Katherine Lowthcr.
 
 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 BY 
 
 MORICE GERARD 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 "ROSE or BLENHEIM," "LOVE IN THE PURPLE," '-THE KING'S SIGNET,' 
 "ONE OF MARLBOROUGH'S CAPTAINS," "THE MYSTERY CAR," ETC. 
 
 HODDER & STOUGHTON, LIMITED 
 TORONTO
 
 Printed in
 
 TO 
 
 THE GENIUS OF THE 
 
 CANADIAN PEOPLE
 
 
 
 URU 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 PAGE 
 
 IN THE QUEEN'S SQUARE . . . . . . i 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS 12 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 A HERO 24 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A PRESENTATION 36 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 A WINTER NIGHT 48 
 
 vii
 
 viii CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 PAGE 
 
 FATHER AND SON. . . * 57 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 HIS MOTHER . * 66 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 AN INTIMATE LETTER . . . ... . -72 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 COLGRAVE'S COFFEE-HOUSE 84 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 "THE DON" 97 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 "THE GEORGE" AT TAUNTON 109 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 A SUMMONS . 121
 
 CONTENTS ix 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 PACK 
 
 LORD DION RETURNS 135 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 A MORNING CALL Vf 144 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 AT ELY HOUSE . . 156 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 FROM THE FRONT ....... l68 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 A THREATENED ATTACK l8o 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 BY LAND AND SEA J 9 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 GOOD NEWS AND BAD . . . . 2O 3
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 SURRENDER .214 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 WILLIAM PITT . .,... 227 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 RETURN 238 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 IN BATH ONCE MORE 251 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 IN COMMAND 262 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 A STRANGE COMMISSION 272 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM ...... 285
 
 CONTENTS xi 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A WOMAN SPEAKS HER MIND 296 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 WHAT CAME OF IT . . .*"... . . 304
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 IN THE QUEEN'S SQUARE 
 
 LORD DION stopped in the middle of a 
 sentence. 
 
 Something electric passed between the two 
 friends ; that is to say, something not put into 
 words, but pregnant with meaning. More than 
 half the intelligence of life is conveyed in this 
 way. 
 
 Lord Dion Blair and Colonel James Wolfe, 
 closest of friends, were walking slowly along the 
 thoroughfare, which flanked one side of the 
 Queen's Square of Bath. 
 
 December was drawing to a close in the year 
 1757 ; the streets of the popular resort, then at 
 the height of its fashion, were flecked with snow ; 
 two middle-aged men, heavily coated and armed 
 with brooms, were keeping the road clear. They 
 stood on one side while two ladies left the door- 
 way of one of the white stone-built houses, which 
 bordered the Square. At the kerb a sedan chair 
 waited, a manservant holding the door open,
 
 2 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 his head uncovered, except for an ample wig, 
 powdered white. 
 
 It was the appearance of these ladies, or rather 
 perhaps of one of them, which arrested the eager 
 flow of Lord Dion's conversation, and caused 
 him to press his companion's arm, on which he 
 was leaning, with an emphatic touch. 
 
 The two ladies walked in single file, a maid- 
 servant bringing up the rear, carrying a rug. 
 The first lady to issue from the doorway was 
 inclined to be stout, verging on middle life ; 
 there was something in her carriage and bearing 
 which suggested decision, and a knowledge of 
 the world. It was not in her direction that the 
 eyes of the two men turned. 
 
 Behind her walked a girl, on the threshold of 
 womanhood, not yet of age, but in that interest- 
 ing and fascinating period of life when the teens 
 are being surrendered. She was wearing a large 
 bonnet, with a white scarf tied over it, meeting 
 beneath her chin, disclosing a throat beautifully 
 moulded, and white beyond compare ; a cape 
 covered her shoulders ; her dress, in the height 
 of fashion, was slightly hooped over an underskirt 
 of silk, which rustled as she walked. 
 
 Before following her companion into the chair 
 the girl glanced at the two men ; her eyes bright- 
 ened, a warm glow suffused the damask of her
 
 IN THE QUEEN'S SQUARE 3 
 
 cheek; she did not know Colonel Wolfe, but 
 she made a curtsey to Lord Dion, whose hat with 
 plumed feather swept the pavement in response. 
 
 Two minutes later this vision had passed into 
 the chair, the maid arranging the wrap over the 
 knees of the occupants ; then the door was shut, 
 and the bearers of the chair, after raising the 
 supports to their shoulders, walked on. 
 
 James Wolfe had likewise raised his hat ; for 
 a full minute he forgot to replace it on his head. 
 Something had happened, he knew not what ; 
 some message had reached him, in spite of the 
 fact that he believed himself impervious to such 
 an influence. A pair of blue eyes had traversed 
 his face and figure only a momentary glance, 
 which had been immediately diverted yet it 
 had left an effect behind, which nothing would 
 remove or obliterate. 
 
 Lord Dion looked at his friend and smiled. 
 There are smiles which are more sad than tears, 
 more poignant than a sigh ; this was one of them. 
 
 "You have seen a vision," he said. 
 
 Wolfe did not answer. He hardly took in the 
 words, still less the thought at the back of them. 
 
 The chair had by this time disappeared round 
 the corner of the Square, in the direction of the 
 Assembly Rooms, towards which the friends 
 were walking.
 
 4 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Wolfe looked up at the house, almost the 
 central one in the block, from which the ladies 
 had emerged, then his eyes swept the pavement, 
 including the servants of the Corporation, again 
 busy with their brooms. Before him were the 
 railings, which enclosed an area laid with grass, 
 with an obelisk in the centre. Without know- 
 ing it, all these details were fixing themselves 
 on the retina of his brain, causing an indelible 
 impression, engraving a picture which was to 
 be in his mind's eye when nearly three thousand 
 miles separated him from the Queen City of the 
 West. 
 
 A story had begun which was to fire the 
 imagination of the world from that day forward. 
 
 Wolfe had only arrived in Bath that very 
 afternoon, travelling by stagecoach. His 
 parents, General Edward Wolfe and his wife, 
 were at that time occupying a house in Bath, 
 next to the one from which the two ladies had 
 issued. Wolfe had called for Lord Dion Blair, 
 with whom he had struck up the warmest of 
 friendships, when the former was in command 
 of the troops at Stirling. 
 
 Friendship in ninety-nine cases out of a 
 hundred is composed of dissimilarity, cemented 
 by some point of resemblance ; the greatest 
 friends are not those who are most alike, but
 
 IN THE QUEENS SQUARE 5 
 
 most unlike, with, however, some bridge which 
 unites the two souls. 
 
 The face and figure of James Wolfe, the most 
 indomitable soldier of his age, perhaps the great- 
 est, are familiar to all the world. His picture, 
 painted by Shaak, in the National Portrait 
 Gallery, has been reproduced in a thousand ways, 
 yet it altogether fails to convey the man as his 
 friends, and, above all, those who served under 
 him, saw him. 
 
 In the picture you have the cocked hat, the 
 straight nose, the long upper lip, the full chin ; 
 the cravat at his neck, the great buttons of his 
 surtout, his powdered wig, peeping from under 
 the beaver. So far, so good ; what is left out is 
 too subtle either for painter or descriptive pen. 
 The eyes tender, deep, suggestive of melancholy, 
 until something happens to stir the ardour of the 
 man, to wake that buoyant, unconquerable spirit. 
 It suggests the simile of a cannon, cold to touch, 
 merely a tube of steel or iron, but once a fire 
 lights the charge, and it becomes sentient, all- 
 powerful, death-dealing, destructive. 
 
 The fire which touched Wolfe's brave spirit 
 was the fire of patriotism, the love of the soldier 
 for the cause he represented, the honour entrusted 
 to him. 
 
 Lord Dion Blair! True friend, comrade;
 
 6 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 contrast, almost foil. A cynical wit in an age 
 of cynicism had given him the sobriquet of 
 Monkey Blair, and the appellation, lightly 
 enough spoken, had stuck from that day on- 
 wards : the very scavengers in the street whis- 
 pered it to one another ; boys called it after him 
 and ran away ; women, powdered and painted, 
 decked in the highest fashion, smiled as he passed. 
 To chivalrous Colonel James Wolfe the very 
 suggestion of such a sobriquet was anathema. 
 
 Lord Dion was two years his friend's senior ; 
 he had the most beautiful face in the world to 
 those who had the key; to the multitude, the 
 unthinking, fashionable crowd and its satellites 
 he had one of the plainest, for his eyes were 
 slightly crossed, yet behind them was a beauty 
 of expression, a depth of tenderness which indi- 
 cated the soul, the character behind it. One 
 shoulder was slightly humped a tall, ungainly 
 figure, with this conspicuous deformity, which 
 no arrangement of cloak or tunic could hide 
 altogether. 
 
 Every one was conscious of Blair's imperfec- 
 tions as regards physical form, but no one so 
 conscious as Lord Dion himself. It was the bitter 
 draught of his life, from which he drank daily, 
 down to the very dregs. The misshapen shoulder 
 was the result of a fall when he was little more
 
 IN THE QUEEN'S SQUARE 7 
 
 than a baby ; science in these days would have 
 done much to mitigate the result, if not success- 
 ful in removing all traces of the disaster. But 
 science then was a very different thing, and the 
 child had to grow into manhood not as God had 
 made him, but in the condition the carelessness 
 of an attendant had brought about. To com- 
 pensate, as far as might be, Lord Dion's mental 
 equipment was remarkable, and his whole 
 spiritual being tuned to the finest pitch, of which 
 human nature is capable. 
 
 His friendship for and admiration of the soldier 
 by his side were almost pathetic in their depth 
 and intensity; he saw in James Wolfe what he 
 himself might have been under different con- 
 ditions. 
 
 The two friends walked on a few yards in 
 silence, Blair thinking of Wolfe, the latter ob- 
 sessed by the new impression just conveyed, first 
 to his eyes, then through them to the whole 
 organism within. 
 
 "You have seen a vision," Lord Dion 
 repeated. 
 
 By this time they had reached the turn of 
 the road, down which the sedan chair had 
 disappeared. 
 
 The words penetrated to Wolfe's brain, and 
 he turned sharply, as if roused by a touch.
 
 8 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 "Yes," he answered simply, "I never saw 
 the like; who is she? J! 
 
 "The one in front," Blair answered mis- 
 chievously, " was Miss Angela Lovesay ! ' 
 
 "Pshaw! I did not ask of her." 
 
 "Nevertheless, she is .important, for she is 
 cousin, confidante, chaperon of her young rela- 
 tive, the girl who followed her." 
 
 "Yes, yes?" 
 
 ."Miss Katherine Lowther, the toast and belle 
 of Bath, unspoilt by admiration ; she, whom 
 every one loves ! ' Blair said the last words with 
 lingering intonation ; they hung on the frosty 
 air, as if breathed rather than spoken. 
 
 " I have heard of her ; my mother has men- 
 tioned her more than once in her weekly letters 
 as living next door, but her description falls far 
 short of the reality." 
 
 A shudder passed through Blair's sensitive 
 frame ; he drew his fur-lined coat more tightly 
 round his chest. Wolfe was too engrossed with 
 his own thoughts to interpret his companion's 
 mood. Lord Dion was one of those people who 
 are endowed with a gift, which no one in his 
 senses would envy the gift of the seer, the per- 
 ception of things not as they are, only, but as 
 they may be, sometimes as they will be. A fore- 
 boding was in his mind, the cup of his life was
 
 IN THE QUEEN'S SQUARE 9 
 
 more than usually bitter, as involuntarily he 
 raised it to his lips. Yet, as always, he resolutely 
 drank it and passed on, conscious that in some 
 way life was to be different to him, and to others 
 from henceforth. 
 
 As they proceeded their pace slackened ; the 
 pavements were crowded with people moving in 
 the same direction ladies enveloped in wraps, 
 men in long walking coats, adorned with saucer- 
 like buttons. In the road itself carriages of all 
 kinds jostled one another sedan chairs, cabrio- 
 lets, coaches, hired and private. 
 
 "The Duke of Beaufort," Lord Dion com- 
 mented, as a handsome equipage, drawn by six 
 horses, with postilions, passed close to them at a 
 walking pace. " His Grace comes here a good 
 deal, putting up at the Bear, or driving from 
 Badminton, as apparently he has this evening." 
 
 " It promises to be a big affair ! ' 
 
 " The town is very full just now ; the bells are 
 continually ringing to welcome new arrivals." 
 
 "They did not greet me ! " Wolfe remarked, 
 with a wry smile. 
 
 "They will some day." 
 
 The Colonel laid an affectionate touch on Lord 
 Dion's arm. "If all you think for me were to 
 come true, I should be a great man." 
 
 ' What I think is of small consequence, but of
 
 10 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 the future your future I have no doubt. One 
 day the Abbey bells will ring out in your honour 
 in the city of Bath." 
 
 "May I be present to hear them." Wolfe 
 braced his shoulders. 
 
 They had nearly reached the borough walls, 
 where the large Assembly Rooms had been built, 
 and called after their designer, Thayer. 
 
 There was a pause in the traffic, the foot- 
 passengers halted, drawing slightly to one side. 
 
 The front of the Assembly Rooms was illumin- 
 ated with scores of lights, which nickered and 
 flared in the cold north wind. 
 
 A wheeled chair made its way through the 
 throng. In it was sitting an old man, whose full 
 curled wig failed to hide the silver hair on his 
 forehead ; age had set its mark on one of the 
 handsomest faces of the century ; the strong 
 mouth and chin had lost much of the sense of 
 power they had conveyed in earlier years ; eyes, 
 once so quick and sparkling, had grown dull ; the 
 cheek-bones were high-coloured, contrasting with 
 the pallor below them. 
 
 The old man was dressed in the height of 
 fashion, careful as of yore about every detail of 
 his personal appearance ; gold lace adorned his 
 frogged coat, underneath a heavy cape, which 
 came open of its own accord, as the doors of the
 
 IN THE QUEEN'S SQUARE 11 
 
 Assembly Rooms were thrown back by two 
 lackeys, to admit of the passage of the wheeled 
 chair. His white cravat was stiff about his 
 throat, and below it were billows of Mechlin 
 lace, which also adorned the cuffs over his thin 
 hands. 
 
 Plumed hats were doffed on all sides ; there 
 was a murmur of greeting from feminine as well 
 as male voices, not articulate, but genuine in its 
 appreciation. 
 
 "The assemblage has come to do honour to 
 Master Nash," Lord Dion informed his friend; 
 "there has been a rumour of his supersession by 
 the Corporation in favour of Quin the actor, who, 
 nevertheless, I believe, would not accept the 
 office if the tender of it were made to him. 
 To-night the whole of Bath is doing homage 
 to the man who has made it what it is." 
 
 "For good or evil? >: Wolfe inquired in an 
 undertone. 
 
 " Is any man's influence wholly good or wholly 
 evil? " 
 
 With that unanswered query the two friends 
 followed Beau Nash into the palatial building.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS 
 
 OF Katherine Lowther it has been said by a 
 contemporary, well qualified to judge, that her 
 rank and large fortune were among her least 
 recommendations . 
 
 Sister of Sir James Lowther, afterwards first 
 Earl of Lonsdale, she had been the toast of the 
 North as soon as she issued from the school- 
 room ; the prominence of her family at that 
 period, and for the years that followed can hardly 
 be estimated rightly in this far-off democratic 
 age. 
 
 Bath attracted Sir James, and he acquired a 
 house, which he was wont to visit when the 
 season was at its height. Here Katherine 
 resided the greater part of the year with her 
 cousin, Miss Angela Lovesay, to whose charge 
 the young and beautiful girl was confided. It 
 was an age of artifice, of stilted courtesy, of 
 
 insincere flattery ; when women rarely believed 
 
 12
 
 THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS 13 
 
 that nature could not be improved without the 
 use of a hundred and one adventitious aids to 
 appearance. Men talked like oracles, and too 
 often behaved like satyrs. Women lived on 
 scandal and the characters of their neighbours. 
 
 Katherine Lowther was the exact antithesis of 
 all this ; she was simple, unaffected, accomplished 
 in the fine arts, especially music and dancing ; 
 a keen reader of the classical authors, a taste 
 which had been imparted by the Rector of the 
 parish in which she had been brought up, an 
 erstwhile Professor and Fellow of Oxford. To 
 talk to her, and to listen in exchange, would 
 have conveyed but a small sense of the rich 
 store in her mind ; her language was simple, her 
 modesty complete, her deference to her seniors 
 absolute. 
 
 If Katherine had been asked who was her 
 greatest friend in the world, she would have 
 answered without hesitation Lord Dion Blair, 
 and next to him she would have placed her cousin 
 Angela. 
 
 It is doubtful whether the dictum, that no such 
 thing as friendship can subsist between members 
 of opposite sex had been promulgated at that 
 time; at any rate Katherine had never heard 
 it; if she had, she would have laughed it to 
 scorn.
 
 14 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 What is friendship? The opening of one 
 heart to another, the mutual understanding 
 which underlies, and sometimes supersedes, 
 speech ; sympathy of thought, of outlook, of 
 taste. All this she had in common with Lord 
 Dion. They saw each other, when Blair was 
 staying at his house in Bath, every day; indeed 
 it would have been difficult to avoid meeting, 
 for under Beau Nash, whose rule still obtained, 
 although fast drawing to its inevitable close, the 
 whole social life of the place was thrown into 
 a common vortex. Nash discouraged private 
 enterprises in entertaining, and, by the mag- 
 netism of his strong personality, induced the 
 fashionable world to abide by his decision. 
 They met at breakfast ; at resorts he had made 
 fashionable ; at Spring Gardens, which bordered 
 the Avon, one of the most beautiful and 'pictur- 
 esque sites possible, when the morning sun 
 illuminated the waters of the river. Afterwards 
 the Pump-room and the Baths became the 
 focus of activity. Many residents, and some of 
 the guests, did not require to invoke the aid of 
 the waters for the establishment of their health. 
 Among these Miss Katherine Lowther and her 
 cousin were included, but, nevertheless, they, 
 more often than not, sauntered through the wide 
 porticoes of the Pump-room, or, when the
 
 THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS 15 
 
 weather was dry and warm, met their friends 
 in the meadows and avenues, which separated the 
 principal streets from the river front. 
 
 The evening was the great time for assemblies ; 
 dinner was partaken of at four o'clock, subse- 
 quently there were public dances either in 
 Harrison's ball-room, or in the Assembly Rooms, 
 built by Thayer. The theatre also was largely 
 patronised. 
 
 During the earlier years of Nash's sway 
 gambling was distinctly encouraged, large for- 
 tunes were lost and won over cards and dice, 
 but of late public opinion had veered round, and 
 with it there had been a diminution both in the 
 number of players and in the value of the stakes ; 
 it could no longer be said a man went to Bath, 
 with his fortune in his pocket, and left ere a week 
 was out with only the clothes he stood up in, 
 even his jewellery and horse having passed out 
 of his possession. 
 
 Neither Lord Dion Blair nor Miss Katherine 
 Lowther had the slightest sympathy with the 
 faster life of the city, but they mingled in the 
 joyous movement of the place, keeping at the 
 same time an intimate touch on the more serious 
 pleasures of the reader and student. 
 
 After the two\ ladies had entered the sedan 
 chair, on that December evening when Katherine
 
 16 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 first saw James Wolfe, neither of them spoke 
 for some minutes ; Katherine was full of her own 
 thoughts, while Angela Lovesay was surveying 
 the crowd of foot passengers and vehicles making 
 in their direction. She had a habit of puckering 
 her eyes, which imparted a sense of shrewd 
 humour to her glance before she said anything. 
 She looked at life ironically, but with a wide 
 kindness behind it, else would she not have been 
 Miss Lowther's friend and confidante. 
 
 Lord Dion, whose frame was far from being 
 robust, had been within doors for a fortnight. 
 Katherine had missed him while his cold kept 
 him from appearing in public ; now she wondered 
 with whom he was walking a stranger evidently 
 to Bath, for she knew all the habitues. Even 
 in the brief glance which her eyes had vouch- 
 safed to the new-comer, while she acknowledged 
 Lord Dion's salutation, she realised he was a 
 soldier the upright, drilled figure, the whole 
 bearing conveyed this information. This fact 
 set her guessing, and she soon achieved the truth ; 
 she was acquainted with her neighbours, General 
 and Mrs. Wolfe, and was also aware that their 
 son, whose renown had reached her from many 
 sources, was a friend of her friend, Lord Dion 
 Blair. 
 
 Yes, undoubtedly her surmise was correct, this
 
 THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS 17 
 
 must be James Wolfe, who had won his spurs 
 as a soldier in his teens. 
 
 Lord Dion led the way, as was natural, being 
 well acquainted with the place and its customs. 
 His friend followed mechanically ; he could 
 hardly believe he was awake, that it was really 
 himself, James Wolfe, who for the greater part 
 of the year had been suffering all the privations 
 which are attendant on an army in the field, 
 when the country is hostile, when provisions are 
 difficult to obtain, and food, as well as being 
 scanty, is of the worst description ; the continual 
 vigilant outlook for vindictive and treacherous 
 enemies, the responsibility which rests upon even 
 sectional commanders, when every outpost is 
 a small army in itself. Then had come the 
 voyage home, with all its miseries, especially to 
 a sailor who suffered as did Wolfe whenever 
 on the ocean, culminating in the dark days of 
 November. 
 
 In England his anxiety was great a court 
 martial had been sitting on his late commander, 
 Sir John Mordaunt, for whom he had an affec- 
 tion, having known him from childhood. No one 
 knew better than he that Mordaunt had failed 
 where he ought to have succeeded, failed not 
 through cowardice, but from sheer incompetence
 
 18 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 to command. Great had been Wolfe's relief 
 when the General received his sword back again, 
 his judges having taken a lenient view of his 
 mistake. 
 
 Wolfe had rejoined his regiment the 20th 
 which was stationed at Exeter. He had come 
 fresh from barrack life hard and unattractive, 
 and had suddenly found himself plunged into the 
 vortex of the gayest city in England, perhaps in 
 Europe. 
 
 Into that dream had come the vision of a girl, 
 so graceful, so noble in her bearing, so tender 
 in her womanliness, that she had seemed to the 
 young soldier a veritable angel of light. No 
 wonder he brushed his hand across his eyes to 
 assure himself that all was real that the blaze 
 of lights, which shone on all sides, was not a 
 figment of his imagination, but an actual fact. 
 
 They left the vestibule behind them, and, 
 leaving their cloaks in the hands of attendants, 
 entered the spacious central hall. The folding 
 doors were held back by two flunkeys in gorgeous 
 liveries of plush and silver, while a third, still 
 more handsomely attired, with a cord across his 
 chest to which a whistle was attached, announced 
 their names and titles in stentorian tones 
 
 " My Lord Dion Farquhar Blair ! Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Wolfe of the 20th Regiment ! "
 
 THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS 19 
 
 There were few ladies as yet in the Assembly 
 Rooms, most of them having gone to leave their 
 outer wraps in the robing chambers provided for 
 that purpose. Wolfe's eyes in vain scanned 
 the company, searching for that one face which 
 had so impressed his imagination. Katherine 
 Lowther had not yet entered. 
 
 The room was mainly composed of men, not a 
 few wearing ribbons and stars, with, here and 
 there, collars of the various orders of English 
 knighthood. One gentleman present was adorned 
 with the Garter. 
 
 When the names and titles of the newly- 
 arrived guests were duly proclaimed by the Cor- 
 poration Herald, Wolfe little realised that all 
 eyes were turned in his direction ; curiosity was 
 roused ; his reputation had preceded him. In 
 a modest letter, written a few weeks before this, 
 James Wolfe had declared, that only one man 
 had come out with honour from the disastrous 
 expedition to Rochefort. That man was Lord 
 Howe, like Wolfe himself a young officer fired 
 with extraordinary zeal and untempered courage. 
 
 Wolfe had omitted another name his own. 
 But others took care to supply that omission. 
 The merchants of the City of London drank his 
 health at their banquets. Men discussed his 
 prospects throughout the length and breadth of
 
 20 
 
 England; at the meets of hounds, over the 
 mahogany, on the exchanges of Bristol, Hull, 
 Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow. It was 
 known above all that Pitt, the greatest minister 
 of all times, the one hope of England's future, 
 the idol of the middle classes which formed the 
 backbone of the country, had spoken of Wolfe 
 in the King's Cabinet. 
 
 The one man, to whom this was as if it had 
 not been, was the modest hero who had entered 
 the Assembly Rooms a moment ago, almost 
 shrinking from notice, feeling himself a stranger 
 in an unfamiliar environment. 
 
 The wearer of the Garter, the Duke of Bed- 
 ford, stepped forward to greet the young officer, 
 showing him at the same time a kind of deference 
 as well as welcome, which did honour both to the 
 noble who offered it and to the simple soldier who 
 received the courtesy. 
 
 The Duke had never met Wolfe before, but, 
 on the recommendation of a mutual friend, he 
 had offered him a post of considerable importance 
 and emolument in Ireland the Duke being at 
 that time the Lord-Lieutenant. Wolfe was 
 known to be a poor man ; it was an opportunity 
 which ninety-nine out of every hundred, in his 
 position, would have seized upon eagerly an easy 
 road to riches, and eventually to high place.
 
 THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS 21 
 
 Wolfe had refused it without any hesitation ; 
 his call was to serve his country in arms, to live 
 for her honour, to die, if need be, in her service. 
 
 The Duke received his refusal with astonish- 
 ment, but his surprise speedily gave way to 
 admiration ; he expressed something of this in 
 his manner, as, linking his arm in that of Wolfe, 
 he led him forward to make formal presenta- 
 tion to Beau Nash, the Master of Ceremonies, 
 who was still sitting in his wheeled chair at the 
 further end of the lofty apartment, with some 
 of his more intimate acquaintances on either 
 hand. 
 
 Nash at this time was over eighty years of 
 age ; his hearing was defective. The Duke spoke 
 in clear, slow tones to enable the words to 
 penetrate into the brain of the old man. 
 
 " I have brought a distinguished guest to 
 present him to you, sir." 
 
 Nash looked at Wolfe with eyes which had 
 not lost that curious discrimination that capacity 
 for reading character, which had been his strong 
 point throughout his career. 
 
 James Wolfe was not handsome, but there was 
 that in the clear, resolute eyes, modest withal, 
 the strong chin, which appealed to the judgment 
 of the master. 
 
 " Who is it, your grace? " he inquired, extend-
 
 22 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 ing his right hand, with its lace ruffle, towards 
 Wolfe, who grasped it with that respect which 
 the best of young men ever accord to the 
 old. 
 
 "Colonel James Wolfe, sir, whose parents 
 are well known to you as residents of Bath. 
 The Colonel has distinguished himself on the 
 Continent of Europe, in Scotland, and in the 
 difficult and arduous expedition, from which he 
 has but recently returned. We are assured that 
 his future career will redound to the glory of the 
 land from which he has sprung." 
 
 When the Duke began to speak to Beau 
 Nash, Miss Katherine Lowther and her cousin 
 had entered, by a side door, from one of the 
 ante-rooms. 
 
 Katherine stood on the threshold looking on 
 and listening to the words of presentation. Her 
 heart throbbed, she could not have told why, as 
 the quiet tones resounded through the lofty 
 chamber. 
 
 Her gaze was not noticed, for all eyes were 
 directed towards the scene, which was so unusual 
 in that place, that it seemed specially endowed 
 with interest. 
 
 " I am pleased to welcome you, Colonel Wolfe, 
 in your own name and that of your parents, to 
 the city of Bath; may your stay be a pleasant
 
 THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS 23 
 
 one ; I look to every one here to assist in making 
 it so." 
 
 Without intending it the old man's eyes 
 rested for a moment on the fair face of 
 Katherine Lowther; to her it seemed as if he 
 spoke individually. 
 
 A blush suffused her cheeks, in contrast to the 
 white column of her throat.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 A HERO 
 
 IF his intimate friends, of both sexes, had 
 been asked to name the most perfect character 
 among the men they knew, they would, without 
 exception, have replied Lord Dion Blair. 
 
 Yet he had a failing which marked all his 
 mature years, a failing which affected his whole 
 life, stamped his whole career. 
 
 It was self -depreciation. 
 
 Modesty is often mistaken for it, but as a fact 
 the two qualities are quite distinct. Lord Dion's 
 attitude towards life, or rather towards the par- 
 ticular sphere in which he moved, was brought 
 about by a distorted sense of his physical dis- 
 ability. Coupled with this was a failure to realise 
 that, in nearly all the essentials of highest man- 
 hood, few could compete \vith him. 
 
 He saw the eclipse of his life, but failed to 
 contrast with it the bright shining illumination 
 at the back. 
 
 24
 
 A HERO 25 
 
 In an assemblage, such as the one he was 
 attending with his friend, he ever betook himself 
 to a quiet corner, where he could observe without 
 being observed ; if , in addition, he could have the 
 companionship of a friend, whose soul was inti- 
 mate with his own, all the better. It required an 
 effort of the will for him to appear at all in public, 
 but he compelled himself to move occasionally in 
 the thronged orbit of his fellow men ; otherwise 
 he was well aware that the habit of a recluse 
 would only grow upon him, and his mind might 
 become warped and morbid. 
 
 After Miss Katherine Lowther and her cousin 
 entered the Assembly Rooms, while the Duke of 
 Bedford was presenting Colonel Wolfe to the 
 Master, Lord Dion at once crossed over to the 
 ladies. 
 
 Close to the door, by which they had entered, 
 was a draped alcove, from which everything in 
 the room could be seen, but affording partial 
 obscurity to the guests who stood or sat within 
 it. They would be out of the way of those who 
 promenaded, using the strip of Oriental carpet, 
 for the purpose of passing up and down the 
 hall. 
 
 Katherine offered Lord Dion her hand ; he 
 took it in his thin fingers and, bending low, 
 brushed it with his lips, offering a similar
 
 26 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 courteous salutation to Miss Lovesay immedi- 
 ately afterwards. 
 
 How different can the same thing be when 
 the personality is changed ! Lord Dion could 
 not have put into words, would not have at- 
 tempted to have pictured in his mind what he felt, 
 as he was thus brought into close proximity to 
 Katherine ; her beauty radiant before him, the 
 subdued scent of her hair and garments, sug- 
 gestive of lavender long stored. 
 
 To himself, always, he admitted nothing ; he 
 analysed not at all, he accepted without daring, 
 or perhaps wishing, to investigate. He was ad- 
 mitted to her friendship, what more could he 
 want or expect? 
 
 Instinctively all three of them stepped a little 
 back, so as to be just within the shelter of the 
 alcove. Katherine, after giving and receiving 
 the greeting from Lord Dion, had once more 
 glanced in the direction of the Duke of Bedford 
 and the distinguished group at the end of the 
 room. 
 
 She smiled. 
 
 Colonel Wolfe was standing, tall, ungainly, 
 with narrow shoulders, his head bent a little for- 
 ward, to bring himself more on a level with that 
 of Beau Nash, seated in his chair of State. Wolfe 
 carried his embarrassment in his whole attitude ;
 
 A HERO 27 
 
 he shrank from praise at all times, but more 
 especially when it focused all eyes on himself, as 
 it did that night. 
 
 'That is the officer you were with just now, 
 Lord Dion, is it not? ' 
 
 The question was merely an introduction, a 
 fag on de parler, for Katherine had excellent eyes, 
 which she used to the full, when her interest was 
 excited. 
 
 'Yes, he is my greatest man friend," with 
 a stress on the small word of three letters. 
 "I admire him more than any one I have ever 
 met." 
 
 "He is not exactly handsome," Miss Lovesay 
 commented, with the quizzical look in her eyes 
 expressing so much. "When I saw him in his 
 hat I imagined he would look better without 
 one; now I see him without I am inclined to 
 retract my opinion." 
 
 Lord Dion visibly winced. The cold, harsh 
 criticism hurt him far more than if it had been 
 directed against himself. 
 
 'When you know him, Miss Lovesay, as I 
 hope you will, you will be of a different opinion, 
 for you will understand that the casket is of small 
 import in comparison with the jewel within ; and 
 a rare jewel, I promise you, is the soul of my 
 friend, James Wolfe."
 
 28 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 "You are a loyal fighter, Lord Dion," Miss 
 Lovesay was constrained to admit. 
 
 Katherine had not shared in the conversation ; 
 she was still studying that bowed head, expressive 
 of deference to the old man. Something moved 
 her, something which had first come to her in the 
 brief moments, when she passed across the snow- 
 flecked pavement to the sedan chair. It was an 
 intimate feeling which told her that this officer, 
 for good or evil, for light or darkness, would come 
 into her life. 
 
 After a pause, she turned to Lord Dion Blair, 
 as if to obliterate as far as she could the impres- 
 sion her cousin had produced. 
 
 "His Grace of Bedford could hardly have 
 spoken in higher terms of any one, and, from 
 the little I know of him, he is not given to 
 exaggeration or overpraise." 
 
 In a few words Lord Dion related the circum- 
 stance which had brought Wolfe before the 
 notice of the Duke. He added : " I believe with 
 the exception of his father, and his Grace, I am 
 the only one who knows that my friend refused 
 the offer made to him, or, indeed, that it was 
 ever made. Colonel Wolfe stipulated it should 
 remain a secret." Lord Dion smiled; when he 
 did so his eyes had a curious radiancy, which lit 
 up the whole of his face. "I happened to be
 
 A HERO 29 
 
 with him when the offer was made ; I urged him 
 to accept it." 
 
 "And why, pray? ' : Miss Lovesay in- 
 quired. 
 
 " Because I know what he has suffered, and 
 will suffer. I have seen him racked with pain, 
 when he returned from a long march with his 
 troops at Stirling, and later at Aberdeen ; I have 
 known him endure privations which a strong man 
 might in justice shrink from, but which he, who 
 is never in very good health, bore without a 
 murmur. I know, too, something of what he 
 has suffered when I have not been present ; he 
 has spent months at sea a martyr to its attack ; 
 he says, himself, he is the worst sailor in the 
 world. In addition to all this he is a poor man 
 to whom the offer meant wealth and comfort ; 
 was it wrong or unnatural that I should urge him 
 to accept it? >! 
 
 "Why, then, did he refuse? ' Katherine 
 inquired ; yet she knew perfectly. 
 
 By this time Wolfe had half turned ; some 
 other presentations were being made, which had 
 released him for the moment from his converse 
 with Mr. Nash. His eye glanced round the 
 room, scanning the gaily-dressed people, who 
 lined both sides of the lofty, majestic chamber ; 
 when he saw the little group in the alcove, a light
 
 30 
 
 shone in his glance which had not been there 
 before. 
 
 In lower tones Lord Dion responded to the 
 question just put, while at the same time he 
 looked not at the interlocutor, but in the direc- 
 tion of his friend. " He refused because he 
 could do no other; one day he will show us 
 the stuff of which he is made, we shall all 
 know it, as a few know it now ; all England will 
 ring with his name. Between now and then 
 he will suffer, as only great souls in frail bodies 
 
 can.' 
 
 The two hearers wondered whether Lord Dion 
 was thinking only of James Wolfe. His eyes 
 had taken on a soft, mystic look, altogether out 
 of keeping with the artificial throng, which beset 
 them on all sides. 
 
 There was a pause, during which Wolfe had 
 turned once more towards the Master, who had 
 evidently addressed a remark to him. 
 
 It was Miss Lovesay who broke the silence, 
 a silence which was punctuated by the buzz- 
 ing of conversation from a little group near 
 them. 
 
 ' Yet the late expedition failed, in which your 
 friend had a conspicuous part ! ' 
 
 Lord Dion's mystic look disappeared at her 
 words ; he turned towards her with hot animation
 
 A HERO 81 
 
 in his eyes, something as nearly like anger as 
 could ever be seen there. 
 
 " Yes," he said, " it failed, and failed ignomin- 
 iously. The great mind which planned the effort 
 has the threads of the whole story in his hands ; 
 he knows why it failed ; he knows the advice 
 which was given and was disregarded, which 
 would have turned that failure into triumph and 
 
 success.' 
 
 " You refer to Mr. William Pitt? " Katherine 
 asked ; a question which carried its own 
 answer. 
 
 " Yes, Miss Lowther. There is nothing which 
 happens in any quarter of the globe for the 
 honour of England, or for its dishonour, which is 
 not echoed in St. James's Square, which is not 
 understood in all its bearings by the most famous 
 minister this country has ever had." 
 
 "Yet Mr. Wolfe has come home, while the 
 greater part of the army and the fleet have re- 
 mained." Miss Lovesay pursued her side of the 
 argument, as Katherine shrewdly suspected, to 
 lead Lord Dion on. 
 
 " He came home because there is nothing more 
 to be done at present ; he is waiting, waiting for 
 a call. That call might come to-night, might 
 come next week ; when it comes it will summon 
 him to responsibilities he has never yet been
 
 32 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 entrusted with, and he will be ready to take 
 them on his shoulders, to bear them to a 
 successful issue." 
 
 "Did the hero himself tell you all this?" 
 Miss Lovesay queried, with sarcastic intona- 
 tion. 
 
 " Angela ! " Katherine had flushed with some- 
 thing very like annoyance ; she knew, although 
 she was not looking at Colonel Wolfe directly, 
 that he had ended his conversation with Mr. 
 Nash and the Duke of Bedford, and was only 
 waiting the opportunity to make his way in their 
 direction. She could not have told how she knew 
 this, but the fact remained. She felt he must 
 know what her cousin was saying. " Why do 
 you talk in this way? You know you do not 
 intend to hurt Lord Dion's feelings, nor do you 
 really mean what you say." 
 
 Blair looked at her, appreciating the way she 
 had taken up the cudgels on his behalf. The 
 gleam in her eyes, the heightened colour in her 
 cheeks, had imparted to her that added flavour of 
 animation, which was all she required to make 
 her beauty complete, commanding. 
 
 Colonel Wolfe could see all that was going on 
 clearly ; without knowing the cause, he noted 
 the result. He had admired Katherine when she 
 had been bonneted and cloaked, when her beauty
 
 A HERO 33 
 
 was half concealed. Now that he saw her in a 
 gown which set off the contour of her neck 
 and shoulders, the slimness of her waist, her 
 abundant hair gathered into a coronet on her 
 head, with one tress falling down upon her left 
 shoulder, dark contrasting with the whiteness on 
 which it rested, he knew that never in his life had 
 he admired womanhood so much. The intensity 
 of his gaze drew Katherine's glance in his 
 direction. 
 
 Their eyes met ; then the girl veiled hers under 
 their lashes, and, turning half away, listened 
 once more to what Lord Dion was saying. 
 
 "Not a word of what I have said came to me 
 from my friend himself. He writes to me his 
 impressions of a campaign as it proceeds, but of 
 his part in it, his own exploits, I can only judge 
 by reading between the lines. What I have 
 told you I know from a high authority." 
 
 Mr. Pitt had been for many years an annual 
 visitor to Bath for the sake of the waters. He 
 mingled but little in its life. The same haughty 
 air of aloofness, which was his well-known 
 characteristic in the House of Commons, he 
 carried likewise into his private life. With the 
 exception of his brother-in-law, Lord Temple, 
 there were few men admitted to his confidence. 
 
 Lord Dion was one of the exceptions. Pitt
 
 34 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 had realised his nobility of soul, the sterling 
 character which was half concealed beneath that 
 shrinking, modest exterior. 
 
 For, above all things, Pitt knew a man when 
 he saw one, read him to his inmost soul. 
 Whether it was this influence which had, in the 
 first place, brought the young soldier into the 
 notice of the great statesman cannot be asserted ; 
 but, doubtless, the estimate which Lord Dion 
 had formed, by intimate acquaintance, was 
 conveyed to Pitt, and strengthened the good 
 report which the Minister had already 
 received. 
 
 At a sign from Mr. Nash, the band, which 
 supplied the music for the dancing, started 
 keying the various instruments. 
 
 There was a stir in the room, the buzz of 
 expectation. The Duke of Beaufort was advanc- 
 ing towards the Countess of Suffolk, with a view 
 to leading her out for a minuet. Precedence 
 ordered the day at the commencement, the 
 highest in rank taking the centre of the saloon. 
 The Duke of Bedford had ceded his place to 
 the friend with whom he was staying, as 
 a mild attack of gout, together with advanc- 
 ing age, precluded his taking an individual 
 part. 
 
 Taking advantage of the movement thus made,
 
 A HERO 35 
 
 Wolfe began to make his way towards the two 
 ladies and his friend Lord Dion. 
 
 Seeing this, Dion said : " Kindly regard our 
 recent conversation as confidential, Miss Love- 
 say. I should not like a word of it to come to 
 Colonel Wolfe's ears."
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A PRESENTATION 
 
 A MURMUR of appreciation, almost amounting 
 to applause, passed round the assemblage. 
 
 Beau Nash had a clear space, kept by the 
 attendants, in front of him, so that he could see 
 all that went on. A look of intense satisfaction 
 appeared on his face, smoothing away the hag- 
 gard lines, which even a lavish application of 
 powder failed to conceal. 
 
 It was certainly one of the most fashionable 
 attendances Bath had ever enjoyed during the 
 fifty years of Nash's reign. He knew there was 
 a personal, subtle element in it ; that these men 
 and women, most of them born to high estate, 
 had made a point of being present in his honour, 
 as a response to the rumours and calumnies, which 
 had been rife during the last few months. The 
 old man recognised that his reign was drawing 
 to a close, but its sunset was as resplendent as 
 its noon had been brilliant. 
 
