and was consequently avoided by the family. The latter have lived so
far in ignorance of these occurrences, and it is to be hoped they
will never be undeceived.




CHAPTER V.


Among the Fenians.

While still young, and unused to the many strange phases of life I
had an adventure which, at that period of my career, made a deep
impression on my mind. A rough-looking man called on me, and
requested my immediate attendance on a sick woman at Point St.
Charles, at that time a remote suburb of Montreal. As I hesitated to
go with him, having a strange dread of accompanying him to such a
lonely place, he seemed to think I was afraid of not receiving my fee,
and, pulling a long purse out of his pocket he took out a handful of
gold pieces, one of which he tendered me an advance. This made me
all the more reluctant to accompany him, as I feared he might be a
robber or freebooter of some kind, but, quickly controlling my
emotions, I set my reason to work, and argued that, whatever he
might be, he could have no motive other than that assigned for
taking me with him, that he could gain nothing by way-laying or even
murdering me, and so I put on my outer garments and got into the
carriage beside him. The night was wet and stormy, and, just as we
started, forked lightning flashed across the heavens in all
directions, causing the horse to dash madly along as if to overturn