e largest in Quebec. As far as Labrador it is
said to extend, and he covers it all twice each year, in his canoe or
upon snowshoes. A saint, _monsieur_, as not all of our priests are,
alas! You will do well to make his acquaintance."

He placed one brawny hand upon my shoulder and swung me around.

"Now at last I understand!" he bellowed. "So it is Pere Antoine who is
to make you and mademoiselle husband and wife! And you thought to
conceal it from me, _monsieur_!" he continued reproachfully.

His good-humour being completely restored by this prospective
consummation of the romance, the captain parted from me on the wharf on
his way to the telegraph-office, repeating his instructions to the
effect that we were to be aboard the boat by nine, as he would not be
able to remain later than that hour on account of the tide.

It had grown dark long before and, looking at my watch, I was surprised
to see that it was already past six o'clock. I had no time to lose in
returning to the chateau.

But though I could see it outlined upon the cliff, I soon found myself
lost among the maze of narrow streets in which I was wandering. I
asked the direction of one or two wayfarers, but these were all men of
the labouring class, and their instructions, given in the provincial
patois, were quite unintelligible to me.

A man was coming up the street behind me, and I turned to question him,
but as I decreased my pace, he diminished his also, and when I
quickened mine, he went faster as well. I began to have an uneasy
sense that he might be following me, and accordingly hastened onward
until I came to a road which seemed to lead up the hill toward the
ramparts.

The chateau now stood some distance upon my left, but once I had
reached the summit of the cliff it would only be a short walk away.

The road, however, led me into a blind alley, the farther extremity
being the base of the cliff; but another street emerged from it at a
right angle, and I plunged into this, believing that any of the byways
would eventually take me to the top of the acclivity.

As I entered this street I heard the footsteps behind me quicken and,
looking around, perceived that the man was close upon me. He stopped
at the moment I did and disappeared in a small court.

There was nothing remarkable in this, only to my straining eyes he
seemed to bear a resemblance to the man with the patch whom I had
encountered at the corner of Sixth Avenue on that ni