nd to Madame
Radisson. The same grand personage with sleek jowls and padded calves
opened the door in the gingerly fashion of his office. This time he
ushered me quick enough into the dark reception-room.

As I entered, two figures jumped from the shadow of a tapestried alcove
with gasps of fright.

"Ramsay!"

It was Rebecca, the prim monkey, blushing a deal more than her
innocence warranted, with a solemn-countenanced gentleman of the cloth
scowling from behind.

"When--when--did you come?" she asked, all in a pretty flutter that set
her dimples atrembling; and she forgot to give me welcome.

"Now--exactly on the minute!"

"Why--why--didn't you give us warning?" stammered Rebecca, putting out
one shy hand.

At that I laughed outright; but it was as much the fashion for
gentlemen of the cloth to affect a mighty solemnity in those days as it
was for the laity to let out an oath at every other word, and the young
divine only frowned sourly at my levity.

"If--if--if you'd only given us warning," interrupts Rebecca.

"Faith, Rebecca, an you talk of warning, I'll begin to think you needed
it----"

"To give you welcome," explains Rebecca. Then recovering herself, she
begs, with a pretty bobbing courtesy, to make me known to the Reverend
Adam Kittridge.

The Reverend Kittridge shakes hands with an air as he would sound my
doctrine on the spot, and Rebecca hastens to add that I am "a
very--_old--old_ friend."

"Not so _very_ old, Rebecca, not so very long ago since you and I read
over the same lesson-books. Do you mind the copy-heads on the
writing-books?

"'_Heaven to find. The Bible mind. In Adam's fall we sinn'ed all.
Adam lived a lonely life until he got himself a wife._'"

But at that last, which was not to be found among the head-lines of
Boston's old copy-books, little Rebecca looked like to drop, and with a
frightened gesture begged us to be seated, which we all accomplished
with a perceptible stiffening of the young gentleman's joints.

"Is M. Radisson back?" she asks.

"He reached England yesterday. He bade me say that he will be here
after he meets the shareholders. He goes to present furs to the king
this morning."

"That will please Lady Kirke," says the young gentleman.

"Some one else is back in England," exclaims Rebecca, with the air of
news. "Ben Gillam is here."

"O-ho! Has he seen the Company?"

"He and Governor Brigdar have been among M. Radisson's enemies. Young
Cap