autumn sun, whilst beyond it to the south, and
away for miles to the north, were spread out great undulating tracts,
bounded by picturesque ranges of lofty mountains, whose waving lines no
pen or pencil can adequately describe. The maple, the sumach, and many
other forest trees, all changing their hues in the warm dry atmosphere
peculiar to the climate, presented everywhere a combination of bright
colour beyond the most fantastic flight of imagination, in which every
tint, from pale sea-green to dusky olive, from palest primrose through
orange and scarlet to deepest crimson, were blended together with a
harmony which the hand of nature can alone produce. The utter
stillness that reigned around, and the marvellous distinctness with
which the most distant objects stood out through the transparent
atmosphere, gave a strange and dream-like character to the scene that
insensibly led him who looked upon it into that mysterious phase of
mind in which we seem to be living over again some moments of a former
life. Even the voice of yonder sturdy woodsman, who has just appeared
above the brow of the hill, seems to set in vibration the slumbering
chord of some memory of things past; yes, and he is vehemently
declaiming to the comely matron who trudges beside him about the
rascality of that fellow Cadet, the most rapacious of the greedy
underlings of Monsieur the Intendant! Truly it is no other than our
friend Jean Baptiste Boulanger, who is just hot from a visit to Quebec
on some business pertaining to his craft, and whose fond and faithful
Bibi has come to meet him by the way.

Isidore and his _quondam_ guide were both glad to meet again. Cadet
and his doings were instantly and utterly forgotten, and de Beaujardin
could not help being pleased to find that the Canadian had taken so
much interest in him that he already knew from the inquiries he had
made all about the young soldier's movements, his wound, and other
incidents of the past year. His request that Isidore would honour his
humble dwelling with a visit was so pressing that the latter consented
to do so, and, sending his servant forward to prepare for his arrival
somewhat later at Quebec, he accompanied Boulanger and his wife to
their cottage, which stood at some little distance from the road.
Great was Bibi's anxiety to do honour to their noble guest, and not
less great her delight at the commendations he bestowed, not only on
the order and tidiness of her little _