 Here were gathered great ladies, like the 
 
 36
 
 A PRESENTATION 37 
 
 Countess of Bristol, Lady Mary Montague, Lady 
 Essex, Lady Irwin, and the Honourable Celia 
 Fiennes ; peers, like Lord Chesterfield, Lord 
 Essex, and Lord Fitzwilliam, with baronets of 
 old creation and their ladies, wits like Gay and 
 Quin, Smollett and Fielding. 
 
 The ball-room itself was nearly ninety feet 
 long and thirty broad. The waxed floor in the 
 centre was left free to the dancers, while the 
 sides, alcoves, and balconies were given up to 
 spectators, and those who awaited their turn to 
 take part in the dancing. 
 
 The murmur of appreciation was evoked by 
 the majestic and distinguished appearance of the 
 pair, upon whom fell the distinction of opening 
 the evening's entertainment. 
 
 The Duke of Beaufort was dressed in the full 
 robes of the Grand Cross of the Bath, red 
 mantle, crimson surcoat, vest and knee-breeches 
 of white satin, white silk stockings, and shoes 
 ornamented with gold buckles. Round his neck 
 was the gold collar of the Order, and the star 
 blazed on his breast. In his hand he carried 
 his plumed hat, which he shifted from right to 
 left, as the evolutions of the minuet demanded 
 first one hand free, then the other. 
 
 His vis-a-vis, Henrietta Howard, Countess of 
 Suffolk, was noted as the fairest of fair women,
 
 38 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 the marble pallor of her throat and arms con- 
 trasting with the maroon velvet, which she wore 
 as a short cloak, fastened to her corsage by a 
 brooch of magnificent diamonds. Her stomacher 
 was decked with seed-pearls and tightly laced, 
 exhibiting her fine figure and supple waist, while 
 her small feet with their dainty shoes peeped out 
 in all the mazes of the dance. 
 
 This pair were both fine exponents of the most 
 graceful of all exercises ; to watch them was an 
 education in the highest breeding. 
 
 Lady Suffolk carried an ivory fan, which she 
 shifted from hand to hand, in response to the 
 Duke's signal, as he moved his hat from one 
 grasp to the other. 
 
 When the minuet was over, and the two, who 
 had taken part in it, had bowed and curtsied to 
 one another, until the very ground was swept 
 by the skirt of the one and the plumed hat of the 
 other, a murmur of approval rose once more into 
 the air, even louder and more expressive than it 
 had been at the beginning. 
 
 During the dance the whole company had 
 remained stationary. Under cover of the rustle 
 and movement which followed, Wolfe managed 
 to make his way to Lord Dion's side. 
 
 According to the unwritten law which governed 
 these assemblages, dancing was now more general.
 
 A PRESENTATION 39 
 
 Wolfe had just reached the party to which he 
 directed his steps, when both Catherine and her 
 cousin were claimed by respective partners. 
 
 "I will present you to my friends, James," 
 Lord Dion said, " when they return here, as they 
 probably will. This is a favourite corner of Miss 
 Lowther's, to which she generally betakes herself 
 when not dancing. I want you to secure her 
 hand as soon as she is free ; you will find her an 
 accompli shed partner . ' ' 
 
 "She may not be satisfied with me." 
 
 Lord Dion shook his head. "You know 
 dancing is one of your virtues ; I am anxious 
 that Miss Lowther should appreciate what you 
 can do." Then he went on, with a shrug of his 
 shoulders, "So that my friend may partly com- 
 pensate for my deficiency." 
 
 Wolfe knew well the shadow, which darkened 
 the brilliance of his friend's eyes as he spoke, 
 and the cause of it. 
 
 "You have never afforded yourself the oppor- 
 tunity, Dion, or I am very sure your fine 
 ear for music would have brought you out 
 triumphant." 
 
 * Yes, amidst the jeers and sneers of this fine 
 throng, which would be reflected on the face of 
 my partner. Thank you, I have learnt to school 
 myself to bear anything standing alone ; but
 
 40 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 when it comes to inflicting discredit upon 
 another, especially when that other is a beautiful 
 girl, from that idea I draw back absolutely." 
 
 "I think you misjudge the sex, of which I 
 must confess I myself know little." 
 
 "And I a great deal," Lord Blair said, with 
 unusual assertion. "While you have been 
 studying tactics in camp and battle-field, I have 
 perforce been thrown back upon the science of 
 ball-room and promenade. I 'envy you youi 4 
 part in the drama of life, although I rejoice in 
 it, too, because it is yours. I feel that in your 
 name I lead the charge, I win renown ; I am 
 content to shine in the reflected honours your 
 sword carves for itself." 
 
 " You envy me ! " Wolfe cried. " Yet surely 
 there is another side to the shield. Here am 
 I, only just over the threshold of early manhood, 
 sometimes hardly knowing how to lift my head 
 from the pillow, jealous of the brute strength 
 of the soldier who does my bidding, of the men 
 who look to me to lead them into the breach; 
 without friends, without money, seeing the 
 blunders, the vacillations, the mistakes of those 
 officers of higher rank than my own, under whom 
 I am compelled to serve. Is mine an enviable 
 lot, think you? >: 
 
 '' Those are but temporary accidents of your
 
 A PRESENTATION 41 
 
 career, the clouds which for the moment darken 
 the sunrise. The day will come out ere long 
 bright and clear, when the man who, thank God, 
 is at the helm of this great country will call 
 you to do his bidding, and that of no one else ; 
 when he will show you what he wants to have 
 done, and will trust you to do it." 
 
 The words had been uttered sotto voce, so that 
 no one near should hear them, but in tones of 
 deep conviction. 
 
 When the conversation began, Wolfe's eyes 
 had been dull and downcast ; now he raised his 
 head proudly, with the gleam of hope and coming 
 battle expressed in the fire of his glance. 
 
 :< I wish I could believe you a true prophet, 
 Dion, as you are best and truest of friends." 
 
 "You can rely upon what I have said, for I 
 am a prophet who speaks from foreknowledge, 
 quite as much as foreseeing." 
 
 "You have done me more good than all the 
 waters I shall drink in this fair city of Bath, and 
 I thank you for it." 
 
 As Wolfe spoke he saw Katherine Lowther 
 advancing towards them, resting her fingers in 
 those of her cavalier, Lord John Lennox. She 
 was looking in their direction, and had noted 
 with her quick eyes the effect of Lord Dion's 
 words, of which she had not heard a syllable.
 
 42 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Something curious, defying analysis, expressed 
 itself in her face as she looked from Dion to 
 Wolfe, then back again. If the look conveyed 
 anything, it seemed to say that there were some 
 problems in life beyond her solution, some 
 wrongs she would have righted, had it been in 
 her power. 
 
 But the role of Providence had been denied 
 to her. 
 
 There was an expression on Lord John 
 Lennox's face which conveyed a great deal to 
 the two men, who watched his progress up the 
 room, and that of the girl he was escorting. It 
 was something more than courtesy, something 
 deeper and more subtle than deference ; it sug- 
 gested a high-mettled horse, so well trained and 
 broken in that all exuberance was restrained. 
 But the very act of restraint, the effort of will, 
 made itself apparent. 
 
 Wolfe, who knew very little of women, but who 
 was a shrewd observer of men, had little difficulty 
 in reading the signs of the times. The least 
 encouragement would have turned Lord John 
 into an ardent lover of the partner at his side, 
 but the encouragement was not forthcoming. 
 
 Lord Dion, glancing at his friend, knew he 
 understood; he shrugged his thin shoulders. 
 "There is nothing remarkable about that," he
 
 A PRESENTATION 43 
 
 said ; " Lord John is only one of many, not only 
 in Bath, but in the north of England. But the 
 lady will not have it so." 
 
 Yet Lord John was a man of fine, upstanding 
 figure, fair, handsome face, soldierly bearing, 
 who might well have attracted a favourable glance 
 from any lady. 
 
 Wolfe wondered what was the solution of the 
 enigma. 
 
 Katherine was close to them by this time, her 
 face flushed with the energy of dancing, her eyes 
 bright and shining. She did not at all suggest 
 a woman of cold, unsympathetic character, with- 
 out the natural instincts, which have moved the 
 world of men and women throughout the length 
 of history. 
 
 When they came close to the alcove, Lord 
 John released her fingers, which had been resting 
 but lightly, and, stepping back, bowed grace- 
 fully, thanking her audibly for the honour she 
 had done him. 
 
 Angela Lovesay came up at the same moment, 
 but stood for a moment a few paces off, talking 
 to her late partner. 
 
 " May I present Colonel James Wolfe, Miss 
 Lowther? >! Lord Dion's tones vibrated; unin- 
 tentionally on his part he conveyed a sense of 
 importance to the mere formality of the presenta-
 
 44 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 tion. His tones seemed to say, "You are no 
 ordinary people, and this is no ordinary occasion." 
 
 Wolfe kissed the fingers presented to him. 
 " You will, I hope, do me the pleasure of giving 
 me the honour of your hand in a dance later 
 on?" 
 
 "I am afraid all but one are promised." She 
 smiled. "The fact is we generally meet at one 
 of the coffee-houses in the morning when the 
 weather is unfavourable, or in the meadows by 
 the river if the sun shines. The arrangements 
 for the ensuing night are more often than not 
 made at these informal meetings. These dances 
 take place twice in the week." 
 
 "Nevertheless, there is the possibility of my 
 having one dance, you kindly hinted, Miss 
 Lowther." 
 
 There was a persistence in his tone which sug- 
 gested a man, who had never faced a difficulty 
 without determining to overcome it. 
 
 Katherine looked at him with smiling eyes, 
 and he realised more than ever how much of 
 her beauty was independent of feature was a 
 matter of expression, of the shining of the soul 
 through the eyes, of character influence, a beauty 
 which endures. 
 
 As she did not speak he pressed her for an 
 answer.
 
 A PRESENTATION 45 
 
 "Why do you smile? " 
 
 " I am not sure whether you will care for the 
 only dance I have at my disposal. Besides," she 
 added, with a little ripple of laughter, "there 
 are conditions." 
 
 Lord Dion had stepped back, leaving these 
 two free to talk without being overheard. The 
 shadow of the curtain lay across his face; the 
 brightness had fallen away like a mask ; he looked 
 strangely old, worn, haggard. 
 
 "Why this doubt of my inclination? Is the 
 dance beyond my powers? >: 
 
 "No, it is simplicity itself; it was invented 
 or adapted by Mr. Nash. It is a ' contredanceS 
 like * Sir Roger de Coverley ' ; that is, each 
 couple takes its place vis-a-vis, helping to form 
 two lines. All the first part is in accordance with 
 the customary steps. When this is completed, 
 the man at the furthest end of the row steps 
 out, and dances alone up the centre, followed 
 by his partner, each couple proceeding after the 
 same fashion. They circle round until the band 
 gives a signal, when the order is reversed, and 
 each lady leads, her cavalier following." She 
 smiled again. " Mr. Nash has called the dance 
 ' Pursuit.' It ends with an arch made by the 
 leading file, their fingers entwined, while all the 
 rest pass beneath."
 
 46 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 "It sounds most attractive, Miss Lowther. 
 But you hinted at conditions? >: 
 
 "The gentleman must not be over thirty-five, 
 and the ladies must not exceed ten years less." 
 
 It was Wolfe's turn to smile now, and it made 
 him look younger. 
 
 "I am safely within the limit," he averred. 
 He felt sure she had doubted it, for, indeed, his 
 years of hard soldiering, as well as his ill-health, 
 had given him the appearance of an age more 
 advanced than was really the case. 
 
 The evening proceeded apace, until at half- 
 past ten the last dance was announced by the 
 head steward. 
 
 Never before had James Wolfe led out a part- 
 ner with anything akin to the feeling, which 
 surged in his veins, as he handed Katherine 
 Lowther down the saloon. She knew, although 
 he did not until later, that upon them was to 
 fall the duty of forming the living arch, under 
 which twelve couples would pass to its conclu- 
 sion. In a maze, but with considerable skill, 
 Wolfe did his part, exhibiting a grace in dancing 
 for which the girl was not prepared. 
 
 At length they were facing one another, their 
 right arms uplifted. Katherine 's loose sleeve fell 
 back, showing the whole contour, the shapely 
 form and whiteness of her arm almost to her
 
 A PRESENTATION 47 
 
 shoulder. Wolfe's clasp had to be a firm one, 
 as occasionally the dancers brushed against their 
 hands, with a risk of their losing hold. 
 
 Standing in this way he lost himself in the 
 enjoyment which his senses provided. He 
 thought neither of past nor future; the present 
 delightful moment was all sufficient.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 A WINTER NIGHT 
 
 SNOW had ceased falling, but the night was 
 pitch-dark, when, punctually at eleven o'clock, 
 the company issued forth from the doors of the 
 Assembly Rooms. 
 
 Link boys were rushing in all directions, carry- 
 ing their flaming torches ; servants with lanterns 
 waited for their employers. Coach succeeded 
 sedan chair, and sedan chair in its turn made way 
 for some other equipage. 
 
 Colonel Wolfe and Lord Dion escorted Miss 
 Lowther and her cousin, handing them into the 
 chair which was in waiting. After a short 
 pause, during which they stood fully cloaked, 
 Lord Dion said 
 
 "Then we shall meet to-morrow morning at 
 Colgrave's coffee-house? " 
 
 "Yes, at ten of the clock punctually," Miss 
 Lowther assented. 
 
 The arrangement had been made a few minutes 
 earlier, when the ladies were about to leave for 
 the cloak-room to get their wraps. 
 
 48
 
 A WINTER NIGHT 49 
 
 Colgrave's was a fashionable resort at one end 
 of the Orange Grove. 
 
 Their sedan chair was borne away rapidly. Two 
 menservants in the livery of Sir James Lowther, 
 carrying lanterns, ran on either side of the chair. 
 
 Wolfe and his friend followed at a slower pace, 
 their arms linked. As they reached the end of 
 the street Lord Dion said 
 
 " Will you not return with me for an hour? >: 
 
 "No, thank you. My father promised to sit 
 up till I returned. I have hardly exchanged a 
 word with him since my arrival." 
 
 They shook hands, Lord Dion turning off 
 towards his own house, while Wolfe followed 
 in the direction the sedan chair had taken a few 
 minutes previously, for, as previously mentioned, 
 his father and Sir James Lowther when the 
 latter was in Bath, which was not the case at the 
 present were next-door neighbours. 
 
 One of Lord Dion's servants was walking in 
 front of him, carrying a lantern, his master, 
 heavily cloaked against the keen wind, following 
 at a deliberate pace. On any other occasion 
 Blair would have allowed the man, who had 
 been in his service for several years, to walk by 
 his side, and would have conversed with him, 
 but to-night he preferred to proceed in solitary 
 fashion.
 
 50 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 The collar of his cloak was turned up about 
 his ears, only his face being exposed. Brightly 
 he had bid good-bye to his friend James Wolfe. 
 Very different his face would appear now had 
 there been any one to see it. His eyes were 
 downcast, a pallor greater than usual, lines, 
 crow's-feet, seemed to add years to his age. 
 There was, too, a set look about his mouth, a 
 grim determination. 
 
 Lord Dion's happiest moments were those 
 which he spent in the company of the two or 
 three people, to whom he gave a very sincere 
 friendship. His saddest and darkest moments 
 were the periods of solitude, when he shouldered 
 his burden, until his neck was bowed beneath 
 the weight. 
 
 To-night, with the crisp snow under his feet, 
 the darkling sky overhead, and coming fresh from 
 the brilliant scene in the fine ball-room, the 
 yawning gulf of his life seemed more fearsome, 
 more to be dreaded than it had ever been. He 
 was going to his solitary chambers, in a lonely 
 building, all his own, with no one but housekeeper 
 and servants to welcome him. The housekeeper, 
 Mrs. Geith, had been with him as nurse imme- 
 diately after the disaster had occurred, which had 
 ruined his physique and marred his whole after- 
 life. It was undoubtedly due to her care that the
 
 A WINTER NIGHT 51 
 
 frail child had lived through those days, months, 
 years of anxiety. Her care had been unre- 
 mitting, her devotion intense. One would have 
 said such as only a Scotswoman can offer to one 
 not of her blood. 
 
 Sometimes Dion was tempted to say, " Would 
 to God she had never succeeded in her fostering 
 vigilance ! Would that he had died in those early 
 unconscious years, before he realised the legacy of 
 suffering, mental even more than physical, which 
 his misfortune entailed ! ' ' He was shut out from 
 all the pursuits and occupations for which his 
 whole being yearned. Perhaps his friendship for 
 James Wolfe grew out of, or at any rate was 
 stimulated by, a longing to play a similar part in 
 the world. He felt in a curious way that his soul 
 and that of the fiery, intrepid young officer were 
 fused together, linked by the same spirit ; that 
 Wolfe was engaged in doing what his own 
 courage would have effected, had his body been 
 fitted for marshal service. 
 
 It was a thing to be remarked, because it 
 afforded a key to much that may seem mysterious 
 to readers of these pages, and to students of life. 
 Perhaps such a feeling as Lord Dion had is almost 
 unique in the story of souls, but it is true never- 
 theless, and, being true, has a bearing on all that 
 he did.
 
 52 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Friendship, in this particular case, with him 
 amounted if the word may be coined to " one- 
 ship." Eminently lucid, wise, reasonable in 
 ninety-nine out of every hundred departments of 
 thought, he was, in this one respect, obsessed by 
 an idea which nearly amounted to mania. 
 
 James Wolfe, sane in every way, never under- 
 stood what he was to Lord Dion : that he repre- 
 sented to him an "alter ego." 
 
 It had been Lord Dion's dream. More than 
 that, it had been his fixed resolution for many 
 months to do what had been accomplished that 
 night : to bring together the two beings he loved 
 best and believed in most, his highest ideal of 
 manhood, and of its complement in the opposite 
 sex. 
 
 The strenuous life of James Wolfe, the exi- 
 gencies of his profession, taking him now to Scot- 
 land, now to the Continent of Europe, isolating 
 him from his friends in various barracks, through- 
 out the length and breadth of England, had 
 postponed the meeting which Blair had in his 
 mind. 
 
 Now it had come to pass, the project had borne 
 fruit. It had been even more successful, more 
 immediate than he had anticipated. The affinity, 
 he had recognised as more than likely, between 
 the two highly-strung natures, had drawn them
 
 A WINTER NIGHT 53 
 
 together at the first moment of meeting. At 
 any rate, Colonel Wolfe had shown clearly 
 enough how much he had been impressed. He 
 had shown it by what he said, and more by what 
 he left unsaid ; by the eloquence of his eyes, by 
 his absorbed silence, at intervals, during the 
 evening. 
 
 Of the effect upon Katherine Lowther Lord 
 Dion was not so convinced. Young as she was, 
 her whole experience had taught her the reserve, 
 which can only be learnt by walking the devious 
 paths of society, a reserve not merely of speech, 
 but of look. 
 
 Lord Dion had studied her sex with a detached 
 eye for many years, studied it with a fixed sense 
 that he would never know it more than from the 
 outside ; that to him, owing to his physical im- 
 perfections, was denied the one relationship, for 
 which in every other respect he was pre-eminently 
 fitted. 
 
 Upon Katherine Lowther he had bestowed the 
 attention which a skilled gardener lavishes upon 
 the most beautiful flowers in his parterre, the 
 combined product of nature and human 
 intelligence. 
 
 In most respects Katherine dealt with him 
 with an openness, an absence of reserve, which 
 she accorded to no one else, not excepting her
 
 54 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 brother and her cousin; but Lord Dion under- 
 stood that on one subject a woman always 
 preserves an inviolable secrecy. 
 
 He felt sure those qualities in James Wolfe, 
 which he most admired, would appeal to 
 Katherine after a similar fashion. He knew her 
 high-souled spirit, her appreciation of greatness 
 in the best sense of the word, her fine fire of 
 patriotism. Pitt came to Bath often. He owed 
 to it some measure of alleviation from the pains 
 which sapped his vitality, and too frequently 
 rendered him a physical wreck. He had inspired 
 in the neighbourhood, as indeed he had through- 
 out England, a belief in the future of the nation 
 he was called upon to govern. 
 
 Deep had been the abyss into which the 
 national pride had fallen. It could only be 
 measured, looking back, by the heights to which 
 the country hoped to ascend. 
 
 The genius of this young girl, so highly born 
 and placed, had been touched to a pre-eminent 
 degree by this afflatus of patriotism. 
 
 To all this Wolfe would make an appeal, which 
 Lord Dion believed would be irresistible. The 
 meeting so long hoped for and planned had taken 
 place between the two. The effect upon the 
 man was obvious ; the effect on the woman was 
 more than probable.
 
 A WINTER NIGHT 55 
 
 Lord Dion had succeeded. 
 
 And yet ! And yet ! 
 
 His face betrayed his feelings, betrayed the 
 battle that was being waged within. It told a 
 story of conflict, of spirit fighting spirit, in which 
 the laceration of the wounds approached to the 
 agony of death. 
 
 The finer the spirit, the more highly tuned the 
 psychical nature, the greater is the capacity for 
 pain. 
 
 It was but a short walk between the Assembly 
 Rooms and that house in the Circus where Dion 
 Blair lived solitary, but it was long enough to 
 create and leave behind it an indelible impression 
 on his sensitive soul. 
 
 His face, as has been said, indicated what was 
 going on within, but fortunately there was no 
 one to see it, and no light to see it by, even if 
 some one had passed close to him. The darkness 
 shrouded him, except for the flickering rays of 
 the lantern which his manservant carried, some 
 half-dozen paces in front. 
 
 The darkness of the night was emblematic of 
 the mental cloud which dimmed the brightness 
 of his fine eyes, which bowed his misshapen back, 
 making him stagger sometimes, almost as if he 
 were some reveller lurching home from the 
 tavern.
 
 56 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 It was with intense relief that Lord Dion saw 
 his manservant open the door of the well-lighted 
 hall, and step back to give his master place to 
 enter first. 
 
 The road home had been a via dolorosa, a via 
 crucis. He had endured, but he had not faltered 
 in his determination, for his was the kind of 
 nature which crucifies itself.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 FATHER AND SON 
 
 SIR JAMES LOWTHER'S house adjoined that of 
 General Wolfe, in Queen's Square. 
 
 After parting with his friend, Colonel Wolfe 
 proceeded towards his domicile at a rapid 
 pace, the pace which was characteristic of the 
 man. 
 
 To reach his father's door he had to pass the 
 mansion from which he had seen Katherine 
 Lowther and her cousin issue a few hours earlier. 
 How much had been compressed of experience, 
 of feeling, of new sensations into that interval ! 
 He had not had time to analyse his impressions : 
 that would come later. 
 
 Two of the upper windows showed illumina- 
 tion behind the white blinds, which were 
 drawn down. He did not doubt but that 
 they indicated the chambers, in which the 
 ladies were retiring to rest. He wondered 
 which belonged to Katherine. Something 
 
 seemed to tell him that she was in the room 
 
 57
 
 58 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 on the right-hand side, which adjoined his 
 father's house. 
 
 He had hardly mounted the three or four steps 
 leading to the front door, when the latter opened. 
 General Wolfe stood, candlestick in hand, to 
 welcome his son. 
 
 " I was listening for your footsteps, James. I 
 heard the chair arrive next door, and thought you 
 would not be long afterwards." The General 
 shivered slightly, although he was attired in a 
 long, fur-lined dressing-robe. " Come in out of 
 the cold; the wind is cutting." 
 
 The son entered the house, embraced his 
 father, then closed the door behind them. 
 
 General Wolfe led the way into the dining- 
 room. A cold collation was spread at one end of 
 the table. Two cups of chocolate were steaming 
 upon the hob, which flanked the wide fireplace. 
 
 James came up to the hearth, and stretching 
 out his long, thin hands, warmed them at the 
 fire, after removing a pair of gauntlets, and 
 throwing them on a sidetable. 
 
 The General stood looking at him, while 
 different expressions flitted across his face. 
 Pride in the son was uppermost. Anxiety 
 came next in seeing how worn he looked, 
 realising that the fine spirit within was con- 
 suming the outer shell of the body.
 
 FATHER AND SON 59 
 
 There was a resemblance between the two men, 
 between father and son, enough to indicate the 
 relationship ; but the General in outward appear- 
 ance was by far the finer man, of more com- 
 manding stature, broader across the chest, with 
 a face which was still handsome. Yet there was 
 something about the son which compensated 
 for the lack of physical endowments, possessed 
 by his father and denied to him ; his tense atti- 
 tude, even when in repose, even when occupied, 
 as at this moment, in apparently trivial things, 
 suggested the driving-force, which struck all who 
 were brought into relationship with him, alike 
 those who served under him, and those who were 
 his superior officers. 
 
 ' Your mother left her ' love and good- 
 night.' She retires early, while I sit here night 
 after night and think " he smiled " mainly of 
 you, James." 
 
 The son did not speak, but he half turned 
 his face and shot a glance at his father, expres- 
 sive of admiration and affection. Probably 
 no men occupying the same relative position 
 have ever been more perfect comrades than these 
 two. 
 
 It was an age in which filial affection between 
 parent and child was conspicuously exemplified.' 
 Contemporary instances will occur to most
 
 60 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 people. But even in this category General 
 Wolfe and his son shine in a mellow glory above 
 the rest. A short time before this, when his 
 son's claims were ignored by the highest 
 powers of the land, he had offered to give up his 
 colonelcy in the Marines to make way for James, 
 a proposal, needless to say, which the son would 
 not entertain for a single instant. 
 
 " You will be glad of some chocolate after your 
 walk, James." 
 
 "Thank you, father." 
 
 "I reserved mine, to have it with you." 
 
 Both men had taken up their cups. 
 
 " I have had my supper, but you will not mind 
 taking some while I look on," General Wolfe 
 continued. 
 
 "Thank you, father. I am not inclined 
 to eat anything. As you know better than I, 
 war teaches us to do with few meals and scanty 
 rations." 
 
 "Yet you look as if you would be better for 
 a more generous diet." 
 
 James sipped his chocolate, then shook his 
 head. "I do not think any dieting will ever 
 make old bones of me, or endow them with 
 an extra covering of flesh. I am one of 
 Pharaoh's lean kine," he added, with a whimsical 
 smile.
 
 FATHER AND SON 61 
 
 "Yet, if I remember rightly, they ate up the 
 fat and well-favoured ones." 
 
 "I believe that's right, but the illustration 
 will not bear pressing." 
 
 "I have not had an opportunity of con- 
 gratulating you on the tardy honour the king 
 has conferred upon you, by making you a full 
 colonel. Is it contingent upon your going to 
 Ireland? " 
 
 " No, there are other projects on foot, of which 
 I have had a hint." 
 
 "You have seen Mr. Pitt? " General Wolfe 
 spoke with an air of indifference, but his real 
 anxiety and interest were impossible to conceal. 
 
 "Yes, I saw him for a few minutes. He 
 wanted my personal opinion of the failure of the 
 late expedition. I had to confess that I thought, 
 had my plan been carried out, the issue would 
 have been different. I made as little of it as I 
 could, but in his own closet there can be no 
 beating about the bush. His eyes draw the 
 truth out of a man like a magnet attracting 
 steel." 
 
 " It will go hardly with Sir John Mordaunt, I 
 suppose? >! 
 
 Both the men looked very serious, for the com- 
 mander of the unfortunate late expedition against 
 Rochefort was the personal and intimate friend
 
 62 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 of the family, and James Wolfe junior had been 
 proud to serve under him. 
 
 "The responsibility was not wholly his, as I 
 tried to point out to Mr. Pitt. The fleet was as 
 much to blame as the army." 
 
 "Yet Sir John ought to have succeeded? ' : 
 
 James did not answer. His brow was clouded, 
 his eyes downcast, almost as if his own personal 
 honour were in question. 
 
 General Wolfe understood this silence more 
 pregnant than any words. After a pause, he 
 said, "Mr. Pitt is not daunted by failure? ' 
 
 "On the contrary, he is spurred to fresh 
 endeavour." 
 
 General Wolfe, having finished his chocolate, 
 helped himself to a pinch of snuff from a hand- 
 some presentation box, given by the officers of 
 his regiment. 
 
 " You do not know when you are likely to 
 receive fresh orders? >: 
 
 " Mr. Pitt's parting injunction to me " 
 James Wolfe lifted his head with a proud gesture 
 "I do not think he considered the injunction 
 necessary was, ' You will hold yourself in 
 readiness for a call at any moment. Next year 
 will be a memorable one in the history of Eng- 
 land, if I mistake not.' I bowed, and said that 
 I was at his service any hour, night or day. I
 
 FATHER AND SON 68 
 
 have duly informed him of my presence in Bath, 
 and of the date of my return to Exeter." 
 
 " How long are you giving us? " 
 
 "I mentioned the 5th of January." 
 
 General Wolfe looked pleased. "That is 
 longer than I thought." 
 
 " Yes, but it may be months before I am again 
 free." He went on with a wry smile, " Officers 
 who are prepared to do their duty are kept at 
 work, whether they have earned rest or not, while 
 the others, the fine gentlemen-soldiers, with 
 friends in high places, are more often in St. 
 James's Street and the Mall than they are in 
 camp." , i . i 
 
 " Mr. Pitt will see to all that." 
 
 " Mr. Pitt will do his best ; but the odds against 
 him are enormous. He has fought my battle, and 
 won with His Majesty, but I am given to under- 
 stand, that the struggle in the royal closet nearly 
 led to an open rupture." 
 
 " Have you any idea to what part of the world 
 you may be sent? " 
 
 " I know Mr. Pitt regards America as the key 
 of the position, and that he will not be content 
 until he wrests that country from the hands of 
 the French." 
 
 General Wolfe looked gloomy. "It is an 
 undertaking," he said, "of the first magnitude,
 
 64 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 in the pursuit of which already many thousands 
 of lives have been sacrificed, and great reputations 
 smirched." 
 
 "Yet he will win, and the New World will 
 redress the balance of the Old. When the flag 
 of England flies over the Citadel of Quebec, a 
 new era will have dawned." 
 
 "When!" 
 
 " It will come, father ; whether you or I will 
 live to see it, I do not know." As he spoke, the 
 vision which had brightened his eyes and straight- 
 ened his shoulders seemed to die away. Once 
 again he looked the man who had sacrificed 
 health, strength, youth in the strenuous life of 
 battle-field and bivouac. 
 
 The father's heart was wrung for him. " It 
 is time you went to bed," he said. "You are 
 weary." 
 
 James stood up. "I have visions some- 
 times," he said; "visions of glory, then of rest. 
 I see myself once more at home, with a wife and 
 children; battles past, won, myself honoured." 
 
 " I believe those visions will come true." The 
 father laid a hand on his son's shoulder, with a 
 touch which amounted to a caress. 
 
 James shook his head. " I more often see the 
 other side of the medal : myself dying on some 
 far-distant shore, laid to rest in an alien soil,
 
 FATHER AND SON 65 
 
 while a volley from those who have served under 
 me pronounces my requiem." 
 
 They were the last words of the night, Colonel 
 Wolfe taking his candle and slowly mounting 
 the stairs ; his father remaining to put out the 
 lights.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 HIS MOTHER 
 
 EIGHT o'clock was striking from a heavy 
 framed oaken timepiece, in the entrance hall, 
 when Colonel Wolfe descended on the follow- 
 ing morning. His parents had breakfasted a 
 full hour earlier. James had not found the 
 wooing of sleep an easy thing when he retired 
 to rest. As a rule, even in the most exciting 
 movements of a campaign, he had only to put 
 his head on pillow or bolster, or whatever rough 
 substitute he might have in their stead, to drop 
 off to sleep at once. It was one of his gifts, which 
 stood him in good stead during his short life of 
 soldierly hardships. But after his return from 
 the Assembly Rooms, and the conversation with 
 his father, his usual good luck had deserted him. 
 He lived again the events of the evening. He 
 tried to picture a future, dim and indistinct as 
 clouds before the dawn. 
 
 Mrs. Wolfe was coming from the still-room 
 
 66
 
 HIS MOTHER 67 
 
 when she heard her son's footsteps on the un- 
 carpeted, polished stairs. From her waist dangled 
 a bunch of keys, which jingled as she moved 
 hastily across the floor towards him. She was 
 a spare woman, of middle height, with some- 
 thing of the same peculiarity of feature, which 
 was more pronounced in the Colonel. On her 
 head was a frilled and starched cap, with mauve 
 ribbons tied under her chin. A lace collar 
 covered her shoulders. 
 
 Pride and affection were expressed clearly in 
 her eyes. 
 
 James kissed her affectionately several times on 
 both cheeks, while she wound her arms round 
 his neck. Intense affection bound the two to- 
 gether in the closest of ties. Throughout his life, 
 whether on the Continent of Europe, on the 
 Canadian coast, or in remote districts of Scotland 
 in those days almost more inaccessible than the 
 other two places correspondence passed regu- 
 larly between mother and son. 
 
 That morning, for the first time, James felt 
 a guilty consciousness that some one else had 
 been in his thoughts, during the time he had been 
 dressing, and even when his foot rested on the 
 top stair. Through the walls in his bedroom he 
 could hear the sound of movement, the stir of 
 life from the contiguous house. Not to be
 
 68 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 differentiated even by his abnormal gift of 
 hearing, but sufficient to rouse his imagination. 
 
 The impression of the last evening had by no 
 means worn off or grown attenuated by the com- 
 ing of the morning, as so often happens in the 
 experience of both men and women. The judg- 
 ment of the dawn is, as a rule, cold and quiet 
 compared with the exuberance of view which the 
 evening hours bring with them. 
 
 "We did not wait breakfast for you, James, 
 as I know you are about to drink the waters, 
 and that must come first. The hours for it will 
 be nearly up by the time you reach the Pump- 
 
 room.' 
 
 "I intended to have been there at seven 
 o'clock, but I slept late, to compensate for the 
 loss of rest when I first went to bed." 
 
 Mrs. Wolfe was holding her son by the 
 shoulders, looking up into his face with shrewd, 
 penetrating gaze. "That is an unusual thing 
 with you, my boy. I hope nothing untoward 
 occurred to disturb you no quarrel? " 
 
 He laughed. " Are not swords taboo under 
 the rule of Mr. Nash? " 
 
 " Yes, and thank God for it. It is one of the 
 edicts for which I honour him. There are other 
 directions in which his influence has been for 
 harm."
 
 HIS MOTHER 69 
 
 Colonel Wolfe did not press his mother to go 
 further into the matters upon which she touched, 
 as time was short, and he well knew her senti- 
 ments on the vice of gambling, which had ruined 
 not a few women, as well as men, in Bath during 
 the present reign. 
 
 "No, there was nothing to disturb the 
 harmony of last evening in fact, quite the con- 
 trary but think what a change for your son to 
 pass from the ill-furnished barracks of Exeter 
 to the Assembly Rooms here, filled with the 
 gayest throng possible ! Well might it drive sleep 
 into the background, for did not His Grace of 
 Bedford himself introduce me to the Master of 
 Ceremonies with such lauditory terms as I am 
 never likely really to merit ; then to look on at 
 the grace and beauty, the elegance and fashion 
 of the room engaged in dancing? " 
 
 "Did you take no part yourself? There are 
 few men who can better you in that accom- 
 plishment ! " 
 
 'You flatter me, mother, in that, as in all 
 other matters, exalting me to a pinnacle on 
 which it would make me giddy to stand. I 
 looked on most of the time, but took part in the 
 last dance, which was, I understand, of Mr. 
 Nash's devising." 
 
 " Was it called ' the Pursuit ' ? "
 
 70 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 " That was the name ; it was expressive of the 
 evolutions in which we were engaged." 
 
 " Ah ! and your partner? >! 
 
 James knew that those eyes, which were fixed 
 upon his, read him like a book. He had been 
 expecting some such question, yet, as the point 
 of attack touched him, he betrayed a certain 
 amount of confusion. The rapier of his mother's 
 shrewd query had gone home. 
 
 "I danced with Miss Katherine Lowther." 
 
 " Then you were well mated, for you had the 
 most beautiful and best young girl in Bath as 
 your partner." 
 
 "It is given to all men to see the sun some- 
 times, to bask in its rays, but they must not 
 forget that night follows the day, and that clouds, 
 as often as not, obscure the brilliance of the 
 noon-tide." 
 
 Mrs. Wolfe smiled. " You know what Master 
 Shakespeare says? 
 
 " She's beautiful, and therefore to be woo'd ; 
 She is a woman, therefore to be won.' " 
 
 Colonel Wolfe shook his head. "I am a 
 soldier, mother. There is only one woman to 
 whom I can offer my dutiful love, and she has 
 had it ever since I can remember." 
 
 "Nay, the time will surely come when I shall 
 yield my first place to another, and that gladly,
 
 HIS MOTHER 71 
 
 provided she be worthy of the best son in the 
 world." 
 
 " That time is far distant, if ever ; but I must 
 be going." He kissed her again. 
 
 " Do you return here immediately after you 
 have drunk the waters? >: 
 
 " No. I have promised Dion Blair to accom- 
 pany him to Colgrave's coffee-house." After a 
 pause, an appreciable hesitation, he added : " The 
 ladies next door are to be of the party." 
 
 "Then, the sun shines this morning, after the 
 snow of yesterday." 
 
 James shook his head again, but laughed as 
 he gathered his cloak more closely round his 
 shoulders. 
 
 The morning was keen and bright, the streets 
 swept clear. Mrs. Wolfe stood for a moment 
 or two watching her son make his way up the 
 street. 
 
 "I wonder," she thought. "I wonder." 
 Then she added, " I could wish nothing better."
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 AN INTIMATE LETTER 
 
 THE early morning sun was flooding the streets 
 of Bath, as Colonel Wolfe walked along towards 
 the Pump-room. The light almost dazzled his 
 eyes as the rays shot athwart his face. 
 
 He felt in a state of mental confusion, in which 
 wholly discordant thoughts jostled one another 
 for supremacy in his mind. He had come to Bath 
 to see his parents, well knowing that the time 
 would necessarily be short, before he would be 
 sent off again across the world. He was also glad 
 to take an opportunity of drinking the waters, 
 which were supposed to be specially beneficial in 
 the gouty condition, which had attacked him 
 early in life, as it had his friend and patron, 
 William Pitt. 
 
 He had arrived with two topics of nearly equal 
 importance demanding his attention. One was 
 the record of failure in which Sir John Mordaunt 
 had been involved; the other those projects, 
 
 which he knew to be stirring in the mind of 
 
 72
 
 AN INTIMATE LETTER 73 
 
 the great statesman, to redress the mistakes of 
 the past. 
 
 As regards the latter topic, it is impossible 
 now to look back upon that year of disaster 
 1757 without intense admiration being evoked 
 for the man who faced it with calm courage, 
 determined to build upon the ruins of the 
 past the brilliant edifice of the future. To 
 Wolfe, who was admitted into the intimacy of 
 Pitt, the hero-worship brought about was 
 intense. 
 
 Here in brief is the record of that terrible 
 time. The Duke of Cumberland, who had 
 proved himself no mean soldier in the past, had 
 been utterly routed by the French, when in 
 command of a composite army of picked English, 
 German, and Hanoverian troops. In America 
 Montcalm had captured the important strategic 
 post of Fort William Henry, a disaster to the 
 English arms, which had been accentuated by a 
 massacre, carried out by the Indian allies of the 
 French, which had rung throughout the length 
 and breadth of the Home Country. To crown 
 all this had come the failure of the force, under 
 Sir John Mordaunt and Admiral Hawke, to 
 capture Rochefort and Havre. 
 
 Colonel Wolfe squared his shoulders, and 
 accepted the beautiful dawn of the December
 
 74 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 day, contrasting it with the darkness of the 
 afternoon, when he had arrived at Bath, as an 
 augury of the future. The sun of England would 
 assuredly arise, the disgrace of the past be wiped 
 out, the lessons of failure having taught them 
 the principles of success. 
 
 Now there came into his mind, against his will, 
 all unbidden, a fresh thought, a new idea. He 
 had come into Bath a whole-hearted soldier, of 
 whom it had been said, by one of his severest 
 critics, that "to him danger was the favourable 
 moment to call forth his talents." 
 
 A few hours had enlarged and altered his 
 vision. He had seen what he was assuredly not 
 looking for a perfect woman. Even now, 
 pacing the streets under such very different con- 
 ditions, he lived again the scenes in the ball-room. 
 He felt his fingers closing on her hand, as he 
 led her to the dance. He saw her combining 
 with himself in making a living arch, under 
 which the other couples had passed. He had 
 looked into her liquid eyes, clear as crystal, 
 steadfast, true, indicative of the character which 
 lay behind them, the perfect oval of her face, 
 the tress of hair resting on her white shoulder ; 
 the symmetry of her arm, so moulded that it 
 might well have formed a model for a sculptor 
 of ancient Greece. He had striven to banish
 
 AN INTIMATE LETTER 75 
 
 any personal thought from his mind. Although 
 his pathway had not lain in any extent among 
 the assemblages of the great, he had at inter- 
 vals been brought into contact with the fair 
 daughters of the highest in the land. Yet none 
 of these had created more than a passing at- 
 traction, with one exception. That single 
 episode served to throw into bold relief the true 
 feeling he knew well Katherine Lowther could 
 arouse. 
 
 Then his mother's words came to him, which 
 had fitted into the feeling he was striving to 
 overcome. 
 
