not understand, something beyond their reach. Was she planning to leave them?

"It's my belief she 's getting ready to ascend right up into heaven,' said Salem.

"Salem was a little wanting,' as it is called, and the men knew it; still, his words made an impression. They watched the Lady with an awe which was almost superstitious; they were troubled and knew not why. But the Lady bloomed on. I did not pay much attention to all this; but I could not help hearing it. My heart was moody, full of its own sorrows; I secluded myself more and more. Gradually I took to going off into the mainland forests for days on solitary hunting expeditions. The camp went on its way rejoicing; the men succeeded, after a world of trouble, in making a fountain which actually played, and they glorified themselves exceedingly. The life grew quite pastoral. There was talk of importing a cow from the East, and a messenger was sent to the Sault for certain choice supplies against the coming winter. But, in the late summer, the whisper went round again that the Lady had changed, this time for the worse. She looked ill, she drooped from day to day; the new life that had come to her vanished, but her former life was not restored. She grew silent and sad, she strayed away by herself through the woods, she scarcely noticed the men who followed her with anxious eyes. Time passed, and brought with it an undercurrent of trouble, suspicion, and anger. Everything went on as before; not one habit, not one custom was altered; both sides seemed to shrink from the first change, however slight. The daily life of the camp was outwardly the same, but brooding trouble filled every heart. There was no open discussion, men talked apart in twos and threes; a gloom rested over everything, but no one said, 'What is the matter?'

liked; there was not much esteem of any kind at Little Fishing. Little was known about him; although the youngest man in the camp, he was a mooning, brooding creature, with brown hair and eyes and a melancholy face. He was n't hearty and whole-souled, and yet he wasn't an out and out rascal; he was n't a leader, and yet he was n't follower either. He would n't be; he was like a third horse, always. There was no goodness about him; don't go to fancying that that was the reason the men did not like him, he was as bad as they were, every inch! He never shirked his work, and they could n't get a handle on him anywhere; but he was just-unpopular. just unpopular. The why and the wherefore are of no consequence now. Well, do you know what was the suspicion that hovered over the camp? It was this: our Lady loved that man!

"It took three months for all to see it, and yet never a word was spoken. All saw, all heard; but they might have been blind and deaf for any sign they gave. And the Lady drooped more and

more.

September came, the fifteenth; the Lady lay on her couch, pale and thin; the door was open and a bell stood beside her, but there was no line of pickets whispering tidings of her state to an anxious group outside. The turf in the three streets had grown yellow for want of water, the flowers in the little gardens had drooped and died, the fountain was choked with weeds, and the interiors of the houses were all untidy. It was Sunday, and near the hour for service; but the men lounged about, dingy and unwashed.

"An't you going to church?' said Salem, stopping at the door of one of the houses; he was dressed in his best, with a flower in his button-hole.

6

Why, in the church, I suppose,' replied Salem vacantly.

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'No, she an't; not she! She's at home, a-weeping, and a-wailing, and

Strike up, Jack,' he cried; 'give us old Fiery-Eyes.'

"The Nightingale hesitated. FieryEyes was a rollicking drinking song; but Andy put the glass to his lips and his scruples vanished in the tempting aroma. He began at the top of his voice, partners were chosen, and, trembling with excitement and impatience, like prisoners unexpectedly set free, the men gathered around, and made their bets.

"What born fools we've been,' said Black Andy, laying down a card.

"Yes,' replied the Flying Dutchman, porn fools!' And he followed suit.

"But a thin white hand came down on the bits of colored pasteboard. It

was

our Lady. With her hair disordered, and the spots of fever in her cheeks, she stood among us again; but not as of old. Angry eyes confronted her, and Andy wrenched the cards from her grasp. No, my Lady,' he said sternly; never again!'

6

6

"The Lady gazed from one face to the next, and so all around the circle; all were dark and sullen. Then she

bowed her head upon her hands and wept aloud.

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There was a sudden shrinking away on all sides, the players rose, the cards were dropped. But the Lady glided away, weeping as she went; she entered the church door and the men could see her taking her accustomed place on the platform. One by one they followed; Black Andy lingered till the last, but he came. The service began, and went on falteringly, without spirit, with palpable fears of a total breaking down which never quite came; the Nightingale sang almost alone, and made sad work with the words; Salem joined in confidently, but did not improve the sense of the hymn. The Lady was silent. But when the time for the sermon came, she rose and her voice burst forth.

"Men, brothers, what have I done? A change has come over the town, a change has come over your hearts. You shun me! What have I done?'

"There was a grim silence; then the Doctor rose in his place and answered: "Only this, madam. You have shown yourself to be a woman.'

"And what did you think me?'
"A saint.'

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"God forbid!' said the lady, earnestly. I never thought myself one.' I know that well. But you were a saint to us; hence your influence. It is gone.'

sadly.

Is it all gone?' asked the Lady,

"Yes. Do not deceive yourself; we have never been one whit better save through our love for you. We held you as something high above ourselves; we were content to worship you.'

"Oh no, not me!' said the Lady, shuddering.

"Yes, you, you alone! But - our idol came down among us and showed herself to be but common flesh and blood! What wonder that we stand aghast? What wonder that our hearts are bitter? What wonder (worse than all!) that when the awe has quite vanished, there is strife for the beautiful image fallen from its niche?'

