeling it, wh it it contained. " It is hard — and round," said he, with beaming, eyes: " it is — yes, it certainly is — a ring! a gift of love, and she will yet be mine !" here ho ended his sus- pense by opening tiie small folds of the bit of paper, but with strange inconsistency, paused at each fold, as if his death-warrant was within. A glittcrinir rinir did indeed present itself, one which Lady Hester had her- self worn ; it was of wrought gold, set with small dia- monds around a motto, which he read over a hun- dred times; it was her family motto ; yet he could not persuade himself but that it was meant as an allusion to his passion. — " Courage and constancy conquer fate." He repeated the words aloud, pacing the room ; then put the ring on his little finger, and raised it passionately to his lips several times ; now examining the envelope of t]ie packet, he took from within it a note, which he had not before observed. Intensity of expectation by this time produced an ar ' tificial calm in his demeanour, and he sat down delibe- rately to the perusal, first snuffing the candle with re- markable nicety, and stirring the fire into a blaze. His eye flew with impatience along the lines, and when he had reached the bottom of the third page, where ap- peared the dear-loved signature, he returned to the commencement, and read the whole more slowly, as follows: — " While your father's vessel approaches the place s- '*yfi '• HT ')■■ y' 4i 1 t t / ilk. l\ 7 m m m^si F'|; \ 'Wi% #' ' -^1 m w*.- .W'M 340 TR£ CANADfAN GIRL. where I and my friends are to land, Mr. Clinton, I seize the opportunity to say a word or two to you on paper. To think you are not happy, affects me deeply — very deeply. I will not pretend to misunderstand one source of your unhappiness. I always despise and abjure pru- dery from my heart, therefore with frankness I say that I scv' you still regard me. Your dejected look will not fail to haunt me when I am at a distance from you. It is a pity we have met again. Our peculiar trials in former years were sufficiently heavy ft/4* both you and me. " To come to the point with you, Mr. Clinton, I am still your true and anxious friend, and such I will re- main. More than this I cannot say for two or three years to come at least. " I would not let you remain one instnnt in suspense regarding me, if I could help it. I believe you capable of a manly honourable affection, and I fully trust that it is such an one which you entertain for me. Time, I hope, has gi ven you more solidity of character than you once had, and misfortunes have, no doubt, had a puri- fying influence on you. Your former errors have proved salutary pioces of instruction and experience, and you have learned from them how to live more wisely. I give you now two years longer, if at the end of that period your heart is still unchanged, and you have lived the ^IvXe as beseems a man, you may write \o me, and if I am then in existence you shall hear from me in return, '* I have only a few hurried minutes for this important epistle, therefore you will know how to overlook its ab- ruptness. I will give my hand to no man now living, I pledge ycu my word, until the tiro years have expired THE CANADIAN GIRL. 341 and I have heard from, or of you. With this promise you must content yourself as well as you can. " Pray beware of troubling yourself during the period of your probation by any notions of my entertaining some suitor moie apparently my equal in rank. Believe me, to be truly lovedy I estimate of more worth than a crown, and I am not the woman to give a shadow of encouragement to any man whom I do not really value. Now I have made this foolish remark, your vanity will be ready enough to convince you that I have some value for you. Well, in two years I may prove to you that I have. In the meantime I enjoin on you the strictest silence, of course excepting your sister, and perhaps j your father. '' I shall return sooner to England than I had in- tended, in order to avoid the hazard of another painful meeting and parting between us. Remember for your comfort that I live retired henceforward. *' Be wise, be true, and poncler the motto which is upon the ring enclosed. That ring I beg you to accept of me as a sign of my enduring friendship, even should a stern Providence decree that no nearer bond unite us. Farewell ! once more, farewell ! In two years, or a little more, if all is as I hope, I shall say with Moore^s Finlander — * I've but one path on earth, That path which leads to thee.* ** There was a slight knock at the door; Clinton* half bewildered, hurried the letter into his pocket, and then lidmitted Jane. ** My dear brother, 1 was so anxious about you, that I could not keep away,*' said she. ■".tei 342 THE CANADIAN OIRL. " O, Jane I" he exclaimed, agitated in excess of joy ; *' O, Jane, my dear girl, come in ! I have such news for you!" He drew her in, and refastened the door: " See here, Jane — Lady Hester's gift ! see here — her letter ! Read ! look ! In two years, my darling sister, she will be my wife ! Lady Hester herself, in two years —only two ! Could you have dreamt of such fortune^ such happiness — for your brother? There, read her own words ! Read — read !" Jane eagerly read the letter which he thrust into her hands ; then, surveying the ring, repeated some of the sentences aloud, and finally, in a transport of joyful sympathy, sprang into her brother's warm embrace. " This is indeed a wonderful change of prospect for you !" said she, as they sat side by side, the letter and ring lying before them on the table. ** Astonishing!" responded Clinton, his eyes sparkling, then, overlooking the isvo years that were to intervene, and the probability that before that term had expired, one of them might be in that far distant land " where there is neither marrying nor giving in mar- riage," or that Lady Hester, in spite of her promise^ might a second time be induced to sacrifice her inclina- tions to the shrine of family pride, or that she might be- come acquainted with some of his errors in America, and refuse to fulfil her voluntary engagement with him ; overlooking these probabilities and all others which were of an adverse nature, he talked animatedly to his sister of what he would do for her and for his father when he should be Lady Hester's husband ; of the ac- complished society to which he was sure Lady Hester would delight to introduce her, of the almost certain THE CANXDIAN GIRL 343 chance of h^r becoming the elected of some Admirable Crichton, some Apollo of literature and fashion; of books and periodicals; the music and the literary talk that should brighten the retirement which it would perhaps be necessary their father should maintain ; and of many similar extravagancies, that in the whole formed as dazzling a castle in the air as ever Aladdin's genii of the lamp could have constructed. Jane could not avoid feelincf a little dizzy in the midst of this whirl of glittering ideas, but on the sudden she check*?d him by saying, rather pensively and with a downcast air, " I shall never marry— never. I shall never go into society however fascinating it may be, whatever opportunities I may have. I shall live with my father, and not stir from his side ;" then followed 9 little sigh, and a very faint blush, and a shade of pain altered her usually serene face. " Jane, you are thinking of Mr. Lee," said Clinton after a brief examination of her speaking features, " I had quite forgot him. Nay now, my sister, youi need not sigh again, as much as to say but /had not. I can believe you. I remember your theory about immutable love, eh, Jane ? and you are not like some philosophers who teach one system and practise another, are you ? Ah ! another rosy blush," said he, laughingly tapping her cheek ; " another sigh too under your breath ; then 1 mus( be serious. I might be able to persuade Lady Hester to reside in America, near the Pastor's lodge, and then, if Mr. Lee would acknowledge me as a brother, and for- get the past, what think you, should we not be happy then f"' " Mr. Lee will never be yotir brother," said Jane ; Ml^ r-t t 344 TIIR CANADIAN OIRL. she little knew this was a fatal prediction, destined to be fulfilled in an awful manner, that was mercifully hid even from her remotest conception. " He will never be more to me than an acquaintance," said she ; but in this she was mistaken. " Why do you smile, Nicholas ? It is very absurd of you to put on that knowing look." " And it is very abs!ird of you," said Clinton, " to say such foolish things with so positive an air. Who knows not that love can set the strongest resolutions at defiance ?" " It will not set mine at defiance," ^ .turned Jane ; ** I am quite sure to live single all my days," and she repeated the word sure. ** As sure as I am," retorted Clinton, provokingly. " And if not," continued Jane, " I am sure alter what has passed, that the last person I should be likely to marry would be Mr. Lee." " I hope so — and the first — ^for I should be sorry to see my sister enter twice into the holy estate of matri- mony," said Clinton, still with a teasing smile. ** Well, well, I see you are determined to be tor- menting, Nicholas, so I will ^ay no more to you • *i this subject, lest I should lose my temper — ^" " For the first time," interrupted Clinton. " I feel so wondrously happy, that I am very much disposed to flatter you. You possess the quintessence of a ten,) er — don't yoi: remember Mr. Lee used to tell you so ?" " Oh, go on," said Jane, " I shall not say another word." Clinton wrapped up lady Hester's letter, putting the ring inside, his heart still bounded ecstatically. ** Come, be reconciled," said he, playfully, bending THE CANADIAN GIRL, 'M5 over Jane. She raised her face smilingly, and he kissed her forehead. " I have fourid a tender sister, and whiio she is the girl she is now, I shall love her fondly, whether she ever have a husband or not." Now, softened by the prospect of such good fortune as he anticipated, Clinton, with every mark of contrition, opened his heart to his sister on the subject of his past guilt. He concealed nothing from her, and, while she suffered indescribably on hearing the dread account, the pangs of his compunction found a sympathetic echo in her own breast, and from that moment, pity for him, and anxiety for him, not urniingled with admiration of the as yet un vitiated parts of his originally £ne character, heightened the merely natural feeling she had for him into a fond affection. K: t 111 r- ;,^r ■M'l ■' v-^l' f • i' f ' t ; , !■ -''iif m 41 m 346 THR CANADIAN niRT.. CHAPTER XXI. " What I can do to make amends to heaven For past transgressions, I will do. I go Trom you and my unlawful callinsr."— O/t/ Play. ■I' J ** Now, Jenny, be active ; come — prepare — we set off in a few hours, my little girl. You have your wish at last." Jane, as she heard her father say this, felt a sweet emotion of pleasure, surpassing any thing she had ever felt before. In a second she had summoned Deborah, and had given her directions to pack up. " But you will not leave all this furniture behind V* said she, inquiringly to the Pirate, glancing round the sitting-room. " All — even to the ornaments," was the decisive re- ply ; *« every thing about must be left as I have used them, excepting only my clothing." Jane and Deborah were now on their knees, busily packing boxes large and small, the latter murmuring to herself against " the nonsinsical idaa of laving behind all the nate goods," which were in the three cabins, but keeping her voice low, out of respect for Miss Anderson THE CANADIAN GIRL. 347 " Debby,V said Jane, liesitatinga little, and stopped. ** What is it, Miss ?" there was a sourness in the tone. ** Debby," again began Jaiio, and again paused^ ** you have behaved very kindly to mo. Who, besides yourself, would have staid uith me in this ship, if they could have left it? No one. And you have not asked me for money once. I wisli, Debby, that I could now give you something of more value than this," putting a bank note of a small amount into her hand, '* to prove to you how much I feel your kindness ; but since I can- not, you will I hope take the will for the deed. That note will just pay you as much as you would have re- ceived if you hsftl been in the lodge all this time, and no more." " May I be burned, Misthr'?ss Jane, if I touch a far- things worth of the money at his time! Indeed an' I wont — no — by St. Pathrick and all the howly saints !" " But hear me, Debby," continued Jane, speaking in broken sentences ; " we shall stay a few hours in a town, my father tells me, and there, I am sorry to say, I must bill you good-bye. You will want money until you get a situation. I hope you will soon find one ; I have no doubt you will." " Did you say I must get a situation, Missthress Jane Anderson — did you say that ?" exclaimed the Irish girl, her face turning fiery red as she sat back on her heels, letting some articles of female dress drop out of her hands. " Yes — it must be so," replied Jane, almost weeping^ ** And may I be bowld to ask the why. Miss V* " There are several reasons," said Jane ; " you il 348 THR CANADIAN OiRf knoTf ray father must live in some place lliat is very re- tired — ana we shall have but few conveniences, and — " *' Convaniences, Miss ! I l.ope I can do without 'em as well as \yith 'em," interrupted Deborah, *' I'd be no Irish-born girl else ! My mother and father lived in a mud-cabin, and the pigs laid with us childer in the strah. And if you knew what the poor Irish put up with in England when they go there in their distriss, to seek work, och, Misthress Jane ! you'd nivir forgit "t, I'd bo bound. I ha^. a sister, poor thing ! died iii liundon cf .1. f* 1 r Ir. :t;»_^h': on by starvation. Nivir talk to me of co^" va 'eaci * !" " But, Uobby. ; ou may be so comfortable in st.me respectable family," argued Jane. • " No, Miss, I have fixed my mind on living with you, and no one else, and I shall take it mighty hard if I am denied, so I tell you plainly. I don't want rigular wages at prisint, nor convaniences, I only ask to live with you. Whin I can be certain that you have money to spare, and I want some, I shall make bowld to ask for a thrifle, and what board and lodgin you may be able to conthrlve for me, be it bad or good, will sarve me well enough, I'll be bound. You won't find me grumble.'* " Do not blame me afterwards if you stay with me ; YOU know what you have to expect," said Jane, who in reality was very reluctant to part with the attached and disinterested girl. " Nivir mintion it," cried Deborah, delighted with the concession, " all's one to me. Hough or smooth, nothin will come amiss, while I'm sarvin you and your frinds/' Very well, I yield," said Jj*ne. " Yet remember i.( c« THM CANADIAN GIRL. •49 that I particularly advise you now to settle in some good family where you may have an opportunity for advan- cing yourself in life'* " If its sittled I am to stay with you, I thank vou .iiany times, Misthress dear," said Deborah, ** and you will Tilase n*j all the better if you will take back this bit of pa^)er. It's very likely I'll lose it, and at any rate it s as safe in ycr kaping as in mine. Depind on me, I sha'nt be backward in asking for it whin I have a need foi the same.' " I will take charge of it for you very willingly, if that is all," said Jane ; " but the note is your own, whether it remain in my hands or in yours ' '^his mat- ter settled, the boxes were expeditiously ^lle and di- rected in the name of M. Vaudry. Mer v ;^ipeared to convey them to the deck, where Toby svui^ them into a batteau, which wjis on the water, read^ "7r the Pirate^s use. The morning was just breaking, and the air being rather sharp, some of the privateers were walking briskly up and down. All who had been able to leave their beds had come up to see their Captain take his leave. Owing to his masterly conduct in the late fight, and to his judicious generosity in leaving them the vessel and its contents, he was just now at the highest pitch of popularity among them. Some talked of his past exploits, and feared that the best days of the stout buccaneer- ship were over ; others, (those who hoped for the vacant command) praised him with some reserves, and hoped to see the buccaneer trade prosper better than ever, when tbey should have a leader less whimsical than him, ' £1 350 THE CANADIAN OIRU But every voice was blended in a shout, when he •tepped from the hatches prepared to quit them. He had altered his dress to tliat of a French-Canadian far- mer, for the purpose of disguise. The grey cloth coat, buttoned closely over his ample chest to the throat, and reaching to his knee, displayed his figure to perfection, nor was the brilliant coloured scarf wanting around his waist, nor tlio red botmci on his head. The bonnet he pulled off when receiving the noisy greetings of the crew, and bowed his proud acknowledgements to them. Raising his sounding voice, witli a tritling degree of agitation, he spoke a few sentences, which were received with unbroken silence and attention. " Men," said he, " 1 thank you fur these expressions of your affection fur mc. I will hope they are sincere. 1 will believe that you are all satisfied with my conduct while I have l)een vour leader." " All ! — all !" was tiie vocil'eroiis response. " I thank you," he several times repeated. " And my motives for leaving you I am to understand are sup- posed good ?" " Yes !— yes 1" " You do not now tiiink that I have bargained with your enemies for my own life by betraying you all?" There was silence for a moment, as if the suspicion were not quite extinct among them ; but in another second all seemed ashamed of the doubt, and answered him by unequivocal acclamations. " Thanks — thanks," repeated the Pirate. Then, lifting his arm impressively, he exclaimed, " When I betray one of you knowingly, may heaven totally desert me ! I will never do it !" THE CANADIAN OIRL. 351 Tb0 hearts of the fierce listeners were softened ; tome hard eyes were seen glistening as if tears had almost found a passage there ; and on some brutalised features a noble enthusiasm was glimmering like sunbeams on a muddy pool. The grey firmament seemed bending over the outcasts, breathing peace and goodwill ; on the eastern half, two or three faint silvery stars were just disappearing amid a holy stillness ; on the western, a more lustrous whiteness was spreading, varied with small clouds bathed in rosy tints. '* Some of you know that I was deceived into the post I have occupied," continued the Pirate. ** Speak the truth — was it not so? Was I not led to believe that nothinfif worse than smuggling was intended by you ?" ** Ves !" answered several voices from different parts of the ship. ** Yet 1 have been true to you to the present moment," (a shout). " Well now, friends, at parting let me ad- vise you to return to the original plan," (a murmur, mingled with a few approving voices). " I have no in- tarests of my own to serve. If you choose to remain Pirates, I leave you my good vessel, and all that is in her; if you become smugglers, I do the same. But I speak for your good as men ; there is no excuse to be made among people for a Pirate, for a smuggler there is. Men of approved honesty in society encourage smugglers, therefore they cannot really suppose smuggling to be a dishonest thing. Be smugglers — you will never want firiends; be smugglers — you will be secretly welcome everywhere, and money will flow in upon you. Inhere IS a great deal in a robber's choice of a name, my friends, let me tell you."^ .iS^ i a52 TITR CANADIAN GIRL. His partly serious, partly sarcastic remarks, pUtted and amused the men, and the proposal was received with more attention than he expected. A rapid, noisy, and animated discussion took place; some, the least de- jjraved of the sot, at once argued in favour of the change ; others, the worst of the crow, hotly opposed it ; how- ever, their Captain renewed his arguments, which had fio much weight with all, that after a second consultation they unanimously determined to give up piracy, and confine themselves to the circulation of contrahand g;ood8 between the Canadas and the United States, only with the proviso, that if the new trade should not be found as profitable as the old one, they should go back to the lat- ter. The Pirate, as we shall continue to call him, was well pleased that he had been the means of bringing the men no had commai^ded a little nearer the pale of honest JiCf and thought it some good done. " I have to thank you for one remarkable part of your behaviour to me,'* said he, speaking lower, but still so that all might hear ; " my daughter has lived in this ship perfectly unmolested — her father is grateful. Rude and lawless as you appear, you have respected the feelings of an innocent girl, I shall remember it to your honour, when I am gone from you." This praise improved their tempers still more, and as Jane appeared they fell back with a delicacy worthy of better men. She took Clinton's arm as if for protection from the numerous faces which gazed on her, and fas- tened her eyes modestly on the ground. The Pirate took her hand, and whispered to her as he led her to the spot where she was to descend to the boat. There^ TUB CANADIAN OIRL. 353 ttoppinf^ as he wished, she gathered confidence, and looked around with timid kindness on the excited crew, bowing to them expressively. She appeared to much advantage, her neat figure wus attired partly in the Canadian ccdtume, a pretty jacket, or mantelet, of fine brown cloth, fitted easily above a full skirt of rich crimson wool, and a graceful straw hat co- vered her dark brown hair. The smooth locks in front were combed back plain over her temples. As she smiled, and slightly waved her hand, her features were stamped with the mildest and purest expressions, such as made you in love with virtue, even more than with herself. Clinton retained his hunter's dress, his additional wardrobe was confined within the dimensions of a very small pack, that was loosely strapped to his back, so as to come under his right arm. He had assisted his sister into the batteau, when Deborah made her appearance, comfortably wrapped up in a voluminous stuff cloak and bonnet. Some delay was now caused by the sailors insistinor that the Captain should take the furniture and orna- ments of his cabins with him. In a brief space they had cleared out a canoe which had stood on deck, filled with various articles, and had slung it down to the water be- side the batteau. Enthusiasticallv the men combined in the task of filling it with chairs, tables, mattrasses, car- pets, d 0., while the Pirate and his children stood by, touched to the heart. " Now this is hacting something like," said Havcr- straw, looking admiringly on the busy crew. ' 1 didn't think there was any heart in 'em at all;'" here he 23 vS <>< .:A,yi m-ri]i '^■A "■'^m ij H 354 THE CANADIAN GIRL. J (I il m knocked the dead aslies out of a short pipe, and put it in the jwcket of his pea-jacket, " but I see Providence will never let men be every hit black, there is always some white spot about the blackest rogues if it could but be found out." Merry twitched his sleeve. " Me keep you company ? — Me go wid you ?" said he, with much earnestness and determination. " Me miserable here ib you and Massa Captin go away. Massa Captin it was who took me aboord when me run from old Somers* cowskin ; de Captin use me rery well here — ^me lub him very well. By gor me not stay when you and de Captin gone !" and tears floated on the strong white and black of his eyes, and rolled down his sooty cheeks. " The men wont let you go^ Merry, I'm almost sure of it,'' said Toby, whose furrowed and weather-haidened face had expressed much complacency in the prospect of his own removal, but now softened with sympathy for the negro. '* No — no ; three of us at once will be too many for 'em to lose. They wont let you go, take my word for't." " Me a free buccaneer, Toby !" cried the black, with vehement gestures. " Me no slavey now ! Me not stay here ib me not like! Why dey let you go, an' not me, tell me dat, old man V* " 'Cause I am an old man, boy," quietly answered Haverstraw. ** I tell you what, young blacky," he added, taking hold of the shirt collar of the negro, and detaining him, as he was turning away in a rage, ^* if YOU want to keep me company, vou had better get back the nat*ral colour of your own skin afore you go talkinir so iature is now in her most sur« prising attire ; the boasted summer has nothing to ex- ceed these glories, has nothing more inimitable, more surpassing. The enclosure in which the broken-hearted Lucy slept was covered with a winding- sheet of purest ice, that shone all over with flittering i)articles. The Pastor and his grandson, in fur-trimmed great coats, bear-skin caps and gloves, took a mo** ing walk from the lodge to this me- lancholy spot. They pursued the sheep-walk, descended into the lower jmrts of the valley, went up the few steps of the enclosure, and proceeded in silence along the path which led to the isolated grave. The Pastor had his gold-headed cane in his hand, and he leaned on it with symptoms of weakness. His up- right figure had become bent under the weight of his afflictions. His benign face was now deeply furrowed, and it had lost its healthy complexion. Sorrow had pressed heavily on the good divine. Arthur's manly countenance had becom tually serious, his manner more uniforu)' had sought consolation in religion, and 1 fairest hopes blighted on earth, he had etermined to seek no more the phantom of earthly ..tppiness, but looked forwards with calm faith, and a i xed expectation to a future world of joy. They both stood still by the two pair of cypressc?^ which, in the summer, had overshadowed Lucy's prave with their dark fringed branches. There ^v\s just room more habi- He ■rave. ing had his 360 TR« CANADIAN GIRL. M' between their double roots for another grave ; " Whose will it beT' thought the Pastor, looking down on the white soil, and then up at the sky, with meek resigna- tion in his eye. while both his hands rested on the top of his stick ; " Lord, if me, I am ready ; I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Thee, and the dear ones I bave lost. Yet I would be passive in Thy gracious bands ; * all the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come.' " Arthur leaned his elbow on a beautiful tombstone that had been made of the white marble with which the district abounded. It was of an uncommon and antique shape, and bore this inscription— LUCY LEE, AGED 19 YEARS AND 4 MONTHS; ' BORN IN ENGLAND, IN THE RECTORY-HOUSE OK ILTON, SUrPOLK, MARCH, 1805. DIED JULY, 1824. " She is not dead, but sleepeth.^^ * The noble evergreen cypresses were still any thing but bare of foliage, which was loaded with superb frost-work. The clergyman and Arthur Lee lingered a little while in the neighbourhood of the tomb conversing. Time had taken away the first sharp agony of grief, and a tender regret, a calm, resigned sorrow, had succeeded in its place. They were of one mind and one heart in faith and hope, and the certainty of a blissful meeting with 'ihe dear departed in a happier state of being, was so continually before their mutual sight, and they so fre- quently made it a subject of converse between them- selves, that gradually a halo of hope encircled the dark THE CANADIAN OIRL. 3(il i^:yn into which their hopes had descended, and peace shone on their desolated hearts once more. They now slowly returned to their tranquil, if not happy home. When they addressed each other it wai with peculiar tenderness and respect, for each felt the value of his beloved and only companion, relative, and friend, and anticipated the hour when a second bereave- ment must divide even them. It was a very unusual thing for either to advert to Clinton or Jane, but as they now proceeded on their walk they did so without intending it. "I have never heard you say that you forgave him,*' said the Pastor. An expression of seUled resentment was instantly apparent on Arthur's face, and he said not a word for some minutes. " It is hard to do so,'* atleng'i; i.3 observed, as if arguing with himself, rather than replying to his grand- father; " it is almost beyond the strength of nature." ** But it is not beyond the power of grace, my dear grandson," said the Pastor reprovingly ; " with God all things are possible. * If ye forgive not men their tress- passes, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you.' " " May God forgive him — I will try to do so," said Arthur, emphatically, while in his heart the obligations of the Christian struggled with the deep-rooted indig- nation of the man. "If our departed Lucy is now a happy, glorified spirit made perfect, which I thank the Lord we have no reason to doubt," said the Pastor, as they descended into the lower, and most rocky parts of the glen, " think you sne can look with pleasure on your continued i t ' • '^M 862 THB CANADIAN OIRL. h in 7 K anger against that misguided, but I still hope not totally iepraved, young man. If she is now with the Lord, who, when he was dying on the cross, forgave his des- troyers, can she, do you think, approve your unpar^ doning temper toward him who really was but the indi- rect cause of her death ?" " No, you are right, grandfather — you are right!" exclaimed Arthur, mastering his natural feelings ; '^ this unholy bitterness which I feel against Mr. Clinton must, and, with the help of Almighty strength, shall be uppressed." The Pastor wept. " I surely ought not to repine," said he, " since I have a child led to me so willing to obey the Divine commands." Occasionally, as they walked along, they slackened their steps, and dwelt with quiet admiration on the well- known scene, now so altered by its frosty drapery that it hardly looked the same. The vale here was narrow, sunken between tremendous elevations. On one side stretched that monotonous and vast mountain wall which has been before described; on the other, arable soil, .ibounding in evergreens, and diversified with rocky crags, swelled up to every variety of height and shape. Snow might have concealed the beauty of the scene., but the glassy ice, and the lovely hoar-frost, had a contrary elFect. The stern majesty of the bare rocks, and the dark tints of those parts of the evergreens which had not received the frost, admirably set off the effulgent glitter that everywhere else enchanted the eye. Arthur, with a settler's anxious interest, scanned thi corn land along the mountain foot, and inwardly spear- lated on the coramg year's harvest?. i. THE CANAOTAN GIRL. 3G» The surface of tlie track they were upon crackled under their feet ; their breath froze about the fur collars which were pulled up over their chins ; the radi'\ncy of the sun, and the dryness and clearness of the atmosphere, were invigorating and delightful in spite of the intense cold. As they proceeded, they were completely surrounded by hills clothed with evergreens; the mighty trees cracked with a sound like thunder under the pressure of the ice ; their regular branchless shafts running up straight to a surprising height, and covered with the shining particles of the hoar frost, permitted a wide range of view into the depths of the woods. Arthur, who was very little given to the quoting of poetry^ nevertheKjsss inapiivil by the scene, repeated theso lines, smilingly, to bis grandfather : — *' \)I tiiat thou seeat is Nature's handiivork ;— Those rocks that upward throw their moB>7 brows. Like castled pinnacled of elder times ; Tho>je venerable stems, that slowly rock Thpir towering branches in the wintry gale; That field of frost which glitters in the sun, Mocking the whiteness of a marble breast." 1 in " God's handiwork, my dear grandson," interrupted the Pastor. " The hancilwork of nature's God. I couM nave thought I had, instead of you, Mr. Clinton at mjr siiic. The ^oung man was certainly very pleasing so» cietv, and had a fine relish for the works of creatioa Well, it is a pity his principles were corrupted — a very great pity. 1 wonder what has become of him." AH abrupt tirn hail brought them in sight of the )odg' while the Pastor was speaking this with an 361 THE CANADIAN OIRt. ii earnestness tliat told plainly he had not entirely fff^ml himself from his prepossession for the individual he had named. ** What is that before the door ?" asked he, stopping, taking Arthur's arm and pointing. " A sleigh t Yes, surely it is. What visitors have we here, I wonder ? Perhaps the Bathursts.'* " No, that is not the Doctor's sleigh," said Arthur ; ** nor is that Miss Bathurst." A thickly-muffled female figure sprang out from the vehi'^le, and, received by the servants, entered the front doorway ; a young man, in a shaggy overcoat^ with a bear-skin cap on his head, then led the horses with the carriage round to an outhouse at the back of the lodge. ** I cannot imagine who they can be if not the Ba- thursts," said the Pastor, pushing forward at a quicker pace, with the help of Arthur's arm. " Next sabbath is not sacrament day, or I should think they were tw of our communicants come to prepare for the ordinance with us. Who can they be ? I certainly expected no one at present." The abundant smoke that curled straight upwards from the four huge chimneys of the lodge, gave com- fortable evidence of the unstinted fires within. The cold white sides of the building were cheerfully relieved too by the thickly-draperied windows in front, through each of which a ruddy light streamed out upon the frozen flower-beds. The Pastor and Arthur opened the little gate in the palisades that surrounded the building, and crossed the garden, which had much fallen off in appearance and vaiuo since the decease of Miss Lee and the depar- ; i'«m -il '«i•^^. '"l.'^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) % z %o 1.0 I.I ISO ■^~ ■■■ £f U& 12.0 m 1 1.25 1 1.4 ||.6 ^ 6" ► Photographic Sciences Corporation <■*!<'=' %% '^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 %0 366 THE CANADIAN GIRL. 1'^ h' w pill': m ill U sobriety, and religion, was remarkably diftused amon^ tbem, and plenty and peace followed as an almost ne- cessarv result. • The Pastor and Arthur inquired of Jacob who had arrived. He smiled, and then affected to look tmcon- cerned, patting the horses, which were two handsome greys, and stroking their shoulders, from which he had just taken two woollen cloths that had defended them from the cold. The sleigh was apparently new, of the most fashionable phaeton shape, raised on runners, lined at the sides with crimson cloth, and at the bottom with mats as soft and warm as down ; the handle of the door of the vehicle was of silver, and on the middle panel, on a dark ground, appeared a very minute coat of arms. The harness of the horses were ornamented with silver, and the bells were of the same material. These signs of the wealth and distinction of the stran- gers (for this sleigh neither the Pastor or Mr. Lee had seen before, and certainly it could not belong to any of their ordinary acquaintances) excited some surprise in the minds of both. ... " They were a lady and gentleman,'* was all Jacob could or would say of them. " The lady was so wrapped up he could only see a pair of modest looking eyes and a smiling mouth — thought she was youpg — knew the gentleman was — they were in the sitting-room." To the sitting-room accordingly Arthur and the Pastor directly proceeded, only stopping a minute in the kitchen to divest themselves of their great coats, gloves, and caps. They both instinctively paused at the sitting-room door; the ^ady and gentleman were speaking to each other within, and Arthur looked at his grandfather, crim- chaii THE CANADIAN GIRL. 3«7 crim- soned, and looked stern; and the Pastor looked at his orandson, and turned a shade paler than ordinary. The latter was the first to enter. The young lady was sitting half enveloped in a rich fur mantle, and velvet pelisse, that she had loosened about her neat figure. She abruptly turned her mild and sensible countenance as she heard a footstep in the rpom, and, springing up, extended her hand, exclaiming eagerly and affectionately — " My dearest grandfather ! will you give me a welcome for a day or two in the house where I once lived as Jane Anderson ?" ; , . ' "Jane! — what is it Jane come back!" cried the surprised Pastor, cordially returning her warm greeting, but having hardly noticed the word " grandfather;" *' I have not seen you, my dear, since that sad timf when I lost my Lucy." He pressed his hand on his eyes a moment. " Ah ! now I look at you, Miss Jane, slie seems to rise before me — I think I see her again." He wiped his eyes, and Jane wept with artless susceptibility. ** She loved you," added the Pastor, sitting down beside Jane, who by his desire had resumed her seat ;*' you were very happy together for some time; but uninter- rupted felicity is not the lot of mortals." " I come to you as a near relative, my dear sir," said Jane ; " I claim to be received by you as a grand- daughter. Read this letter which a friend of my bro- ther's brought out lately from England." The Pastor had just opened the folded sheet of paper, which she took from an elegant reticule and gave him, when Arthur slowly entered, with infinite self-possession, and met the eye of Clinton. The latter rose from the chair instantly, and said, hurriedly — «■ US !ti I 3Gd THE CANADIAN GIRL. ii t " Mr. Lee, this visit will no doubt surprise you. To account for it, we must introduce ourselves to you as your cousins, and as bearing the same relation to Pastor Wilson which you yourself bear." ^ ** Indeed, Mr. Clinton ! how is that ?" inquired Ar- thur, distantly, keeping his eye carefully turned from Jane. " Certainly I am surprised. You will be so good as explain V* ** The letter which Pastor Wilson is reading: contains my explanation," returned Clinton, who, in spite of his previous resolution not to see any coldness in Mr. Lee's manner, was chilled by his iraperturble gravity, and by the sternness of his features. " My mother, Mr. Lee, was the sister of your mother, and the daughter of your grandfather." " Indeed !" exclaimed Arthur, losing a little of his frigidity, " if this be true — " • ' • *' If it be true, sir !" echoed Clinton, taking fire at the doubt. " How long is it since you discovered this ?" asked Mr. Lee; at that moment he frowned, and seemed to shrink. Jane's well- remembered voice was speaking softly to the Pastor further up the room, for Clinton had sat down by the door to glance at a book, which lay on a small work-table that had been Lucy's, while his sister had ^one to the fire. " Very lately — not until this letter came — did we know the singular circumstance," answered Clinton j ^* it reached us at Quebec, where we were staying." " Indeed — very strange," repeated Arthur, casting ois eye one brief moment toward Jane, and withdrawing il instantly, while another frown succeeded to the first. THE CANADIAN OIRL. ^^ With indignant feeling. " a„j , ^, " Vou have tZ '"^ ""*' °^ """ "*>«"•" ^. ^J^ ha. el»U. another „a,„e then?" •' She is my sister Mr t -•her has „;,,,,; f;^^^^^^^^^^^^ »ny thoughts of one." ' *" ">■ '"'""ledge The face of Arthur ,.1 i W' •'yes again and J;"' , "'"'' "- P-'"-'. ".prng - '-"^eed „; .ie ndtn:;:'.-?"' -^^^ ^""'-' B-fcome, off ,vith your s.mfl t ''"''"''''"■"'" •' »"d "hen you have hZTfr '"""' ™^ "'-s, --♦he keen air .nuX ,^t -- ^-"Hich , a™' """ *»lk it all over. I have a I H "" "'''""''«' ''« -I shall hardl, U„o,v Ze 'o" T"""' *° "^ i'"-: H,ere vo„ „et wi, j; 'f "; ^hall „a„e ^ -♦«n«you .ere brother andSr,--"": --" '"""""' 24 ^^^'^^'""'J'at manner fmm a^i }»i *; 4' IftM '^»f«W: M?' ,1 •70 THK CANADIAN OlRL. > f if tl III! i:^'! U ;l It"' VOU) Mr. Clinton, discovered your father? — what serf <». life he has been leading since your dear mother's death? —and how it is I find vou cominrf hither like ricrh sei^nors with a coat of arms and silver harness to your sleigh ?" — (heranof the bell as he spoke the last sentence) — " and what has become of Dv'borah f Here Deborah's sub- stitute in the lodtje entered, preventing the reply. Sho was the eldest daughter of a Scotch storekeeper, a rci- cheeked, fat, sour- looking datiisel, " What's your vvull. sir?" asked she, holding np tin- corner of a dirty checked apron to her mouth.^ and sta- ring with vulgar curiosity at the visitors. " D'uner — dinner, Patty ! lot us have it in good tiiiic, if you please." " It'll na be ready yet, sir." replied the louring olrl, who detested being put out of her way, which was alvvavs the case when she was required to do anything quicker than ordinary, that was, in proper time. " Get it ready as soon as possible, then, Patty," saiil the good natured Pastor, " and let there be an extra dish or two. Has the Indian Sassa or liis brother brougtit in any venison, or any birds, this morning ?" " Nay-— I dinna ken — I seen none — nought to crack o' — -a pheesant, that's a'." *' That's plenty, Patty, for one morning's shooting, if it tt a fine one. You have roasted it, have you ?" <« It's doon at the fire." r " That will do ; now take away Miss Jane's extra garments. Or what say you, Jane, my dear, can you llnd your way up stairs yourself? The rooms stand just as thej did/*' ^* I shall not lose myself, I dare say," said Jaue, THK CANADIAN GIRL S7i >rt<>. atb? oh V ' txnd sub- She a vete the other end of the long apartment, and discreetly took o notice of the pair. " You look particularly well — I hope vour heart is as little altered as your countenance," Arthur hmriediy whispered as he opened the door for her. " You must never leave this lodge again, Jane. You must stay with your new grandfather henceforward-^you laiist indeed. The house is quite another place when you are in it. I assure you it is melancholy to live in it while you — " She tripped away up the staircase without waiting « ^^hi 372 THK CANADIAN' OIRL. fV the conclusion of his incoherent speecli, playfully i»iiuking her head, and venturing one look down on hiiii from the upper balusters. In that look there was kindness enough to revive Arthur's hopes, and he went back into the sitting-room with a heart once more awakened to bright ideas ot domestic happiness, for which he was peculiarly fitted, and for which he had always ardently thirsted. Jane had been powerfully struck with his agitation, his tone of voice, and his look of undisguised affection. She was certain that he loved her well, and as the con- viction pressed upon her, she threw herselt down in an easy chair in the room that had formerly been her chamber, and wept with unalloyed delighl. In his character there was every thing to admire, she thousht to herself; he was so open, so sincere, possessed of such admirable principles, so industrious, so dutiful to his grandfather, and so devoted to his Maker. It was true he was sometimes severe, and rather obstinate, too, hi the carrying out of his principles, and a little — a very little — disposed to be hard and proud ; these defects had caused their former separation ; but then, what man ever lived without defects ? and ought she nyt now tc forgive his offence, considering that, after all, it wa; nothing very serious. " I do certainly esteem him more than any other man I ever saw," said she ; and then she remembered that it had been Lucy's wish to see her married to Arthur. But as she was unfastening her pelisse, it occurred to her ili'dt^ bcfuie sho came on her present visit, she had dp*crrained, beyond doubt, never for a single moment to billow him to look upon her at more than a friend and TIIK CANADIAN GIRL. 3V:i » cousin, and that she had spent many an hour planning how to behave to him on all imaginary occasions. " Is it possible," thought she, " that the impressions of a moment can have destroyed all my judicious plans — is it possible ?"" It was possible ; not that Jane was weak, but the fact was, that her anger against Arthur had been mere girlish pique, and m its very nature destined to be short-lived, while a durable affection for him had kept its ground beneath. The result proved to be this — Arthur's suit was taken up at the exact point where it had been broken off two years before. He confessed himself wrong in having treated the Pirate so unceremoniously, as he was Aer father, and threw himself on her mercy. That mercy was not denied him. Thus there was an end of their difference ; the painful separation they had borne en- deared them doubly to each other, and the Pastor and Cimton rejoiced to see their perfect noreement. 