answered the landlord, and then there was silence for another ten
minutes, during which the stranger stared at the stove. "Is that
dinner any way ready?" he asked again. "I guess it is," said the
landlord. And then the stranger went out to see after his dinner
himself. When we started, at the end of an hour, nobody said
anything to us. The driver "hitched" on the horses, as they call
it, and we started on our way, having been charged nothing for our
accommodation. That some profit arose from the horse provender is
to be hoped.

On the following day we reached Montreal, which, as I have said
before, is the commercial capital of the two Provinces. This
question of the capitals is at the present moment a subject of
great interest in Canada; but, as I shall be driven to say
something on the matter when I report myself as being at Ottawa, I
will refrain now. There are two special public affairs at the
present moment to interest a traveler in Canada. The first I have
named, and the second is the Grand Trunk Railway. I have already
stated what is the course of this line. It runs from the Western
State of Michigan to Portland, on the Atlantic, in the State of
Maine, sweeping the whole length of Canada in its route. It was
originally made by three companies. The Atlantic and St. Lawrence
constructed it from Portland to Island Pond, on the borders of the
States. The St. Lawrence and Atlantic took it from the
southeastern side of the river at Montreal to the same point, viz.,
Island Pond. And the Grand Trunk Company have made it from Detroit
to Montreal, crossing the river there with a stupendous tubular
bridge, and have also made the branch connecting the main line with
Quebec and Riviere du Loup. This latter company is now
incorporated with the St. Lawrence and Atlantic, but has only