"You have,' cried Black Andy, pushing to the front. 'You love that Mitchell! Deny it if you dare!'

"There was an irrepressible murmur, then a sudden hush. The angry suspicion, the numbing certainty had found voice at last; the secret was out. All eyes, which had at first closed with the shock, were now fixed upon the solitary woman before them; they burned like coals.

"Do I?' murmured the Lady, with a strange questioning look that turned from face to face. 'Do I?. God! I do.' She sank upon her knees

Great

and buried her face in her trembling hands. The truth has come to me at last- I do!'

"Her voice was a mere whisper, but every ear heard it, and every eye saw the crimson rise to the forehead and redden the white throat.

"For a moment there was silence, broken only by the hard breathing of the men. Then the Doctor spoke.

"Go out and bring him in,' he cried. Bring in this Mitchell! It seems he has other things to do, the block

head!'

"Two of the men hurried out.

"He shall not have her,' shouted Black Andy. My knife shall see to that!' And he pressed close to the platform. A great tumult arose, men talked angrily and clenched their fists, voices rose and fell together: 'He shall not have her-Mitchell! Mitchell!'

"The truth is, each one of you wants her himself,' said the Doctor.

"There was a sudden silence, but every man eyed his neighbor jealously; Black Andy stood in front, knife in

hand, and kept guard. The Lady had not moved; she was kneeling, with her face buried in her hands.

"I wish to speak to her,' said the Doctor, advancing.

"You shall not,' cried Andy, fiercely interposing.

"You fool! I love her this moment ten thousand times more than you do. But do you suppose I would so much as touch a woman who loved another man?'

"The knife dropped; the Doctor passed on and took his place on the platform by the Lady's side. The tumult began again, for Mitchell was seen coming in the door between his two keepers.

"Mitchell! Mitchell!' rang angrily through the church.

"Look, woman!' said the Doctor, bending over the kneeling figure at his side. She raised her head and saw the wolfish faces below.

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They have had ten months of your religion,' he said.

"It was his revenge. Bitter, indeed; but he loved her.

"In the mean time the man Mitchell was hauled and pushed and tossed forward to, the platform by rough hands that longed to throttle him on the way. At last, angry himself, but full of wonder, he confronted them, this crowd of comrades suddenly turned madmen! 'What does this mean?' he asked.

"Mean! mean!' shouted the men; 'a likely story! He asks what this means!' And they laughed boisterously.

"The Doctor advanced. this woman,' he said.

"I see our Lady.'

You see

"Our Lady no longer; only a wom

"Black Andy felt the blade of his knife. He'll never have her alive,' he muttered.

"But,' said Mitchell, bluntly confronting the Doctor, I don't want her.' "You don't want her?' "I don't love her.' "You don't love her?'

"Not in the least,' he replied, growing angry, perhaps at himself. What is she to me? Nothing. A very good missionary, no doubt; but I don't fancy woman-preachers. You may remember that I never gave in to her influence; I was never under her thumb. I was the only man in Little Fishing who cared nothing for her!'

"And that is the secret of her liking,' ,' murmured the Doctor. O woman! woman! the same the world over!' "In the mean time the crowd had stood stupefied.

"He does not love her!' they said to each other; he does not want her!'

"Andy's black eyes gleamed with joy; he swung himself up on to the platform. Mitchell stood there with face dark and disturbed, but he did not flinch. Whatever his faults, he was no hypocrite. I must leave this to-night,' he said to himself, and turned to go. But quick as a flash our Lady sprang from her knees and threw herself at his feet. 'You are going,' she cried. 'I heard what you said, - you do not love me! But take me with you, -oh, take me with you! Let me be your servant - your slave anything- anything, anything anything, so that I am not parted from you, my lord and master, my only, only love!'

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She clasped his ankles with her thin, white hands, and laid her face on his dusty shoes.

"The whole audience stood dumb before this manifestation of a great love. Enraged, bitter, jealous as was each heart, there was not a man but would at that moment have sacrificed his own love that she might be blessed. Even Mitchell, in one of those rare spirit

"The Lady had fainted. The men bore her back to the lodge and tended her with gentle care one week two weeks three weeks. Then she died.

"They were all around her; she smiled upon them all, and called them all by name, bidding them farewell. 'Forgive me,' she whispered to the Doctor. The Nightingale sang a hymn, sang as he had never sung before. Black Andy knelt at her feet. For some minutes she lay scarcely breathing; then suddenly she opened her fading eyes. Friends,' she murmured, 'I am well punished. I thought myself holy, I held myself above my kind, but God has shown me I am the weakest of them all.'

"The next moment she was gone.

"The men buried her with tender hands. Then, in a kind of blind fury against Fate, they tore down her empty lodge and destroyed its every fragment; in their grim determination they even smoothed over the ground and planted shrubs and bushes, so that the very location might be lost. But they did not stay to see the change. In a month the camp broke up of itself, the town was abandoned, and the island deserted for good and all; I doubt whether any of the men ever came back or even stopped when passing by. Probably I am the only one. Thirty years ago, thirty years ago!"

"That Mitchell was a great fool," I . said, after a long pause. "The Doctor was worth twenty of him; for that