374 Til*. CANADIAN GIRl. :i 11 J J! III m U' CHAPTER xxni. •• Pain and sorrow shuU vanisli befovn us, Youth nmy wither, but feeling will last ; All the shadow that e'er sliall fall o'er ur, Love's liftht summer-cloud sweetly shall ('ast."—- Jlca** After three hours of intimate and really happy con- versation round the great stove which stood in the mid- dle of the sitting-room, the four newly-united relatives separated for a little time, Jane to amuse herself as she pleased, Arthur to see that his cattle, hogs, and poultry were properly fed, and safely shut up for the night, the Pastor to choose his text, and arrange the subject of his next sermon, and Clinton to walk out viewing the new settlements in the valley. > To Jane's domestic, home-loving temper, every thing in this house, which had been a home to her, and which was likely to be so again, and permanently, was an object of peculiar interest. The soft, blameless feelings of her soul, were seen in her eye as it passed tearfully from object to object in the room, dwelling on some but a moment, on others with a long and lingering gaze^ inspired by mournful recollections of her deceased friend. This family apartment (which well merited the epithet TIIK CANADIAN (ilRL. 375 larfre. Tor it would havocontaineil tlirco unJin.'iry rooms) oxhibitcd numerous door& carui'ully surrounded vv'itli rriuison cloth to exclude all drauj^lits; one of these was ihe principal entrance of the house, cxtrcnuly iJirge, which Jane openeil, iiteppino; out under a plain portico. And there before her were the groves of hemlock, pine, inid cedar, that her memory had so nuicli !f. '>Sli ¥Mi 376 THB CANADIAN niUL. ri W" fi t / those windows were more lisfhtly draporiod. Miss Lee had looked throuflfh them upon the moon for tho I.ist time, and had spoken her last words. Jane recalled tlio very sound of her voice andevery word; then, overcomo with the sense of her great loss in tho death of so dear a friend, buried her face in the cushions and wept pas- sionately. Here Arthur entered, smilinnf, and smacking a small whip, having just come from tlie stables. " Those are beaiitilul greys of yours, my dear Janc,^ he began, but seeing her tearful face, he looked on her anxiously, then at once comprehending the cause of her tears, turned away, and walked up the room, as if to warm his feet by the stove, where ho stood knocking the ice from them, while Jane dried her eyes, and resumed her usual unaffected cheerfulness. He then spoke to her with lively tenderness, and they walked together to the back of the house. The poultry-yard was nearly filled with hardened snow that had been drifted into it; the fish-pond was a mirror of dark ice. No cattle, no hay-stacks, orprodncy of any kind, were to be seen out of cover. An old plough, and a broken cart made the foundation for a hill of frozen snow next the palisades. The ve^a^table- ground, and all else she could see, were hid under tho universal frost. The two loitered next in the kitchen a little wliile. Thouffh Jane saw more servants about now than for- merly, yet nothing like the order that then prevailed was at present to be seen. The want of a mistress had in- Tested the principal female managers with much uower^ which, as might have been expected, they had abused. THR (ANADIAM GIRL. 377 Tlie hwsr ut nding spirit led him to desert his munificent friend. '' Ah, mon ami ! mon ami !" exclaimed tho Pirate, Hanging over the lifeless body, " would to God I had never left you ! Try every thing you can think of. Toby, to restore him. This was my benefactor ! — my more thar* father ! This was the man who took me, a wretched, starving orphan, and would have made me rich, and noble, and happy, had I not flung his beneiits away !" « Every available means of restoring circulation in the Marquis' body was tried for twenty-four successive hours in vain. Life was totally extinct. The body was washed and laid out in a dilapidated apartment of the fort adjoining the two habitable rooms, and then the Pirate consulted with his friends on the best means of conveying it to his residence. But the Marquis might nolluive dwelt in the mansion in which the Pirate had been brouirlit »'» ; he might, perhaps, have parted with it, and removed to another estate This conjecture was stronirthened by the fact of his having been travelling in rhis district, at his advanced age, with a single servant only, on horsel)ack, (for the baronial mansion of his ancestors was situato more thau two hundred miles from here, in Lower Canada) and hO was so little partial to distant journevs, that the Pirate had never known him go off hie own grounds. Jane proposed that the pockets of the deceased no- bleman's dress should be examined, as there misht be ^ m If mil 382 THK CANADUN GIRL. i^ u P' *i I) :f aomething in them \vhich would remove the difficultv, and serve to direct them how to proceed. This was done, but nothinff was found in them except a leathern purse, nearly filled with gold and silver dollars, of which the Pirate took careful charge. A constant look out was now kept for any persons who might be in search for the Marquis ; and on the third da" after the sad event, four horsemen were seen crossino- the plain which stretched below the hill on which the fort stood. They sometimes stopped and alighted, walking on iu different directions, with eyes turned to the snow-covered ground for a considerable distance. Then mounted again, and ascended the heights which bordered the plain, always keeping separate, yet con- tinually communicating with each other by shouts, which seemed those of anxious inquiry and reply, rather than of huntsmen, or of persons riding for pleasure. As they gallopped up the wild, hilly tract on whicit tbe ruin stood, they were called upon to stop, and Clin- ton, approaching the first rider, who halted, inquired if they were searching for a gentleman who had been lost in the snow-drift. They replied in the affirmative, and he simply stated the circumstance of his finding the body, and led them to the place whero.tlie horse and dog still lay dead. The animals weio recoiinised by the horsemen immediately. The horse was the one on which the Marquis had left the house of his lawyer, intending to ride to the villa of a friend with whom he had been stav- mg. The servant who had parted from him on the plain during the snow-storm, here, with peculiar anxiety, looked to see if the saddle-bags had been removed from the norse ; finding they had not, he expressed great sa- TIIK CANADIAN OIHI.. 3Sd tisffiftion, saying they might contain papers of value; and acconlingly he took possession of them. ClintoB then conducted the four to thai part of the ruin where the body lay ; and a light wagg«) i, or public carriage, ha vinjr been hire(i from the nearest village, the venerable corpse was covered with a blanket belonging to the driver and slowly removed in it to the villa the servants (for such they were) had spoken of — they riding bc/hind ?t, and Clinton following at a little distance on a hired pony. On the road to the villa, the man who had charsre of the saddle-hags, skilfully opened one of them with a skeleton key, »inder his overcoat ; and, unobserved, drawing from the inside a thick, folded p.qnT, rent it across the middle, and then riding on one sid[» the pre- cipitous road threw the two 'j)arts over the rocks. Clinton had been by no means satisfied with this man^s eagerness to get the saddle-baijs, and more than onco he had caught his eye fixed oi. him, or on the other three riders, with suspicion, a^, if he feared their obser- vation. When Clinton, therefore, cauulit sight of the piecesof paper flying out of his apparently careless hand down the precipice, an involuntary impulse determined him to return to that place oefore an hour should pass, and by some means or other to pick up the pieces and examine them. Without intending it, he had closely watched this person ever since he had seen him ; and ne felt convinced, that whatever that paper contained, it had been taken out of the saddle-bags. He had not seen them opened certainly, but he had seen the man Itimofing with both hands under the large skirte of trt« coat which covered them. Jrti ^4 THE CANADIAN OIRL. I' if it > $ N 11 II n 4 P 'I 5 iP f •« W J i I; Once or twice Clinton would have chided his suspiciont as fanciful, and without rational grounds, but presently a peculiar look of the suspected individual, made up of villainy, fear, and shame, confirmed him in his opinions. The waggon had not gone many miles further, therefore, before Clinton made an excuse to ride back, promising to overtake the horsemen presently. But a bend in the road passed, and Clinton galloped off, nor stopped until he reached the very place where the torn paper had disappeared. Bringing the pony as close to the edge as he durst, he stooped, and sent his orlance down amons^ the rocks and trees to the ravine below. One of the fragments he perceived lying behind a great block of limestone, fifty feet down ; and the other, still lower, flying hither and thither over the snow- heaped channel of a rivulet, at the sport of the winds. With some trouble he discovered a part where the precipice was less upright, and consisted of a ser^'^s of rocks, each lower than the other. Not hesitating a mo- ment, he threw himself from t e pony and made the bridle fast to the branch of a tree, then commenced a descent, and, with that daring and skill which he had often employed in such enterprises for his mere amuse- nient, succeeded in reaching the bottom. He was not long in securing one of the fragments, which he eagerly opened, when the following words in French met his transported eye: — " IN the name of the Holy Trinity, th«j Blessed Virgin, and all the Company of Saints — Amen. 1, LOUIS JEAN LAWRENCE, Le Sieur Marquis de Kougemonl, holding my Estates free of all t>( THB CANADIAN OlRL. 385 seifl^norial rights and duties, franc, aku noble^ &c.» 00 iiive Hurl hequeath unto NICHOLAS JEVN /\NDEi{SON, the son of Marie Verche, Ae- cpased, (<)nnprly a nun of the Convent of St. Clare, e were hastily passing out. "Detain him! let him not pass!" exclaimed the lawyer; " I command that he be detained!" The guilty servant was brought back, tremblingf and shrinking, with the most intense fear painted on every quivering feature. " I was forced to do it — I was forced to do it," htt stammered. The lawyer explained the scene to all present, while the alarmed tool of a villain stood by, quaking in the grasp of two of his fellow domestics, i •' Who forced you to do it? Speak the trrth, and you may esca;,e a severe punishment," said the lawyer. The fellow pointed to Detroit, who, springing up in a violent rage, exclaimed — " He is a consummate liar !" and would have gone awaVo but was prevented. " Detroit promised me money if I would get hold of the paper and burn it," stammered the servant; ** and tin *■ ■ '. '"^ 1 ":~m . iHli J)0 THE CANADIAN GIRL. threatened me if I betrayed him. I could not buiD ll>« will— I had no opportunity — but I threw it over tlu precipice." " You will repent this," muttered Detroit, bis fac- livid and convulsed — " you will repent this." " Take care that neither of tlicm escape, and rcuiovi^ them out of hearing," said the lawyer. When this had been done he sunt privately for t1i( Pirate. " Now, gentlemen," said he, " I will produce the true inheritor of these estates — Nicholas Jean Anderson, himself. You see on this paper of the Marquis' wrilin'^- a description of the man's person. Judge for yourselvf.'i>, whether his appearance does not answer to it, niakini^ due allowance for the alterations that twenty-five ycai", (the period which has elapsed since the Marquis saw him) must have produced." The Pirate's arrival was privately announced, ana i\w Marquis' description having, as the lawyer took care to observe, been read by every gentleman in the room, gave directions that Anderson should enter amono; several of the servants, without introduction. Taller than any of the curious domestics who pressed tiear to survey him by nearly a head, of the most accu- rate and massive proportions, the Pirate was at once re- ceived by the assembly as. an individual to whom the Marquis' description would remarkably apply. A nuni- l)er of questions were asked him concerning his former life in this mansion, which lie answered satisfactorilv. The I. jimber of rooms in the mansion, the situation of those he had occupied, the aames of the servants of the establishment at the time he was in it, the iiaaii' TRn CANADIAN OIRL. t9] of the Marquis^ i)rieKt, (Rinco dead) who formerly offi- ciated al th(.> privuto eliapcl and confessional, with many other minute particniars, that no one, but a resident of the house, could have possibly known, he stated with a clejirness and precision that convinced all present. Ho was then requested to retire to a separate room, which he did. " One test that may complete the presumptive evi- dence in favour of his identity," said the Iaw}er, " re- mains. Let the servants stand collected togetlier in this room, and place Henrique Detroit in the midst of them; then let the supposed Nicholas Anderson be orought in. If he is the person we suppose, he will re- CQo^nise his old tutor, and Detroit will know him. But \ must caution you, that it is probable Detroit may ciin- iiiuiilv affect isfnorance of him, in order to obtain his ends, therefore let his countenance, at the first moment of their seeing each other, l)e closely observed." To this test the advocate had no objection, and much I'liriosity was manifested as to its success. At the Pirate's second entrance into the room, his eve olanced alonffthe line of servants without emotion — he liad not perceived Detroit. But the latter, who had . not the self-possession of a skilful hypocrite, nor the wariness of a practised rogue, lost himself — large beads of sweat stood on his forehead, and he sank down on a chair, incoherently muttering — "Why is he come here? — who brought him here? — there is nothing for him! — the estates are mine! — mine! — mine!" and as the iast word was repeated in a loud, gasping mauuer, he rolled on the floor in a strong fit. .,, A-< ^oon as the Pirate heard the voice he turned short ''.li". 'iiu' lii^-i """•;„ toil V'yf:i n I unKMX^WWlt! ir •:;i lit ft Mi I'i iiii I* i p IS; Is mm I 392 THE CANADIAN CIRL. round, and fixed his haughty j?-Iance on the conscience, stricken scholar. " There is the man who can prove to you who 1 am," faid he, steadily pointing, and speaking to the gentle- men. " Who do you mean ?" inquired the advocate. " I mean Henrique Detroit — who was the cause of my quitting my honoured benefactor twenty-five years ago," replied the Pirate. " He cannot face me, 1 see! I now suspect that he always de>iofned to rob me of llie favours of the marquis, and 1 tell him so to his face !'* The struggles of Detroit on the floor were such tliat four men-servants could scarcel3r hold him. The room was in confusion. As soon as he had a little recovered, he called out for " Father Donoffhue ! — Father Donoo-- hue !" The present priest of the household immediately' left the table, and, stooping beside him, held the cross to his lips, charging him, in the most solemn language, to confess th?*^ ruth, and be content with the bequest that was lawfully his. " I give it all up — I give it all up!" gasped the frifi;htened Detroit. "I am dying! — Lord help me! Give me absolution, Father Donoghue, and I give it all up'" c ** Do you acknowledge this man," (pointing to the Pirate) '* to be Nicholas Jean Anderson ?" " Yes — yes; — I do — I do; — ^he is Anderson, I know. Yes — ^}'es. Give me absolution — I am dying — I give it ail up !" " And do you acknowledge him to be the Marquis* lawtul heir, as stated in the paper which the wicked ser- vant, whom you bribed, endeavoured to destroy T" niB CANADIAN GIRL 393 *' Vf»s — yes — yes. The Marquis always loved him Hut 1 hoped— oh, give nie absolution ! — I am dying ! I repent — I repent — I give it all up !" " We are perfectly satisfied," said the gentlemen present, " all, and we sincerely congratulate the new Marquis, and hope the tenants of Rougemont will find their new seignor as liberal as their former one." The Pirate bowed his thanks, and the lawyer proceeded to see his fortunate client invested with his property in full by the proper legal processes. Before three months had passed, the ruined fort had been once more left to solitude and desolation, and tiie fugitive inmates dwelt in the stately baronial mansion of the seigniory of Rougemont. Detroit recovered, received the former Marquis' be- quest, and, apparently ashamed of the part he had acteo« retired into seclusion. He, as well as the man he had employed so basely, by the Pirate's intervention on their behalf, were permitted to escape the punishment tber justly deserved. %M III )ii i'»i 'j ^u i rtfWii till' *''f>.>h^' ; 11 '< (I 1 p p r: ll 1^: i! iii ■■ jl S " k* il jyi 11 '1 904 THK CANADIAN aiiAI* if!" ^' ^ i ' ■ -.0 CHAPTER XXIV. ** There never was ;i 8tory of more woe, Than this of Juliet and her Romeo !" c Shortly after the Pirate's elevation to his ])rf^sftni brilliant fortune, he found a manuscript in the former Marquis' handwriting, directed " To the son of iny be- loved Marie Verche, Nicholas Jean Anderson." These words surprised the Pirate, and he carefully examined the papers. The writing was uneven, as if the hand had been agitated that penned it, and here and thero were marks as if tears had fallen on it. 7'he Pirate hud been going * rest when he began to read, but so(lee} THB CANADIAN UlRL. i — 'wlio, as they felt disposed, took part with one or other of the combatants, and their asbistance was valued at a high rate by both. '* I was in my tenth year when the last French ero- vernor in Canada, aided by the co-operation of my brave father, who was at the head of a distinsfiiished regiment, upheld the pretensions of his country in these provinces with so much success. You will remember my telling you, Nicholas, that it was my father who caused the English army, under the incautious but intrepid General Braddock, to be entrapped in a narrow defile of the Al- leghany mountains, where they perished by thousands as well as their leader, under a deadly fire poured from French ambuscades. You know that the (afterwards) great George Washington was then second in command over the British army, and that he rescued the remnant o( Braddock's troops. " Often have 1 had occasion to dwell on the events that followed. Washington was joined with six thousand other troops, and my father, with only half that number, attacked them — fought with them hand to hand for four hours, and only surrendered when he was mortally wounded. " His renowned death made a wonderful impression on me. I forsook all my juvenile sporls and employments, and burned, with the undiscriminating ardour of a boy, to revenge his fall on the English. My mother was a high-minded woman, full of noble and strong affections. Her only enjoyment, was to converse with me of him whom she had lost. " As I approached my twentieth year, I panted to emu.ats my father's glory in the martial field. England ThR CANADIAN GIRL. ao7 and France had sent out each her best GeneraU Wolfe and de Montcalm, with choosen troops — the one to in- vade the province and obtain forcible possession of it, the other to dtfend in order to retain it. My mother with her own hands buckled my father's sword upon my side, and said to rne — ' None but women and children tnay be neutral now. Go, Loui-, to the defence of our great citadel of Quebec! Your noble father earned an honourable fame in war, do you imitate his conniije! — but take care that you do not sully his sword by the blood of the helpless. Copy his maj^nanimity as well as his braveiy, and shun every dishonourable advantage niore than vou would vour death.' I kissed the d^ar hand that had bestowed the coveted prize ; and, graspinf^ the invaluable sword, hoped that heaven might favour me according as I observed her words. ' My Louis,' said she, ' in sending you to win a soldier's laurels. I know that I am sending you to encounter a soldier's perils also. Alas ! I may never behold you again — ^your father's fate may be yours.' As she said this the tears oireamed down her face, and she drew me with a strong embrace to her maternal bosom. We parted with mu- tual agony. I hastened to Quebec to the head- quarters of the Major-general de Montcalm, who was preparing to defend the citadel with all thesKiil and force he could command. The French banners were then proudly floating from the extensive battlements of that majestic rock Cape Diamond, on which the distinguished fortress stands — in a few djiys they were trampled in dust to give place to the colours of the victorious British. "" ' t have heard much of vour father since I came tu^re, vouiiir Marquis ' said de Montcalm to nie, when 1; im^-'M •"i ifT^ M m ■■n ■ *^i m 1 'I .5oe TUB CAa»A*»U*r ^fRl, i ^vas presented to him by a veteran friend, * nxA I ca^i lasfly b(?Heve, from your appearance, what I have been told, that you Inherit his gallant spirit, and are desirous of disfinguishing yourself. I will give you every oppor- tunity for doing so. Your friend here shall convey my • lirections to you before niorht' I bowed and retired^ ;ind the same evening I found myself entrusted with a post of equal honour and dan sa'e !' " ' Ah! how can it be, chevalier,' responded the most melodious voice that ever sounded on my ears, in de- spairing accents — * how can it be ? The cell is insuffer- ably hotj and filling with smoke, and the staircase is on Sre r " ' Support yourself, madam,' I hurriedly repeated, * I will save you at any hazard!' " ' There is a ladder at the bottom of the garden, chevalier !' cried the lady ; ' be so good as fetch it!' " Iwas not slow in obeying her; and, having planted it firmly against the cell- window, I mounted, and wrenched out the middle bar so as to permit the egress (){ a fine, although very slender, figure, the beauty ol' which not even her coarse and unsightly habit could conceal. In her haste and trepidation while coiniiin- down the ladder she missedone of the steps, andspraiur.l her foot so that she fell to the ground. " 1 assisted her to rise, but after taking a iew ste[>s forward she found that even with the assistance of inv arm she could get no further than a school-house in the garden, where she sat down in pain. The brassy glare of light from the burning convent, there enabled us to view each other, which I believe we did with equal curiosity. The youthful nun (for she appeared no 400 TRI CANADIAN QIUU m more tban sixteen or seventeen years of age), seemed to me beautiful as a vision ! ethereally fair and pale, and delicately moulded ' At one glance her ima(;o was stamped on my soul for ever. Sweet Marie Verche ! never saw I aught of human birth thy equal ! Never shalt thou be forgotten ! Old age shall not rob me of the memory of thy loveliness ! The last moment of my de- caying years shall find thy name on my lips ! and I know that when I step from the troubled sea of time upon the green and peaceful shores of eternity, thou wilt be the first to bid me welcome ! " I brought a priest, who was still in front of the convent, round to the garden, and delivered up to him the young lady. Artillery was then pealing around — the air was charged with combustibles. " ' I am old, and slow of foot," said the bewildered father to me, ' I am not able to help our pious sister to the Upper town, especially as she is lame. Here we must not stay ; every moment threatens us with death. Chevalier, be pleased to support the maid to the monas- tery, where the sisters of St. Clare are already sati^Iy lodged. — We must, alas ! yield to urgent necessity.' " A volley of fire from the river, more awful than any that had preceded it, because more immediately near to us, drove away every thought and feeling from the young nun's mind, excepting those only of extreme terror. I approached her as if she were a shrined saint, anrl, taking her up in my arms, bore her as fast as I was able up the very steep street which winds to the summit of Cape Diamond. " Within the walls of the Upper town she was com- paratively safe, but I did not leave her until 1 saw her THE CANADIAN OIRL. 4G1 restored tohor companions, who bad only just discovered that she was missing. As I was bearing ber into the monastery where the sisters were, she threw over my neck her rosary and cross, and whispered with the sweetest emphasis — ' Chevalier, you have saved my life Marie Veiche will not forget it. Tell me your name, that I may remember it in my orisons.' " * My name is Lawrence, madam,' I replied, * but I am better known as the Marquis of Rougemont.' " She echoed the name, and repeated it twice, as if to fix it in her memory. As I was leaving her in the par- lour, she whispered — " ' Adieu, Marquis of Rougemont — I shall never forget you! I hope you will be preserved through (his sie^e ! 1 will pray for it !' " ' I thank you,' said 1 : ' and believe me I shall never forget Marie Verclie. " * Yes,' said she, smiling with the innocent plea- santry of a seraph, ' that is my name ; you have quick ears. Marquis of Rougemont. Marie Verche I am named, and I hope you will think of me, whom you have preserved, sometimes.' " ' Always !' f ejaculated, and hastened back to my commander and friend, de Bougainville, who had sent me to assist the nuns. " I was quitting the Jesuits' monastery, when I en- countered a messenger of the Major-general, and every thought of Marie Verche was banished from my mind by a summons to the presence of de Montcalm. " ' Young Marquis,' said he, stepping from a circle of officers to speak to me, ' I am proud to distinguish you as one of the best soldiers of this successful day. 26 9M b &■■ THE CANADTAN GIRL. You will find yourself now appointed to a |K)st evea more imports nt than that you lately held.' " I bowed low, and lel't the presence with a heart nerved to the utmost by the flatterin<( enconium I had received. ' My dear mother !' I ejaculated, as I ])aced my room in the garrison, * this will be joy indeed to you ! I shall imitate my father's bravery and humanity as you told me — yes, motlier, I shall return to y(ui, I hope and trust, with laurels of my own winning, to add to those which I have inherited.' " You, Nichoas, must not accuse me of a paltry vanity in thus dwelling on the praise 1 received from the great de Montcalm, many circumstances in which self-love has no part, make me love to dwell upon it. " My duty, I found, was now to watch the retreating^ enemy. I had to ride along the shore of the St. Law- rence with my men throughout the night. It was Sep- tember ; the night was more brilliant than any 1 had ever seen ; no daylight was evot brighter ; the smallest leaf and pebblr on the ground were as distinguishable as at mid-noon. Mine was then the poetry of existence. I was buoyant with youth, and health, and hope. 'I'he beauties of creation were then first unfolding themselves before liy linnJ, and the witcheries of sentiment and feeling before my heart. The varied moonlit landscape through which 1 rode that niorht, seemed infinitely more charmins: than ever it has seemed since. A raajjical sweetness was resting on every object, but much of that sweetness was cast from my own young aspiring bosom- Glory ! — the nun! — my mother! — my ancient and be- loved home \ — my father's sword .'. these were the prin- cipal topics which employed my exulting and wandering THE CANADIAN 0/RL. 4oa thou&rhtf!. Eany in the morning my small party were surrou»uU?d by a band of Indians in the British pay, whose yells, and war-whoops, burst horribly on our ears when we least expected them. Numbers over- powered us, and with sickness of heart I saw all my bright dreams of renown about to be suddenly termi- nated. Furiously I fought, until a blow from a toma- hawk deprived me of sense. " I recovered my consciousness slowly, and heard what I supposed to be angelic music, instead of the In- dian war-<;ries and the clash of arms. Presently I dis- tinguished, rather to my disappointment, the music of morning mass, and the voices of female choristers, singing as melodiously as a hundred nightingales. I opened my eyes and they met the deep blue orbs of Marie Verche. " * Ah !' she exclaimed, suddenly clasping her hands together, and biirsting into tears, < the Marquis lives again ** * Maidwn,' said a stern, harsh voice, which retained little of the feminine quality, although belonging, as 1 perceived, to the lady who had been at the head of th& St. Clare convent, ' leave the room ! I will speak to the- Marquis myself; this display of feeling does not become you.' "Such a rebuke I saw overcame the delicate girl; she hung her head, and looked ready to sink into the floor. The next instant she was gone; and, raising myself with diflBculty on a mattrass, that was covered with my military cloak, I expected, with impatience, the- explanation of the superior. " ' 1 understand that you are le sieur Marcjuis of IM ' 404 TIfB CANADIAN GIRL. Roujg'omont,' said she, addressing mo with a repulsive formality, which at that moment was particularly odious. I assented. * Give thanks to the saints for their media- tion on your behalf,' continued she in the same cold, hard tone. * You were brought hither by two soldiers, ignorant of your name and rank, who found you four miles from the citadel on a heap of slain. PerceivinL,' you to be an ofTicer, and finding that you still breathed, they requested permission to lodge you for the present in the church of this monastery. That permission was granted by the revered fathers here, who bad vouchsafed to me and the nuns of St. Clare a temporary refuge.' " ' Then I am in the monastery whither I brought the young lady who has just left the room V said I. The reply was in the afBrmative, and I learnt that I had been here an hour, that a monk had bound up the wounds in my head, and that Marie Verclie had requested to see me, on hearing that it was supposed doubtful whether I should ever revive. " While I was speaking with the superior, a terrible uproar resounded through the streets without. The affrighted nuns, disregarding my presence, rushed into the room — the music ceased abruptly. 1 >jrough an open door I saw the brethren of the house running along the aisles, uplifting their hands and voices in terrified confusion. I sprang up, and, grasping the remnant oi my father's sword, which hung broken by my side, ral- lied my mental and bodily powers, shaking off the dizziness which embarrassed them, waved my hand to the pale and trembling assembly, and hastened into the open air. But as I was crossing a narrow passage that intervened, Marie Verche threw herself before me ; the THR CAN.4»>IAN OIRL. 405 coarse veil of her ordor had fallen quite off' from lior head, and her flaxen hair, and her pure white neck and forelicad, were before me uncovered. " * O, Marquis,' she ))auted, and in her agitation she grasped one of my hand:) with both hers, * do not — do not go forth! You are seriously wounded 1 assure you! Father Ambrose, who bound up your head, told me so. " ' Have you heard, Mademoiselle, what is the mat- ter V I breathlessly asked. As I spoke there was a shout without, and I distinctly heard the cry — * The English ! — the English ! They have scaled Cape Diamond ! — thev have reached the citadel ! — they have taken pos- session of the ramparts !' " * Mademoiselle, you must not detain me — for iny life I would not linger here another moment!' I cried. " She sunk at my feet. * Farewell then, tliou })re- server of my life!' she exclaimed. * Marie will sec you no more in this world! — you will perish, but I will pray that we may meet in heaven !' *^ It was not a moment for hesitation. I kissed her hand, and hurried into the street. I met my friend and commander, de Bougainville, hurrying along. ' Louis,' said he, with tears in his eyes, ' all is over with the French here, mark my words.' " * What do you mean V inquired I. " * I mean what I say,' he answered, ' all is over for us. That English lion, Wolfe, has actually led his army up tlie face of the rock — how, heaven only knows, 1 do not. Three hundred and fifty feet they have climbed wfiile we were sleeping!' ** * Is it possible !' I ailiculated. ■mw .4 ' t' .! ■f U II 406 THE CANADIAN GIRL. ii •a' i fi : m 'h* rflr'i 410 THE CANADIAN GIRL, mi 1 1,' ■- r; im If 1-; i , ■> ^K p s j; mo, as 1 dwelt on my father's death, and on the exalted ineridship that had always existed between my mother and me. Perhaps nothing bound me to her more than trie quickness with which I saw she appreciated my mother's character. " ' How I should love such a woman ! — how I wish that 1 had such a mother !' slie touchingly ejaculated. ^ " My embryo passion instantly sprang to life. " ' Marie — dearest Marie !' cried I, presumptuously kissing her hand, 'you shall have such a mother! — she shall be a mother to both of us ! Listen to me, sweetest Marie ! — the convent you have belonged to must now be entirely broken up ; the English will never countenance nunneries ; believe me, you will not com- mit any crime in taking advantage of this. My mother 's dwelling stands in our own seigniory, you may live there tinse^n but by ourselves. And even if the nuns of St. Clare are permitted to return to Quebec, and to settle tliere, they will never think of searching for you, but conclude that you were carrietl away, and perhaps des- * troyed by the English soldiers. Come then, Marie, to my mother's home — to her heart! Come — and be her Lelove :' — and mine. If I were now to lose you I should never be happy more! Life would be unendurable to me! — existence would be a burden !' " She answered with tears and sighs that if she had not taken the veil, if she had not vowed before heaven to devote herself to a monastic life, she wo .Id, yes, she would have listened to me. She confessed to me that after she should return to her convent, she should know no happiness beyond what a prospect of another iiie might afford her. She nsver could lb rffet me. no. not THE CANADIAN GIRL. 411 for an hour; night and day she should bless my name, and ceaselessly she should pray that 1 might be happy with some happier being than herself. A more vehement flow of tears accompanied these words, and then I, for- getting the sacred obligations of our catholic church, to- gether with its terrors, losing sight of all and e-ery Uiing but my new-born passion, embraced her, and, with im- portunities th;it would take no denial, entreated her to set forward with me to Rougemont, " I obtained my suit, although Marie declared herself unconvinced by my arguments. " * I will not say no again, to you,' she cried; 'take me. Marquis, whither you will; but remember that it is my love for you — Marie's boundless love — and not her reason, which complies. I will shut my eyes on all that may follow the breaking of my vows. My heart is yours entirely — you may direct it as you will. You saved me from death, and I belong to you henceforth.' *-' I was struck by the distress which pervaded her whole manner as she pronounced these passionate words, and hesitated whether I should or not proceed in my rash plan. There was a sudden maturity in Marie's air which also surprised me. An hour ago she was the fair, seraphic, pure child, now she was the devoted, impas- sioned, decided woman. While I looked on her dis- trjictingly, divided between my inclination and my duty, I had sunk on my knee, grasping her hands, which were cold and damp. She suddenly bent forward and kissed my forehead. I gazed on her blue and dewy eyes, they were not withdrawn from my view. A world of ever- lasting truth and love reposed in their lucid and clear aepths. Sanctity shone on every colourless and deli- pi'; ■'ail "am.- ,„ :? ^ I' f 412 THE CANADIAN GIRL. cate feature, itiixed with a wonderful tenderness, i was conquered then ; I sprang up to my feet ; I drew the cloak about her — she was passive. " * Marie,' said I, endeavouring to sp'^ak with calmness, ' you shall go to the nearest religious com- munity I can find; I will not leave you in any less secure place — but there I will tear myself from you. Fervently I hope you will regain your peaiCe of mind — would that I had never disturbed it !' " We accordingly rode on about ten miles further, to a small monastery, which the tavern-Ueeper had described as standincr in a villaore. But we found it deserted, and then we had to deliberate again. I had been anti- cipating, during our last ride, the moment of parting with Marie, and the turbulence and distress of mv feelings surprised even myself. On finding that I could not leave her here, I experienced a singular relief, and determined at least to prolong the fatal pleasure I had in her society. I said to her — ' Marie, you must now go to Rougemont; I shall ask no more from you there than your friendship — you shall be my hallowed sister — my mother shall be your mother — until that abhorred mo- ment when you may be recalled to your prison — for a prison I shall always consider that convent to be in which you are.' " And to Rougemont we went. My mother was in her dressing-room ; thither I went to her. Her joy at seeing me in apparent safety was such as only a mother could know. Her countenance fell when I ran over the for tunes of the siege, and its mortifying issue. When 1 described the remarkable deaths of the two heroes of the national armies, she cried, with all the enthusiasm of a THE CANADIAN GIRL. 413 brave soldier's widow — ' So would mv husband liave died had he been in their places!' " ' And now, my dear mother,' said I, with some- thing of trepidation, ' I have to put your kindness of heart to the test.' I then told her of my having saved the nun, of my being wounded subsequently, and re- covering in the Jesuits monastery, of my second ac- quaintance with Marie Verche there, and of her guile- less interest in my safety, of the flight of the nuns with the remnant of the holy fathers from the captured city, and of my having myself taken Marie away. " • But,' said mv mother, * why not have suffered her to go with her companions, Louis ? She would have been safer with them, and surely her holy vows wov.ld have suited better with such a step. A young officer might have been no worthy protector of the good sister, though I know my Louis' honour, and his respect for religion so well, that I could have trusted him with such a mission.' " 1 saw the difficulty, and at once avowed it. * I know not, mother,' said I, ' what could have induced rae to take Marie alone from the monasterv. I only know that after the battle was over I thought of nothing but of preserving her, and that when I saw her separate from the other sisters before the altar I never stopped a moment to deliberate, but urged her away with me. One thing I know, that she was not to blame ; terror had confused her — and — and — altogether she has acted like an angel.' '" ' No doubt ; but if she had acted like a prudent and pious mortal I should have been better satisfied,' said my mother. ' But what followed her leaving the I ii ^„ 1 1 m'.t '«( ) ffi IH in }^>: ~ m . ■fefv'vl m ,1 . 4U THE CANADIAN GIRL. \I0' jpsuits monastery with you ? Where did you take tier then V " I described our ride to the tavern, and our stoppage there to rest and take refreshments, th:)n paused, it was impossible for me to repeat what had passed between us there without revealing what I feared to reveal even to my maternal friend. She looked at me search ingly, and I felt that I could not deceive her. ** * Louis,' said she, very gravely, * you know how I value perfect openness in those whom I love, and you know least of all can I endure reserves in my chilc\' " ' Then you shall hear all, mother, and I trjst to your tenderness for me to make excuses on my behaM'.* And so I recounted every word as uearly as I could recollect, that Marie and I had sj)oken to each other, concluding by saying ' She is now in the cottage of Paul Levi, on our grounds, w^aiting the result of this conversation. Will you receive her 1 will you be her guardian and her parent until her superior claims her? 1 shall quit Rougemont as soon as I have seen her safely lodged in the protection of some one on whom I can rely. T must return to Quebec, I wish to learn the fate of some of my fellow officers, and to see what is the condition of the city, and how the conquerors use their power.' - #- . , " My mother reflected ; I saw that it was with much pain she heard of my again quitting her, but still she tiid not oppose my intention, but by her looks approved It. While I stood waiting in extreme anxiety to hear her decision regarding Marie, she arose, and rang for her maid. Then, affectionately kissing me, said^ * Ever be thus open with me, Louis, and you shali not g lor THE CANADIAN GIRL. 415 builfl in vain o;i my friendship. Go down stairs, uilhin ten minutes 1 will come to you.