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Page 59
She turned her head towards him as he approached, and without raising
her eyes, said, "Good evening, Mr. Lansdowne". He bowed, sat down, and
they remained several minutes in silence.
"I suppose", said John, at length, making a desperate effort to
preserve a composure of manner, entirely at variance with the
tumultuous throbbings of his heart, "you are confident of your
father's return to-night?"
"O, yes. I look for him every moment. I am quite anxious to hear the
result of the expedition".
"I am, also. I hope no harm will come to our good friend, Mr. Norton.
Do you know whether he intends to spend the winter here, Miss Ad�le?"
"I think he will return to his family. But we shall endeavor to retain
him, until we go ourselves".
"_You_ go, Miss Ad�le", exclaimed John, unable to conceal his eager
interest, "do you leave here?"
"We go to France next month".
"To France!" repeated the young man.
"My father and mother are going to visit their early home. I shall
accompany them". John, aroused by information containing so much of
importance in regard to Ad�le's future, could not restrain himself
from prolonging the conversation. Ad�le was willing to answer his
inquiries, and in a few minutes they were talking almost as freely and
frankly as in the days before Mr. Lansdowne's unfortunately rash
avowal of his passion.
Suddenly a thick cloud of dust appeared in the road, and Mr. Dubois,
Mr. Norton, and Micah, were soon distinguished turning the heads of
their horses towards the house.
Ad�le uttered an exclamation of joy, and bounded from her seat. As Mr.
Lansdowne made way for her to reach the window, she glanced for a
moment at his face, and there beheld again the strange light glowing
in his eyes. It communicated a great hope to her heart.
She hastened past him to greet her father.
CHAPTER XXII.
A MEMORABLE EVENT.
The morning of the sixth of October dawned. The heat of the weather
had increased and become wellnigh intolerable. At breakfast, Mr.
Dubois and Mr. Norton gave accounts of fires they had seen in various
parts of the country, some of them not far off, and owing to the
prevalence of the forest and the extreme dryness of the trees and
shrubs, expressed fears of great devastation.
They united in thinking it would be dangerous for the two gentlemen to
undertake their journey home, until a copious rain should have fallen.
During the forenoon, the crackling of the fires and the sound of
falling-trees in the distant forest could be distinctly heard,
announcing that the terrible element was at work.
Mr. Dubois, accompanied by Mr. Norton and John, ascended the most
prominent hills in the neighborhood to watch the direction in which
the clouds of smoke appeared. These observations only confirmed their
fears. They warned the people around of the danger, but these paid
little heed. In the afternoon, the missionary crossed, from the Dubois
house, on the northern side of the river, to the southern bank, and
explored the country to a considerable distance around.
In the evening, when the family met in the Madonna room, cheerfulness
had forsaken the party. The languor produced by the heat and the
heavily-laden atmosphere, solicitude felt for the dwellers in the
forest, through which the fire was now sweeping, a hoarse rumbling
noise like distant thunder, occasionally booming on their ears, and
gloomy forebodings of impending calamity, all weighed upon the
dispirited group.
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