ned, the Indian girl exclaimed, "The Black Lady of Sorel,
madame! Who is she?"

"Nay, my good girl," replied the woman, not at all displeased at being
addressed as madame, "I don't mean a real lady, but the ghost who is
seen sometimes walking on the wall of the fort--at midnight, of course."

"I have indeed heard say that there are ghosts," said the girl, "but I
never saw one, madame."

"Nor I, child," was the reply, "and I am sure I don't want to."

"But what makes her walk about in such a strange place?" asked the
girl, with unusual animation.

"You silly child, how should I know? My husband says that the soldiers
at the fort, though they don't like to talk about it, declare it is the
ghost of some very wicked person whom the king caused to be shut up
there, and who, though she has been dead ever so long, is still trying
to get out. But I cannot stop gossiping here, so good-bye. Don't be
frightened at the ghost, child; it won't hurt you, though you are only
a red skin."

Early on the following morning there was drumming enough to deafen one
as the guard turned out in honour of Colonel de Valricour, who was
received by the officer he had come to replace in the command of the
fort. They held a long conference together on various points connected
with the duties of the garrison, and these had been all duly disposed
of when the old commandant thus addressed his successor--

"I have now only one thing more to do, monsieur, and that is to
transfer to your keeping two state prisoners now in the fort. They
were sent here two or three months ago, as the secret register will
show you, and they pass by the names of Godefroid and Gabrielle. Their
real names, however, as given in the king's warrant, are Isidore de
Beaujardin and Marguerite Lacroix."

The baron started from his seat, exclaiming, "You do not mean to
say----" but he could get no further.

"So it is," was the reply. "You seem startled, colonel. Ah, I hope
these are not people in whom you are interested. I know nothing of
them, but I supposed they must be highly connected."

"I am interested in them indeed," said the baron, greatly agitated; "in
fact they are nearly related to me. To think that I should find them
here, and that they should actually be placed in my charge."

"I am really concerned about it," said the ex-commandant. "It is a
singularly painful position, for of course," he added, looking rather
dubiously at do Valricour, "the king