* ** I saw everything that was encouniging in her looks, and, returning her embrace, went down as she had bade me, and walked under the verandah in front of the bou'^e until she joined me. Slje had changed her dressing-robe for a black satin mantelet, with hood and gloves ; and as she walked up to me with that majestic mien which vas so incomparably her own, and put her hand in my arm, the small carriage, in which she was accustomed to take her solitary airings, turned a corner of the house, and drew up close to us. She dismissed the servant who held the reins, and, having taken them into her own hands, turned to me, and said, with one of her kindest smiles — " * Now Louis — get in. We will fetch this fair nun hither ; I must have some talk with her — and then it is most probable I shall do what you wish, that is, take care of her until those who have a sacred right in her claim her from me.' *' Marie Verche thus became an inmate of Rouge- niont. I left her with my mother — the two dearest beinn-s on earth to me — and had not intended to return for two or three months ; but the injuries 1 had receivea in my head from the Indian's tomahawk, began to pro- duce very ill eifects, and in a single iveek, before I had been able to reach Quebec, I was compelled to shape my course back to my home. " My illness increased, and my mother was seriously alarmed. I had not seen Marie since I returned ; I had purposely avoided even speaking of her; but now I could refrain no longer. The grave, of whicli 1 hud ns of St. Clare. That from my steward informed mo that two ecclesiastics had come to Rougemont de- nianding the young lady who had been under the pro- tection of the Marchioness, and threatening the heavy displeasure of the superior at Quebec if she were allowed to remain longer under my roof. My steward had told them that she had gone to Europe, but to what part of it he knew not, and the ecclesiastics had replied that thev must make the strictest search after her, and that if she were found her punishment would be most ex- emplary. However, I quieted my mind by reflecting that she was far removed at present from the sphere of her superior's power, and I determined to keep her so. " I fixed upon making my way into France, and with this view left Rome with my bride after a very short stay there, in company with three French ladies and two Italian gentlemen, of fortune, who were going into Lanoruedoc. " I never could describe to you Marie's happiness during this too brief summer. Exercise, fretuom of thought and feelin j, a wider range of books than she had been used to, and the utmost contentment and satis- faction of mind, spread constant smiles on her lip, and continual peace in her sweet blue eye. The ladies with whom we travelled were protestants, and Marie soon showed an inclination to their opinions. Her conscience, she irefjuentiy assured loe, was perfectly at W: I' • m f 1- -.^ 424 THB CANADIAN GIRL. i pjxae regarding the breaking of her vows. Snn vrqsi sure that her only sin had been in making them. A Bible was presented to her by one of her protestant acquaintances, and she commenced reading it for the first time in her life with the liveliest interest. For my part, I resolved not to interfere with the proorress of her mind in any way, my own prejudices still pre- ponderated on the side of the venerable faith of my an- cestors, but the late events regarding Marie had loosened many of the ties that bound it to my heart. " Up to the period of her quitting Quebec with me, her observation of nature had been, from her childhood, conii.ed to the garden of the convent; at Rougemont, one of her greatest delights was in viewing the sublime scenery that extended itself to her view from every part of my estates ; and now, when rich vales, shaded with the palm and plane trees — groves redolent with spicy odours— -blue, lucid lakes, where the magic sounds of song and music, remote or near, were constantly heard — and ever-varying hills, green and verdant — when these succeeded to each other before her fascinated gaze, how did she look at me with sensations too sweet and full lor utterance, while the eloquent tearof sensibility trembled and sparkled, like a pure diamond, on her eyelashes. *' She would then exclaim, holding my hand to her heart — ' What a lovely world is this ! How amazing- how divine I In the convent I heard of the Creator, now I see Him — now 1 adore Him ! What an infinity of His glorious productions do I now behold daily ! my soui is filled with the rapture they inspire. *' One afternoon, a little before the sud went dowfl^ our party stopped at the foot of a mountain, in a scena THB CANADIAN OIRL. 425 to attractive, that we resolved to devote a da^ ti> it. A house o( eutertainment there accommodated us all. '• When our carriages had been put up, and the mules fed, we sallied out, with three high-born ladies, known to the Italians with us, who lived in a villa near; and, being all in high spirits, chose a turfy rise convenient for our purpose, where we sat down on the dry grass, and partook, with great relish, and much lightness of heart, of a cold collation which our host provided. *' Afterwards, a lute was handed round, and rondeaus, and other French and Italian airs, having been sung by each of the company in turn, excepting Marie, they per- formed canzonettes together. " The scene was a green vista, winding away before us to the edge of a lake, whose waters were dyed a splendid crimson by the sun, which was then approaching the end of its career for that day. Long lines of sun- light chequered the vista, and beautifully relieved that tender twilight which the shade of the trees, and the hour, had shed there. Groves of lemon, mulberry, orange, and chesnut trees, all. in full bloom, and filling the air with their fragrance, clothed the high slopes on each side the path, and overhung it. '' Our gaiety increased as the sun declined, and when the moon arose, we were still in the same enchanting spot. Marie had not sang, but now being much pressed to do so, and unwilling to incur an imputation of aftec- tation, took the instrument, and, touching it with ' a religious softness,' sang to it a Canadian vesper-song, in a voice charmingly clear and flute-like. The praises that succeeded confused her, but I thought them well deserved. A repetition of the song was called for; she IS I' ■'. " ' I Sill I Fri" ^ «^ iiii' m %W: Ri' ■ I: U7J , , ,•' -. Mil 4iO THE CANADIAN GIRL. would have excused herself; * Nay, Marie,' said I, pl1(^ senting the lute to lier again, ' indeed yo»i must com* ply.' She looked at me, as if to say, ' I cannot refuse jfccY)**,' and, taking the lute, played, instead of her former air, one that was exceedingly melancholy, to which her voice gave suitable expression, in these verses, which I had given her at Rougemont, to the memory of the daughter of an Indian chief who lay buried there: — '• Uark ! do you hear through the depth of the even, A wail from the forest, a moan from the wave? That IS the wail of a mourner to heaven, That is a moan over Neumaha's grave 1 Oh ! soft was the light of her eye in its beaming, And bright were the smiles on her innocent lip. And pure was her heart in youth's earliest dreaming. As the wild-rose the honey-bee loveth to sip. The lake that so tranquilly spreads itself near. Reflecting the sky in its bosom of blue. Was not more unsullied than she who lies here, < And her bosom reflected heaven's loveliness too. She bloomed like the first tender flower of the spring. And withered too soon beneath sorrows chill gale; Now on Neumaha's grave^sod the moon loves to fling Her brightest of beams when she lights up the vaie. No axe ever sounded where Neumaha lies ; The wild-pine bends o'er her — ^her pillow is green ; The dove to its nest on her turfy-couch flies, And the red-d«er and beaver beside it are seen. II«2re doth she sleep through the long, silent hours, Where the bittern and whip-poor-will raise their sad nottt, Where the lone dryad calls from his thick forest bowerfr To water-nymphs gliding in pearly-shell boats. F*U softly, ye dews ! on the young maidens grave-, SoAly murmur, ye winds 1 o'er her grass-pillowed h«*l • Ihsturb not her rest, nor the Indian brave Wh«) stern in his sorrow, keeps watch by the dead.* THE CANADIAN GIRL. 427 " One of the ladies then sanw a sprightly^ Frencn sonnet, with all that elegant and fascinating liveliness wnich distinguishes her countrywomen. It was now my turn to contribute to the amusement of the party, and, having rejected both the lute and mandolin which were proffered me, I took, for the sake of variety, a French bugle, an instrument on which I flattered mysell I excelled, and played some of the favourite martial airs of ray country, that were new to my listeners. On a sudtlcn Marie interrupted my performance by an ex- clamation of alarm ; she was more remarkably pale than tvev I had seen her ; by a look she imposed silence on me ; it was supposed that she was ill through fatigue. " Apologising to the company, she expressed a wish to return to the inn, that she might go to rest. *' We all proceeded together to the inn, where I and Marie left our companions in a room that opened on a balcony hung with jessamine, and the curling tendrils of the vine, intermingled with blushing clusters of grapes. They continued enjoying the luxurious moonlight, and the balmy and odorous air, until long past midnight; their combined voices in the canzonettes swelled exqui- sitely on our ears when we had retired to our chamber. '* I saw, as soon as we were free from observation of the company, that Marie's manner portended some mis- fortune. Hardly had I the courage to question her — nor did she give me time. With quick hands she locked the door on the inside, and to my surprise held the candle to it, searching for bolts to make it more secure ; then extinguishing the light drew me to the window. ' Say Dot a word to me,' she articulated under her breattit * but observe.' I looked out, and at first could distinguisn Hi, ' ■ ' Urn It" &'•'!' tl''-c= I Pi! It If Via 428 TN12 CANADIAN GIRL. nothing but the tich Italian landscajie, and tho glorious vault of heaven ' Studded with stars unutterably bright ;* but, after watching a few minutes, the tall shadow of a Jesuit's figure became visible in front of the balcony, m the garden. I looked at Marie — she vras like sculptured alabaster — so white, so fixed, were hei' features. Her lips were as pale as her cheek — her cheek as her brow ; and in the partial and uncertain light by which I viewed her, 1 could have thought that she had newly risen from the grave. As the lurid shadow cf a thunder-cloud, so fell upon rcy heart a presentiment of what was about to happe!i. *^ ' There — there !* whispered Marip, shrinking closer to me, and pointing catitiously to the Jesuit's figure; ' you see him, love, do you liot '\' * Who is he V i asked, and wound my arms about her with fond anxiety ; * why are you so terrified V She was trembling as she replied — * He is a man I have always strangely dreaded, since i first saw him in the convent. He travels from monastery to monastery in different countries, and visits Rome once a year regularly. He is always loaded with the secret errands of the religious superiors, and is the medium of a confidential communication between them. It was whispered among the nuns that he had procured the pope's sanction for some supeiiors for very harsh proceedings. His appearance here^ my beloved, bodes evil for us ! I saw him in the vista, standing by an olive tree, while you were playing the bugle ; he was looking at xiiK, as 1 fancied, with a very s^'nister air, whicli struct such a sudden fear on my heart, that I cried out, da you heard me.' THU CANADIAN GIRL. 420 " She broke off, for the figure came into full relief op- posite to us, and stood gazing on our window attentively, then drew back again into the shade. We remained im- roovable by the casement watching, but he appeared no more. The gay notes of a tabor and hautboy sounded fVom below; I closed the window; nothing is more un- endurable than mirth to the oppressed heart. " Before we retired to rest, Mario's aspirations arose, not to the Virgin, but to Him, who, in her opinion, was the only hearer of prf»yer, that He would guard our sacred union, and interpose for us that we might never be torn asunder — but He had otherwise decreed. *' Would you believe, Nicholas, that she was dragged from ine that same night? I never could learn the par- ticulars of her seizure, further than this — she had arisen, in the disquiet of her mind, in t^.^t hour which inter- vened between the setting of the moon and the rising of the sun, had dressed herself, and had gone into a gal- lery adjoining, intending to awaken her maid by knock- ing at the door of the room in which she was. It ap- pears she was there met by two monks, who ordinarily travelled with the jesuiV; these, acting under his autho- rity, by some means unknown to me, compelled her to enter a chaise, and, accompanied by the Jesuit, drove away with her. " My amazement — my rage — my anguish — when I di&s"overed my loss in the morning, unfortunately pre- vented me from acting with that presence of mind the case demanded. I threatened everyone in the house — i ravfcd — I rode furiously on horseback in every di- rection, continually returning back in madness and Ue- ■paiK. t w ■»• til •■ »; .T 430 THB CANADIAN OIRU ** The host had seen Marie takon aw.ay without in- terfering i he excuscMl himself by telling me that he was a erood catholic, and could nut in his conscience at- tempt to hinder a nun from being carried back to her convent. The Jesuit had shown him orders of the highest authority — one from ♦'le Cardinal Ximena himself, of Home — for taking possession of the * so called,' Mar- chioness of Rougemont, on behalf of the superior ol St. Clare. To every question that I afterwards put to him, he only replied by mentioning the name of the Cardinal Ximena, which he had seen affixed to the papers the Jesuit had shown him, and which it seemed to me had deadened every feeling of humanity in his breast. " I hurried back to Home; occasionally I nearly came up with the chaise in which my treasure was, but could not entirely reach it. I knew that 1 was in Home at the same time with the Jesuit, but yet I was unfortu- nate enoutjh to let him leave it before me. Still I wiis on his track, and got to the sea-side — in time to see a Oanadijiu vessel, in which lie was, go out of sight in the horizon. I would have given a million workis to have been ableto reach her — but it was impossible. However, J followed in the first ship that sailed to Quebec : con- trary winds detained us on the passage, and when I reached the citadil 1 heard the news that was abroad among the Canadian citizens, that a runaway nun of Si, Clare had been fetched back from Italy, and was to be 'mprisoned in her convent for life. *" i had an interview with the superior, she spoke to me with the same cold formality I had bcibre detested ir. her. i implored her, as a woman, to feel for ran a.'ai Mane. I described the rise of our affection for each THE CANADIAN OIRL. 431 other, slioweil her how circumstances had promoted it, how averse we both had been to the breaking of Marie'i vows, and how much we both liad enthired l^elbre we took the rash step. I albided to Marie's youlli and in- experience, and broupfht forward otiier excuses, but tliey all fell pointless on that flinty heart. *' She answered with austere brevity, that mv boldness in defendinfjr, to her face, the enormous crime of Marie Verche and myself, did not surprise her, since v.o Had ])een foun-l capable of committinj^ it. It was not for li«r, iil'«e said, to punish my guilt, but as Marie was one of tiiose, for whose observance of the holy rules of a mo- nastic life she was accountable, she should deal with her as she merited : her marriage with me had been nothinjj siiort of adultery, as Marie had previously been wedded /or everlastinof to the church. "I could not restrain myself within the bounds of temperance, ray indii^nation would break out. I hardly know what I said in the heat of the moment, but the scene ended in my uncoreraunious expulsion fromtheroora and the convent, after I had been positively denied even the interchange of a word or look with my wife. " 1 visited U ?, primate of Quebec, he vras equally cold and stern with t .o superior. I sought the subtle Jesuit who had robbed me of my beloved — he was not to be found. Aixainst this man I harboured the fiercest revenge, and could I have met with him, T believe he would have received notliin" less than death at mv iiand.i!c'^* i m m ii ■jJiSE; - -4^ ^cH J ^■Wmf «OT '4Ih m¥ "^m ivt^f i HSm 49fi THE CANADIAN OIRL. then took you, knew nothing of the provhlon to be re** ceived for you from the convent. The vicaire had been into the convent of St. Clare and had heard there part of the information with which lie astonished me, from a nun who had cherished a friendship for Marie, and who unceasingly lamented her fate, the rest he had gathered in the vicinity of Rougemont. He had kept the secret for twenty-five years, but now drawing nigh the grave, and the superior of St. Clare having departed to that place where * the wicked cease from troubling.' he felt constrained to disclose it to me. '•' And still my portion was anguish ! The son whom as a stranger I had nurtured, and educated, and loved, where was he? I had suffered him to quit ray roof perhaps for ever ! Whither should I go in search of him ? I knew his stubborn pride (forgive me the ex- pression) so well that I could not hope for his voluntary return to me even though he should be reduced to the ntmost state of necessity. He had refused the money I offered to him too — he had thrown himself on the world without friends — without a profession — r.ithout any likely means of subsistence. What might not his rash- ness cause him to have to endure ! " The vicaire died in my house. Years have since rolled on and I have heard nothing of you. My heart yearns to see you ! — offspring of cny unforgotten love ! ** Another, and still another year, and no tidings of you, my son ! You have been bred up in luxury — how will you be able to endure the hardship, of an uneoual struggle for the bare elements which sustain life ? But what say 1 1 — you may hav^ already bunk under that struggle, and be now laid in the dust i Something THR CANADIAN G'lU 430 wrliispers to me that it is so, and that 1 sh-xU never again see you ! My eyes must be closed by strangers ! I must descend to the tomb unmourned ! ^' I resume with a renewed hope, that one day, this record of my sorrows, and of your mother's fate, will meet your view. A lingering illness has wasted me to mere skin and bone. Detroit, once your tutor, has cheered me through the dark season by reading to and conversing with me, he has even spent nights at my side. Hopeless of ever beholding you again, I made him my heir. But to-day, one of the servants who has been to Quebec, brings me tidings that one Leonard Anderson has twice served as a common sailor, and since then as a second and first mate, in an emigrant vessel, under a Captain Barry, between the Canadas and the British Islands. He gives me to understand that he knows this Leonard Anderson to be yourself, and that you are now a first mate in that vessel. God be thpnked for this pews! Yju are alive, and have made y:ur vtay to an honourable, if not distinguished, place in society. I shall not have to grieve for your fall into a vicious way of life. " Two more weary years have gone by — my hair is turning white with age — my home is still a desolate place. I can hear no moTs of you. Detroit has changed ills manners to me since I made him my heir. He knows not that I have heard any thing of you. I suspect him of assuminor a friendship for me he never felt, that he might gain my estates. He has deceived me grossly — tnere is no trust to be put in man. I am fated to suf- fer to the last hour of my life. Notwithstanding, he shall not be deceived by me — I shall revoke my will in iw '•I ti; :i^>t!'- I* <■ 440 THE CANADIAN OlRL. your favour, but I shall bequeath to him a mainte- nance. 5» i Here the narrative seemed to liave ceased for a long; period. It was concluded in a ^ew lines evidently penned with the altered and tremulous hand of extreme age, of which the ink appeared quite fresh and black. " My last hope of seeing thee, my son, has withered entirely. Hitl.Mo I have delayed altering my will, deterred partly by the arguments of Detroit, who would ptr \ 442 TilK CANADIAN tilRL. CHAPTER XXV. long With that intense affect'Ci», >>.nt .; p faith, Which knows no changv,, anc ^^iivu iji«t, .-'er the tomb !" — Swain, ** On — on the vessel ran : — ,?ioa»». Ladv Hester, with her friends, reached in safety the country seat of the earl her father in England. The arrival of the lovely and distinguished peeress, and her widowhood, were at once made known to the highest circles through the medium of the fashionable journals of the day. Immediately she was inundated by cards, and notes, and letters, of condolence and of compliment. A host of titled and coronated visiters besieged her re- tirement, employing all the artillery of polite blandish- ment to win her to reappear in the sparkling scenes of aristocratic dissipation. But Lady Hester was invul- nerable. Sh(3 carried within her bosom a talisman which] rendered impotent all their assaults. Former suitors were among their number, whose hopes the Colonel'/ death had revived, and found their plans for procurii the honour of her smiles fruitless. At lirst their cs irere answered by the mortifying intelligence that La Hester could not see company at present, and then, f^ rHB CANADIAN GIRL. 443 she was ^one iuto the south of England. But there was unce class of persons whom sb ^ had not failed to visit on her father's domain — they were the poor, who long had cause to remember her liberality. The I 1 of Wiltoa was extremely mortified by thi. determine 1 seclusion of his eldest daug'ter, but finding his remc , itra-'^esot'no effect, ceased to make them, and fixed hi nopjs on the budding graces and accomplish- ments of Letit.'a, whc entered her fourteenth year, as the first twelvemonth of their return to England ex- pi red. Lady Hester was gone on a private visit to those distant relations of Pastor Wilson who had taken Clin- ton from his destitute mother and brought him up to manhood. There, her heart, which was now entirely de- voted tv> him, indulged itself by reviewing the enchanting period of their first acquaintance in the same delightful scenes in which it took place. Only to one member of the family, a younger son, who, from his childhood, had entertained a brother's regard for Clinton, did she speaK of that which was nearest to her heart. Cautiously, when at anotlier part of the drawing-room in which they were assembled, the younger scions of the house, and their parents, were busy with a parcel of books and prints that had newly arrived from Paris, she made an allusion to the favourite companion and confidant of his younger years. He caught at the theme with eagerness, and dilated with warmth on the recollections which the name of Clinton rekindled in his mind. Neither he nor his relatives had heard. Lady Hester soon discovered to the i. p.- ■ -' «. i 1 ^1 444 tHE CANADIAN Gini, whom the latter had embezzled money having, as out readers are aware, received so soon after their loss three- thirds of the amount from Clinton, and the rest froni Lady Hester, and supposing that the whole had been returned by himself through her hands, willingly hushed up the transaction, which, accordingly, had not tran- spired beyond their firm. Lady Hester imparted to tliis friend and relative of Clinton her having seen him, and his sister and father, in Canada, describing the re- markable circumstances of their meeting, only keepitifr back the piratical character of Anderson's vessel. Her deeply interested listener in turn informed her that he had heard, from one of the vicars under the Bishop of Quebec, that Pastor Wilson, the grandfather of Clinton, was living in Upper Canada, and as soon as he could find leisure he should write to the good Pastor, on the part of his parents, and enclose a Jstter for Clinton, whom he hoped by this means it would reach. Lady Hester had inherited a small estate in her own right in Cornwall ; thither she repaired next, and during the second year of her return from abroad, dwelt there in a solitude so entire as to give rise to various surmises among the disappointed circles of haut ton. It was even said that, in spite of the tales which had been circulated of the Colonel's infidelities, she had really loved her husband, and had vowed herself to perpetual grief for his loss. But an idea so romantic was hardly likely to keep its ground among the exclusives of the superior orders, who were little accustomed to devotedness to marriage ties,/ and they speedily banished a notion sc repugnant to their frigid calculations. Lady Hester, a thorough disciple of the same anti- THFi CANADIAN GIRL. 44.5 «ntliu8iastic school as far as her nature would suffer her to be, rigidly hid her real feelings from every eye. The end of the present year approached, and with it the pe- riod when her future path in life was to be decided. She grew restless and anxious; sleep forsook her pillow by night, and tranquillity her spirit by day ; she sat at the piano -forte, but the charms of music had for the present fled ; she took in hand her pencils for sketching, drew a few irregular outlines, but could not concentrate her mind upon the task ; she prepared her colours, placed the exquisite productions of Flora and Pomonn before her, flowers, and fruits, and shells ; shaped cards for screens, and baskets, and similar bagatelle, which she meant to ornament with painting for her amusement ; but in the midst of this graceful trifling, dropped her brush, sank back in her chair, and yielded herself up to the listlessnass of a troubled mind One day, while in this paioful frame, wandering from one apartment to another, and trying one employment after another, but all to no purpose, the arrival of the morning's letters and papers were announced by a ser- vant. She did not go immediately to the room in which they were ordinarily placed, for the vague hopes she had of late entertained were not in much vigour this morning, and nothing else but what referred to Clinton had at present power to interest her. With languid indifference she proceeded to turn them over just before going to dress for dinner; there were a variety of crestea seals, black, and vermillion, and parti-coloured; she glanced at the superscriptions and cast them on on« side without opening them; then came forth from the bag a letter from her sister, who was then in town witk (I L- t»l 41U THB CANADIAN OlRL. the Earl ; she opened that, iaying— " Dear Letty \ I must see what you have to say to me." There was nothing of moment in it. The unspoiled warmth and vivacity of temper which madeLetitia su pleasing, spoke out as usual on the odorous page in sentiments equally refined and affectionate. " Ah, Letty I you will not long remain, I fear, the unsophisticated being you now are. A few years will make you like us all — but long may it be before the fiery serpent, lovk, breathes his pestilential vapours on you ! May it be long before you feel the pangs your sister has suffered !" She supposed that she had emptied the letten-bag but as she was pushing it from her across the table, to make room for a large print she was unrolling, another letter dropped from its mouth with the direction upper- most. She read — ** ' To the Right Hon. Lady Hester Cleveland, Wilton-hall, County of Essex, England.' It is from Clinton !" she ejaculated, and looked round the apartment to see that the disturbance of her de- meanour was not observed. '^ It is assuredly his hand- writing ! The two years have not yet quite expired — be has encroached on my permission." Notwithstanding these remarks, and the resentful tone in which they fvere uttered, it is not to be supposed but that Lady Hester was less displeased at his having written a little before the time, than she would have been had he delayed until after. As Nelson is said to have averred that he owed his successes to havinof been a quarter of an hour beforehand with his engagements, so, it is probable, Clinton owed his ultimate success with Lady Hester to a similar cause. TUB CANADIAN OIRL. 447 The letter was in her hand as a carriaj^o wheeled up the lawn in front of the house. Lady Hester was in- stantly to the outward eye unruffled, though her heart, like Vesuvius covered with snow, was on fire with ix thousand emotions underneath. A lady in the neigh- bourhood entered to make a morning call. Lady Hester, with porfect ease, yielded herself to all the light topics of the day; invincibly patient, discussed the respective merits of lace from Valenciennes and Berlin — of china from Dresden and India— ^f fans from Paris and Ma- drid — of bhawls, and parrots, and vases, and servants, and embroidered handkerchiefs. All which concluded, the lady returned to her carriage, and Lady Hester to Clinton's letter, with which the latter retreated to her dressing-room^ from wheoce she stirred not for the rest of the day, taking her dinner, tea, and supper there, and spending the whole of the ensuing night in penning an answer for Clinton. Neither his communication or her reply shall we presume to lay before the reader — their contents are easily to be inaagined by those who have loved truly, and devotedly — who have had their hopes long deferred, and who at last see themselves on the eve of obtaining the hallowed object of their hearts choice. And now Lady Hester sold off all the property shi possessed in her own right in England, lodged her money in the hands of • Metropolitan banker who was in correspondence with the Canadian bankers of] Mon- treal and Toronto, and apprised the Earl of VViltou of her determination to return to North America, and settle there. He immediately left town with Letitia and came to her. {■t\' 448 THE CANADIAN OIRL. .-"■^■■f *' It is Impossible that you can be serious, Lady Cleve- land!" said he to her, shortly after his arrival. " I am at a loss to couceive what can have occasioned the al- teration which I have long perceived with so much pain in that darghter, who, a short time ago, was the star of my ancient house. What is there here wanting to your happiness 1 If you are bent upon the eccentric plan of exiling yourself from London, why still there is all England before you, and Ireland, and Scotland, and Wales ! Wherever you are pleased to go in these kinnr- «ioras, our nobility will feel flattered by your residence iimong them. Reflect, my love! North America! — what a place for Lady Hester (yleveland to choose as her place of residence! It' you had said Paris, or any other of the continental capitals, 1 might have been less surprised. But North America ! — really, my love, you must excuse me if I treat such an idea with ridicule." " What say you to New York, sir ?" " Ah, that city is not entirely beyond the pale of ci- vilisation — there are some endurable persons there I be- lieve ; — but still. Lady Cleveland knows better how to discriminate between the degrees of good society, than to dream of preferring to shine among an American aristocracy of citizens rather than among an English ar'stocrary, in whose veins flows no base blood, and who are confessedly the most refined people in the world !" ^' My dear sir, I am in search of no society. I do not mean to shine at al;. As I told you formerly in Toronto, I have severed myself from fashionable life for ihe r» mainder of my days. I think you have seen me act consistently with that resolve since I came baoh to Eugliind." THE CANADIAN OIRL. 449 " Well, Lady Cleveland, if you are wilful, I will give vp the point." " Not wilful, my dear sir, but only — " " Determined to go — so then it shall be. I certainly regret your determination — exceedingly regret it — espe- cially as Lord R , my friend, has more than hinted to me his wish to make proposals for your hand, if he could hope they would be accepted. He would be an ex- cellent match, my love — he is about to become a member of the cabinet — I have no doubt that he will be yet prime minister." " Pardon me — I shall never accept his lordship." The earl knew well the decidedness of her character, and perceived by her manner that Lord R had not the shadow of a hope. With a sigh of vexation he ceased to debate the matter with her. " And is it true, Hester, that you will leave me and papa?" cried Letitia, springing into her sister's arms the same afternoon as the latter was dressingr in her own room. Lady Hester sent away her maid, and embraced Letitia with fondness. " Do not weep, dearest Letty — nonsense now — what I I declare you are a1^ in tears. Kiss me, my Ix^loveil sister — and believe .»:8 it is no wani of love for either of you that disposes me to leave England." " You forget that 1 have no other sister beside your- self — you forget that mamma, as you have often told me, wished you to watch over me when I was brought out, as I shall be now very shortly — I never thought you cotiKl go from me H«?ster!" and the panting girl burst into a more passionate fit of tears. ^ My sweet Lettv ! Miss Grcsham is an abie and 20 4/iO THE CANADIAN OtllL. conscientious governess, she will watch over you better than I can. Why do yon distress me by such griefj dearest? I did not think you loved me so much. Harken, my dear, and I will tell you the true source of my de- termination ;'' and so locking the door, she sat down on a chair, her sister throwinsr herself on a stool at her feet, and laying her arm across Lady Hester's lap, while she looked up in her face like an Hebe in tears. Letitia was now turned fifteen, tall for her age, slight and graceful, with long hair of a sunny yellow, such as the ancient Saxon ladies were wont to be represented as pos- sessing ; her complexion was exquisitely fair, and her large, soft blue eyes, beamed with vivacity and sensi- bility. " Have you forgotten, Letty, the Captain who saved yow from being drowned in Lake Erie ?" began Lady Hester. Letitia*s face was doubly animated with the recollec> tion : — " Oh, no ! indeed I can never forget him ! Often have I wished I could reward him .' How could yon think your Letty could be so ungrateful as to forget the man who risked his own life to save hers? Giddy as she is, she has a heart, Hester ! When I am a little older I will certainly find some means of repaying him — though indeed that is not to be done either — for sup- posing I gave him all I was worth, the preservation of my life would still leave me in debt to him." *" You art right, Letty, to cherish a deep gratitude toward Captain Anderson ; he nearly perished while exerting himself to rescue you. But do you remember 3ne Mr. Clinton anjtj Miss Anderson, who were in the same vewel V . > THE CANADIAN OIRU " O yes, very well — Mr. Clinton seemed to hnotr VO'l ^" ** He did know me, Letty," said Lady Hester, drop- ping her voice, and colouring. " We were acquainted when I was little older than yourself. We were attached to each other, my Letty, but he was in dependent cir- cumstances, and as soon as the Earl received a hint of the matter, he removed me beyond his reach." " I never heard any thing of this before, dearest Hester. I never imagined that you had been unhappy before you were married. But how was it papa did not know Mr. Clinton when he saw him in Toronto ?" " He had not seen him in England, Letty, nor, 1 be- lieve, had he heard his name. It was a mere hint of the matter that he received, but that hint was sufficient for him. 1 trust, my dear, you may never be sacrificed to family suitableness as I have been.*' " I will never marry one whom I do not love." " Do not be too sure, Letty ; there are so many influences to rob one of courage in such circumstances. You cannot at present understand how much you may !iave to encounter in support of such a decision. But may you be spared the painful trial ! Now, Letty, once hi you know I have been sacrificed, and have known the intolerable misery of being the wife of one whom I could neither love nor respect, you cannot wonder, therefore, that I am bent upon bestowing myself on the man who won my first and lasting love — on Mr. Clinton. You look surprised, Letty ; now you see the motives for my seclusion from soiiety since I came hack to England — do you not ? He is not possessed of one recommendation according to polite usage ; he is neittior • ,'»fi I- (•"If-,./ liW' ■ >' 452 THE CANADIAN OIRU hish-born, nor titled ; he holds no place in the court or tho camp; he is not distinguished in the republic of letters, or in the empire of politics; he is, as you know, the son of a plain Captain Anderson, of a private cruiser on an American lake; his sister is a plain Miss, who is neither a wit, a blue-stocking, an heiress, or a member of ton ; — ^yet I mean to be his wife, and this is my errand abroad." At fifteen, young ladies are not generally disposed to view enthusiasm in love as a folly. Letitia entered into her sister's feelings with such readiness, and with so much fondness, t^at she was trebly e deared to Lady Hester afterwards. Wiuiin her owi mind Letitia set her heart upon going with her sister, though of this she said nothing at present. Lady Hester's arrangements for departure were speedily concluded, and a second letter arrived from Clinton. He had not disclosed the change in his fortunes, but wrote as the wandering, pen- niless Clinton, of former days. Letitia's constitution had lately manifested many tokens of extreme delicacy, and her medical attendant frequently suggested that a change of air, and especially a sea voyage, would be of essential service. She tried many little manoeuvres with them to get them to pronounce that a second visit to America might answer, and having in a measure suc- ceeded, flew joyfully to apprise her father of the oracular decision. The Earl was not so unwillincf as she ex- pected to find him, and even consented, as parliament was prorogued, to take another voyage with his daughters acroLi ihiJc' of the uuct- >» tion. *' The bill shall be laid upon the table — of your cabm — to-morrow morning, and then, dear pa)m, we must not hear of your being on the opposition benches — I as- sure you we must have the measure passed." And, lo ! the next morning the Earl did indeed find on his cabin table — not a bill — but a letter written by Lady Hester, unfolding her intentions iu returning to America, and eloquently setting before him the unhap- piness she had heretofore endured from having dene violence to her inclinations. Never was man more astounded than the Earl. He could ficarcely credit what he read. Was such infatuation possible ? Why to Lady Hester Cleveland, the noblest and proudest peers of England would have t$,<• tend to bestow herself on a man whom he would blush to see her servant — the son of a Pirate, forsooth! The thought was incredible ! To Lady Hester he proceeded, and calmly questioned Aer as to the reality of what she had stated in her com- munication. She as calmly replied. The Earl then expressed himself thus : — " I beg you to understand, Lady Cleveland, that as you have chosen to lay aside those considerations which your rank and noble birth imperatively require you should maintain, both for your own personal dignity and the dignity of my family, which has never stoojied to ally itself with commoners through a period of eignt centuries — as you have chosen so to disgrace yourself, 1 ©eg jrou to believe that 1 shall separate mvseif ironi yvu '1 S r'NA;: \V. , » 456 THE CANADIAN OIKL. •ntirplvy after the first day of m}' landinor on the Ait»«»* rican shores. I shall also remove Letitia from your influence, as I do not think proper to suffer her to im- bibe the contamination of your example." Saying this, he retired again from her presence. Le« titia no sooner heard what had passed, which had filled her sister's soul with dejection, than she hastened to throw heriself on her father's neck, and to plead Lady Hester's cause. But the Earl was not to be moved ex- cept by his daughter's renunciation of her chosen hus- band, and she was so firm on that point, that flames and tortures would not have compelled her to giv^ ' 'm up. Highly uncom.../rtable did the rest of the journey prove to all the party. The servants were never tired of wondering what could have happened to make the ladie. 'ok so downcast, and to cause the Earl to be so d istant with Lady Hester. Clinton, meanwhile, knew by what vessel to expect the arbitress of hh future destinies, and, with his sister, ' awaited her arrival in Montreal. The first day upon which it was expected saw them arm in arm pacing the river's bank nearly from sunrise to sunset. Clinton was not to be withdrawn from his post, but having lef^ Jane at their lodgings for the night, returned and re- mained by the river until the stars began to disappear in the morning sky, then retired to his pillow for about three hours, and again resumed his anxious watch. This day passed as the preceding one. On the fol- lowing forenoon, a pilot-boat going out to look for the vessel, Clinton went with it. There had been a severe gaie in the night, and he had worked himself up to a .< <■ THE CANADIAN OIRL. pitch of alarm for Lady Hester's safety of the most dis- tressing intensity. As the boat moved down the St Lawrence, all the shipping and river-craft appeared grievously damaged, which, if possible, heightened Clinton's fears. These fears, howovtr, happily proved groundless ; the vessel had foutul shelter in the harbour ol' Bic Island, one hundred and fifty-three miles below Quc»bec. The pilot ran his boat close under her side, and spolte with the captain, who gladly received him on board, the navigation of the St. Lawrence being of a ditlicult cha- racter. Clinton went upon deck with the pilot, and thus came abruptly into the sight of the Earl of Wilton, who heard him ask the captain if La^iy Cleveland was not one of his passengers. The captain having answered in the affirmative, Clinton sent his card down to her cabin. The Earl was }>ale with anger; he moved as though he would hav** sK^pped forward, intending to ask him his busiiK»SH wtth Lady Hester, but his swelling disdain of the »resi)t>mptuous individual withheld him. Clinton bowed to the Earl as soon as he perceived him, hut the latter, instead of returning the movement, as- sumed a most chilling and stately aspect, and ejed him with feii>»eii surprise. Clinton very well understood that his supposed mean- ness of condition caused him to be thus treated. Men- tally smiling in contempt, he turned away with an air of perfect indifference. He was cliagrined, however, iiat ube Earl had ac?ompanK«d Lady Hester, and felt ftBx^^us to know whether he was acqua nted with the object of her voyage. If to, his looks indicated n.'-t the aetestatioB he might be expected to feel for so humbling ; i . Tip ■>' ^ n , '■1. 