 Now he had reached the Pump-room. Crowds 
 were issuing from the porticoes, for the hour of 
 closing for the day was at hand. Devotees, as a 
 rule, arrived early, some even at six o'clock, as 
 soon as the doors were open. By the time James 
 Wolfe mounted the steps it was half -past eight. 
 He was among the last to receive the hot, 
 nauseous beverage from one of the attendants. 
 
 As he sipped from the glass, he looked round 
 for his friend Dion Blair, whom he had expected 
 to find in the Rooms; he was not to be seen. 
 Possibly he was ill ; in that case what should he 
 himself do ? The ladies would be expecting them 
 at the rendezvous when ten o'clock struck. 
 Should he go alone ? It were rude to disappoint
 
 76 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 them. At the same time a strange diffidence held 
 him back from a solitary encounter. Katherine 
 influenced him, as he had never been stirred be- 
 fore, by her grace and beauty. The other lady 
 made him self-conscious by her mordant wit and 
 sarcastic humour. 
 
 It was with relief, that a few minutes before 
 nine, he saw his friend enter, and make his way 
 towards him. 
 
 " I was so afraid you were not coming," Wolfe 
 greeted him. 
 
 "Do I often break my engagements? ' : 
 
 " No ; but every one is liable to illness. I 
 thought perhaps the weather might have tried 
 you, the chill wind of last night." 
 
 "Had that been so, I should have sent you 
 word. The fact is, an important dispatch 
 reached me early, and as the messenger waited, 
 I had to reply to it at once. I was compelled to 
 forgo drinking the waters, but knew I should 
 be in ample time for our next appointment." 
 
 The band struck up the final piece of the 
 morning's programme, so conversation was inter- 
 rupted between the friends. Lord Dion was not 
 sorry, for the letter he had received had to do 
 principally with Colonel Wolfe; it was of a 
 confidential nature, and could not therefore be 
 imparted. At the present moment the letter
 
 AN INTIMATE LETTER 77 
 
 lay in the pocket of Lord Dion's heavy overcoat, 
 and ran as follows 
 
 "Mv DEAR LORD DION, 
 
 "This is to inform you that I am safely 
 arrived from Hayes, in St. James's Square, where 
 there is much forward, to occupy me, at the pre- 
 sent time. This affair of the failure of the last 
 expedition to ravage the coast of France has 
 caused not a little cavilling, and disquietude to 
 myself. There are those who accuse me of 
 wasting time, money, and men, although, God 
 knows few of the last were sacrificed, owing to 
 the caution of the General in command ; some 
 might call it by a harsher name. If the matter 
 had succeeded, after the fashion in which it was 
 planned, those who now complain would have 
 been ready to take some credit to themselves for 
 any small part they might have taken in fitting 
 out the expedition. However, this does not move 
 me, for I have private intelligence that the King 
 of France and his Ministers were seriously 
 alarmed, and in consequence had to divert a 
 portion of the army, destined for the German 
 border, towards the coast of France instead . 
 
 " One thing, my lord, I am determined upon, 
 and intend to carry out at all hazards. I am done 
 with all this talk of seniority, this pressing of
 
 78 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 claims to command by reason of rank. I have 
 told the Duke (Newcastle) this quite plainly 
 during the last few days, and have ventured to 
 speak my mind in the Highest Quarters. 
 
 "They dare not frustrate me, much as they 
 may wish to do so, for they know I am the only 
 man who can save this realm, and that the people 
 of England have trust in me, and in no one else. 
 
 " I am fully purposed to select my own men 
 for certain great projects which I have in hand. 
 This matter nearly concerns your friend, Colonel 
 James Wolfe, of the 20th, for whom, as you are 
 aware, I destine an important share in the designs 
 now in contemplation. Admiral Hawke has 
 spoken very handsomely of the Colonel's conduct 
 in the recent campaign, and is of an opinion that 
 if his original plan had been carried out, all would 
 have been well. I am thankful that there are 
 such men in the service of this country. It will 
 not be my fault if they do not find work, and 
 advancement. 
 
 ;< This is written to one in whom I have every 
 confidence, that he will regard what I have put 
 down as of a private nature. I am glad to say 
 at present my health remains moderately good, 
 but I have no doubt that when this business is 
 dispatched, and I am free from attendance in 
 London I shall again avail myself of the bene-
 
 AN INTIMATE LETTER 79 
 
 ficent waters of your beautiful city. By that time 
 I hope to be able to give you more satisfactory 
 information. 
 
 "Until then, believe me, ever your faithful 
 friend, 
 
 "WILLIAM PITT." 
 
 James Wolfe and Dion Blair left the Pump- 
 room, after the former had partaken the pre- 
 scribed quantity of water. They were the last to 
 go. The sun was already exerting its full power, 
 turning the snow, which had collected on the 
 roofs and eaves of the houses, into water, which 
 was dripping down on to the pavements below. 
 
 The friends took to the middle of the road to 
 avoid the stream. Wolfe felt an exhilaration in 
 the bright, crisp air, a feeling which was by no 
 means common to his somewhat morbid, and 
 introspective mind. The anxieties which had 
 pressed upon him, when he first left his father's 
 house, were dispelled. He was with the friend 
 most congenial to him. No immediate duties 
 pressed for his attention. He was about to meet 
 a personality, which, to say the least, interested 
 him greatly. The day was young, the morning 
 bright, with a stimulating breath which is only 
 imparted by a sunny day in mid- winter. 
 
 They walked at a moderate pace, in the direc-
 
 80 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 tion of the Orange Grove. At the furthest end 
 of this popular promenade was Colgrave's coffee- 
 house, a favourite of Katherine Lowther's, 
 because of its beautiful situation, and the 
 select company which accorded the proprietor 
 patronage. The house was one of the oldest in 
 Bath, and had been built before the day when 
 Ralph Allen had brought the Bath Stone into 
 universal favour. The walls were of composite 
 character, interspersed with heavy oak beams. 
 The roof was ornamented with gables at each 
 corner. The interior had been transformed to 
 suit its present requirements, two rooms on the 
 ground floor having been thrown into one, to 
 make a long spacious apartment. 
 
 As they approached Colgrave's, they per- 
 ceived Miss Lowther and her cousin standing 
 in conversation with Lord John Lennox, and 
 Mr. Fiennes, on the steps of the coffee-house. 
 
 Here were four people engaged in the most 
 ordinary conversation, the light badinage of 
 society, with some comments on the brilliance of 
 the morning, after the snow of the previous day. 
 Yet beneath it Dion knew well, and Wolfe's 
 quickened faculties perceived, lay a shadow of 
 disappointed hopes, the tragedy of life which 
 evokes little pity, and is hardly considered as a 
 tangible factor, but which, nevertheless, means
 
 AN INTIMATE LETTER 81 
 
 to some people a heartache, a lifelong disap- 
 pointment, as great as any that Fortune can 
 bring to bear on human destiny. 
 
 The deeper the nature the more lasting the 
 wound. 
 
 Lord John Lennox was standing slightly 
 aloof, at the moment when Dion and Wolfe 
 approached, while Miss Angela Lovesay and 
 Mr. Fiennes were sharpening their wits on one 
 another, a pastime to which both were addicted. 
 
 Miss Lowther had her back to the two who 
 had just come up, but Lord John's face was half 
 turned in their direction. In his eyes was a look 
 similar to the one they had seen there the night 
 before, as he had led Katherine up the ball-room, 
 the look a man gives to only one woman. He 
 may admire many. He may accord certain 
 strands of love to several, but, nevertheless, the 
 fact remains that in the centre of his being only 
 one image finds the mirror of his heart, and is 
 there reflected. Now and again the man's eyes 
 betray the truth, but as a rule he learns to veil 
 the tell-tale glance. 
 
 Lord John was in this condition with regard 
 to Katherine Lowther, and as yet had not fully 
 mastered the accomplishment of concealing what 
 he felt. It must be owned that this revelation, 
 thus repeated, enhanced the impression Kathe-
 
 82 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 rine had instantaneously made on James 
 Wolfe. 
 
 If it be true that one of the most poignant 
 bitternesses is to see happiness through another's 
 eyes, it is also true that one of the most stimulat- 
 ing things is to have one's ambition fired, to 
 attain that which is unattainable to somebody 
 else. 
 
 Wolfe was a born leader, whether in war or 
 peace, a man whose instinct drove him into the 
 front rank. It is a fine characteristic, unless it 
 merges into absolute selfishness. To achieve 
 what is denied to others adds a glamour to 
 success. 
 
 Hearing footsteps at the back of her, Katherine 
 turned, her eyes rested on Lord Dion with a 
 curious wistfulness. Then she looked at Colonel 
 Wolfe. Her glance seemed to question his whole 
 bearing. She apparently asked herself what it 
 was in this thin, but soldierly figure, this plain, 
 yet uncommon face, which evoked the admiration 
 of the man, whose judgment she valued above 
 all others. She asked herself what were the 
 qualities which go to make a man's hero ? What 
 was it that Lord Dion saw in his friend ? What 
 was it which moved a veteran, like Admiral 
 Hawke, to speak of him as the foremost young 
 officer of the day? Above all, what was the out-
 
 AN INTIMATE LETTER 83 
 
 standing virtue which attracted the attention, 
 and created confidence in the finest judge of men, 
 William Pitt himself? 
 
 There is nothing which stimulates a woman 
 more than a voyage of discovery, a belief that 
 there is something which requires her intelligence 
 to understand, her wit to find out. She flatters 
 herself she can read character. The greater the 
 mystery, the greater the depth to be plumbed, 
 the more she is attracted.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 COLGRAVE'S COFFEE-HOUSE 
 
 IN the Eastern story the hero had only to step 
 on to a magic-carpet, to be whisked across the 
 world until he was placed in the desired environ- 
 ment. 
 
 Without volition on his part, Wolfe felt he 
 had experienced some such aerial voyage, only in 
 his case it was mental rather than physical. His 
 mind had been occupied by the movements of 
 fleets and armies, the drilling of recruits, the pro- 
 jects of a great Minister. In a brief space of time 
 a fresh outlook had been evolved. He had been 
 plunged into the vortex of the social life of Bath, 
 and in the centre of it he had found a woman. 
 The moving impulse of all time, the story as 
 old as human nature, the factor in life which 
 he had put on one side, ignored, forgotten, was 
 suddenly brought face to face with him, and he 
 found himself stirred against his will, diverted 
 mentally from the single course he had followed 
 for years, reduced to a condition which was half 
 anger at being susceptible to the common in- 
 
 84
 
 COLGRAVE'S COFFEE-HOUSE 85 
 
 fluences which weighed with and controlled 
 weaker men. 
 
 Wolfe was introduced to Lord John and Mr. 
 Fiennes while he was in a day-dream, acknow- 
 ledging their salutations with a courtesy which 
 was born of habit. What they said to him, or 
 he to them, he could not have told. The words 
 were like the snowflakes of yesterday dissolved 
 in an instant. 
 
 As they mounted the steps together in a group 
 and went into the coffee-house, the first real 
 sentence to arrive at his brain and find its way to 
 his memory was spoken by Katherine Lowther. 
 She was addressing Mr. Fiennes : 
 
 " Colonel Wolfe is new to Bath. Mr. Nash 
 gave us instructions to make his stay pleasant 
 and profitable. Lord Dion, whose will is law, 
 has entrusted us with the duty which is also 
 a pleasure " she smiled at James Wolfe, who 
 was just behind her " of introducing him to the 
 beauties of the neighbourhood." 
 
 "He has begun with the first, and best," 
 Mr. Fiennes murmured. 
 
 Miss Lowther shook her head reprovingly at 
 him. ' You are not allowed to pay compliments, 
 Mr. Fiennes, as you well know." 
 
 "Is it contrary to the laws of the Master of 
 Ceremonies? "
 
 86 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 "No; those of a much more strict 
 person." 
 
 "Yourself?" 
 
 She laughed. " Of course." 
 
 " It is very kind of you to take so much trouble 
 on my behalf, Miss Lowther." Wolfe spoke in 
 half -halting sentences. A species of mauvaise 
 honte, to which he was quite unaccustomed, had 
 taken possession of him. 
 
 " Not at all. We are like the Athenians, ever 
 seeking the new thing, and here seldom succeed 
 in finding it. Seriously " she went on in a 
 different tone "I am very fond and proud of 
 Bath, not merely the city, but the surrounding 
 country. I hear you are as good a horseman 
 as you are dancer, Colonel Wolfe, and my 
 cousin and I, with Lord Dion as our cavalier, 
 will be delighted to pilot you through the 
 district." 
 
 "I have a horse just suited to your height 
 and weight," Lord Dion put in. "I should be 
 sorry to ride it myself, but I have a groom who 
 says he never wants a better animal under him. 
 So it will suit you well." 
 
 " I see it is all arranged for me," Wolfe com- 
 mented, with one of his smiles, which went a 
 long way towards transforming rather a harsh 
 face into a kindly one.
 
 COLGRAVE'S COFFEE-HOUSE 87 
 
 By this time the whole party had entered the 
 long front room of the coffee-house, which occu- 
 pied the whole length of the facade, looking out 
 upon the termination of the Orange Grove. 
 Tables were arranged at intervals on both sides, 
 covered with the daintiest of white linen cloths, 
 short enough to display the handsomely carved 
 legs, supporting the mahogany tops. 
 
 The room was full of ladies and gentlemen 
 partaking of breakfast, one table alone, near 
 the window at the further end, being unoccu- 
 pied. It was reserved for Miss Lowther and her 
 friends. 
 
 Bows were exchanged as they passed up the 
 room. Wolfe recognised several faces of those 
 he had met on the previous evening. He 
 noted the universal homage which was paid 
 to Katherine Lowther, a homage of which 
 the girl herself seemed quite unconscious, and 
 it was spontaneous and involuntary from those 
 who gave it. He partly understood then, he 
 knew to the full later on, that it was not her 
 station, her wealth, or her beauty, or the com- 
 bination of all three, which conquered the regard 
 and respect of all who knew her, but it was a 
 quality of goodness, which transfused her other 
 attributes, and stamped them with the guinea 
 mark.
 
 88 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 The breakfast was of the simplest : hot rolls, 
 Sally Lunns (a cake indigenous to Bath, after- 
 wards popular throughout England), tea, coffee, 
 chocolate. 
 
 Lord Dion sat at the end of the table, Miss 
 Lowther on his right, with Colonel Wolfe next. 
 Lord John faced her, Miss Lovesay at the foot 
 of the board, Mr. Fiennes next. 
 
 During the early part of breakfast silence 
 reigned. James Wolfe had every opportunity 
 of observing his beautiful neighbour. He had 
 seen her in the gorgeous attire of the ball-room. 
 He saw her now in morning dress, which was 
 costly only from the fact that its cut was beyond 
 reproach. To the man it seemed a simple affair 
 enough, nearly to the verge of plainness. 
 
 The morning is a test of beauty. In the 
 evening artificial light assists those gentle decep- 
 tions, which are practised when nature demands 
 the aid of art ; but the glare of sunlight, the 
 breath of the morning air, do not lend themselves 
 to concealment. 
 
 Katherine had nothing to conceal. She was as 
 fresh, as bright, as glowing as the morning itself, 
 on that peerless day. 
 
 Chatter from other tables near came to their 
 ears, the discussion of an hundred-and-one small 
 things, which made up the fashionable life of
 
 COLGRAVKS COFFEE-HOUSE 89 
 
 Bath : the success of so-and-so, at faro ; the losses 
 of another; the impending arrivals; the pros- 
 pective departures ; the illness of some important 
 lady, who had come in search of health, but 
 failed to find it. 
 
 Wolfe listened, wondered how all this could 
 be congenial to the girl by his side, in whose 
 whole bearing, the depths of her eyes, the play 
 of her sweet countenance, he recognised many 
 things far deeper than the badinage of a frothy 
 society, such as the place alone seemed to afford. 
 With his usual blunt directness, he only awaited 
 his opportunity, to ask Miss Lowther herself the 
 question. 
 
 The motives which weighed with other people 
 Mr. Pitt, for instance did not affect her. 
 They came because of the medicinal waters, for 
 the benefits accorded by baths and Pump-room. 
 This was certainly not the case with Katherine 
 Lowther. Some of the patients who flocked to 
 Bath no doubt were hypochondriacal ; they 
 imagined disorders which were non-existent, 
 drank the waters to cure diseases which were 
 born of imagination, not reality. To this class 
 assuredly the girl by his side did not belong. 
 Her broad white brow, her clear gaze, indicated 
 the balanced mind, the mens sana in corpore 
 sano.
 
 90 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Their party was the last to leave, having been 
 the last to arrive. The long room had gradually 
 cleared. Maidservants in prim caps were now 
 clearing the tables, while Mrs. Colgrave, large 
 of figure, and unbending of countenance, 
 watched from the doorway, by the side of which 
 was her high desk, which formed her receipt of 
 custom. 
 
 Miss Lowther exchanged a remark or two with 
 Mrs. Colgrave as they passed out. The old 
 woman unbent to her as she did to no one else. 
 Then her eyes travelled over the men who formed 
 the escort. Colonel Wolfe was the only one 
 with whose features she was not familiar; con- 
 sequently she gave him an attention denied to 
 the others. 
 
 Katherine read the dame's curiosity. "This 
 is Colonel Wolfe," she told her. "You know 
 both his father and mother. He comes to Bath 
 in the intervals of fighting your friend Mr. Pitt's 
 battles." 
 
 Mrs. Colgrave swept him a formal curtsy. 
 "Mr. Pitt's friends are my friends," she said. 
 "I am pleased to see you here, sir." 
 
 Outside Lord John Lennox and Mr. Fiennes 
 took their leave. The former was a collector of 
 emblazoned missals, and other old manuscripts. 
 He had arranged to see one that morning, which
 
 COLGRAVE'S COFFEE-HOUSE 91 
 
 had been acquired by Mr. Dighton, the well- 
 known bookseller in Gay Street. Mr. Fiennes 
 was to accompany him. 
 
 After they had departed, Miss Lowther said, 
 turning to Colonel Wolfe, "Now that you are 
 refreshed, we will show you the view from the 
 top of the Grove. It is a favourite one of mine, 
 as much in the winter as in the spring and 
 autumn. I am never in Bath in the summer. 
 I think the place would be impossible during the 
 very hot months." 
 
 Colonel Wolfe and Katherine strolled on to- 
 gether. Lord Dion and Miss Lovesay turned in 
 the direction of the Abbey. 
 
 No words were exchanged until they reached 
 the spot at which the girl was aiming. Then she 
 turned and looked back over the city. The fine 
 trees stood like skeletons against the sky, with 
 here and there a white rime, emphasising the 
 delicate tracery of the branches. 
 
 " From here we get one of the nicest views of 
 the Abbey. I want one day to ask an artist to 
 make a picture of it for me, at this point." 
 
 Wolfe stood for two or three minutes taking in 
 the view. 
 
 Then he said, "I quite understand how you 
 feel about it." 
 
 "I love it." The words came involuntarily.
 
 92 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 They were said so low that they only just reached 
 Wolfe's ears. 
 
 He smiled. "You have answered a question 
 without knowing it. It was one I asked my- 
 self a few minutes ago, when we were in the 
 coffee-house." 
 
 She looked into his eyes, with a frank smile, 
 which answered to his own, showing her pearly 
 teeth. "You wondered," she said, "what 
 brought me to Bath? " 
 
 "That is right. I felt you could not have 
 much in common with the people at the breakfast 
 tables." 
 
 "I like some of them," she said; "but, it is 
 true, with the majority I have not much affinity. 
 Of course, I do not drink the waters, nor do I 
 care to talk scandal, two of the principal occupa- 
 tions of the habituees of Bath ; but there are 
 things to me more important. I go to the Abbey 
 every day, Sundays and week-days. You will find 
 it replete with worshippers between the dinner 
 hour and the time people get ready for evening 
 entertainments, dances, concerts, or, as regards a 
 large number, cards. Then, again, the neigh- 
 bourhood round is very beautiful, undulating 
 hills, broad streams, varied landscapes. I come 
 from a beautiful country, but the surroundings
 
 COLGRAVE'S COFFEE-HOUSE 93 
 
 of Bath are equal to those of my native shire 
 Cumberland. The story of the place appeals to 
 me. I like to think of the thousands of people 
 who have been here " she was speaking now 
 in a different tone "and who have found 
 benefit, mitigating their physical troubles, from 
 the days of Prince Bladud, down to the present 
 time." 
 
 "Then you believe the old legend? " 
 
 " I believe it because I see it enacted every 
 day. The individual may change, but the bene- 
 ficent influence of the waters goes on. Prince 
 Bladud may or may not have rediscovered the 
 virtues which the waters confer, but I believe 
 there has nevef been a time, since Britain was 
 inhabited, without the ills of man having been 
 brought here to get the benefit of the waters." 
 
 From where they were standing they could 
 see steam rising from the King's Bath, owing 
 to the absence of leaves from the trees. 
 
 Katherine, looking at it, remarked, " That is 
 a secret which nature did not intend to keep 
 to herself. The boiling waters proclaim their 
 powers, so that the eyes of the most ignorant 
 peasant can read their message." 
 
 "I like to hear all this," Colonel Wolfe 
 responded. "Your words have taught me a
 
 94 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 lesson. I saw only the surface, while you 
 have indicated those deeper truths which lie 
 beneath." 
 
 Katherine hesitated a moment before she 
 went on. Why did her companion's opinion 
 mean so much to her? As a rule, she lived 
 her life independently, without troubling her- 
 self much about the comments and impressions 
 of others. 
 
 At length she said, "You must think a 
 woman's life, at any rate one of our class, a use- 
 less and frivolous one. You have the world 
 before you, wide as the poles, to do and to die 
 in. We have only a narrow space, which we pace 
 with restricted steps, like some prisoner with 
 high walls environing him on every side. Yet 
 there are things we can do, and when we are 
 able to do them, some consolation is accorded to 
 us. We begin to think we are of some use in 
 this work-a-day world. Do you know, Colonel 
 Wolfe, there is a building in Bath which we owe 
 to Mr. Nash? For this I thank him, in spirit, if 
 not verbally, every time I see him." 
 
 "I thought that was true of most of the 
 buildings in Bath? ' ; 
 
 " I was not thinking of them, but of one, 
 which I dare say you may never have heard of
 
 COLGRAVKS COFFEE-HOUSE 95 
 
 the hospital. Practically, he built it ; and when 
 I visit there, as I do most days, when I see the 
 good it does, and the blessings it brings to poor 
 souls and bodies, unable to help themselves, I 
 feel in those walls we have the crown of the King 
 of Bath." 
 
 She said no more, but led the way back to the 
 trysting place, where they were to meet Miss 
 Lovesay and Lord Dion. 
 
 Wolfe had been surprised at the trend of the 
 conversation, and the information which his com- 
 panion had almost unintentionally imparted. It 
 afforded him a new view of her character. He 
 had suspected depths, not revealed to the casual 
 person. Now he was sure that here indeed was 
 a woman, whom it was a privilege to know. 
 
 After meeting Miss Lovesay and Lord Dion, 
 the party broke up, with an understanding that 
 they should meet again in the Concert Room at 
 six o'clock. 
 
 Lord Dion took the opportunity of a minute 
 alone with Katherine to whisper: "There are 
 big movements on the tapis, in which my friend 
 will be called to play no small part almost 
 immediately." 
 
 " You have heard from Mr. Pitt? " 
 
 ' Yes, by special messenger, this morning."
 
 96 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 "Does Colonel Wolfe know? " 
 
 "Not yet. My communication was confi- 
 dential; but I know it is safe in your hands." 
 
 Katherine nodded. 
 
 She watched Colonel Wolfe and Lord Dion 
 as they walked away, raising their hats.
 
 Wolfe and his Mother.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 "THE DON " 
 
 THE livery stables, near the South Bridge, were 
 in connection with the Crown Inn. Sir James 
 Lowther stalled his horses there, when he was 
 in Bath, and during his sister's residence kept 
 two quiet hacks for her use and that of her 
 cousin, Miss Lovesay. 
 
 Lord Dion had stables of his own, his house 
 being away from the busiest thoroughfares of 
 Bath. 
 
 The two ladies were standing with Lord Dion 
 shortly after noon, on the day after the meeting 
 at the coffee-house, all of them dressed for riding. 
 
 Colonel Wolfe had not yet appeared. 
 
 Two grooms in the service of Lord Dion 
 Brooke and Carrick rode up, saluting. Carrick 
 was riding his master's cob, while Brooke was 
 mounted on a big, raking chestnut, with four 
 white stockings. 
 
 They dismounted, and in obedience to a nod 
 H 97
 
 98 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 from Lord Dion, walked the horses up and down. 
 A slight fall of snow had occurred in the early 
 morning, but at this moment the sun was shining, 
 and the keen north wind, which had brought the 
 snow, had lost its edge. 
 
 " Is your friend going to ride 4 The Don '? ' 
 Katherine inquired, in a tone evincing surprise. 
 * Yes, the mount will suit him well. He is 
 a heavier man than he appears, owing to his 
 height." 
 
 " I was not thinking of that. But ' The Don ' 
 is a very difficult animal to manage, is it not? " 
 
 ' Your brother has ridden him." 
 
 " Oh ! James. He hardly counts. He breaks 
 in his own horses, as you know, and, I believe, 
 the more difficult they are to ride, the better he 
 likes it. Fortunately, he is not of the same 
 opinion as regards Angela and myself. He takes 
 care to choose dependable mounts for us." 
 
 "I do not think you will find Colonel Wolfe 
 has any trouble in managing ' The Don.' If I 
 had thought so, I should not have ordered him to 
 be brought. I have seen my friend ride, again 
 and again, every kind of horse, upon roads in 
 Scotland, which required most vigilant watchful- 
 ness and perfect mastery over the steed, down 
 steep descents, with a precipice on one side, and 
 an incline ending in a morass on the other. He
 
 'THE DON 1 99 
 
 has that gift over horses which he displays in the 
 management of men. He takes them in the 
 rough, and turns them into a perfect machine, in 
 an incredibly short space of time. I have heard 
 from others, and seen myself, that his gift in this 
 respect is almost unique in the British Army." 
 
 Katherine turned towards Lord Dion. Hither- 
 to she had been watching the two horses, paying 
 special attention to " The Don," who was fidget- 
 ing and had half -backed across the road, in spite of 
 the fact that Brooke exercised him daily and was 
 regarded as his especial groom. Now she rested 
 her eyes on Lord Dion's face, reading into the 
 fine soul within, giving him once more a mead 
 of admiration, as the character of the man un- 
 consciously betrayed itself. "How much you 
 think of him ! " was what she said aloud. What 
 she thought was, " Is there any one like you in 
 this world, so perfectly loyal, so absolutely 
 unselfish? 9 ' 
 
 He smiled. "Yes, I own to it. I am proud 
 to be his friend, and I think one day you will 
 agree with me when you, too, know him 
 well." 
 
 "Probably," she replied. "I am content to 
 go a certain distance already." 
 
 '* That is just what I hoped. You are the two 
 people I think most of in the world."
 
 100 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Katherine swept him a curtsy, with a little 
 gleam of malice in her eyes. "It is pleasant to 
 be thought well of," she said, "even when it 
 is only a man's reading of a woman, which is 
 proverbially mistaken. To be coupled with 
 Colonel Wolfe, in your estimation, is indeed an 
 honour." 
 
 Angela Lovesay, standing by, air a short 
 distance apart, had caught the sense of the 
 observations, if not the actual words. She 
 uttered a little "pish! " and stamped her foot 
 on the ground. " How stupid men are ! " she 
 said, sotto voce. "Why did Providence endow 
 them with brains, and deprive them of the sense 
 to make use of them? " 
 
 Lord Dion wondered why Katherine 's mood 
 was ironical, for what he had said came from the 
 truthfulness of his nature, and was neither a form 
 of speech nor a compliment. 
 
 At this moment the door of General Wolfe's 
 house opened, and Colonel Wolfe appeared, 
 drawing on his riding-gloves. He had a light 
 switch under his arm. Although in full military 
 kit, he was without his sword, in deference to 
 the rule which Mr. Nash enforced throughout 
 his small kingdom. Behind the Colonel was his 
 father, habited for walking.
 
 'THE DON 1 101 
 
 They bowed to the ladies and Lord Dion, 
 afterwards shaking hands. 
 
 "I hope I have not kept you all waiting," 
 James Wolfe said. 
 
 "No, we were ready before our time," 
 Katherine said. " Our horses have not come 
 yet." 
 
 There was the ring of hoofs on the hard road. 
 A groom on horseback came round the corner 
 of the Square, sitting on a lady's saddle, with 
 another mare at the lead. 
 
 " Here they are ! " Katherine cried. 
 
 Colonel Wolfe looked his admiration ; for 
 the girl, appearing in a new aspect in the 
 tightly-fitting habit, extorted his approval once 
 more. 
 
 "I hope you will all have a pleasant ride," 
 General Wolfe said. " I thought early this 
 morning snow would have stopped you, but I 
 believe now it will hold off for the rest of the 
 afternoon." 
 
 James Wolfe loved a horse. If he had had his 
 way, he would have been a cavalry leader on the 
 battle-fields of Europe, heading the charge, in- 
 spiring the force behind him to emulate his 
 example of courage. But this had been denied 
 him, and he was the last man to repine, pro-
 
 102 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 vided the State gave him occupation and plenty 
 of it. 
 
 He walked down the road towards "The 
 Don," understanding at once it was the horse 
 intended for him. 
 
 General Wolfe helped Miss Lovesay to mount, 
 while Lord Dion performed the same office for 
 Katherine Lowther. It was a strain upon his 
 weak physique, but it was an attention which 
 he would have been loth to give up to 
 another. 
 
 Katherine knew this fact, and also the meaning 
 of the touch which he conveyed, as he placed the 
 reins in her hand. 
 
 Their eyes met. It appeared as if something 
 too deep for words, something which neither of 
 them fully understood, or had the power to 
 express, passed between them. 
 
 Sometimes it seemed to Katherine as if she 
 must believe the old idea of Pythagoras the 
 transmigration of souls that in some former 
 existence Lord Dion had been a noble hound, 
 perchance, w r hich had given its life for its 
 master. 
 
 Many of the visitors and residents of Bath 
 were promenading the streets at this time, taking 
 advantage of the brilliant sunshine. The men had 
 gold-headed canes under their arms, snuff-boxes
 
 'THE DON' 103 
 
 and handkerchiefs in their hands. The ladies were 
 enveloped in furs. Not a few were moving about 
 in the road flanking Queen's Square. The men 
 especially watched with interest all that was 
 going on. Miss Lowther had a host of admirers, 
 to whom she bowed, as with a fine touch on her 
 well-groomed mare, she started in the direction 
 Colonel Wolfe had already taken, on his way to 
 mount "The Don." 
 
 This horse shared with Miss Lowther the 
 interest of the people. " The Don " was an 
 object of admiration, but of another kind. It 
 was also well known that few men cared to ride 
 the horse, with the exception of its owner, Sir 
 James Lowther, and the groom Brooke. 
 
 Wolfe's personality, his exploits in the past, 
 the reputation he had won, the expectation of 
 the future, which pointed him out as likely to 
 achieve a very high place, helped to focus the 
 curiosity of the onlookers. 
 
 Colonel Wolfe himself was unconscious both 
 of the interest he had excited and the question 
 about " The Don " : " Would Colonel Wolfe be 
 able to master it? " 
 
 There was one person without a doubt on the 
 subject Lord Dion. 
 
 The Colonel passed Dion's horse with a pat, 
 and went forward to his own steed. Brooke
 
 104 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 looked at him with great curiosity. He, too, 
 wondered if this rider would succeed where so 
 many had failed. 
 
 " ' The Don ' that is the horse's name, 
 sir " stroking the mane of the animal "is a 
 bit awkward to mount. He spreads himself 
 across the road as soon as he knows what you 
 are about to do. He takes me more quietly 
 than most, but I like to get him against a wall, 
 so that he has to stand straight. He wants 
 watching, too, while you ride him. He has 
 run away with me once or twice, and if he gets 
 the bit between his teeth, there is no stopping 
 him." 
 
 " Thank you. I know the kind of horse." He 
 handed the groom a douceur. Then he turned 
 all his attention to the chestnut, first looking at 
 him and admiring his points, then caressing him 
 with the hand, from which he had withdrawn 
 his gauntlet. 
 
 "The Don" snorted, breathed heavily, a 
 white steam proceeding from his nostrils into the 
 frosty air. Wolfe took no notice, but went on 
 with the occupation of making acquaintance, 
 passing his hand over the horse's head, talking 
 to him, establishing a kind of freemasonry with 
 him. 
 
 Brooke looked surprised. "I never saw him
 
 'THE DON 1 105 
 
 let anybody touch his ears before, except Sir 
 James, sir, and he is an exception to every 
 rule." 
 
 Wolfe was amused. "There are some secrets 
 about the management of a horse. I am not 
 sure whether the same thing does not apply to 
 men as well. You must love them, and not be 
 afraid of them. Of course, horses are most 
 nervous animals, but if they learn to trust their 
 riders, their nerves become quieted." 
 
 Then he passed round to the other side, as he 
 did so taking the bridle from the hands of the 
 groom. " That will do, my man. Stand back a 
 little." 
 
 "You will never be able to mount by your- 
 self, sir, in the middle of the road. The thing 
 is almost impossible with a horse like ' The 
 Don.' " 
 
 Wolfe did not reply. He was still patting the 
 animal. 
 
 Suddenly he was on " The Don's " back. He 
 had mounted from the wrong side. 
 
 Brooke could hardly believe his eyes. The 
 chestnut seemed no less astonished, and for a 
 moment was inclined to rear, but a word or two 
 reduced him to order. 
 
 " Lengthen the stirrups, please." 
 
 Brooke came forward and did as he was bid.
 
 106 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 "Well, sir," he said, "I never saw that done 
 before." 
 
 "It is one of the first things one learns in 
 cavalry barracks," Wolfe said. " A horse, which 
 has the trick of resisting being mounted, will 
 often submit quietly if taken on the other side." 
 
 Lord Dion rode to Wolfe's side. "I 
 see you have made friends with ' The Don ' 
 already." 
 
 " Yes ; we shall understand one another even 
 better in a little while. Let us try a canter before 
 the ladies come up." So saying, he encouraged 
 his horse, but " The Don " began to sidle, tossing 
 his head and snorting. 
 
 Wolfe almost lifted him with the curb, while 
 he touched his flank slightly with the spur. 
 The chestnut bounded forward, trying to get 
 hold of the bit, but the hand on the bridle was 
 like iron. "The Don" galloped as far as the 
 end of the street, and tried to get round the 
 corner, but Wolfe turned him with a quick move- 
 ment. The horse almost fell with his rider, but 
 Wolfe, well aware of the risk on a frosty road, 
 was on the look-out and used his full strength 
 to keep the beast up. He managed to get him 
 round without mishap, patted him again, after 
 checking him for a moment, then cantered
 
 'THE DON 107 
 
 quietly back to Lord Dion, who had been 
 following at a slower pace. 
 
 "Now I think we can join the ladies, without 
 any risk to them." 
 
 The grooms were already exchanging compli- 
 mentary remarks on the Colonel's riding. They 
 had never seen anything like it. Five minutes 
 had established an obvious relationship between 
 rider and horse. 
 
 On a few occasions, during the expedition 
 which followed, " The Don " attempted to get 
 rid of his master, but on their return journey no 
 animal could have been pleasanter to ride, and 
 from that time forwards, during Wolfe's stay in 
 Bath, there was no further difficulty. 
 
 Miss Lowther rode by the Colonel's side on 
 the outward journey, but coming back she was 
 escorted by Lord Dion, Wolfe acting as cavalier 
 to Miss Lovesay. They returned by way of 
 Claverton Downs, with its wild, wide landscape 
 sprinkled with snow. Below them as they crossed 
 the bridge, was the city with its white walls and 
 the swift flowing Avon winding in and out, a fine 
 bridge spanning the stream. 
 
 " I think you want to see your friend on horse- 
 back to understand him." Katherine was the 
 speaker. Colonel Wolfe was riding a dozen
 
 108 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 paces in front, and was engaged in overcoming 
 "The Don's " hesitation about setting foot on 
 the bridge. 
 
 "I know what you mean. You realise the 
 master of men when you see him on horse- 
 back."
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 "THE GEORGE" AT TAUNTON 
 
 "Tms is hardly campaigning," Wolfe said, 
 with a sardonic smile. 
 
 "No, only an interlude," Lord Dion 
 answered. 
 
 "A very pleasant one, thanks to you, my 
 friend." 
 
 The two were sitting in the oak-beamed, 
 sanded parlour of "The George" at Taunton. 
 They had come so far on the road to Exeter in 
 Lord Dion's coach, drawn by six horses, two 
 menservants armed with horse-pistols on the 
 dicky at the back. Lord Dion's own man was 
 on the box, by the side of the coachman, who was 
 likewise armed. 
 
 Each gentleman had a pair of pistols as well 
 as his sword. The roads were notoriously 
 infested with foot-pads, and a few mounted tobys 
 as well. These precautions had been justified, 
 for on the road near Wells, where it dipped into 
 a gloomy ravine, a shout from both sides had 
 directed the coachman to pull up, 
 
 109
 
 110 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Almost before he could do so, Wolfe, in a 
 rage, had jumped out of the coach and fired his 
 pistol straight at a mounted man, whose figure 
 could be dimly seen in silhouette a few paces 
 towards the bottom of the valley. 
 
 Wolfe had shouted in stentorian tones as he 
 fired: "You dare to stop an officer of His 
 Majesty on the King's highway." 
 
 The horses plunged, and were with difficulty 
 restrained by the driver from overturning the 
 coach. 
 
 The unexpected answer to their challenge, and 
 the vigour of the counter-attack, frightened 
 the assailants. They galloped off with a ring 
 of hoofs down the road, on which frost lay, 
 although it had disappeared on the more 
 exposed ground, where the rays of the sun had 
 reached it. 
 
 It had been useless to pursue them, but when 
 they had driven another mile and reached rising 
 ground, with fir-trees on either side, the coach- 
 man had pulled up of his own accord. A post- 
 chaise lay on its side, with the pole broken and 
 the traces cut as they discovered on closer 
 inspection. 
 
 A lady and gentleman, with two servants, 
 came forward with a tale of having been mal- 
 treated and robbed, and their horses stolen, no
 
 'THE GEORGE AT TAUNTON 111 
 
 doubt by the gang who had found a very different 
 quarry, when they attempted the same game 
 upon Lord Dion's coach. 
 
 The travellers and their servants were taken 
 up and left at Wells. Nothing further occurred, 
 and, at Taunt on, Wolfe and Dion dined, and put 
 up for the night. 
 
 The fortnight at Bath had passed all too quickly, 
 a fortnight of continual meetings between the 
 various members of the friendly party already 
 described. Mr. Nash's instructions, as to accord- 
 ing a welcome to Colonel Wolfe, and making his 
 stay a pleasant one, had been carried out to the 
 letter. Months of casual acquaintance could 
 hardly have brought about a more complete 
 understanding, a more pleasant intimacy than 
 did these two crowded weeks. 
 
 At the close of Wolfe's visit, Lord Dion 
 himself had suggested that he should go with 
 him, when he returned to his quarters at 
 Exeter, never having seen that city with its fine 
 Cathedral. 
 
 Now they were well on their way. By noon 
 on the morrow they expected to reach their 
 destination. Then would come the routine of a 
 soldier's life, and, perhaps, almost immediately, 
 fresh instructions for Colonel Wolfe. This Lord 
 Dion regarded as inevitable, in accordance with
 
 112 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 the private information he had had from William 
 Pitt. 
 
 Dinner was over, a steaming bowl of punch, 
 flanked by glasses, had been placed on the table, 
 in front of the wide fireplace. They were the 
 only guests in the inn that night, others having 
 dined and left before their arrival. 
 
 Lord Dion, who was acting as host, filled his 
 friend's glass and his own. He raised his 
 tumbler to his lips, and bowing over it, said, 
 " Success ! The honour of your country, and 
 your own." 
 
 "Thank you. What shall I wish you in 
 return, Dion? What can you have in the 
 future, more than in the present, and in the 
 past?" 
 
 "Ah! what?" 
 
 Blair put his glass down, after sipping from it. 
 Then he leant back in the big, wooden arm-chair, 
 his eyes half closed, his feet stretched towards 
 the fire. 
 
 Wolfe looked at him, speculating in what 
 direction his thoughts had gone. There was a 
 sadness indicated in the lines of the fine face, a 
 drawn look about the lips, crow's-feet about the 
 eyes. 
 
 Had Wolfe's half-careless words stirred some
 
 'THE GEORGE' AT TAUNTON 113 
 
 vein of thought, touched a chord which vibrated 
 in the soul of this man, endowed with so many 
 gifts beyond his fellows, yet carrying always the 
 burden which Providence had literally placed on 
 his shoulders? 
 
 James Wolfe was not naturally a reader of 
 another's secret feelings. He had the gift of 
 recognising in a man his capacity for performing 
 certain tasks ; he knew instinctively whom he 
 could trust, especially in the profession he had 
 studied with the utmost ardour from his youth 
 up; but when it came to analysing, to plumb- 
 ing the depths of such a nature as that of his 
 friend Dion Blair, he knew himself to be at sea. 
 
