he batteries the whole
length of the harbour in safety; he was at Miramichi only two days
before I arrived there, and took command of some Canadians in charge
of a number of English prisoners to lead them to Quebec. So you
may comfort yourself with the thought of his safety, and that your
prayers have been answered."

"What will happen now, mon pere?"

"That is impossible to say; except that the English will certainly
push every advantage they have gained, and, unless substantial help
comes from without, the outlook is desperate."

"Did no help come to Louisbourg, mon pere?"

"None," he answered; and the one word sank into my heart like a
knell. He parted from me at the church door, and I wandered down
to the beach alone.

The loss of Louisbourg, as even I could see, might mean the loss
of Canada, and, in the priest's eyes at least, its loss was due
not so much to the weakness of the garrison as to the failure of
the relief, and this relief could have come only by the man who
had withstood his commands, holding out a shameful condition as
the price of his obedience. Whether le pere Jean was right or wrong
I could not judge, but I surely knew he could but lay the source
of this dishonour to the wilful act of the woman he had rescued
and befriended in her hour of need.

The news of the gallant defence of Carillon went far to offset the
disaster of Louisbourg, but not to allay our anxiety, and September
was a trying month for us all; but Gabriel visited us twice, and
was unshaken in his confidence.

"Time enough to cry out when we are beaten, madame. We have held
them back at Carillon, and will do so again, if need be; they have
been beaten in the Upper Country before this, and they will be
clever indeed if they can come up the river."

"They did so once before, Gabriel."

"'Une fois n'est pas coutume,' madame; pilots cannot be picked up
like pease."

I expected word from le pere Jean every day, and awaited it with
conflicting feelings. I was most anxious to know the truth about
Hugh, and yet to meet him was past my desire, if he were really
married. Should that prove the case, then I would use my utmost
effort to return to France without his knowing I had ever been in
the country. Should he discover it, then I must bear the humiliation
as best I might; but I could not bring myself to go away, and
perhaps wreck my future as well as his, through a misunderstanding.
I felt I had gone too far, had suffered too