'I' f,'^s 458 THE CANADIAN OIRL. an alliance his daughter had not by any means succeeded in abating. This being the state of the Earl's feelinfrR, Clinton sanr much immediate discomfort, to say the least of it, before himself and his betrothed. Notwithstanding, he did her the justice to believe, that, under no cir- cumstances, however adverse, would she be induced to revoke her voluntary consent to be his. A note was brought to him by Lady Hester's maid, which inspired him with a confidence and a joy that was plainly apparent in his looks ; the damsel, who had re- ceived from him a dollar for her errand, hastened to whisper confidentially to Letitia's maid, and then to the Farl's valet, that an English gentleman, who was despe- rately in love with her lady, had come into the ship, and that her ladyship had sent up a billet to him on deck« and that the Earl was in a pretty passiOn about it, as any one might see. The Earl was indeed brooding over the matter with rising wrath, and he kept a most jealous watch over the movements of Clinton all the time that the vessel was making her way to Montreal. Lady Hester, ovt of a filial respect for his antipathies, refrained from seeing Clinton until the end of her voyage, when, to put the steadiness of her intentions be- yond doubt, she went up to the latter on the forecastle of the ship, where he stood, only a few yards apart from her father, and presented him her hand, saying, at the same time— *' Mr. Clinton, it was kind of you to come so far out to meet mo." " I was fearful lest you had suffered from the storm, Lady^'^ said he. " How have you borne the voyage f' TUB CANADIAN G!RL. 4m •• Admirably,'* she replied. *' I hope your fath'» Aud sister are quite well V* ** Quite well. I left Jane in Montreal, very desirous of meeting you. And see, there she is on the shore- she waves her hand to us." " Jane!" said the Earl sneeringly aside, ** and who the devil is Jane ? — some villainous maid of all work at one of the taverns I suppose. O, Hester — Hester ! such a disgraceful part as you are now going to act is enough to bring the countess, thy mother, from her tomb to censure thee I" Lady Hester returned Jane's salute familiarly, leaning upon Clinton's arm, then accepted his assistance for quitting the vessel. '* Miss Anderson, we meet again on American ground," said Lady Hester, as Clinton presented her t( Sis sister. " I am indeed glad to see your ladyship here in safety," responded Jane. The Earl and Letitia had likewise left the vessel, but the latter had been sternly commanded by her parent not to speak either to Clinton or Jane except they ad- dressed her, and then to reply only with a manner so distant as should *' effectually check their impertinent advances, by reminding them of the great distance be- tween their station and hers." " Well, papa," quickly spoke Letitia, " and have you made up your mind which side of the question you shall vote for 1 You see which side sister takes." *' Letitia, my child, it is very wrong in you to make a jest of that which so disturbs your father." . * Poor dear papa! what wicked children he has got 1 1 'i ir i I- r f .b\ 1. "*.' 1 i/ '■* ' «<*J ^' } IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // 1.0 ^«2a I.I ;*f IJ4 i 2.2 m m If iiiii^s — I'-"* III'-* ^ 6" ► V] "VS 7 Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 145S0 (716) 872-4503 '""^V" V I/. '4s z 4G0 THE CANADIAN GIRL. ' — T hope fie will forgive us — I know our conduct is quite unparliamentary." The Earl did smile at the pretended seriousness of his child, and would have laughed outright had not his tye happened to fall again on Lady Hester and Clinton, who seemed too happy for him, and his face darkened directly. ' PoorLetitia in reality little cared for the distinctions of rank and fortune ; she longed to tell Jane how glad she was to meet her again, and how right wiling she jlelt for her sister's marriage with Clinton. But a\\ such uncalculating impulses were nipped as they sprung by the Earl, whom she durst not disobey. Lady Hester now withdrawing her hand from Clinton's arm, stepped up to the Earl and Letitia, and inquired — " Will you lead the way, dear sir, to that hotel in which we are expected 1'* " It is in the street of the Hotel Dieu, Lady Cleve- land ; there is but one house of the kind in that street — you and your friends cannot miss it." " My dear sir, you are going with us I hope ?" ' " Not L I would uphold the dignity of my family with my best blood if necessary. I will not give mv countenance to your degrading of it. Here we sepa- rate — unless you at once renounce your plans ! — plans, which I again say, involve a want of consideration, and a, want of delicacy, which I am surprised to find in my daughter!" *• Papa!" cried Letitia, in an expressive tone of re- vMonstrance and supplication, " dear papa !" ** If it must be so, sir, I am deeply sorry," said Lady Hester, with a nobleness of air which sutfi ■''ently THB CANADIAN GIRL. 461 reouttea tiis ill-deserved imputation of her being capable of want of delicacy, while her splendid countenance was suffused with glowing vermillion. " But ray sister — -shall she not be with me *?" " No — I forbid her from maintaining any intercourse with you," answered the Earl, with cool severity. " I do not wish her to be infected with your present ignoble sentiments ; I must look to her to rescue, in some de- gree, the ancient family to which you belong from the blot you are about to bring upon it." The tears swam in Letitia's soft eyes, and trickled down her transparent cheek. ** Well then, beloved Letty ! here, but for only a little while I trust, we part," said Lady Hester. " I know your heart, dearest — you love me well ! God bless you ! Do not be dejected on my account-^I shall make myself as much at ease as I can. Perhaps you, dear sir, will know me better some day." " Talon !" called the Earl in a sharp accent to his valet, who was overlooking the luggage of the party at the brink of the river, " let the coachman help you to put Lady Letitia's and ray trunks upon the carriage, and make haste." " And not Lady Cleveland's, my lord?" " No — Lady Cleveland does not go with us." Clinton and Jane heard every word that passed, and sensibly felt Lady Hester's painful position, which served to make her dearer to them both. Miss Gresham was in tears, as well as Letitia, for she was much at- tached to Lady Hester. " Your ladyship has my best wishes for your happi- ness," said she, as she was turning to join her pupil. 'vm% 'i M-\' 402 THB CANADIAN OIRb m *• I believe it, and I thank you," returned Lady Hester, emphatically, her lip quivering with emotion, yet forcing a smile. "Now, Mr. Clinton," she turned to him as the governess moved away, " you have proved me capable of sacrificing the whole world to you — for family pride, and family affection, and public reputation, have been the world to me." " My whole future life shall be devoted to one only aim — your recompense !" he ejaculated. " And I," said Jane, modestly, yet with fervour, " will never be found wanting in gratitude; in sacrificing to my brother, you have sacrificed to me — for I am a sharer in all that concerns his happiness. My father, too, will be glad to minister to your ladyship's felicity in every way that is in his power." " Pray, my dear Miss Anderson, let me have no more of the 'ladyship,'" cried Lady Hester, compelling every appearance of a pained mind to vanish from her face; " henceforth we are to be on terms of perfect equality you know." *'' So let it be !" exclaimed the happy Clinton, moving forward from the quay between them, " and after this moment we are plain Hester, Jane, and Clinton, with each other.'* Lady Hester fancied that both the sister and brother had suffered her to place herself on a level with them with more ease than she had altogether anticipated. She observed that both were well, and even handsomely, dressed ; and as they were going to the street of the Hotel Dieu, Clinton drew a superb gold watch from his waistcoat pocket te sec the time, whereby she plainly perceived that their circumstances were altered for the >rother them pated. omely, of the om his plainly br the THB CANADIAN GIRL. 463 better, though she little dreamed of the extent of the al- teration." " Is your father in the same vessel as formerly ?" she inquired, anxious for an explanation. " No, he has left the lakes entirely," answered Clin- ton ; " in a few days you shall see him ; he lives now in the seigniory of Rougemont, and has no connexion whatever with his former associates ; nor, I am sure, will he ever aofain have." *' I rejoice to hear you say so ; and how, may I ask, is he at prese?it provided for ?" Clinton glanced meaningly at Jane, and replied — " You shall know all about it when you see him. Of this be assured, that he is li-,ing honesily^ and, I believe^ is happier than ever he was in his life before. Jane and I reside with him — and soon, I hope," he added, speaking in a softer cadence, and with irresistible tenderness, " you will join us there, and so complete our felicity." In all this there was something inexplicable to Lady Hester, and she was to be pardoned, perhaps, if, not- withstanding what Clinton had said, she felt a few mis- givings as to the nature and source of the prosperity of the Pirate and his children. Jane was Lady Hester's companion in the hotel, and every hour they grew more intimately social with each other. As soon as the latter had a little recovered from the fatigue of the voyage, Clinton pressed her to go to Rougemont. She consented, and the first frost of the season having set in, a carriole was hired, as she supposed, for the journe}', Dut on stepping from the hotel entrance to take her seat m it, she was surprised to see the equipage of a person of distinction awaiting her Dubiously she cast her [Tl '■'**. 'M »' n i:"'j| ■Mi 'i> '< '''M^ , Mi- 4 . %^ 464 THE CANADIAN GIRL. eyes around looking for one of humbler pretonsioni, but none such appeared at hand ; at that instant Clinton came out to lead her to the carriole steps, beside which a footman stood in lace and gold. To heighten her perplexity, the servant touched his hat to Clinton, and replied to some direction the latter gave him as he took the reins into his hand, " very well, my lord." , Jane now came from the hotel door. " Think you there is time for us to reach Rougemont before nic:htfall V^ she asked the footman. " O yes, your ladyship, plenty of time," he answered, as he folded up the steps after she had seated herself beside Lady Hester, " I am bewildered with what I hear and see !'* ex- claimed the latter, when Clinton had sprung in ; '* pray one of you unravel the mystery to me !" " Not yet," said the delighted Clinton, The sun was declining from its meridian when the carriole entered the seigniory of Rougemont. They shortly after perceived a horseman approaching. *^ It is my father I" cried Clinton, causing the speed of the vehicle to be slackened. Wonder upon wonder for Lady Hester. The Pirate of the Vulture was now in dress and in bearing a gen- tleman ; the horse he rode was a beautiful bay ; and as he lifted his diamonded bonnet from his head, and bowed to her with an air of profound respect, the majesty of his person was very striking, and indicated a con- scious superiority. Clinton stopped the carriole, and the Pirate rode up to it. , " f should have set out for Montreal to morrow .i-^'l THK CANADIAN GIRL. 4G.5 10T1I« inton irbich 1 her , and ) took svered, [lerself !" ex- 's pray len the They speed morning in search of you if you had not come," cried he, addressing his son and daughter. " Lady Cleveland, you are truly welcome to Rougemont — it shall be the study of our lives to make you happy here." She articulated her thknks with excited feelings. The carriole then proceeded slowly along a noble avenue of oaks and elms, the Pirate riding by it, conversing with his children and occasionally with Lady Hester, who wondered how all this would end. The equipage in a little time came in front of a man- sion of the first class^ and stopped at an imposing en- trance supported by white marble pillars. The footman thundered at the door, then lowered the steps of the carriole as the Pirate dismounted and stood uncovered, while Lady Hester was handed into the house by Clinton. At the door of the room into which she was ushered^ there stood another of her former acquaintances of the pi- , rate ship — this was no other than Deborah, who had been rewarded for her disinterested attachment to Jane by being made housekeeper here. She was arrayed in the thorough British style of her order — a large cap, fur- nished with at least half a dozen yards of gay ribbon, adorned her head, underthe shadow of which her broad red face appeared shining in gladness and content; her stout figure had enlarged itself under the influeiice of the good cheer with which she took care that her larders were supplied, and was comfortably clad in red poplin, set off by a white apron and an enormous frill. " What are you here too, Deborah ?" said Ladv Hester, as the Irish girl threw open the door and dropped a low curtsy. *' O yis indeed, my lady, it's mysilf at any rate — my 30 ■ ^y •- rm iruv-.;-i Si '^^y H ■; ^ 4 |■^■ pi: 4G6 THE CANADIAN GIRL. lord, the Marqnrs, has befrinded me gratelyj and I owe it all to Misthress Jane — I mane* to my Lady Jane, begging her pardon a thousand times. May yer lady- ship see many joyful days here, and that's the sincare wish of my sowl." *' ' My lord the Marquis V — * Lady Jane V — what can all this mean ?" thought the agitated Lady Hester. The room was richly decorated — the walls and ceiling were painted with historical scenes — the furniture was of the most handsome and costly description — the win- dows looked out upon grounds laid out with elaborate care and skill. " Now, idolised Hester ? — now, my own — my be- loved!'' exclaimed Clinton, as she stood bewildered and panting with powerful emotions, after he had shut the door, while his father and sister were speaking with Deborah in the hall, " you shall know whom you have consented to marry. I am the son of one who owns a rank still higher than that of your father. I am the heir of all that you see around — nor only of this, but of the whole seigniory in which we. are. You have not banished yourself from the circles for which you were born by consenting to bestow yourself on me. I am the Earl of Wilton's equal, and I will wed you, La:?y Hester, before the eyes of that world which you have so nobly disregarded for my sake. My father, now the Marquis of Rougemont, shall go to the Earl and purchase his consent to our union by such marriage-settlements as will far exceed any thing that he could make for a child of his." i He then related to her all the circumstances that had attended their coming into possession of the estate and .i?'N THE CANADIAN UlRL. 4G7 title. Lady Hester then said — " Do not think, Clinton, that you have made my head altogether giddy with de- light by this change of prospect. I felt extremely proud of the sacrifice I was making for you, and hoped, by its means, to secure you to myself with such ties as could never be broken. Now, I am afraid, in making your marriage with me a matter of formal family ar-» rangements, you will become a mere fashionable hus- band, and J, by consequence, an indifferent wife; and so all my romantic notions of our superlative felicity in the kingdom of Hymen will vanish away like other air-built fabrics." " Never !" cried Clinton, with sincerity and passion in his transported glance, as he pressed his lip to her passive hand, " never! From my boyhood I have loved but vou ! and to tne last hour of mv life vou shall be ID) soul's treasure and > CHAPTER XXVI. *' Who are these evil guests, that thus Break uninvited in upon our privacy?" That early friend of Clinton who was lately spoken of, had delayed to write to Pastor Wilson until Lady Hester took her second and permanent leave of Eng- land. By her he sent two separate letters for the Pastor and Clinton, in the former of which he detailed the information Lady Hester had imparted concerning the existence of the grandchildren and the son-in-law of the Pastor in America, and hoped he would soon meet with them if he had not hitherto. In the other epistle to Clinton, he dwelt upon the relationship of Pastor Wilson to his friend, and upon what he had learned of the settlement of the good Pastor in Upper Ca- nada. Clinton was delighted to hear from his old schoolfel- low and playmate, and after scanning the letter in a cursory way, read it aloud to his father, his sister, and Lady Hester, while seated with them at dessert. *' It is very odd," said Jane^ who was bending over a peach that she was unconsciously dissecting on her THU CANADIAN OIRL. 469 plate, '* that Nicholas and I should both have lived so long in the lodge without discover! n^r our relationship, or that the Pastor was our grandfather." •* Or that Arthur Lee was our cousin," added Clinton, archly. Janets knife slipped along the plate, and her blushing face drooped still lower over the peach. " Do not mind him, Jenny," said the Pirate, '* we had the laugh against him a little while ago. But what say you, must we not go and see this grandfather and cousin?" rJ ' I " With all my heart !" cried Clinton, who was ex- ceedingly desirous of beholding his sister in possession of prospects as blissful as those which were before his own view. Who was to go was the next question. Clinton was not disposed to take Lady Hester thither at present, lest she should hear of Lucy, neither was he willing that his father should go, as he wanted him to proceed im-* mediately to Montreal, to make terms with the Earl for Lady Hester's hand. The idea would have been put off, therefore, at his suggestion, had he not perceived in Jane's eye a delight at the proposed journey indica- tive of a feeling of which he had had too deep an ex- perience not to sympathise with it. While the matter was under discussion. Lady Hester, who had been in- formed by Clinton of Mr. Lee's attachment for Jane, and who participated in his wishes for her happiness, disposed of the difficulty by declaring her intention of going with the Pirate to endeavour to change the Earl's mind in respect to her intended marriage. " While the Marquis and I are gone on this mission,^ "'111 ?!{' •(•♦' '".''• ■'', ■v.r i ' I. v.- --iTli 470 THE CANADIAN GIRL. said sho, *^ you, Clintoa and Jane, must transport your- selves to Pastor Wilson's lodge, and, on a day which we will appoint, roeet us here again." Clinton was very reluctant to leave his beautiful afB- anoed, but his objections were overruled by her and by the Pirate. " You may be sure of this if we do go," said he, gaily, ** there will be two marriage parties in RougR- mont instead of one, shortly." '* There will be no such thing, Nicholas — how can you talk so !" remonstrated Jane. " He must not be too sure that there will be one," cried Lady Hester, sharing in Jane's confusion ; *' let me tell him that ladies do not like too much confidence on the part of their admirers — ^humility should be the lover's creed.** *' At all events, I hope you will bring the Pastor with you," remarked the Pirate, ^' I should much like to <8ee the old gentleman hero." « We will do our bett to bring both him and Mr. Lee, will we sot, Jane ?" returned Clinton. " You are very provoking," cried the palpitating girl, as sh^ rose from table and retreated from the dining* room to indulge in solitude those feelings which the prospect of meeting Arthur again had revived in her breast. To come back oace more to the Pastor's lodge, it seened very probable that Clinton's prediction con- cerning the double marriage would be verified, for when he and his sister prepared to return to Rouge- mont, Mr. Lee was with them as the husband-elect oi Jane. The Pastor eould not leave bis ilock, but he THE TAN A 01 AN OIUL. 471 exactoil a promise from Arthur and Clinton that their marriage ceremonies should be solemnised by no other than himself, and in noo^her place than the lodge. Both the young men argued in favour ot Rougcmont, for both had the ill-fated Lucy in their mind ; but the Pastor persisted in his wish, to which they reluctantly yielded. Clinton had another motive, and it was his principle one, for being averse to the celebration of his marriage in the lodge — the settler Joshua's tale might come to Lady Hester's hearing and disturb her peace. Conscience made him painfully uneasy in respect to the affair with Dan ; though years had passed since it took place, the load which it had fastened on his mind was no mort? lightened than if it had happened yesterday. Upon the dav which bad been appointed for the return of Jnne and Clinton from tne lodge^ and of the Pirate and Lady Hester from Montreal^ the former, with Mr. Lee, drove up in the sleigh to the front portico of the mansion. Clinton knocked loud and long, and made the hall entrance reverberate with the ringing of the bell, but to his wonder and alarm no servant answered the summons. *' This is most unaccountable !" he exclaimed ; and while he stood a moment listening to hear if he could distinguish any one approaching within, he fancied that he detected the sound of laughter and of coarse singing. " The servants must have abused the confidence that has been put in them, Jane," said he, '' there is vulgar revelling going on in the house." *' I can hardly think Deborah would be unfaithful to us," observed Jane, astonished, " and she had the command of the — hark! indeed you are right, Nicholas, • <*•■ '5 * -A ■■f0 mm ■ii 472 THE CANADrAX G'.RL. there w revelling going on." The mingleil clamour of laughing, shouting, and singing, became for an instant plainly distinguishable, and to complete the dismay of Jane, seemed to come from the best room of the house, the window-shutters of which were closed, though it was now the middle of the day. Jane alighted from the sleigh with as much celerity as possible, and with Clinton hastened round to the back entrance, while by their desire Mr. Lee awaited the issue of their observations. " I am the more astonished," remarked Clinton, because this is the day upon which Deborah was to ex- pect us — of course my father and Lady Hester cannot vet have arrived." A door in the right wing of the house stood ajar. They entered, Clinton going first, and Jane following with indefinite alarm. A tumult of rough male voices, rising to the highest pitch of which they were capable in drunken mirth, just then re-echoed through and through those parts of the dwelling which were set apart for the reception of com- pany. Jane recoiled, and exclaimed — " O, Nicholas ! those are not the servants — I dare not go forward !" Clinton paused and listened in amazement, which was quickly superseded by indignant wrath. A peal of laughter, more boisterous than before, and long con- tinued, came upon his ears, and then there followed a noise such as might be produced by the sudden smashing of glasses and bottles, together with the upsetting of ». heavy table and several chairs. " Jane, go »ack to Mr. Lee, and tell him to ride off wiVn you to the nearest magistrate," cried Clinton, THC CANADIAN GIRL. 473 hurriedly. " I will soon deal witli these ruffians m a manner they wont like probably." " Don't you think they are robbers ?" inquired Jane, pale and trembling. " Robbers! — ^es, but such as unfoctunately my fa- ther has had too much to do with in former times.'* " Dc you suppose they are the Pirates ?" " I am sure of it ; — but go instantly to Mr. Lee, and request him to send officers here without a moment's de- lay!" " But, Nicholas," hesitated Jane, " if that be done you do not know what may be the consequence — they may impeach my father." " True, true ; that is a consideration of instant moment, What is best to be done ! To endure this intrusion, even with moderate patience, is impossible ! Where can the servants be? However, I cannot let you remain here. Go as I said, Jane. Yet stay — Mr. Lee had better drive to a little distance. You know it is most likely that Lady Hester and my father are near, and the Earl of Wilton may be with them, it would be dreadful to think of her and the proud peer coming into the hearing of a horrid uproar like this — you must watch for them, and contrive to prevent them from ap- proaching." " All hands ahoy 1" roared a tarred and ruffianly- looking mariner, who had been lying, unperceived by Clinton or Jane, in a half intoxicated state on the inside of the doorway. Jane started toward Clinton with af- fri|jht, and the fellow rose staggering to his feet, clapping tbe door into its fastenings with the whole farce of his wny arm. ■ 1 tit ■' '■■i^ k :'Vi •i'M ■t,' ■ J'^-J* 474 THE CANADIAN OIRL. " What do you want here ?" sternly demanded Clin- ton. " What do I want here ?" repeated the mariner ; " I want liquor to be sure ! and you have got plenty of the primest sort, that I will say— I never tasted better in all my life, never." << Why have you and your companions come here in this disgraceful way ?" again asked Clinton with in- creasing choler. *' That isn't a question" (hiccuping) " to be answered all in a breath ; for why, there was many reasons for our steering this way to " (hiccupping again) " see our old Cap'n — we hard of his coming to a Marquis and a fort'n, that was one reason ; we found the smuggling trade no go, and wanted a little help in the cash way — d'ye see — ^and that wur another reason — there's two on 'em for'ee, if you wants honny more you must go and az my mates." Clinton whispered with Jane a moment while the sailor found bis equilibrium by planting his back against the door. ** Let this lady pass out," said Clinton. " Call me an ass if I do," returned the fellow, plucking a quid of tobacco from his jacket pocket, and thrusting it into his left cheek. " What do you mean by that ?" cried Clinton, whom prudential considerations for the Pirate's safety could hardly restrain from knocking the man down. " Ax ray mates, they'll tell'ee," said the mariner, in reply, and with a silver tooth-pick that Jane had left in her dressing-room he commenced picking his teeth. ** Do not contend with him, my brother/' whispered TfaE CANADIAN GIRL. 475 !he terrified Jane ; '* rather endeavour to argue the mat- ter with the more sober of the party — if, indeed, they have not all lost their senses," she added, as a second clatter of breaking glasses and falling chairs was eve - powered by vociferated shouts of jovial merrim mt. *' I cannot longer endure this !" exclaimed Clinton, advancing to the mariner ; '' Stand away from the door.'" The fellow discharged from his mouth the tobacco- impregnated saliva, then responded, without moving an inch—" You be !" In the twinkling of an eye Clinton had sprung on him and hurled him along the passage . But this act did not effect the object intended, for as Jane was retreating with all the hurry of fear, she was caught back by another Pirate, a Pole, near seven feet in height, exhibiting enormously long and bushy whis- kers and mustachios, of an uncertain colour bordering upon red: he had come from the great hall staircase, and, like the discomfited mariner, was in an intoxicated condition. " Ah, what, a lady here !" cried he in bad French, " I must have a look at you !" Let go my hand, sir !" she cried in excessive alarm. Nay, my dear, you must not go — I must have a sight of your face," and he leered with disgusting fa- miliarity, that was deservedly checked by a stunning blow from the irritated Clinton, who would immediately have passed her through the contested doorway, out of reacti of the drunken reprobates, had not a third indi- vidual, who had followed close on the heels of the Pole, presented himself in the way. It was Gilpin, whose a « "t* L V, Mhv I ■■I 47G THE CANAJtUN OIRL. reckless courage had made him famous amonz lii8 out- lawed brethren. '* Ha! ha! ha! Mr. Scrynecki ! how did you rehsh that ?" he cried. *' 'Twas as neat a lick as ever I saw out of New York State." " Master Gilpin," cried the Pole, now adopting the English tongue, which he spoke even worse than French, while he rubbed his forehead with one hand, and smoothed his long mustachios with the other, '* thish ish te firsht time in my life tkt I hath be struck, and, par Dieu 1 it shall be te lasht ! 1 shall kill him dead tat inshult me, par Got !" " Who says Scrynecki is a coward and will bear any thing from any man ?" laughed Gilpin. *' Hark to the hero's big words ! Hurrah for the Polander ! But stop young lady a moment, I must have a peep at your pretty face as well as Scrynecki. Why ! is it Miss An- derson ? I ask your pardon ! Jack Gilpin will never be the man to affront you ! He hasn't forgotten your sewing up the bandages of his shattered arm after the fight with the d law bullies on board ship." The Pole, notwithstanding his big words, had made no attempt to return the blow he had received ; he was indeed the coward of his band. The mariner, more dangerously vindictive, bad quickly managed to rise from the floor on which Clinton had thrown him, and with that mad malignity which too much ardent drink is apt to excite lA some men, had planted himself again in front of the door, having a large pocket knife unclasped in his hand, at the sight #f which Jane trembled and covered her eyes. Clinton threw his arm around her waist, and, entreat- THE CANADIAN OIRL. 477 ins; tier not to be afraid, stood an instant collecting himself, and restraining]; his passion, that he might judge what was best to be done. He was unarmed, and pru- dence told him that in a struggle with a numerous and armed band of ruffians, he could have small chance of success ; but the fire of his impetuous blood would not have suffered him to listen to this argument, had not his sister been there — for her sake he restrained himself. While he paused indeterminately, Gilpin confronted the mariner. " Come, stand on one side," said he. " Call me a fool if I do then," was the reply. " Now, 1 tell you what, Billy," said Gilpin, « I don't want to have any quarrd with you, only stand quietly on one side; but if you won't, mind you, why, as sure as 1 first saw daylight in New York State, I'll make you ! You know Jack Gilpin is no Polander — whet he says is as much gospel as if the president said it — ^you know that Billy, don't you ?" " Hah ! Master Gilpin ! par Got !" were the fierce exclamations of the Pole, his formidable whiskers and mustachios bristling up so as to become still more for- midable. " What you mean tat you no Polander, ha ? Let me say you tat te Polanders as you name tem, be te bravest men in all te warld !" " Then take my word for it you are not one of them," said Gilpin, scoffingly ; " all the bravery you have you might sell for five farthings, and the buyer would be taken iii." " Master — master Gilpin, saire," articulated the exas- perated Mr. Scrynecki with difficulty, being overpoweifid With passion, " I wash at te battaile of Warsaw — te ■f i.''' A ,'■* I 478 TKS CANADIAN GIRU great battaile, saire ! — I ivas tere when it conquer te Russ !♦' '* So was many a calf, I dare say, and made as great a noise as you," sneered Gilpin. " But come, Billy, move off, and lei Miss Anderson pass out. You wont, wont you ? What d'ye say to that then ?" and he suddenly pulled a pistol from his belt, and held it to the mariner's temples. " Give me the knife — that's it. Now move nearer this way — nearer — Miss Anderson the door is free to you." The mariner muttered a fierce oath of genuine British origin, and, excited to so imprudent an action by the fumes of the liquor he had drank, raised his arm and at- tempted to dash back tlie pistol from its alarming con- tiguity to his head ; in doing which it went off, and all its deadly contents lodged themselves in his brain. He leaped half a yard from the ground, and fell on his face on the floor. One dismal cry broke from his lips — he rolled over on his back— partly rose as he grappled with the king of terrors — sank again — stretched himself con- vulsively, and ceased to breathe. Horror was depicted on the countenances of the startled persons standing by. Jane, pallid and faint, rushed into the open air. Clinton stood paralysed. The Vole stooped over the body, and with the poor wretch's jacket corner tried to stanch the blood which issued from the wound ; while Gilpin, with the pistol still in his hand, seemed like Clinton transfixed with dismay and surprise. * The noise of the pistol shot had penetrated into the scene of conviviality in the chief salon of the mansion, wr.tfie all the bana oi unwelcome intruders wcruassem- niU CANADIAN OIRL. 479 l)le(l, excepting only three, who had been prowling through the other parts of the house in search of portable articles of value which they might purloin ; these three were the Pole^ the mariner, and Gilpin. The scene in the salon was strange indeed, and in no small degree ludicrous. Upwards of forty Pirates were seated on delicate Grecian couches, fauteuils, and damasked chairs, at rosewood tables furnished with food of the most heterogenous description. One was regaling himself on luscious hothouse fruits ; one on delicate confectionary, of which whole dishes were vanishing with incredible rapidity ; another on bread and cheese, with which he was drinking fine Spanish wine ; a fourth on a cold turkey ; and a fifth was luxu^ riatingaknong a set of jars filled with delicious preser''^s^ jellies, and creams. *' These sort of seats are d ■ -n fine inventions, «irn't they ?" cried one to his companions, as lie threw up his dirty feet on the downy cushions of a silken couch. " Very — and so is the vittels," was the dry response of a sturdy square-built dwarf, who reposed his half- clad limbs on a similar piece of furniture, while he emptied by a succession of draughts a bottle of claret he held in his hand. All the party seamed to enjoy the novelty of the situation with the relish of overgrown children. The servants of the house had been compelled to bring hither for them the choicest contents of the larders and the wine-cellars. Nay, they must have the best table utensils, too, that the mansion would afford ; cupboards of plate and china had been broken open, and articles, carious anc| rich, brought out to view that had not seen Ii:;:;^-^1W :rii#ti' 4W THB CANADIAN GIRL. the light for very many years before. How would it bave shocked the mother of the late Marquis of Rouge- mont, with all her nice and lofty prejudices, could she have witnessed this desecration of the most precious me- mentos of her ancestry ! But, happily for her, she slept on with profound peace in her tomb in the chapel at- tached to the mansion, noi knew aught of what was going on in the scenes around. She would have shrunk aghast from the bare idea of a dinner in this her grand salon ! an ordinary meal indeed had never appeared within its distinguished bounds ; how much less the abominations that now polluted it, and mingled in strange contrast with the dainties the servants had been compelled to bring! The princely apartment even smelt strongly of onions — the quintessence of barbarism — and with that vile effluvia began to blend a scent of kindred merits — that of tobacco, whose reeking fumes ascended to the gilded flutings of the ceiling from at least a dozen com- mon short pipes ! *' Who'd ha' had any hidea of our old cap'n coming to be master of a place as fine as this!" soliloquised a sleepy privateer, who had gorged as much of all descrip- tion of eatables as his stomach, one of the most capacious dimensions, could possibly contain, while his eye sur- veyed the three ancient, u it gorgeous, chandeliers, that were pendant at proper intervals from the roof, and which it had been the wild pleasure of the crew to have completely lighted up, shedding on the motley picture below a flood of intense brilliance, such as had not il- luminated the salon for nearly a century. *^ Yet, somehow," continued the speaker, as his head at short intervals began to nod on his breast, " I fan- THE CANADIAN GIRL. 481 cied lie was born to a fort n — he was so scholarly, ana held his head so high — and — and so — " sleep prevented the conclusion, and he shortly slipped down upon the thick and costly carpet, snoring loudly, with his face downwards, and his arms extended. Sea songs were then sung by single voices and in chorus, to which the loftiness and expansion of the apartment gave full etiect; the richly-wrought tables were thundered upon with the fist as manifestations of applause — mock combats weie enacted in sport — bottles were thrown at each other, and furniture broken in pieces — and ciill the fellow snored on as soundly as if he had drank opium. The report of Gilpin's pistol disturbed the men at their carousals. The leaders amoncf them were the first to lay their hands on their weapons, and to start from their seats, with looks prepared for a bloody contest in case there was any opposition about to be of- fered to their will. A sudden stillness spread itseli through the salon, rendered remarkable by the tremend- ous uproar of the preceding minute. During that still« ness a heavy footstep, well known to most of the pri- vateers, was heard approaching the door on which all eyes were bent. The door was opened, and the colossal figure of the proprietor of the mansion, the former chiei of the Pirates, presented itself before the crew. He paused a moment, surveying the scene with wonder. " Upon my word, sirs," said he, " this is an honour I had not anticipated. Pray how did you gain an en- trance into the house ?" " We boarded her with pistols cocked, to be sure," replied the present captain of the Pirates ; " how else should jolly buccaneers gain an entrance into houses or 31 li, I i»' ;. t< v. i '\^' ■?«^v;.f '"•'H ml' ,, ({ 482 TBB CAKAOIAN GIRL. ships, think you ?" and he laughed loudly, and nodded his head to his applauding band. " And my servants, especially Merry and Ha^erstraw,. did thoy not endeavour to prevent you ?* " To be sure they did — but we soon tripped up their heels, anil stovvv,d them away in the beer-cellar — and no bad place either, if your beer be as good as your wine, Marquis — and so here's wisiiing you no worse company than a jolly set like ourselves," draining a goblet of the wine which he praised. Here Clinton came to the door also, and appeared surprised to see his father there. ** How did you get in?*' said hej " and where is Lady Hester ?" " I left her in Montreal," was the reply to the last int' rogatory. " I found the kitchen door open, and came through the servants hall." " Did you see Jane and Mr. Lee ?" • " I saw Mr. Lee — he gave me some idea of what was going forwards here, but any thing so bad as this I little expected to find." " For heaven's sake, sir, be cautious how you act ! both I and Jane have already run no small risk from them — ^they are all intoxicated ; one of them now lies dead in the passage, shot by Gilpin, who interfered for Jane's protection." " Is she in the house ?" " No — she must have been hastening from it as you entered it, " Leave me, and look aftor her, Nicholas,'^ said the Pirate, speaking decisively. " Do not fear for me. i know how to manage these fellows, believe me.'' THU CANADIAN OIRL. 463 ** Only be cautious, sir ! for they are like deviU l«t loose." *« I will, I will—go." This dialogue had not occupied halt' a minute, and had been spoken, scarcely above a whisper, in French, which only a few of the large number of the privateers understood. Clinton turned with hasty steps to look for the frightened Jane, and the Pirate advanced alone into the midst of the salon without the least hesi- tation. " Well, gentlemen, now be so good as let me know the meaning and object of this visit. You cannot sup- pose that I shall endure such insolent intrusions when- ever it may please you to make them." The tongues of the whole band of ruffians were straightway unloosed, and all speaking together, de- manded money from him. *• Give us fifty Louis-d'ors a piece /" cried some. "' Give us four thousand dollars among us all !" cried others. " Your demands, gentlemen, are extremely moderate, I must allow," said the Pirate, with irony, " extremely moderate. And how often do you intend to visit me for a repetition of the amount ?" " As you have come into a fort'n," said the present captain, " we have a right to a share in it." " Sb we have, Skipper !'' was the clamourous re- sponse. " What are you better than us 1" resumed their cap- tain. " We have stood alongside of you in all weathers and never cried quarter to any man ! Come, then- give us a good round lieap of coin apiece, and we'll • U>! ■> ' ''. i. Mm 1, ', t. i '^Sfer -•»?.'• *'■■ vn-i. 484 TIIK CAN4DIAN OIRL. not trouble you ugain lor three years. That's reasonable, isn't it, my jolly buccaneers ?" *< To be sure it is reasonable !" vras the deafening echo. '* And what's reasonable I hope will be agreeable," continued the orator. " We want nothing whatever that's unfair ! We have stood by you when the weather was squally, and now we wont let you break up part- nership with us when it's shiny. You've helped your- self out of our meal-tub, and weMl help ourselves out of your meal-tub." " Indeed !" cried the Pirate : " let me ask you it the vessel which I suppose you have now was not mine, and all that was m it too ? And when I parted from you, did I not leave myself actually destitute of every thing excepting only the little money that had been given me by the persons whose lives J saved ? I know you afterwards gave me my cabin furniture • but what was that compared with what I left behind ? What did I gain among you ? Depraved as I knew you to be, I never thoujifKt yon capable of despicable ingratitude like this ! Away with you ! false, worthless, scoundrels ! You shall never force a dollar from me ! It is no use attempting to frighten me with your savage looks' Contemptible rascals ! I am ashamed that ever I had connexions with you !" *' Let us have the value of twenty Louis-d'ors each," shouted the band simultaneously, " and we will be sa- tisfied !" '* I will not!" fiercelv returned the Pirate, with in- vincible determination. ** I tell you I will not be coni' pelted to give a single piece of moDcy to any of you ! THB CANADIAN OIRU 482 What have you known of mo that could lead you to believe 1 would pay you lor breaking open my doors, ransacking my house, and ill-using my servants ? Pur- haps you thought to force mo to do your will by those weapons which I see you have in your hands — but de- pend upon it, it as difficult to intimidate the Marquis of Rougemont as it was Captain Anderson of the Vul- ture ! I have faced death before to-day, gentlemen. I acknowledge that at this instant I am quite in your power, and I know you are base and dastardly enough even to attack a defeuceless man. But you will not see me flinch ! Fire all of you ! I will give you nothing by compulsion ! — nothing I say ! You all near me — by heaven you shall extort nothing from me ! Here is my breast — fire 1 — worthless and ungrateful villams ! fire on the man who beggared himself, and forfeited name and peace, to serve you !'