 A long pause ensued before any words were 
 said ; in fact, Colonel Wolfe had almost forgotten 
 what his last remark had been. He was vividly 
 living over again certain scenes, through which 
 he had passed during his visit to Bath. In the 
 centre of the picture, dominating all his thoughts, 
 was the gracious figure of Katherine Lowther. 
 He recalled her as they danced together the 
 evolutions of the minuet at more than one of 
 the Assembly balls ; he saw her handling the bow 
 of her violin, displaying her shapely arm, which 
 would have evoked the admiration of any 
 sculptor ; he saw the whiteness of her throat, the
 
 114 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 glory of her hair ; he looked into the depths of 
 her blue eyes, and found them ever changing, yet 
 ever the same ; he pictured her graceful form as 
 she rode by his side through the valleys and up- 
 lands of the Somersetshire country, or across the 
 Avon into Gloucestershire. Above all, he real- 
 ised that in her was embodied all he admired 
 most in the nature of womanhood, tenderness, 
 sympathy, and intellectual clarity, a character 
 without fear, without reproach. He was startled 
 when Dion broke the silence, and recalled him 
 to the prosaic environment of "The George" 
 parlour. 
 
 " No ! I do not know what you can wish for 
 me beyond what I have already the friendship 
 of those whom I love and value most. May I 
 grow old if old age is permitted to me in the 
 sunshine of their favour, and may I be able in 
 some small measure to radiate it into the lives 
 of others." 
 
 He stretched forward, and laid his hand, fine, 
 thin, aristocratic, delicate, accentuated by the 
 ruffle at his wrist, on Wolfe's knee. " You most 
 of all," he went on, and under his breath he 
 added the words did not reach Wolfe "with 
 perhaps one exception." 
 
 An hour went by quickly, as they sat with 
 their feet on the stone surround of the hearth.
 
 'THE GEORGE 1 AT TAUNTON 115 
 
 Wolfe had gone back to his visions, which had 
 nearly merged into real dreams, by the time 
 the landlord came to see if they had all they 
 required. 
 
 Lord Dion, resting his elbows on the arm of 
 his chair, was supporting his face with his hands, 
 the tips of his fingers bringing out the hollows 
 formed at the termination of his forehead. He 
 was wondering, with a feverish inquietude, if 
 anything definite had passed between his friend 
 and Katherine Lowther. 
 
 During the afternoon which preceded their 
 departure from Bath, a fairly numerous company 
 had ridden out to partake of tea, or other light 
 refreshment, at an old hostelry, in the village of 
 Keynsham. The party had included Lord John 
 Thynne, Mr. Fiennes, General Wolfe and his 
 son, Miss Lovesay, Mr. Cecil Howard, Miss 
 Lowther, and Lord Dion himself. 
 
 On their way home, whether by chance or by 
 arrangement, Colonel Wolfe and Katherine, 
 riding at the rear of the party, became separated 
 from them, only rejoining them at the outskirts 
 of the city. It was an opportunity for any con- 
 fidential communication, but whether such had 
 taken place Dion had no means of knowing. 
 Katherine had too great a command over herself 
 to show excitement, even if she felt any, and
 
 116 
 
 James Wolfe had learnt self-discipline in the 
 hard school of life. 
 
 After the landlord had departed, Wolfe rose 
 and stretched himself. "I believe I went to 
 sleep," he said. "I saw visions and dreamt 
 dreams, and I hardly know if they were real 
 or imaginary ! ' 
 
 Dion Blair leant forward, his eyes striving to 
 read his friend's face, on which the light from a 
 hanging lamp shone fitfully. 
 
 " I hope they were pleasant ones, James? " 
 
 Wolfe laughed. "Almost too much so," he 
 said. "The last fortnight must itself be re- 
 garded as a dream, to be dispelled by the hard 
 reality of service in the field. I must not let 
 my mind linger upon it, when in the trenches, 
 watching during the long nights for the first 
 onset of the enemy." 
 
 " I think even the strongest of us cannot alto- 
 gether drive away memories. Even with your 
 will-power you will not be able to help thinking 
 of us, in Bath, at times. As for those whom you 
 leave behind, with little to occupy them, I can 
 answer that their thoughts will go out to you 
 continually." 
 
 " Of whom are you speaking ? " He had come 
 close to Dion, and was looking straight at him. 
 
 " Well, of myself, for one ! "
 
 'THE GEORGE 1 AT TAUNTON 117 
 
 "Yes?" 
 
 " Your father and mother." 
 
 " The best in the world. No one knows all 1 
 owe to them." 
 
 Lord Dion nodded his head. A shadow passed 
 across his face. In this respect, again, Wolfe 
 had so much, and he nothing. 
 
 After a pause James said, " Any one else? ): 
 
 " I should think so, but you must know better 
 than I." 
 
 " I know nothing." 
 
 "Then you lost your opportunity." 
 
 "What opportunity? " 
 
 " As you rode back together yesterday." 
 
 "The sun was hastening to its setting over- 
 head, I think I saw one or two pale stars 
 appearing as we crossed the bridge." 
 
 "What has that to do with it? " Dion in- 
 quired, almost impatiently. 
 
 The luminaries in the sky were far away out 
 of reach." 
 
 " I do not follow the analogy." 
 
 " Do you happen to know, friend Dion, that 
 I am a poor soldier of fortune, almost out at 
 elbows, not always able to keep my head above 
 water, but owing to the best of fathers not 
 exactly in debt. I have only my sword where- 
 with to carve my way to possible fortune and
 
 118 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 fame. Do you think such as I could fix his 
 glance on the sun without being blinded, or hold 
 out his hand to grasp a star and not find dis- 
 appointment and ridicule? ' : 
 
 " Are you speaking seriously? v 
 
 "Quite." 
 
 "Then you do not know what love is." Lord 
 Dion said the words in a deeper tone, more to 
 himself than his friend. 
 
 "You think not?" 
 
 "I am sure of it." 
 
 " Where do you get such accurate informa- 
 tion from, Dion? 5: Wolfe spoke jestingly, but 
 his companion flushed to the roots of his hair. 
 
 Dion stood up. "I am tired," he said, " and 
 to-morrow we must be on the road early." 
 
 They shook hands. Dion took up his candle 
 and left the room. Wolfe knew he had said 
 something which jarred, but what it was he was 
 unable to determine. He paced the apartment 
 for some minutes, and muttered to himself, 
 "The best of fellows, but devilish difficult to 
 understand at times." 
 
 With this final comment, he, too, went to his 
 room and was soon fast asleep. On the follow- 
 ing morning, directly after breakfast, they 
 started on the last stage of their journey, reach- 
 ing Exeter without mishap, at noon.
 
 'THE GEORGE 1 AT TAUNTON 119 
 
 The barracks were situated on the top of St. 
 David's Hill. They were built of wood, covering 
 three sides of a square. The officers' quarters 
 were in the centre. From the back they looked 
 out over the broad stream of the Exe, some 
 hundred feet below. From the front could be 
 seen the towers of the Cathedral. 
 
 The rooms assigned to Colonel Wolfe were 
 scantily furnished with mere necessaries. Lord 
 Dion had arranged to put up at the Clarence 
 Hotel, near the Cathedral. He was to dine at 
 the Mess at four o'clock. 
 
 James Wolfe smiled as he showed his friend 
 his accommodation. 
 
 "The view is fine," he said. "It carries me 
 back to the -Claverton Downs. But when you 
 walk through my quarters you will see, in a 
 parable, the force of what I said to you last 
 night." 
 
 Dion Blair had no opportunity of replying to 
 this remark, for at that moment a sergeant of the 
 20th knocked at the door, and in obedience to 
 the instruction to come in, entered Colonel 
 Wolfe's sitting-room. 
 
 The man ushered in a messenger, booted and 
 spurred, with the marks of hurried travel upon 
 him. The sergeant left the room. The mes- 
 senger produced from his wallet a missive bearing
 
 120 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 a large black seal, with a coat-of-arms stamped 
 upon it. 
 
 Wolfe glanced significantly at his friend. The 
 arms were those of William Pitt. 
 
 It was the 6th of January, 1758.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 A SUMMONS 
 
 WOLFE balanced the letter in his hand for a 
 minute or so, before he broke the seal. The 
 appearance of the messenger, with all the signs 
 of hasty travel upon him, as well as the coat-of- 
 arms, indicated the importance of the com- 
 munication. 
 
 It was a crisis in his life, and he knew it. It 
 was a call to arms, the very breath of his life, the 
 thing he loved best. Unconsciously, his eyes 
 expressed what was at the back of his mind. 
 
 Dion Blair, who had a marvellous gift of in- 
 sight, and who knew his friend as well as any one 
 man could possibly know another, read the joy of 
 battle in his eyes. 
 
 Why, at that moment did the sanded parlour 
 of " The George " at Taunton present itself 
 vividly as a background to his recollection? 
 Why did a sentence of his own come to him, 
 as if he heard another say it, as if it were the 
 unquestioned summing up of an impartial judge, 
 "You do not know what love is "? 
 
 121
 
 122 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 To the man of strong character and determined 
 purpose, one thing must reign to the exclusion of 
 everything else. He may turn on one side in his 
 moments of leisure to the excitement of cards, the 
 stimulus of gaming, of racing, even the whirl of 
 society, the dalliance of fair women ; but biding 
 its time, awaiting its opportunity, is the central 
 bias, the man's real self, the goal which absorbs 
 the desires and thoughts of his mind and soul. 
 
 Lord Dion was learning a lesson which had 
 somehow escaped him hitherto, which disturbed 
 his calculations, rendering them almost void. 
 The fact was, so few men of his acquaintance 
 had anything of the strenuous purpose, which 
 attracted him to Wolfe, without his being aware 
 of the exact cause of that attraction. 
 
 Obsession ! It was written in the whole de- 
 meanour of his friend, in the firm set of his chin, 
 in the fire of his eyes, as he broke the seal of the 
 missive, and read the contents. 
 
 Even the beauty, the perfection of Katherine 
 Lowther could not weigh in the balance, for a 
 single instant, against the call of the blood, that 
 fire of military zeal, which had brought James 
 Wolfe to the forefront of the soldiers of his time, 
 almost at a bound, which was to write his name, 
 in letters of blood and fire on the annals of his 
 nation and of the world.
 
 A SUMMONS 123 
 
 After having read the communication, Wolfe 
 handed the letter to Dion Blair, by an instinctive 
 act, his brain busy with his plans. 
 
 It ran as follows : 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I shall be obliged by your calling upon 
 me here at the earliest possible moment on a 
 matter of urgency. Your military duties at 
 Exeter must be handed over to the next in 
 command. 
 
 " I am, sir, your obedient, humble servant, 
 
 " WILLIAM PITT. 
 
 " St. James' Square, 
 "Jan. 2nd, 1758." 
 
 Lord Dion had been prepared for this expres- 
 sive epistle, by the letter he had himself received, 
 more than a fortnight earlier. Evidently the 
 great Minister had now made his plans sufficiently 
 to arrange details with the officers, who were to 
 carry them out. 
 
 Colonel Wolfe turned to the courier. " I see 
 this letter is dated the 2nd." 
 
 "Yes, sir. I started immediately." 
 "What is the distance to London? ' : 
 " A trifle over one hundred and seventy miles, 
 sir." 
 
 Wolfe nodded. The messenger had taken
 
 124 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 four days to do the journey. He would see if it 
 could not be accomplished in half the time. But 
 the determination was not expressed in so many 
 words. 
 
 " I shall start this evening. There will be no 
 necessity for you to accompany me. Sergeant 
 Clintock will find you quarters for the night. 
 Have you made any arrangements for my 
 journey? " 
 
 " Yes, sir. I was instructed to do so. There 
 will be relays of horses provided throughout 
 the journey." He mentioned the places, the 
 last being Wey bridge. This was the shortest 
 division, as a rule about thirty miles being 
 allowed for each horse. 
 
 " Are the roads good? 5: 
 
 "As well as can be expected at this time of 
 the year, sir." 
 
 Wolfe handed the man a guinea, then he 
 touched a handbell on his table. His military 
 servant, Richard Semple, came in answer to the 
 summons. 
 
 " Take this man to Sergeant Clintock, and tell 
 him to find him accommodation. Then ask 
 Major Straughan to come to me. I shall be 
 starting for London before sundown. You will 
 accompany me. Pack our valises. Have the 
 horses ready at a quarter to five."
 
 A SUMMONS 125 
 
 Sample saluted, and motioned to the courier, 
 as he opened the door, to follow him out. 
 
 "A man of few words! " Lord Dion com- 
 mented. 
 
 " Yes, it is one of his virtues. He is slow to 
 speak dnd quick to act, a first-rate soldier and an 
 excellent servant." 
 
 " Like yourself ." Dion smiled. 
 
 " That is the highest compliment you can pay 
 me." 
 
 "Is a truth ever a compliment? >: 
 
 Wolfe did not reply, his mind was too busy to 
 discuss abstract propositions. 
 
 Suddenly his duties as host flashed across him. 
 Dion had come with him to Exeter, and he was 
 arranging to leave him immediately afterwards, 
 without a word of apology. 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Dion," he said. 
 
 " On what account? *' 
 
 "Leaving you straight away. I have never 
 had the grace even to say I am sorry." 
 
 "I should be distressed if you told me an 
 untruth," Blair replied. "Besides," he added, 
 after a second, " I came with my eyes open, for 
 I expected you would have a summons sooner or 
 later from Mr. Pitt. He wrote me to that effect 
 some little time ago, but the message was 
 confidential."
 
 126 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 " I am glad to hear that. It makes my con- 
 duct less blameworthy. You know I am pleased. 
 It means more to me than anything." 
 
 Lord Dion walked to the uncurtained window 
 and looked out. On one side he could see, at 
 some distance, the river gleaming in the sun- 
 light. Turning in the opposite direction, he 
 could just catch a glimpse of one of the cathedral 
 towers. 
 
 Wolfe did not notice that his last remark had 
 been accepted by his friend without further 
 comment. To himself it was so true that it 
 appeared obvious enough. To Lord Dion it 
 meant something quite different. No two men, 
 however deep the friendship between them, ever 
 can see the same thing with exactly similar eyes 
 especially with a woman in the case. 
 
 Wolfe had taken a seat at the table, and was 
 jotting down the heads of certain memoranda, 
 arrangements and instructions for his second-in- 
 command. He was providing for an absence, 
 which, something told him, would be of consider- 
 able duration. Dion Blair came up to him. " I 
 will leave you now," he said, "There must be 
 so much for you to arrange before you start 
 for London. I will come back to see you 
 off." 
 
 Wolfe rose and grasped his friend's hand.
 
 A SUMMONS 127 
 
 "You are most considerate," he said. "I feel 
 myself horribly selfish." 
 
 "Not at all; it is the fortune of war." 
 
 "Will you remain in Exeter? >: 
 
 "For a week or ten days, I think." 
 
 "Then I will write to you here, as soon as I 
 have had my interview with Mr. Pitt." 
 
 " I shall be most anxious to hear the result, and 
 will, of course, regard your communication as 
 confidential." 
 
 Wolfe looked at him, and as he did so, just for 
 a moment, the past fortnight in Bath came back 
 to him. His thoughts of yesterday : how far 
 they seemed away from the activities of the 
 present ! Yet, with all his obsession, the image 
 of Katherine Lowther now obtruded itself upon 
 him, and for a moment or two, at any rate, 
 occupied the centre of the stage. 
 
 "I shall write to my father," he said. "I 
 have never kept anything from him. He is, of 
 course, as absolutely to be trusted with State 
 secrets as he is with my own." 
 
 As he said this, the quick intelligence of his 
 friend grasped the fact that he was leading up to 
 something. He waited. 
 
 Then Wolfe went on, with assumed careless- 
 ness : "I know very little about women, but 
 what little I know convinces me that Miss
 
 128 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Katherine Lowther is an exception to most 
 rules." 
 
 "You mean," replied Blair quietly, "that I 
 may regard her as included in any information 
 received from you." 
 
 Wolfe nodded. " I should like her to know 
 that Mr. Pitt trusts me. She thinks so much of 
 his opinion." 
 
 " You may leave it in my hands." 
 
 A knock at the door. Major Straughan was 
 ushered in. Lord Dion took the opportunity of 
 escaping. There was an ache in his heart which 
 he could hardly have diagnosed. The companion- 
 ship of his friend was one of the things he valued 
 most, to which he looked forward intensely when 
 they were parted. Now he was glad to leave 
 him, to breathe the keen air of the open road 
 to be alone. 
 
 Wolfe started punctually to the moment. 
 Blair stood on the single step at the entrance 
 of the barracks to see him off. The friends had 
 exchanged the heartiest grip before the Colonel 
 swung himself on to his horse, with that look on 
 his face which so indicated his character resolute 
 determination, strength, the eagerness of a boy 
 still remaining in the disciplined soul of the man. 
 
 " I will write, as I promised, directing to * The 
 Clarence.' "
 
 A SUMMONS 129 
 
 " I shall be there, and most interested to have 
 your news." 
 
 The night was fast closing in, as the horses' 
 hoofs rang out on the metalled road. 
 
 Throughout the night Wolfe pounded on, 
 his servant riding beside him. Only necessary 
 remarks were exchanged, for the master was 
 intent on his mission, and the man naturally 
 silent. 
 
 The cold was intense when, by midnight, they 
 reached the high lands of Salisbury Plain. At 
 " The Lamb," hard by the shelter of the Cathedral 
 spire, Wolfe drew rein. In the stables, awaiting 
 them, were the horses for the next stage of 
 the journey. The travellers entered the inn, 
 finding the place cold and dark, but a sleepy 
 servant was roused to furnish them with a hasty 
 meal. 
 
 Master and man ate at the sideboard in com- 
 pany, neither of them sitting. Colonel Wolfe 
 smiled grimly at Semple. Tough as he was, the 
 man was already showing signs of fatigue. It 
 seemed as if his master's comparatively delicate 
 physique was so inspired by the spirit within that 
 he was tuned up to any key, capable of enduring 
 any stress. 
 
 At Farnborough Semple became dead-beat. A 
 fresh horse was ready for him, but he was in-
 
 130 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 capable of getting into the saddle. Wolfe left 
 him at the inn, with an injunction to follow 
 on the morrow. 
 
 The sun was nearly at its height when the 
 intrepid horseman rode through the streets of 
 London. Men and women looked at the haggard 
 face, the form bending over the horse's neck, the 
 bleared eyes, which the keen wind of the night 
 had cut as if with a lash. They wondered, as 
 well they might, where he had come from, and 
 what was his errand. 
 
 Purpose, masterful, all-dominating purpose, 
 was written on the face and figure of that horse- 
 man for all to see. The very mud, which had 
 spattered his top-boots and the lower parts of his 
 person, told a tale of the length of the ride, for 
 the red mud of Devon was dusted over by the 
 white chalk of Salisbury Plain. * 
 
 At "The Bell," in Jermyn Street, Wolfe left 
 his steed, and barely waiting to drink some spiced 
 ale, which the host suggested, walked the few 
 remaining yards in the direction of St. James's 
 Square. 
 
 The house Mr. William Pitt occupied was the 
 first on the right-hand side, after turning in from 
 the adjoining street. It stands to-day, as it did 
 then, solid, compact, with something distinctively 
 English in its appearance.
 
 A SUMMONS 131 
 
 As James Wolfe was about to knock at the 
 door, it opened. Lord Howe was coming out 
 the beau ideal of a soldier, dressed with somewhat 
 scrupulous regard for the fashionable world, in 
 which he moved as one of the bright particular 
 stars. 
 
 The contrast between these two men, the one 
 travel- stained to the last degree, the other spick 
 and span, was as marked as possible. Neverthe- 
 less, they were kindred souls, keen, resolute 
 soldiers, with cool heads, and endowed with a 
 courage which never failed. 
 
 Howe looked at Wolfe with intense surprise. 
 "Where have you come from? " he queried. 
 
 " Exeter. Mr. Pitt summoned me." He said 
 the words with some difficulty. He had to 
 moisten his lips with his tongue. His gait 
 suggested intense weariness, and the cramp of 
 long sitting on horseback. 
 "When did you leave? " 
 "About dusk yesterday afternoon." 
 Lord Howe stared at him. "How far is it, 
 man? >: 
 
 " I believe, about a hundred and seventy miles." 
 " I wonder you are alive ! ' 
 " It takes more than that to kill me ! * 
 Without another word Howe linked his arm 
 in that of Wolfe, apparently merely a friendly
 
 132 THE HEARTCOF A HERO 
 
 action, really affording him support across the 
 hall-place to Pitt's study. 
 
 A servant who was standing in the vestibule, 
 seeing Lord Howe return, opened the door for 
 them. 
 
 Pitt was engaged with some figures at a 
 writing-table. There was another desk in the 
 room for a secretary, but it was unoccupied. He 
 did not look up, doubtless thinking it was one of 
 the household. 
 
 " I found some one coming to see you, sir, and 
 have brought him in." 
 
 The statesman turned quickly, uttering a slight 
 exclamation, partly of surprise, on seeing Wolfe, 
 partly caused by a twinge of pain in his foot, 
 which was swathed in flannel and resting on a stool. 
 The excitement of the moment brought a 
 hectic flush into Wolfe's pale cheeks. As this 
 died away he looked ghastly. 
 
 Pitt half rose. "Give the Colonel a chair," 
 he suggested to Howe. His eyes travelled over 
 the mud-spattered figure. "You have ridden 
 far and fast," he said. "When did you leave 
 Exeter? " 
 
 "Last evening, sir." The words sounded far 
 off, hollow, almost indistinct. 
 
 " Last evening ! I should have thought that 
 impossible. Did you come alone? "
 
 A SUMMONS 133 
 
 " My manservant was with me part of the way. 
 I left him at Farnborough." 
 
 Pitt tapped his teeth with his quill pen ; 
 mentally he reviewed the situation. "You are 
 a dangerous man to send for," he said, "unless 
 with explicit instructions as to the time you are 
 to consume on the journey." The words were 
 simple enough, but the expression indicated the 
 great man's approval. Wolfe's ardour had sur- 
 passed even his expectation. Here was a man of 
 a kindred spirit. It was not long since Pitt 
 himself had been called a "fiery, untamed cornet 
 of horse." He clapped his hands. 
 
 The man who had opened the door reappeared. 
 
 "Bring some wine," Pitt ordered. A nod 
 indicated he was to hurry. 
 
 " You two gentlemen are well met," Pitt said, 
 as soon as the door closed. " I have work for both 
 of you, but, unfortunately, not together." 
 
 "I am sorry for that, sir," Lord Howe said. 
 " I should have preferred Colonel Wolfe as a 
 comrade to any man in the army." 
 
 "And I Lord Howe," Wolfe put in. 
 
 "I understand that. But the King's service 
 must come first. You, my lord," turning to 
 Howe, " know exactly what I want done, and I 
 trust to you to act as right-hand man to General 
 Abercromby. I will explain the position of
 
 134 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 affairs to you to-morrow, Colonel Wolfe. My 
 advice now is, have a good meal and go to bed. 
 Where are you staying? J! 
 
 " I left my horse at ' The Bell,' in Jermyn 
 Street, and told the landlord to keep me a room." 
 
 " You will find the quarters comfortable there. 
 Most of my friends use that house." 
 
 The manservant brought in the wine. Lord 
 Howe declined to take any, but Wolfe felt the 
 need of the potation. 
 
 " Call here to-morrow about eleven o'clock, 
 Colonel Wolfe," Pitt directed. He held out his 
 hand. 
 
 As he took it, Wolfe's feeling was indescrib- 
 able. To him Pitt represented the honour and 
 glory of England, personified.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 /r LORD DION RETURNS 
 
 LORD DION found the time hang heavily on his 
 hands, as the days wore on, after Colonel Wolfe's 
 departure. 
 
 Fortunately, the district was new to him. He 
 drove or rode daily. The weather continued 
 open. On two or three occasions he hunted with 
 neighbouring packs of hounds. In spite of his 
 frail physique, he was a good rider, provided the 
 horse was suited to him one that went easily, 
 without pulling. 
 
 He explored the country eastwards and south- 
 wards, following the line of the coast. He 
 admired the red cliffs, against which the sea flung 
 itself, when the tide was high, and the wind blew 
 from the north-east. 
 
 Westward he went as far as the grim border- 
 land of Dartmoor, but the route did not appeal 
 to him. The sight of barren hills ranged like 
 giant sentinels against the sky ; the wide acres 
 of marsh-land, the sparsely-populated country,
 
 136 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 unfertile, unproductive, which ran by the side of 
 the moor all these natural features created a 
 sensation of despondency, of loneliness, which 
 depressed the sensitive temperament of his finely 
 organised nature. He turned from it with a kind 
 of shudder. To him brightness and life were 
 necessary, the tonic of congenial companionship. 
 
 The nights were long. A few visitors came to 
 the hotel, mainly business men, on their way from 
 the coast, to the inland districts of Somerset and 
 Dorset. Lord Dion did not make acquaintance 
 easily, and perhaps his obvious air of breeding and 
 refinement kept these chance-comers at arm's 
 length. He loved the Cathedral, and soon grew 
 to know every nook and cranny, all the beauties 
 of the most varied interior-architecture in Eng- 
 land . But services were infrequent , not performed 
 daily, according to the custom of the Abbey. 
 
 He had ample time to think of his friend. His 
 heart went back to him wistfully, as well as to the 
 circle he loved at Bath. He did not disguise 
 from himself that in the centre of it all, dominat- 
 ing it, was Katherine Lowther. 
 
 He had achieved his purpose of bringing to- 
 gether the two beings he valued most. Now he 
 had time to weigh the results, to look back upon 
 it and he doubted. Depression weighed heavily 
 upon his spirits. He had tried to play the part
 
 LORD DION RETURNS 137 
 
 of Providence, and he realised that a man's vision 
 is so limited, the complex conditions of life are so 
 puzzling, that to do so was to attempt a dangerous 
 role. 
 
 He had grown strangely restless, but he had 
 promised to wait at Exeter till Wolfe's letter 
 came. It arrived on the tenth day of his sojourn. 
 Dion received it with intense satisfaction, not 
 merely because he was anxious to hear what his 
 friend had to say, but because the receipt of the 
 packet would effect his own release. He was like 
 a bow at full tension, a touch on the taut string 
 would set the arrow free. 
 
 He read Wolfe's epistle in the private sitting- 
 room he had taken at "The Clarence." 
 
 It was dated from Blackheath, Wolfe having 
 taken up quarters in a house belonging to his 
 father, after two nights spent at "The Bell " in 
 Jermyn Street. 
 
 " MY DEAR DION, 
 
 '' This is the first free moment I have had 
 at my disposal, since reaching London, to sit 
 down to write a letter to you. I managed to 
 send my father a hurried scrawl yesterday to let 
 my parents know where I am quartered, and to 
 assure them I am well and hearty. 
 
 "I have only now recovered from the fatigues
 
 138 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 of my journey, which I made in twenty hours, 
 to the surprise and, I think, satisfaction of the 
 Great Man. He received me most graciously, 
 and soon afterwards sent me off to bed, where 
 I remained for fifteen hours ! 
 
 " On the following morning I called upon Mr. 
 Pitt by his appointment. He explicitly indi- 
 cated his plans, together with the part in them 
 which he destined for myself. 
 
 " His conception is great, and by God's grace 
 we will carry it through. I had thought of the 
 fringe of the American Continent. He aims at 
 the domination of the whole, to redress our losses 
 in Europe by successes on the other side of the 
 Atlantic. 
 
 " To effect this, three separate expeditions are 
 to be sent out. He has offered me the post of 
 Brigadier in the most important and vital of the 
 three. General Amherst has been recalled from 
 Germany to take command, and the object of our 
 attack is to be the city and fortress of Louisburg, 
 the most strongly fortified position belonging to 
 France, with the exception of Quebec, through- 
 out the whole continent. It controls, as you 
 know, the entrance of that magnificent river the 
 St. Lawrence. Look out of your windows, over 
 the Exe, and imagine a river four times the size 
 and volume of that English stream, ice-bound
 
 LORD DION RETURNS 139 
 
 throughout the winter, bristling with forts, 
 manned by gunners unsurpassed perhaps un- 
 equalled in the armies of the world. Here fleet 
 and expeditionary force, consisting of some 
 eleven thousand men of all arms, are to concen- 
 trate. Admiral Boscawen, one of the finest 
 officers living, is to assist General Amherst in the 
 blockade, and, it is hoped, the capture of Louis- 
 burg. 
 
 " If we fail, Mr. Pitt's plans are destroyed. If 
 we succeed, he will achieve a success such as has 
 not fallen to English arms for many years. 
 
 " In that case Quebec lies beyond as the ulti- 
 mate object of our aims and, by God's mercy, 
 one day it will be captured. May I live to see the 
 standard of England floating above its towers and 
 escarpments ! 
 
 " All preparations are being hurried on. The 
 start will be made as soon as possible. Only the 
 summer months are available for the kind of work 
 which lies before us. Mr. Pitt is anxious that 
 the present year should more than compensate for 
 the disasters our arms suffered during the last. 
 He wishes me to hold myself in readiness to 
 consult with him at any moment. It is, there- 
 fore, highly improbable that I shall return to the 
 regiment, still less can I hope to visit Bath. 
 
 " I look to you to make apologies and express
 
 140 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 my regret in a certain quarter ! I will keep you 
 informed as to my movements. 
 
 " Your friend for ever, 
 
 "JAMES WOLFE." 
 
 Lord Dion put the letter away into a pocket- 
 book, where he kept papers of a personal value. 
 Then he gave orders to his confidential servant, 
 to have the coach ready to start for Bath on the 
 following morning. 
 
 On the return journey he put up once more 
 at " The George " at Taunton, which they reached 
 before nightfall. This time he dined alone, and 
 as he sat before the fire after the meal, with a 
 cob webbed bottle of claret by his side, his mind 
 naturally reverted to the last occasion when he 
 had been in the room. If he closed his eyes he 
 could picture Wolfe sitting opposite to him, his 
 legs stretched out towards the fire. The whole 
 purport of their conversation, even the words of 
 some of the sentences, was fresh in his memory. 
 
 The letter from his friend lay in a pocket 
 of his surtout, especially constructed. He could 
 realise Wolfe's activities during the busy time 
 of his preparation, the riding to and from St. 
 James's Square, the ordering of such things as 
 would be necessary for the time on shipboard 
 and after arrival in America.
 
 LORD DION RETURNS 141 
 
 He had seen his friend under conditions of 
 service during those arduous days in Scotland, 
 when the country was in a ferment, a night 
 attack expected at any moment, when the 
 Highlands had to be patrolled with ceaseless 
 activity. Wolfe, like all successful men, had 
 the gift of concentration ; he thought of the 
 one matter in hand, and of that only, until it 
 was accomplished. 
 
 Lord Dion felt certain that few of his thoughts 
 would go westwards during these days, and that 
 then most of them would be directed towards 
 his parents, for in his case the family tie was 
 wonderfully strong. 
 
 He rose and paced the room, restlessness was 
 upon him. On the morrow, to wards nightfall, he 
 hoped to be once again in Bath. No schoolboy, 
 away from home for the first time, could have 
 looked forward more ardently towards the holi- 
 days, than did Dion Blair to the termination of 
 his short absence from Bath. 
 
 He could hardly explain this to himself. Every 
 year some months intervened between his visits, 
 but never before had he experienced such a desire 
 to return. 
 
 In that room, where he now was, Colonel 
 Wolfe frankly expressed his opinion of the most 
 important things in a man's life. He had shown
 
 142 
 
 conclusively that his profession, his ambition, in 
 the best sense, was the predominant note; that 
 all else was subservient to it, including even the 
 one thing which has successfully fought with and 
 overcome ambition in the long story of the ages 
 love ! 
 
 If not on the next day, at any rate on the one 
 which followed upon it, Lord Dion would see 
 Katherine Lowther in that friendly, intimate 
 converse, which had characterised their associa- 
 tion for a long period. He would convey Wolfe's 
 message to her, and would be able to mark 
 the result in her tell-tale features. She might 
 disguise her thoughts to the world, but he felt 
 sure his knowledge of her, his fine perception, 
 would read anything which lay behind her 
 appearance. 
 
 Had James Wolfe made a lasting impression 
 on a heart, which he knew did not readily offer 
 itself as a successful mark to the attacks of those, 
 who were only too eager to enter the citadel? 
 Had he succeeded, as at one time Dion had 
 hoped he would, where others failed? If he had, 
 would it be for the happiness of both? Above 
 all, would it be for the happiness of Katherine 
 herself ? 
 
 In the commanding beauty of her presence, in 
 the unique quality of her gifts, was she prepared
 
 LORD DION RETURNS 143 
 
 to occupy a second place in the regard of the man 
 she loved? 
 
 Lord Dion passed several restless hours that 
 night. The questions which had forced them- 
 selves upon him drove away sleep. 
 
 The queries remained unsolved.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 A MORNING CALL 
 
 THE first news which reached Lord Dion, 
 when he arrived in Bath, was that Katherine 
 Lowther had sprained her ankle ; she had slipped 
 getting out of a sedan chair, and had fallen rather 
 heavily. 
 
 He wondered whether she would be willing to 
 see him. The doubt made him the more anxious 
 to achieve his purpose. 
 
 On the morning succeeding his return, soon 
 after breakfast, he sent a manservant with a note 
 to ask her the question. He had partaken of that 
 meal at his own house, instead of at Colgrave's, 
 as he had intended doing, before hearing of 
 Katherine 's accident. 
 
 "Mv DEAR Miss LOWTHER, 
 
 " I am distressed to hear you are kept to 
 the house with a sprained ankle. My house- 
 keeper informed me of the fact as soon as I 
 arrived home last night. I should much like to 
 
 144
 
 A MORNING CALL 145 
 
 pay my respects, and to express my sympathy 
 in person. If you grant me permission, will 
 you kindly state at what hour I may call ? 
 " Ever your friend, and humble servant, 
 
 "DioN BLAIR." 
 
 He waited for the answer with some impati- 
 ence. It seemed unduly delayed, although in 
 reality it had been scribbled, and dispatched at 
 once. 
 
 "DEAR LORD DION, 
 
 " I suppose I am paying the debt of care- 
 lessness. There was a little frost in the streets, 
 and I descended from the chair rather hurriedly. 
 I shall be delighted to see you as soon as you like 
 to come, but please to observe a discreet silence 
 on the subject, as I must own I am rather enjoy- 
 ing the quiet time, and relief from the attendance 
 of some of our friends. I refer only to the 
 sex which, while holding the sceptre of the 
 world, is sometimes uncommonly aware of the 
 fact. 
 
 " This does not apply to you. I need hardly 
 say I do not place you in any category. In my 
 regard you stand alone. 
 
 " I must own I am curious to hear your news,
 
 146 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 for if dominance is the note of the other sex, 
 curiosity is the privilege of mine ! 
 
 " Yours till we meet, and afterwards, 
 "KATHERINE LOWTHER." 
 
 Lord Dion's servant brought him his heavy, 
 winter surtout, and his hat, and the Malacca cane 
 which his master carried when walking. It was 
 weighted in the gold top on which his hand 
 rested. 
 
 A slight drizzle of rain was falling. The man- 
 servant suggested fetching a chair, but Lord 
 Dion preferred to walk, respecting Miss Low- 
 ther's wish that his visit should not be known. 
 Going on foot would be less conspicuous. 
 
 The streets were comparatively empty, thej 
 morning not being attractive for promenading. 
 
 To reach the house he had to pass General 
 Wolfe's doorstep. He glanced at the windows, 
 but no one was visible. The sight acted as an 
 additional mnemonic. He pictured his friend 
 issuing from the door on that first day when he 
 had ridden " The Don " and established a reputa- 
 tion as an exceptional horseman. Did Miss Low- 
 ther think of it every time she passed that way ? 
 Did she picture the gallant figure, the delicate, 
 resolute face of the hero?
 
 A MORNING CALL 147 
 
 What did it mean to her? 
 
 Lord Dion's footsteps dragged a little as he 
 went on to the next door. The wind seemed 
 keener, the drizzle more depressing. He 
 coughed. He almost wished he had not offered 
 to come, but now that Katherine was expecting 
 him the interview was inevitable. 
 
 So, summoning up the mask which we all wear 
 in the ordinary course of life, Lord Dion lifted 
 the heavy knocker. Before it fell the door 
 opened. A footman bowed him in. 
 
 Miss Lovesay was crossing the hall-place at the 
 time. On one side was the staircase of carved 
 oak, broad and richly carpeted. On that dark 
 morning, a lamp, hanging from the ornamented 
 centre ceiling, was lighted. 
 
 He could not have said why, but it seemed to 
 him at the moment as if he were entering some 
 sacred shrine, some holy place of the Deity. He 
 felt he must lower his tone, and speak as if in the 
 Presence. 
 
 Naturally, Miss Lovesay had no such obses- 
 sion ; the place to her was too familiar in its 
 winter aspect. 
 
 She smiled, holding out a hand. " I am glad 
 you have come,. Lord Dion. You will do Kath- 
 erine good. She is a patient girl, if ever there
 
 148 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 was one, but I have exhausted all my topics of 
 conversation, and, as you know, she does not make 
 friends easily. Except Cecilia Fiennes and Mrs. 
 Wolfe, no one has seen her more than once since 
 she sprained her ankle, now ten days ago." Miss 
 Lovesay glanced mischievously at Lord Dion. 
 " I think Mrs. Wolfe is the most favoured 
 visitor. I suppose you have come on the same 
 errand? " 
 
 It was now Lord Dion's turn to feel and look 
 surprised. 
 
 "On what errand? " he asked. 
 
 " I think the cold must have dulled your wits, 
 or is it due to absence from the sparkling air of 
 Bath?" she queried, satirically. "What does 
 Mrs. Wolfe call here for but to expatiate on the 
 virtues of her unexampled son? And does not 
 Lord Dion sing the same tune as regards his 
 friend? ): She clapped her hands impatiently. 
 "You see, I get a little tired of these heroes. 
 Sometimes I prefer common clay, perhaps be- 
 cause it is nearer my own level. In any case, I 
 am not prepared to add a third to this duet, and 
 so, perhaps, I am a little out of favour." 
 
 The footman had disappeared, so these two 
 were alone in the hall. " I will show you up to 
 her room, Lord Dion. It is on the first floor."
 
 A MORNING CALL 149 
 
 So saying, with a quick movement, Miss Love- 
 say passed up the stairs, Lord Dion following. 
 She was always an enigma to him. Often he was 
 afraid of her. Sometimes he almost disliked her, 
 yet underneath there was an assured feeling that 
 she was his friend, which healed any little differ- 
 ences of outlook, any satirical effusions to which 
 she gave vent. 
 
 Lord Dion knew the lower part of the house 
 well. He had dined in it on not a few occasions, 
 when Sir James Lowther was in residence. But 
 the upper floor was a terra incognita. 
 
 Miss Lovesay tapped at a door, and, throwing 
 it open, announced "a friend and a stranger in 
 one." She gave a half humorous curtsy to 
 Dion, as if she were a waiting- woman, then 
 stepped on one side for him to enter. " Leave 
 some of his virtues out, if only for another 
 time ! " she whispered. 
 
 Lord Dion hardly noticed the remark. His 
 quiet self was unusually perturbed, he could not 
 have said why. It was absurd to think any 
 estrangement, any nervousness, should pervade 
 him on seeing Katherine again after such a 
 short absence. He ascribed the feeling to the 
 fact that he was meeting her under unfamiliar 
 conditions, and in a different environment,
 
 150 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 She was sitting in an easy-chair, with wicker- 
 work extension to support the sprained ankle. 
 She held out her hand, half rising. 
 
 "You will excuse me getting up," she said. 
 "I am a prisoner, and at times, when I am 
 inclined to forget the fact, I am speedily re- 
 minded." Lord Dion held her hand in his; 
 he thought it the most beautiful feminine hand 
 possible, and forgot to surrender it. " It is most 
 good of you to come to me," she went on ; "in 
 spite of all the kindness I receive, I find the hours 
 hang a little heavily." She had begun by speak- 
 ing as she might do to any friend of her own sex, 
 but the last two sentences had been said with a 
 certain rise and fall of her bosom, an intake of 
 the breath. 
 
 Gently she disengaged her fingers from his 
 grasp, and went back to the reclining attitude, 
 from which she had moved to receive her visitor. 
 
 Lord Dion drew a chair up, and sat down. 
 His eye travelled over the room, which was of 
 considerable size. It was replete with evidences 
 of her tastes and occupations. A few books, a 
 violin case hanging on the wall, a spinet in one 
 corner, by her side an escritoire with writing 
 materials, on a table a pillow with lace, partially 
 constructed , ready to be taken up again . All these
 
 A MORNING CALL 151 
 
 things to a woman would have meant little or 
 nothing to the man, everything. For the room 
 and its furniture were instinct with the spirit of 
 its owner. Those books were hers. The violin 
 was the one he had heard her play many times, 
 noting her graceful movements, the supple 
 symmetry of her rounded arms. He could 
 picture her handling the bobbin, as she worked 
 at the lace, her dreamy eyes, her thoughts. 
 
 Where would her thoughts be? 
 
 For a moment he had forgotten himself, for- 
 gotten she was looking at him, forgotten the 
 mask which men and women wear, lest they 
 should no longer be able to call their souls their 
 own. 
 
 Katherine tried to read his thoughts. She 
 guessed them to be sad ones. She knew per- 
 fectly the burden he always bore, and realised 
 the courage with which it was shouldered, the 
 brave spirit within the misshapen form. 
 
