ceased his remonstrances. He gave some pieces of gold to the
Abenaquais, and dismissed them. The strange Indians kissed her on
both hands as they would a queen, and with many adieus vanished into
the forest. The lady, attended by Bigot, remained seated under the
tree till nightfall, when he conducted her secretly to the Chateau,
where she still remains in perfect seclusion in a secret chamber,
they say, and has been seen by none save one or two of the
Intendant's most intimate companions."

"Heavens! what a tale of romance! How learned you all this,
Angelique?" exclaimed Amelie, who had listened with breathless
attention to the narrative.

"Oh, partly from a hint from a Huron girl, and the rest from the
Intendant's Secretary. Men cannot keep secrets that women are
interested in knowing! I could make De Pean talk the Intendant's
head off his shoulders, if I had him an hour in my confessional.
But all my ingenuity could not extract from him what he did not
know--who that mysterious lady is, her name and family."

"Could the Huron hunters give no guess?" asked Amelie, thoroughly
interested in Angelique's story.

"No. They learned by signs, however, from the Abenaquais, that she
was a lady of a noble family in Acadia which had mingled its
patrician blood with that of the native chiefs and possessors of the
soil. The Abenaquais were chary of their information, however: they
would only say she was a great white lady, and as good as any saint
in the calendar."