Part 7 (1/2)
Young Scott was all the while growing n of so very delicious, and not uncothe early part of your stay here, for I could doyou to your new life”
”And are you not going to stay with us?” Her voice sounded somewhat like a restrained cry of pain
”No Marie, my child, I have to return to the territories”
”But that wicked eance upon you”
”It is just to o back It is to thwart hith on the side of peace, in the interest of those fertile plains, that I return You do not suppose that this licentious fanatic can ultiainst the n of our hty realm tolerates in no land any dispute of her authority, and this ht stamp put the feeble splutter of a bed-room taper
There are without the intervention of outside force at all, enough of brave and loyal whitemen to overthrow this scurvy miscreant; and my immediate task is to do the little that lies in my power to incite them to their duty When my work is done, when the plains are cleared of the lorious upstart has called away fro little girl, with the tidings; and I shall bring you back to the spot where you grew up pure and artless as the lily that brightens the pond upon which we have so often paddled our birch together What the days after that may have in store for us I know not”
”Ah, I shall be very dreary in your absence, Monsieur Scott”
”And I, irl, shall be not less dreary without you I believe you have regarded yourself as ain my eyes Why, ma chere, all of my heart you have wholly and irrevocably One of your dear hands is irl whom mine eyes have ever seen Do you reive you? Well, I gave it from my own experience With such a love, my prairie flower, do I love you It is fit now, that we are so soon to part, that I should tell you this: and you will, know that every blow I strike, every noble deed I do shall be for the approbation of the dear heart distant from me in American territory I have said that the hours of absence will be dreary; but there will be beyond the the darkest of theht, and that is that I shall soon be able to call my Marie my sweet, sweet bride Now, my beloved, if that wished for time had come, and I were to say, 'Will you be mine, Marie,' ould you answer?”
”I did not think that it would be necessary for Monsieur to ask me that question,” she answered shyly, her beautiful eyes cast down; ”I thought he knew”
”My own little hunted pet!” He checked his horse, and seized the bridle of Marie's pony, till the two aniirl upon her sweet virgin lips,he ay, and Marie sat sad by the strange brook that ho had told her about Old Jean was very contented, but now that he had nought to do, ha babbled all day about the wars; and thanked the Virgin that himself and his child had escaped the clutches of the Rebel leader Paul speedily obtained ee faran to be extre sheaves was not the occupation, at this tu Paul's heart would have chosen For how he longed to be in the fray! to stand, side by side, with his young co for the honour and independence of Riviere Rouge It was only, after the ument, that he could be prevailed upon to stay; and it was Thons that thish to count now on his patriotisine that he would welcome you to his ranks He would act far differently: he would probably spare you, provided that you lent yourself to his evil designs If you refused to do this, he would very probably shoot you as a traitor to your country”
As for Riel, itin one hour, to use Marie's father as a tool, and, during the next, projecting a plan which defeated the very end which he had in vieas absolutely illogical, and unreasonable; and that it is the narrator whose skill is at fault But I have been at pains to give this occurrence at length, for the very purpose of revealing the unstaid, unreasoning character of Riel, and how far passion and i
As for the Arch-agitator, the spirits taken at the house of old Jean, had raised the savage part of his blood to the highest pitch of unreasoning and confident passion
All obstacles seeratification of his passion and of his revenge
”Take the horses,” he had said to his confidant, ”before the moon rises Approach the house softly, and carefully surround it The girl must be treated with respect You knohere to leave her”
”Oui, Monsieur,” and the slavish fanatic went to do the vile bidding
For so his plans, but towards ht in his eye, set off for the hut of the half-breed hag where he expected his ruffianly emissaries would have placed Marie before his arrival
But the cabin was desolate, save for the figure of an ill-featured old woman, hen she heard hoof-beats approach, caht
”Has the expected yet arrived?” he asked, a half-puzzled expression in his face
”No, Monsieur”
”Curses! What can have happened? They should have been here two hours ago It is now three o'clock” Then he alighted and strode about for half an hour over the di out his head every few seconds, in the direction froht, of any horsean to storm and blaspheme, and would remind anybody who saw him of some wild beast foiled of his prey Presently, he observed a long distance off upon the plain, a figure which he believed was ot upon his knees, and put his ear to the ground; the soft thud of a horse's hoof vibrated under his ear, and he was satisfied
”But there is only one horseman What can ithi stranger
It was soon told The inot to the dwelling The embers were very low on the hearth Every article of value had been ree
”Scott has foiled me!” and the outwitted tyrant-libertine swore the ed