o
was entertaining them at his own table, and who had given the
strictest orders that the humbler of the prisoners should be
equally well treated elsewhere: "you seem to fly from point to
point, to divide your army as you will, and conquer wherever you
appear. It is wonderful, but it is terrible, too! And yet with all
this, how are you to get into Quebec? For it seems to me you are no
nearer that than you were a month ago."

Wolfe smiled his slight, peculiar smile.

"Madame," he answered, "we have a proverb in En gland which says
that 'where there's a will there's a way.' I have been sent out by
the government of my country to take Quebec, and here I stay till I
have carried out that order. How and when it will be accomplished I
do not yet know; what I say is that I am here to do it, and that I
mean to do it. When you return to the city, present my respects to
the Marquis of Montcalm, and tell him what I say."

The ladies looked at one another, and lifted eyes and hands. In the
aspect of the young General, despite his physical feebleness, there
was an air of such calm, confident power that they were deeply
impressed; and one of them, looking earnestly at him, cried:

"You make us admire you as much as we fear you, Monsieur Wolfe. But
if you are to have Quebec, pray take it quickly; for this long,
cruel war wears us out."

"Madame," he answered, "I would that I could; but Monsieur de
Montcalm gives me no chance of fighting. If he were not so
cautious, I should greatly rejoice. I give him all sorts of chances
to attack me, but he will not avail himself of them. If caution
could save Quebec, assuredly it would never fall!"

"If he take not care, his caution will be his undoing," said a
Canadian dame of sprightly turn. "As for us of the country, we are
weary to death of uncertainty. They tell me that the Canadian
militia will not long remain loyal if kept in such inactivity. We
Canadians do not understand this sort of warfare. Quick raids,
sharp fighting, quick return home is what our men are used to. They
can be brave enough in their native forests; but this sitting down
in camps for weeks and months together, whilst their harvests are
lying uncut in the fields, or left a prey to Indian marauders--no,
that they do not understand or appreciate. They are almost ready to
welcome English rule sooner than go on like this. I doubt not you
have heard as much from your prisoners before."

"Something like it," answered Wo