the light for very many years before. How would it have shocked the mother of the late Marquis of Rougemont, with all her nice and lofty prejudics, could she have witnessed this desecration of the most precious mementos of her ancestry! But, happily for her, she slept on with profound peace in her tomb in the chapel attached to the mansion, nor knew aught of what was going on in the scenes around. She would have shrunk aghast from the bare idea of a dinner in this her grand salon; an ordinary meal indeed had never appeared within its distinguished bounds; how much less the abominations that now polluted it, and mingled in strange contrast with the dainties the servants had been compelled to bring! The princely apartment even smelt strongly of onions-the quintessence of barbarism-and with that vile effluvia began to blend a scent of kindred merits— that of tobacco, whose reeking fumes ascended to the gilded flutings of the ceiling from at least a dozen common short pipes!

"Who'd ha' had any hidea of our old cap'n coming to be master of a place as fine as this!" soliloquised a sleepy privateer, who had gorged as much of all description of eatables as his stomach, one of the most capacious dimensions, could possibly contain, while his eye surveyed the three ancient, but gorgeous, chandeliers, that were pendant at proper intervals from the roof, and which it had been the wild pleasure of the crew to have completely lighted up, shedding on the motley picture below a flood of intense brilliance, such as had not illuminated the salon for nearly a century.

"Yet, somehow," continued the speaker, as his head at short intervals began to nod on his breast, "I fan

cied he was born to a fort n-he was so scholarly, and held his head so high-and-and so-" sleep prevented the conclusion, and he shortly slipped down upon the thick and costly carpet, snoring loudly, with his face downwards, and his arms extended. Sea songs were then sung by single voices and in chorus, to which the loftiness and expansion of the apartment gave full effect; the richly-wrought tables were thundered upon with the fist as manifestations of applause-mock combats were enacted in sport-bottles were thrown at each other, and furniture broken in pieces-and still the fellow snored on as soundly as if he had drank opium.

The report of Gilpin's pistol disturbed the men at their carousals. The leaders among them were the first to lay their hands on their weapons, and to start from their seats, with looks prepared for a bloody contest in case there was any opposition about to be of fered to their will. A sudden stillness spread itself through the salon, rendered remarkable by the tremendous uproar of the preceding minute. During that stillness a heavy footstep, well known to most of the privateers, was heard approaching the door on which all eyes were bent. The door was opened, and the colossal figure of the proprietor of the mansion, the former chiet of the Pirates, presented itself before the crew. He paused a moment, surveying the scene with wonder.

"Upon my word, sirs," said he, "this is an honour I had not anticipated. Pray how did you gain an entrance into the house?"

"We boarded her with pistols cocked, to be sure," replied the present captain of the Pirates; "how else should jolly buccaneers gain an entrance into houses or

ships, think you?" and he laughed loudly, and nodded his head to his applauding band.

"And my servants, especially Merry and Haverstraw, did they not endeavour to prevent you?"

"To be sure they did-but we soon tripped up their heels, and stowed them away in the beer-cellar-and no bad place either, if your beer be as good as your wine, Marquis and so here's wishing you no worse company than a jolly set like ourselves," draining a goblet of the wine which he praised.

Here Clinton came to the door also, and appeared surprised to see his father there.

"How did you get in?" said he;" and where is Lady Hester?"

"I left her in Montreal," was the reply to the last interrogatory. "I found the kitchen door open, and came through the servants hall."

"Did you see Jane and Mr. Lee ?"

"I saw Mr. Lee-he gave me some idea of what was going forwards here, but any thing so bad as this I little expected to find."

"For heaven's sake, sir, be cautious how you act! both I and Jane have already run no small risk from them they are all intoxicated; one of them now lies dead in the passage, shot by Gilpin, who interfered for Jane's protection."

"Is she in the house?"

"No-she must have been hastening from it as you entered it.

"Leave me, and look after her, Nicholas," said the Pirate, speaking decisively. "Do not fear for me. I know how to manage these fellows, believe me."

66

Only be cautious, sir! for they are like devils let loose.'

"I will, I will-go.".

This dialogue had not occupied half a minute, and had been spoken, scarcely above a whisper, in French, which only a few of the large number of the privateers understood. Clinton turned with hasty steps to look for the frightened Jane, and the Pirate advanced alone into the midst of the salon without the least hesitation.

"Well, gentlemen, now be so good as let me know the meaning and object of this visit. You cannot suppose that I shall endure such insolent intrusions whenever it may please you to make them.”

The tongues of the whole band of ruffians were straightway unloosed, and all speaking together, demanded money from him.

"Give us fifty Louis-d'ors a piece!" cried some. "Give us four thousand dollars among us all!" cried others.

"Your demands, gentlemen, are extremely moderate, I must allow," said the Pirate, with irony, "extremely moderate. And how often do you intend to visit me for a repetition of the amount?"

" As you have come into a fort'n," said the present captain, "we have a right to a share in it." "So we have, Skipper!" was the clamourous response.

"What are you better than us?" resumed their captain. "We have stood alongside of you in all weathers and never cried quarter to any man! Come, thengive us a good round heap of coin apiece, and we'll

not trouble you again for three years. That's reasonable, isn't it, my jolly buccaneers ?"

"To be sure it is reasonable!" was the deafening echo.

"And what's reasonable I hope will be agreeable," continued the orator. "We want nothing whatever that's unfair! We have stood by you when the weather was squally, and now we wont let you break up partnership with us when it's shiny. You've helped yourself out of our meal-tub, and we'll help ourselves out of your meal-tub."

"Indeed!" cried the Pirate: "let me ask you if the vessel which I suppose you have now was not mine, and all that was in it too? And when I parted from you, did I not leave myself actually destitute of every thing excepting only the little money that had been given me by the persons whose lives I saved? I know you afterwards gave me my cabin furniture but what was that compared with what I left behind? What did I gain among you? Depraved as I knew you to be, I never thought you capable of despicable ingratitude like this! Away with you! false, worthless, scoundrels! You shall never force a dollar from me! It is no use attempting to frighten me with your savage looks! Contemptible rascals! I am ashamed that ever I had

connexions with you!"

"Let us have the value of twenty Louis-d'ors each," shouted the band simultaneously, "and we will be satisfied!"

"I will not!" fiercely returned the Pirate, with invincible determination. "I tell you I will not be compelled to give a single piece of money to any of you!