posite direction,
and bowing, as if he had met me for the first time that evening,
said, after saluting the Marquis, "My mother grows anxious at your
stay, madame, and has deputed me to be your escort."

But he counted too far on my cowardice, and had no knowledge of
how far a woman will trust an honourable man. The Marquis, never
doubting his good faith, had already fallen back a step, when I
turned to him and said, quietly,

"Monsieur, it is quite impossible for me to accept this gentleman's
offer, but I shall be grateful if you will provide me with a
different escort."

"There is not the slightest difficulty in that. M. de Sarennes, I
must ask you to remain in attendance here, as I will not have
another opportunity of seeing you before you start for Montreal in
the morning. I will join you within presently;" and he dismissed
the angry man with a formal little bow, as if unconscious of anything
unusual. Beckoning to a servant, he ordered him to find M. Joannes,
and bid him meet us at the entrance.

"I am heartily glad, madame," he said, when we were alone, "that
you had the confidence to appeal to me. I shall take means to keep
M. de Sarennes so busily employed that he will have no further
opportunity of annoying you."

"I am very grateful, monsieur, and would never have troubled you
could I have seen any other way of escape."

"'Tutto e bene che riesce bene,' which is the extent of my Italian,
madame; but here is M. Joannes. M. Joannes," he continued, to the
merry little officer, "you have already had the pleasure of meeting
Mme. de St. Just; you now can render her a service."

"I am sure madame has confidence in me; she saw how I had provided
the wine when it was essential we should wish her bon voyage off
Cap Tourmente."

"Good! The present service only differs in kind. Will you order
my cariole, and see her safely to Mme. de Sarennes's?"

"With all the pleasure in the world, mon general," and he bowed
and hurried off to order the sleigh. In a few moments we whirled
out of the court-yard and were driving rapidly up Palace Hill.

M. Joannes chattered incessantly, which was the very spur I most
needed. His open friendliness and my sure confidence in the protection
of M. de Montcalm gave me a feeling of safety against any attempt
on the part of M. de Sarennes that was perfectly reassuring, and
I slept that night without a fear, in spite of what I had gone
through, until awakened by Angelique as the day w