menage_, but also on her three
chubby little children, who, notwithstanding divers and sundry private
injunctions to the contrary, would occasionally come to the front and
gaze open-mouthed and awestruck at so uncommon a visitor. At length
Isidore rose to pursue his journey; Boulanger would fain have
accompanied him, but this he would not permit, and, after taking the
Canadian's directions for regaining the road by a bridle path through
the wood in which the cottage was situated, he bade adieu to the honest
couple and galloped away.

The ground was more broken than he had expected, and he was soon
obliged to rein up his horse. As he did so he thought he heard a
rustling in the underwood at no great distance, but it was not until
the same thing had occurred two or three times that the thought crossed
his mind that some one might be following him. Yet, after all, it
might be nothing more than a stray lynx or some such animal, though it
seemed strange that it should move when he moved and stop when he
stopped. At length he gained the road, and would probably have
forgotten the incident altogether had he not accidentally cast a look
behind him, when he saw a dark figure amongst the trees just at the
point where he had quitted the wood. It disappeared, however, almost
instantly, leaving Isidore in some doubt whether it might not have been
Boulanger, who, notwithstanding his expressed wish, might possibly have
desired to see him safely on the road. At all events he saw no more of
it, and riding on soon found himself once more within the great
Canadian fortress.

In the evening he paid a visit to Madame de Rocheval, when he learned
that that lady intended to embark for France in about a fortnight,
taking Marguerite with her, and there was some talk of the possibility
of his going by the same vessel. He did not remain long, however, but
promised to call again the next day. On the following afternoon he
paid his friends a more lengthened visit, and, at his request,
Marguerite presently sat down to the harpsichord, as she had been used
to do of old, to play to him some music she had recently received from
France, and amongst these were some canzonets and other vocal pieces
which she begged Isidore to sing.

Those who should best understand these matters say that the tenor is
the most common voice with men. It may be so, but certainly the rarest
of all voices met with in perfection is the tenor of that marvellous
ench