amplain as
they sat in the evening smoking their pipes.

"The child? The reputed mother came over with some emigrants sent by the
King, and as a widow she married Jean Arlac. He, it seems, was much
disappointed at not having children of his own and was not over-cordial
to the little girl. Rather more than a year ago his wife was taken ill,
she had never been robust. And in her last moments she confessed the
child was not her own, but that of a friend, and before she told the
whole story a convulsion seized her. Jean was very angry and declared
the child was nothing to him. He brought it to Mere Dubray and then went
off to the fur regions, from whence the tidings came that he had married
an Indian woman and taken a post station. She is a bright little thing,
and I think must have come of gentle people. Her only trinket is a chain
and locket, with a sweet young face in it."

"But there is no chance here for any sort of education. She seems
naturally intelligent."

"There will be soon. There is a plan to bring out some nuns, and we
shall build a chapel. We cannot do everything at once. The mother
country cannot be roused to the importance of this step. It is not
simply to discover, one must hold with a secure hand. And we must make
homes, we must people them."

Pontgrave was to return to France. Ralph Destournier had half a mind to
accompany him, but he was young and adventurous and desirous of seeing
more of this strange country. At last he cast in his lot with them for
the year at least.

October was a gorgeous month with its changing colors, its rather sharp
nights when the log fires were a delight, and its days of sunshine that
brought a summer warmth at noon. At night the sky sparkled with stars.

The buildings were calked on the outside and hung with furs within.
Harsh winds swept down from the northwest, everything was hooded with
snow. Now one counted stores carefully and wasted nothing, though
Champlain's ever sympathetic heart dealt out a little from his not too
abundant supplies to the wandering Montagnais and gave their women and
children food and shelter. There was a continual fight to keep even
tolerably well. Scurvy was one enemy, a low sort of fever another.

There were many plans to make for the opening of spring. Yet Ralph
Destournier would have found it intolerably dull but for the little girl
whose name was Rose. He taught her to read--Champlain fortunately had
some books in French and Latin. Th