The Young Seigneur Part 10

"Yes," he replied with animation, "The 'HIS MAJESTY' there is the Grand Monarque himself! De Frontenac is the Great Count, and that Jean Chamilly D'Argentenaye, cadet of the Chamillys of Rouen, is our first predecessor on these lands."

Taking a large genealogical tree out of the box, and spreading it on the table, he showed me my descent. "The Honorable Chateauguay drew this up at the time of my marriage," he began.

"The whole tree is mine then?" I ventured, surveying it.

"Yes," he cried, "and these are brave and honorable names! The wish of my heart has been that you preserve their record. See: the first marriage is a Mlle. Boucher de Boucherville, whose father, Pierre, Governor of Three Rivers, was so honest and wise in the perilous early course of the Colony! Madeline de Vercheres, heroic holder of the fort surprised by Iroquois, is near her. See! we date from the fourteenth century, and are allied with the Montaignes, Grammonts, Sullys, La Rochefoucaulds. Here is Le Moyne d'Iberville, and there De Hertel, brave and able,--a Juchereau du Chesnay; a Joybert de Soulanges. Down here is De Salaberry, the Leonidas of Lower Canada. There behold Philippe de Gaspe, who wrote 'Les Anciens Canadiens;' there Gaspard Joly, the Knight of Lotbiniere.--But you can inform yourself about these names. They will be useful in your enterprises by raising you above the reproach of being an adventurer. Seat yourself over there."

"My father," thought I to myself, "you and your pride are both very much out of date," but I obeyed him and seated myself where he indicated.

"The reason why I have brought you here, is to tell you, that it has always been intended that you should in some way, succeed in these properties. Before you developed, it was not possible to predict exactly how you might do it; but within the last few years you have surpa.s.sed our hopes; and I have no trepidation in putting before you my views of your future position. You may think I am strong in health, but I shall soon pa.s.s away."

My heart suddenly started.

"And you will find yourself here with revenues ample for the moderate purposes of a gentleman. You may live in the country, or in the city, as you please; but my desire is that you should live here, and continue in the paths of your grandfather and myself: for he was a just Englishman, and taught me that no one must take without an equivalent; and that a landlord owed duties to his people, of the value of the moneys they paid him. Formerly the lord gave his va.s.sals armed protection for their rents: now there is nothing to which the law forces him; thus his returns must be fixed by his sense of duty."

"Do not fear that I am proposing anything too sombre, Chamilly: It is an agreeable life. There is no demand for your being shut up in the place; and one can surround himself very conveniently with his private tastes."

But I did not feel the scheme repugnant. The house and locality had struck me before as a comfortable retirement to prosecute the study of Art, "and perhaps, I might bring here"--(I dared not put her name into syllables in such a flight of hope.)

"You will find, though, more than you antic.i.p.ate to do"

I looked up.

"And greater undertakings to accomplish properly than I have been strong enough to meet."

"What do you mean, sir?" I enquired.

"These poor simple people," he said, "have many enemies, and they sometimes do not know their friends. You are their hereditary guardian.

Instead of mediaeval protection, you must give them that of a nineteenth century Chief."

"A nineteenth century Chief?" I could not but exclaim, "What is a nineteenth century Chief?"

"The people's friend and leader."

"Yes, but what am I to do, sir?"

"In the first place, discourage litigation and its miseries. Offer mediation wherever you can. Keep drink out of the villages. Preserve the ancient forms of courtesy. Grow timber, and introduce improvements in farming."

He spoke of other things. I was to fight especially the Ultramontanes and the demagogues. My father was an uncompromising Liberal of the old school.

"But what can I do about this?" I asked, my artistic skies beginning to cloud with the prospect.

"You can speak! I know you will make an orator. You will be a member at Quebec; and then you can effect something. I mourn over the state of affairs, but I do not fear for the true end; and I yearn, as if across the grave to see the vigor of another generation of us pressing into the struggle. Remember our ancient motto," and he laid his finger on the little coat of arms on the iron box, with its scroll: "_Sans Hesiter_."

I did not answer him, but sat thinking, while gathering up the doc.u.ments into the box, he carried it back to the office.

END OF THE FIRST PART OF THE BOOK OF ENTHUSIASMS.

When Chrysler arrived next morning at the break in Chamilly's ma.n.u.script, the sun was rising high and s.h.i.+ning upon the river and front hedge, and on the green lawn before the Ontarian's window, and he could see Haviland walking backwards and forwards meditatively across the gra.s.s waiting for him to descend to breakfast. He hurried down, and as he came to his host, remarked, "The drift of your story is not quite clear to me."

"I wish I had the sequel written," the young man replied, "I am trying to lead on to a great matter."

BOOK II.

CHAPTER XVI.

A POLITICAL SERMON.

"In the crowded old Cathedral all the town were on their knees."

--D'ARCY MCGEE

"That's not preaching _la morale_. And it's _actionable_!" a vigorous man energetically gesticulated among the crowd in the Circuit Court Room.

The subject of excitement was a sermon by the Cure.

Messire L'Archeveque, of Dormilliere, was in most respects an unimpeachable priest. He ministered to the sick faithfully, after the rites of the Church, he gave to the poor, he rendered unto Caesar.

But--but, he hated Liberalism. On this point he was rabid; and as his Reverence was a stout, apoplectic person, of delivery and opinions not accustomed to criticism, it sometimes laid him somewhat open to ridicule.

How the sermon was delivered, matters little to us. Suffice it that it was a bold denunciation of the Liberals, named by their party name, and that there were some strong expressions in it:

"My brothers--when the priest speaks, it is not he who speaks,--but G.o.d."

"My brethren, when the Priest commands you, it is the Church which commands you; and the voice of the Church is the voice of the Eternal.

... Look at France. Remind yourselves what she was in the centuries of her faith, devout and glorious, the lily among the kingdoms of the earth, because she was the Eldest Daughter of the Church. Behold her at this time, among the nations, dying in the terrible embraces of FREE-MASONRY!!"

"Take warning by her, brethren. Follow her not! It is the Liberals who have done this. Crush out the seeds of that doctrine! Let the spirits which call themselves by this name never have peace among you. Avoid them! Distrust them! Have nothing to do with that people! May the wrath of our Father descend upon them, the d.a.m.nation of the infernal dungeons!

and--" he brought down his book's edge loudly on the pulpit,--"the excommunication of the Church of G.o.d, Catholic, Apostolic, Roman!"

The book was taken up once more, and slamming it down again with all its force, the good cure turned and waddled from the pulpit.

Since the first moments when Chrysler's eyes rested on the village of Dormilliere from the steamer's deck, the observations of the place and its people were to him a piquant and suggestive study.

He had been there but a few hours when he discovered its central fact.

The Central Fact of Dormilliere was the Parish Church.

First, it was the centre in prominence as a feature of the view, for with the exception of the Convent school, no one of the string of cottages and buildings, stone, brick and wood, which const.i.tute the single street of the place, presumed to rival it even in size, but all of them disposed themselves about it, and, as it were, rested humbly in its protection, particularly the Convent school itself, a plain red-brick building, which stood by its side.

It was also the centre by position; being situate about mid-way between the ends of the long street, standing back commanding the only square, which was flanked on its two sides by the sole other edifices of public character, the priest's residence, or _presbytere_, and the friars'

school for boys.