The edifice was of stone, spacious and lofty, but in style solid,
plain, and severe. It was a wonder of architecture in New France
and the talk and admiration of the Colony from Tadousac to Ville
Marie. It comprised the city residence of the Bourgeois, as well as
suites of offices and ware-rooms connected with his immense
business.
The house was bare of architectural adornments; but on its facade,
blazing in the sun, was the gilded sculpture that so much piqued the
curiosity of both citizens and strangers and was the talk of every
seigniory in the land. The tablet of the Chien D'or,--the Golden
Dog,--with its enigmatical inscription, looked down defiantly upon
the busy street beneath, where it is still to be seen, perplexing
the beholder to guess its meaning and exciting our deepest
sympathies over the tragedy of which it remains the sole sad
memorial.
Above and beneath the figure of a couchant dog gnawing the thigh
bone of a man is graven the weird inscription, cut deeply in the
stone, as if for all future generations to read and ponder over its
meaning:
"Je suis un chien qui ronge l'os,
En le rongeant je prends mon repos.
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