forefinger and smoothed it against the sunlight.

"There was a war once," said she, "between the Greeks and the
Persians; and the Persians overran the Greeks' country until they
came to a pass in the mountains where a few men could stand against
many. There three hundred of the Greeks had posted themselves,
despising death, to oppose an army of tens and hundreds of thousands.
The Persian king sent forward a horseman, and he came near and looked
along the pass and saw but a few Greeks combing their hair and
dressing it carefully, as I am dressing mine."

"What happened, ma'amzelle?"

"They died, and live in song for ever and ever!"

She faced them, her cheeks glowing, and lifted a hand as the note of
a sweet-toned bell rose upon the morning air above the voices of the
birds; of the chapel-bell ringing the garrison to Mass.

The two young men scrambled to their feet.

"Come!" said Diane, and they walked back to the Fort together.

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE FLAGSTAFF TOWER.

Time pressing, the Commandant had gone straight from the orderly-room
in search of Father Joly. As a soldier and a good Catholic he
desired to be shriven, and as a man of habit he preferred the old
Cure to Father Launoy. To be sure the Cure was deaf as a post, but
on the other hand the Commandant's worst sins would bear to be
shouted.

"There is yet one thing upon my conscience," he wound up. "The fact
is, I feel pretty sure of myself in this business, but I have some
difficulty in trusting God."

It is small wonder that a confession so astonishing had to be
repeated twice, and even when he heard it Father Joly failed to
understand.

"But how is it possible to mistrust God?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know. I suppose that even in bringing New France so
near to destruction He is acting in loving mercy; but all the same it
will be a wrench to me if these English pass without paying us the
honour of a siege. For if we cannot force them to a fight, Montreal
is lost." The Commandant believed this absolutely.

Father Joly was Canadian born and bred; had received his education in
the Seminary of Quebec; and knowing nothing of the world beyond New
France, felt no doubt upon which side God was fighting. If it were
really necessary to New France that the English should be delayed--
and he would take the Commandant's word for it--why then delayed they
would be. This he felt able to promise. "And I in my heart of
hearts am sure of it,"