The Seats of the Mighty, volume 4

ost in self-admiration and the importance of hisoffice that he would never see disaster when it came."There is but one master here in Canada," he said, "and I am he.If things go wrong it is because my orders are not obeyed. Yourpeople have taken Louisburg; had I been there, it should never havebeen given up. Drucour was hasty--he listened to the women. I shouldallow no woman to move me. I should be inflexible. They might sendtwo Amhersts and two Wolfes against me, I would hold my fortress.""They will never send two, your Excellency," said I.He did not see the irony, and he prattled on: "That Wolfe, theytell me, is bandy-legged; is no better than a girl at sea, andnever well ashore. I am always in raw health--the strong mind inthe potent body. Had I been at Louisburg, I should have held it,as I held Ticonderoga last July, and drove the English back withmonstrous slaughter."Here was news. I had had no information in many months, and allat once two great facts were brought to me."Your Excellency, then, was at Ticonderoga?" said I."I sent Montcalm to defend it," he replied pompously. "I toldhim how he must act; I was explicit, and it came out as I had said:we were victorious. Yet he would have done better had he obeyed mein everything. If I had been at Louisburg--"I could not at first bring myself to flatter the vice-regal peacock;for it had been my mind to fight these Frenchmen always; to yield innothing; to defeat them like a soldier, not like a juggler. But Ibrought myself to say half ironically, "If all great men had capableinstruments, they would seldom fail.""You have touched the heart of the matter," he said credulously."It is a pity," he added, with complacent severity, "that youhave been so misguided and criminal; you have, in some things,more sense than folly."I bowed as to a compliment from a great man. Then, all at once,I spoke to him with an air of apparent frankness, and said that ifI must die, I cared to do so like a gentleman, with some sort ofhealth, and not like an invalid. He must admit that at least I wasno coward. He might fence me about with what guards he chose, butI prayed him to let me walk upon the ramparts, when I was strongenough to be abroad, under all due espionage. I had alreadysuffered many deaths, I said, and I would go to the final onelooking like a man, and not like an outcast of humanity."Ah, I have heard this before," said he. "Monsieur Doltaire, whois in prison here, and is to fare on to the Bastile, was insolentenough to send me message yesterday that I should keep you close inyour dungeon. But I had had enough of Monsieur Doltaire; and indeedit was through me that the Grande Marquise had him called todurance. He was a muddler here. They must not interfere with me; Iam not to be cajoled or crossed in my plans. We shall see, we shallsee about the ramparts," he continued. "Meanwhile prepare to die."This he said with such importance that I almost laughed in his face.But I bowed with a sort of awed submission, and he turned and leftthe room.I grew stronger slowly day by day, but it was quite a monthbefore Alixe came again. Sometimes I saw her walking on the banksof the river, and I was sure she was there that I might see her,though she made no sign towards me, nor ever seemed to look towardsmy window.Spring was now fully come. The snow had gone from the ground,the tender grass was springing, the air was so soft and kind. Onef