AT THE KERMESSE

For a long while, the only two statues on the front of the Legislative Building were those of Frontenac and Lord Elgin. Frontenac is represented by the sculptor in the attitude he must have assumed when he gave his proud answer to Phipp's envoy : “ Go and tell your master that I will send my reply by the mouth of my cannon,”’ and à small cannon is shown on the hero’s right side. Elgin, “the friend of Canadians,'’ holds in his hand the celebrated Bill of Indemnity which he signed in spite of the angry shouts of the riders who burned down the Parliament Buildings and threw eggs and stones in the face of tlie noble lord (Montreal, 1849).

These two statues are the subject of the following article which was printed in a serial called La Kermesse, published in connection with a Kermesse or great fancy fair held for a charitable institution in 1892.

What I am about to relate is so very strange that I wonder whethér my readers will follow me to the end of my story.

Frontenac, the bronze Frontenac, put up by the Province of Quebec in a niche, with a CanNON.s...

Well ?

Well, he came down from the front of the Parliament Building and went to the Ker-

messe !

He had been talking about it all the previous evening with Lord Elgin, who had finally consented to follow him.

‘ Bruce,” said he, “you must recollect a good many people still in Quebec. Come, it will amuse you; only, you wont be able to go incognito. [It is different for me. They published a print ofa bishop as my portrait, and thanks to that lucky mistake, no one will recognize me. [ want to go and have a look at those English ladies who now reside in my old capital of two centuries

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“Those English ladies! You are mistaken, nearly everybody speaks French...

“ Ha! there is Baptiste.

“ Baptiste! Baptiste ! ” called out Frontenac.

What do you want, Sir ?

“Bring me a ladder. I am going down town to night.”

‘ All correct, Sir.”

“Hum, multered Elgin, on the contrary it seems to me far from correct.”

‘ Are you coming with me, Bruce ?”?

“ You have only to slide down, my lord,” said Baptiste.

‘ Come, hurry up, my friend.”

‘I follow you, said Lord Elgin,” leaping down.

The two old governors looked into each other’s faces and shook hands; then they walked towards Grande Allée.

When they got near St. Louis Gate, Frontenac stretched out his arms towards the upper town and muttered between his teeth :

“That miscreant Ramezay, who capitulated just as Levis was about to arrive ; at the moment when the English were to be caught between two fires ; in spite of Vaudreuil, of Joannès, of La Rochebeaucour ; in spite of common sense ! No he was not a Frenchman, he was a Scotchman....

‘ Buade, Buüade, speak not against the Scotch, they have more than once shown themselves your friends.

‘“ You at least were one. I often feëél inclined to lean over so as to see you sign your bill of indemnity ‘n spite of the clamours of the Upper Canadians and the

.omelette-makers in Montreal.”

By this time they had reached the pavilion where all the beauty and fashion. of the city meets nightly and where is held that brilliant assembly designated by a Flemish or Dutch name : the Kermesse.

Frontenac retained his stiff manner of old and his bronze eye-brows frowned sternly

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when the door-keeper asked him for his entrance money, five cents.

“ Take my hat and hold your tongue,” he said. The door-keeper had never seen such a hat and found it heavy. He did not ask Elgin for his money : the good governor had such a lordly air and such a pleasant smile.

As the two heroes entered the room their eyes were dazzled by the electric light.

‘ [cannot get accustomed to that machine,” said Frontenac. ‘“ Besides it is a long time since [ have seen ladies so close and it all dances before my sight like fireflies. . .—O la Divine! la Divine ! thy portrait is at Versailles where no one knows thee in thy garb of Minerva. As for me, at least, my.memory still lives and TI am called by my name. Thou didst dread the poor Chateau. Saint-Louis and Quebecs rugged rock ; but here thou wouldst have been queen... Champlain’s wife, d’Atlleboust’s wife, and Denonville’s wife had not.the same aversion and their names are venerated and glorified. À Minerva, a woman of

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fashion, when she bore the name of Comtesse de Frontenac ; when her husband carried terror among the [roquois, defeated hostile fleets and lorded it over a country ten times larger than France !....”

Will you take something ?”” gracefully asked a young lady from the refreshment table.

T will take flags from the enemy,” said the old warrior in thundering tones, “and hang them up myself in the cathedral.” Then, lowering his tone, he said :

“Thank vou, belle demoiselle.”

The belle demoiselle was as pale as a ghost and trembled in all her limbs. The man of bronze tried to smile.

‘ Pardon me,” he added, “I am getting very cross since I am stuck up in that niche. Here is some stamped paper which you can easily get changed by applying to your ureat collector and numismatist Cyrille Tessier. It is worth fifty livres. Take a ticket in the Tombola for me and try to win à trip to Europe. I would not be sorry

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to have a chance to speak my mind to those rascals who have upset everything in Paris and expelled my good friends the Franciscan monks from their convents. Then [I would like to go to Versailles to call up the shade of Louis the Great and.... to see the portrait of La Divine.”

Elgin had left his companion and was chatting quietly with a lady whose pleasant face and white hair had first attracted his attention.

‘ [ think I recognize you, madam ”, said the noble lord. “ Are you not related to Mr.

K...., one of the habitués of Spencer Wood, some forty years ago ?

‘“ Yes, Your Excellency,” replied Madame B.... with her cheerful smile.

[think you are the only person I know here to-night. You were very young when I lived in Quebec and used to pay à visit every week to my old friends in St. Louis street, Mademoiselle Baby and Mademoi-

selle de La Naudière, Do the people like Lord Stanley ?”

“['think so. Like you, he refuses to give his support to fanatics, and in this he shows himself a devoted servant of the English Crown. Lady Stanley is charming and most distinguée.

“ Do you like being in your niche ?”

“ Yes and no. I see things which pain me, while others give me pleasure. Asfar as possible, I look upon what is beautiful and I close my eyes to what is ridieulous.”?

‘* Ah! then, my lord, you must...,”

The Governor smiled in a kindiy manner.

“If Hébert had given me a hat, like Frontenac, I would have preferred it. :E suffered. greatly from cold last winter, but not so much as Madame Micmae, my neighbour.. By the way, could you not spr:e me a blanket for the little savage in the Indian Group ? It is really pitiful to see him, I often hear him cough and I dont understand how Hébert....—Who are those two clergymen ?”

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