 To Katherine Lord Dion was one of the best 
 men in the world, true as steel, tender, sym- 
 pathetic as any woman, but with the courage, the 
 lion-heart of a man. 
 
 Well as she knew him, she was assured that 
 there were trackless paths in his mind and 
 character which she had never traversed, depths
 
 152 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 she had never been able to sound, enigmas 
 beyond her powers of solution perhaps beyond 
 his own. 
 
 The silence would have been oppressive, but 
 for the fact that a canary, in its cage, every now 
 and again uttered trills of pleasure and satis- 
 faction, perhaps anticipating the advent of sun- 
 shine, which the day had as yet denied. 
 
 "You look tired," she said, breaking the 
 silence. 
 
 " Then my looks belie me " now smiling ; he 
 had put on the mask. " I have had nothing to 
 tire me. An excellent night's rest, and plenty 
 of time for breakfast." 
 
 " But the journey must have been a very cold 
 one? " 
 
 "I did not find it so. I travelled in luxury." 
 
 'You were not long at Exeter." 
 
 " No, I was anxious to be home again to see 
 my friends to see you. " 
 
 Katherine blushed. "Not expecting to find 
 me a prisoner," she said. "You will miss one 
 friend even now you are home. I am told Colonel 
 Wolfe is detained in London. I heard nothing 
 more ; his mother was very reticent. I suppose 
 the best of women does not trust another woman 
 with a secret,"
 
 A MORNING CALL 153 
 
 "Is it as bad as that? " Lord Dion laughed. 
 
 " I am afraid so. My sex has a bad name 
 especially here in Bath. But I hope, and believe, 
 it is not wholly deserved.'* 
 
 "There may have been another reason for 
 Mrs. Wolfe's silence the best of all." 
 
 "Yes?" 
 
 "The fact that she did not know more." 
 
 " I never thought of that ; there seems such 
 absolute confidence between mother and son." 
 
 " Nevertheless, my solution may be the correct 
 one, for James Wolfe's plans are not his own. 
 They involve such large issues that to let any part 
 of them get abroad might hinder the event. I had 
 a letter from him before I left Exeter ; in fact, 
 I remained there longer than I should otherwise 
 have done, on the promise of it. I have it here 
 for you to see." As he spoke, he withdrew it 
 from the pocket of his surtout. " He tells me 
 only the things which affect himself, leaving out 
 the wider issues." 
 
 "Ought I to read it?" 
 
 " It was his wish that you should, not only this 
 one, but any correspondence which may come 
 to me from his hand." 
 
 Katherine looked a little doubtful. She held 
 out her hand with an obvious air of reluctance.
 
 154 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 " Of course I shall like to see what he has to 
 say, not merely because of a personal interest, 
 but because of my faith, my hopes," she 
 lowered her voice "my love for my country." 
 Then she looked at Dion Blair. "You know 
 that Mr. Pitt writes to me, himself, and perhaps 
 he says more to me than he does " she smiled 
 " to the few women who are within the circle of 
 his friendship. If, therefore, I read anything of 
 importance in Colonel Wolfe's letters, the 
 chances are it will not be altogether news to 
 me, but it will have this interest, they will 
 be the letters of one whom Mr. Pitt trusts, to 
 carry out a portion of the great schemes which 
 he has in his mind." 
 
 Lord Dion nodded. " I understand what you 
 mean." 
 
 Katherine held the envelope of the letter in 
 her hand, looking at the handwriting on the 
 cover, but her thoughts were evidently travelling 
 over a wide region. 
 
 At length she said : " This year promises to be 
 a great one; letters like this one will come to 
 mean more and more. We ought to be thankful 
 daily that England has so great a mind at the 
 helm of affairs a man who has belief in him- 
 self and also in his country. I am glad that
 
 A MORNING CALL 155 
 
 Colonel Wolfe admits me into his confidence ; he 
 will have great things to write about, and I shall 
 be one of the first to hear them." 
 
 "The letters will be indited to you as much 
 as to me," Lord Dion answered.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 AT ELY HOUSE 
 
 IT was the month of July, a hot, sweltering 
 day, blue sky overhead, the trees drooping their 
 dusty leaves, mutely asking for the rain-drops 
 to come and wash them. 
 
 Lord Dion, with a manservant at his back, 
 rode to the great gates of iron scroll-work, 
 which guarded the entrance to the Bishop of 
 Ely's town house, with the frontage on the 
 Strand, and ample garden space at the back, 
 running along the side of the Thames. Next to 
 it, separated only by a narrow lane, was the royal 
 residence of Whitehall. 
 
 My Lord of Ely was out of town, but had let 
 his mansion to Sir James Lowther. 
 
 Lord Dion had come up the previous day from 
 a small estate he owned in Dorsetshire, on the 
 sea-board, near Poole. 
 
 Between two and three months had elapsed 
 since he had parted from his friends at Bath. 
 
 156
 
 AT ELY HOUSE 157 
 
 The gay city of the west was empty, its visitors 
 scattered throughout the length and breadth of 
 the British Isles, some of them further afield, in 
 Italy. 
 
 Katherine Lowther, completely recovered 
 from her sprained ankle, had gone northwards to 
 Cumberland, in the yellow family coach, well 
 guarded by armed retainers, her cousin, Miss 
 Lovesay, accompanying her. 
 
 Every now and then a letter had reached 
 Lord Dion from the north, telling him of 
 Katherine Lowther's well-being, full of small 
 chronicles of their doings, also exhibiting an 
 eager quest for knowledge as to the movements, 
 in various parts of the world, inaugurated by 
 Mr. Pitt, the threads of which he held in his 
 hands. 
 
 Cumberland seemed so far away from the 
 centre of things. News travelled so slowly, and 
 the information contained in the badly printed 
 rags, whi^ch were sent from hand to hand among 
 the country gentry was, as often as not, absolutely 
 unreliable, describing events which had never 
 taken place, being the gossip of the coffee- 
 houses, and the reports of back-stairs menials. 
 Katherine was overjoyed, when she was able to 
 write to her friend that her brother contemplated
 
 158 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 a sojourn in London, to extend over a lengthy 
 period, and that he had acquired the Palace 
 of my Lord of Ely for that purpose. Never 
 before had she felt her brother's northern home 
 a place of exile. She wondered at the change 
 in herself. It peeped out in her letters, so 
 that Lord Dion could not fail to distinguish 
 the notes of a certain disquiet, if not exactly 
 of discontent. 
 
 Once or twice she had mentioned the name of 
 Colonel Wolfe in writing, when any news had 
 been imparted, generally through Mr. Pitt, of 
 the expedition, which by this time must have 
 reached its destination. Katherine had heard 
 that the weather of the spring months had been 
 specially trying to the fleet, in which Brigadier 
 Wolfe, as he now was, held the chief command, 
 General Amherst not joining until later. She 
 knew the fleet had barely started before it had 
 been driven back, and compelled to take refuge in 
 Plymouth Sound ; that, even when a fresh start 
 had been made, something like two months had 
 elapsed before the Canadian shores were sighted. 
 There her information ceased, at the moment 
 when her appetite had been whetted for what 
 was to follow, as was the case with the whole of 
 patriotic England.
 
 AT ELY HOUSE 159 
 
 Lord Dion had kept all her letters. He knew 
 them by heart. He strove to read more into them 
 than they actually conveyed, to find out what 
 was at the back of the writer's mind. The ques- 
 tion which had faced him, first at Taunton, and 
 afterwards more forcibly during the waiting 
 time in Exeter, was revived by each letter. He 
 pondered it as he walked, hands behind his back, 
 up and down the cliffs, which bounded Seaford 
 Manor, his Dorsetshire Seat. 
 
 How far was Katherine Lowther's feeling 
 stirred in the direction of James Wolfe, the 
 gallant, high-souled warrior, whom he himself 
 had first introduced ? Open on all other subjects, 
 she was reserved on this one, which interested 
 Dion more than all the others put together. 
 Was it the reserve which guards a secret, which 
 refuses to unlock the door of a maiden-heart, or 
 was there no secret to guard? 
 
 He could not account to himself for his mental 
 attitude towards this matter. It puzzled him. 
 Sometimes, when he remembered the domina- 
 tion of Wolfe's mind, his overwhelming affection 
 for his calling, his resolute ambition to succeed 
 in it, he hoped Katherine 's heart was not 
 touched. At other times, when the young 
 figure of the man and the beauty of face, form,
 
 160 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 and character of the girl met on the stage of his 
 mind, he was brought back to his original idea 
 with reference to the matter, feeling how ap- 
 propriate, how beseeming such a match would 
 be. 
 
 Then again there was the opinion of his own 
 heart, the tumultuous feeling which surged in his 
 breast, in spite of the exercise of his will-power 
 to subdue it. 
 
 It was when this last phase was most obtrusive 
 that his face became white and drawn, his brow 
 clouded with care, his head bent, until his mis- 
 shapen shoulder was the most obvious thing about 
 him. 
 
 Suffering like this was not by any means 
 his usual attitude towards life. Had it been so, 
 existence would have been rendered almost 
 impossible. 
 
 On his arrival in town, where he had apart- 
 ments always reserved for him, he found a letter 
 awaiting him, the first he had received from 
 Wolfe since they had parted. It was in his 
 pocket now, as he dismounted at the gate of the 
 Bishop of Ely's house. He had brought it while 
 the morning was still young, to read to Katherine 
 Lowther. He could not hand it to her, as 
 some of the descriptions of Wolfe's suffering
 
 AT ELY HOUSE 161 
 
 on board ship were hardly appropriate for her to 
 read. Wolfe was one of the worst of sailors, and, 
 after the fashion of the day, was accustomed to 
 use little reticence in writing to a man friend. 
 Also he had described, with some vividness of 
 detail, the condition of affairs at Portsmouth, 
 where the recruiting for the expedition had first 
 taken place, a seaport then in Wolfe's opinion 
 the worst in the world, as regards its influence 
 on the morale of an army. 
 
 Lord Dion's groom took the bridle of his 
 master's cob, as he pulled the pendant iron bell 
 at the side of the door, a stout oaken structure, 
 with bars across it, suggesting resistance to an 
 attack in troublous times. 
 
 A servant, in the Lowther livery, said Sir 
 James had gone down the river to Hampton, but 
 that Miss Lowther was, he thought, in the 
 garden. The man knew Lord Dion well, having 
 been on the establishment in Bath. 
 
 "I will go to your mistress," Lord Dion 
 replied, "if you will show me the way." 
 
 Both pleasure and nervousness, an unwonted 
 nervousness in his case, fought for the mastery, as 
 he followed the man down the well-kept paths, 
 between herbaceous borders, which led to a 
 summer-house, situated in the corner of the 
 
 M
 
 162 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 garden, with the waters of the Thames sparkling 
 in the sunshine hard by. 
 
 Hearing footsteps, Katherine Lowther laid 
 her book down on a bench by the side of her 
 chair, and rose. When she saw who it was, she 
 advanced towards him with a brisk step, holding 
 out both hands. 
 
 "This is an unexpected pleasure," she cried. 
 The expression in her eyes, the glow upon her 
 cheeks emphasised the words. 
 
 For a moment or two Lord Dion found him- 
 self unable to speak. Something had risen in his 
 throat, half joy, half regret, wholly inexplicable 
 to himself. At length he said, still holding 
 Katherine 's hands, "I only arrived in London 
 last night." 
 
 " It is most good of you to come here so soon." 
 
 " Good of me ! You know how I have been 
 longing to see you again. Besides, I have news 
 for you. A letter from Brigadier Wolfe." 
 
 " Come to the summer-house, where we can 
 talk without having the sun pouring down on 
 our heads." 
 
 She led the way to her retreat, resuming her 
 chair, while Dion sat on the bench near by. 
 
 Before them the garden lay steeped in sun- 
 shine, the flowers drooping their heads and glow-
 
 AT ELY HOUSE 163 
 
 ing with colour. Beyond was the broad surface 
 of the river, with a parapet dividing it from the 
 garden, a tow-path, which could not be seen 
 from the place where they were sitting, flanking 
 the parapet. The phosphorescence of the water 
 shone like molten gold. 
 
 As Lord Dion looked out on the languorous 
 scene, it contrasted in his mind with the picture 
 conjured up by his friend's words, in vivid 
 description of the conditions obtaining at the 
 seat of war. 
 
 After a minute or two of casual conversation, 
 Lord Dion began to read the letter from Wolfe, 
 leaving out the first part, which dealt with the 
 voyage, the discomforts and difficulties of the 
 two months during which they had been buffeted 
 by the winds of the Atlantic, and the delay at 
 Halifax, before the arrival of General Amherst, 
 which had chafed Wolfe a good deal. 
 
 Lord Dion began at those eventful days 
 in the early part of June when, for the first 
 time, the formidable fortress and town of 
 Louisburg was seen in the misty light of the 
 morning. 
 
 " . . . i picture to yourself the task upon 
 which we are set, and the difficulties to be over-
 
 164 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 come. The fleet, with Admiral Boscawen, has 
 entered the inner harbour. No English summer, 
 no June weather prevails here, I can assure you. 
 Cold fogs freeze us. Heavy seas drive against the 
 teeth of innumerable rocks, flinging columns of 
 white surf towards the sky, which are hurled back 
 again upon reefs and boulders with a reverberat- 
 ing roar. 
 
 " ' The entrance is about a mile across. In 
 the centre lies Goat Island, which bristles with 
 bastions and forts. Every angle of the coast, on 
 both sides, is guarded by great guns, while 
 barricades of trees afford shelter for riflemen. 
 
 " ' This morning I scaled the look-out-nest of 
 the frigate, so as to report to the Commander-in- 
 Chief, who was standing below me. With my 
 glasses I swept the whole line of the French 
 position. Beyond the island, which is held as 
 strongly as any place can be, are the masts and 
 flags of a squadron, which is anchored opposite 
 to the town. I counted several line of battle- 
 ships, and four or five frigates. 
 
 '"In the distance, stretching away to the 
 hills, are immense forests, lonely, trackless. The 
 river winds away towards Quebec, the goal of 
 our hopes, but before that can be attempted this 
 fortress of Louisburg must fall into our hands.
 
 AT ELY HOUSE 165 
 
 " ' Here we are, some ten thousand British 
 soldiers and sailors, determined to carry our 
 point. On the leaders depends the finding of the 
 way.' 
 
 Lord Dion stopped reading. Katherine had 
 been watching him, admiring the soft melody of 
 his voice, noting his change of tone, as he entered 
 into the spirit of the narrative, and pictured the 
 scenes described. 
 
 The thought in her mind was one of intense 
 pity. Here was a brave spirit, ready and eager 
 to take his place among those who were fighting 
 for their country, but "cribb'd, cabined, con- 
 fined," tied down by the accident of his infancy. 
 She was absorbed in the interest of what she was 
 h earing read, but that did not prevent her 
 woman's sympathy for the reader. 
 
 "Yes," she said. " I can picture it all. Please 
 continue." 
 
 "There is a break in the letter here. Wolfe 
 takes it up at a point three days later." 
 
 .. . 
 
 I have waited to continue my letter from 
 sheer necessity. Every moment has been 
 occupied since I last took up my pen. 
 
 " ' The winds have not been favourable to our
 
 166 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 undertaking. No boats could put off from the 
 ships to seek a landing-place. We have been 
 buffeted by gale and tide. You can imagine my 
 condition. Under the cover of darkness a sloop, 
 belonging to the harbour-master at Louisburg, 
 tried to creep past us into the open sea. But our 
 watch was too vigilant. We captured it. I was 
 present when General Amherst and Admiral 
 Boscawen examined the French Commander as 
 to the condition of affairs. He said but little. 
 The day has gone by, I am thankful to say, when 
 answers would have been wrung from him by 
 torture. One thing is clear. The Commandant 
 at the fortress and his subordinate officers know a 
 life-and-death struggle is inevitable. 
 
 " ' After anxious hours and days of incessant 
 watchfulness, the storm abated somewhat. Last 
 night Amherst, Boscawen, Townshend, and my- 
 self dropped into a sloop, which was ranged 
 ready, alongside our battleship. 
 
 " ' We surveyed those portions of the shore, 
 which our glasses told us were most open to the 
 possibility of attack. I shall never forget the 
 excitement of tossing in those stormy waters ; the 
 brine-spray against my face, the continual risk 
 of striking some submerged rock, and so engulf- 
 ing for ever the leaders of our expedition.
 
 AT ELY HOUSE 167 
 
 " ' But God preserved us. We have made our 
 plans. I am entrusted with the leading, when 
 the actual landing is made. How eagerly I look 
 for it can only be measured by the waiting of 
 months, which have elapsed since we started."
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 FROM THE FRONT 
 
 THERE was a vibration in Lord Dion's voice, as 
 he went on reading the letter from his friend, 
 which showed his excitement deepened with the 
 added force of the narrative, as the whole scene 
 opened out in the mind of the writer, and was 
 reproduced by his graphic pen. 
 
 " * The spot we selected for immediate attack is 
 called Freshwater Cove. Three other points were 
 threatened simultaneously, so that our real design 
 should be as little manifest as possible. We 
 started at dawn. With me were twelve com- 
 panies of Grenadiers, some Canadian Rangers, 
 upon whom we relied for guidance because of 
 their knowledge of the country, a few hundred 
 light skirmishers, and a regiment of Fraser's 
 Highlanders.' " 
 
 Lord Dion turned to Katherine. " I can 
 
 168
 
 FROM THE FRONT 
 
 imagine with what feeling the Brigadier wrote 
 this. I was in Scotland with him when he first 
 conceived the idea that, out of these warring 
 elements of Highlanders, could be formed the 
 finest fighting force of the Army. He urged 
 it again and again on the Government." 
 
 " And in the end carried his point, as, I 
 suppose, he usually does." She smiled. 
 
 Lord Dion wondered what latent meaning lay 
 at the back of her words. His thoughts were pro- 
 jected into the future, when Wolfe would have 
 returned, with added laurels, his honours thick 
 upon him. Supposing then he wanted some- 
 thing asked for something ? Would Katherine 
 Lowther remember what she had just said, in 
 the summer-house by the sparkling waters of the 
 Thames ? 
 
 The unanswered questions emphasised the 
 crow's-feet about his eyes; he drew his lips 
 together a little more firmly. 
 
 Katherine was not looking at him. Her eyes 
 were fixed on a barge, which was slowly moving 
 with the tide down the river. Her thoughts 
 were still with the component parts of the 
 expedition. 
 
 "Mr. Pitt," she said, "was the first man to 
 see the value of the advice given. It is wholly
 
 170 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 due to him that the Scottish regiments are 
 enrolled." 
 
 Lord Dion nodded. Picking up the letter, 
 which he had laid down, he began to read again, 
 but it took him a full two or three minutes, before 
 the excitement of the theme gripped him once 
 more. 
 
 " ' The boats were lowered, and we started 
 under cover of a heavy fusillade from our fleet, 
 which rilled the air with deafening noise, drown- 
 ing even the thunder of the surf. With the 
 utmost expedition we raced across the open space 
 of water towards the point of debarkation, 
 each boat's crew vying with its neighbour for 
 the place of honour, striving to reach the goal 
 first. 
 
 " ' Dead silence reigned from the quarters 
 of the enemy, but we could see at every point 
 the gleam of cannon, ominous and threatening, 
 while the wooded shore bristled with marksmen, 
 taking advantage of every point of cover, only 
 awaiting the word of command to greet our 
 approach. 
 
 " * I saw a sword waved in the air, a trumpet 
 pealed forth, then the whole sky was filled with 
 acrid smoke. Flames belched out from a thousand
 
 FROM THE FRONT 171 
 
 points. Our boats were struck by a storm of 
 bullets, while shells ploughed the water on every 
 side. Hundreds of bodies, which a few seconds 
 before were those of men eager for battle, covered 
 the surface of the water, showing that the aim 
 of the enemy had been as accurate as the onset 
 was fierce, and, apparently, irresistible. 
 
 " ' I stood by the mast, but seemed to bear a 
 charmed life, for while the ping of bullets sang 
 in my ears, and even ripped my clothes in places, 
 I remained unwounded. 
 
 " ' For the moment the responsibility of the 
 position weighed me down. Was it possible to 
 pursue our course in the face of that murderous 
 fire? The fleet was behind us. Should we turn 
 back for reinforcements? 
 
 " ' Then, thank God, the decision was taken 
 out of my hands. I noticed three of our boats, 
 with the youngest soldiers under my command 
 in them, had effected a landing, having reached 
 a rocky ledge upon which the officers sprang, 
 followed by their men. 
 
 ' The effect was instantaneous. A cheer rang 
 forth from the crew of all our other boats, which 
 must have been heard at Louisburg. With 
 redoubled energy we all raced to their assist- 
 ance. The landing was effected. In spite of the
 
 172 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 heavy losses which resulted from that fierce 
 defence, we had made good our hold on the first 
 line of attack. 
 
 " ' The fleet drew nearer, and commenced 
 shelling the enemy's lines, but they were in no 
 heart to continue the struggle. There was a 
 stampede through the woods. A quantity of 
 cannon, stacked muskets, and accoutrements fell 
 into our hands. Some hundred wounded were 
 left behind. I sent them, with a flag of truce, 
 into Louisburg. 
 
 " ' This was our answer to the inhuman acts, 
 which have characterised the victorious force 
 during the progress of this war. 
 
 " ' The blood of our soldiers has been in- 
 flamed by the knowledge of what happened after 
 previous engagements. I had to use all my 
 authority to prevent a massacre of the prisoners 
 who fell into our hands. 
 
 " * I am thankful that a better day has dawned. 
 
 "'I am writing this, by the aid of a lantern, 
 in my tent. We have made good our position, 
 from which no force of the enemy will dislodge 
 us. In the distance I can see the twinkling 
 lights of the French line, while behind us, in 
 the harbour, at bow, stern, and mast-head hang 
 the lanterns of our fleet.
 
 FROM THE FRONT 173 
 
 " ' I hope ere long to be able to send 
 you news of even greater successes. Now I lay 
 down my pen in sheer weariness, having, before 
 writing this, completed a short letter to my 
 father. 
 
 " ' May God keep us both, and make us worthy. 
 " ' Your devoted servant and friend, 
 
 "'JAMES WOLFE.'" 
 
 Lord Dion had read it through without pause 
 or comment. He felt rather than saw a little 
 stir of the girl by his side. She had held her 
 breath until the reading was over, the narrative 
 completed. 
 
 It came to Dion now that no message had been 
 inserted at the close of the letter for the one 
 friend, to whom he had been directed to show 
 the correspondence. Then, again, the begin- 
 ning of it he had himself felt to be not altogether 
 suitable for her ears. 
 
 In these months of absence, and with all the 
 absorption of the glorious task in which Wolfe 
 was playing a part, had he forgotten the in- 
 struction? In other words, had he forgotten 
 Katherine Lowther? 
 
 He did not dare to look at her, lest his glance 
 should betray his thoughts, lest he should see in
 
 174 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 her eyes the reflection of the doubt he had in his 
 mind. 
 
 " Colonel Wolfe describes everything wonder- 
 fully," Katherine said, after a long pause. "It 
 is difficult to realise what is happening out there : 
 the hardships, the danger, the bristling forts, the 
 storm-swept shores, and the great range of 
 forests, while we have this before us." She in- 
 dicated the river, golden in the sunshine, with 
 a few slow-moving barges and small sailing- 
 ships, listlessly plying on its waters, in the torrid 
 heat of the noon-day. 
 
 Now she had spoken the spell had been 
 removed. Dion Blair could look at her. The tone 
 of her voice was even, the rise and fall of her 
 bosom normal. No unusual flush suffused her 
 cheeks, which had now the glow of health and 
 beauty nothing more. 
 
 He had doubted James Wolfe ; now he 
 doubted Katherine Lowther. These two hearts 
 presented an aspect so foreign to his ideas, so 
 different from what he would have felt under the 
 same conditions, that they offered an enigma 
 outside his capacity of solution. 
 
 A manservant appeared bringing a tray. On 
 it was a silver heating-dish, hand-chased in some 
 Eastern city, with a lamp under it. By its side
 
 FROM THE FRONT 175 
 
 was a silver bowl, containihg^engths of chocolate, 
 with tiny dishes of sweet biscuits. The whole 
 was flanked by two cups and saucers of delicate 
 porcelain. 
 
 " I had no idea it was as late as twelve o'clock. 
 You will join me, Lord Dion? " 
 
 The footman had brought up a small wicker 
 table, after depositing the tray on a bench. 
 He set the whole before his mistress, and 
 retired. 
 
 "It is nice to be out here in the open air. 
 It is cooler by the river than anywhere, either 
 in the house or garden. We get the breath 
 of whatever wind there is in this summer- 
 house." 
 
 "It is perfect," Dion assented. Perhaps 
 this expressed more than the mere words, or 
 at any rate more than she referred to in her 
 remarks. 
 
 "Forgive my using my fingers." She apolo- 
 gised, as she broke the sticks of chocolate into 
 small pieces and dropped them into the cups. 
 She filled the heating-dish with milk. As soon 
 as it boiled, she poured it into the cups. You 
 will find it too hot to drink just yet," she said. 
 Suddenly she turned to him : "How silent 
 you are."
 
 176 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 He smiled one of those rare smiles which lit 
 up his face,, making him look handsome. " There 
 is so much to think about," he said, "so much 
 to feel, I cannot talk." 
 
 "But if your mind is full, that is the very 
 time to talk." 
 
 " On the contrary, to keep silent." 
 
 "Selfishness," she suggested, "to keep it to 
 yourself." 
 
 "It would not do to tell everything that is in 
 one's thoughts." 
 
 " Not to me, whom you have known for more 
 years than I care to remember it makes me 
 realise that age is coming on? ' 
 
 'You will never grow old," Dion asserted. 
 " Age is a matter of spirit, not of the physical 
 frame." 
 
 ( You have turned away on a side issue," she 
 declared, lifting her cup, at the same time fixing 
 him with an interrogative glance. " What were 
 you thinking of just now, when you said your 
 mind was too full for words? " 
 
 Lord Dion shook his head. "One thing, 
 the years have taught me to hold my 
 peace." 
 
 " * Even from good words ' ? " she quoted. 
 
 He knew the quotation well, but he did not
 
 FROM THE FRONT 177 
 
 finish it aloud, yet the words she had used 
 remained in his mind. There came a time when 
 they seemed to be breathed again into his ear, 
 with a vivid, irresistible force. 
 
 But that time was not yet. He began to sip 
 the chocolate. 
 
 " What do you think of my concoction ? >! 
 
 What had he thought of it, from the moment 
 he had seen her begin the preparations down to 
 the end, watching her delicate fingers, feeling 
 the glow of her personality close to him that 
 the touch was on his heart ? 
 
 "You will certainly lure me here again, at 
 twelve o'clock," was what he replied. 
 
 "You are always welcome, but that goes 
 without saying." 
 
 ''Thank you. Before many days are over we 
 ought to have another budget of news." 
 
 ' You will bring it here immediately? >; 
 
 "Without doubt. Something tells me that 
 Louisburg has fallen." 
 
 * You believe in premonitions ? ' 
 
 'Yes, when they are based on facts. We 
 know that the initial step has already been carried 
 out. I am sure nothing short of death itself 
 will keep our friend from the goal he has set 
 himself."
 
 178 
 
 " Death ! " She shuddered. " It seems so 
 far removed from the glow of the noon-day, as 
 we sit here." 
 
 As she spoke the sound of oars came to them. 
 A quick moving boat was passing, very different 
 from the crawling craft further in the centre of 
 the stream, which they had been watching 
 hitherto. 
 
 A common interest seized them ; they could 
 not have said why. They set down their cups 
 simultaneously, and advanced to the low wall 
 forming the parapet of the river. 
 
 A barge was coming towards them rapidly, 
 propelled by watermen wearing the royal livery. 
 In the stern sat a solitary figure ; he was wearing 
 no hat it was on his lap his wig was pushed 
 back from his brow. There was an eager look in 
 the fine face. He seemed to be reaching forward 
 towards a future, almost within his grasp. His 
 eyes turned neither to the right hand nor to the 
 left. 
 
 Katherine Lowther laid her fingers on the lace 
 ruffle of Lord Dion's sleeve. It was her way of 
 punctuating the situation. 
 
 In the stern of the boat was William Pitt. 
 The King was at Hampton. Doubtless his 
 Minister was returning from an audience. Per-
 
 FROM THE FRONT 179 
 
 haps he had been imparting the news which 
 Katherine had just heard read? 
 
 The boat swept by, without Pitt having 
 noticed them. It disappeared round a bend of 
 the river, in the direction of the Westminster 
 steps. 
 
 " One of the greatest men in the world ; one of 
 the greatest men that have ever lived."
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 A THREATENED ATTACK 
 
 ON the day that Lord Dion paid his visit to 
 Katharine Lowther, and read to her the letter 
 he had received from Brigadier Wolfe, the latter 
 was in the camp he had formed on the east side 
 of the mainland. 
 
 It was the 19th of June. Three weeks of 
 incessant toil, with continuous skirmishing, had 
 given the intrepid young Commander sufficient 
 occupation of the kind he liked best. 
 
 It was he who had made good the first landing 
 of the British on the shore, and to him was left, 
 by General Amherst, the forward movement, 
 which went on practically night and day, towards 
 the doomed city. 
 
 Wolfe had shown the utmost intrepidity 
 throughout his career, but in these days another 
 very necessary quality had to be exercised. He 
 had acquired it, he displayed it to the admiration 
 of his superiors, with whom he was in constant 
 touch, Amherst and Boscawen. It was caution, 
 
 180
 
 A THREATENED ATTACK 181 
 
 that kind of caution which has regard for the 
 salvage of life. 
 
 Night and day they worked to push forward 
 their batteries, dragging up the guns first to the 
 summit of one incline, then of another, but 
 always using the splendid cover provided by the 
 trees, which grew in rank abundance on all sides, 
 as protection against the French. 
 
 It was the end of a day which had been filled 
 with the task of mounting a battery, from which 
 shells could be fired on the one side upon the 
 outer fortifications of Louisburg, and on the 
 other upon the remaining ships, which were 
 within the harbour. Those nearest to the Eng- 
 lish position had already been sacrificed, sunk by 
 the French Admiral, to prevent them falling 
 into the hands of the British. On the half- 
 dozen battleships which remained, were over five 
 hundred guns, and men so thickly massed to- 
 gether that the decks were inconveniently 
 crowded. The guns and extra men had come 
 from the abandoned frigates. 
 
 In the dusk of the evening, before nightfall 
 had actually taken place, Wolfe had made his way 
 alone to the highest point of an incline, which 
 bounded the scene of his camp on one side. 
 Here he could obtain the most extensive view 
 of the city. His field-glass was in his hand.
 
 182 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 When he reached the ridge, he stood with hii 
 back to a giant maple, looking long and fixedly 
 over the whole position. Only three parts of a 
 mile now separated the attacking force from its 
 quarry. Behind him lay the woods, which failed 
 to suggest the fact that several thousand men 
 were encamped under their shadow. 
 
 The cry of a night-bird hunting for its prey, 
 the distant bark of a fox, these were the only 
 sounds which broke the stillness. For centuries 
 these woods had resounded with the war-hoot of 
 Indians. Not a few cruel incidents had stained 
 that magnificent foreshore, when straggling 
 bands of white men, their wives and children had 
 fallen into the hands of the hereditary enemy. 
 
 In spite of the fact that Wolfe had been 
 strenuously engaged the whole day, his mind 
 occupied with the directing of his men, always 
 in the forefront, not infrequently assisting with 
 his own hands, he felt but little weariness. His 
 was the spirit, which burned so brightly at 
 supreme moments, that the flesh hardly seemed 
 to count for anything. 
 
 He lowered his glass, and stood half dreamily 
 enjoying the quiet beauty of the night. It was 
 cold, but he was enveloped in a heavy military 
 coat, which only left his face and hands exposed. 
 He surveyed mentally the actions of those three
 
 A THREATENED ATTACK 183 
 
 weeks which had separated the first onset from 
 that moment. He was a man hard to please. 
 He spared himself not at all. He expected an 
 equal ardour, alike from those who were above 
 him and those who were beneath him. If this 
 was not forthcoming, he was ready to express 
 disapproval, a fact which his letters made clear. 
 But on this 19th of June he was more than satis- 
 fied. Every hour had been occupied, vigour and 
 endurance had marked every form of move- 
 ment. Amherst, though cautious, had proved 
 himself a capable and efficient commander, 
 while he had shown the utmost confidence in 
 Wolfe's capacity. 
 
 The city was doomed, of that Wolfe felt sure. 
 It might not fall for a month, or it might be 
 carried any day, but assuredly ere long the tramp 
 of English soldiers would echo through the 
 streets of the "impregnable fortress," proved 
 impregnable no longer. 
 
 The thought of the conquest, the picture, which 
 presented itself to his mind of the French flag 
 being hauled down and the British taking its 
 place, acted as a mnemonic to him of that study 
 in St. James's Square, to which he had gone 
 on that winter morning, after he had ridden 
 from Exeter. 
 
 Into that same study would come the news
 
 184 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 of what had been done. He pictured the strong, 
 keen, dominant face of the great Statesman as 
 the letter, bringing the intelligence, was opened 
 and its contents mastered. He knew that their 
 success would wipe out the disastrous story of 
 former defeat. Pitt had trusted them, trusted 
 Amherst, trusted Boscawen, trusted himself, the 
 youngest Brigadier in the British army ! 
 
 Wolfe squared his shoulders and drew himself 
 up. The confidence, the approval of William 
 Pitt, Ah ! that was something for which to live 
 and die. 
 
 From the room in St. James's Square his 
 thoughts passed as if spirit-messages had 
 rapidly traversed the space between. He 
 thought of his parents ; he knew that by this time 
 they would be in their house at Blackheath. 
 He thought of Lord Dion, to whom he had 
 written after his first success, the friend of all 
 others whose spirit was most congenial to his 
 own, the man who had never failed him, without 
 guile or selfishness ; nay, almost too regardless 
 of self. He thought of Katherine Lowther. 
 He wondered whether she had read his letter to 
 Dion. He had sent no message to her. It must 
 be owned, at the time when it was written, she 
 was in the background of his thoughts, if indeed 
 there at all.
 
 A THREATENED ATTACK 185 
 
 Surely some telepathic message must have 
 been brought from that Palace by the Thames 
 to the solitary watcher in the woods hard by the 
 St. Lawrence? For Katherine Lowther was 
 thinking of him as she paced in the cool of the 
 evening within the garden, listening to the 
 waters as the tide flowed against its banks, 
 very different to the deafening surge which 
 broke against the rocky fringe of the Canadian 
 river. 
 
 Katherine, with her woman's instinct, her 
 clear perception, had no hesitation in arriving at 
 the true appreciation of Wolfe's character. She 
 saw into his inmost aspirations, she read his soul 
 as perhaps no one else did, not even Lord Dion. 
 She saw him as a weapon of finely-tempered steel, 
 admirably fitted for the use to which it was being 
 put. She saw him a Bayard, a du Guesclin, a 
 Richard Coeur de Lion, a hero sans peur, sans 
 reproche, the kind of man for whom women 
 without number have died, not infrequently with 
 seared hearts, weeping tears of bitter anguish 
 because the love they desired was not accorded 
 to them, or because they lost, all too soon, the 
 crumbs of comfort which had been flung to their 
 hungry souls. 
 
 But such men have their limitations. War and 
 fighting, encounter and victory, are the very
 
 186 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 breath of their nostrils ; the tenderness of a 
 woman's embrace comparatively a small and 
 subsidiary thing. 
 
 Wolfe was cast in the hero-mould, and 
 Katherine knew it. It evoked her admiration, 
 but it left her conscious of what was lacking : 
 the failure to respond to the need of her woman- 
 hood. 
 
 Yet, with it all, she had an admiration which 
 could not be denied for the soldier-quality, the 
 chivalrous soul, all the greater because certain 
 physical drawbacks and disabilities had to be 
 overcome. Katherine 's balanced, almost cold, 
 summing up of James Wolfe resulted from a 
 knowledge of what others had offered, laid at her 
 feet, and which she knew he could never give. 
 But balanced opinion goes for little. The 
 moment of contact of soul sweeps it away. 
 
 Thus, on the 19th of June, these two were 
 thinking of one another : Katherine Lowther, 
 surrounded by the quiet beauty of a hot English 
 evening ; James Wolfe, alone in the midst of 
 tense responsibility, an outpost of an English 
 force, in what was at this time a fiercely hostile 
 environment. 
 
 As a matter of fact, allowing for the difference 
 in time between the two sides of the Atlantic, 
 this interchange of thought could not really have
 
 A THREATENED ATTACK 187 
 
 been simultaneous, but it happened, nevertheless, 
 at the corresponding period of time. 
 
 Wolfe roused himself from his reverie, or, 
 rather, was roused by that sense of vigilance 
 which marked the true soldier, and underlay the 
 more obvious thoughts in his mind. 
 
 From his commanding position, over which 
 by now the darkness had crept, he could see the 
 lights of the French entrenchments, at a dis- 
 tance of rather less than a mile. The object 
 which attracted his attention, causing him to 
 bend forward with his glass at his eye, was the 
 movement of another light from point to point 
 over an area as extensive as the French line 
 itself. 
 
 Something was stirring, something was about 
 to happen, something which boded no good to 
 the force Wolfe commanded. He felt sure 
 orders were being carried for a night attack. 
 Instinct told him this, rather than force of 
 reasoning. 
 
 The French General had in his service more 
 than a thousand Indian warriors, equipped with 
 a knowledge of the woods, which was not shared 
 by the European soldiers on either side, not even 
 by the Canadian settlers who had been pressed 
 into the service of the French by a force majeure, 
 which they were unable to resist.
 
 188 
 
 With the vivid recollection of the massacre at 
 Fort Henry and other recent atrocities, Wolfe 
 hurried back to the valley camp from which he 
 had issued. Sentinels had been posted at all 
 points. He was met by a challenge, giving the 
 countersign in response. They had seen nothing 
 to arnise their suspicion. In fact it was only 
 possible from the single vantage point, which 
 Wolfe had occupied. 
 
 A few hurried commands to his subordinate 
 officers, one after another was roused from sleep 
 by a touch and a word of caution, and within ten 
 minutes the message had been whispered from 
 man to man, "The enemy is about to attack. 
 Stand to arms." 
 
 Now it was that the discipline which Wolfe 
 had inculcated from the outset, turning his small 
 command into a formidable machine, told its 
 tale. Officers, commissioned and non-commis- 
 sioned, privates of all arms, fell into their places 
 without confusion, without apparent disturbance 
 or excitement. 
 
 Brigadier Wolfe was proud of them. Not a 
 light had been shown, not a command given, 
 which could have been heard as far off as the 
 ring of sentries, yet all were ready. 
 
 Not a sound broke the stillness of the night. 
 All human life might have been separated from
 
 A THREATENED ATTACK 189 
 
 them by a thousand miles, yet the gallant com- 
 mand ar was assured that ever drawing near to 
 them was the contingent of dusky warriors, who, 
 easy to overcome in the open, or when the light 
 shone full upon them, acquired a dread terror 
 when night hid their stealthy movements ; when 
 a sudden attack rendered sleepy men easy victims 
 to their cruel onset. 
 
 Wolfe divided his force into three parts. One 
 he left in the camp, with instructions to show a 
 certain number of lights, which would deceive 
 the enemy, making them think the camp unpre- 
 pared ; the other two divisions he marshalled, to 
 pass on either side of the canyon, the narrow 
 defile bounded by trees on both sides. 
 
 As soon as two hundred yards separated them 
 from the camp, the men were ordered to kneel, 
 taking full advantage of the thick cover of trees 
 and undergrowth.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 BY LAND AND SEA 
 
 THE night seemed abnormally still. It was 
 low tide, so that even the sobbing of the sea 
 along the shore was inaudible. Hardly a breath 
 of wind stirred in the tree-tops. 
 
 The little force had effectually hidden them- 
 selves. Wolfe alone stood erect, sheltering 
 under an ilex, its branches so thick that no 
 light could penetrate to the ground even in the 
 daytime. 
 
 Alert, he seemed all ears. To wait was the 
 most difficult task he could set himself ; anything 
 else came more easily to his ardent, impatient 
 spirit. The time seemed unusually long. He 
 began to doubt if his surmise had been correct : 
 some other message might have been signalled 
 along the enemy's lines. He was getting 
 cramped ; he shifted his position. Leaves crackled 
 under his feet. He heard a movement like 
 the stealthy tread of an animal disturbed in its 
 lair. 
 
 190
 
 BY LAND AND SEA 191 
 
 Silence. The same sound again, but nearer, 
 the faintest possible footfalls, the crackling 
 of the dried leaves under the tread of many 
 feet. 
 
 Wolfe wondered if he alone heard this. His 
 men betrayed no sign of anything, but among 
 them were not a few who had had considerable 
 experience of back- woods fighting. He felt sure 
 these men at least would recognise that the 
 crucial moment was at hand. 
 
 A gleam of intense satisfaction came into his 
 eyes. Before him lay the easy track down the 
 canyon towards the camp. A moment ago it had 
 been deserted, empty. Now it was alive. At least 
 fifty dusky forms advancing at a rapid pace, but 
 with the utmost caution and quietude, appeared 
 at the head of the defile. 
 
