I shall be
an outlaw, that's all!"
Reassured as to the immediate physical peril of the enterprise, the good
wife dried her eyes. The scruples that troubled her husband were too remote
to give her much concern.
"Well, if you _must_ go," said she, "I suppose you, must! Do try and
please that hard-hearted priest; and you must put on warm clothes, for
you'll be sleeping out at night, won't you?"
"But, father!" began Pierre--and then he stopped suddenly. "I wonder if
I foddered the steers," he went on. As he spoke he rose from the bench
whereon he was sitting, and went out to the barn.
Pierre had been on the point of saying that _he_ was the one to go on
the raid, as he had not taken any oath of allegiance to the English.
It had occurred to him, however, that his father would probably forbid
him thinking of such a thing, and he knew that in such a case he would be
unable to put his plan in execution, as he had not learned in that simple
neighborhood the lesson of disobedience to parents. He saw that if he went
on the raid the requirements of Le Loutre were likely to be satisfied,
while at the same time his father would be delivered from the danger of
an accusation of treason. It was quite certain in Pierre's mind that his
design would commend itself to the clear wisdom of his father, but he
felt that the latter would forbid it because of his mother's terrors.
He decided to act at once, and he turned his steps toward the fort.
Certain misgivings troubled his conscience at first, but he soon became
convinced that he was doing right.
Pages:
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50