* His dauntless and commanding bearing staggered the crew, who looked at one another as if dubious of their own resolves. " We don't want to do you the least injury at all,** said the present captain, in a conciliatory way ; " only it's no use your turning rusty about it ; here we are, and it isn't to be expected that we should ^,o away without some satisfaction. Come, we'll meet you half ^ay — there are something about fifty of us — give us ten Louis- d'ors each and we'll go back to the ship di- rectly.'* " Not so much as a dollar !" repeated the Pirate very positively. " Not a coii! in gold or silver, by heaven ! Had you come to me in a proper way I would have iiiad« you a present of not a mean value with the ut* 1| Jl'r, \'i 486 TH£ CANADIAN OIRf.. I most willingness of heart — but I will not be threatened into any thing !" . '' Then all hands shall stay here till you alter yovr mind, Marquis, that's alV said the other, sitting down with a dogged air. *' So you may do as you like. And here's another thing it behoves me to speak of since you are so wonderful obstinate. At the time our vessel was lying-to off Toronto harbour two or three years back, when your son first came on board, we made him clap his name down in our books as a sworn buccaneer; well now, if you don't let us have the money we want, and its no great deal to make a fuss about, one of us shall 'peach, and then good bye both to your Marquis- sliip and him. So do as you like — do as yoa like. Here's your health — ^this is prime Hquor — ^Teneriffe, I think it was ticketed in the cellar." The coolness of the speaker was proportionate to the importance of his declaration. The Pirate was indeed taken at an advantage; he gazed at the other with a changitig countenance. To be obliged to su "umb now was insupportable. His pride, which constituted so large a portion of his character, revolted from the ne- cessity. But at all hazards, he felt that he must preserve his son from public disgrace and ruin. '' Brien," he began in an altered voice, then stopped, and drew a deep breath, '' Brien, let these men gq from the house — I will settle the point witi) you alone, when I have consulted my son." " No I no ! no ! That wont do for us !" returned the captain. " Now or never ! If you will tell down on this table ten Louis-d'ors of sound gold to everv ioHv buccaneer here, myself excepted, who of course shaJiA THE CANADIAN OIRL. 487 'expect double allowance, we will all clear off in a. brace of minutes. Throw open that right-hand window. An- tony !'" to a sailor who was standing by it, and who forth' with removed the shutters ; " up with the sash too ! Now^ Marquis, bring out your cash, and every man, as you give him his present, shall take a short cut through that window." " But what security shall I have that you wib no* «gain impose on me in this way V* " You shall have every sailor's oath on a Testament," was the reply, " not to come a-nigh here on a business like this again for three years at the least." ** And after three years f *' Some of us may be gibbeted, or lying at the bot- tom of one of the lakes ; but howsoever, after that you'll most likely be called upon for another little bountv if we should be hard up for money." " Thank you — I thought as much." <* But for three years out and out, after next mid« summer, you shall not be troubled." *' Well, gentlemen, I think, as you are numerous^ and I am to expect another demand from you at the end of three years, I think, I say, that ten dollars each instead often Louis-d^ors, ought to satisfy you. At all hazards I will give no more." " Say twenty dollars," said Brien ; " we want to be reasonable." " Aye, twenty I twenty !" echoed the rest. " Once for all — I will give no more than ten," said the Pirate. Brien went down the room talking with some of the principals of the party, while the Pirate stood waiting ex "■' -Ui.^"'"' H >tjj wmA if? , ,», ■{f 5; f. -i ilS-u 4. ' '■■■ '.*?.''"" /\ l' 488 THE CANilDIAK GIRL. tliefr answer. The future annoyance, and trouble, and clanger, to which he and Clinton would, after this con- cession of his, be doubly expi sed, rose vividly before him. He half repented that he had not stood firm in his denial, and braved the worst they could do. After this successful attempt to force money from him, doubt- less their extortions would grow bolder. Both he and bis son would be constantly subject to their importuni- ties and their threats. He had no faith in their oaths, he did not believe that even for three years they would allow him a respite. Again he breathed heavily, and clenched his large hand on the table, while his eye roamed from one coarse set of features to another. *' As we want to be friends with you. Marquis," said the present Pirate-leader, returning up the apartment, *' and as we have made a little too free with your house and the good things in it, we will be content with fifteen dollars apiece — that wont hurt you." " I have said ien,^* said the Pirate, steadily, " I wiji give no more !" ^ . Again thf-e was a conference among the principal privateers, which grew more noisy than the last. How- ever, they presently agreed to accept ten dollars each for the subordinates, and as much more for the others as tliey could get. The Pirate then went from the room a few minutes to furnish himself with the money. While he was absent, the body of the mariner was brought in, a ghastly spectacle, and Gilpin and the Pole gave to the excited party contradictory statements of the manner of his death. The leader interfered to stop the Babei- like confusion which was momently swelling higher and higher ^ THE CANADIAN OIRL. 48() " ATI this we can settle on board," said he ; '* let*» ffet the Marquis' money now while he i» in the mind.'* *' Yes, yes, to be sure ! — the money ! the money l" exclaimed most of the men. The corpse was then put throtigh the window upon the grass, which was almost on a level with the salon. The Pirate returned. " Brien," said he, " I hope you will remember what you have said." " You shall see. Marquis," he cried. " Now, my jolly buccaneers t stand in a row like children saying their catechism, and as you get the silver in your hand vanish through the window." " Aye to be sure !*' cried the drunk and the sober, all, except the gluttonous sleeper on the carpet, whp slept as soundly as Abou Hassan of the ^' Arabian Nights," and was almost as much astonished at awaking as that caliph of a day, to find ten dollars courting his needy grasp. " Get up I" cried the stout dwarf, giving him a kick. He sat up, and saw the magnificent apartment nearly emptied of its robber-visitants. The powerful light of the chandeliers, intense as it was, appeared but dull in comparison with the rich rays which the sun cast through the now unobscured windows. He rose to his feet with lumpish heaviness, yawning, and ^nly kindled into any ing like animation by the sight of the ten dollars whi^h his leader was holding out to him. '' You are to swear that you will not come here again asking for money from the Marquis for three years after next midsummer," said the latter. ^* I swear it," said the fellow,, pouncing upon ttie .A " , a '■ ■"!'« VI > ' ,11' 1 . .' ¥'-l^\^ tr I;. 490 THE CANADIAN OIPX,. money, for which he would have taken any oath, for any kind of purpose, without the smallest imaginable scruple. ** Scud away then after the other buccaneers," said Brien. " Through the window with you, Nick !" After him the dwarf was dispatched ; only the leader and six others, including Gilpin, were then left with the Pirate. " Marquis, these six must have ten Louis-d'oi's each instead of ten dollars," said Brien. " What you nav«> given to the others has been a mere trifle to what wf' might have forced from you, that you'll own ?" ' " And if each of these harve ten Louis-d'ors, ho\7 many pray do yc« expect?" " Only twenty, Marquis, only twenty." " Very reasonable!" cried the Pirate, ironically ; but he drew out his purse, in which gold pieces were con- tained, and emptied it on the table. *< There, help yourselves to the sums you say, and leave my house. Remember if you break your word, and trouble me within the time that has been named, I will not advance you one dollar, though it be even to save my son's life and fame1 — remember that — I mean what I say. And after that time I shall be equally obstinate if you visit tne in the manner you have visited me now. Therefore do not go back to your vessel with wrong ideas of your ability to draw money from me whenever it may please you, and in whatever way you may choose." The Pirate shut down the sash after the last of his unlooked-for visitors had gone, then turning, stood movelesr an instant, surveying the confusion their reckless audacity had created. THE CANADIAN GIRL. 491 " Had it been any other room than this, I would ■not have cared so much !" he suddenly exclaimed ; " but to think they should have dared to come here! And yet, why do /talk ? I am justly punished ! It is right that I should be now plundered and harassed to the utmost by those whom I have assisted to plunder and harass others." And so, with this consideration, his wrath became converted into self-accusation, and that of so bitter a kind, when mingled with reflections upon the insecurity of himself and his children, as to draw tears from hini» it he was indeed '* unu«ecl lo the melting mood.^' !J ml ■'^.m ■i ■ U:\ ■' ■; •*] :> j 4 »: "I <| 1,' CHAPITER XXVII. ** In the dread night '■ mid awful forett shades t Can these bad spirits join m revelry t"—OM i'luy. «> And what shall we do with thisT'' asked Gilpin, as the Pirate-horde were gathered around the body of the dead mariner, to which the speaker pointed, in front of the salon windows. ' " Leave it there as it is,** said the laziest of the com- pany, as perfect a Hottentot, not only in his ungovern- able propensity for eating and sleeping, but also in the general apathy of his feelings, as any that dwelt beyond the Cape — the same man who lately reposed so soundly on the carpet of the noble room in which the band had entertained themselves. " That shan't be, if I carry it myself," said the strong and half-clad dwarf, looking down on the corpse with something very like regret. " Tim and I have had man^ a friendly glass together, and I'll see him decently buried, if no one else will." The Pole was standing next to him, and stooped his giant height to whisper-. '< Can we not take one horse from te stable, tmk you, to bear it ?" THE CANADIAN OIRL. 493 The dwarf caught at the suggestion, and instantly after the Pole was seen going with cautious movements round the left wing of the house, while the dwarf moved round the right. They met where the horses and carriages of the estab lishment were lodged. No one appeared within sight — perfect quiet reigned around. " I will stand here and watch,'* said the dwarf; " you go in and choose the best hanimal you can see.'' The Pole did so, and was coming out leading the Pi- rate's own bay, an exquisitely-shaped creature, by the bridle, when he stopped, and, turning his head, listened. " What are you stopping for ?" asked the dwarf. ** Tere ish some one here," said the Pole, softly ; '* take your cutlassh into your hand and look wid me." They searched the stable through, but no person could they see. The harness-room adjoined, they went in there. " Hah !" cried the Pole, stopping short, with malice in his eye, " here is te laty tat master Gilpin kill Timo- thy for! and tat I wash shtruck for! and tat I wash call coward for ! Par Got I she shall ride wid us to te tevil !" Jane had found the sleigh and Arthur gone from the front of the house, into which she feared to return on account of the Pirates, and had sought a temporary refuge here, where she was sitting on a chest, shivering with trepidation. She screamed at the sudden appearance of the Pole and his companion, and glancing at the weapons they held, exclaimed-^ " O Lord preserve me ! O my God defend me !'' « It ish no use." said the Pole, " for you to cry out ' ^-]M 1 , !-.'!, I •f .>- V 1i 4'^4 THB GANADIAN^ OIRL. You rausht get upon te horse at te door and ride wid us. You see we can kill you in one minute if you make a noise.*' " There is a prime lady's saddle hanging on the wall," said the dwarf, " reach it down, Scrynecki." When this had been, put upon the horse, Jane was ordered to mount. She offered them a valuable rincr which she wore, and which her father had presented to her on taking possession of his estate, hoping to induce them to leave her ; they seized the gem, but not the less insisted upon her accompanying them. Hertears, her supplications, her resistance, were alike fruitless ; she was compelled to seat herself on the bay. The dwarf then brought out another horse little inferior to the first, on which he placed himself ; his companion i-nimediately got up behind Jane, and, whipping Doth steeds into a gallop, they crossed at full speed the open grass land which surrounded the mansion, and the groves immediately beyond, isnd struck into the road fvhich led to the nearest forest. There they made a stop. The Pole dismounting, stood as Jane's guard, while the dwarf rode back to the man- sion by another way from that by which he had left it. The whole party of Pirates were soon seen approach- ing at a run^ the dwarf still on horseback, being in the midst of them, carrying the mariner's body before him bent across the saddle. The sight of this crowd of desperadoes, and the thought of what horrors she might be called upon to endure while she was in their power, inspired Jane with intolerable dread, insomuch that she fainted and fell to the ground. Fortunately a soft bank of turf, covered with snow, re- THE CANADIAN 01 RI.. 495 ceived her, a>nd she 8U3ia»ned tio injury. The Pirate* were not all equaljy pleased with the exploit oi the Pole and the dwarf. Their leader and Gilpin, together with the others who had received ^the Louis-cfors from the lord of Rougemont, thought it unwise to provoke him by such an act as the carrying off of his daughter; but the rest of the crew, who had only had dollars from him, rejoiced in the opportunity thus afforded of wringing from him sums more worth the having than those he had given them. The last mentioned were the majority, and they decided the question. The insensible girl was lilted again upon the horse, and upheld by Brien, the leader, who had mounted in the place of the dwarf to. support her. The narrow and unequal road along which the band continued their running pace^ was extremely solitary ; for three miles they met no person, and saw in the thin snow which veiled the icy ground no human track, ex- cepting only such as they knew had been made by them- selves when they came to Rougemont in the morning of that day. As they entered the forest the way grew more dreary and even savage in its character; it be- came steeper and rougher; whole trees not unfrcquently lay across its contracted breadth. The extreme height of the gloomy hills on each side, with their hosts of black pines, shut out the daylight. Deep and awful was the silence that prevailed, and it could scarcely be said to be disturbed by the occasional cry of some melancholy- voiced and lonely bird, who> hardier than most of its summer companions, had remained braving the penetrating cold of the winter season in these primeval shades. This was a spot in which a deed of «l 490 THU CANADIAN GIRL. crime might have remained hidden until the day of doom, /t seemed as if heaven itself could hardly glance upon what might be done here. Even the Pirates felt a chill on their hearts as they proceeded more slowly in consequence of the hilly character of the ground; and many of them took their cutlasses in their hands, at the same time pressing nearer to each other, and sending many an uneasy glance into the overhanging thickets. In such a place Jane revived— revived to feel herself in a situation of unparalleled horror. In attempting to raise herself from her reclining position on the horse, she found that the arms of Brien were wound around her. In vain she struggled desperately to free herself from their abhorred circle, he held her with too firm a grasp. One thrilling shriek then succeeded to another from her heaving breast^ until firien, with a curse, pressed his hand on her mouth, and swore to kill her if she was not quiet. Here a man suddenly darted from a turning in front of the party and faced the horseman and his stolen charge. He was in attire which belonged to no country in particular, and his features were those of a gipsy ; he carried in his liand a gun, which he lifted in a mena- cing manner, while another individual of corresponding appearance followed him — and then another. The three placed themselves side by side in the middle of the road, and opposed the advance of the Pirates, while they uttered some exclamations in an unintelligible language, the purport of which was easily understood as expressing a determination to know the meaning of the screams they had heard. Jane stretched out her arms toward them, and franticly implored Iheir assis- THU CANADIAN GIRL. 497 lut her They comprehended the movement, though not lier words; the language of- nature spoke clearly enough to them too in her piercing accents, and in her distracted and beseechiDg countenance. One of them immediately p^ave a shrill whistle, and at least half a dozen powerful men, all in the same style of garb, and all of exceedingly dark and impressive countenances, issued from the same turning as the othera. The Pirates began to display their weapons, and Brien, singling out one of the nearest of the gipsies, discharged a pistol at him, which missed, owing to the sudden rearing of the horse. Another whistle brought to the assistance of the gipsies an additional number of their companions, and one and all immediately fired on the crew of the privateers with murderous effect. The Pirates returned the deadlj salute with their pistols, and then rushed upon their assailants, who met them with ferocity and strength equal to their own. The wild shouts 9f the two mingling bands of lawless wanderers sounded strangely in that still place. The grey fox, startled by the unusual din from his leafy hiding place, flew with the speed of the wind under the shelter of the trees down the forest pass to some covert more remote from man. The little animal which had never yet at- tained to a name in the annals of zoology, and which had been quietly sleeping between the ever-green branches of a pine, comfortably sheltered from the keen air by broad leaves, and by its fine coat of glossy fur now, frightened by the smoke which wreathed about its bed, pricked up its ears, listened tremblingly to the re- ports of the fire-arms, and with terror in its beautiful 32 :\s h . :11 1. > *^lB*lir, 408 TUB CANADIAN OIRL. eyes ran up to the topmost branch above its head, there listened again, then leaped to the next tree, flew down the stem, and darted away, like the fox, to seek another place of rest, wherethe disturber, and the destroyer — man — could never come. Brien had thrown himself from the horse, and was fighting in front of his men. Jane clun? to her saddle until the animal received a shot in its breast, which brought it on its knees ; she then cowered down on the ground behind it, expecting death every moment from the bullets that whizzed about her head. In this dire extremity she endeavoured to )»ut up a prayer to God to receive her soul ; but her mind was all confusion and horror, and the words de- parted from her before they had been articulated. Now she learned how dear to her Mr. Lee was. TIic thought of what the agony of her father and brother would be when they should discover her death, wrung her heart indeed, but infinitely keener were her pangs when the distress of Arthur rose before her. Passionate tears burst from her eyes, and she was conscious of an utter want of resignation to that dread event which Feemed inevitable. The voices of females now rose strangely above the tumult, and in a second after the fight ceased. The wind caught up the smoke, and Jane, who was eager to catch at the faintest probability of prolonging her life, gazed with wild hope on a number of gipsy women, who had daringly thrown themselves between the fero- cous combatants. " What is all this about ?" cried a majestic creature who seemed to possess an authority over the rest, awi TRB CANADIAN OIRL. 409 vfhoM voice, though hardly feminine enough to please a fastidious critic in such matters, yet wanted not, even in its fullest tones, a certain richness and melody as delightful as it was uncommon. A warm and showj shawl with red and yellow stripes was tied over her head, and her cloak, which was of an eastern material and shape, was worn in such a manner as to enhance the stateliness of her remarkable mien. She had seized the arm of the king of the gipsies, a little, slender man, about sixty years of age, whose wife she was, as it was in the act of raising a dagger in order to strike the weapon into the breast of a prostrate Pirate ; and while he glared on her with bloodthirsty looks, like a wolf hindered from its prey, she returned his glance with one equally fierce and determined. " Stop your slaughtering hand !" she sternly ex- claimed in English. " Nina," said her husband, " if you interfere I will stab you !" " Frighten your children — you cannot me !'' she re- turned, with a mixture of boldness and contempt, still tightly holding his wrist "Curses on you!" cried the mendicant monarch,' trying in vain to throw her from him, while he knelt on the privateer's body. ** I am as strong as yourself," calmly retorted his consort, maintaining her powerful grasp. " Let fall the daofger !" " There then I" cried the king, drbppingthe weapon; instantly she let go his arm and bent to pick it up, but her husband was too quick for her; he seized it again, and in the madness of the moment plunged it into her rt, !*• ;i l! ■1 I ' :r ■\i ■U- ' I 500 THB CANADIAN GIRL. own Side. The blood sprang forth across the face of the Poiif, for it was he whom tjie gipsy monarch bad overthrown, and that with no great difEculty either. The \Agr3Lnt queen, with instant self-possession, tightly compresseu the place where she had been stabbed with her right hand, while she uplifted her left arm in an impressive attitude, and uttered a loud and stirring string of exclamations in the same unintelligible lan- guage which had been used by the male gipsies who had first appeared. The whole band over which she and her husband had presided, immediately answered by a shout, accompanied with gestures expressive of vengeance against her murderer. He rose f^-om his kneeling position on the Pole, and answered with gloomy looks of firmness their threatening movements, Nina let her head drop upon her bteast ; the blood was trickling through her fingers, and flowing down her clothes to the ground. The Pirates stood as spectators. Again she raised her face, which was ghastly pale — ^her eyes were lighted up with a brief, but dazzling and vindictive fire — she threw up both her arms, and again made the highest rocks re-echo to her exclamations. There were manv responses made by individuals of her band in the same tone ; and then she suddenly turned and disappeared at that opening from which all the gipsies had issued. Slie was gone no more than a few seconds, and when she rushed back, a boy of three years old was in her arms. She sank down with it on the ground, and laying it before the crew, repeated, first in the language they all understood, and then in English-^ „ " He shall be your kingl — he shall be your king 1" THE CANADIAN GIRL, 501 The reply was general — " He shall, when he is old enough — or may we rot away body and soul, and leave no children behind us!" She seemed satisfied, and kissed, with all her departing strength, the eyes, the lips, the forehead, and the neck of her child ; then falling back, stretched herself out, and rendered up her soul ! Jane beheld all this without moving; but now the gipsies, crowding about Nina, prevented her from seeing what next took place, and she arose, and appealed pa- thetically to the Pirates, begging that they would take her back to the mansion. They answered that she mus go with them to the ship, and that the Marquis mus give money for her liberty. She begged them to saj* how much they would accept for her, and promised, if the amount was at all withili her ability, to obtain it for them as soon as ever they shotlld have restored her to her home. The answer was — " We will consider of what you say — in the meantime you must go forward with us." This was too indefinite to make her easier in mind, and wringing her hands in the extremity of her distress, she poured out the most moving entreaties. All heard her with indifference, with the exception of Gilpin, who lifted his single and unsupported voice on hei behalf. " I say no !" was the reply of Brien, the leader. ** It was a foolish trick the bringing her off — but by this time the Marquis and all the house know of it, and ts the mischief is done, we will not throw away the profits there are to be had from it — we will have the money beJore we give her up." if*' ■•I M ml ."A •■i ■ . 1'' -f'i i 1 1 ■ ; I '■ ' '-. ' ' I'ii i.il «. :'■ r :\ I '', • 50iJ THE CANADfADY OIBL. h " Mashter Gilpin," said the Pole, who had arisen from his dangerous recumbency at the feet of the gipsy king, " let me say you tat you tmks one vashtdeal too mosh of te laty ! — you hath name me coward for her ! — you hath kill Tiraoty for her! Par Dieu, mashter Gilpin! you be in love wid her ! and by and bye you shall do nobody knows how mosh to serve her! Par Got, mashter Gilpin ! we bo not safe in your company, and I do very mosh soshpect you to be one traitor to us !" Gilpin reddened a little as he laughed sneeringly, and retorted — " Is it Scrynecki calls me traitor to the crew ? Ha ! ha ! Scrynecki ! valiant Scrynecki ! The gipsy threw you down with a pat of his hand as he might the little boy which is now by his knees. Well may Scrynecki fear he is not safe where I am. I have only to give him a fillip with my finger, thus — and he would drop as if he had swallowed a few ounces of hot lead. You can't put me in a passion. Mister Polander, so I tell you. I wont quarrel with a man who can't fight." " Saire ! saire !" cried the choking Pole, *' thish ish te hondredth time tat y^ a have inshult me ! I will ask te men about us if you shall do tish any more ! It ish too bad, sailors, and I shall not stay wid you, par Got! if you do parmit it. I will go thish instante if you do let me be inshult like thish !" Now all the crew liked nothing better than that the Pole should be punished for his cowardice, and instead of taking his part they joined Gilpin in taunting and laughing at him. The Pole " looked daggers, but used none ;" and there he stood, stung to frenzy by the ridicule whkh THB CANADrAN GIRL. 503 issailed him, yet wanting even the courage to turn about anct quit their society. " I hath brought te laty here," he articulated, " and I shall not go until I hath money for her — elshe I wouM not shtop wid you one minute atier te preshent time!" and he sneaked into the rear without saying more. Jane hoped in vain however that Gilpin's interference might effect what she wished. At the same instant that she noticed, with a new thrill of dismay, the increasing gloom of the wild pass, betokening the approach of night, she noticed also that Brien was shaking hands with one of the gipsies, whom he had met before under circum- stances that, to judge by their mutual looks, must have been highly pleasing. This recognition, too soon for her, led to a better understanding between .the out- lawed parties. The gipey was one of the few in his band who spoke Eng\ish tolerably, and having received from Brien a lively e;cplanation of the intentions of the Pirates with respect to their captive, he laughed merrily, and communicated the i^ame to his friends in their com- mon language with mirthful gestures. Weapons were im- mediately thrown down, and the Pirates were invited to rest through the night in the ^'ipsies' encampment. Jane's anxious eye then sought Gilpir again, but he had apparently forgot her; he was talking wit'ii Brien, and Brien's former acquaintance, in a light and jovial strain. " What will becoine of me !" she ejaculated, as the road d irkened still more. The gipsy women, turning from the corpse of their «neen, fastened their bold black eyes on her with scruti- nisinjnf curiosity, especially refiarding the expensive furs MiSt^ ['■t!'\, iU 504 THE CANADIAN GIRU if I and illks which composed her dress. She shrank from them, nor felt the least relieved by their presence : for although they were of her own sex, there was little that Was feminine to be seen in the expression of their faces. Many of them were handsome, some were young, but on no countenance among them shone one ray of the female heart. A deeper shade of darkness descended upon the road. Jane observed it, and looked about her with a terror that was not the less deep because outwardly she was more calm. The crags, which seemed to have been piled up to prop the clouds by oome giant hand, appeared more awful to her now than they had done before, by reason of the blacker hues in which they were steeped ; the little -patch of sky that she could discern was already beginning to show the faint semblance of a star. Never before had a star been unwelcome to her eye — but now she would rather have seen a spectre than that little, faint, t'vinkling speck in the blue ether! Brien's acquaintance led the way to the encampment, turning off from th« road along a downward pa^th, such as Jane could have easily imagined conducted to nothing else but a lair of wild beasts ; the leader of the Pirates and Gilpin followed next to him ; then came the gipsy king, with his hands tied behind his back, moving in sullen silence between his subjects, who carried naked daggers and knives, prepared to execute summary ven- geance upon him for Nina's death if he should ;.ttempt to escape ; to these succeeded the women, one bearing the child who was to be their future sovereign, and two others carrying between them its murdered mother; after these Jane was compelled to walk in front of the Hi ?.\i^ THE CANADIAN GIRL, 505 whole gang of the Pirates, one of her captors being im- mediately before her, and the other immediately behind lier, and the rear was brought up by the wounded and the dead. They were obliged to move singly, and almost at every step the tangled branches had to be divided with the hand to allow them to proceed. The awful obscurity of the road they had left would have been pleasant to Jane in comparison with the entire darkness here. But from this woody labyrinth they soon emerged upon a rocky slope, relieved by evergreen herbage and coarse^ long grass, on which a number of strong horses, a yoke of oxen, and a cow, were quietly feeding; there stood a couple of empty wagons also, the covers taken off, and the front poles lowered to the ground ; a lad of six- teen, graceful and handsome, stood leaning in an indo- lent position against one of the wagon wheels, while a girl of his own age to whom he was chatting, sat on a stool by him, passing her fingers in the manner of a comb through her long and thick tresses, with a calm smile of complacent vanity. All around were sheltering heights, loaded with pines and firs of immense size and most ancient growth ; on one side the rocks opened under their towering burden and a lofty cavern presented itself, in the centre of which the gipsies had lighted a great fire. The strong red light threw a glowing reflection upon the rugged walls, and sending out its rays over the slope imparted a highly picturesque, and if Jane could have felt herself safe, a highly cheerful aspect to the whole picture ; scarcely an ounce weight of snow had been able to lodge here ; the eastern wind, which had been so cutting on the open country, could only in thia i>'! n i^. C' i^ Wi^M v^'' ' 500 THB CANADIAN GIRL. ||| iJ: shplterecl spot make its presence known by its monoton- ous wailing in the trees ; the moss lay as green and as fresh in the crevices of the rocks, and about the fibrous roots which grew out of them, as though it were sunmer ; a white vapour, imbued with the scentof burning wood, and communicating to the sense that distinguished it a sensation of warmth and comfort, after rising from the fire and ascending to the vaulted cavern roof, wound its stealthy way thence to the open atmosphere in which it diffused itself, and in the pale and tender twilight dis. solved from view. As Jane was conducted more near to the cavern, an exceedingly savoury smell issued therefirom, and she perceived three enormous soup-kettles hanging over the fire, suspended from crossed stakes, in the legitimate gipsy fashion ; nor were these all the preparations which met her eye for a large and excellent supper; most sub- stantial looking cakes, and even huge pies, were baking on stone slabs, slanted by means of wooden props, before the red embers which made the foundation for those blazing crackling boughs that kept the savoury compound in the kettles at a more rapid boil than was quite con- sistent with good cookery. It was no easy matter for the hospitable gipsies to accommodate the large party of the Freebooters of the lakes in addition to their own numbers, but by some means it was managed. Three deal tables and twenty or thirty seats, consisting of stools, wooden chairs, and blocks of wood, were set apart for the principals of both bands, part of the women and all the children (of which latter t^^re were many) waiting upon them at supper. During the first bustle of the arrangements Jane stood TUB CANADIAN GIRT.. 507 unheeded by the fire. The dead Nina's little boy sat by her, occasionally uttering a plaintive cry for his '' mammy," then becoming hushed as his eye turned on the good things that were dressing before hira, but crying again as each began to disappear in order to be served up on the table, and again becoming quiet as he heard the rattle of knives and trenchers. Jane could not resist stooping to pat its rough curly head, and to speak a kind word to it, after one of these fits of grief, " Wliy do you cry, my pretty dear?" she asked, in the gentlest tones of her always gentle voice. ilie gentlest t^nes of her always gentle voice. It said something in the harsh language used by the gipsies in general, then turning up its almost mulalto face, pouted in English— " Mammy sleep, maam — mammy not get up, maam-— >mamray no supper, and Billy no supper, maam !" " Yes, you will have supper presently, poor child," said Jane, trying to comfort it, " and your mammy will wake soon I dare say." " No — no !'* cried the child, shaking its head, while two big tears dropped from its large jet eyes, " Siddy and Barny will put her dov\n a hole they say, and then she can't get up jou know, maam ;" and he went on talking piteously in mingled English and a barbarous Egyptian dialect, (for that in fact was the tongue used in gener/il by the people of whom he was a roya/ scion), while he every minute cried more lustily. Gilpin now approached Jane, and respectfully invited her to the head of that table at which sat the most dis- tinguished of the banditti and the gipsicft, but she coldly declined. '<(.. t 5^ "S^} -11 I I- Ml i. , W, ^ i ■ . ■ * ' •'. ■ lil. ■- ■,»':,! groans of the ^iufTerers and the loud talking of the wo- iBen, m'lnf^Vtng strangely with the heedless and unfeeling laughter of their partisans round the tables. To exclude the cold more completely, blankets were hung up at the cavern mouth, by those men belonging to the camp who as yet were not engaged in eating ; Jane was looking with a slight tincture of curiosity to see the mode of the operation, when she caught the fixed gaze of an old crone, who carried in her arms the mur- dered Nina's second child, a boy younger than its bro- ther only by a year. Her attention was instantly riveted, and presently she perceived the old woman's flesh' ess forefinger crossing her lips, and then significantly pointing- toward one tent, of which only a corner of the curtain was raised, and to which she herself soon after moved, evidently inLending that Jane should follow her. The latter stood irresolute. Something in the crone's coun- tenance had denoted good intentions, and she felt in- clined to go forward, but a nameless dread deterred her. A second and more decided sign for her to approach the tent Jane did not dare to disobey, but with hesi- tating footsteps she gradually drew near to it, while the wrinkled face and flat bony finger of the old woman, were protruded from under the hanging. " Dount be afeard, but come yer ways in, if ye be wise," was the impatient and loud whisper that pro- ceeded from the bloodless and sunken lips, while the finger made a more imperative motion. " Come yer ways in, I say ! I have something to tell you that con- ceerns yer lifer' Jane had again hesitated, but this startled her into !'• J THE CANADIAN OIRL. 513 " If I am preserved through the night I will reward you for this 1" exclaimed Jane, with' lively gratitude. "I want no rewards, not I/' said the old dame; " you see 1 never conceited them kind of doings. I'm much obleeged to you, howsoever. But that I can do a fellow creetur a good turn, I hope, without being greedy after rewards. Not but I'm a poor old body," she whined, pretending to shiver, *' and cold about the shoulders sometimes in hard weather like this — one of them nice warm furs you have on, if your charity could spare it for my necessity, would do me a vast of service." Immediately Jane's delicately-shadowed and costly marten fur pelisse was transferred from her own neatly- rounded figure to the withered and bent form of the hypo- critical crone, who eyed it and stroked it with repulsive rapture. Jane left the tent like one bewildered by a hideous dream from which she strove in vain to awakrr\. Her eyes were filled with a vacant horror, and her face was devoid of every vestige of colour. She sat down on a stool by the fire, and remained almost in a state of stu- pefaction until the supper was over, when she heard it said that the dead were about to be buried, as the gip- sies were going forward with the privateers on the morrow. A litter of branches was formed, and the body of Nina laid thereon ; it was then brought from the tent to the slope outside the cavern, whither the vagrant king, having his hands and arms still firmly bound behind his back, was led between two of his men. He was made to stand beside the corpse, on which he looked with apparent unconcern. A large circle was formed around the mur- 33 < ii ;■. }\ J;;i',|j't . ..- 1 t':' % ■ 1 r ■ I -, ; f m ''< ii 1 '.p^^ /xI4' THE CANADIAN GIRL. dered and the doomed, the inner line composed ot gip« sies standing in regular order, with weapons of diiferent descriptions in their hands. Their king rai&ed his eye composedly from the litter and surveyed them, examining every dark and stern countenance with an air of inves- tigation. He was perfectly sensible of what was intended, yet he :>eemed not to quail in the least. , One stepped forward a pace or two from the rest, and in a h<:raQgue, plentifully garnished with cant terms, which occupied about ten minutes, set forth to him the natdre of the gipsy laws, of whieh he had been chief administrator, and concluded bjr telling him that, as in their community there was equal justice done to the prinC'^ and the subject, and what was esteemed crime in one was esteemed crime is the other, he must lie down in the grave at the same time with his wife whom he had stabbed. Whatever njode of death he preferred should be granted to him, and this was the sole favour they could render to his dignity. He replied that he would climb a precipitous rock to which he pointed, and throw himself down. That rock had a smooth perpendicular face of a hundred feet from the bottom to the top; on it vested a broken pile of crags with trees growing to their summits. . The party consented, and placed themselves in two lines to guard him to the fuial spot. He seemed now to lose his sullen hardihood, and gazed on the remains of his wife with a softer glance ; a groan presently burst forth from his lips ; the sound re- crilled Mm to himself; he drew himself up, then suddenly took off his cap, and kneeled under the starry heaven with his eye3 turned upwards until they were almost THE CANADIAN GIRL^ 515 lost in their sockets. His lips moved not, but still he appeared in deep prayer. However depraved or ignorant the being, the sense of a God will, except in very rare cases, find an entrance into his mind at those awful hours when the prospect of dissolution opens before him. The gipsy king had never before bent to his Creator, had never before sought par- don and peace from Him ; that he possessed a soul which must exist through ages feeble Time could not measure, had never been the subject of his contempla- tion. Yet now, when he looked on her who had been his bosom companion and the mother of his children — on her, who a fev/ short hours ago had been one of the living, redolent with the prime of womanhgod, of beauty, and of power, he felt a new comprehension of immortality unfolded within him ; and when he looked upwards, and saw those silent preachers, the golden stars, and imbibed the deep and solemn calm amid which they shone, the things which he had heard of a Deity, and of a heavenly existence in his youth, returned to his memory in a flood, and he fell on his knees ! The lawless men around were smit with surprise, but they preserved a decent gravity and silence until his agonising but wordless prayer had been briefly con- cluded. " Let me see my children before I die !" said he, still OB his knees. They were brought to him — he had never been a kind father, and the eldest boy struggled to break from his embrace with evident fear and dislike. " Stay a moment with me, my Billy !" he cried, a tear dropping from his hard eye, " stay a moment with your ■if ii ' € ■ I \ -''*■■ m -'■-Ml 516 THB CANADIAN GIRL. daddy-^ — ^you will never see me again — I am going away from you and Joey, and I shall never come back aofam. 