Despard, the Spy: Or, The Fall of Montreal — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

16 DESPARD, THE wPY. “ They ought, if they are like my “., ilton. How brave he is,” said Marie, with a look of pride. “fe is the best swordsman I ever saw in my life, and I have passéd it in a nation who live by the sword. ‘Don’t get me to talking about him, or I shall not know when to stop. The boy has bewitched me, I think.” “Perhaps that is the trouble with me,” said the girl, nnively. \ He smiled, and laid out the next stick, the white. “This is Haviland ; they expect much of him. The red stick is the best. That shows that the whole force of British regulars are at hand, under Lords Rolla and Amherst. These sticks, when I found them, were placed in such a way as to show me the probable line of march pursued by the Eng- lish.” “ Why could he not write this in so many words ?” “Do you not see? A letter, even though no names were used, would put the French on their guard, and enable them to lay plans to defeat. the English, if the letter fell into their hands by any chance. Suppose they found these sticks : they are nothing without the clue, which we only hold.” “T see that you are right and I wrong. I should make a very poor scout.” “ Spy, the French call it; but it makes no Aifference : if caught, a long repe, a tavern sign for a gallows, a short shrift, and up goes the man who has done more to injure France than half the armies of Britain. Ha! ha! ha!” CHAPTER II, A SEAJOR’ 8 WOOING. . THe hollow laugh, half insane in its intense bitterness, startled Marie. She approached him, and kneeling by his side, laid her hand upon his arm. As he felt the touch, a tear ‘ttole into his eye, as he saw the tender sympathy expressed in that upturned face. comicboooks.com