atural guardian, till
he was permitted to remove her from a situation, which was so constantly
exposed to danger.

CHAPTER XXII.

The wars are over,
The spring is come;
The bride and her lover
Have sought their home:
They are happy, we rejoice;
Let their hearts have an echo in every voice!

LORD BYRON.

Never did months revolve more slowly, than through that winter, to the
impatient Stanhope. During its inclemency, all communication with the
French settlements ceased, and he, of course, heard nothing of Lucie,--a
suspension of intercourse which was almost insupportable. By the
earliest approach of spring, however, the traders and fishermen again
adventured their barks on the stormy bay of Fundy, and the icy shores of
Newfoundland. Boston harbor, which had been sealed, for several months,
by the severe cold, then characteristic of the climate, was freed by the
bright sun and genial gales of that vernal season. Numerous vessels
floated on its dancing waves; and all around, the adjacent shores were
teeming with sights and sounds of rural industry.

It was shortly rumored, that M. d'Aulney was preparing to attack fort
St. John's; some even affirmed, that his vessels had already been seen,
hovering near the entrance of the river. Stanhope's extreme anxiety
could brook no farther delay; and, under such circumstances, he felt
acquitted of the obligation which Lucie's request had imposed on him,
and at liberty to anticipate a few weeks of the time appointed for his
return to her. Early in April, therefore, he embarked in a neat pinnace,
and after a short voyage, reached the rugged coast of Acadia. Daylight
was closing, as he approached St. John's; but fortunately the clear
twilight served to show him the changes which had taken place there.
Several armed vessels blockaded the river, and the standard of M.
d'Aulney waved triumphantly from the walls of the fort.

These signs of conquest could not be mistaken: the late haughty
possessor had evidently suffered defeat; but what fate had overtaken
him, and where had his family found a refuge? Lucie, the sharer of their
fortunes,--where should he seek her? was the most anxious thought of
Stanhope; and painful solicitude checked the tide of joyous expectation
which he had so sanguinely indulged. Hoping to obtain information from
some peasant in the neighborhood, he anchored a few miles below the
fort, and throwing hi