 Wolfe's eyes had grown accustomed to the 
 dimness. He could distinguish the plumes on the 
 heads of the enemy. Each man carried a musket, 
 as well as the tomahawk which hung at his side, 
 for the French had armed their allies, and taught 
 them how to use weapons hitherto unfamiliar to 
 them. 
 
 The fifty or so of them passed down. Wolfe 
 let them go by without any indication of having 
 seen them'. He knew well they were only the 
 advance-guard, sent forward to make sure that
 
 192 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 the camp was unprepared ; the main body would 
 follow almost immediately. 
 
 His expectation was realised. Hardly five 
 minutes had passed before the whole centre of 
 the defile was occupied, as well as the sloping 
 sides of the ravine to the place where the under- 
 growth began. Hidden in that undergrowth on 
 both sides was the little British force, every man 
 awaiting the word of command, every man ready 
 with his rifle to his shoulder. They were out- 
 numbered four or five to one, but they had no 
 fear as to the result. Long experience had 
 taught them that to fall into the hands of this 
 particular enemy meant slow torture, leading to 
 death from exhaustion. 
 
 Bitter hatred, the utmost loathing, was in the 
 breast of every combatant on the English side. 
 Some had lost relatives or friends, foully mur- 
 dered, in the days w T hen one after another British 
 Generals allowed themselves to walk straight into 
 ambuscades, losing half their force, before a blow 
 from their side had been struck. The recruits 
 who had not lost comrades in this way had heard 
 the narrative of what had happened, told round 
 the camp-fires by veterans, the story losing 
 nothing in the telling. 
 
 Men fired with such memories as these were not 
 likely to show much quarter. Neither were they
 
 BY LAND AND SEA 193 
 
 likely to yield while a single muscle remained taut 
 and capable of fighting. The only difficulty was 
 to keep them restrained until the critical moment. 
 This Wolfe's discipline had accomplished, and he 
 thanked God for it as he waited, hardly drawing 
 his breath. 
 
 The moment had come. The foremost Indians 
 reached the extreme end of the canyon covered 
 by British guns. The last of the troop had just 
 entered at the mouth of the defile. 
 
 Every man under Wolfe had been warned to 
 wait for the signal, to waste no ammunition, to 
 cover the enemy nearest to him with his rifle. 
 The distance separating the British soldiers from 
 the Indians was at no point more than thirty 
 yards. 
 
 Wolfe raised a silver whistle to his lips and 
 blew one clear note, which rang through the 
 wood like a trumpet call. 
 
 Just at the same moment there came the sound 
 of firing from the camp. This told a tale. The 
 advance-guard of the Indians was meeting with 
 a hot reception, instead of finding a sleeping 
 camp at its mercy. 
 
 From every bush there issued a leaping tongue 
 of fire. The acrid smell of gunpowder was on 
 the air, the smoke from the guns rose up, adding 
 to the darkness of the night.
 
 194 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 A yell of surprise, the cry of death came from 
 the whole length of the canyon. Wolfe sprang 
 forward, sword in hand. 
 
 " Give them the bayonet, boys ! ' 
 
 With an impetuous rush the English force 
 leaped upon the enemy. There was little or no 
 resistance. The destruction caused by the first 
 volley, the onset coming from both sides, the 
 entire reversal of everything the enemy had 
 expected, combined to sweep away any deter- 
 mination they possessed. They turned and 
 fled in all directions, seeking the shelter of 
 the woods, scores of them stabbed through the 
 back, where British bayonets found their mark 
 before escape could be consummated. 
 
 Barely an hour had passed, from the time the 
 Brigadier and his force had gone out from the 
 camp, before they were able to return, the exploit 
 accomplished. 
 
 Of the fifty advance-guard which had been 
 allowed to make its way to the edge of the camp, 
 nearly thirty had fallen before the rifles of the 
 defenders. 
 
 It was a signal victory. More, it was a lesson 
 which Wolfe knew well would strike terror into 
 the hearts of the garrison of Louisburg. 
 
 Another step forward had been taken in the 
 inevitable march to victory.
 
 BY LAND AND SEA 195 
 
 Wolfe sat in his tent and penned a few lines 
 to General Amherst, describing in brief, soldierly 
 fashion what had occurred. That letter is still 
 extant. It reads in such fashion that men looking 
 at it feel the fire of conflict, the throb of courage, 
 the instinct of patriotism rising in their hearts. 
 
 Having accomplished the letter, and dis- 
 patched it by a trusty messenger, Wolfe sat back 
 in his chair by the side of the single mattress, 
 which, with a few blankets, made up his bed 
 equipment, and lived over again for a few 
 minutes the last exciting hour. 
 
 The days that followed were full of strenuous 
 exertion. Wolfe's activities were almost sleep- 
 less. Now he was pushing on his small force, 
 until its line of attack was close enough to shell 
 the island, and destroy the forts upon it. Now 
 he was back again with Amherst, stirring up that 
 cautious but capable Commander to advance 
 matters at a more rapid pace. It was said of 
 Wolfe at this time that no one knew where he 
 would be at a given moment : " There is no cer- 
 tainty where to find him, but wherever he goes 
 he carries with him a mortar in one pocket and 
 a twenty-four pounder in the other." 
 
 On the 25th of June the island battery was 
 finally silenced by Wolfe's guns, and this most 
 valuable position evacuated by the French.
 
 196 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 On the following day the French Admiral him- 
 self sank four of his ships, in order to block the 
 mouth of the harbour, and prevent Admiral 
 Boscawen from entering it with the English 
 fleet. 
 
 Wolfe stood watching this sacrifice. Then he 
 turned his glass on the Arethuse. Just beneath 
 the place where he stood four English cannon had 
 been brought up, guarded as far as was possible 
 by earth entrenchments. Handling these guns 
 were the finest shots in the British service. 
 Wolfe had seen to their training. They knew 
 they were acting under his eyes. What Pitt was 
 to the Commanders of his various expeditions, 
 Wolfe, on a smaller scale, was to the men under 
 him. They were infected by his enthusiasm. 
 There seemed no limit to what they could accom- 
 plish when he was looking at them. 
 
 The Brigadier measured the distance between 
 the French battleship and those four guns. Was 
 it possible to reach her with a well-directed 
 shell? 
 
 Many an officer would have answered the ques- 
 tion in the negative. Not so Wolfe. Things 
 which others called impossible, he regarded as 
 incentives. He leapt from the mound upon which 
 he was standing, and ran to the foremost of the
 
 BY LAND AND SEA 197 
 
 gunners, a grizzled old soldier from Plymouth, 
 named Abel Crook. Crook had served a gun 
 almost as long as he could remember, both on 
 the harbour defences at Plymouth and on board 
 ship. 
 
 Wolfe pointed to the Arethuse with his cane : 
 " Can you carry as far as that, Abel? ' 
 
 The gunner removed his cap and scratched his 
 head. He wore his own hair long, tied with 
 ribbon at the back. He was not beautiful with 
 the grime of gunpowder on his face, arms, and 
 bare chest. 
 
 " It be a goodish distance, General. I can but 
 try." 
 
 As he spoke, he patted the narrow muzzle of 
 the cannon as if it had been a living thing. 
 
 "I believe you will manage it." 
 
 Wolfe knew that to bring the small battery 
 further up would have entailed making it a target 
 for all the other ships of the French fleet, espe- 
 cially the Capricieux and the Celebre. This would 
 entail the almost certain death of the gunners 
 and the dismantling of the guns. He was ever 
 careful of the lives of the men who were under 
 him, although reckless to the point of hardihood 
 of his own. 
 
 The great gun had already been loaded by
 
 198 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Crook and his mate. The former now took care- 
 ful aim, elevating the muzzle to a point which he 
 thought would bring the projectile as near as 
 possible to the Arethuse, if not on her. 
 
 Wolfe had gone back to the commanding spot, 
 where he could watch the result. 
 
 The gun was fired. The air was filled with 
 smoke. From the distant water of the St. 
 Lawrence there came the sound of a big splash. 
 Nothing was visible, but the noise told its tale 
 the shell had fallen short. 
 
 As the air cleared, the waters could be seen 
 circling outwards from the exact place where the 
 heavy iron missile had descended. Not thirty 
 yards separated the spot where the shell fell from 
 the wooden bulwarks and peeping cannon of the 
 Arethuse. 
 
 Wolfe smiled grimly, turning to Crook. " A 
 bare thirty yards," he said, polishing his glass 
 against his sleeve. 
 
 A broad grin spread over the man's face. A 
 fresh charge was rammed home. Very carefully 
 he once more adjusted his weapon, giving the 
 muzzle a fractional increase of elevation. 
 
 Again they waited. The other gunners had 
 come up, and were watching the proceedings. 
 Wolfe stood like a statue, tense, expectant.
 
 BY LAND AND SEA 199 
 
 Again the great gun sent out its iron message. 
 The smoke from the firing obscured everything 
 once more, but this time there was no sound of 
 the shell falling into the water. On the con- 
 trary, there was a crash, cries from wounded 
 men, imprecations in the raucous tones of the 
 enemy. 
 
 The wind blew away the smoke, leaving the 
 air clear. Then the result was made plain, the 
 effect of the well-aimed shot manifest. The shell 
 had struck the side of the Arethuse above the 
 water-line, ploughing its way through, smash- 
 ing the bulwarks to pieces, twisting her guns 
 as if they were so many sticks, killing the 
 men who served them, opening that portion of 
 the side of the vessel to the full view of the 
 English. 
 
 "A little more elevation," the Brigadier sug- 
 gested to Crook. 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir." 
 
 Once more the charge was rammed home, and 
 the great shell hurtled through the air in the 
 direction of the doomed vessel. Another crash 
 indicated that the shot had proved successful. 
 When the smoke cleared off a cheer arose from 
 the little group of English gunners, which was 
 taken up by a company of the Light Infantry,
 
 200 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 who had come up at the double, as soon as the 
 sound of firing reached them. 
 
 The mainmast of the Arethuse must have 
 been struck. The upper portion lay on the deck 
 splintered to pieces, with some of the crew lying 
 wounded around and under it. The captain of 
 the French ship could be seen giving hurried 
 orders, while the sailors ran to their stations with 
 a speed which suggested panic. In the shortest 
 possible space of time the anchor was raised, 
 and the Arethuse, almost disabled, was making 
 for the outer harbour. Abel Crook sent a part- 
 ing shot after her, which failed to reach its 
 mark. This time the Arethuse anchored well 
 out of range. But, impossible as a target, she 
 was also ineffective for defence purposes. It was 
 now possible to bring up the English cannon a 
 stage nearer, where the shells could fall on the 
 town and citadel of Louisburg. 
 
 Throughout the whole of that day a swarm of 
 carpenters was engaged on the A rethuse in repair- 
 ing the breach made in the ship's side and splicing 
 the mainmast, so as to make her seaworthy. In 
 the darkness of the night the vessel crept out of 
 the harbour, and was no longer visible, when 
 Wolfe, at dawn, went once more to the point of 
 observation.
 
 BY LAND AND SEA 201 
 
 The Arethuse had avoided the ships sunk in 
 the tideway, and had managed to get out of the 
 basin of the St. Lawrence into the open sea. 
 She had, in fact, started for France to make one 
 last despairing appeal to the Home Government, 
 to send strong reinforcements with a view of 
 saving the doomed city. 
 
 Long after this Wolfe learnt that the ill-fated 
 Arethuse had been pounced upon by British 
 cruisers in the open sea, so that she never reached 
 her destination. 
 
 On the 21st of July the greatest disaster which 
 had as yet happened to the besieged force took 
 place. The handwriting was on the wall. The 
 doom of the great city and fortress was 
 pronounced. The letters were of fire. 
 
 Once more the English gunners demonstrated 
 the excellence of their aim. Within range was 
 one of the finest warships the world of that day 
 had, L'Entreprennant. She carried seventy-four 
 guns, and had a picked crew of the best French 
 sailors and marines. Into the very centre of this 
 vessel a bomb was fired. A portion of the shell 
 struck the powder-magazine, which blew up with 
 a reverberating roar, heard far out to sea by the 
 cruisers which patrolled the coast. Fire broke 
 out, which rapidly spread, in spite of all efforts
 
 202 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 of the intrepid crew to check its progress. It 
 was a dry, hot day, with a light wind blowing. 
 The latter carried the sparks to the nearest battle- 
 ships, the Capricieux and the Cdtebre. Within 
 half-a-dozen hours the Governor of Louisburg 
 had the bitter experience of seeing the three fine 
 vessels burnt to the water's edge.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 GOOD NEWS AND BAD 
 
 "As fine an action, by the lord Harry, as was 
 ever carried out in the history of the British 
 Navy ! " Boscawen cried. " I am, proud to have 
 such Captains under me, and such men to follow 
 their lead." 
 
 At a wooden table, rudely shaped, a planed log 
 for the top, and three untrimmed stumps for legs, 
 sat the men upon whom rested, at that moment, 
 the destiny of England, as regards its Empire 
 across the seas. Amherst, with his large, hooked 
 nose, his keen hazel eyes, his moustache and 
 pointed beard carefully trimmed, as if he had 
 been on parade in England ; Boscawen, the burly 
 sailor, bronzed and hairy, with a white line show- 
 ing on his forehead where his peaked-cap usually 
 ended ; Wolfe, nearly twenty years junior to both 
 of them, with large and lustrous eyes, his face so 
 emaciated that his cheek-bones showed clearly, 
 leaving hollows beneath, the fire in his eyes ever 
 
 203
 
 204 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 sparkling as he turned from one to the other, 
 while the ball of conversation rolled between 
 them. Two lanterns, one hanging overhead, the 
 other on the wall of the tent, close to the open- 
 ing, cast flickering rays over the strong features 
 of the officers and the rough accessories of the 
 Commander-in-Chief's lodging. Outside could 
 be heard the tramp of the sentries, as the dry 
 leaves crackled beneath their tread. 
 
 These men required no gift of imagination to 
 supply the background of this ever-memorable 
 story. They knew well the aspect of the battered 
 and beleaguered city. Not a wall was without 
 its defacement, not a building without its shell- 
 mark. The terrible ravages of fire were in the 
 citadel itself, and the wooden barracks, erected 
 only a few years earlier, had been offered as a 
 holocaust to the sky above, as the effect of some 
 well-directed shots on the part of the English 
 cannon. Not two hundred yards from the tent 
 were the rocks which bounded the shores of the 
 St. Lawrence, which had seemed so formidable, 
 when first viewed by the attacking force, only a 
 few months previously. Away at the back for 
 miles stretched trackless forests and impenetrable 
 morasses. 
 
 It was with reference to an action of the pre- 
 vious night that Bosca wen's remarks were made.
 
 GOOD NEWS AND BAD 205 
 
 He himself, who had planned it, described the 
 exploit as "a particular gallant action." 
 
 Only two French ships remained of the fine 
 fleet which had been collected in the harbour, 
 when the English expedition reached the mouth 
 of the St. Lawrence. These were the Prudent 
 and the Bienfaisant, the first with seventy-four 
 guns, the second and smaller vessel with ten less. 
 Hitherto, the main part of the fighting, and no 
 inconsiderable share of the glory, had fallen to the 
 land force, which General Amherst had person- 
 ally controlled. The sailors, eager and ready, had 
 played a secondary part, from the time the original 
 landing had taken place. Now they were eager to 
 have their portion in the final victory, the ulti- 
 mate conquest, before it was too late. Thus it 
 came about that Captains Balfour and Laforey 
 asked permission to make a night attack on the 
 two remaining French ships. Boscawen agreed 
 with some hesitation. He knew perfectly well, 
 that if such a thing had been attempted on any 
 two of his own frigates or line-of -battleships, 
 terrible would have been the fate of the invaders ; 
 not a boat would have remained intact, not a man 
 left to tell the tale. Nevertheless, he agreed. 
 Victory was in the air. He believed the god of 
 battles was looking on with approving smile. 
 The superstition of success fired the heart of
 
 206 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 every British sailor, from the Admiral down- 
 wards. 
 
 The night fell dark as pitch. Fog, which had 
 been hanging over the landscape at sundown, 
 settled upon the water. It impregnated the 
 air, it hid the features of shore and tideway. 
 The breath of the men as they pulled at their 
 oars was white with particles like frost. Silently, 
 stealthily, they crept towards the unsuspecting 
 vessels. The utmost care was taken by the 
 steersmen to keep a course as straight as possible, 
 and to avoid any collision in the abysmal dark- 
 ness. As they approached the French men-of- 
 war, the little fleet of boats separated, one of 
 the captains leading his men to surround the 
 Prudent, the other heading for the Bienjaisant. 
 
 The thickness of the fog, and the darkness of 
 the night, initial difficulties as they seemed, 
 proved the most potent allies of the intrepid 
 attackers. Hardly a watch was kept on board 
 the French ships. It seemed incredible that 
 any attempt at capture should be made, even by 
 these islanders who had dared and done so much, 
 on such a night. 
 
 The boats of the Englishmen were supplied 
 with rope-ladders, with iron hooks attached, 
 which could be thrown and fastened to the 
 bulwarks. Sailors swarmed on board, cutlass
 
 GOOD NEWS AND BAD 207 
 
 in hand, before a vague cry roused the sleeping 
 men from their bunks. Some slight show of 
 resistance was made by the marines and sailors, 
 who hurriedly snatched up weapons, but it was 
 immediately overborne by the fierce onset of the 
 English crews. 
 
 An attempt to get the Prudent away from 
 her anchorage failed, owing to the condition of 
 the tide. Captain Balfour decided to set her 
 alight, having first put the French seamen 
 into boats, with instructions to make for the 
 land. 
 
 The flare of the ship seen through the envelop- 
 ing fog and mist was an awesome sight. It 
 cheered the hearts of the invaders, whilst it sent 
 a chill through the garrison of Louisburg. 
 
 In the light thus created the Bienfaisant was 
 got under weigh, and safely brought within the 
 lines of Admiral Bosca wen's fleet. 
 
 This was the narrative which the Admiral had 
 been relating to Amherst and Wolfe, bluntly 
 told in bare outline, but with an obvious thrill 
 of pride and satisfaction. 
 
 ' You are right, Bosca wen. No sailors could 
 have done better, not many as well." Amherst 
 agreed. 
 
 '* To-morrow, with your concurrence, General, 
 I shall follow it up by bringing my ships into
 
 208 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 the moorings which the French occupied to- 
 day," Boscawen said. "The town will then be 
 at our mercy." 
 
 Amherst shook his head. 
 
 "You do not agree with me? ' : Boscawen 
 exploded, his colour rising. 
 
 These two officers had been excellent friends, 
 and had worked together with an accord, hitherto 
 unknown, in the recent history of the two 
 Services, but now there promised to be a breach 
 between them. 
 
 Wolfe looked anxiously from the one to the 
 other, wondering what word he could put in to 
 smooth over the difference. Friction at this 
 juncture might mean the retarding of success, 
 if not the failure of their plans. 
 
 His intervention was unnecessary. 
 
 Amherst smiled. " Your plan, Admiral, is an 
 excellent one, and, without doubt, would put the 
 crowning touch to our efforts, but its execution 
 happens to be unnecessary." 
 
 "In what way, sir? " Wolfe cried. He had 
 been invited to the small council by the General 
 in command, without any cause having been 
 assigned for the summons. It was certainly not 
 to hear Boscawen 's news, for he had seen the 
 departure of the boats on their expedition, the 
 conflagration when the Prudent was burnt, and
 
 GOOD NEWS AND BAD 209 
 
 the triumphant return with the Bienfaisant as 
 the trophy. 
 
 Amherst was one of those quiet, self-contained 
 men who speak infrequently, consequently with 
 additional weight. 
 
 "I have had private intelligence to-day," he 
 said, "from within the enemy's lines. The 
 morrow, if I am not misinformed, will witness 
 the end of the siege. Governor Drucour is at 
 the furthest limit of his resources. The white flag 
 will be hoisted from what is left of the citadel by 
 ten o'clock. There will then be pourparlers as 
 to the terms of surrender." 
 
 Wolfe rose at this announcement, his eyes blaz- 
 ing. "Thank God, "he cried. His thoughts had 
 gone back to the library in St. James's Square, 
 to the Great Man out of whose brain all these 
 conceptions grew. He thought of what this new r s 
 would mean to him, racked with pain, surrounded 
 by adverse critics, but, nevertheless, the idol of 
 the nation, with the whole of public opinion at 
 the back of him, strong in the confidence of the 
 great city of London, patriotic as it has ever 
 been. 
 
 Amherst, with a gesture, indicated that Wolfe 
 should be seated again. 
 
 " You are sure of your intelligence, General? " 
 Boscawen inquired, leaning forward eagerly, rest-
 
 210 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 ing his head on his hands, his elbows on the 
 table. 
 
 " Absolutely. It came from Governor Dru- 
 cour's favourite secretary. The only question 
 which remains is a matter of terms." 
 
 "There can be only one answer," Boscawen 
 said. 
 
 Amherst looked at him, then he said, in his 
 quiet way : " Exactly. We can take nothing 
 but unconditional surrender. Failing that, your 
 ships shall enter the harbour, and the guns on 
 the land side will attack in force ere the day 
 is done. That was the answer I gave to M. 
 Poincarre." 
 
 Wolfe breathed a sigh of relief. There had 
 been too much of concession in the past, of con- 
 ditional surrender, when some small success had 
 come in the way of the British arms. What 
 North America wanted, what France wanted, 
 what the whole world wanted, was a lesson that 
 the intrepidity of the English race remained 
 as of yore. If the garrison marched out with 
 all the honours of war, the lesson would be only 
 half taught. 
 
 " It will not be a pleasant message to carry to 
 the Governor," Boscawen commented. "He is 
 a brave man, and has a hot temper withal." 
 
 Amherst agreed. " I doubt not Drucour will
 
 GOOD NEWS AND BAD 211 
 
 try to save his face. In fact, Poincarre admitted 
 as much. He will ask for more, and take less, 
 but only under compulsion." 
 
 "It would be a fine argument to bring the 
 ships within musket-range of the walls with the 
 dawn," Boscawen suggested. 
 
 " I think it will not be necessary. In any case 
 the tide as you know, Admiral, better than 
 I will not serve before the hour named. In 
 addition, I have given my word that nothing 
 shall be done on our side, until the negotiations 
 have been settled one way or the other." 
 
 Boscawen rose. " That settles it. I can go to 
 my bed. I have not had my clothes off these 
 forty-eight hours." 
 
 Amherst shook him warmly by the hand. 
 " No man could have a more loyal colleague or a 
 better ally. I am not likely to forget how much 
 of the success of our expedition is due to you and 
 your fleet." 
 
 "Thank you." 
 
 The burly Admiral left immediately after 
 this. Outside were two of his officers and a 
 small squad of men, who had formed his escort. 
 These had remained just beyond the line of 
 sentries. 
 
 Wolfe and his commanding officer were 
 alone.
 
 212 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 "This is good news indeed, sir, and earlier 
 than I expected," Wolfe commented. 
 
 "The town is riddled with shot, and the 
 citizens fear that further resistance would exas- 
 perate our side and bring upon them stern 
 retribution." 
 
 A challenge from the sentries. An answer in 
 few words, apparently satisfactory. 
 
 Immediately afterwards a courtier - du- bois 
 appeared at the opening of the tent. 
 
 Amherst and Wolfe had already hurried to the 
 doorway. A foreboding was in their hearts, for 
 which neither of them could account. 
 
 News had come. Why should they think it 
 bad news? 
 
 The courier saluted the two officers. He was 
 wearing the green surtout and breeches of un- 
 tanned leather which indicated his occupation. 
 " General Abercromby has met with defeat at 
 the hands of Marquis Montcalm." 
 
 A paralysis of silence had come over both 
 Amherst and Wolfe. It seemed as if neither 
 of them could make a comment or ask a 
 question. 
 
 After the pause, the courier continued : " Lord 
 Howe was killed at the first onset." 
 
 Then Wolfe found tongue. " Good God ! " 
 he cried. " Howe killed ! The best and greatest
 
 GOOD NEWS AND BAD 213 
 
 soldier England possessed." With lightning 
 rapidity his thoughts went once more to the 
 soldier as he had seen him, standing on the steps 
 of Pitt's house, offering his arm to assist him 
 into the house. 
 
 Lord Howe was dead !
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 SURRENDER 
 
 " THE one is taken, the other left." 
 General Amherst could have bitten his tongue 
 off for saying this. The voice was his own ; he 
 undoubtedly uttered the words. He was the 
 vehicle, nothing more. How they came to him, 
 and why he said it, he could not have told. He 
 was a man who was habitually cautious, slow of 
 speech as he was deliberate of action. 
 
 The courrier-du-bois had left the General's 
 tent to seek that of the orderly, some dozen yards 
 away, who would find him accommodation. 
 These courriers-du-bois had exchanged their 
 original trade of hunting, trapping, and shooting 
 to become messengers between the various bands 
 of soldiers, who were carrying on warfare in that 
 vast territory at different points long distances 
 apart. These men carried their lives in their 
 hands, and were always liable to attack from 
 Indian tribes who infested the territory. Their 
 hazardous calling was well paid. The rapidity 
 
 214
 
 SURRENDER 215 
 
 with which they traversed the country was extra- 
 ordinary, considering the spaces covered, and the 
 difficulties encountered by the way. 
 
 Amherst and Wolfe were standing in almost 
 the same position as they had been when the 
 messenger arrived. They seemed turned into 
 stone by the terrible news. To Amherst the 
 outstanding fact was the defeat of Abercromby, 
 one of the three Generals specially selected by 
 Pitt for the combined operations. To Wolfe, the 
 death of his friend Lord Howe occupied the 
 central point, almost to the exclusion of all else. 
 He was stunned to silence; silence which, as 
 it were, could be cut with a knife, by Amherst's 
 quotation from Holy Writ, "The one is taken, 
 the other left." 
 
 Wolfe turned swiftly. 
 
 "Yes, but for how long? " 
 
 There could be no doubt about the General's 
 meaning. Howe had gone, laying down his life 
 for his country, dying in the way he would have 
 chosen. What about his friend ? Wolfe? 
 
 Amherst looked at the glassy eyes, dulled now 
 by the sorrow at the back of them, the drawn, 
 emaciated face with its transparent skin beneath 
 the tan, effects produced by the out-of-door life 
 of hardihood they had all been enduring during 
 the last few months.
 
 216 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 No one thought much more of Wolfe than did 
 his superior officer ; it appears repeatedly in his 
 letters. Where there was a place requiring 
 courage, determination, military ardour, there 
 he set the Brigadier, with every confidence that 
 he would win his way. 
 
 But it was a large "but " how long would 
 that spirit inhabit the frail casket? If James 
 Wolfe did not fall, as Howe had done, by the 
 hands of an enemy, he carried within him another 
 foe, whose presence could never be doubted or 
 forgotten his physical condition. Yes, for how 
 long? Amhurst turned away, as Wolfe put the 
 question not expecting an answer. Who could 
 forecast the future ? What wise man would wish 
 to do so, even if the capacity were offered to 
 him? 
 
 A minute or so later Wolfe held out his hand, 
 to say good-bye to his chief. 
 
 'This will, I fear, make all the difference to 
 our plans," Amherst said. "It puts Quebec 
 further away. Abercromby must come first. 
 Who knows what straits he may be in? ): 
 
 "I am ready to go to him at a moment's 
 notice," Wolfe replied, in a colourless tone. 
 The shock was so severely upon him, that he was 
 unable to rise even to the thought of fresh work 
 and quick endeavour.
 
 SURRENDER 217 
 
 " Thank you. I know. I must question the 
 * courier ' further, but not now. Louisburg must 
 be thought of first. We must have some message 
 to send home, which will help to remove the 
 stigma of Abercromby's failure." 
 
 Wolfe knew the General was thinking of 
 William Pitt. The Brigadier saluted and went 
 out. The night, which had been misty, was now 
 clear. A moon almost at the full was shining 
 upon thicket and wood. In the distance the river 
 gleamed like molten silver. Wolfe felt as if it 
 were some one else, not himself, walking where 
 his footsteps trod. All things were unreal to him 
 in the brilliance of the Canadian night phan- 
 tasms, unrealities, himself the most so of them 
 all. The small body-guard he had brought with 
 him fell in, before and behind, without a com- 
 mand. Wolfe was almost incapable of giving 
 one. 
 
 Howe was dead ! Howe was dead ! This was 
 what rang in his ears, echoing from earth and 
 sky. His friend of long standing, the man he 
 admired and believed in most of the whole British 
 Army had fallen, struck probably by a foul blow, 
 shot from behind a tree, the victim, perhaps, of 
 some treacherous Indian, who might have even 
 mishandled that glorious soldier. 
 
 Wolfe was walking alone. The news had
 
 218 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 already been whispered among the men who were 
 escorting him, and who loved him with the devo- 
 tion a true soldier has for his leader when the 
 leader is worthy. With instinctive courtesy 
 officers and men left him to the seclusion of his 
 thoughts. They knew him to be suffering, but 
 the hour was not come for the expression of 
 their sympathy. There are occasions when 
 people must bear their burdens alone. The wise 
 recognise that time and stand aloof. 
 
 The nearer they came to Wolfe's encamp- 
 ment the closer they were to the beleaguered 
 city. They could see the twinkling lights of 
 Louisburg as if a hundred flaming eyes were 
 looking out upon them with apprehension, dread 
 of the morrow. 
 
 Wolfe had been eager, feverishly eager, to 
 surmount each difficulty as it came. The thirst 
 for conquest had been upon him, from the 
 moment of their landing, ever spurring him on 
 to fresh endeavour. Now it had gone, vanished 
 utterly. The fruit, long sought, was hanging 
 within his grasp ; he only had to stretch forth 
 his hand to take it. Nay, it would fall, in 
 any case, on the morrow. But reaction had 
 come, a reaction which would pass with the 
 breath of the night, but which for the moment 
 was strong beyond everything else, with the
 
 SURRENDER 219 
 
 exception of that one bitter regret, the loss of 
 Howe. 
 
 He pitied the city, he pitied the brave spirits 
 of its defenders, mastered and beaten down by 
 hard circumstance, the gallant Governor Drticour, 
 and his men. He saw the fortress like the bruised 
 body of a man who had been fighting against 
 foes too strong for him, his body battered all 
 over. When he walked the streets they would 
 have little to tell him he did not already know, 
 for what his glass had not revealed his imagina- 
 tion could supply. Fire and shell had written 
 their terrible story on wall and rampart. 
 
 Suddenly he stopped. Nearly a mile away to 
 the right was a long ridge, bare at the top, but 
 with bulrushes and giant ferns covering the 
 lower parts of the slope, growing luxuriously in 
 the morass which flanked the ridge on that side. 
 Wolfe was roused from his reverie. He no 
 longer walked with bent head. Visible on the 
 top of the ridge, surmounting it, then disappear- 
 ing with great rapidity on the other side, were 
 hundreds of dusky figures. A few minutes earlier 
 they would have been invisible, but the full 
 moonlight picked them out, and revealed them 
 to Wolfe and his following. 
 
 Indians! Wolfe hated them with all the 
 ardour of his nature. The most merciful and con-
 
 220 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 siderate of soldiers with reference to the brave 
 foes encountered and overcome, he made an 
 absolute exception in his dealings with the Indian 
 tribes, in alliance with the French. They were 
 shown no quarter when they fell into the hands 
 of his troops. 
 
 Years of treachery, of insensate cruelty lay 
 behind. Peaceful frontiersmen, small commu- 
 nities of settlers with their wives and children. 
 Upon these "the braves" had descended, and 
 had wreaked upon them every species of cruelty, 
 every variety of torture which their imagination 
 could supply. 
 
 Then, again, in the smaller engagements which 
 had marked the war from the beginning, when 
 the English had been worsted, the same results 
 had followed. The massacre of Fort Henry, for 
 instance, was still vivid in the minds of every 
 soldier under General Amherst's command. 
 
 To what purpose were these Indians marching 
 at night? Certainly not to attack the strongly 
 entrenched British force. Such an idea was 
 ludicrous. The attempt they had made on 
 Wolfe's much smaller command had taught them 
 a salutary lesson. 
 
 Quick as thought Wolfe unslung his glass and 
 covered the ridge. He saw the Indians had
 
 SURRENDER 221 
 
 packs fastened on their shoulders, probably con- 
 taining cooking utensils and provisions. These 
 were not warriors only, for not a few squaws and 
 some children were among the swiftly-moving 
 mass. Wolfe understood. The Indians were 
 fleeing from the doomed city. Whatever terms 
 might be granted to General Drucour and the 
 five or six thousand men, made up of regulars, 
 Canadians, and sailors, under his command, would 
 certainly not be extended to the allied Indians, 
 who were outside the pale of agreement. Well 
 aware of this circumstance, the darkness of the 
 night was being utilised to cover their escape. 
 
 By this time Wolfe had almost reached the 
 first battery, which guarded that side of his 
 entrenchment. The gunners were awaked from 
 their sleep, the cannon slewed round to play upon 
 the ridge. The stillness of the night was broken 
 by a discharge of artillery which scattered grape 
 among the retreating forms of the Indian 
 "braves; ' with what result it is almost im- 
 possible to say, for by the time the smoke of the 
 firing had cleared away not a single dusky form 
 was apparent to the onlookers of the camp. 
 
 A few minutes later General Amherst sent a 
 mounted messenger, to inquire the cause of the 
 firing, receiving the explanation. This was the
 
 222 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 final act in the siege of Louisburg. On the 
 following morning, at ten o'clock, a white flag 
 was hoisted from what remained of the citadel. 
 
 Pourparlers followed. Drucour made the best 
 possible efforts to evacuate with honour. He 
 asked that they might be allowed to march out 
 with the honours of war, although, after the 
 secret interview accorded to his secretary on the 
 previous day, he was aware no such suggestion 
 could be entertained. 
 
 The fact of Abercromby's defeat only served 
 to strengthen Amherst's decision, to make every 
 unit of Drucour's force a prisoner. If they were 
 allowed to retire, they would go to swell the 
 frontier force, which ranged itself opposite the 
 remnants of Abercromby's command. 
 
 The Governor made a show of further resist- 
 ance, but yielded to the expostulations of the 
 inhabitants of Louisburg, who feared to see their 
 city given up to rapine and carnage, if the British 
 force had to carry the walls and ramparts with 
 the bayonet. 
 
 On the 26th of July, at midnight, all the con- 
 ditions of surrender had been settled, the final 
 papers signed in General Amherst's tent. On 
 the morning of the 27th, with Wolfe and his 
 command in the van, the British force marched
 
 SURRENDER 223 
 
 into Louisburg. Unalloyed success had so far 
 crowned their efforts. The key of the St. Law- 
 rence had fallen into their hands. "Quebec 
 next " were the words which sprang naturally to 
 a thousand minds. Only the leaders knew that 
 fresh obstacles barred their way, and would 
 necessarily postpone the second great act in this 
 drama to another year. 
 
 Governor Drucour had paraded the force under 
 him on the esplanade. Soldiers and sailors, in 
 almost equal numbers, were ranged in sullen and 
 downcast lines. General Amherst, with Admiral 
 Boscawen by his side, received the Governor's 
 sword. The men were told to pile their arms. 
 They stood defenceless, ready to be marched 
 to the ships in the harbour for transport to 
 England. 
 
 The flag of France had been hauled down with 
 the dawn. The British ensign was run up in its 
 place, amid a salvo of artillery, fired both from 
 the land forces and from the fleet. 
 
 Wolfe was one of the first to march into the 
 city, his rapid glance taking in the effects of the 
 bombardment Louisburg had undergone, espe- 
 cially during the last two weeks, when the range 
 had become more effective. His feeling of the 
 night before had entirely passed. Now he was
 
 224 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 learning lessons for the future from what he saw 
 before him. 
 
 Louisburg was in more senses than one the 
 key to Quebec. Alone its capture was an 
 achievement. In conjunction with what lay 
 before them, it was, Wolfe firmly believed, an 
 augury. Nevertheless, across the landscape lay 
 the shadow of Abercromby's defeat, involving 
 delay, if nothing else. 
 
 Wolfe was not actually present when the 
 six thousand men laid down their arms and 
 surrendered their colours on the esplanade. 
 Brigadier Whitmore had been told off for that 
 duty : not a pleasant one for a generous foe, 
 involving as it did the humiliation of brave men. 
 
 General Amherst had entrusted Wolfe with 
 two other duties, each of them implying a com- 
 pliment. The first was to post sentries along 
 the w r alls and to take control of the city, to pre- 
 vent pillage and outrage. Wolfe's influence 
 with the men, and his capacity for discipline, 
 marked him out as specially fitted for the task. 
 The second commission was of a more delicate 
 nature. He was to call upon Madame Drucour 
 and the ladies, wives of the principal officers, to 
 reassure them as to the future. 
 
 He found them assembled under the
 
 SURRENDER 225 
 
 Governor's roof. He described his experience in 
 a letter to his mother 
 
 "The ladies were pale and worn. They had 
 suffered much mentally during the last two 
 weeks, and were somewhat apprehensive about 
 the future." 
 
 Wolfe had sufficient command of French to 
 reassure them. The prisoners would be sent 
 to France with all possible consideration and 
 respect. Neither was separation from their wives 
 likely to be of long duration. 
 
 It was the first time he had encountered a 
 gentlewoman since his departure from England. 
 The refinement of the Governor's wife carried 
 his thoughts back to the circle at Bath, to his 
 mother, to Katherine Lowther. Little as he 
 valued his own exploits, which to him repre- 
 sented merely duty nothing more he knew the 
 story of these happenings would reach those he 
 had left behind. 
 
 When his visit to the ladies was concluded, and 
 he had bowed himself from their presence, he 
 spent the next two hours in passing from out- 
 post to outpost, along the city walls. His duty 
 was mechanical. It gave him ample time for 
 reflection, thought, memory. 
 
 The idea which he had nearly thrust from 
 Q
 
 226 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 him at the inn at Taunton, the thought that one 
 day he might find that intimate association 
 which we connect with the word home, came 
 upon him now with a rush of feeling. 
 
 In the weeks that followed, when he was 
 engaged in carrying out certain operations in 
 the higher reaches of the river which were 
 utterly distasteful to him, and later, when on his 
 way back to England, the picture which he had 
 formed on the ramparts at Louisburg, assumed 
 an importance which grew with the passing of 
 time.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 WILLIAM PITT 
 
 A SOLITARY figure was standing by one of the 
 divisions of the windows which overlooked the 
 King's Bath. A number of people were disport- 
 ing themselves in the steaming water, but the 
 eyes of the figure in the window were not 
 directed towards them. He was gazing into 
 space, occupied with his own thoughts, caring 
 nothing for the throng seeking health in the 
 room at the back of him, where the waters were 
 being drunk, or for that other company of men 
 and women beneath him in the Bath. 
 
 Many curious glances were turned in his 
 direction, but although not a few of the water- 
 drinkers enjoyed his acquaintance after a limited 
 fashion, not one stepped forward to break into 
 his reverie or exchange the ordinary small talk of 
 the morning. 
 
 The month of October was drawing to a close 
 keen, fresh, vigorous, stimulating, yet the 
 
 227
 
 228 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 figure already referred to was warmly wrapped 
 in furs. A mixture of delicacy and strength, of 
 physical weakness and moral power, formed the 
 blend which all men recognised, so clearly was it 
 expressed in those striking features : the hooked 
 nose, the eyes somewhat close-set together, dull, 
 opaque, heavy, as he stood now, but capable of 
 flashing into brilliancy, with a gaze that could 
 wither an adversary and scorch an opponent 
 before a single word passed the lips. 
 
 In that room was standing the greatest States- 
 man of the age, one of the most powerful 
 characters England has produced, the genius of 
 his time and the admiration of his successors, 
 the man of the hour, William Pitt. 
 
 He had snatched a few days from the incessant 
 toil of his great position to go to Bath, there to 
 drink the waters which experience told him, as 
 well as his physicians, had a therapeutic effect 
 on his health. In the city he stood aloof from 
 his fellows as he was standing that morning. It 
 was the same in London, the same in the House 
 of Commons, which he ruled with a nod or 
 rebuked with a frown. 
 
 The eagle, except in the mating season, lives 
 solitary, soaring over mountain fastnesses, hunt- 
 ing its prey alone, while birds and beasts fly from
 
 WILLIAM PITT 229 
 
 its approach. William Pitt was the unmatched 
 eagle of the world of his day. 
 
 He had slowly consumed the amount of water 
 allotted by his doctor. He stood his glass down on 
 a small marble table, which an attendant had 
 obsequiously placed at his elbow, then turned to 
 make his way out of the room. 
 
 For an instant his eyes, under half -veiled lids, 
 swept the saloon, glancing from group to group 
 with absolute indifference. 
 
 This attitude changed when he perceived Lord 
 Dion Blair, who was also on the point of finish- 
 ing his modicum of water and leaving the Pump- 
 room. 
 
 Pitt bowed to a good many of his acquaint- 
 ances as he passed along, walking more freely 
 than was his wont, owing to the fact that his 
 gout was less insistent than usual. As he came 
 to the spot where Lord Dion was standing, the 
 latter turned, his face lighting up as he saw 
 Pitt. 
 
 The Statesman linked his arm into Blair's. 
 They left the saloon together. 
 