91 The child looked in his face with delight — " And wont you never come back to flog me and Joey again, and call us bad names ?" he asked, in tone» of glad antici- pation. The wretched parent put both the children frpm him and covered his face with his hands — ^this was too much for him ! It was a lesson for many that were present, and some laid it to heart. For a considerable time af- terwards there were fewer parental tyrants in the camp than there had ever been before. *^1 have liv^d as a man should not live," said he, rising and speaking in a husk^ voice. *' God forgive me 1 But to you I have done no wrong," addressing the gipsies. '^ I am willing to die for Nina, but when 1 am gone, be kind to our little ones !" " They shall be taken carjB of," replied the gipsies ; *' and, as we promised Nina, Billy shall be our king ; or, if he die before he is of a proper age, we will have Joey in his stead." ** I had rather they could grow up honest, creditable men in the country their mother and I was born in," muttered the miserable father. " But I suppose that is out of all likelihood," he added. " Now, 1 am ready !" He measured with his eye the gaunt face of the rock which was to be the means of his death, and on each side of the foot of which the torches of some of the men were blazing, as they lifted them above their heads, searching for a place where he might effect an ascent. «' If, when I have fallen I should not be dead," he 1' l! THE CANADIAN OIRU 517 saiii, in an unnatural gutteral voice to those next liim, " hang me directly ! Jo not let me linger in torment. Now your hands — ^yours, Andreas — ^yours, Zingare — fare-ye*well ! — fare-ye-wel! !" he raised his cap in the air, and repeated his last words, lyhich were echoed by many, then, waving his hand, walked firmly toward the rock, and reached the top by a • circuitous and perilous way, still guarded by two powerful gipsies bearing car- bines, who had been appointed to watch him to the last moment. Unfortunately it happened in this case as in many others, that convictions of unworthiness, and aspirations atler better things, which terror had awakened, perished with the occasion that gave rise to them. The doomed man saw a chance of escape, and , from that moment away fled his penitence and his faith in another life, and he was precisely the same hardened and vicious being that he had been before. It was a desperate course that he had to take to preserve himself. His two guards were to be disposed of, aud th'^re were a number of crags he must climb, exposed to the rifle shots of his party, in doing which, one false step, one slip, would have been destruction as inevitable as that from which he sought to flee. He met both difSculties with prompt daring. One of the guards he hurled back headlong, who fell a shapeless mass at the feet of his companions below ; the other struggled gallantly with him, but was finally thrown over the face of the precipice, and his harrowing cry had nojt ceised ere the gipsy king had mounted, with amazing quickness, the first crag — noiv he was on the second — the slimy surface of the upper edges prevented his planting one firm step there, and he ii' 518 THE CiiNADUN GIRL. had to trust the whole weight of his body to a young and tender fir tree, around which his arm was thrown. While in this insecure position, more than one bullet came close past him, and before he had managed — (it is not within our ability to describe how^ but most of the spectators remain, doubtless, to testify that he did it)— to ascend the crag next above and to disappear behind it, his hair was singed in such a manner as to render his after existence perfectly miraculous. Shouts of rage resounded among the hills from the astonished beholders of this uu'^xpected feat of the condemned, and a determined pursuK immediately commenced, which lasted through the night, but terminated without having had a shadow of success. The dead were deposited in one grave in the forest by the women and the boys before morning Arrived. None of the gipsies slept this night, and their two warm tents in the cavern had been resigned to the use of the wounded. There was a singular unfitness between Jane Ander- son and the wild scenes in which it had been her lot to be cast both now and in former times. She was as little of a heroine as her meek and suffering mother had been. Some ire organised for the turbulencies of life — some for its honours — some for its sublimities — some for its wretchedness — but Jane for its quiet. Quiet duties, quiet pleasures, for these she was framed. She would have lived contented as a poor village cottager, nor ever have desired to go beyond the sound of her own church bells. In its natural state, her soul would have been as serene, still, and pastoral, as one of Claude Lorraine's lovely landscapes. But here she was at dead 4C 'THE CANAPFAN OlRf.. 519 midniglit, in the midst of a North American forest — a Marquis' daughter — surrounded with two hands of fierce people who lived by plunder — and exposed every moment to the assassin's knife! The wind had shitted to the north-west, and had in- creased in futy. As she cowered on her' knee by the dull fit'd which was ftow nearly smothered beneath a weight of white embers, the gusts swept in at the openings be- tween the blankets hung at the cavern entrance, and chilled her to the heart. Now and then she started as the gipsies hallooed to each other without, or as some noble tree yielded to the force of the blast and fell with a mighty crash. The voice of the wind was dismal ; from a low, plaintive, monotonous singing, it had changed to loud, swelling lamentations, such as might have pro- ceeded from the dwellers id penal Hres. She shuddered as she listened, and her face grew more deadly white. There was a rustlltig behind her, she turned her head sharply round — the wind was waving one of the tent curtains to and fro. She knew the sound was caused by ' that, but still kept her eye on the tent for some time, and stirred not the smallest muscle of h^" body. When she withdrew her gaze again bat&k to the fire, she endeavoured to strengthen herself by reflecting that the night was now half over, and that Gilpin had promised her deliverance^early in the morning. But just as she had gained a little confidence the Pole entered the ca- vern, and she rose up and turned on him a glance of delirious terror. He was apparently struck by the pe- culiarity of her look, and stopped short, asking-^ " Laty, be you not weV ''" she made no reply, and whistling car;elesslyhe came on as if to warm himself at • $a ; li ■It. ■' ". :tfc 520 TBB CANADIAN GIRL. the fire. She stepped backwards in dread, and he stopped again* <' What doth ail you, laty ?" said he, feigning sur- prise^, and once more moving toward the fire. She re- treated until something glistened before her on the floor — it was a large dinner knife — she stopped with the quickness of thought and clutched it in her hand, breathing an involuntary cry of joy. The Pole pretended to show greater astonishment, but bit his lip with chagrin. " Laty, do I mean to do you any harm, do you tink?" cried he, turning up the sole of his foot to the. fire, and kicking the ashes from a clump of wood with the pointed toe of his military hessian boot. *' God knows P' answered Jane, still holding the knife very conspicuously in her hand, and sitting down on the edge of a sack which seemed to be filled with corn, and on which the little heir to the gipsy regal honours was stretched as fast asleep as health, innocence, and igno- rance could make him. *' God knows! but you will not find it easy to kill me now." " My goot laty, who put such a ting in your heaa ? Why for should I kill you ?" " Bad men act without any respect to just reasons," replied Jane, summoning at this juncture more intrepi- dity than she could well account for, " but I know that' you would make me the scapegoat to suffer for others' offences — because Gilpin has called you a coward, you would wreak your vengeance upon me, and thus prove that yDU are a coward! Why should you seek to desirov a defenceless woman because one of your companions has injured you ? Go and attack him ! — he is your THE C^^'ADIAN GIRL. 521 equal in strength — I am weak and helpless; — and yet not helpless now," — she added, raising the knife — ** not helpless now — nay hand and my heart now are both ca- pable of protecting me against your cowardly and shameful attempts !^' " Par Got ! I do wish tat I knoWv who tell you dis lie of me !" exclaimed the Pole, who was alarmed with the prospect of his design becoming known to the crew. " Par Got ! I would pull tere falsh tongues out of tere heads!* " Is it a falsehood ?V asked Jane, steadily. '*'Ash big a von ash wash ever made by man or tevil I" exclaimed the Pole, accompanying the words with three oaths, the purport of which was to consign h It t K flII ■ ill ~ ; w,ji ', ijKI'l ■) ' '• '' '' i mm ■ ' *' Mm 'mWm R • rfl;!; , 1) . mim ' I, i ' 11' 1 ( ,1 *t .x 522 THE CANADTAN GIRL. will never kill yourself with hard usage — will you, Scry- jiecki ?» Here Janet's white and rigid countenance, and her diluted eye, which had not heen a moment diverted from her intended assassinator, arrested Gilpin's attention; he looked from her to the Pole, and from the Pole to her, in some surprise, then exclaimed' — ** Miss Anderson, be so good as tell me what has alarmed you, that you look like this?" A sense of safety shot through the heart of Jane as his protecting tones reached h^r e.-^T, and the previous excitetne t to which sho had been wrought gave way in a violeiu nt oi trembling and of tears, while the knile dropped from her hold, and she suffered ^ 3T face to sink into her hands on her lap. " D — n you, Scrynecki I'" exclaimed Gilpin, seizing him by the neck, and ihaking him, *' what have you oeen doing ?" " Mashter Gilpin ! Saire ! Take your hand off my troat or 1 must choke 1** i ** What have you been doing to frighten Miss Ander- son in tliis way f ' demanded Gilpin, again shaking him powerfully. Tho Pole made the cavern echo even to its farthest unexplored recesses by his loud cries fot help ; but no one came to his assistance excepting the old crone who had put Jane on her guard. " Well to be sure !" she whineJ^ coming into the cavern with uplifted hands ; " there's to be more deeth among us it seems — and yet it's a long time sin' I put 80 many corses into the eerth a& I have this blessed Bight." ^ . •* Old ilam^," asked Gilpin, " do you knoiv what TUB CANADIAN OIRL. this cowardly devil has been doing to frigliten yonder lady V " For sure I know very weel," answered the cione, coming up to th« quakinor Pole ; ** he has been trying to part the body and soul of her. It was I who told he he would do it this blessed night if he wasn't pre vented." " And how did you know ?" inquired Gilpin, '' The little man who lies asleep in that right hand tent 'queented me with his intentions." " You born fiend you !" exclaimed Gilpin between his teeth, again shaking the Pole with great violence, and ih Thanking him, she sat down on this rude, but really comfortable couch, and he stirred up the fire into a blaze, putting on a heap of branches which the womtJii ^'^ fji J. : J*! .1 Ai 534 THE CANADIAN GIRL. brought in, but being damp with dew and frost they would scarcely burn at all, and the cold became more and mot 3 searching ; draughts of wind blew into the cavern from its inner recesses as weli as Irom the slope out- side, and Jane was glad to wrap herself in a rug which Gilpin procured for her from a gipsy woman who looked compassionately on the shivering girl, while she herself heeded not the rigour of the night, continual hardship having rendered her almost invulnerable to the changes of the weather. Sleep shortly overcame Jane, for she was greatly fa- tigued and much needed rest ; but her slumbers were neither sweet nor refreshing, being rendered uneasy by a painful feeling of cold, by troubled starts, and distressing dreams. Now she imagined the Pole was chasing her through a dark and desolate country along which she fled for her life, the ghastliness of her sensations in- creasing as she found herself climbing some steep and slippery height, whose top it was Impossible for her to reach, though if she could do so she would be safe ; then her feet refused to move — the Pole came nigher with the intended instrument of destruction in his liand — sllll she was rooted to the ground as if she had grown out of i* like a tree — now he was upon her — the cold steel en-* ^vered her quivering heart — and — she awoke, with a struggle, in the imaginary throes of death. Then she slep^ agfkin, and supposed herself walking with Arthur as his wife, happy and secure, in the valley of the Pas tor's lodge. All was tranquil about them, and 'he was talking of Clinton and of Lucy as though the former had never been otherwise than candid and sincere, ana Lucy never otherwise than blest in his love. On a sud- THB CANADIAN OlKt. 625 den she saw the burial enclosure before her, and be- tween the four large cypresses in the middle sto xl h r brother and Lucy, hand in hand, looking as happy as themselves. She walked up to them leaning on Arthur's arm ; Lucy appeared exceedingly beautiful, insomuch that Jane whispered to her husband — ** Do look atyonr sister — she looks like an angel !'' But while she was saying so, Lucy changed to a shrouded skeleton, and glided from Clinton with an angry glance. Then thpro was the Pole again, and Gilpin, and all the Pirates, and the gipsies, thronging the enclosure. She lost sight of Arthur, and in a moment saw herself in the deepest mourning beside Lady Hester. A grave was open before them, and looking down she saw her brother stretched on Lucy's coffin. Then a host of changing faces and changing scenes, all of funereal aspect, bewildered her, and again she awoke. Gilpin was pacing the cavern with hushed footstep-, manifestly careful that he might not disturb her. The ' Pole was not to be seen. The gipsy women and the elder children were packing up the goods belonging to the camp, with little noise, and conveying them to the wagons outside. The younger children lay sleeping about the lire, whirh Ijui^ed as if it had been recently trimmed for an early breakAist, as a prodigious iron tea- kettle was hanging over it, and singing with a cheerful noise. A faint blueish light entering between the blankets hung at the cavern entrance denoted the slow breaking of the dawn. The male gipsies were just be- ginning to drop in one by one from the useless pursuit of their condemned ruler, and threw themselves down to sleep beside the little ones about the fire. '.y.\ 't' 1'!^ t I'!. . ■' ; il: •n .<4i .100 TfTK CAJTAniAW OIRU Jane welcomed that fnint blucish li^ht uritli trans|jort, and instantly routed herself for returning to her home, which she had no doubt Gilpin intended she should do. He observed that she was awake and looking anxiously toward him, and by a slight motion of his head gave her to understand that she was to go out of the cavern. She did so, without bein^r interrupted by any one, and at once Gilpin joined her. He hastily showed her that way to the main forest road by which the gipsies had led thoir wagons hither, and assisting her to mount one o^ the horses stolon from her father (its companion having died of the shot in its breast) led it a little way without being perceived in the obscurity of the hour. He liiid been so thoughtful for her as to fasten behind the saddle one of the warmest blankets the camp could furnish, in case she should Bnd the cold too intense for her, as since her marten fur pelisse had been given to the old woman her clothing was but light for such bitter weather. And thus Jane set oflf' on her return to her father, her brother, and her lover, alone, the perils of the way she had to traverse seeming as nothing to her. But be- fore she turned her horse into the forest road, she met with an interruption from the crone who was wrapped in her fur pelisse. The old woman stepped before the horse and seized the bridle. Jane tremblingly recognised her voice, and feared that she was about to be detained. But the old crone cared not whither the maiden went after she had taken from her all that was valuable of her dress. Havins: made her sentiments and wishes in this respect known to Jane, the latter ventured to remonstrate with her, but seeing that remonstrances were utterly thrown awav, and i' reading that each mo- THB CANADTAN 01RL. 527 ment she lingered here might prove fatal to her escape, dismounted, and taking off her second fur over-dress gave it to the covetous hag, who exchanged for it a shaggy, red, woollen wrapper, in which Jane was com- pelled, by the severity of the cold, to wrap herself as well as she could. The horse after this went forwards at the quickest pace the bad road would allow ; the wind subsided ; the sky became flushed with the beams of the rising sun ; the atmosphere grew somewhat warmer, and Jane's pirits mounted every nioiu«'«t ! ''■ i u t 1 Hi >■ I 't , ' , I ■»■ '1 I n I :cited tone, " that was no animal's moan ! there is a man outside ! Hark there again ! — is that an animal V* The exclamation '* father !" was just distinguishable to the Settler and his wife ; it was pronounced in a feeble voice, straining to make itself heard. On came the roar of the storm again, but the Settler heeded it not; he tore open the door, and calling aloud for the assistance of his sons, raised from the wet stone outside an emaciated and miserable creature dripping with rain, who had scarcely life enough to throw his weak arms about the Settler's neck, and to sob forth the words — '* Father, I am come to tell you with my dying jr^ath that Clinton spoke falsely of me !" The Settler bore him in his arms as thoujsfh he had been an infant to the fire, and placed him in the large chair; there Dan gave him one look — a look which told a tale of suffering and anguish not to be computed, and then, dropping his head — died I The family crowded about him, incredulous of his identity, he was so grievously altered ; but the Settler put them all back with a motion of his arms, and, fas- \ tening a long and mournful gaze on Dan's worn features, said, more to himself than any one else— • \< ** It is Dan indeed ! and he is no sooner found than lost ! But for his wrongs there is one shall pay dearly . ^Biftsts upon that Clinton's head for the misery he -has Wought here ! I will neither eat nor drink in my own 1 !j ^1 ■1 1 '1 '4 1 '■■ i ;: i i ■ , ' '. I fl t I ' ' ^*fl li \ 530 THB CANADIAN GIRL. house again, I swear, until 1 have had vengeance upon mm for this !" " Dan only faints," said one of the young women ; " mother will soon bring him round with some hot drinks/* ** les — yes," said the Settler's wife, who now hung weeping over the altered figure, while she hastily gave directions to her daughters for heating flannel for his chest ivater for fomentin( ^im, b) \nket for wrapping him in, and ginger-v/ine iur In); ♦o drink. "Only be quick, girls, and let us get !■ -it v**r?pping rags oif his poor thin body, and lay him on that bed nearest the fire. Mark, you can warm the wine, can't you 1 And you Jedediah and Reuben, lend a hand to help your poor brother !" " They cannot help him," said the Settler, speaking with unnatural calmness — " he is gone !" " Gone!" wildly echoed the mistress of the farm, gazing wistfully in the face of her senseless son, '' gone! You don't mean, Farmer Joshua, to tell me that he is deadr- " I say he is quite dead," returned the Settler, still collectedly ; " he died just after I put him in the chair. But you all heard his last words — < Clinton spoke falsely of me,' — you all heard him say that, didn't you ?" " I heard him say it — ^and I believe it now if I never did before !" cried Dan's mother. <* So do I !" responded the daughters. << And 1 !" " and I!" repeated Reuben, and Mark, and Jedediah, more sternly. *^ Dan has been murdered then by that Clintor/i as much as if he had been shot or stabbed by him V* saH THE CANADTAN OIRL. 537 the Settler, slowly and emphatically, *' and I have sworn to neither eat nor drink under this roof of mine again until the gentleman-murderer has met with his proper deserts ! As soon as day breiks I shall go from you, and you v not see me agai'r. while Cliiiton lives !" NoboJy ventured to interrupt the S Uler, and he proceeded irml — " Bur} the boy " (thus he designated each of his sons, though the youngest was a ful! grown man) ** privately — let no one know of his death, or of his return here. Mark, load my rifle, and fill my powder horn/' His commands were silently obeyed. '' What leads are there in the skin V* meaning a skin pouch. " Only three," was the reply. " Add more then." This was done also at once. " Mistress," resumed the Settler, " carry the boy up stairs — no words, but do it. Some one may be dropping in to-morrow morninor earl v." This removal had been eflected, and then the Settler, taking a candle into his hand, went up and remained alone with the body until day-break ; at that time he came down, put on his hat, fastened the pouch and the horn at his waist, took the loaded rifle in his hand, and abruptly bidding farewell to his family, who feared to in* terpose a word in his present determined mood, rushed from the house. ^' >i. It ■ ill I ! ^38 TIliE CANADIAN 61 K^ CHAPTER XXIX. *' This Yiiit bodes, I fear, no good To some who should b« happy* I .Li'"- Precisely at six o'clock the same day a social dinner party entered Mrs. Markhum's best dining parlour, in Toronto, all in due order, and took their seats at her tastefully-arrano^ed and luxurious table, where all th&t t;ould charm the eye, the fancy, and the palate of the gourmand, was displayed to view under the full radiance cast from clusters of gilded lights. The excellent hostess was of course the last to enter, and when she had taken her seat at the head of the table, the Earl of Wilton sat at her right hand, and the presiding officer of the barracks on her left; Major- general Markham occupied the centre of the table foot, and at his right was the youthful Lady Letitia, and on his left the person next in rank to her among the ladies of the company. The conversation was neither more nor less interesting than dinner conversation usually is, although the recent death of King George the Fourth, and his life and cha- racter, formed the chief topics. ' >..' i TBB OANADIAir OIBL. 539 The Earl of Wilton was particularly taciturn it was remarked, an(} ap;ieared to be engrossed with some re- flections in which the company were not allowed to share. The cloth had been drawn, and still he spoke only in monosyllables, and that at no other time but when he was addressed by some one ; he was very absent too, an unaccountable circumstance with so high-bred a man during a dinner hour. Letitia sent many an uneasy glance toward him across the table from time to time, which were not unobserved by Mrs. Markham, who made frequent observations upon her pale and pensive looks. ** I have a headache,** was Letitia's excuse ; and in- deed this was true, and she had the heart-ache besides ; for she knew that the £arl*s present visit to his excel- lency the Governor would prove the occasion of a death- blow to her sister's happiness. It happened to be the Earl who opened the door of the room for the ladies to retire, and as she was passinj? out, the last of the fair group excepting the hostess, Mrs. Markham observed her catch his hand and fasten on his face a pleading look ; the momentary appeal, was answered by a glance of hard, and Mrs. Markham felt, though she knew not the nature of it, cruel determina- tion, and then Letitia moved to the drawing room with a languid and depressed mien. The good hostess felt troubled and anxious on account of Lady Hester, not doubting that what she had ob- served had an immediate reference to her, and perhaps to her unfortunate attachment for Mr. Clinton. With this idea she drew Letitia to the window apart from the other ladies, and in her accustomed Dlain way said— " My dear girl, 1 see tnere m bumething the matter 1 • ' !' ]«! 640 TIIR OAWADrAN OIRL. >vitli you — tell mc what it if. Is your sitter Hester happy ?" "Happy!" echoed Letitia, ana turning away ner head she wept. Mrs. Markham drew a small lounge within the sha* dow of the window drapery, and seating herself and Letitia on it, took the hand of the distressed girl, and embraced her with nothing short of maternal kindness. " Then I am not wrong in my conjecture," said Mrs. Markham — ** Hester is in trouble." " She is likely to be so indeed !'* exclaimed Letitia. " Oh, little thinks she of what is before her!" " Tell me all, my dear girl," said Mrs. Markham, with the deepest interest, " I may be able to serve her. I know something of her secreti, so you ueed not be afraid of betraying confidence by speaking unreservedly to me. Has that which you apprehend any thing to do with Mr. Clinton r " Yes — oh, yes ! — Mrs. Markham !" exclaimed Le- titia, and hesitated, scarcely knowing whether she ought to proceed farther or not, and yet longing to unburden her full heart to this kind friend of her sister. " And now I think of it, it is possible you might be of service to her hereafter, when — ^" again she stopped. " Do not think idle curiosity prompts me to draw the secret from you," said Mrs, Markham, " I have better motives." " I am sure you have, kindest madam," cried Letitia, warmly pressing the hand which held her own, " and 1 will— yes— 1 will tell you every thing — I am sure Hester would not blame me. But we must be alone." I will contrive it," said Mrs, Markham ; *^ steal . «^w Photographic Sdences Corporation \ W '^ o [v c> ■^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 145S0 (716) 872-4903 ? f ! »H 5 ' "<'■■ ■"< - 1 m ?t;i 1$ tre THE CANADIAN GIRL. " Well, ^ive me a seat," said Mrs. Marktiam, losmt? her lively air so suddenly that Clinton fancied it had been assumed to hide some uneasiness that was lurkinsr beneath. ** Now sit down both of you by me, and tell me as quickly as you can all that has befallen you both since I saw you last ; and in return I will give you a little history of some occurrences that have taken place since you parted with the Earl and Letitia." " Ah, then, you have seen them !" exclaimed Lady Hester. " They have been in Toronto ?" " They are there now, and — " *' They have told you all concerning us." " Letitia has, my dear ; and I regret to be the bearer of bad news to you." " The Earl refuses to listen to her and your kind in- tercession for me, and will cast me off— that is what you would say." " Partly, my dear young friend, but not all. My time just now is limited — I have an appointment elsewhere at three o'clock, and it scarcely wants a quarter.'* She looked at her watch. " Mrs. Markham, this is hardly kind," observed Lady Hester, reproachfully — " a quarter of an nour only for a first visit to an old friend !" " I cannot belp it indeed, my dear — I will make re- paration for this fauU another time. To-morrow I wi'k come and take luncheon with you, and you shall noc oe rid of me for four or five hours. There now, say no more about it — I. have something very important to communicate to you both in this quarter of an hour : and as a prelude I must ask a very necessary on. imper- tinent question — when do you intend to be married T" THE CANADIAN GIRI^ !i57 She looked to Clinton for the reply, whom a sudden thrill of ecstasy almost deprived of breath. He answered with a little graceful embarrassment — " As soon as the Earl's consent shall have been ob- tained—we wait, I believe, for that alone." " And do vou dream of obtaininsr it ]" asked the good lady, surprise slightly marking her tone. " Why yes we do," answered Clinton, employing an accent in which pride and indignation were evidently mingled. " His Lordship still thinks high descent the grand requisite for Lady Hester's happiness in a hus- band : he has not learned wisdom from her past wrongs. He would be as willing now as ever he was to sacrifice her to a Colonel Cleveland. *' If this be so, your chances are but slight I should be led to fear." " Not so. Madam ; I derive from these views of his Lordsh'p the most confident hopes." " How so, pray ?" inquired Mrs. Markham with in- creased surprise. " I can boast. Madam, of a descent equal to that oi his Lordship himself — if not superior." « You !" " Mrs. Markham, is it possible that you, living m Canada, have not heard of the new Marquis of Houge- mont ?" asked Lady Hester. " Rougemont — Rougemont," repeated the Lieute- nant-governor's lady, considering, with her finger raised to her eyebrow, " that is one of the largest seigniories on the shores of the St. Lawrence — and an ancient mar- Quisate too." •• It 's;," said Clinton ; " and as l am the heir appa- '. ' .*i \ ■ '- ■,?l >*/ ;f-' •'. fil 558 THE GAJfADTAN OltlL. rent to that marcjuisate, the Earl of Wilton, I should imagine, ivill not interpose any further objections to my suit." *' What wonder next !" exclaimed Mrs. Markham, lifting up her hands — *' this is the strangest world 1 How has it. all come about ? Tel! me as briefly as you can." *' My father was born in a convent, and afterwards educated by the Marquis of Rougemont, who, subse- quently to his adopted heir having left him for a sea life, made the discovery that he was his son. The aged Marquis died in a snow drift a short time ago, and left a will appointing Nicholas Anderson sole hoir to the title and estates. My (ather took possession of his right, and I have the happiness to invite you to his seat as our wedding guest after we shall have seen the Earl, and performed our errand in this town rtlating to the marriage settlements." Mrs. Markham congratulated him sincerely on his change of fortunes, and then said — '* But another question no less impertinent than my former one remains behind. — Mr. Clinton, has your father renounced his former disgraceful associates? — you will forgive the bluntness of my expressions." " He has — positively, entirely, and for ever," ans- wered Clinton, laying a stress on each word. *' I am glad to hear it," said Mrs. Markham, rising to go, and inwardly determining to keep back the evil tidings she came to impart until she had had a private conversation with the Earl. '' But you said, my dear Madam, that you had some bad news for us," remarked Lady Hester^ as Mri. THK CANADIAN OIRL. 559 MsiMiaiu dtew from lier mufT a note and lianded to her. " True, 1 did ; but what I have now heard may alter the complexion of affairs ; and at any rate I shall not say any thin^ about it until to-morrow." *' And you will leave us all in suspense ?" reroon* strated Lady Hester. ** In suspense. Hark, the cathedral bell is striking. I cannot stay another moment. Trust me, my young friends," she added, taking a hand of each, '* I am most anxious for your good, and should you find that to be seriously threatened, depend on my influence being exerted for you." " You alarm me, dear Mrs. Markham !" exclaimed Lady Hester, after regarding her attentively and in si- lence for a few seconds : *^ I beseech you tell me what we have to fear.*' " No, no, my love, do not press me. I would not pain you prematurely for the world. Perhaps I may be able, in some measure, to avert the misfortune." " What misfortune. Madam ? Positively you must not go until I know !" " Are you firm enough to bear it ?" Lady Hester turned pale, and Clinton observed her tremble slightly, but she answered in a steady voice — " You have known me endure great trials with firm- ness, Mrs. Markham ; I am not given to indulge in weakness." ** Then this is all — the Earl has given the Governor some peculiar information whereby he has been stirred up again to seek the capture of your father, Mr. Cliu- tou, and the Governor is at present in Quebec with the ' , • ■A;V lU:m 560 TUB CANADIAN OIRL. intention of taking the deposition of Captain £>&irv • widow ; the prosecution is to be grounded on some ua- per of Mr. Clinton's own writing.'* Clinton's soul sank within him at the mention or that paper which he had given to Arthur soon alter Lucy's death. " My father," said he, " risked his life to preserve the Earl and his daughters from drowning on Lake Erie — I should hardly have expected such a return from his Lordship." " Letitia grieves sadly about it," said Mrs. Mark- ham; ^' but 1 do feel assured that the Earl would have acted better had he not been misled by blind anorer. We must make some excuses for him." " You may make excuses for him, Mrs. Markham," said Lady Hester, in a tone of calm and cutting indig- nation, which the good lady wished the Earl could have seen, " but /make none. Once he wrecked my peace, betrayed my trust in his paternal guidance, and married me to a man I could not love ! And now, because I would give my hand to one whom I have always held dear — the only one who can make me happy (I am not ashamed to say it") — he is so enraged that he descends to the worst ingratitude, the most despicable cruelty, to prevent my wishes! Is this like a father? Will he have me always wretched that he may maintain the Dride of his family ?" " But, my dear, I mean to let him know directly the })resent rank of the Pirate and Mr. Clinton, and then he may change in his temper toward you, and tne Go- ititif»c may he persuaded by him to reiinquisn ih6 pvr- j.i't. »> TViB CANADIAN OIRL. ^CI '1 ** I charge you, as ^ou value me, my dearest Madam^ let him not know it !" said Lady Hester. " I will marry Mr. Clinton and then he shall be informed of it from my own lips. He shall see his own littleness of mind set nakedly before him. and taste the bitterness of its fruits. Clinton, you hear me tell you before my friend that I am yours as soon as you will. We will not wait until you have seen the Earl. His purpose in this shameful transaction must be foiled at once!'' Clinton was buried in thought — he saw completely through the Earl's motives. *' And can you, Hester," said he, with passion in his gestures, " unite yourself with the son of a public cri- minal 1 Think — consider ! Will you not afterwards repent? Reflect that you will no longer be able to enter into society of any kind upon your present focting — all my inheritance may be confiscated to the state — \ may become what I have been, a poor, degraded man ! Do not deceive yourself or me, Hester, with erroneous ideas of your capabilities for devoting yourself to me — you may now draw back without incurring one re- proach from me. I will give up to you all your pro- mises — I will free you from every tie by which you have voluntarily linked yourself to me — I will pledge my sacred word to see you no more — ^you may put yourself under the protection of Mrs. Markham from this moment, and marry some man whom the world and your father can approve." " Clinton," returned Lady Hester, with unwonted enthusiasm, " though you should be brought by this act of my father to beggary and to perpetual infamy — though your name incur scorn and detestation every wheie 86 vil) •♦'"t '■1 I ■) Ml w\ r>G2 tHK CANADIAN OIRL. — flat begg^ary and that shame I wiH partalie in, and lliiit name snail be mine!'* So saying, disregarding the pi'esence of Mrs. MarU- ham, she sank on his neck, and he strained her fondlv to his heart. The good lady wiped her eyes, and the Pirate entered the apartment. He stopped short when he had shut the door, and bowed profoundly to the visitor, who surveyed him with much curiosity, knowing well by his remarkable ap- pearance, which had frequently been described in her hearing, who he was. " Father," said Clinton, " this is the lady of the Lieutenart-governor, Mrs. Markham, Lady Hester's esteemed friend. Mrs. Markham, you see the Marquis of Uougemont, formerly," he added, in an excited manner — « the Pirate of the Lakes.*' Mrs. Markham and the Pirate were almost equally confused and startled by this abrupt and unexpected introduction. The latter quickly recovered himself, and bending a look of keen inquiry on his son received from him in return a meaning glance which told him of his danger. " Marquis," said Mrs. Markham, " do not be afraid of me, I wish to serve you and your son for the sake of Lady Cleveland, whom I regard as if she were my own daughter. I have now come to tell them of that which threatens you, and I hope there is quite time for you to get out of the way of those whom you have reason to dread, while I endeavour to reconcile the Earl and Lady Cleveland, and to divert the Governor fronrt his present schemes for your capture." *' Lady," said the Pirate, in a calm ton© of proud TRK CANADIAN OIRL. 663 sorrow, *' I fear nothing for myHelf. I know that mjr liberty, my property, and my life, are jiwlly forfeit to the laws I have violated — laws which 1 should now think myself too happy in spending my blood to maintain. This I feel hourly, momently. But it is for tkete^ and for my daughter, I fear and suffer. You pce me un- manned, Mrs. Markham, while I think of them. My soul loses every jot of its strength, and I am weak as a new born child.*' He paused evidently agitated, and labouring under much depression. " T have not enjoyed one hour of ease of mind since 1 obtained my inheritance," he resumed. " This hour has been constantly anticipated ; night and day, wakino; or sleeping, alone or in company, the shadow of a roming retribution for my past vices has lain thick upon ine. My children, lady, my children T' he cried with a wildness that pierced the hearts of his grieved listeners ; '^ when the hangman has done his work upon me what will become of them ? They will curse my memory ! — they must do so I — I shall have withered their happiness ! This noble lady here will cast off my son — that will be her duty ! The intended husband of my daughter will not fulfil his engagements with her— I cannot expect it ! And both will be degraded, miserable, desolate beings !*" " Father ! — father ! what are you saying ?" exclaimed Jane, coming hastily from a door that communicated with another part of the hotel, and raising his hand fondly to her lips. Mr. Lee had followed her closely, and with her had heard the Pirate's gloomy words. As soon as he and Jane had been introduced *« Mrs. Markham, and had ;-i 5G4 THE CANADIAN QIRL received a dcftnite account from her of the cause ot the excitement apparent on the countenances of each pre- sent, he turned to the Pirate and said— ** My dear sir, I was quite aware of the hazards which surrounded the father of Jane when I chose her for mv wife, and you do me great wrong if you douM my fide- lity to her under every possible circumstance." '* And I," said Lady Hester, kindling into a noble ardour as she proceeded, " why should I be suspected of want of steadfastness in my attachment to your son, Marquis ? I am not made like some women to yield as wax to every impression. If I once form a friendship, I form it for ever t Clinton has told me to consider what I mav have to sacririce for him — but I tell him and you to consider what 1 have already sacrificed for him. I lately left my native land, where the highest circles courted my society — I came here uncheered by one approving voice, trusting entirely to the honour of the man I loved — I endured the reproaches of a father — I allowed a dear sister to be alienated from me ! And I did all this (and who can tell the secret torture it cost me !) while I supposed Clinton the penniless son — not of the Marquis of Rougemont — but of the Pirate! Remember that Marquis! — remember that, Clinton !" *' I do," said Clinton ; '^ and it would be a bad re- turn for your high-mindedness were we seriously to doubt that, even should the worst happen, you would continue your favour towards me.",j ' " To put this beyond doubt," said Lady Hester, ad- dressing Arthur, " I have dared to overstep the limits prescribed to my sex, and have proposed — an immediate She slightly paused with a lovely modestj marrtage. «» THB CANADIAN OlRL. .5r;5 before pronouncing the three concluding wordi, but then spoke them distinctly. " And I give my voice for it,*' said Arthur, with animation. ** There has already been too much delay. We had better set out to-morruw for the lodge, and the double ceremony can be performed on the following afternoon." " Well, while you are settling these weighty matters [ must go and see what I can do for you," said Mrs. Markham, now moving to the door in earnest, her watch having informed her that she had stayed half an hour beyond her allotted time. " But do not forget, good folks, that I shall be here to luncheon at twelve to-mor< row, that I do not intend to go away for four or five hour? and that I want no stranger present. Mr. Lfe looks rather blank, as if he thought 1 should prevent your meditated journey — but he must know that I put my negative upon that as soon as he proposed it — there must be no journeys planned, much less begun, before I bring you all more news." ** But, Madam," asked the Pirate, *^ will it not be advisable for me to quit this town at once ?" <^ I do not know," said Mrs. Markham, reflecting. ** It may be, and it may not be, advisable. No — you had better not. Only keep within your hotel, and see no company. Trust to me for watching the movements of those who seek you, and for advising you how to act. Adieu, my dear Hester! — adieu, young lady — adieu, gentlemen — at twelve to-morrow expfct me again.' »> ;.«. ,,«j i**'il' '♦•' **4f' r.nr, TUB CANADIAN UlRl, .fff?(t ;^rfr^o;it;: i* ?yr^r CHAPTER XXXIL .1)0 f . ] ** TketflTairsery— hwtel And speed must answer; you must b«nce to-night**->'S&}itcp«ar«. »'i , wi.Jii1 ; .Jim '■ The note Mrs. Markliam had s:iven to Lady Meste- was from Letitia ; it was -as full of affectionate sentence as note could possitny be; wrrtfen small and closi on fuur sides ; crossed regularly once, and down tw( whole pages twice ; concluding wKh a re^et that then Was not trme to say a thousand things more which re- inamed to be said. The love of her youthful sister wai^ Yery precious to L&dy Hester. So, while she smiled at the ardour and profusion of Letitia's sentiments, sht treasured them up in hei' beart. The evening of this anxious day came ; the blinds and curtains wl9t^ drawn; the friends gathered abou( the firp, conversing only ocsasionally, and then with few words, end m k>w, agitated voices. '•' It will n«v«r do for us to suflar our spirits to swfc in tbis manner,** said Clinton, all at once rallying h timid and ahasihed. *' jBjut, my dear father, jfoir yours^ke, I would do any thing," she added, smiling through the b,righ'■ 'r ''1 568 THB CANADTAN GIRL. The lovely peeress was Inclined to hesitate like «laae, but shaking off the weakness, she reph'ed — " She says, my dear sir, that whatever you think best in the present exigency will mejt with her entire concurrence.*' Mr. Lee and Mr. Clinton did not fail to thank the young ladies for their generous concession with ardent tenderness, and immediately after the Pirate, rising and ringing for his servant, proposed that he himself should procure the licenses, an offer that met with no opposition whatever either from his son or his intended son-in-law, who, when the servant had brought his master's fur cloak, cap, and gloves, and had quitted the hotel in at- tendance upon him, were left alone with their beloved brides. " What shall we say to the Pastor ?" asked Jane, blushingly. " You know wo promised that no other clergyman should read the service." *' He will be easily pacified when he knows what has occurred ?" rejoined Arthur. " I shall write to him im- mediately after we are united.'