CHAPTER XVI.

Touching the march of improvement, and the distinction between law and conscience.

WHEN Rainsford was sufficiently recovered, they began to make arrangements for returning to Dangerfieldville. Some anxiety was felt lest the sight of accustomed objects might revive old associations, and renew old feelings in his mind; but it was finally determined that, as in all probability, his fate and that of Virginia were now inseparably united, it was best at once to put his newly acquired state of mind to this test, preparatory to their marriage. Accordingly they took leave of the good Father Jacques, with every expression of gratitude; and Rainsford, especially, regretted that he had no mode of testifying his sense of the obligations he had conferred upon him.

"I shall be satisfied," said the other, "if you will only bear in mind, for the future, that religion is not hatred, but love; and that it was intended to make mankind friends, not enemies."

Having taken leave of the old man, the landlord was summoned to receive his money, and their thanks, for in reality he had conducted himself with uniform courtesy and attention. He came in a most formidable passion, scolding

in tolerable French, and pretty bad English. The colonel inquired the cause.

"Diable! monsieur, another improvement; last year they assess me for one grand public improvement! one road to go somewhere, I don't know. Eh bien! I pay the money. Well, this year they assess me for one other grand public improvement-very grand-voilá, monsieur, one other road, right longside the other, both going to the same place. Diable! I no want to travel on two turnpike roads. Ah! monsieur le colonel, I shall be very rich, O! very rich indeed, by these grand improvements. They take away all my land to make room for the grand improvement; they take away all my money to pay for him, and then they tell me my land worth four, six time so much as before. Peste! what that to me when my land all gone to the dem public improvement, hey? I shall be very rich then. Diable! I wish my, self gone to some country where every thing was go backwards what call tail foremost, you instead of forwards, for the dem march of improvement shall ruin me at last."

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When Colonel Dangerfield paid his bill he looked at the money with a rueful countenance, and exclaimed, with a shrug of pious resignation,

"Eh bien ! never mind, make very good road. and canal. Morbleu! I shall wonder what they want of these road and canal. Voilà, monsieur! yonder one dem big river, she come two, three thousand mile that way. Eh bien ! Voila, monsieur! yonder one t'other dem big river, she come two three thousand mile that

way. Diable! is not this long way enough to travel, without the dem public improvement. Ah! we shall be in ruins soon."

The colonel condoled with the little old man of the old regime, and expressed a hope that times would mend when all the public improvements were finished.

"Eh bien !" replied he; "yes, times will mend when there is nothing else to mend, I think. Monsieur, there is my neighbour, Jan Petit, live right over the way, yonder. Twenty year ago he very rich; he ave every thing comfortable; he fiddle, he dance, he laugh, sing, gallant the demoiselles; no care, no trouble, no dem work at all. He ave one leetle house, one leetle garden, and raise plenty radishes and sallad; he live like leetle king. Eh bien! byand-by Yankee come; public improvement march this way. Phew! off goes Jan Petit; they cut a street right through his garden; dig up his radishes; pull down his house, and then make him pay for taking away his house, his garden, and his radishes! Voila, monsieur, she ave sometime one, yes, two dozen cambric— what you call? chemise-two dozen, very fine. Well, he now but one left in the world, and that ruin him."

the old re provemen hension, t dig the gr and the

"How so?" asked Colonel Dangerfield, highly amused at the droll complaints of mine host.

"Voilà, monsieur! he pay one laundress by the piece, and begar! he chemise ave so many pieces now, he pay for two dozen every time he is washed. This is one grand consequence of the grand system of the grand internal improvement, as they call him. Morbleu! under

Father Jacq delighted w xultation

splendours rayed to be

and the sed As they of Virginia at marking mind of Ra

e old regime internal improvement mean imovement of the inside, the head, the comprension, the understanding; now she mean to the grand ditch, to make the grand road, d the grand canal right alongside the grand er. Begar! the river no use now, I think. !monsieur, suppose you had only lived unthe old regime; den I shall smoke my pipe, g, dance, go to church twice every day; no uble, no improvement, no dem paper money. t the Yankee come, and now a man must do nezing, or he shall soon ave but one chemise, I be ruined by his laundress like Jan Petit. !monsieur, suppose I one young man. ll come ome to the old countries, where ry thing stand still or go backwards, and so happy. Ah! 'tis so easy, so charming go down the ill 'stead of up!"

All things being ready, the colonel left mine t in the midst of his perplexities, and the y turned their faces towards home. Nog occurred during the journey worthy of ord, save that on his arrival at St. Louis nsford ordered a suit of rich damask pulpit niture to be sent to the church over which her Jacques presided. The good man was ghted with the present, and such was the tation of his heart as he contemplated the ndours of his little pulpit, that he often ved to be preserved from the assaults of pride the seductions of worldly vanity.

s they proceeded on their journey, the heart irginia expanded with delighted gratitude marking the healthful vigour which the

doy acquiring.

He seemed to look on the world and every thing in it in a new and animated point of view. Every object of nature appeared to administer to his happiness; and if in contemplating the majesty or beauty of the scenery along the great river he sometimes soared into the regions of imagination, it was with a steady flight, like that of the eagle. A perfect connexion and continuity of ideas marked every thing he said, and it was evident that reason had resumed the reins, in all probability never again to resign them.

It was one of the strongest proofs that fate had at length relented in her persecutions of Rainsford, that on the very morning of the day in which the family of Colonel Dangerfield arrived at home, Master Zeno Paddock and his wife Mrs. Judith departed from the village never to return. Such was the reputation of the proprietor of the Western Sun, and such the extraordinary capacity he had exhibited in the matter of criticism, and, most especially of all, in setting the village together by the ears, that a distinguished speculator, who was going to found a great city at the junction of Big Dry and Little Dry Rivers, made him the most advantageous offers to come and establish himself there, and puff the embryo bantling into existence as fast as possible. He offered him a whole square next to that where the college, the courthouse, the church, the library, the athenæum, and all the public buildings were situated. Master Zeno swallowed the square at one monthful, and Mrs. Judith was utterly delighted to remove to such a fine place, where there