told him
of her term at Halifax in the convent; of the routine of life and
study there; of her friendships, and very privately, of the disgust
she took, while there, to what she called the superstitions, the
mummeries and idolatry of the Catholic church.

When Mr. Somers had acquired strength enough for exercise on
horseback, Mrs. Dubois, Adele, and John were accustomed to accompany
him. Daily, about an hour after breakfast, the little party might have
been seen fitting off for a canter through the forest. In the evening,
the group was joined by Mr. Dubois and the missionary. The atmosphere
being exceedingly dry, both by day and night, they often sat and
talked by moonlight, on a balcony, built over the large, porch-like
entrance to the main door of the house.

Thus John and Adele daily grew into a more familiar acquaintance.

During the absence of Mr. Dubois at Fredericton, Mr. Somers announced
to John that he felt himself strong enough to undertake the ride
through the wilderness, and proposed that, as soon as their host
returned, they should start on their journey home.

With increasing strength, Mr. Somers had become impatient to return to
the duties he had so summarily forsaken.

He wished to test, in active life, his power to maintain the new
principles he had espoused and to ascertain if the nobler and holier
hopes that now animated him, would give him peace, strength, and
buoyancy, amid the temptations and trials of the future.

John, for several days, had been living in a delicious reverie, and
was quite startled by the proposition. Though aware how anxiously his
parents were awaiting his return, and that there was no reasonable
excuse for farther delay, he inwardly repudiated the thought of
departure. He even indicated a wish to delay the journey beyond the
time Mr. Somers had designated. A piercing look of inquiry from that
gentleman recalled him to his senses, and after a moment of
hesitation, he assented to the arrangement. But the beautiful dream
was broken. He was thrown at once into a tumult of emotion. Unwilling
to expose his agitation to the observation of others, he went directly
to his room and locked himself in.

After sitting half an hour with his face buried in his hands, the
chaos of his soul formed itself into definite shape. His first clear
thought was this,--"Without Adele, my life will be a blank. She is
absolutely necessary to my existence. I must win her". A very decided
conclusion