* i " The Marquis stays long," observed Lady Hester, as eleven o'clock struck. The table had been spread for supper some time — the two candles wanted snufBng — the fire lacked a new supply of coals. But the four were so engrossed with high- wrought feelings of plea- sure and pain, hope and fear, kindled by their own blissful prospects on the one hand, and the Pirate's critical position on the other, that they could not give a thought to any thing else. " He has been gone nearly four hours," responded Clinton^ in a tone of uneasiness, ** and the clerfrvnian's qu THK CANADIAN GIRL. /irt» houie is not distant from here more than ten minutes walk/' Each shrank from giving explicit utterance to trie apprehension that he had fallen into the hands of thv Governor's emissaries, though each was conscious a( entertaining it. Clinton held his watch in his hand, listening to its slow tickings, while another quarter of an hour fleeted by. *' I can bear this no longer," said he, starting up ; ** I must go and look for him. If he had sent Roberts back I should not have been so surprised." Lady Hester assisted Clinton to put on his great coat, and then stood at the door listening to his retiring foot- steps ; she now turned to one of the windows, and, drawing back the sttdes, looKed out after him as he passed down a dimly-lighted strpet opposite to the hotel. The great cathedral bell chimed half-past eleven while she kept on her watch ; only an occasional passer by without had met her anxious glance ; but now at length the figure of her beloved one returned again into view — alo7ie. Her troubled exclamation brought Jane and Arthur to her side in a moment, as Clinton, crossing from the opposite pavement to the hotel, looked up, and, seeing them, shook his head hastily — a token of mis- fortune. In another minute he threw open the door of ttie room, and shutting it close behind him walked straight to the fire without speaking. . *' Where is the Marquis ?'" was the simultaneout m- quffv of Jane, Arthur, and Lady Hester. J I '1 ,;e^ , '' It is hardly likely he would allow himself to be dep tained wlule upon sucb an errand," argued Clipton. : 'Mt is « very strange cirpumstapae," remarked ^^dy Hester, and the others acquiesc^4. Tbe c?>ndl^s hft^i iHirnt low in their socket* ^d)W^re jepUped by whole (. oes ; the fire iwas rejpi^l^hed ; tb|e s.u$iiper ma» ^ent aw^y ; and finother tedb^f ^^uf ^ff4 it» ^^oprso'-^stUl tKe Pirate w^ abstspjt. !,»»«:, i A quarter to poe chimed tn^ cNfWh clpoks of Mon- treal. The busy house of public accommodation was at rest; Ihe piuitif^rious bpsipess vi' 4hP d9^y had beep all discharged ; I9^M *j9rv/apts :and employers, guests, bo^s, apd^t|tiepdi|nts,wi9re eaph!ap4a)l retir>^|to ^eek in sweet oVUvipus plumber iliat f " My beloved Hester — ray dear siater— you had bet- ter retire to bed, if only for a short period," urg«d Clinton. '' Mr. Lee and I will then go out and en- deavour to procure some inteUigence of bim." ^^ I canncft sleep until 1 knoiv where luy father is!* ejaculated Jane. ^' Clinton counsels well*" «»ld Lady Hester, pitying the agony of suspense with wiiieh ^is sister was racUea *^ Come, Jane, I will take you to my room, and if you cannot sleep, at least lie down, and try to quiet youi perturbed spirits" ^^ I would rather remain Uere until I know what ha happened," murmured Jane, as the hour Q^ four sounded dismally on her ear. '' O heaven ! where^— where is lie!^^ Bhe exclaimed, clasping her hands together. *' We must be patient, my dearest Jane," rt>aiSoned Arthur, supporting her tenderly. *' Xb« Lord will not lay upon us more affliction tb«in he sees to be neces- ?> s*ry Clinton quoted from onex>f the old English dramatists for her encouragement, a pass»ge laudatory of fortitude in times of great trial, and fpncing «miles,, whieh his heart was far from prompting, k)in4ly compelled her to retire with Lady Hester. ■»'•■*! ; ■ 'J 5 '^ '' .Ml if 9rj THB CANADIAN OIRU Mr. Lee and himself then resulved to vrait in the hotol until the morning should be a little more advanced, which they did, and then proceeded together to visit every place in the town where the Pirate was at all known, to make inquiries after him. At nine o'clock they returned without having met with the remotest intelligence of the object of their search, and the dreadful thought glanced across the mind of Clinton that he had destroyed himself. Upon communicating this idea to Mr. Lee the latter strength- ened it by the declaration that for several hours he had entertained a like suspicion. However, these suspicions were happily groundless ; as they entered the sitting room, Jane started forward to meet them with a small piece of paper in her hand, which she gave to her bro- ther with a look of breathless excitement, and he reaa these hurried words in the Pirate's handwriting : — '* I was met last night by Toby and Merry, who had come on foot from Rougemont to tell me officers had searched my mansion by warrant, and were there waiting to take me prisoner. The honest fellows advised mw not to lose a moment's time, but to leave the town at once, as the hotel would be watched immediately. I have taken their advice, and to be the more safe, have determined to keep Roberts with me. I do not dare to tell you here whither I am gone, lest this paper should chance to fall into adverse hands. Do not let Jane be too fearful about me. Keep up one another's hearts, and hope that all will end as we wish it. Enclosed you have the licenses. Let the marriages be performed as we settled, and accept a father's heartiest wishes lor yo'ir happiness." THE CANADIAN GIRL. 573 ** Then the mvstery is at an end," ejaculated Ointon, miK'ii relieved. '" And he has got out of the way of his enemies,** joyfully remarked Jane. ** For the prcsent^^ hinted Lady Hester, with less evident pleasure than they evinced. *^ I think it would have been better if the Marquis had been guided entirely by Mrs. Markham. Had there been any immediate danger here she would certainly have apprised him of it yesterday." The others thought differently, and believed it was almost certain that the Pirate would now, having re- ceived such timely information of the movements of the Governor and his people, hide himself effectually until the fury of the dreaded storm should have subsided. *' But now to make use of /^«f," said Clinton, archly, holding up the licenses. .**" Oh, no ! we shall have nothing to say to them now,'* cried both the ladies at one time. 11 " Indeed but you must," pleaded the gentlemen. :^ " Indeed, but we will not," persisted the ladies. •' We cannot think of allowing you to revoke your consent," pressed Arthur. " Faint heart never won fair lady," laughed Clinton. " Faint heart or strong," retorted Lady Hester, " you will not win us without — " *, " No conditions — no conditions," repeated the de- termined suitors. " The Pastor must be our clergyman, and the Mar- quis must enact the proper part of a father for us at the altar, as was first intended," said Ladv Hester Do not think we are to be persuaded out of this." 't c 574 HffK CayIaMan ^fUt. Til" })IeasaDt controveray Kad not terminated wlien, just an hour before her appointed time, Mrs. Markham presented herself. Her kindly countenance looked troubled, and she anxiously asked~« " Where is the Marquis ?" A few words sufficed to relate his disappearance and to produce his note* " Did I not bid him stay within the hotel ?" demanded Mrs. Markham, with vexation and un^^asiness in her gestures. " What had he to do with fetching your li- censes ? I am angry with you all. You have not acted by my instructions, and my schemes for serving you are defeated." " I hope not! Oh, 1 hope not!" exclaimed Jane. " I was afraid of it I" sighed Lady Hester. " I told the Marquis distinctly not to quit Montreal." resumed Mrs. Markham. " If he had abided by my mstructions he might have been preserved. Now it is doubtful — very donbtFul. The Governor has been more prompt than I expected, and it will be very difficult for the object of his keen pursuit to escape him. But come, you must find some safer lodging than this hotel, for in a few hours it will be searched, and you will all be put under arrest as ha''''»2^ been intimate with the Pi- rate. 1 will show you a place where you will be free from notice, and where the Marquis — foolish, foolish man that he is in having deviated from my directions — might have lived safely during the heat of the chase. Lady Hester promptly sent her maid to the proprietor of the hotel for her bill, and discharged it forthwith. Clinton did the same on the part of his father, his sister, himself, and Mr. Lee, and the party left the hotel with THB TANA D1 AN OrRL. .'ilS Mrs. Markliara, their Inggacre fastened on ber carriole, and Jane and Lady Hester riding with her inside; Ar thur and Clinton followed in a small public carriage, and Lady Hester's waiting woman occupied a scat be- hind the former vehicle. They soon quitted the public thoroughfares for the less frequented and meaner parts of the town. Turning down a confined street near the water's edge, principally inhabited by fishermen, sailors, and storekeepers (as dealers in all descriptions of saleable articles are desig- nated in America), Mrs. Markham's driver pulled up his horses in front of a dingy but substantial looking house of the latter class. A young married woman stood at the door to receive the visitors, whom she was prepared to expect, haVted in ber best French head-dress, jacket, and petticoat, and displaying as many gay -coloured ribbons as would have sufBcf^d to set out a haberdasher 8 window, besides havins m her ears large round rings made conspicuous by ^audy -coloured stones. ^1' ^!^ f.t "' l!^ im if.'f 5:« Tllfcl CAN AIM AN GIBL CHAPTER XXXm. In vain — in vain— he speeds his flight I Through the dark shades of deepest night; In vain he skimR the icy wave ! From shame and death himself to save t" With thehabitnal vivacity and politeness of aFrench- woman she curtsied to each of her guests, and usnered th^m with smiles through her husband's crowded ware- house to a dark but well furnished parlour, warmed by stoves, and ornamented for their reception with flowers reared in the house during the wintry season. '' Madame Germain," said Mrs. Maiki.am, '' these are my friends of whom I spoke to you last evening. You will accommodate them as well as your means will allow, and keep their residence here a profound secret." " To be sure I will, lady," acquiesced the obliging dame. " Not even my own priest, who has the little church at the bottom of this street, shall know anything of their staying here. The good lady, your sister, who was so kind as to recommend me to you, knows that I am worthy to be trusted \ and as to accommodations, the ladies and gentlemen may have at their service three or tour chambers, and another sitting-room besides this. Will it please you to see the rooms, ladies V* « C( the THB CANADIAN OIRL. 577 i *^ No thank vou." airnvfered Ladv Hester, *' i dare fay they will do very well." ^* And I have sent for a cousin of mine, a good girl-^ she was seventeen last December — ^to wait upon jou, ladies. And my mother is a very clever cook," observed Madame Germain, '^ and will be happy to dress you any thing for your table. She learned the art of cookery, gentlemen, from M. Heraud. You have heard of him I dare say. He furnishes the best public table in Mon- treal ; all the gentlemen of the nobility are entertained at it. Quite a wonder among cooks is M. Heraud, I assure you, ladies and gentlemen — and he was born in Paris itself!" This was the climax of M. Heraud's superiority in the opinion of Madame Germain, and she did not doubt that she had fully impressed her guests with her mo- ther's proficidncy in the important science alluded to. when she informed them that M. Heraud had been her mother's instructor, and that M. Heraud had been born in Paris! " Well, let your mother furnish a luncheon for us im- mediately," said Mrs. Markham, '* and prepare dinner by five in the afternoon." «< Will you have—" " Whatever your mother chooses to select we will have," interrupted Mrs. Markham ; and Madame Ger- main, instructed by her manner, without saying more.^ curtsied and withdrew to convey to her mother in the kitchen the important commission wherewith she was charged. " Now I trust," urged Mrs. Markham, tuminsr to the two couoles, " that I shall find vou four strjctly 84 tfd 11 niH .TflV CANADIAN OIRt. obedient to tny inttructioiM— 'if yon are not 1 unnnot imagine what the consequence! will be.'' ** rndeed you shall," responded each. <* Then mark my itrst command," continued the gfood lady, peremptorily : ** you must keep within this house until I give you leave to go out of it. Mr. Lee — Mr. Ciinton-^hiive I your promises to do this? Until I have I will not take one step farther to save the Marquis from his impending fate." '* 1 pledge you my honour to be guided entirely by you.'^ pjaculated Clinton, r " And I," responded Mr. Lee. , ,^ " Entii-ely?'*^ repeated Mrs. Markham, firmly.?" '^\^r^ t ** Yes — to this we pledge ourselves." ** I take your joint words. The young ladies I can trust upon the faith of their widinsr looks,*' said Mrs. Markham, smiling amid her seriousness. *' I shall be- slow myself upon you until the evening," she added, " and I insist that you do not eutertain me with these doleful faces all dav." Meanwhile the Pirate, with his personal attendant, Roberts, and his trusty though humble friends, Haver- straw and Merry, had sailed in a fishing vessel for an island distant from Montreal about fifty miles. But hardly had the morning dawned upon them in their progress, before it became too apparent that they were pursued. Terror seized the titled fugitive upon makinor this painful discovery. His eyes moved wildly in their sockets as he surveyed the nimble cruiser which was bearing down upon them at a flying pace, assisted by a favourable wind which swelled their crowded sails. *' Toby! — to the helm! to the helm J" gasped he; THE CANADIAN OIRL. 57t (( (( and the old mariner instantly undertook the steering of the vessel, while the fishermen, assisted by the ready black, made every preparation for a vigorous flight. ** We had better keep the open stream, hadn't we, Captain ?*' asked Haverstriw. ** By all means," answered the Pirate. ** If will be unpossible for us to reach the island by daylight," observed the old man. Quite," was the Pirate's pithy response. Oh, Massa Captin ! — ice a-comin'I Look out! — look out ! — ice a-comin' !" shouted Merry, stretching out both his arms to point up the river, distending his eyes in affright, and stamping on the deck planks first with one foot then with the other. The Pirate saw indeed an enemy driving down toward him in front no less to be feared than that behind — ice, in great masses, nearly filling up the breadth of the channel, forced along rapidly by the powerful action of the narrow current, presented a truly alarming spec- tacle. " Tack about, Toby," commanded the Pirate, " to the right ! Be wary, or we are lost," he muttered. The cruiser in chase now drew in some of her sails, and presently made a dead stop, perceiving no way by which the threatening ice might be avoided. For a fortnight navigation had been almost wholly suspended on the St. Lawrence ; in the upper oarts of the river on account of its being completely frozen over, and in the lower parts on account of its frequent liability to interruptions such as the present. Only a few scattered canoes, therefore, were now seen floating OB the cold blue tide. These made no attempts to eif- . \ 580 THE CANADIAN GIRL. cape from the approachinof ice piles, but, on thn con- trarv. simultaneously made toward them with, as a stransrer would have erroneously judged, nothing short of fool-hardiness and presumption. A remarkable sceue now took place. The occupants of the canoes standing upright with ropes and boat-hooks in their handc^ managed, with infinite dexterity, to leap upon the blocks of ice as they came close to them, and then to draw up their frail barks on the same level. Thus the movingr mass rushed down the river with its living freight, who, exchanging animated cries, stood prepared to launch aoram at the first fitting moment. The cruiser, like the fishing vessel, was retreating fast toward a wider part of the channel, where the pilot on board hoped to be able to clear the ship from the path of the ice. Confusion and terror prevailed on the crowded deck. None but the pilot retained the self- possession required for the emergency. He, like the Pirate in t^<» other conveyance, was the presiding genius to whom all the terrified men embarked ithhim looked for deliverance. Under the guidance of these two the vessels performed «'ome complicated and masterly ma- noeuvres, and several of the largest ice blocks, castles in magnitude, soon floated beyond them, while they had not a timber shaken. Uproarious shouts of rejoicing from the sailors proclaimed the passing of each formid- able block. The whole was soon felt as an exciting sport, rendered more keen by its extreme hazard. The fugitive vessel and its pursuer came nearer to each ether, as a host of smaller pieces of ice, no less dangerous than their forerunners* besprinkled the river in everv ** 1 clmnced to bear that they wanted a pilot in a Lurry to hunt you on the St. Laivrenee; and, thinking some chance of serving you might turn up, hired myself for the occasion. But I must come on deck — I have something for your private ear." The Pirate could not apprehend danger firom a single individual, he therefore received him into the vessel. Brien was not a man for whom he had the least liking, though he had been a sharer in all his fortunes as a pri* vateer, and had learned the art of navigation from him- ;jielf. There had always been a rooted dislike betw<;en the two, nourished on one (fide by envy, and on the other by suspicion. Toby, too, had been a marked ob- ject for Brien*s sea'et hatred— the old mariner wa» a zealous friend of the Pirate, and had oAen hinted that Brien longed for the command of the Vulture, which was the case. This afforded causae enough for animosity. But Brien was a cunning man as well as a vindictive oTie. Had he slain Haverstraw with what justice could have termed ** malice aforethought," unpleasant con- sequences might have. resulted ; he waited for a fitting opportunity-^-^hat opportunity had arrived— be bad seiiced it>^and the unconscious object of his hatred was dead ♦ . . - But Against the Pirate Brien had long meditated a more subtle revenge. It hail been he who incited his band to break into the mansion of Rougemoi^t for the puipttse of extorting money from the Marquis by threat- fining to eitpose his past life to tiie authorities of the land. And at the time Jane was in the hands of his party, bad she known the dark thoughts which swept ctcross hi6 brain as he calculated how^ by ill treatini;; the 'F' H. (, jm m m irii 5S{ THB CANADIAN OIKIi. daughter he might wring the ikther's heart, she would hare had cause to tremble even more than she did. From what horrors she was spared by Gilpin's unex- pected kindness, who could tell ? And on such slight contingencies fate weaves her strange web, that nothing short of his desire to thwart the Pole's hastily-conceived design of murdering her in the gipsies cavern could have wrought him to effect her liberation. Had Scrynecki not meditated killing her, because he had been called a coward for her sake, as he said, Jane would have been utterly lost. Brien had eagerly joined the pursuers of the Pirata, and no efforts of bis skill had been wanting to enable them to reach him ; but when he saw that it would be next to impossible for them to accomplish their ends while so beset by the ice^ he determined upon a bolder scheme, which, when he had communi- cated to the oiBcers on the cruiser, and engaged them to pay him a certain reward in case of his success, he hastened to put in execution in the most artful manner. ' Spnaking to tho Pirate apart, he said— ' *' You see there has been some little misunderstanding between us in times past, and to do away with all re- membrance of it I have wished to serve you. Well, when I found myself on board yon cruiser I thought I should be able to give you some sort of advantage or other, and so it has turned out» The officers there proposed to me to come to you as a friend, and give you a false notion of their intentions. I was to tell you that they, meant to throw up the hunt to-day and come upon you in the night after the ice should have cleared away down the river. Whereas, they mean only— -but I will not explain now what they intend. If THR CANADIAN UlRL. 585 vou ivill accept my services, here lam — and in four and twenty hours I will make you as clear of them as ever you were in your life." *• I nwy trust you?" said the Pirate, inquiringly, fixing a penetrating glance on the unabashed face of the plotting villain. *' As you please — as yoy please,'* rejoined Brien with affected unconcern. *' If you refuse to be kept out of a halter I don^t see why I should fret myself about it. You cannot get off without me, that I know." *' Glad should I be of your assistance, Brien, if 1 could feel certain you meant as fair as you say," ob- served the Pirate, again perusing the other's face with doubt " But I do not see why I should be dubious of you,'' pondered he. *' If you had been disposed to oe treacherous to me, you could have been so without telling me that my enemies sent you here for that purpose, which has put me on my guard. No — you have come in an open, honest manner, and I will trust you." And so he shook Brien by the hand with nervous emotion, and discarding every latent suspicion gave him charge of the helm instead of Haverstraw, whose dead body lay bleeding by covered with a canvass bag. During the three succeeding hours Brien strengthenei/ the Pirate's confidence in him by the openness with which he made known all the counsels of the o£Scers in pursuit, and by his able advice as to the best means of counteracting their operations. The Pirate now began to feel extremely weary, not having slept for many nights, his mind and his body having been long on the full stretch of exertion without any interval of relaxation. The crui^r rested apparently m ' II 6m TUE CANADIAN GlHf . stationary at Che edfre of the horizon ; she had shoivn no disposition to approach nearer since Brien had been here, who laughed gleefully as he remarked this to the Pirate. '^ Ha ! ha 1 Marquis !'* he roguishly ejaculated, winking his eye, *' they will have to wait some time longer than they expect for my going back! I have done them ha! ha! as neat as a glove! Got out of them all I could, and then come to you to re}X)rt it all and help you to get off! But leave this vessel to me* Marquis, while you go and refresh yourself with a nap. You look preciously fagged." ^ " I am very tired," rejoined the Pirate, " and so 1 will trust to you for an houn But do not let me sleep longer. Be sure you send down Merry to wake nie if I should he inclined to lengthenout my slumber beyond an hour." ,..;.> ^w. ^t,ui <*,.: i . ?*/ Very well," acquiesced Brian. " Harky e, blacky," elevating his tone, ^'.mind you are to go down and ivake the Marquis in an hour from this time !" '* Iss, me hear you," assented Merry fVom the rig- ging. '' Me berry sure to mind. One hour you say, Massa Brien Vl^.:^ .. u.i j; x/,;u. , ■ • .uoo.^,.. -/hi vi>n. " One hour— sixty minuteis if you likd them better!" repeated Brien. ,} " Berry weli — me mind!" The Pirate was sound asleep in tlie fishermea's ii,t|ie cabin below, when Brien called Merry to him* » > *' Hold the helm for a few minutiis," commanded he. Merry obeyed, and Brien rushed with noiseless step or«v» t.\irough the opening in the deck^ took 4w«,y the Pirate's weapons, secured them on his own person^ ana THE CANADIAN OIRL. ssn locked tHe door outside. R^turaingr on deck he de- liberately approached the four simple fishermen tifia a«ked them if they had any arms. They replied in Xuh neofative. " Yes, comrades, we have a pistol," said one, sud- denly recollecting himself. " And you have knives that you use about your business," said Brien — " let me have them." They complied with the strange request without the least hesitation, perfectly unsuspicious. ,: ..*.<.;> Brien now advanced to Merry. " Blacky, have you got any weapons al>out you ?" he demanded in an overbearing tone. Merry was not wanting in shrewdness; he did not like the question put in such a manner. . ** Why for you want to kttoir, Massa Brine V he re* torted warily. Brien's answer was unequivocal. Holding a pistol locked in the black's face, he savagely muttered — ^' Because I roust have them I Make no palavet about the business, or I will lay you alongside your old rogue of a companion who lies under that bag. I always longed to be the death of him for his d-— d mterference between me and the men on the Yulture^-and J have done it at last." ». ;i IjMtsr*. Merry's fine black eyes glistened with tears as ut glanced toward the body of old Haverstraw, and, faltered passionately — " Was it you den, Mas«a BriiQe,' who fired at ana killed poor old white*headed Toby ? Ah ! you will neber be let go into ebben after dat mind ! When you m) to de door dey will tell you to go down to neii. If 588 THE CANADIAN OIRL. Massa Brine — to hell! j^ecause poor old Toby wai murdered by you ! Dis be worse den ebery tiug else you eber did! Oh, lor-a-me! poor white-headed old fader Toby !" And the tears actually streamed in Iar/;e drops down his f^able cheeks. '' There is one left alive whom I have a deeper grudsre against — I mean this new-made Marquis,'^ growlec Brien between his teeth. <' To work his ruin, to bring him down from his proud heights — to see him sink low — low under my feet — to trample on him — that is my aim here!" '' Den you hab lied to Massa Captin, and you be a big blackguard knave!** gasped Merry,his voice risin/B: to a shrill treble, his neck stretched forward, his com- plexion changing to a mottled bro'vn, his eyes fierce and bold, his ivory teeth becoming bared in his rage, his body crouching, and his limbs gathering themselves up as if for a deadly spring upon the treacherous villain. Brien seemed a little staggered by this sudden burst of rage, and recoiled before the black a pace or two. The pause was momentary only ; the next instant saw him glaring at Merry with the ferocity of an untamed beast. In a deep whisper he imprecated a dreadful curse on his head, and, while the muzzle of the pistol presented itself close to the eyes of the writhing black, completely disarmed him, and threw the implements of destruction which he had taken from him over the vessel side. " Massa Captin ! — Massa Captin ! — Wake ! — wake !— Murder !" roared Merry, stamping as loudly as possible on the planks over the cabin in which the Pirate lay. ^ Death and devils !" swore Brien, making a ]un|(» (C TnB CANADIAN 01RL. 588 mt the black with his cutlass. '^ Will you be quiet, you d-d fool r But Merry had leaped on one side with such agility as to avoid the deadly stroke ; and uplifting a yell loud enough to awaken the dead, precipitated himself down through the deck to the cabin door, and beat at it with feet and hands so powerfully that the Pirate, suddenly roused from his deep sleep, started up, and, in tones of alarm, demanded the cause of the noise. *' Massa Brine is a liar and rogue !" vociferated Merry, his utterance impeded by wrath so that what he said was hardly intelligible. <^ By gor, Massa Captin, Brine is a black rogue ! Come out ! Open the door ! Brine it was who fired de shot dat kill old fader Tobv ! Oh, de big tarnation liar and rogue is Brine ! He com here to do do you good, has he ? No ! — no ! He com here to hinder you getting off! Com out, Massa Captin £ Open de door!" and again with vehement impatience he plyed the door with his feet and fists so violently and forcibly that the panels began to yield. " It has been locked outside while I slept!" exclaimed the Pirate, in tones of astonishment and dismay, as he also shook the door. " And my weapons are gone !" "That is Brine's doings — de liar! de rogue! de black-hearted — " *' Come — come — young blacky,'* ejaculated that worthy, coolly, flinging himself down the ladder, and grasping him by the collar with both hands, " )'ou have made uproar enough, now lie there for the present ;" upon which he hurled him into a coal recess opposite the cabin, clapped to the door, secured it with a rusty padlock that was hanging from an iron staple, and put -1/H ^|i f. •I.! til ■ ■ 4' r: 11 #iil ii " :!| mW. V 'J'! sn fl'*' (' !' ■■ 1 ■ ■, 1 ii 59() THB CANADIAN QIRL. the key in his pocket. ** Marquis,'* he cried, jeerin^lr, " don't put yourself at all out of the way. I'll manage the vessel for you. I wouldn't advise you to stint your* self of sleep now, for the felon's prison which you are ^oin^ to isn't a place remarkably favourable for re- pose." " Villain !" exclaimed the Pirate, ** have you deceived meT " O, by no means," rejoined Brien, ironically. " A person of yoiir talents couldn't be deceived by me. On board the Vulture you were a king, you know, and I was nobody. Who so clever as Captain Anderson, then ! You could affront me as easily as drink grog. I durst hardly say my name was my own. Mighty Captain Anderson has been a great man in his time ! And now your Marquis-ship has made you above me with a vengeance ! Yet if I were not able to help you now to a short cut to the gallows, I thinj^, fool as I am, I should contnve to make your soft-cushioned seats and your downy beds at Rougeraont, not quite so easy for n you. " So," muttered the Pirate, breathing hard, " fate has n^c^uod n.e at last !" " Tt will ?)e as well for me to satisfy your mind en- tirely as to your situation," pursued Brien, coolly. " The fishermen have seen the Lieutenant-governor's warrant for your arrest, which I bear about me, and, like sensible men, refuse to assist you any longer. I have therefore put the helm about lor Quebec, where the proper authorities will receive you." The Pirate staggered to a seat and sat for some time stuplHed. An icy dew gathered on his large forehead, THE CANADIAN GIRL a9i A vacant horror was in his eye. *' Ah ! my children !" he mentally exclaimed, in a broken voice, " it is (or your sakes chiefly that I shrink from the bitter cup! My Goil ! wlmt anguish is before them ! He started up— crossed the cabin — stopped, and groaned deeply — tralketi to the opposite wall and there sank down again on his seat, resting his forehead on his arm upon the back of the chair. I'he vessel crowded all sail toward Quebec, in com- pany with the cruiser. When within sight of Cape Diamond a boat put off from the latter filled with armed officers, who demanded the person of the Marquis of Rougemont; which Brien was not slow to deliver up to them. The prisoner came forth from the fishermen's cabin with an erect mien and an unfaltering step. As the villain who had entrapped him stood side by side with the chief officer on the deck he stepped back with involuntary loathing. One of the circle of armt>d men around instantly drew the trigger of a weapon which was levelled at him, but it fortunately flashed in the pan. The Pirate's face flushed, and he indignantly exclaimed — ..." Gentlemen, whether my life be forfeit to the iaws or not, it is not forfeit to youi Your warrant merely extends to the taking and guarding of my person. I beg you to remember that, and do not take more power into your hands than duly belongs to you, or you will have to answer for it in higher quarters." *' He will be a seignior to the last," jeered Brien. '^ J was not goin^ to attempt an escape," continue*! the Pirate, m severe accents, turning to the individual :>'al yj fSQ2 THB CANADUN Oimc who had lirecl at him. ** Another time let your vigiiaaee, aood sir, be not so orer-zealous." <* No, no, he did wrong," decided the chief officer. ** Marquis of Rougemont, you are the prisoner of British justice, which glories in the maxim that every person in your unhappy circumstances is to be thought innocent until he has been proved to be guilty. You shall find honourable treatment, sir, while you are under my care. I shall not suffer you to bear any thinir unpleasant which is not exactly necessary for your se- cure custody. Mr. Smith," addressing with marked displeasure the too forward individual, ** you will be so sfood as deliver up your arms — ^you have grossly offended, and the guard will not require your services at present.'* *< Sir," faltered the Pirate, overcome by this liberal treatment, '* my heart thanks you. If you will take the oath of a man like myself, hear me swear by this bright sky above, which is the throne of a merciful and truth- loving Deity, I will not make henceforward one singlr effort to escape ! If I mean not this truly, and if I do not observe it religiously, may heaven reject me in my last need !" <' Of course it will be my care not to give you an opportunity for escaping," returned the officer, with a civil smile. " Assuredly," ejaculated the Pirate, in a little em- barrassment. Brien laughed insolently. *« Oh, let the men draw off directly if the Marquis promises this," said he, with a grin of derision. ** Who'd be so uncivil as to watch him after he has given his word not to escape. Let him alone, officers, let hiiu THF CANADIAN GIRL. 503 ainno, heMI go to prison like a whipped child to Fchool, uithout your lookin ••« in 'I II if !' ■ ■' 1 1 ■ I' H 594 THK CANADIAN GIRL. panions than any man of his station I ever kneur. He was not learned, but he was singularly clever in the practice of many useful arts. He was not a professor of religion, but piety and charity were enwovcn with all his thoughts and feelings. He was straightforward in his motives — upright in his actions — and pre-eminently single-hearted and disinterested at all times and under all circumstances. Such an unoffending, kindly, useful, old man, he must have been a devil who could murder, merely to vent an old spite." Speaking with stinging emphasis ho looked full at Brien, who evasively exclaimed — " Toby was the man my gunshot hit when I fired from the cruiser." " Aye, you meant hina to be the man," returned the Jpirate pointedly and bitterly. " What ought to be your punishment for such a deed, think you ?" and his countenance was charged with stern reproach. " I fired in defence of the law," cried Brien, dis- concerted, " this gentleman knows that." " I know the law can take no cognizance of this act, tiiv," observed the chief officer; " but I am equally certain that some private motives of your own, Mr. Brien, induced you to wing the fatal shot against this wrinkled victim. I was standing by you observing you closely, sir, and your looks and exclamations of tri- umphant glee when you noted the effect of your (ire inspired me with disgust. But this does not immediately concern me. Men, go down and search the cabins, and fcring up whoever you may find there." The Pirate asked leave to commit the body of Tobv with his own hands to the deep. Permission was granted THE CANADIAN GIRL. 6d5 him ; and with the help of one of the fishermen, the ol(i( sailor was speedily sewn in a hammock and brought to the edge of the vessel. " Stop, Marquis," said the chief officer, " I am not in such haste as to see a fellow mortal consigned to his grave, whether that be of earth or water, like a soulless beast. I am an attached Protestant, sir, and with youi leave, part of the service for the dead used in my church shall be read before these relics are ;ut out of sight." " I am an attached Catholic, sir," returned the Pi- rate ; " but as I have no priest at hand to perform the service according to the ritual of mi/ church, I shall be very happy to hear yours.'* The officer, who was a worthy, middle-aged gentle* man of the navai protession, immediately drew from his pocket a prayer book. " I always carry this about me," he gravely observed, noticing the facetious smiles which sat on the faces of the irreligious party around. *' Let me tell you, sirs, there is no book in the world to be compared with the Church of England Common Prayer, except the Bible itself." He cleared his voice, looked about to see that all were uncovered and in an attitude of attention, then deliberately proceeded through the whole of the service, while the calm and wide-spread water — tlie majestic sky, vast and clear — and the deep hush which pervaded the twilight atmosphere — imparted to the touching rite ad- ditional solemnity. The Pirate listened with closed eyes. Never had words fallen before on his ear with such deep and awful emphasis. The fervent tones of the good officer, coming as they did direct from the heart, gave full effect to li 1 m m 1 ' ■> m Mm - > 'I > ■■■ I if i lii iij'i 690 THR CANADIAN OIRL. every sentence thouj;h unaccompanied with any tu- tored harmony of accent, any studied inflection of the voice. ^ Such words I may shortly hear said for myself on the scaffold," thought the Pirate. ** And where shall I be when they are concluded ? Where ! — O God !— * where !" There was aow a heavy plunge heard in t^ie water; then were seen upon its surface a spreading circle and a few ripples, and ancient Toby was gone for ever out of the sight of the battling world. " Now we must depart," said the chief oflicer. " Come mj men, bustle — bustle ! Marquis, you must submit to be bandcufled, and enter the boat with tne black and your valet The fishermen must 4^0 witii ur too *^ I , ; THK C.AXAniAN GIRL. 597 CHAPTER XXXIV* «• By the apostle Pfiul, shadows to*night Hure struck tiiore terror to the soiil of Richard, Than can tlie substance often thousand soldiers. Armed in proof, led on by shallow Richmond!" — SliaJcspeare. " Thb widowed mourner, Madame Barry, was brought from her convent to the prison in which the Pirate lay. She was conducted to the sheriff's room- where Lieutenant-governor Markham. and certain subordinate magistrates, sat round a table. The Pirate was brousfht into the room unfettered ; and the excellent lady, imme^ diately fixing her eyes on him, became excessively r.gi- tated and almost fainted. Her wounds bled afresh. T\\e presence of the man whom she believed to be the author of her sorrows, was intolerable to be borne." " Let me go hence, your ^vorships !" she panted, keeping her head turned from the Pirate as from a monster too hideous to be beheld—" I cannot — cannot stay in the same room with the murderer of my hus- band !" The Pirate was at once taken back to his cell, which he continued to pace with feverish and hurried steps until the turnkey went his midnight rounds through the passages of the 'dreary building. ^1' % A ' (ill liM ml !i: Aii SiiS THE CANADIAN OIRL. " To bear the reproach and hatred of the good is dreadful !" murmured the Pirate. " It is this which was Cain's punishment, and it is mine. Truly can I say with him * It is more than I can bear !' These fearful walls which hem me in from light, air, and ha|> piness — the dreadful ordeal which awaits me in the shape of my trial — ^the deep, dark abyss which is before me as the final conclusion of my * Strange, eventful history '— whence arises their ch^ef power of torturing me ? — why from their scandalous notoriety I Could I suffer pri- vately, unknown, and without involving others in my fall, I think that I should be more of a stoic. That abhorrent look Madame Barry gave me, planted a thou- sand daggers in my breast. Rather than bear its repe- tition I would rush of my own accord to the gallows! Let me think. — Did I not murder ber husband ? I have said No, but now I feel in doubt. A strange mist hangs o^er the past, and I can hardly distinguish my own ac- tions from those of my companions. Was not my band stained with his blood like theirs ? Did I not help to strike him down ? Is not his cry ' Could I have ex- pected this from you, Anderson,' always in my ear like a terrible voice from a watery sepulchre crying to heaven for vengeance against me? In what a ghastly con- fusion my mind is involved ! If I am thus »t my trial I shall commit my:self. Let me reflect — I was on the mutinous ship— I afterwards commandcvl the old Cap- tain's murderers-^hfth ! tha^ was the poisoned bait! — command-^coMMAND ! Impatience of subordination has been ray ruin !" , He lay down tc sleep. His excited thoughts fotmiiig THE CANADIAN GIRL rm themselves info an awful phantasmagoria of harroning scenes. There was the bloody sj)ectre of Barry mad- dening him with his upbraidings because he had Ipagued tiimself with his inurderers. There was the dreadful platform prepared ibr his execution in the midst of a shouting, hooting, barbarous multitude, whose name was " legion." Great drops of clammy sv; eat oozed from the tormented sleeper's face. He ground his teeth frightfully, and moaned so loud that the turnkey knocked at the door to know what was the matter. " Come in for the love of heaven !" stammered the Pirate, springing up from his recumbent positior. dreadfully pale. " Turnkey, I beg you will come in !" " Why what ails yoU| Marquis?'* wondered the offi- cial, entering, and lifting up his lantern to survey the prisoner's face. " Y«>u look as if you had seen a ghost!" " So I have," faltered the Pirate, sinking his voice to a fearful whisper — ** so I have. I had been dreaming that I was in the executioner's hands when I was wakened by your knocking, and, as I am alive, turnkey, my eyes opened on a figure revealed to me by a pale light that quivered about it." " Nonsense — it was only in your dream you saw it — I have fancied such things myself." ** My eyes were open — I saw it as plain as I see you — it stood exactly where you now stand." The turnkey instantly jumped on one side, and cast a terrified look aroun -^ 'fr'jfT •♦ VA I . ; : .". • 11 • - , ■ • ■ :'> f • ■ ' ^ r ih\ vol- ■]•) . '.' CHAPTER XXXVI. « ( \K orft tf : '.