s. It comes to that. We might hold out a few more days and end by
being at his mercy."

"Let the men themselves be spoken to," entreated Edelwald.

"They will all, like you, beg to give themselves to the holding of
Charles La Tour's property. I have balanced these matters night and day.
We must surrender, Edelwald. We must surrender to-morrow."

"My lady, I am one more man. And I will now take charge of the defense."

"And what could I say to my lord if you were killed?--you, the friend of
his house, the soldier who lately came with such hopes to Acadia. Our
fortunes do you harm enough, Edelwald. I could never face my lord again
without you and his men."

"Sieur Charles loves me well enough to trust me with his most dangerous
affairs, my lady. The keeping of this fortress shall be one of them."

"O Edelwald, go away from me now!" she cried out piteously. He dropped
his head and turned on the instant. The women met him and the children
hung to him; and that little being who was neither woman nor child so
resented the noise which they made about him as he approached her table
that she took her mandolin and swept them out of her way.

"How fares Shubenacadie?" he inquired over the claw she presented to
him.

"Shubenacadie's feathers are curdled. He hath greatly soured. Confess me
and give me thy benediction, Father Edelwald for I have sinned."

"Not since I took these orders, I hope," said Edelwald. "As a Capuchin I
am only an hour old."

"Within the hour, then, I have beaten my swan, bred a quarrel amongst
these spawn of the common soldier, and wished a woman hanged."

"A naughty list," said Edelwald.

"Yes, but lying is worse than any of these. Lying doth make the soul
sick."

"How do you know that?"

"I have tried it," said Le Rossignol. "Many a time have I tried it.
Scarce half an hour ago I told her forlorn old highness that the fort
was surely taken this time, and I think she hath buried herself in her
chest."

"Edelwald," said a voice from the tapestried pavilion. Lady Dorinda's
head and hand appeared, with the curtains drawn behind them.

As the soldier bent to his service upon the hand of the old maid of
honor, she exclaimed whimsically,--

"What, Edelwald! Are our fortunes at such ebb that you are taking to a
Romish cloister?"

"No cloister for me. Your ladyship sees only a cover which I think of
rendering to its owner again. He may not have a second capote in the
world, being friar extraor