for the evening paper, and hastily scanned its columns, when her eye
fell on some item of interest, and she became deadly pale. The
American war being then in progress I thought she might have learned
of the death of a friend or relation, so I inquired if anything were
amiss, and was astonished when she pointed out a paragraph
containing an account of her husband's arrest for enlisting British
subjects for the American army, and smuggling them across the line,
She now took me into her confidence, and explained that she was an
accomplice of her husband, and that they had made a practice of
enlisting men in Montreal. Her husband usually remained here, as it
was dangerous for him to travel to and fro, but she was sent as an
escort for each recruit, and the baby was used to avert suspicion,
as no sentinel would think of scrutinizing a man closely who went
across accompanied with his wife and child. The excess of travel had
weakened her frame, and now this shock came to still further shake
her system; the result was a premature confinement, and a long and
weary illness.

Ere she recovered she got a letter from her husband, bearing the New
York postmark. It seems he had been liberated on bail, (having
influential friends) and had at once made the best of his way to the
United States. His wife soon joined him, taking with her the
redoubtable rag-baby, which had afforded us so much food for gossip
and conjecture.




CHAPTER IV.