 In spite of the interest, which was shared by 
 every person present, no jealousy was felt in 
 consequence of the preference Pitt openly 
 showed for Lord Dion. The physical disability
 
 230 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 and the perfect absence of self -appreciation, the 
 unfeigned humility of Blair, disarmed all criti- 
 cism and rendered jealousy impossible. 
 
 Pitt drew him through the more crowded 
 streets, until they passed the Abbey and reached 
 the Orange Grove. They were now close to 
 Colgrave's coffee-house. Lord Dion indicated 
 it with a nod. 
 
 " I have promised to meet Miss Lowther and 
 Miss Lovesay here in half-an-hour's time. Why 
 not join the party? ?: 
 
 Pitt hesitated. It was against his ordinary 
 practice to take a meal in public, unless it so 
 happened that he was obliged to attend some 
 political banquet, when he invariably came late 
 and left early. 
 
 "There will be no one else of the party," 
 Lord Dion urged. " Miss Lowther 's table is in 
 a secluded corner, where we shall be undis- 
 turbed." 
 
 A sardonic smile wreathed Pitt's mouth. 
 "You are empowered to act as host for the 
 lady? " he inquired. 
 
 Blair flushed hotly. " Not as regards others," 
 he said ; " but you are different. She will be 
 delighted, honoured, and I am only expressing 
 her wishes."
 
 WILLIAM PITT 281 
 
 "Thank you. Then I will come. In the 
 meantime I want to talk to you." 
 
 They paced the Grove, the fresh wind on their 
 faces. 
 
 "I consider Bath is at its best just now. 
 I am sorry I shall be obliged to leave it so 
 soon." 
 
 "Is it impossible to extend your visit? You 
 are already better than you were when you 
 arrived I can see it." 
 
 "Yes, that is true, or I should not be walking 
 so easily. But the demand is imperative. I am 
 only awaiting news of Admiral Boscawen's 
 arrival at Portsmouth to hasten to London. 
 That may come any day. It is proposed to 
 give him a great reception. I have under- 
 taken to move the thanks of the House of 
 Commons to General Amherst and the 
 Admiral. The citizens will give the victors 
 of Louisburg an enthusiastic welcome. The 
 King, too, is in one of his best moods on the 
 matter." 
 
 " The victors ! " Blair quoted. 
 ' Yes, for, as you know, Wolfe comes in the 
 Admiral's ship. He has equalled your expecta- 
 tion and exceeded mine. General Amherst has 
 been most generous in his praise of him "
 
 232 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Pitt stopped a moment, then went on "in 
 spite of the fact that he almost got out of 
 hand at times. Wolfe is evidently one of 
 the men fitted to command, and finds a sub- 
 ordinate position rather difficult, when his 
 superior officer is a trifle cautious in his 
 methods." 
 
 "Slow," Dion interjected, loyal to his friend. 
 
 " Caution is apt to be slow. Wolfe seems 
 able to combine both qualities precaution 
 with intense vigour in action, wariness with 
 dash." 
 
 Dion was greatly pleased at Pitt's analysis of 
 his friend's abilities. 
 
 "I am delighted to hear you say this. We 
 shall indeed welcome his return to Bath." 
 
 " Make the most of the time. I cannot spare 
 him for long. There are opportunities opening 
 for the British arms. Wolfe's sword will not rust 
 in its scabbard." 
 
 " He is the last man to wish it." 
 
 "I am aware of that. I have made up my 
 mind to entrust him with the central position in 
 the scheme I have on foot." 
 
 They had turned in their pacing up and down, 
 and were now facing the entrance of Colgrave's 
 coffee-house. Several people passed in as they
 
 WILLIAM PITT 233 
 
 strolled near. When they reached within a 
 few paces of the entrance, after a lull in the 
 arrivals, Katherine Lowther and her cousin 
 came round the corner. They were engaged 
 in animated converse. Katherine 's face lit up 
 with laughter at some remark her companion 
 had made. 
 
 Pitt looked at her with a quizzical interest. 
 
 "Some women," he said, "seem to be made 
 to break hearts and keep their own intact. It is 
 a perilous gift for mankind. Miss Lowther, 
 if all I hear is correct, seems to be one of 
 them, her heart a citadel, unlike Louisburg, 
 incapable of being carried by assault and 
 battery." 
 
 Lord Dion did not reply. Instead he looked 
 at Katherine, as if he would try her in the fresh 
 light Pitt had just thrown on her character. 
 Was it true her heart was impregnable? That 
 in spite of her kindliness and sympathy towards 
 suffering, in the central matter of a woman's 
 existence she could offer nothing in return for 
 love but placid friendship? While he was half 
 unconsciously asking the question, and seeking 
 the answer in the beautiful animated features 
 of the girl, she became conscious of his fixed 
 gaze, by that telepathy which indicates to
 
 234 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 all of us at times a concentrated look in our 
 direction. 
 
 Her eyes softened, the laughter died out of 
 them, giving place to a wistful regard, as if she 
 sought a caress, mental, if not physical. 
 
 Pitt, who noticed everything when once his 
 interest was aroused, wondered. In his turn he 
 surveyed Lord Dion, pondering on the problem 
 as to how he was likely to be regarded by the 
 opposite sex, when once the first sense of his 
 deformity had been removed by more intimate 
 acquaintance. Was physical perfection of form 
 so preponderant to a woman that nothing could 
 weigh against it in the balance ? To Mr. Pitt, who 
 was not given to hero-worship, seeing men with 
 a fine accuracy, reading them like an open book, 
 Blair represented all that was best in the pure 
 gold of character. Much as the Statesman 
 admired success, greatly as he appreciated the 
 heroes on sea and land who were making for 
 him a reputation such as no other statesman in 
 the world had ever enjoyed, he accorded to none 
 of them, not even to Wolfe, the same guerdon 
 of estimation which he gave Lord Dion for his 
 simple purity of nature, tried by suffering, 
 built upon self-sacrifice, almost to the point of 
 self-annihilation.
 
 WILLIAM PITT 235 
 
 All this occupied but a flash of time. Then 
 they met the ladies, and after exchanging 
 the courtesies of the morning, Lord Dion 
 said 
 
 " Miss Lowther, I have ventured to act as your 
 representative, and secure for you a guest after 
 your own heart." 
 
 "Are you going to breakfast with us, Mr. 
 Pitt? " Katherine flashed out, a look of pleasure 
 in her eyes. 
 
 " If you will permit me." 
 
 " Permit ! It is an honour we shall much 
 appreciate." 
 
 " Yes, to me." Mr. Pitt bowed. 
 
 That was a wonderful breakfast which followed 
 in the secluded corner of the fine room. It 
 happened the table next to them was unoccupied 
 when they entered. Mrs. Colgrave took care 
 that it remained empty during the time the dis- 
 tinguished party was present. It was something 
 for her to relate afterwards that Mr. Pitt had 
 partaken of breakfast in her rooms. 
 
 The conversation turned on the exploits of the 
 last few months. Mr. Pitt showed an amazing 
 acquaintance with the details of the campaign. 
 He had correspondence which covered the whole 
 area of the operations, some of the letters of the
 
 236 
 
 ordinary public nature, rendering an account 
 to the first Minister of the Crown, others of a 
 quasi private character, which gave individual 
 estimates contributed by personal friends or 
 officers in the intimacy of the Statesman. 
 
 Pitt had welded all this together into a com- 
 plete and coherent whole. Perhaps to no one 
 else would the Minister have unbent as he did 
 that morning to his three auditors, although 
 there was nothing said, of course, which 
 could not have been proclaimed upon the 
 house-top. 
 
 As Katherine listened, and Mr. Pitt drew the 
 picture, she understood how large a place in the 
 foreground was occupied by General Wolfe. In 
 the glowing words of the narrator she realised 
 the hero. To a woman like herself, nobly born, 
 enthusiastically loyal to her country, inherently 
 capable of appreciating all that is best, such 
 words produced an intense effect. Wolfe had, 
 to a certain extent, passed out of her thoughts, 
 but as Pitt spoke he came back to her mind. 
 She saw him before her, returning to England 
 to receive the gratitude of the nation. In his 
 heroism thus pictured she saw her ideal, and 
 perhaps failed to understand that enthusiasm 
 and admiration cannot take the place, when the
 
 WILLIAM PITT 237 
 
 marriage bond is in question, of the one central 
 tie, between men and women, which we call love. 
 She rose from the table conquered by an ideal, 
 her heart beating in response to an image 
 fashioned largely by her imagination.
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 RETURN 
 
 IT was the 1st of November, 1758. The short 
 afternoon was drawing to a close, the sky was 
 obscured, a slight drizzle of rain falling. Lord 
 Dion Blair, wrapped in a heavy cloak drawn 
 up so as to shield his throat, walked to the door of 
 Sir James Lowther's house. He was about to 
 lift the heavy knocker when a strange irresolu- 
 tion came over him. He stood for a full minute 
 without moving, then descended the steps, and 
 began to pace slowly up and down the deserted 
 pavement outside. No one was stirring at that 
 hour in the inclement weather. Link-boys had 
 not yet assembled for their duties, hackney 
 coaches and chairs had not come from their 
 shelters. It was the hour when Bath was resting, 
 noon having seen all the fashionable residents 
 and visitors back at their homes. The habit was 
 to dine at four o'clock ; as yet it was only three. 
 Afterwards there would be service at the Abbey, 
 
 238
 
 RETURN 239 
 
 and in the evening a dance in the Assembly 
 Rooms. 
 
 Lord Dion did not understand his own feel- 
 ings. In his pocket was a note just received from 
 Mr. Pitt. He had at once prepared to go out, 
 with a view to taking it to Katherine Lowther. 
 So far he had acted in accordance with what 
 seemed the obvious line of action. Suddenly, 
 as he had reached the door of the lady he loved, 
 the friend to whom he would have entrusted 
 every secret of his life, it was borne in upon 
 him, that the small billet he had for her perusal 
 was a tiny link in a chain of the greatest import- 
 ance to two lives nay, to three. 
 
 At the breakfast a few days earlier, when 
 Mr. Pitt had been present, Lord Dion had, with 
 the intuition which was his special gift, quick- 
 ened in this case by the depth of his feelings, 
 read what was passing in Katherine Lowther's 
 mind. He saw that she was impressed by the 
 great Statesman's estimate of Wolfe, by his 
 appreciation of the exploits already performed, 
 and his anticipation of further successes in the 
 future. After all, Katherine, with her varied 
 gifts, her sound common-sense, was a woman, 
 and so open to those influences which are 
 apt to decide matters even in the crises of 
 life.
 
 240 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 The note, which Mr. Pitt had hastily scribbled 
 while he was preparing for an immediate journey 
 to London, ran as follows 
 
 " DEAR LORD DION, 
 
 " I have had intimation from Portsmouth 
 that the Namur has been sighted in the Channel, 
 undoubtedly with Admiral Boscawen and Colonel 
 Wolfe on board her. I am hastening to London 
 to join in their reception. I am sending a verbal 
 message to Wolfe's parents. You will doubtless 
 convey the information to a quarter likely to 
 be interested. 
 
 " Faithfully your friend, 
 
 "W. PITT." 
 
 "The quarter which was likely to be in- 
 terested ! ' It was to fulfil this expressed wish 
 of the Statesman that Dion had come out this wet 
 afternoon. 
 
 Thoughts crowded into his mind, recollec- 
 tions, doubts, the questionings of a fine spirit, 
 anxious only to do the right. Vividly there 
 came back to him the conversation he had had 
 with Wolfe, on the place which love occupies in 
 the scheme of life. He knew his friend had 
 spoken out of the sincerity of his heart. Again 
 the doubt came to him : had Wolfe to offer, could
 
 RETURN 241 
 
 he give a girl like Katherine such as would satisfy 
 the continual requirements of her nature? For 
 after all the word continual is the crux of the 
 marriage state. Glamour may wear off, enthusi- 
 asms die, but the solid facts of life remain. 
 Although Dion had not had opportunity of 
 converse with Wolfe for many months, he did 
 not doubt for an instant that his friend's return 
 to England would bring about a crisis in the con- 
 ditions obtaining between Katherine Lowther 
 and himself. Something else thrust itself for- 
 ward, and, against Dion's judgment and contrary 
 to his will, forced itself upon his conscience. It 
 was his own position, his own future. Hitherto 
 he had been the friend to whom Wolfe had 
 turned before all others. Hitherto he had been 
 the confidant of Katherine Lowther, in prefer- 
 ence even to a member of her own sex, such as 
 her cousin Angela Lovesay. If this new relation- 
 ship came about, his lot would assuredly be to 
 vacate these positions, and, how dearly he had 
 prized them, he never fully realised until now. 
 Only a man who is shut away from his fellows, 
 who has no intimate relationship and companion- 
 ship to fill the void, can understand what a man 
 like Dion Blair felt with this barrier staring him 
 in the face, which would shut him out not from 
 friendship, not from association, but from that
 
 242 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 first place, that exclusive knowledge, which he 
 had hitherto possessed and enjoyed. Yet it was 
 his own doing. It was by his action the two had 
 met. He could not draw back now if he would, 
 and would not if he could. 
 
 His step regained its usual quiet assurance. 
 Once more he went to the big door, and this 
 time knocked for admittance. As he mounted 
 the stairs and was shown once more into Miss 
 Lowther's boudoir, Lord Dion could scarcely 
 credit the fact, that only some six months had 
 intervened since he was last there. So many 
 thoughts and feelings, not to mention events, 
 had occupied the interval, that it seemed to be 
 stretched out into years. It was indeed a period 
 of time, as regards the history of the Realm 
 as consequential as any it had ever passed 
 through, and although Lord Dion was debarred 
 from personal participation in the laurels, which 
 were being won by Mr. Pitt's Generals, especially 
 in India and North America, his vivid imagina- 
 tion and intense interest almost gave him a 
 personal part. 
 
 The fame of Pitt had risen to a marvellous 
 pre-eminence throughout the Continent of 
 Europe. Frederick of Prussia declared that 
 "England had been in labour for generations, 
 and had at last produced a man."
 
 RETURN 243 
 
 Boscawen and Wolfe were coming to pay their 
 personal tribute to the great minister. They 
 would undoubtedly receive a wonderful welcome 
 at the hands of the British nation, so long 
 accustomed to shame and defeat, not yet blaze 
 of victory. All this, external in a sense, seemed 
 to find expression, a local habitation and a name, 
 in this visit which Lord Dion was paying to 
 Katherine Lowther, as a messenger from Mr. 
 Pitt. The future was in the lap of the gods, 
 but a certain shaping was fairly clear to the mind 
 of one mortal at any rate. 
 
 Katherine was sitting at a harpsichord, con- 
 ning some difficult music before attempting to 
 play it. When the door opened, she half turned 
 to see who it was. Miss Lovesay was in the 
 room doing some plain needlework. She laid it 
 on a table as Lord Dion was ushered in, and went 
 across the room, partly to meet him, partly with 
 a view to leaving him and Katherine alone. 
 
 She shot him a shrewd glance as she shook 
 hands with him, and said in an undertone : 
 "You have come as a messenger from Mr. Pitt 
 to Miss Lowther. She was expecting you, for 
 she has been warned that the communication was 
 probable." She looked straight into his eyes. 
 "Why are you content to play the part of 
 Mercury ? The messenger of the gods may be a
 
 244 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 useful person, but his office is not of the 
 highest." She smiled ironically, which con- 
 veyed the impression that she would have liked 
 to shake him, if it had been comme il faut. Then 
 she went to the door and closed it behind her with 
 some unnecessary violence. 
 
 By this time Katherine had risen, and had 
 advanced a few steps into the middle of the 
 room. She seemed hardly in her usual splendid 
 health ; she betrayed an emotion which lent a 
 pallor to her face, almost an anxious look to her 
 eyes. Lord Dion noted this, as he noted every- 
 thing that had to do with her, but was unable 
 fully to interpret the whole meaning of her 
 agitation. 
 
 She shook hands with him and said, "You 
 have come with a message from Mr. Pitt? ' 
 She had not heard what Miss Lovesay had said, 
 but it was recalled to Blair 's mind by the way 
 Katherine phrased her greeting. 
 
 It was true he was a Mercury, a go-between. 
 For a moment the bitterness of the role he 
 habitually played, the lifelong burden he had 
 sustained, tasted like gall in his mouth. He felt 
 incapable of saying anything, lest he should say 
 too much. Instead, he took the short, hastily- 
 written note and handed it to Katherine.
 
 RETURN 245 
 
 The room was not as yet artificially lighted. 
 The day was drawing in quickly. Katherine went 
 to the window so as to see better, yet she held 
 the note in her hand for a few minutes without 
 opening it. She was gazing into the vacant 
 street, with the drizzle of the depressing day 
 falling upon it. Not seeing this, the obvious 
 and physical, but holding converse with herself, 
 receiving visions which were as indistinct as the 
 light of the afternoon. 
 
 Lord Dion remained where he had stood at 
 the beginning, just watching the girl, noting for 
 the thousandth time the graceful harmony of her 
 profile and figure, the sense of race she conveyed, 
 the dignity of her poise, without haughtiness or 
 conceit. A woman to be loved. A woman he 
 did love with all his heart as a friend! Some- 
 thing like a mist of tears came to his eyes, a 
 self-pity which is the most pitiful of all, a poig- 
 nant consciousness that it would have been better 
 if he had never been born. Suffering is not a 
 thing which can be measured by any scale of 
 time. A chaliceful can be quaffed to the dregs 
 in a second. Was the afternoon suddenly grow- 
 ing darker, or was it that darkness of the spirit 
 which can be felt ? 
 
 Presently, in how long a time or how short
 
 246 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 he could not have said, Katherine relaxed her 
 tense attitude, opened the note, and bending her 
 head slightly, with her face close to the window- 
 pane, read it. 
 
 Having finished it, she dropped her hand to 
 her side, but nevertheless did not turn towards 
 Lord Dion. 
 
 A coach-and-four passed along the street. The 
 life of Bath was waking up again from its after- 
 noon rest. The sight of movement recalled her 
 to herself. Now she went towards Lord Dion, 
 holding out the note to him. 
 
 "Would you not like to keep it? " he asked. 
 "It was really intended for you, although 
 addressed to me." 
 
 She hesitated, then slipped it into the bosom 
 of her frock. The act gave her a thrill of 
 consciousness, as if she herself were being 
 caressed. 
 
 "Thank you. I will keep the note for the 
 present." Then she added, in another tone, " It 
 will be a wonderful home-coming. How proud 
 General Wolfe's parents will be ! They think 
 there is no son like him." 
 
 " That is quite true. We are all proud of him, 
 the finest soldier of the day." 
 
 Dion Blair answered almost perfunctorily, as 
 if some one else were speaking through his lips.
 
 RETURN 247 
 
 "You are tired," Katherine said, noticing for 
 the first time that he was looking worn. " Will 
 you not sit? " 
 
 " No, I must be going, thank you.'* 
 
 "We shall meet again presently? " 
 
 "Yes, I hope so." 
 
 A minute later Lord Dion was descending the 
 stairs, Katherine standing at the top to bid him 
 farewell, and to see that the footman was ready 
 to open the door. 
 
 Then she turned back, but instead of going to 
 her boudoir, made her way to her bedroom. 
 Here, too, a bright fire was burning, an easy- 
 chair drawn up near it. The wooden bedstead 
 had an awning at the top, covered with tapestry, 
 but the foot was low, with a wooden bar across 
 it. Over this Katherine's maid had thrown the 
 dress and other accessories, which her mistress 
 would wear that evening. 
 
 Katherine locked the door behind her. She 
 wanted time to commune with herself, a time for 
 reverie. Sitting in the chair by the fire in the 
 flickering light, imagination held her. She 
 pictured many scenes dovetailed into one an- 
 other, without beginning or end. She knew 
 Portsmouth, and had seen the big ships come and 
 go, enter the harbour and leave it ; merchant 
 vessels with their tapering masts, war vessels with
 
 248 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 the ugly rows of guns, tier above tier, peeping 
 from portholes and ranged along the decks. In 
 one of these vessels Wolfe would arrive. He 
 might even now be stepping upon the stone 
 jetty, a great crowd witnessing his embarkation, 
 cheering the heroes, Amherst, Boscawen and 
 Wolfe yes, and the men who had served under 
 them, soldiers and sailors who had helped to place 
 the British flag on the citadel of Louisburg. 
 
 She wondered in what direction James Wolfe 
 would betake himself. Would he go to London 
 to report to the Duke of Newcastle and to Mr. 
 Pitt, the real master of the land and sea forces, 
 or would he come to Bath? 
 
 Her heart quickened. Her breath showed the 
 excitement of her feelings. Of course, that was 
 out of the question, and she knew it ; but the 
 flitting of the idea through her mind produced 
 the physical effect. She even felt herself 
 blush. 
 
 Mr. Pitt, when he sent her the message, Lord 
 Dion bringing it, had taken so much for granted, 
 an interest which might not now exist, if it had 
 ever been. 
 
 Months had passed, months of arduous toil, 
 of strenuous fighting, with one central idea 
 excluding all others. Few letters had come
 
 RETURN 249 
 
 home, and in these Wolfe had plainly indicated 
 how entirely his mind and attention were 
 absorbed in the war. 
 
 Who could say whether now, when he was 
 home again, his mind, his heart would prosecute 
 those sentiments and intentions, for which his 
 most intimate friend gave him credit? 
 
 Katherine was too proud to allow herself, even 
 in the seclusion of her heart, to think of one who 
 might have forgotten her. She knew that during 
 those wonderful days, when they had met con- 
 tinually at Bath, Wolfe had yielded to her a 
 homage which nearly came to something far 
 closer, more intimate. Her perception read his 
 condition of mind without difficulty. But she 
 was not like a girl unused to the society of men, 
 fluttering like a timid bird on the threshold of 
 maturity. She was a woman with a woman's 
 experience. Again and again she had been paid 
 the compliment a man offers to his choice of the 
 other sex, the one he singles out to try to make 
 his own. She knew that too much reliance must 
 not be placed on the persevering devotion of a 
 lover. Men, as a rule, are fickle, changeable : 
 they are vowed to constancy with one breath, 
 and outrage it with the next. 
 
 No, that was not true of all of them. Lord
 
 250 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 Dion's face came before her as she had seen it 
 that afternoon, weary, sad, with its record of 
 indifferent health, its story of suffering, and 
 beneath that the fine character, speaking through 
 the eyes, indicated in the mobile lips.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 IN BATH ONCE MORE 
 
 ALL speculations indulged in by his friends, as 
 to Wolfe's movements on landing at Portsmouth, 
 proved illusory. 
 
 He went straight to Salisbury, which was at 
 that time the head-quarters of the regiment of 
 which he had been appointed colonel the 67th. 
 
 Here he awaited leave, which was, of course, 
 speedily forthcoming. From Salisbury he went 
 to Blackheath, where his parents were residing, 
 making it his pied-a-terre, while he went back- 
 wards and forwards to London. His appearance 
 in the streets was greeted by rounds of applause. 
 
 He was present when the thanks of Parlia- 
 ment were tendered to the victors in the late 
 expedition. He was banqueted in the city. 
 None of these things served to disturb his modest 
 demeanour. In fact the more he was feted, the 
 more lie deprecated the h6nours thrust upon him. 
 
 This is the record of the time, from the pen of 
 
 251
 
 252 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 an impartial historian: "The country rejoiced, 
 and Parliament voted its cordial thanks to the 
 Admiral and General Amherst. Wolfe's por- 
 tion was something approaching hero-worship. 
 Everybody knew what he had done. Everybody 
 seemed to be singing his praises, and the only 
 person who seemed unconscious that he was a 
 hero was himself." 
 
 Although Wolfe had seen Mr. Pitt on several 
 occasions, and had received at his hands the most 
 cordial of welcomes, nothing definite had been 
 said as to the future. Wolfe himself cast longing 
 eyes on the battle-field of Europe. Here his old 
 regiment was doing splendid work under Prince 
 Ferdinand. Wolfe wanted to join them, but 
 Mr. Pitt brushed on one side any suggestion of 
 that sort. His chief had other things in store 
 for the ablest officer at his disposal, but what 
 they were remained a secret at present. 
 
 On the 7th of December Wolfe found himself 
 once more on the road to Bath. He was broken 
 down in health. He needed rest and the waters. 
 There was nothing to detain him in London. 
 
 Were these the only causes which incited him 
 to make the journey to the city of fashion the 
 Queen City of the west ?
 
 IN BATH ONCE MORE 253 
 
 Wolfe knew that the end of the journey would 
 bring him nearer the one bright, particular star, 
 to which his thoughts and hopes had turned on 
 the ramparts of Louisburg. 
 
 Katherine Lowther was in Bath. 
 
 Every mile he travelled drew him nearer the 
 goal. He was approaching the city under very 
 different conditions from those which obtained a 
 year earlier, when he had made the same journey. 
 He was no longer comparatively obscure, a rising 
 young officer whose promise was known only to 
 the few. His fortunes had improved with his 
 position. He was assured of high command, 
 carrying with it both prestige and reward. Even 
 his humility was not sufficiently great to deny 
 him the assurance, that any family in the land 
 would welcome him as a match for the daughter 
 of the house. 
 
 He reached Bath in the waning afternoon. His 
 arrival was expected. The peal of bells from the 
 Abbey rang out a welcome. Flags were hoisted 
 on all public buildings, as well as out of the win- 
 dows of not a few of the private houses. He was 
 escorted to his lodging by a troop of young men 
 splendidly mounted, the pick of the neighbour- 
 ing hunts. 
 
 Katherine Lowther could not fail to be im-
 
 254 
 
 pressed by the universal sentiment, which echoed 
 the deep feeling of the nation. Her own patriot- 
 ism was so great, that it enhanced her pride in 
 the achievements of the man, who had won 
 such success in the arduous task entrusted to 
 him. 
 
 They met in the Assembly Rooms, and once 
 more danced together. On the first occasion 
 they had been strangers. Now they were friends, 
 knit together by a year's association in thought, 
 if not in actual contact. 
 
 Wolfe had thrown off his weariness, the state 
 of health which had brought him to drink the 
 waters. His spirit had risen to overcome the 
 lassitude of the flesh, as it had done countless 
 times in the trenches at the mouth of the St. 
 Lawrence. 
 
 Lord Dion was indisposed, therefore absent. 
 Sir James Lowther and Miss Angela Lovesay 
 were at the ball. The former had given Wolfe 
 "the heartiest of welcomes, conveying in the shake 
 of hands something more than a conventional 
 greeting. Miss Lovesay alone displayed an acrid 
 humour, out of harmony with the general 
 applause. 
 
 The whole company of people looked on at 
 the two dancers. Katherine Lowther was the
 
 IN BATH ONCE MORE 255 
 
 acknowledged queen of the place. Wolfe was the 
 hero of the hour. For months gossip had pointed 
 to a closer relationship between these two. The 
 fact only enhanced the enthusiasm with which 
 Wolfe was received. 
 
 " I want to hear the whole story from you," 
 Katherine said, when they were comparatively 
 alone in the small alcove, whither he had taken 
 her on the night of their first meeting. 
 
 "It is too long," he deprecated, "and you 
 know it already." 
 
 "Only the bare outline," she protested. 
 
 " The public at home has filled in the details 
 not always correctly. I hear exploits have been 
 credited to me which I never did." 
 
 " All the more reason I should hear the 
 truth from you, if you are not tired of repeating 
 it." 
 
 He bent and looked at her. "There is only 
 one other woman to whom I should dare to tell 
 my most secret thoughts." 
 
 Katherine nodded. "I love her too," she 
 said. " When are your father and mother 
 coming to Bath again? ' 
 
 "Soon, I hope. But where I shall be is 
 another matter." 
 
 " Are your plans so uncertain? "
 
 256 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 "Not my plans. I am a feeble instrument, 
 wielded by a power to which the bravest and 
 strongest are ready to yield implicit obedience. 
 What that power will direct next, I for one can 
 only conjecture." 
 
 When they parted, Wolfe arranged to break- 
 fast at Colgrave's on the following morning, after 
 drinking the waters. 
 
 During the weeks which passed Wolfe spent 
 as much time as he could spare at Bath. Twice 
 he was summoned to London at a call from Mr. 
 Pitt. On the second occasion the plans of the 
 great Minister were fully unfolded. 
 
 He had selected Wolfe for the achievement of 
 capturing Quebec. In doing this he had once 
 more, and in a marked fashion, violated the 
 traditions of the Army, by placing so young an 
 officer in a position so responsible. But now the 
 Army itself, as well as the nation, would be 
 prepared to register approval. 
 
 As yet the talk of the coffee-houses and other 
 resorts was only conjecture concerning things 
 pending in the coming year. Absolute secrecy 
 was observed as to the plans. 
 
 Wolfe spent the Christmas of that year in 
 Bath. It was to be to him an ever-memorable 
 day. Ere a week passed he would have to leave
 
 IN BATH ONCE MORE 257 
 
 the west, to make his final preparations for the 
 voyage to North America, which was to begin in 
 February. 
 
 He had attended service at the Abbey, which 
 was crowded. From his seat near the western 
 door he could see the place where Katherine 
 Lowther with her brother, cousin, and other 
 acquaintances were worshipping. 
 
 When they issued into the open air again, 
 he joined them. The morning was crisp and 
 bright, with a few solitary flakes of snow falling 
 from an open heaven, only a few clouds dotting 
 the expanse of blue, from which the sun shone 
 gloriously. 
 
 His thoughts were carried back to the day on 
 which he had first arrived in Bath, and especially 
 to the morning which followed, under somewhat 
 similar atmospheric conditions to the present one. 
 There was a set look about his mouth, a protru- 
 sion of his pronounced chin, when he suggested 
 to Katherine they should cross the river, and take 
 a turn in the meadows which lay on the further 
 side. 
 
 She assented, and was surprised to find a 
 certain nervousness expressed in the tones of her 
 voice. 
 
 Walking briskly, they soon out-distanced the
 
 258 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 rest of the party, who had turned in the same 
 direction. A well-trodden field-path led to an 
 incline on the further side, from which, looking 
 back, the panorama of the city could be plainly 
 seen, now that the winter had robbed the trees of 
 their verdure. 
 
 Simultaneously, as they mounted the brow 
 of the hill, they turned and surveyed the pros- 
 pect. Wolfe raised his beaver almost reverently, 
 as if to greet the city, with its Abbey conspicuous 
 in the centre. 
 
 "I little thought," he said, "when I came to 
 Bath, how much pleasure I was to enjoy within 
 its walls " he lowered his voice, and said, 
 very quietly, but so that she could hear 
 "what it would all come to mean to me. Miss 
 Lowther Katherine I have brought you here 
 to tell you a secret, which surely requires no 
 divulging, for you must have guessed it for many 
 months. I love you. I want to make you my 
 wife if God gives me a resting time after the 
 war." Once more he raised his hat, but this 
 time to the Deity, with that reverent demeanour, 
 which was ever a distinguishing mark of the man 
 throughout his life. 
 
 Katherine did not reply. 
 
 He went on, rather more rapidly : " I pondered
 
 IN BATH ONCE MORE 259 
 
 it much at the beginning of the spring before 1 
 left for America, but I had then so little to 
 offer." 
 
 She stretched out her hand deprecatingly. 
 "How can you say that? ?; 
 
 "It was true, nevertheless. It is true to a 
 certain extent, even now. I am a poor man, with 
 little but my pay." He raised his head proudly, 
 showing the profile of his face in strong outline. 
 " Since then much has happened. I have gained 
 credit more than is really my due ; a position 
 to which I could never have hoped to aspire a 
 few years ago, perhaps even months. Mr. Pitt 
 trusts me, and has offered me a place of which I 
 cannot speak at present, even to you. Let it 
 suffice that it indicates his confidence in my deter- 
 mination to overcome obstacles, as great as were 
 ever presented to the genius of a commander of 
 men. I have therefore now made up my mind 
 to lay myself at your feet, to offer you all the 
 homage of my nature, to ask you to give me some 
 encouragement, some token which shall be my 
 companion in the arduous task which lies before 
 me, in the trying days and nights when, in a 
 sense solitary, alone, I have to bear the burden 
 of a great responsibility." 
 
 He spoke with an elevation of tone, a slow
 
 260 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 emphasis of enunciation, which convinced his 
 hearer or would have done so had she needed 
 convincing that his words rang true from the 
 bottom of his heart. 
 
 Her breast swelled with pride, for surely it 
 was no small compliment which this man was 
 paying her. The world was ringing with his 
 name, lavishing upon him a rare mead of 
 approval. He was the popular hero of the hour, 
 and he laid his honours at her feet. 
 
 Although Katherine was experienced in the 
 affairs of the heart, although her hand had been 
 asked several times by men possessing attractions 
 which appeal to a girl, she had as yet only a 
 limited capacity for judging between admiration 
 and love, between a deep sense of regard and 
 that touch of soul to soul, which alone can make 
 union in marriage an ideal state. 
 
 Already they could hear the sound of footsteps 
 behind them ; their time for being alone was fast 
 drawing to a close. Wolfe stretched out his 
 hand and touched one of Katherine 's, the left, 
 which was nearer him, the hand on which one 
 day he hoped to place the ring of eternity. 
 
 "'I want your answer." 
 
 " When you return "she faltered " I shall 
 be prepared to do as you wish, and in the
 
 He lifted the hand and touched it reverently 
 with his lips.
 
 IN BATH ONCE MORE 261 
 
 meantime to think of you and pray for you 
 daily." 
 
 A glow suffused Wolfe's pallid face. He lifted 
 the hand and touched it reverently with his 
 lips. 
 
 Was it strange that, as they walked homewards 
 in a silence more eloquent than words, that this 
 sentence rang in the ears of both of them : 
 "When you return "?
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 IN COMMAND 
 
 ON the 26th of June, 1759, General Wolfe 
 landed on the island of Orleans, which divided 
 the river St. Lawrence into two parts. Nowhere 
 wider than three or four miles, but twenty miles 
 in length, it gave the appearance of there being 
 two rivers instead of one. 
 
 The English fleet, under Admiral Saunders, 
 was anchored under the lea of the island. Wolfe, 
 accompanied only by Guy Carleton (whose ap- 
 pointment as Quartermaster-General had been 
 made, in spite of the opposition of the King, 
 through Wolfe's persistence), stepped on shore. 
 
 With hasty steps they scaled the highest point 
 of the island, commanding a wide prospect of the 
 opposite shore, with the most impregnable city 
 in the world occupying the centre. 
 
 As has been well said, "The first sight of 
 Quebec might well have daunted the bravest 
 spirit." A soldier of Wolfe's experience could 
 understand and appreciate the enormous strength 
 
 262
 
 IN COMMAND 263 
 
 of the position. It occupied the apex of a triangle 
 made by the joining of two rivers, the St. Charles 
 and the St. Lawrence. At the back was a ridge 
 of rock, which was held to be unscalable, even 
 by men who had known the heights from child- 
 hood. Everything possible had been done by 
 the Marquis of Montcalm to strengthen the 
 natural defences of the place. One of the ablest 
 Generals of the age had devoted all his ability to 
 secure the safety of the city from the possibility 
 of attack. Forts, bastions, earthworks, cannon 
 of every description and trajectory power, com- 
 manded the approach from every vantage 
 point. 
 
 As the morning sun brought into bold relief 
 the objects which were presented through 
 Wolfe's glass, he could distinguish the evolu- 
 tions of that fine army of fifteen thousand 
 men, under the command of the great French 
 General. 
 
 Pitt had intended Wolfe to have a force of 
 twelve thousand of all arms at his disposal, but 
 from various causes the number had dwindled 
 and shrunk, until only nine thousand were pre- 
 pared on that 26th of June to encamp on the 
 island of Orleans. 
 
 Wolfe, however, was not daunted, although 
 no man could recognise better than he the magni-
 
 264 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 tude of the task which lay before him. He 
 dropped his spy -glass, and, removing his peaked 
 beaver cap, let the soft June wind play upon his 
 face. Carleton, standing a few paces in the rear, 
 remained stationary, regarding his chief with 
 admiration and enthusiasm. His was a feeling 
 shared by every seaman from Admiral Saunders 
 downwards to the powder-monkey, by every 
 soldier from Brigadier to drummer-boy. 
 
 It was a morning which might well fill Wolfe's 
 mind with mingled emotions and thoughts. One 
 note was undoubtedly that of thankfulness for 
 what had already been achieved. 
 
 He had left England on the 17th of February. 
 His farewell had been waved to his parents, 
 Katherine Lowther, Lord Dion, and a small 
 group of intimate friends. 
 
 It was the last time he was to see his father, for 
 news of his death reached him before the siege 
 of Quebec began. Then, after embarkation, had 
 followed three months of tossing in tempestuous 
 seas, which tried to the utmost his frail, delicate 
 frame. 
 
 When they reached Canada, the harbour of 
 Louisburg was still frozen, in spite of the fact 
 that the month was May. The rendezvous of the 
 fleet had taken place at Halifax. Following upon 
 it had come the difficult voyage along the in-
 
 IN COMMAND 265 
 
 clement shores of Newfoundland, crowned by 
 the tortuous navigation of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 Not a Frenchman believed that the English 
 fleet could ride with safety through the difficult 
 and winding channel, beset by fogs which 
 had not yet dispersed, navigating unknown 
 waters. 
 
 But the indomitable spirit had once more con- 
 quered. Wolfe was looking at last on the goal 
 of his ambition, on the subject of his dreams 
 both by day and night. 
 
 Quebec ! He had been sent to capture it, 
 entrusted with the task by the master-mind of 
 the Minister, who was making England the 
 admiration of the world, restoring to her the 
 prestige once gained, since lost, now within her 
 grasp again. 
 
 At the age of thirty-two Wolfe was facing 
 a responsibility, from which a General twice his 
 age might have shrunk, without risk of being 
 regarded as a coward. To him it represented 
 the one word "opportunity." The time he had 
 been looking forward to, the hope which had 
 nerved him during long months of sickness, was 
 about to bear fruit. No longer was he hampered 
 by the lack of zeal or the slow cautiousness of 
 superior officers. 
 
 As he gazed, something of the plans, which
 
 266 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 were afterwards carried out, began to formulate 
 in his mind. 
 
 He could see the spot on the mainland where a 
 portion of his force could be entrenched. From 
 there the guns could bombard the low-lying 
 portions of the city. This was not the real point 
 of attack, but it would harass and distress the 
 enemy, and might possibly induce Montcalm to 
 come down into the plain, and meet the British 
 force face to face. In spite of the fact that the 
 French Army was double the size of Wolfe's 
 force, he had not the slightest doubt about the 
 result of such a contest. His soldiers were the 
 best-trained, the best-equipped, the finest for 
 warfare of that day. With such an Army and 
 such a leader, with the combined inspiration the 
 one conferred upon the other, no task was too 
 great, no disastrous issue to be feared. 
 
 But Montcalm knew it too. He had learnt to 
 understand the power of the man opposed to 
 him. He well knew that only the strength of his 
 position rendered the odds in his favour. Take 
 that away and his defeat was certain. 
 
 Captain Carleton stepped forward and saluted. 
 Wolfe had been standing in his present position 
 for the best part of an hour, while the panorama 
 of a scene absolutely new to him, and with which 
 his fortunes were so intimately connected, soaked
 
 IN COMMAND 267 
 
 into his brain. Carleton, having less on his 
 mind, had noticed something not apparent to his 
 chief. 
 
 While the transports were engaged in dis- 
 embarking troops and guns, the sky overhead had 
 become black with clouds. One of those summer 
 storms was impending, which spend themselves 
 with remarkable force for a short interval, and 
 then depart, leaving the sky radiantly clear. The 
 present one had come up from behind them, its 
 advance being hidden both from Wolfe and the 
 fleet by a shoulder of the island. 
 
 " We are in for dirty weather, sir. There is a 
 bad squall coming." 
 
 Just as Carleton said this, the first gust of wind 
 blew into their faces, followed immediately by 
 a spray from the rain-cloud overhead. 
 
 In an incredibly short space of time the 
 heavens were black, the wind howled and flung 
 itself on land and sea, while the rain descended 
 in torrents. It seemed as if they would be swept 
 into the boiling surf of the St. Lawrence beneath 
 them. Instinctively, they took refuge under a 
 large sycamore, just behind the beacon-hill 
 which had been Wolfe's mount of observa- 
 tion. 
 
 Dimly, through the driving rain, they could 
 see the effect of the storm on the ships a quarter
 
 2C8 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 of a mile off. Some were driven from their moor- 
 ings and flung on the shelving beach. Boats laden 
 with men and stores, caught en route between 
 ships and shore, overturned, both soldiers and 
 sailors having to save themselves as best they 
 could. 
 
 Wolfe set his lips together in bitter, hopeless 
 chagrin. His face, always rather white, lost the 
 vestige of colour it possessed. It seemed as if the 
 whole expedition would be destroyed before a 
 single blow had been struck ; as if all the arduous 
 efforts of the last few months, all the suffering, 
 mental and physical, of the young Commander, 
 all the anticipations of the Statesman who had 
 planned the daring effort, would be frustrated 
 and destroyed by a tornado, which no human 
 being could anticipate or control. 
 
 The fury of the storm spent itself as quickly 
 as it had risen. With rapid strides Wolfe 
 hastened back to the south shore, where embarka- 
 tion had been taking place before the rain. Car- 
 leton kept pace with him, but not a word was 
 spoken between them. Each knew the fear that 
 was in the other's heart : the fear that the fleet 
 should have suffered so terribly, that nothing 
 would be left to make it a fighting force ; the fear 
 that valuable lives must have been lost during 
 those brief minutes, when the fury of the
 
 IN COMMAND 269 
 
 heavens seemed to be expending itself upon earth 
 and sea. 
 