■;:u.,r" '-J-il-L-, ■ . *»"'.' •' Between the acting of a dreadful thing ff.jjv' fl 'And the first motion all the incerim' is ' Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream ; The genius and the mortal instruments Are then in nounoil ; and the state nl mso^ Like to s little kingdom, sutfeis then The natvire of an insurrection." — SItaktpeare, ti « The Pirate on this day was engrossed with the most oppressive reflections. His eyes were observed to be bloodshot and rolling — their lids swollen — his large forehead deeply furrowed — his nostrils enlarged — his lips white. While alone he walked unceasincrlv to and fro his cell, frequently starting, and breathing forth such exclama- tions as these, vehemently — '' Just come to a noble name and inberitance, and now to die so infamously ! Oh, dreadful ! Only a few days and the b&ngman's fiendish gripe will be on my neck ! the people will hoot and exult about me ! my eyes will be blinded ! the drop will be drawn from un- der my feet ! my death-strugple'. will be hailed with huzzas ! Oh ! the whole scene is pictured before me ! I see, T feel, all its horror ! And shall I endure it ? No ! TBS ';AN4DIAN uirl. G9S \ never will! TI16 etecuti' i oi' my sentence shall be anticipated. But how — but how? No means have yet urosented themselves to my mind. The turnkey ! — shall I try him ? ivill it be safe 1 Let me think. My old ac- quaintance, that rascal at the Buffalo Inn. Yes, yes, I see the wav." The turnkey brought in his tea, and, as he usually did, lingered a little to talk of the weather, and news connected with the prison affairs. '• Are you rich ?" asked the Pirate in a careless way. *' Rich, Marquis ? No. Whatever could have made you think I was richi I have a large family, four sons and three daughters, they keep a man poor, I can tell you. My salary here isn't so good as you might think. I sometimes fancy I ought to have more, considering I am so old a servant. My dame otlen says so. * But what can't be cured must be endured.' The governor wont give me any more." *' I suppose you would have no objection to earn tlfty dollars in an honest way ?" . '- In an honest Way I should not. No, certainly. I on i}' wish I had the opportunity. Fifty dollars would put my youngest boy to a good trade and furnish him with clothes. I have got his brothers apprenticed, but I liave had no means for putting him out." '' You are an Englishman, I know ; but perhaps you understand French t" " No, Marquis, I don't. I never liked the French people ; though I am here in the thick of them, as one may say, I never would learn their language. A ittie of it 1 may have picked up t)y chance, but only a Intir, •10 f ^ li '<. 620 THB CANADr<4N OIRU *^ Perbaia you can read this V* The Pirate p/odnced a folded note and h6ld the superscription belbre the turnkey, who put on his spectacles, and commenced spelling it word by word with a good deal of patience. ** M , Andre, Buffalo Inn, St. Catherine Square. That is the English of it, Marquis," said he, at last. " Right. You are to understand that M. Andre is an old. friend of mine, and this note 1 have written for him. Tl 1 contents are French — you can make them out I hope." "' I will try. Marquis." He commenced bis task, and went through it perseveringly, aided by the prisoner, who helped him lo a tolerable comprehension of the lines. '' You wish this old friend of yours, Marquis, to re* ceive with this note a watch and seals, on condition that be sends for my use a dozen of the innkeeper's best wine in return for my kindness to you." ." That is exactly rigiit." '< I am bound to thank you, Marquis; and when I drink your heaUb out of them I shall wish you a clear acquittance before judge and jury." " The rest of the note." . " I am coming to it. And you request M. Andre to pend by my hand a bottle full of a tonic wine, composed according to a receipt of your own. It is — what are these words. Marquis ?" " An excellent restorative." " An excellent restorative. You wish to take it while V }i;r trill is ijoiiig on. Very well, Marquis, 1 have reail the note. I suppose you want me to get it taken tor yoM to '^''. Andre. I have no » .'C 628 TnS CAWAr'IAN GIRL. ks the watch. Remember you are not to give it until tiie bottles have been delivered to you. He will bring them to your room." ** And the dollars?" said the turnkey, goinjj. " Depend upon having them when I receive the tonic w wme. Away goes the turnkey, supposing that he was going to do himself a benefit at no one's expense The note had been shown to him with such openness that any misgivings he might have bi?n likely to entertain re- ;^'arc!ing the jrtan *^ is. a^ion were coiiipletely dis- armed. The Mar u o j»d ill, and what was more likely than that this medicine : had written to his friend for had done him good formerly and would be likely to do him good again? The little girl was dispatched with the note, dnd re- turned with an answer in French for the Marquis, which the turnkey, after he had made out all that he could of it to assure himself that all was right, took to the ceil himself. The Pirate smiled with stern satisfaction as he scanned the line* — '* M. Anclre wdl bring the medicine for hi€ friend after dark to the turnkey's rooms, and receive the watch and seals. The dozen of wine will be brought at tne same time; but as they are first-rate importations, and M. Andre is at present short of money, he feels himseif under the very uncomfortable necessity of requesting that five louis-d'ors be paid for them on delivery." *' Your friend writes rather coolly. Marquis," ob- fterved the turnkey, a little surprised. ** O it is his way — he is an odd fellow," returned the THB CANADIAN OIRU 629 Pirate ; " blunt, but kind heartpd. Here are the louis-d'ors for him. I hope the wiue will please you." " You are very generous." ** Bring the medicine to me as soon as ever you get *t, turnkey." ' Directly, Marquis." " And *hen there will be t c; fifty dollars for you to ?lo; \nj and apprentice your son with." " True-^nor jy thanks to you !" The man disappeared once more. In his presence the Pirate had maintained the most absolute self-mastery. He had been calm and cheerful to a wonder. Now he changed. His mind was on the rack until the r d^> pearance of the turnkey. He did not flinch fr( 'i lis dread intentions; every moment saw his resolutir - li ore knit to them ; he only feared their being frustrated jy a discovery. M. Andre had been formerly a privateer in his ser- vice^ but for some time past had been living as a prac- tised gamester in Quebec. The Pirate had seen him only a ^jhort time before his arrest, and M. Andre had laughingly promised that if the Marquis should get " cribbed," he had only to send to him for a dose of poison and it should be at his service with all the plea- sure in the world. M, Andre was sagacious enough. He knew well the pride of the Pirate, and, in making this offer, he had the fullest conviction that it would be accepted some day or other, and produce him a golden advantage. When the turnkey's little girl brought the note to him, he at once saw through the contrivance, and re- membered his own promise- It happened, as fate n "•i! U:'.-ii 630 THB CANADIAN OIRL. would have it, that he had heen very unlucky in hit profession lately, having been expelled two celebrated gaming resorts for using loaded dice and marked cards, hence he was particularly needy at present ; all his superfluous clothes had been converted into meat, and drink, and lodging, by the process of pledging; his gilt chain was still exhibited, but, alas ! no watch re- mained thereunto appended ; his dress coat still gloried in the most fashionable cut, but it was his oldest one and very threadbare ; his shirts were reduced to ruffles, wristbands, and collars ; his showy evening waistcoats to one that was double-breasted, of shabby check ; while his hat was completely destitute of wool. Under these pressing circumstances he proceeded, without pity or remorse, to obtain the fatal compound the Pirate desired, and when darkness closed over the prison, presented himself at the turnkey's door with it under his cloak. The little girl who had brought the Pirate's note to him opened the door, and, seeing who it was, nodded her head very knowingly, for she was proud of being trusted with any thing like a secret by her father, and whispered — '^ If you please, sir, give me the bottle, and I will carry it to my father." " No, no, my pretty little girl,*' said the wary gen- tleman, *' go you first to your father and tell him to bring the watch and seals — he will understand what 1 mean." " Very well, sir ; only please to come in and sit down in this little kitchen here till I come back — I shan't be a minute.'* She was no longer. The turnkey came with her ; TOE CANADIAN OlftU 031 i>»-.f.* Sir, you have brought the medicine for your old friend the poor Marquis?^' .. ** Here it is," said M. Andre, setting on a table a «vine bottle, ** and much good may it do hiro. It is prime stuff*. Whoever drinks of it once will ail nothing after/' ** Is it 80 good ? Really ! I should like to taste it/' ■did the turnkey, holding the buttle to the light with some curiosity. 1 *' I wouldn't advise it," observed the gentleman, drily. " It might not agree with you." " i thought you said it would cure every person's complaints ?" ** So it will— hem !— one way or other — hem ! Ob- serve now, if it agree with a person it proves his cure by making him live long, (always supposing he does not come to be hanged) ; if it do not agree vt ith a person, it proves his cure too, for it rids him of all diseases by •—killing him.'* . ** A very singular tonic wine, sir. Has your friend often taken it before do you know ?" *' I should imagine that he has not," answered the jgentieman, smiling jocosely. '* It is rather too powerful in its consequences to be often indulged in. It is not like the wine I shall have the honour of introducing to your notice, Mr. Turnkey, that a man may enjoy again and again with unabated delight. Allow me to do myself the pleasure of drinking the healths of yourself and family in it this evening. I love good company such as yours, sir, exceedingly." *' I shall be much flattered I am sure, sir, if you will ^me and take supper with me at nine. Then we will %:■ ml pj mr OikNABiAw oniL. empty a bottle together. The Marquii told me he had ordered a dozen of the best for me.*' ** With the greatest pleasure in the irorld, Mr. Turnkey. Permit me to inform you that I despise the pretensions of empty pride. I am at any man*i ser* vice, sir. I would dine, or sup, or breakfast, or tea, or drink ale or wine, or any other liquor, with the poorest man of my acquaintance who was merry. Sir, I love good company exceedingly ! and I can see that yon are such — I can see it in your eye, sir — and I will come to supper with you at your own time, and you shall sing me a song, and tell me some of your best jokes.'' <( Peggy," said the turnkey to his little daaghter, *' go atid tell your mother to dish up a prime supper ibr me and this gentleman as noon as she can. Mon* seer, you will fetch the wine, and while you are gone Peggy shall light a fire in my parlour and spread the table cloth." ** Bravo, my fine fellow ! You are just tlie hearty old soul I like !" exclaimed the gratified Andre, charmed at the prospect of an evening's gratuitous entertain- ment. *' But where are the watch and seals ?" They were handed over to him, together ' with the louis-d'ors for the dozen of wine, with which our ad* venturer departed. On the outside of the door policy began to whisper that no farther profit was to be reafted from the affair. He had the watch and gold, but if he bought the wine he should have to part with a ron* siderable portion of the gold — a thought not to be cne- rished for a moment. M. Andre pulled his hat over hie brows in a decisive manner, drew his cloak close up to his chiD| turned ofl^ into a bye street, entered a piave i< T>IK CANADIAN QIBL. 03S iafMted with iliarpers, and emerged do more into tii« open air until the sun had again risen and had ascended far up the eafttern sky. The turnkey brought the poison to the Pirate, irho then put into his hand a note for fifty dollars, to- gether with a breast-pin containinjf a stone of value, ** Which,** said he, ** if 1 should be condemned at my approaching trial, you must look upon as a dying^ man*8 token of acknowledgment for the kindness with which you have softened the rugged hours of a dreary con* iinement." The turnkey was affected by the«e words. *^ Ah, poor gentleman P' sighed he, as he walked back through the wards on ois way to the supper, ** he it not long for this world, I can see. He has had death- tokens more than once. God help him at the worst I He is a generous nobleman.. PerhapR he would have done more sood if he had lived than ever he did harm. A Pirate they say he has been. Well I don't think for my part he ever could have been a very cruel one. i hope to my heart be may get off.'" Arrived in his own snug parlour, where his little girl was puffing with a pair of bellows at a stove half full of burning chips and coals, he hastily inquired if the gen- tleman had come back with the wine, and if mother had all ready. The anbwer was satisfactory with regard to the supper^ but no gentlemi^n had made his appearance yet with the dozen of wine. «* He will be here presently," said the turnkey, settling in for a jovial evening. " Light up two mould candleFj, my little girl, and let me have a pipe to pass away th« » ; !%; ll •ti'] €31 TBB CANADIAN GIRL. time till he comes. Poor Marquis ! how I do seem to fee! for him !" Supper time came, and the supper with it, the candles burnt brightly, so did the tire — but no wine — no gen- tlciitan. * I will step to the inn," said the turnkey, '* it is not five minutes walk. Keep the soup hot." He came back without the crentleman. M. Andre had not returned to the inn — had not purchased any wine of the landlord. '^ And they tell me," said the turnkey to his wife, with a very red face, ^' that he is a scoundrel who lives by gaming, and no gentleman at all ! It is very strange. I will so and speak *o the Marquis directly, and know wiiat that stuft* was in the ooitle 1 carried io him. . *^ Whv what do you tninK ir was V* asked his wite, ' ^* i^oison :" was tbe biiaf aniwDr . A h TiiK r:AN%r AN «u».r C35 CIl.\PTi:U XXXVIT. The muUit'Mle was gazing silontly ; And, afthe culprit passed witli d.iuiUlc;sft mien, Tempered di&daiii in liis unaltering ey<^« Mixed willi a quiet amilc, shone culmly firth." — Shelleu. ^Ui E^BRY approach to the prison was crowded with a dense mass of'neople from the first dawn of light on tiie day of the trial. The case excited an interest unparal- leled in Canada. The noble and ancient family from which the prisoner was descended, and the munificent hand with which he had scattered blessings on the poor and needy since his adoption of his inheritance, moved the multitude strongly in his favour, especially the French-Canadians, who were more zealous for the honour of t eir old nobility than for the strict adminis- tration of British justice, to the worth of which, indeed, they were little alive, clinging rather to the old forms of society as they existed under the feudal system. All the tenants of Rougemont and most of their class, the hahitana^ or small farmers, resident round about, had left their respective employments and hastened to Quebec, anxious to learn, as soon as it should be siven. ttie decision of the English judge, which was to deciie ^'^ti 636 THB CANADIAN OiRU It ' i the fate of the seignior whom they greatly honourecf for the sake of his brave French ancestors, and \vhoni they had begun truly to love for his own nobleness of dis- position. These persons, with quick and ardent tem- peraments legibly written on their saddened counte- nances, were gathered together close to the place wherein the trial was going on, and as varying news reached their eager ears from persons passing in and out relative to the progress of the case, the liveliest feelings of hope and apprehension, joy and gloom, became a).parent in the workings of their dark features, and in their viva- cious gestures. The British-Canadians were far indeed from sharing in the high-wrought and romantic sentiments of their neighbours. In all the pride of superior enlightenment they looked down with disdain on them as enslaved to ignorant prejudices, and took a mean pleasure in the humbling of one of their most venerated families on the present occasion, anticipatino the public hanging of the seignior Marquis with manifest delight. The wags aknong the latter party could not let so excellent an opportunity for annoying the French pass, they soon began to taunt them in a manner most galling. The high-spirited habitant returned looks of keenest wrath, but for some time unanimously restrained them- selves from giving any other utterance to their feelivigs. The Engliiih, instead of allowing themselves to be taujQ'ht by this noble forbearance, only grew the more insolent. It was not in nature to endure more. A stout farmer, in grey oapot and bonnet bleu, began the retort by an argument baculinum, as logicians say, which si- lenced his wordy assailant by knocking him down. This ^. 1.0 I.I ■so ^ US, 2.2 1.8 (■-.'■ i 1.25 III 1.4 III 1.6 -, . ' ^ 6" ► yi ^ ^>. '/ /A Hiotographic Sciences Corporation Ittle ashamed of his hasty impression of alarm, Clinton sat down again. He knew well that the heart of the Settler was embittered against him, and he did not wonder at it ; but be could not entertain the belief that any personal injury vsls meditated against bim by the latter. Tliey now talked with a tolerable appearance of cordiality of Farmer Joshua's crops and his other do- I . \ ' ^ THE CANADIAN GIKL. 649 mestic affairs. Every one of his family Clinton in- quired after by name, excepting only the wronged Dan, At last Clinton could refrain no longer from asking after him. ^^ He is dead !" was the steady answer, though the voice was hoarse that pronounced it. " Never till this moment was I truly humbled !" sud- denly ejaculated Clinton, breaking from a painful re- verie, and speaking in broken accents. ^^ Humbled before man and God ! Until lately I have lived a life of continual error ! Pleasure has been my sole pursuit 1 And what have I gained 1 — A conscience that is a per- petual vampire, drinking my life blood ! a devil staining every peaceful moment that arises for me with accursed images of past wickedness, and future retribution ! a scourge of scorpions in the hand of a pitiless fury ! O, damned hours in which I yielded to temptation !" As with passionate energy he thus spoke he pushed the chair back and paced the cabin, while the Settler's whole nature was gathered up in one terrible purpose of vengeance upon the destroyer of his son. " Have you ever done any thing to trouble your con , science, Mr. Clinton T* he asked in affected wonder. *' Yes, Farmer Joshua, I have !" firmly rejoined Clinton. " I falsely accused your son ! — his tale was the tr .e one — mine was false !" " Hell's curses on you, I know it !" thundered the Settler, breaking all at once from his assumed quietude. " You gentleman-rogue you, I know it ! The poor boy was broken hearted through your soft sounding lies \ 1 turned him out of doors as a thief! and after he bad wandered I don't know where like a vagabond for tw<> • > 'a. ., : m [■; ill 'm'^t i. 650 THE CANADIAN OIRL, years or more, without a living soul to say a good word for him, he came back with hardly a rag on him ! ill ! dying ! famished ! in the midst of a storm that I wouldn't have turned a cat out in ! and died as soon as he was inside my door !'* " It is a dreadful story!'* muttered Clinton, "and I have more right to the gallows than my father! Farmer Joshua, it is too late now to make a recompense to him whose peace and life it seems I have been the means of destroying, but if 1 could make you any kind of com- pensation, I should be but too happy. Trust me, I shall never though I live a thousand years, be happy again ! My punishment will be within ! there, though outwardly I may appear perfectly at ease, will ever burn a flame of remorse, dreadful, unintermitting!" *' Will that restore Dan to the mother who bore him ? to the brothers and sisters who have been bred up with him? to the home where he first saw light, and where he was happy for twenty years, until you — ^you poisonous snake ! you thievish fox ! came ? Will your remorse that you talk about bring him out of his grave ? Tell me that ! If it wont, talk to me no more !'* *« Your animosity against me is, I perceive, too deeply seated to be at all shaken with any thing I can say,'* quietly returned Clinton, so softened by late occurrences as not to be easily roused into pride or ire. "I am sorry for it, but I cannot blame you. The injury I have done you is, I am quite ready to acknowledge, irreparable. Nevertheless, should you, or any of your family in time to come, be disposed to gratify me by accepting, in- dividually or unitedly, a sum of money of any amount within the scope of a moderate fortune, you may nave THE CANADIAN GIRL. 65i it by application to me at the bankers of either Mon- treal or Toronto. More than this is not in ray power ; if it were, you should prove, beyond a doubt, that ray sorrow for what is past is sincere and deep." " Will your sorrow bring Dan out of his grave ?'^ was the atern and forcible interrogation. ** Would that it could !" exclaimed Clinton, with pathos. " So say 1 !" echoed the Settler, speaking quick and short. " But it wont — it wont! And dare you talk to me or mine of money? Whose money ? Your money ? Our hand should rot to the bones and marrow before they should touch one cent piece of yours I Compen- sation to me too! Ha! ha! compensaiionf Harkye, Mr. Gentleman, talking of compensation, ('tis a long word and not oAen used in the settlements, but I un- derstand it as it happens,) there was a time when law was not heard of among the people I consorted with — you have heard me speak of that time afore now — well, if you and I were now living in that time I should make myself a compensation in my own way, by choosing the stoutest hickory branch I could find and hanging you up on it ! That's the only compensation will suit me!" " I pass over your violent language, Farmer Joshua," returned Clinton, about to quit the cabin, '' in con- sideration of the provocation you have received. If we ever meet again, I hope it will be when I can render you some service. I had intended to stay here until light dawned, but now I shall press forward on my Journey at once, for I cannot think of allowing you to bear, one moment longer, the society of an individual so abhorrent to you as myself." I- I 11 y:- m ' Mi' ; f i! S52 TUB CANADIAN OIRU hi 4 . The instant Clinton disappeared, the Settler looked to the flint and priming of his rifle, and went out. The object of his hatred was already mounted and on his way back to the road. " There goes a vultur' screaming and wheeling round and round over his head," muttered the Settler. " That's a *cute bird. It smells death in him already. Aye, there's somethinor more than instinct in that crctur*." O Clinton looked up at it. '< Look again, my lamed gentleman, the cretur' knows more than you do ot what's coming on you afore to-morrow." Here he kneeled down on one knee, raised his rifle to his shoulder, and deliberately pointed it toward Clinton. The moon's crescent was in the middle of the heavens, sail mg behind a rack of watery clouds, which ever and anon hid it from the view of earth. The Settler waited until one of these obscuring masses had been passed by the silver queen of night, who then shone out with the tender and chaste loveliness becoming her youth. Alas ! that she should look down on such black deeds as the sons of men perpetrate ! Alas ! that she should look down on the most horrid and unnatural of all crimes — murder/ which generally chooses the period of her holy reign to stalk abroad. Perhaps she saw many hellish murders done this night; but it is certain she saw none more determined, more fearful, than that the Settlor committed. c THE rxNADlAN GIRL. 65S .1 •■ CHAPTEU XXXIX. " O, Sneuppoitable! O, heavy hour! Mdthiuks it should be now a huge eclipse Of 3un and moon; and the atTrighted globe Should yawn at alteration."— iS/ta/r«p«ar0. '* And I have only one poor boon to bag : Ttiat you convey me to his breathless trunk, With my torn robes to wrap his dearest head ; With my torn hair to bind hit hands and ieai ; Then with a shower of tears To wash his clay-smeared cheeics, and die beside hiin.*'-»in*()» At the close of the last chapter the reader was left to imagine the fearful death of Clinton by the hand of an assassin. Prematurely he passed from this niortai life to *• The undiscorered country From whose bourn no traveller returns.** As the mother of Sisera looked out of the lattice wondering why tarried her son's chariot wheels, so the bride of Clinton, a second time widowed in an appalling manner, but ignorant of the dire event, watched away the weary hours at her window, looking eagerly and fondly for him who would never return more. *' I had an impression of evil upon my mind when he went away," said she to Jane, who had endeavoureii to persuade her that he must now be close at h^n6. '! 1 iM ">'. I, I •■ J U (■•' •1 n iji; n ll Ik P'' ■ f F»' V V'.Sf 1 1 ^'- fj., t ■ I ¥ . ( li'. '} :J r j t% 654 TUB CANADIAN OIKL. '• Last night was the time ho appointed for his luturn, now it 18 nearly eleven of the forenoon, and still he i^ not come. Where! oh, where is he !" She clasped her hands in an agony of apprehension on her knees, her face still t'irl;^»d to the window, *' Ho will be here soon," said Jane, encouragingly, passing her arm in an alFectionate manner around the swan -like neck of ihe peercix. *' O, June, feel how my temples throb ! and how my heart bents !" She took the hand of her sister-in-law as she spoke, raised it to her hot forehead, and lowered it to her left side. *' They do indeed!" exclaimed Jane in the softest tones nf sympathy. " But, my dearest Lady Hester ! suffer me to entreat you to be calm. Heaven can wit- ness how I love my brother !" — tears gushed into her eyes. '* If I could entertain one serious fear that any harm had happened to him, do you think I could look th\2s ? and speak thus ? But we must dismiss the shock- ing idea altogether. My poor father demands all my thoughts." Her voice was choaked by emotion. " You are gifted with an extraordinary degree of pa- tience, or I should have received a much stronger re- proof," said Lady Hester, turning to embrace her. " Here am I inflicting upon you my foolish fears, founded upon nothing probable, while you are weighed down with real distress. There, I have shut the blinds again, i will not sit here longer conjuring up all sorts of frightful ideas to tormeot myself and you. Nay now, my dear Mrs. Lee! where is your fortitude?* for Jane w^as sobbing with her face buried in her hands. ^ i» the Word of God, not in myself,^' replied Jane, THB CANADIAN UIRL. 655 devoutiVv wiping her stroaiiiiiij^ eyes. *' My nature is too Hreak to bear the sorrows which are before me with- out strength imparted from above." ** Happy should I bo," exclaimed Lady Hester, for- cibly, ** ii' 1 could receive some of that heavenly strength ) I fuel that I may yet need it much ! But there again, I am imiulging in weak fears as before.'* *' Cast them, with luy sorrows, on Him who careth for us!" ejaculated Jane. It was just then that four Indians, bearing a litte* of branches with a body stretched thereon, stopped at a door under the window at which L;idy Hester had been keeping watch. before the melancholy and dark* visaged group the curious passers l)y beheld a venerable English clergyman, with woe-stricken features, mounted on a small horse, and by him the gaunt, slouching figure of a backwoodsman, with a grim and wild countenance spotted with blood, his hands tied behind his back, his arms secured by ropes passed many times around his body, and his feet made fast to the saddle girths of the ragged pony he was upon. The rear was brought up by a male gipsny on foot, and two servants of the cler- gyman, farming men as they seemed. A crowd rapidly collected, and a dreadful whisper was speedily circulated — ''^ found murdered in St. An- tony's forest!" *' Who is he ?" was then heard from a hundred sub- dued but excited voices — " Who is he ?" " The only son of the condemned Marquis of Rouge- mont," was the answer to this query, while the inmates of the house before which the small procession halted wera coming out to inquire what had happened. t ' \ 7 \ '. K-u 63'} THB 04NADIAN OIEL. <( Holy Mother be the consolation of his poor youn(f widow then !" cried a female in the crowd. •* He was only married a fortnight ap^oi" ** Poor thing ! poor thing !" ejaculated another wo- man, mournfully, shaking her head. ** This will be a dismal sight for her. Jesu Maria ! what a shocking thing! The Marquis to be hung next Monday, and his son murdered to-day !*' "Hush Frances!" said a baker's wife beside her, ** tiiere's the window opening, perhaps that beautiful lady is his wife. Intensely curious is human nature at all times to know what' passes in its kind under circumstances of strong interest, hence principally are places of execution thionged,and hence, on the present occasion, there was a hasty pressure of the eager crowd toward the front of the house as soon as the sash began to be raised. A piercing cry from the lady thrilled through every heart, as she glanced down upon the leafy bier beneath. A coarse Indian blanket was thrown over it, concealing the person of the murdered, but her heart told her too plainly that no other lay beneath its folds than her own husband. A moment her white hands were elevated in horror, and her eyes flashed in distraction, before the pitying multitude. Then down stairs she rushed, screaming to Jane to follow her. The hostess at the door in vain strove to hold her back. She sprang out over the threshold, animated with unquenchable love. - . " Set down the bier I" she commanded, confronting toe Indians with a manner that admitted of no denial. The Pastor threw himself from his horse in a mo* ment, and took hold of her arm. THU CANADIAN OIRL. ijbl founff ie VTM Br wo- I be a and le her, autiful mes to nces of ecution ere was front of every eneath. cealing her too ler own ated in ore the rushed, at the mar out iove. renting ienial. a mo* " You i^ere the wife of my grandson 1 believe,'* ho stammered. "^ Pastor Wilson is my name.'* " fVere the wife, sir!" shefranticly repeated, ** I am his wife ! — Clinton's wife ! He left me three days ago to fetch you hither." *^ The providences of God are sometimes mysterious,'^ observed the Pastor in a voice full of solemn pathos. *' His ways are past finding out But, my dear lady, let the men enter the house before you look at him who aas been taken from you so awfully and suddenly." " Then it is my love whom these men are bearing ?" gasped Lady Hester — " it t« him ?" The latter were lowering the bier to carry it into the bouse, she sprang close to it, raised the blanket, and, with a harrowing shriek, fell insensible on the pavement, mt rr A carriage was proceedinfr along the street at a slow pace on account of the throng, at the moment when Lady Hester shrieked so piercingly in the first distraction of her discovery. An aristocratic English gentleman put his head out of the window, and inquired of the by« standers what had happened. A youthful female face^ expressive of concern, also appeared as a reply was made in French. ; " Good God r exclaimed the Earl of Wilton, foi^ he was the English aristocrat. " Good God ! the son of the Marquis of Rougemont found murdered!" and he sauk back on his seat, looking at his daughter with horror and am&tement in his eye. The blood curdled in Letitia's veins. For a moment she was dumb ; then violently pulling the cnecK string, she seized the handle of the carriage door, d,nd threw 't opep» 12 t ti 1 : - Ik ■i ti'.! 658 THK* CANADIAN OIRL. " Stay a moment, Letitia!" exclaimed her father, " let us consider what we had best do. Good God ! what a dreadful event !" But Letitia was not to be kept back from fier sister now even by a father's command. She broke from his trembling grasp and sprang out, followed bv him. Lady Hester recovered with great difficulty; hysteric gaspings for breath were attended by convulsions, and followed by heavy sighs. At length she arose to her feet, and, fastening her eyes, that were wildly dilated, on the Earl, raved of her husband in a state of perfect frenzy. Mci»t> f»'*>v»-' > " Why do you return in this sad plight, Clinton ?" she cried, with livid lips and cheek. " Why is there hlood upon your head and breast? Tell me who has done it ? I am your wife ! You are precious to xiie as my own soul I Speak to me then ! and tell me why you come back so changed! Ah ! how he melts away — away — and I cannot follow him ! He is gone ! He has left me alone for ever ! He has been murdered ! Ring the horrid sound through this world of devils? Make it heard from pole to pole! He has been mur- dered I cruelly — basely — horribly murdered ! Let heaven know of the damned deed ! Sound it abroad! Why stand you all gazing upon me, as though the blow had stricken my brain and made me mad! I had a husband once who shot himself! I did not go mad then — shall I go mad now ? Would to God I could, or die with him I loved! How often have we sworn not to out- live each other ! Ah ! ours was love indeed !" " Hester! beloved sister! do you not know mef cried Letitia, bathing her face with streaming tears. I '1 l« THR CANADIAN OIRL. 659 father, IGod! !r sister rom his 1. bysterit ns, and to her dilated, perfect inton ?" is there Nho has to Ti^e as me why Its away le! He IDERBD ! devils? en mur- it heaven Why >low had husband in — shall die with ; to out- BW me tears. ^!» 4 u Qo««gOj*' muttered Lady Hester, pushing her away — " my father will make your life miserable if h^ knows you are with me.'* " Not so — I am come to be reconciled with you, Lady Hester," said the Earl, by force restraining the emotion he felt. " My dear daughter, forget what is past, and let me take you to my own residence immediately, my carriage is here," " If you are the Earl of Wilton I have nothing to say to you," said Lady Hester, instantly becoming more rational, and her face changing from lividness to a flush of vehement anger. ** It was you who caused the arrest of the Marquis, and embittered my husband's bridal hours with grief for his father. I owe my present anguish to you ! for his fatal journey would not have been undertaken had not the Marquis been condemned. Do you call me your daughter 1 — I abjure the title ! You will never more, sir, have a daughter in me — I shall never more acknowledge you for my father. Do not stay here I beseech vou, for your presence adds fury to my grief! Go away, and leave me with the dear remains of him whom, when living, you disdained. 1 ask not yowr sympathy for my loss." " But me, Hester," pleaded the weeping Letitia. •' you will not send me from you ? 1 have not grieved you knowingly." Lady Hester's reply was an agonising embrace, which was accompanied with groans and sighs. The Earl of Wilton was pierced to the soul with the repulse he had received ; he felt acute pangs at having lost the love of his eldest daughter, but could not stoop to argue with her as his feelings prompted. iHl V 1 1 t!| M (■•'^ GGO THB CANADIAN OIRI*. Distraction again swept over tbe mind of the peeress. She would not be hindered from going to the disfigurea body which now lay in an adjoining chamber. There she sebs the forehead, the neck, and the heart of her beloved pierced with gun-shot wounds, about which the congealed blood lay thick. The teeth are set as in the last fierce pang of dissolution; the hands are clenched ; the eye, half open, still glares a desperate defiance from its overspreading film. A mortal sickness shoots through the heart of tbe bereaved bride, and again she falls into a swoon. Out of this she revives as before to a state of frenzy, wbicn no medical skill is able to overcome, or even to subdue. Meanwhile, Jane is little less wretched, but she throws- herself on that heavenly Comforter who alone is able to sustain the mourner in an hour like this. Her watchful and tender husband also is nigh to soften the violence of her anguish by his heartfelt participation in it. " Leave me alone awhile, Arthur," was her request after the first shock was a little subsided, '' let me give free scope to my misery, and pour out my soul before my God, then I shall be calmer." He left her accordingly, and she joined him in an hour self-possessed, and able to listen to her grand- father's account of his finding of the body, and the taking of the murderer, as well as to discuss with both the best means of breaking the dreadful tidings to hei father. Illness had prevented the Pastor from setting out from the lodge as soon as he could have wished, and he had not answered the letters because he anticipated that every morrow would see him sufficiently restored for THK CANADIAN GIRL. 661 tfie lonrney. When at length he did set out, tvo farm^no men, and four Indians, belonging to the village, that had sprung up in his valley, aocompanied him, having errands of their own to Quebec. They tra elled partly in the night as well as through the da--, the Pastor being extremely anxious to reach the city some days before the execution. The forest of St. Antony divided that gloomy swamp in the midst, along which Clinton had been journeying the fatal night of his death. The Pastor and his humble friends had to cross this forest. It was early in the morning and still dark. Their torches alone illumined the tangled path whose track they were pursuing. To beguile the dreariness of the hour and the way they conversed upon sacred subjects, and the peace and confidence these topics instilled into their minds rendered them proof against all fears. ' ^ When nearly through the forest they were startled by a gipsy, who earnestly reouested that the Pastor would follow him to a great tree which stood a little off the path, telling him a shocking deed had been done, and as a magistrate, which he knew Pastor Wilson was, he called upon him to investigate it. The Pastor turned off from the path accordingly, fol- lowed close by his friends, and, to his utter dismay, saw in the hollow of the vast tree a dead bodv, which he presently discovered to be that of his grandson, Clinton. * ^ The g'\\isy then pointed out the Settler, who stood io the grey darkness leaning against the stem of a ceaar close by. •*' That is the murderer,'* said he, "secure himi" which was done, but not without great difficulty 11 m: 662 TBI CAMAOIAM OIBL. While the Pastor and his grandchildren are eOB- versmg, the Settler is carried forwards to prison amid the groans, hootings, and threats of the people, whom the gipsy informed of the particulars of his guilt. ** I saw him drag the gentleman from his horse after he had fired at him once ; when he had him down he shot him twice, as deliberately as if he had been putting a mere animal of the woods out of its dying tor- ments.'* The uproar was very great in the streets. The prisoner was unbound from his ragged pony at the prison door, where he returned the eager gaze of curiosity that was bent on him with a savage glare that made the be- holders shrink, and then, assuming an aspect of dogged indifference, entered the gloomy barriers which had been a living tomb to thousands. It was upon this same day that the fisherman Jacques, who had rescued Jane from the deep in the early part of this story, and whose wife first prompted her to seek shelter in the settlements over which Pastor Wilson presided as magistrate, hearing of the doom of the Pi- rate, his old captain, came to see him in the prison. Af- terwards he sought out Madame Barry, and gave her such an account of the manner in which Anderson had heen trepanned into joining the mutineers of her hus- band's ship, and of his total guiltlessness of a participa- tion in the plunder and murder of Barry, that she be- came convinced she had wronged him in her mind, and immediately visited him, assuring him of her entire for- giveness ; not content with this, she immediately set about endeavouring to obtain a eommutation of his pun» ishment THE CANADIAN OIRL. 663 1^ The next morning the Settler is conducted to another part of the cit*' to be examined ; on the way he makes a desperate effi)rt to escape. He is a fleet runner and strong lunged, he cannot be easily put out of breath. This way and that he flies, doubling, turning, circling across the open country according as he is pressed by his pursuers. At length he is surrounded, and climbs a tree with the agility of a squirrel, hiding among the thickest branches. The first man who follows him falls throttled to the ground ; the second shares the same fate. Both drop dead at their companions feet. Shots are then levelled at the tree, but the Settler loudly laughs them to scorn as if he were some supernatural being whom bullets cannot touch. " Cut the tree down,** suggests one. A dozen hat- chets are instantly at work, and the Settler sees himself bereft of his last resource. The tree groans and quakes ; its branches quiver with every deadly stroke; now it majestically bends ready to fall ; it sinks slowly at first -^the Settler leaps to the ground — and the crash of the oak of two centuries shakes the neighbourhood like an earthquake. .-- a ^.., . A halter was now knotted round the neck of the murderer, one end being fastened to a strong and lofty branch, and he was placed on an untamed colt, with his arms tied firmly behind his back. In this condition they ..eft him, and in a moment the colt had darted off, leaving him pendant from the creaking branch, which bore his weight stoutly. A ghastly struggle then took place be- tweea the fighting soul and the tortured body. Red globes of fire appeared before the wretch's eyes ; they p*iit 664 THE CANADIAN 0\RV. paled, and paled, ana presently grew black — the Settlef had then expiated his crime — he was dead ! The body swung round and round in the midnight breeze ; there was no more motion in its members ; passion raged no more in the brooding spirit, which had dwelt too much on its wrongs, and had avenged them with fiend-like malice, but which, nevertheless, had not been without its noble sparks of feeling. Few murderers have ever had so plausible an excuse for their hellish deeds as he. He had suffered a grievous injustice from Clinton, and, according to his rude no- tions of natural rights, thought himself justified in taking vengeance for it with his own hands. " Life for life" was his motto, and on this he acted, reorardincr no other tribunal than his own mind. How- ever, he hath foUowed bis vwtim to eternity— '* And bow his audit stands^ who knows, save heaven?" * It was rather a curious circumstance that t' e cfinsv who brought him to his end should be the vagrant king who had fled from the vengeance of his band for the murder of his wife. This guilty man now wandered restlessly about the spot where the Settler hung, haunted with such visions of his slaughtered Nina, such appre- hensions of a meeting with the gipsies, and such longing desire for the society of his children, mingled with more fierce and reckless passions, that he was tempted to wisn himself in the Settlers place. '-^ '"■ At last, worn out with long faticrue and disquietude, he threw himself down on t4ie ground and fell into a deep sleep. On awaking, his hair bristled np with terror — ^the well known camps o'f his tribe wore pitched within twenty yards of him. He rose cautiously, and »■*■.-