A Canadian Heroine, Volume 1

ere was no reason why the marriage once arranged should be delayed; on the contrary, everybody was happily agreed in the opinion that it might take place

octor Morton. He made no secret of the fact that it would be very acceptable, and Mr. Bellairs-though, for his own part, he would have married his charming Elise with exactly the same eagerness if she had been penniless-was too sensible to be at all displeased with his future brother-in-law's clear and straightforward manner of treating so importa

only a stove, a writing-table, two chairs, and some cupboards. Mr. Bellairs sat at the table with a pile of papers before him: in the second chair-an easy one-Doctor Morton lounged, and amused himself while he talked, by tracing the pattern of the empty sto

e speaking in the outer office, was

on, sir. Says h

nd the same rough voice called out, "Just a minute,

together after him, and after a few mi

ou some trouble," he sa

ked the Docto

There, he found the fellow comfortably settled, and expecting nothing less than to be turned out. The end of the matter, for that time, was, that Clarkson promised to pay some few dollars rent, and was left in possession. The rent, however, never was paid. Mr. Latour died, and when his affairs came into my hands I tried again to get it; threatened to turn Clarkson out

no doubt

ear his wife is a very decent woman

is not too late to get rid of s

, of course, in the way of business. Professionally,

dition is the re

e who profit by it at present; they hunt over it, and

ought not to be a bad positio

n discussing the probable advantages of turning out Clark

sitting alone in her little morning room. He took up a magazine which lay o

la?" he aske

She and I have nearl

t ab

declare, William, I hav

d. "An old complain

t last, what she was going to marry for,

"They are well matched," he said; "Morton is as cool as she

so little about each other now, what will they d

convenience; but as our ideas on the subject don't seem to have changed much

hospitable to your cousin, but I do wish wit

e on the table. "Why, what on

here he spends

awdling way rather provokes me, and I have

the Cottag

have thought that an am

hat Lucia is a wond

ild. You don't thin

lairs wa

lways fancying things of that kind. A fe

believe you would give Mrs. Costello credit

she sa

ice and Lucia are not the sa

an prefer Percy to Maurice; but

at to do? I feel as

I suspect the best thing to do is to leave them a

I should be sorry to see her married t

l, you may be mistaken in supposing there

e had heard, and take pains to satisfy himself as to the cause of her anxiety. She had also (after ten years

y settled. It was agreed that Doctor Morton, Lucia, and Maurice should be the only persons invited; but when all the other arrangements had been ma

bject, even houses and trees at a considerable distance, was reflected in them with a clearness which foretold stormy weather. A note from Mrs. Bellairs had prepared Lucia, and she

left the horses in the care of a servant, and walked across a wide, unenclosed space of green to the house. It was a long, ugly building, with innumerable windows. The walls were whitewashed, and glared out painfully in the sunshine; the roof, window-frames, and doors painted a dull red; but the situation, similar to that of Mrs. Costello's Cottage, was lovely, and a group of fine trees stan

flew back again the moment they were perceived. Everything else was still, even the leaves overhead did not move, and the silence was so infectious that by degrees all talk ceased-each had his or her own dreams for the moment. Bella and Doctor Morton, utterly unromantic pair of lovers as they were, must have had some touch of the ordinary softness of human n

ween Mr. and Mrs. Bellairs. His said, "I am afraid you were right;"-he

oing to sleep,

hange of position among

?" asked Bella. "It

ad better be soon," said her brother-in-law. "

ome, I hope. But loo

that it was, in fact, a tiny bark canoe. One Indian woman, seated at the end, seemed to be its only occupant; the repeated flashes of su

't believe you have seen a squaw yet. Get up

nd Mr. Percy rose lazily. "She is an odd fi

the papoose lyi

but upon my word the lady's costu

of work, reached her ankles; a cloth skirt, almost without fulness, came a little below the knee, and was covered, to within three or four inches of its edge, by an equally scanty one of red and white cotton, with a kind of loose bodice and sleeves, attached to it; a blanket, fastened round her shoulders in such a manner that it could be drawn over her head like a monk's cowl, completed her dress. A little brown baby, tight

lightness and beauty of the canoe, went down to the water's edge to look at it more closely. Bella wanted to see the papoose, and perhaps to bargain with its mother for some of

ied in alarm, "what is

be quite right again in a minute." But her bre

ome in? Can

fort she recovered herself a little, an

t? I can't

Indian or a squaw always throws me into a kind of pa

ertainly; what ar

y I should feel so, but I always have

t, for you really frightened me, an

no one but you here. Ple

r you can be? And they are coming back from the river. You

then walked straight up to the two ladies, holding out her mats as an invitation to them to buy. Lucia shrank back, and Mrs. Bellairs afraid, from her previous alarm, that she really would faint, motioned hastily to the woman to go away. But she seemed in no hurry to o

she said, in b

e nothing for you;" and taking Lucia's arm, she dr

ou must have an opposite effect on her to what she has on you.

ad strolled away along the shore, while the other two were occupied in discussing Indian customs and modes of life, their conversation having started from

, which she did by sitting down and looking on with great interest while dinner proceeded. It was not a particularly satisfactory meal in its earlier stages,

leave the farm much earlier than they had intended, and hasten towards home. When they approached the Cottage, Lucia begged to be set down, that her friends might not be hindered by turning out of th

you forget that I am a Canadian girl, an

you have no one at your disposal for an es

n England would people be shocked a

ng England and everything about it. Do

y serious word. But y

her is an Englishwoman, why don't you

words slowly like a lesson learned by rote; and as she

to go-you ha

to go. It seems to

t much like Fairyland," he answered; "not

day, but then alone. Without mamm

Without mamma' would be no great

then we have always been togeth

ctor Morton for instanc

t away at a pace which was meant to carry off a considerable amount of irritation against himself. "I had nearly made a pretty fool of myself," he soliloquised. "It is quite time I went away

argery put her head round the co

ast I guess so,-and she doesn't expect y

ng up the bank towards the house, so I went out on the verandah to see. As soon as she saw me, she held up her mats and says, 'Buy, buy, buy,' making believe she knew no more English than that, but I told her we wanted none of her goods, and then she said, 'Missis at home?' I told her no, and she said 'Where?' as impudent as possible. I told her that was none of her business, and she'd better go; but instead of that, she took hold of my gown, and she said "Lucia" as

at the farm. This could not certainly be the mysterious "C." of the letter, for Mr. Strafford said "he is in the neighbourhood," but it might be Mary Wan

s mamma?"

he is quite sick to-day, and Mr. Maurice came t

l her about

not. You see she is not very strong, and I thought you co

rgery, you wer

icance than she, knowing so little, could imagine-but she wished extremely that she possessed some gauge by which to measure beforehand the degree of agitation her ne

rlour, Mrs. Costello half rose f

rling," she as

on," Lucia answered; "we

ve had a pl

t. You have b

e an invalid, and complains

d then, glad to escape from the subject, aske

peat, in as unconcerned a tone as possible, Margery's story; but when

stranger? Have yo

Margery certainly. I

me all you

he squaw's appear

ello said half to herself. "

steps up and down the room. Lucia watched her i

she asked. "D

r, and drawing her close to her, she said, "You are a good child, Lucia, for you ask no questions, though you may well think your mother

m Cacouna

om Canada. Away from all

e first pang of partin