 They reached the edge of the cliff where it 
 overlooked the scene, the shore sloping by 
 gradual descent to the water. 
 
 Wolfe uttered a cry of thankfulness. The 
 result of the storm had done less damage than 
 he anticipated. Not a man, apparently, had been 
 drowned, owing to the shallowness of the water 
 on this side of the island. Already the men who 
 manned the ships were busy repairing damage, 
 hauling up overturned boats on to the beach, 
 long lines of sailors roped together, salving the 
 derelict stores. 
 
 When they saw Wolfe standing above them, 
 looking down upon their efforts with obvious 
 approval, a cheer greeted him which could be 
 heard at the French encampment. His heart 
 swelled with pride. He might well have been 
 daunted by the long line of fortifications, the 
 well-nigh impregnable position of Quebec, but 
 the stimulus afforded by the brave men who 
 feared nothing, who were ready to do and die 
 for their country, their General, their King, 
 proved to him the sort of material with which 
 he had to essay his task. Out of what seemed to 
 be a great disaster came an augury of victory. 
 
 Barely a week had passed before Wolfe received
 
 270 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 another proof of the intrepidity of the gallant 
 force he commanded. By that time all the nine 
 thousand soldiers had been landed on the island 
 of Orleans. The Fleet lay in the bay, or just 
 outside, where the full force of the tide was not 
 felt. 
 
 With Brigadier Monckton and Captain Carle- 
 ton, Wolfe had spent two long days in an open 
 boat, making acquaintance with the inlets of the 
 opposite shore, where he proposed to land a 
 brigade, and some artillery to play upon Quebec. 
 
 At the end of the second day they had re- 
 turned, utterly weary, and Wolfe, after com- 
 pelling himself to snatch a morsel of food, had 
 flung himself on the rough bedding in his tent, 
 to enjoy a much-needed rest. Barely was he 
 wrapped in slumber before a bugle sounded from 
 the Neptune, Admiral Saunders' flag-ship, 
 accompanied by shouts of warning from myriad 
 throats. Wolfe sprang up, alert, rushing out of 
 his tent. Was it possible that Montcalm was 
 making a sally in the night? The idea was 
 ludicrous, for he would have delivered himself 
 into the power of the English ships. 
 
 In the higher reaches of the river the nucleus 
 of a French navy was anchored in a position, 
 which every sailor, in the service of King Louis, 
 believed to be out of reach even of that "mad-
 
 IN COMMAND 271 
 
 ness which characterised the English attack." 
 From this direction brilliant lights gleamed one 
 after another through the fog of night. Big 
 red balloons seemed to be hanging in mid-air, 
 gleaming portents. 
 
 Wolfe, just awakened out of sleep, failed to 
 grasp the meaning of indications so foreign to 
 his experience, but Admiral Saunders had seen 
 service many years, and under all conditions. 
 Coming down stream heading for the British 
 ships, were some half-dozen vessels laden with 
 combustibles of every kind, steeped in tar and 
 resin, ready to be set alight and so to deal 
 destruction on the ships of the foe.
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 A STRANGE COMMISSION 
 
 THE moments that followed were exciting 
 enough. Suddenly the whole of the heavens 
 seemed ablaze. Fireworks rent the air in all 
 directions. The island of Orleans, the tidal water 
 between, the mainland on the opposite shore 
 were displayed with an illumination as great as 
 that of the sun. The encampment of the Eng- 
 lish Army ; the ships at anchor in the bay and 
 outside it ; the cannon which protruded from 
 every fort and bastion commanding the river ; the 
 figures of English sailors lining the bulwarks, 
 ready for action when the crucial moment should 
 arrive ; the gaunt figure of Wolfe himself, lean- 
 ing forward, his chin thrust out, according to 
 his wont in moments of excitement these were 
 features which remained on the recollection of 
 the onlookers. 
 
 Owing to some blunder on the part of the 
 attacking force, the fire-ships were set alight 
 
 272
 
 A STRANGE COMMISSION 273 
 
 before the opportune moment arrived. The excel- 
 lence of the preparations had defeated the object 
 aimed at. The vessels burnt too quickly, and had 
 lost their capacity for doing damage, before they 
 reached English waters. Burnt right down to 
 the bulwarks, the English sailors seized the 
 charred remains with grappling-irons and thrust 
 them forth into the main stream, where they 
 floated a helpless wreckage until the fire had 
 done its work. This was the first of two occa- 
 sions on which this manoeuvre was attempted, 
 without any damage, to speak of, being inflicted 
 on the English ships. 
 
 The month which followed July was per- 
 haps the most anxious Wolfe ever passed through 
 during his arduous career. Sickness depleted 
 his already exiguous force. Twice he himself 
 seemed at the point of death. For five days, 
 when the month was waning, he lay on his 
 truckle-bed the prey of fever, with despair star- 
 ing him in the face. Gloom hung over the 
 expedition, soldiers and sailors believing their 
 only hope of success being dependant on Wolfe's 
 leadership. His most intimate friends, such as 
 Captain Jervis, who was in command of a sloop 
 anchored near Wolfe's quarters, Guy Carleton, 
 and Brigadier Murray, were alone permitted to
 
 274 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 visit the sick-bed. Their reports, conveying the 
 news of the General's improvement or otherwise, 
 were awaited eagerly, and went through fleet and 
 encampment from lip to lip. 
 
 As Wolfe tossed from side to side, there could 
 be seen on his chest the miniature Katherine 
 Lowther had given him, just before he started 
 on the voyage. She had had it painted on 
 purpose for him. It was a speaking likeness. 
 As soon as ever he was convalescent he wrote 
 three letters one to his mother, who was suffer- 
 ing from the pangs of her recent bereavement, 
 one to Katherine, and last, but not least, to 
 William Pitt. 
 
 This last letter is extant: " There is such a 
 choice of difficulties in this situation that I own 
 myself at a loss how to determine. The affairs 
 of Great Britain, I know, require the most 
 vigorous measures, but the courage of a handful 
 of brave men should be exerted only when there 
 is some hope of a favourable event. However, 
 you may be assured, sir, that the small part of 
 the campaign which remains shall be employed, 
 as far as I am able, for the honour of His 
 Majesty and the interest of the nation, in which 
 I am sure of being well seconded by the Admiral 
 and by the Generals."
 
 A STRANGE COMMISSION 275 
 
 Wolfe rose from the writing-table with deter- 
 mination in his eyes, to carry out that one forlorn 
 idea, which had been with him as he tossed on 
 the bed of sickness. That rugged, craggy cliff 
 which terminated the Heights of Abraham, the 
 apparent protection on the landward side of 
 Quebec, must yield its secrets. A way must be 
 found to scale its summit. It was a forlorn hope 
 indeed, for every vantage-point was guarded by 
 a strong force under General Bougainville. The 
 tents of the French could be seen above the 
 place where a path was visible through Wolfe's 
 powerful glass. One point had caught his keen 
 eye, a zigzag winding its way up the steep face 
 of the Anse au Foulon. This was finally decided 
 upon to form the objective of that great advance. 
 Under the cover of night on the llth of Septem- 
 ber, to be ever memorable in the history of 
 Canada, of Great Britain, and of the world, the 
 final dispositions were made. 
 
 It happened that a French convoy, conveying 
 mijch-needed provisions to the beleaguered city, 
 was expected to pass the higher reaches of the 
 river that night. Wolfe learnt this fact from 
 some prisoners captured by his troops. It helped 
 his plans amazingly, for the sentries along the 
 shore believed the English boats, when they
 
 276 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 passed, to be the vanguard of the expected con- 
 voy. To avert the attention of the Marquis of 
 Montcalm and the main French Army, the 
 cannon of the fleet plied the French defences 
 with a continual shower of shell, so that the 
 thundering of the guns sounded high up along 
 the river, acting as a kind of symphony to the 
 silent movement of the vessels, conveying the 
 small force of four thousand five hundred men, 
 who were to attempt a deed, which was to be 
 blazened forth for ever on the annals of courage. 
 The night was dark, although the sky was clear, 
 and stars pricked the darkness overhead. At two 
 o'clock the tide served. Hardly any oars were 
 required to propel the boats, so they proceeded 
 with barely a sound. 
 
 Twice they were challenged by sentries from 
 the bank, occupied by the enemy hard by. For- 
 tunately, one of the officers could speak French 
 fluently ; his ready tact saved the force from 
 premature disaster. 
 
 "Who goes there? " 
 
 "France." 
 
 "Of what regiment? " 
 
 "The Queen's Own." 
 
 On the second occasion a sentry called out 
 from the upper part of the cliff, demanding who 
 was there.
 
 A STRANGE COMMISSION 277 
 
 "Provision boats. Make no noise, or the 
 English will hear us." 
 
 The answer had its due effect, and the English 
 force was able to proceed. 
 
 Wolfe, who was in the cabin of the Suther- 
 land, made his final dispositions. Then he sent 
 a boat across to Captain Jervis, asking him to 
 come on board. Somewhat surprised, the young 
 Commander afterwards to win so great a name 
 as Admiral Jervis responded to the call. Wolfe 
 grasped his hand. His mouth was set, his eyes 
 gleaming. 
 
 " To-morrow, Jervis, will see the end. By the 
 time the sun has risen the fate of this expedition 
 will be decided" he lowered his voice "and 
 my own." 
 
 "You will win through, sir, of that I am 
 assured," Jervis cried. " If you fail, not a man 
 would dare remain to tell the tale. You are the 
 idol of the Army. They love you as no General 
 has ever been loved before." 
 
 Wolfe laid a hand on Jervis's shoulder. " I 
 do not doubt that," he replied. "Neither do 
 I believe in failure. Ere twenty-four hours are 
 over, the Heights of Abraham will have seen a 
 great battle. Then the English flag will float 
 over the walls of Quebec, as it already guards the 
 ramparts of Louisburg."
 
 278 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 " If you believe that, sir- 
 Wolfe interrupted him. " I do believe that, 
 and more. I believe to-morrow will be the 
 beginning of such a story as few even dream of ; 
 that these wide lands of Canada will become an 
 Empire, a daughter-land to ours. If I help to 
 lay the foundation-stone of that edifice, I shall 
 die content." 
 
 " Do not speak of death, sir ; rather think of 
 victory, of the return to England, proud indeed 
 to call you her son." 
 
 Wolfe shook his head. His eyes looked past 
 his friend's face, beyond the sides of the cabin, 
 right away into a futurity, which his spirit seemed 
 to touch with a physical sense of possession. 
 
 " I have no doubt about the result. To- 
 morrow will see the end of that I am assured." 
 Jervis would have interrupted, but a gesture 
 from Wolfe made him silent. 
 
 "I have a commission to entrust to you." 
 ''To me?" Jervis responded, in some sur- 
 prise, for, alt hough Wolfe had shown him marked 
 favour, he knew he had other and more intimate 
 friends Carleton, for instance. 
 
 ' Yes, you of the Navy have done your part 
 right well, but to-morrow will lie with the Army. 
 Who shall say which of us will remain to carry 
 the news to England, or to do my errand? "
 
 A STRANGE COMMISSION 279 
 
 As Wolfe spoke, he withdrew the miniature 
 from under his inner vest. He held it in his 
 hand and looked at it long and fixedly. His 
 mouth worked with an indication of emotion, 
 which he would not allow to appear otherwise. 
 It was the portrait of Katherine Lowther, 
 encircled by pearls. 
 
 "Will you take this," he said, "to Miss 
 Katherine Lowther at Bath? Let no one touch 
 it but yourself, and as you hand it to her, tell 
 her it was next my heart from the day she gave 
 it me until to-night." 
 
 Jervis half -turned away. He brushed his 
 sleeve across his eyes. "Surely, sir," he urged, 
 "this is a despondency such as is quite foreign 
 to you." 
 
 Wolfe pressed his hand. " I am not afraid 
 of death," he replied. "The only thing I fear 
 is defeat, disgrace, dishonour, the dishonour 
 of my country even more than of myself, 
 the one involved in the other. I can face death 
 with no more a tremor than as I look into your 
 face." 
 
 The anchor of the Sutherland was at this 
 moment dropped over the side of the vessel. 
 They could hear the splash, quietly as it was 
 done, and the grinding of the chain against the 
 side of the ship.
 
 280 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 "The time has come," Wolfe said. "You 
 will do my bidding, Jervis? ' ; 
 
 Without another word they separated. The 
 Sutherland led the way. Wolfe in person 
 superintended the landing. As yet not a sus- 
 picion of their coming had reached the French 
 lines. 
 
 To Colonel Howe, an officer in whom Wolfe 
 placed the utmost trust, had been given the task 
 of first scaling the heights of the Anse an Foulon . 
 A call had been made for volunteers. Hundreds 
 of men were ready to undertake a hazardous task, 
 about which they knew nothing. Two dozen 
 were selected, the majority being Highlanders, 
 with a few Grenadiers. 
 
 At the foot of the cliff Wolfe waited with 
 four thousand five hundred men as silent as the 
 grave. The sounds of the night, the chirping of 
 crickets, the song of the bull-frogs in the marsh- 
 lands, the booming of the surf along the shore, 
 these alone broke the stillness. 
 
 The zigzag path, which Wolfe had selected to 
 be the means of reaching the heights above, had 
 been blocked by boulders ; but Howe and his men 
 would take no suggestion of defeat. They scaled 
 what seemed to be almost impossible heights, the 
 Highlanders especially showing infinite skill in 
 overcoming natural obstacles. Well might
 
 A STRANGE COMMISSION 281 
 
 General Wolfe be thankful that, owing to his 
 insistence, these men had been included in the 
 British contingent. 
 
 Howe gained the summit. The flashes and 
 rattle of muskets told their tale as Howe's men 
 rushed the small French encampment and drove 
 its occupants, suddenly roused from sleep, helter- 
 skelter before them. 
 
 Like a tidal wave the Army at the back of 
 Wolfe swept up the heights ; even two or three 
 cannon were dragged to the summit by incredible 
 exertions. 
 
 From the distance still came the booming of 
 the guns of the Neptune, and other big vessels, 
 under the command of Admiral Saunders. 
 
 But the deception, as to the real object of the 
 English attacking force, could no longer be main- 
 tained. The sound of firing had already been 
 heard in the streets of Quebec. The garrison 
 drums were beating to arms. A horseman was 
 galloping as fast as the darkness and uneven 
 ground permitted to acquaint the Marquis of 
 Montcalm with the news. Another horseman 
 had started earlier to bring the alarm to General 
 Bougainville, who with two thousand men lay a 
 few miles to the rear. 
 
 The Chevalier Johnson was sleeping in Mont- 
 calm's tent. He was an officer of wide experi-
 
 282 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 ence and tried courage. In a few minutes the 
 French Commander-in-Chief , and his companion, 
 were galloping towards the quarters where 
 Governor VaudreuiPs house was situated. 
 
 By this time the dawn light had come into the 
 sky. Objects could now be seen on the lofty 
 tableland, which the French had supposed was 
 guarded by the impregnable cliff-barrier, over 
 which the British had passed an hour earlier. 
 
 Through the mist Montcalm and his com- 
 panions could see the long red line of the British 
 Army. This was not a detachment, a company, 
 or a brigade, as Montcalm had at first imagined, 
 when the news was brought to him. 
 
 General Wolfe had succeeded in accomplishing 
 the impossible. He had reached the battle- 
 ground with all his force. The issue could not 
 now be avoided, or even postponed. 
 
 Messengers were sent in all directions. The 
 French drums beat to arms. Soon Montcalm, 
 riding his charger, was at the head of a force, 
 in numbers double that which his rival com- 
 manded. 
 
 In the meantime Wolfe had made his dis- 
 positions. He had addressed and stimulated the 
 troops by a few words, which reflected his own 
 courage and hope. Everywhere he w r as wel- 
 comed by a shout of confidence. The veteran
 
 A STRANGE COMMISSION 283 
 
 soldiers of that small but compact force trusted 
 their leader absolutely, while he in return be- 
 lieved them to be unmatched in the armies of 
 the world. 
 
 By nine o'clock the French could be seen 
 advancing, their arms and accoutrements gleam- 
 ing in the sunshine. In the distance were the 
 towers and spires of the city, the prize for which 
 these two armies were to fight that day. 
 
 The firing commenced from the French lines 
 directly they were within musket-shot. Here 
 and there the shots told. Wolfe himself was hit 
 in the wrist early in the engagement, but he 
 took no heed of the wound. 
 
 Strict orders had been given that not a shot 
 should be fired throughout the English ranks, 
 until the bugler under Wolfe's own hand should 
 give the signal. 
 
 Silently the long line bore the brunt of attack, 
 sharp-shooters from the woods on their flank 
 keeping up a galling fire, while the French troops 
 poured in volley after volley. Barely forty yards 
 separated the two armies when Wolfe, with a 
 wave of his sword, gave the necessary order. 
 
 Then every gun in the front line of the British 
 force rang out with simultaneous effect. Never 
 before had such a volley been fired in the history 
 of warfare. Its effect was tremendous and
 
 284 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 instantaneous. Whole battalions of the enemy 
 were mown down, while the rest reeled back, 
 struck by a mortal blow. Wolfe, waving his 
 sword above his head, called upon his men to 
 advance on the confused and serried ranks. 
 They swept across the plain with a power which 
 nothing could gainsay. 
 The day was won !
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM 
 
 ALTHOUGH Wolfe during the first onset, and 
 in the height of the battle, had appeared to be 
 present in person at all points of the advance, 
 his real place was at the head of the Grenadiers. 
 This was at the extreme right of the English 
 line. Associated with the Grenadiers was the 
 28th Regiment of foot, supported by the 35th 
 immediately at their rear. 
 
 This portion of the column was the nearest 
 to the thickly- wooded district, which lay between 
 the top of the cliff and the walls of Quebec. At 
 the outset these woods had been occupied by 
 the Militia of the district. They were excellent 
 marksmen, accustomed to fighting under cover, 
 more dangerous in the wood than they would 
 have been in the open. 
 
 Wolfe gave no heed to the sharp-shooters thus 
 ambuscaded. His whole attention was paid to 
 turning the defeat into a rout, to the completion 
 of his victory. The martial ardour of his spirit, 
 so long pent up, so long confined in a narrow 
 
 285
 
 286 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 channel, while his plans were being formed, could 
 now be permitted full play. His eagle glance, 
 his waving sword, his trumpet tones encouraged 
 the troops around and behind him in their ardour 
 of pursuit, but that conspicuous figure in its red 
 coat and yellow facings made an effective mark 
 for the hidden foe. A shot came, and found its 
 billet in Wolfe's body. In all probability the 
 wound was mortal, but the heroic spirit was not 
 to be gainsaid. He still struggled on. A few 
 seconds later a second shot passed through his 
 lungs. He fell to the ground, strove to rise, but 
 failed. 
 
 The incident, which was shortly to cast a gloom 
 over the rejoicings of the whole Army, passed 
 almost unnoticed. 
 
 Wolfe was carried out of the firing-line, but 
 the pain of the movement becoming intolerable, 
 he instructed his bearers to lay him on the 
 ground. At the suggestion of finding a surgeon 
 he shook his head. 
 
 "It is all over," he gasped. 
 
 With poignant grief the soldiers stood watch- 
 ing by the side of their dying General. Already 
 the tide of battle was sweeping onwards towards 
 the doomed city. The French were in full 
 retreat, with scarcely a semblage of order or 
 discipline. Montcalm, himself mortally wounded,
 
 THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM 287 
 
 had striven his utmost to rally the retreating 
 force, but without avail. 
 
 " They run ! See how fast they run ! " cried a 
 Grenadier in the circle of Wolfe's guard. 
 Wolfe had sunk into a stupor, but the words 
 roused him. 
 
 By a great effort he lifted his head to try to 
 see for himself, but his eyes were dimmed, and 
 the smoke from the firing obscured the air. 
 
 "Who run? "he asked. 
 
 "The enemy, sir. They give way every- 
 where." 
 
 " Thank God ! ' Even in that dying moment 
 Wolfe gave a direction with the intent of cut- 
 ting off the retreat. Then he sank back, giving 
 up his soul, as many a time he had declared he 
 one day hoped to do, in the flush of victory, dying 
 for the cause of his country and his King. 
 
 Within a week all that was mortal of a man, 
 as great as any England has ever produced, was 
 carried into the city of Quebec, over which now 
 waved the British flag. Here his body was 
 embalmed. The conqueror, himself conquered 
 by death, entered the city which had been the 
 goal of his ambition for many months. His rival 
 and adversary, Mont calm, had been buried in 
 the centre of the scene of disaster, but Wolfe's 
 body was to be conveyed back to England.
 
 288 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 On the 18th of October every flag in the 
 English Fleet and on the battlements was at 
 half-mast. Guns boomed out once more, but 
 this time with a dull monotony of sound, which 
 no longer indicated an attack, the speed and 
 confusion of battle. These were minute guns, 
 paying their last tribute of respect to the hero, 
 who had given up his soul to God on the Heights 
 of Abraham. 
 
 A month later almost to the day the Royal 
 William, bringing Wolfe's body home, was 
 sighted off S pithead. All England was waiting 
 for the home-bringing of their hero. 
 
 When joy bells had rung out over London 
 for the magnificent and almost despaired-of con- 
 quest of Quebec, there had been a deep under- 
 current of sorrow. Wolfe in a few years had 
 not only carved a niche for himself in the temple 
 of fame, but had managed to attract, without 
 any intention, the admiration of the nation. 
 The heroic figure had been pictured on every 
 news-sheet, had taken its place, almost as a 
 national symbol, in every heart. Now their hero 
 was being brought home ; they were about to lay 
 the shattered body to rest. 
 
 At Portsmouth the coast was thronged with 
 spectators, the majority wearing mourning. A 
 small group stood together, hardly exchanging
 
 THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM 289 
 
 a word, but with hearts sorrowing and overcast 
 with the terrible sense of a great loss. Wolfe's 
 widowed mother was conspicuous in the centre 
 of this group. Supporting her were Lord Dion 
 on the one side, Katherine Lowther on the other. 
 Sir James Lowther, Miss Lovesay, and three or 
 four old comrades of the General completed the 
 company. 
 
 When the Royal William anchored on the 
 previous night full arrangements had been made 
 for the debarkation on the morrow. At eight 
 o'clock the draped barges had arrived at Ports- 
 mouth. 
 
 Every man's head in that great assemblage 
 was bared ; women were weeping. The church 
 bells tolled out their solemn message of sympathy 
 and regret. The guns of the naval ships within 
 the harbour boomed out into the morning air. 
 The requiem to Wolfe could be heard distinctly 
 on the shores of France. 
 
 Somehow it became known that the party 
 of mourners, assembled together on the jetty, 
 had the most right of all to greet the advancing 
 procession. A way was made for them by an 
 instinctive movement of the crowd. Sir James 
 Lowther gave his arm to the mother, Lord Dion 
 to her who was to have been the wife, had the 
 home-coming been other than it was.
 
 290 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 At Blackheath, with the grand message of 
 hope of the English Burial Service, the remains 
 were laid to rest in the family vault, in sure and 
 certain hope of that final and complete victory, 
 which is the goal and stimulus of every believing 
 heart. 
 
 Christmas was almost due again, when one day 
 a visitor came to Sir James Lowther's house at 
 Bath. It was Captain Jervis, bringing the minia- 
 ture which had been entrusted to him for personal 
 delivery. Captain Jervis described to Katherine 
 in a few blunt but telling phrases the scene in 
 the cabin of the Sutherland, on the night before 
 the battle, when he had so unexpectedly been 
 summoned to attend upon General Wolfe. He 
 spoke of the foreboding, amounting to moral 
 certainty, which Wolfe had expressed with 
 regard to the issue of the morrow, of the com- 
 mission he had received to place the miniature 
 in Miss Lowther's hands, if the result of the 
 battle proved to be what Wolfe expected. As 
 he described the scene and related the conversa- 
 tion, he lived it over again in memory ; his 
 emotion showed itself in his face. 
 
 "We shall never see his like again; he had 
 indeed the heart of a hero."
 
 THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM 291 
 
 Katherine bowed her head in mute assent, 
 her lips quivered, her eyes were filled with 
 tears. She was afraid to trust her voice to 
 speak. 
 
 Captain Jervis rose. "I must be going." He 
 held out his hand. " I am proud to have met 
 you. We all honour you, sailors and soldiers, 
 every man of us who served under the General. 
 To have been loved by him, for him to have 
 worn your likeness during those weary months 
 of suspense, to be in his thoughts on the eve of 
 battle, to have had his last message." 
 
 "I thank you," Katherine whispered, "for all 
 you have done, for all you say. Just now I can- 
 not express myself, but I hope to meet you 
 again. My heart is too full for words. Before 
 you leave the house my brother asked me to say 
 that he would like to see you and thank you in 
 person, as the head of the family." 
 
 "Nay, Miss Lowther," Captain Jervis pro- 
 tested. "I never thought of such a thing. 
 Please do not trouble." 
 
 She rang a bell. A servant was bidden to take 
 Captain Jervis to the library, where Sir James 
 Lowther was awaiting him. 
 
 Before he left, Katherine took his hand and 
 pressed it warmly : " I shall always consider you
 
 292 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 one of my friends." She turned away, her lips 
 quivering, unable to say another word. 
 
 She still stood in the centre of the room as 
 Captain Jervis went out. The vision of her 
 sorrow and beauty, the dignity of her grief, never 
 faded from his memory. 
 
 During the months which followed, the first 
 edge of sorrow Katherine felt for the tragic fate 
 of General Wolfe wore off under the kind touch 
 of time, which soothes the most poignant griefs. 
 She remained in seclusion, seeing only a few of 
 her greatest friends, like Lord Dion and the 
 Fiennes. She took long walks and rides, some- 
 times alone, sometimes with Lord Dion. Their 
 friendship was cemented, and drew them closer 
 together, owing to the experience they passed 
 through in their common sorrow. Katherine 
 daily visited the hospital, looking to her work 
 there as a relief and solace. 
 
 During the spring Miss Lovesay became 
 engaged to a Yorkshire baronet, Sir Ralph 
 Abercromby. She spent a considerable part of 
 her time in visiting his relations, so that 
 Katherine was deprived of the companionship, 
 which had filled a large part of her life, in spite 
 of the fact that she and her cousin looked at 
 almost all matters from a different standpoint.
 
 THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM 293 
 
 Katharine had locked the miniature away in 
 a drawer she rarely opened ; it contained some 
 of her most private papers. On the anniversary 
 of the night James Wolfe had the interview with 
 Captain Jervis, Katherine unlocked this drawer 
 and took the miniature into her hands. She 
 tried to picture the circumstances Captain Jervis 
 had related to her. A tear fell on the speaking 
 likeness. She brushed it away with her handker- 
 chief. But her eyes were dim with tears, she 
 could no longer distinguish what she was holding 
 in her hand. And yet beneath it all was the con- 
 sciousness, which she could not help thinking 
 James Wolfe had shared, that, deep as was their 
 mutual regard, true as they would have been to 
 one another, if he had survived the battle on the 
 Heights of Abraham, there would have been 
 something lacking, which ought to have been 
 the very foundation of the bond between them. 
 Katherine knew it now. Had she not known it 
 in her heart-of -hearts all along ? Was it not due 
 to this unspoken but ever-present knowledge, 
 that the actual words of betrothal had never been 
 said? In spite of the fact that she had given 
 him the token he had asked for, in spite of the 
 fact that he had never parted with it, and had 
 worn it next to his heart, they had been content 
 with tacitly accepting the future as belonging to
 
 294 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 each other. They had preferred to wait for a 
 return, which was never to be permitted in life, 
 before exchanging the solemn promise, which 
 would be the next most binding to that of 
 marriage itself. 
 
 Did James Wolfe know all along that he 
 would never come back? If he had felt a pre- 
 monition of this, it was in accordance with the 
 nobility of his character and the lofty tenor of 
 his life, that he should shrink from binding 
 Katherine more closely to himself. Many times 
 Katherine revolved these thoughts in her mind, 
 especially during those hours of wakefulness, 
 which she spent after retiring to rest, during the 
 first months of sorrow. The kiss of betrothal 
 had never been given. To her this was an ever- 
 present fact : a matter trivial in some respects, 
 
 _ 
 
 but in others of great importance. 
 
 She locked away the miniature and went to 
 the window. There was just light enough to 
 distinguish figures in the street, as they passed 
 between the infrequent lamps. As she stood 
 there, she saw Lord Dion Blair, heavily cloaked, 
 although the cold of the winter had not yet set 
 in. He was not coming to the house, but passing, 
 probably on his way to the Assembly Rooms, 
 which had just re-opened for the winter session. 
 
 As she looked, it struck her what a pathetic
 
 THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM 295 
 
 figure he presented. She had never before real- 
 ised to the full extent his loneliness, a loneli- 
 ness of spirit which was somehow conveyed in 
 his drooping shoulders, in the poise of his bent 
 head. Friends he had in plenty, love was 
 accorded him by not a few, yet Katherine knew 
 that afternoon, as she had never known before, 
 that he was the loneliest man in Bath.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 A WOMAN SPEAKS HER MIND 
 
 LORD DION BLAIR was walking alone with slow 
 steps down the Mall in the direction of his 
 house. His hands were behind his back, a gold- 
 headed Malacca cane dependent from one of 
 them. He had been exercising for the last hour 
 in the Park. His whole attitude suggested either 
 physical weariness or mental depression, yet the 
 day was bright and crisp, with the warm sun of 
 mid-October dispelling the early morning mist. 
 
 Two years had gone by since the death of 
 General Wolfe and the capture of Quebec, a 
 period of great importance in the history of 
 England, including as it did the death of 
 George II and the accession of his grandson. 
 The power of William Pitt had passed with the 
 new order of things, inaugurated by the young 
 sovereign of three-and-twenty. 
 
 As regards the dramatis persons of this narra- 
 tive, the months and years had proved almost 
 uneventful. Angela Lovesay had become Lady 
 
 296
 
 A WOMAN SPEAKS HER MIND 297 
 
 Abercromby, and had presented her husband, to 
 his great satisfaction, with a son and heir. This 
 latter event had happened three months earlier. 
 Sir Ralph and Lady Abercromby with their 
 household had moved to town, where Sir Ralph 
 had a house in Jermyn Street, to spend the inter- 
 vening time till Christmas. 
 
 Katherine Lowther with her brother had 
 taken up their old quarters at Ely House, once 
 again let to them by the Bishop. As regards 
 Katherine, she seemed least of all to have felt the 
 influence of time. Her beauty had, if anything, 
 matured, while the sadness which came into her 
 life, owing to the death of James Wolfe, had 
 served to accentuate and deepen those finer 
 womanly qualities, which had never been absent 
 from the time she came to years of discretion. 
 
 Lady Abercromby, with her quick wit, taking 
 up the threads of the life-stories of her cousin 
 and Lord Dion, after absence, had come to cer- 
 tain conclusions, not new, but ratifying impres- 
 sions she had had for a long period. It hap- 
 pened that she and her husband, with two ladies 
 of their acquaintance, crossed the Mall just as 
 Lord Dion was making his way from it. Ex- 
 changing a few hurried words with her husband, 
 Lady Abercromby left him to the company of 
 their friends, and followed Lord Dion at a quick
 
 298 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 pace, to overtake his slow-moving footsteps. 
 She came up to him as he was about to enter 
 his house. 
 
 Hearing her, he turned, greeting her warmly, 
 the shadow which had been across his features 
 dispersing as he welcomed her. Lord Dion had 
 never been wholly in sympathy with her some- 
 what mordant wit, but he had known throughout 
 that she was his friend, a genuine and loyal ally, 
 and, after all, this draws people together, even 
 if in some respects they are not wholly congenial. 
 
 " I want to have a chat with you," she said. 
 
 " Always a pleasure," he smiled. " Will you 
 come in? ' 
 
 They entered his house side by side, and 
 crossing the hall he led her into an oak-panelled 
 room well stocked with books, the companions 
 of his hours indoors. He wheeled a chair towards 
 the fire, but Lady Abercromby seemed disin- 
 clined to take it, picking up first one book, then 
 another, which lay on the tables, looking at the 
 pictures on the walls, flitting from one point to 
 another. 
 
 Lord Dion had divested himself of his long over- 
 coat, handing it to a servant in the outer hall. 
 He stood with his back to the mantelshelf at one 
 corner, watching her, noting a certain unusual
 
 A WOMAN SPEAKS HER MIND 299 
 
 nervousness in her manner, wondering what it 
 portended. Something told him that this was 
 no ordinary visit ; that Lady Abercromby had 
 something in her mind which she deemed of 
 importance, and that she had not yet decided how 
 to express what she wanted to say. He waited 
 quietly until at length she spoke. 
 
 "I once knew three people, two of them 
 intimately, one slightly." She paused. 
 
 Lord Dion bent towards her, his fine eyes 
 fixed upon her face. She looked at him, then 
 she looked away, then back again, with an 
 expression almost of defiance. 
 
 "Yes?" 
 
 "I had a great regard, perhaps something 
 more, for two out of these three people, and a 
 respect for the third, but I should have liked him 
 better if he had not come in, with the assistance 
 of one of the others, to spoil my most cherished 
 desire." 
 
 Lord Dion's lip quivered for a moment. He 
 could fancy he heard the beating of his heart. 
 He could not pretend to himself that he failed 
 in any way to understand Lady Abercromby 's 
 allusions, but something amounting to fear had 
 come into his mind, the kind of fear a man might 
 have in the old days, before anaesthetics, when an
 
 300 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 operation was about to be performed, and he saw 
 the preparations of doctors and nurses. Silence 
 reigned in the room until Blair, almost uninten- 
 tionally, broke it. 
 
 "One is dead," he said, in very gentle tones, 
 so soft and low, that the words would not have 
 reached his auditor had not her whole faculties 
 been absorbed in listening. 
 
 She nodded. "Two remain. They are apart, 
 and they ought to be together." 
 
 "You are treading on delicate ground," he 
 suggested. 
 
 " Do you think I do not know that every bit 
 as well as you do? Do you know I have been 
 on the brink of saying it on many occasions, and 
 always drawn back? Now I can refrain no 
 longer. I am compelled by a force stronger than 
 my own will. I see two lives drifting into a fog, 
 which can only deepen if the present course is 
 pursued and persisted in." 
 
 Lady Abercromby took two or three steps 
 forward, until she was near enough to touch Lord 
 Dion if she wished. Now her eyes sought his, no 
 longer turning away through nervousness, as they 
 had done at the beginning. 
 
 " I cannot and will not see two lives wrecked, 
 two beautiful characters weighed down with a 
 load they need not bear, without saying what is
 
 A WOMAN SPEAKS HER MIND 301 
 
 in my mind. I cannot speak to her I do not 
 need to do so but I can and will to you. Lord 
 Dion, Katherine Lowther loves you. She has 
 always loved you, not knowing, perhaps, through 
 all those years of close companionship, exactly 
 what her feelings meant. You have only to 
 speak the word to open the portals of her heart, 
 which would be flung wide to receive a most 
 honoured and loved guest." 
 
 With a thin hand Lord Dion wiped the per- 
 spiration from his brow. 
 
 " You torture me," he said. " You make me 
 suffer more than you can possibly realise." 
 
 "If I make you suffer, it is that you may 
 rejoice ever afterwards, that you may quaff to 
 the bottom the brimming cup of life." 
 
 Drumming in his ears were the words, 
 " Katherine Lowther loves you. She has always 
 loved you, not knowing through those years of 
 close companionship exactly what her feelings 
 meant." 
 
 Could it be true ? Could it be possible ? He 
 would have believed it from no one else. But 
 the knowledge and wit of this shrewd woman 
 convinced him almost against his will. 
 
 " I am not worthy of her. I have never even 
 dared to look at such a prospect. I have striven 
 to keep it even from my dreams." He clasped
 
 302 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 his hands together. " Sometimes the fight has 
 been most strenuous. It has nearly killed me to 
 keep the words back that would come to my 
 tongue." 
 
 " Not worthy ! " Lady Abercromby cried. " It 
 is your humility which formulates the plea. She 
 thinks you more than worthy, the finest character 
 she has ever known, and I think so too," she 
 added, curtly. 
 
 Lord Dion shook his head. " You little know 
 me. I have been weak throughout. I am jealous 
 sometimes, God forgive me, of him who is gone, 
 although I loved and respected him with all my 
 heart, and it was my doing they were brought 
 together." 
 
 "Do you think I forget? I did my little to 
 thwart it, to protest, but I dared not speak as 
 I am speaking now. One thing I will tell you 
 which only one other knows besides myself ; there 
 was never any real betrothal between them. No 
 kiss ever passed from her lips to his." 
 
 She turned away, and walking across the room, 
 opened the door and went out into the hall. 
 
 Lord Dion did not seem to realise what was 
 happening. The most courteous of men had 
 allowed a lady to leave him, without a door being 
 opened to admit her passage, without a bow 
 ushering her from his threshold. It was a time
 
 A WOMAN SPEAKS HER MIND 303 
 
 of stress, of a life-and-death struggle in his heart. 
 It was a time when all other things were for- 
 gotten, became as naught beside the one issue 
 so deep, so profound, so absorbing, that it rent 
 him as an earthquake rends a rock, disclosing 
 the very foundations. He turned and leant his 
 elbows on the mantelpiece and buried his face in 
 his hands. He was living again the past, weigh- 
 ing every indication that memory could suggest, 
 deciding what he should do, or leave undone, 
 what he should speak, or leave unspoken.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 WHAT CAME OF IT 
 
 KATHERINE LOWTHER was leaning on the para- 
 pet, watching the play of sunlight on the river, 
 the slow progress of the barges plying up and 
 down. She heard footsteps behind her on the 
 garden path, and turned. She was wearing a 
 warm cloak, but the glory of her hair had no 
 covering. It was gathered up into a regal 
 coronet with a diamond ornament, crescent- 
 shaped, half hidden, half exposed. She saw 
 Lord Dion coming towards her and smiled, but 
 the smile passed quickly from her lips, for his 
 face was pale, agitated. He seemed to be the 
 bearer of bad tidings. She hastened towards 
 him, holding out both her hands. 
 
 " What is the matter? " she cried. " You are 
 in trouble. Has something happened? >: 
 
 It required no imagination on her part to 
 understand that if Lord Dion were stricken in 
 any way, it would be to her he would turn first 
 for sympathy in a sense, for help. 
 
 304
 
 WHAT CAME OF IT 805 
 
 " Nothing," he answered. " Nothing, I assure 
 you." Yet he took her hands into his as if what 
 she had surmised was true. 
 
 "It is only myself, nothing else. The old self 
 I have never been able to conquer." 
 
 " Surely you do not wish it ? Why should you 
 be other than what you are, the man we all " 
 
 He looked at her eagerly. "You did not 
 finish," he urged. 
 
 A gentle smile played about her lips, disclosing 
 her white teeth. It lightened the dark depths of 
 her eyes. 
 
 "It is not necessary to say it. You know we 
 all love you ! ' 
 
 Why had he not let go her hands ? What was 
 this unwonted expression upon his face? She, 
 too, began to be stirred, agitated. Hitherto she 
 had seemed as a lake hidden in the mountains, 
 over which not a breath of wind played, calm, 
 cool, refreshing. Now she was different. The 
 wind had swept down the mountain-side, the 
 water was agitated into waves. 
 
 "Yes, but what do you mean by love? ' 
 
 She looked him straight between the eyes, but 
 her breath came intermittently. 
 
 " Surely you know I mean everything the word 
 contains, and it is the widest, deepest word in all 
 language."
 
 306 THE HEART OF A HERO 
 
 She tried to release her hands, but the grip of 
 his thin fingers resisted her efforts. 
 
 "Katherine, you know you are as far above 
 me as the stars in the heavens. You know I am 
 what I am." 
 
 He gave a little shudder, almost of physical 
 repulsion, at his imperfection of form. 
 
 She interrupted him. " I know only that you 
 are of all men, to me, the most wonderful. I 
 know the jewel of your heart, of your character, 
 of your life." 
 
 " You are not playing with me? " he asked. 
 
 " Playing? Do you think I could? " 
 
 "No, but it means so much to me. I have 
 striven to put it from me all these years. I even 
 planned to give you up to some one else worthier 
 than I, worthy almost of you." 
 
 " Hush ! ' She released her hands, and in- 
 stead laid one on his arm, and so led him towards 
 the parapet, on which she had been leaning when 
 he came. 
 
 " Let us not think of the past," she suggested. 
 " We have the present and the future." 
 
 'Together? " he whispered, bending his face 
 close to hers, so that he might read her very 
 soul. 
 
 "Yes, together, if you will it so, my lord," 
 and as she said it he knew that this was no
 
 WHAT CAME OF IT 307 
 
 courtesy-title, but the surrender of herself, of all 
 she had, of all she was, to him. 
 
 They were married quietly, shortly after 
 Easter, in the following year. By that time 
 Lord Dion had succeeded, quite unexpectedly, 
 to the highest rank to which an English noble- 
 man can attain, two lives, which had seemed 
 infinitely better than his, no longer separating 
 him from the great estate. He was glad he had 
 this to lay at Katherine's feet, yet he knew she 
 cared nothing ; he knew now, she loved him for 
 himself alone and was content. 
 
 THE END
 
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