ce with ma'm'selle Lotbiniere and her brother Charles. M'sieu' Charles,
he has the reins. Soon, ver' quick, the horses start with all their
might. M'sieu' saw and pull, but they go the faster. Like that for a
mile or so; then ma'm'selle remember there is a great crack in the ice
a mile farther on, and beyond the ice is weak and rotten, for there
the curren' is ver' strongest. She see that M'sieu' Charles, he can do
nothing, so she reach and take the reins. The horses go on; it make no
diff'rence at first. But she begin to talk to them so sof', and to pull
ver' steady, and at last she get them shaping to the shore. She have the
reins wound on her hands, and people on the shore, they watch. Little on
little the horses pull up, and stop at last not a hunder' feet from the
great crack and the rotten ice. Then she turn them round and drive them
home.

"You should hear the people cheer as she drive up Mountain Street. The
bishop stand at the window of his palace and smile at her as she pass,
and m'sieu'"--he looked at the jailer and paused--"m'sieu' the gentleman
we do not love, he stand in the street with his cap off for two minutes
as she come, and after she go by, and say a grand compliment to her, so
that her face go pale. He get froze ears for his pains--that was a cold
day. Well, at night there was a grand dinner at the Intendance, and
afterwards a ball in the splendid room which that man" (he meant Bigot:
I shall use names when quoting him further, that he may be better
understood) "built for the poor people of the land for to dance down
their sorrows. So you can guess I would be there--happy. Ah yes, so
happy! I go and stand in the great gallery above the hall of dance, with
crowd of people, and look down at the grand folk.

"One man come to me and say, 'Ah, Voban, is it you here? Who would think
it!'--like that. Another, he come and say, 'Voban, he can not keep away
from the Intendance. Who does he come to look for? But no, SHE is not
here--no.' And again, another, 'Why should not Voban be here? One man
has not enough bread to eat, and Bigot steals his corn. Another hungers
for a wife to sit by his fire, and Bigot takes the maid, and Voban
stuffs his mouth with humble pie like the rest. Chut! shall not Bigot
have his fill?' And yet another, and voila, she was a woman, she say,
'Look at the Intendant down there with madame. And M'sieu' Cournal, he
also is there. What does M'sieu' Cournal care? No, not at all. The rich