He experienced a disappointment in not
finding her in the city upon his return a few days ago, and the
state of the Colony and the stress of military duty had so far
prevented his renewing his acquaintance with the Manor House of
Tilly.
The old-fashioned hostelry of the Couronne de France, with its high-
pitched roof, pointed gables, and broad gallery, stood directly
opposite the rustic church and tall belfry of Charlebourg, not as a
rival, but as a sort of adjunct to the sacred edifice. The sign of
the crown, bright with gilding, swung from the low, projecting arm
of a maple-tree, thick with shade and rustling with the beautiful
leaves of the emblem of Canada. A few rustic seats under the cool
maple were usually occupied, toward the close of the day, or about
the ringing of the Angelus, by a little gathering of parishioners
from the village, talking over the news of the day, the progress of
the war, the ordinances of the Intendant, or the exactions of the
Friponne.
On Sundays, after Mass and Vespers, the habitans of all parts of the
extended parish naturally met and talked over the affairs of the
Fabrique--the value of tithes for the year, the abundance of Easter
eggs, and the weight of the first salmon of the season, which was
always presented to the Cure with the first-fruits of the field, to
ensure the blessing of plenty for the rest of the year.
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