everlasting condition of every individual will be determined according to their appointment. The injuries which they have done to me and Louise, we heartily forgive, and we also pray, that the Lord will have mercy upon you and upon them, and upon the deceived multitudes whom as blind guides, they are leading into the ditch.' I am not now one of their disciples. To a Roman priest, I will make no confession. I abhor his pretended absolution, which he will pronounce only for money, or for his criminal gratification; and which, as they often told me, depended upon their intention, but who can be certain of a Jesuit's design, except by the rule of reverse? As to their extreme unction, it is the invention of Satan to smooth the entrance to eternal despair. I request, therefore, that I may be permitted to depart in quietude, and not be discomposed in my last moments by a rite which Christianity condemns. I am now in charity and peace with all mankind. My dear Louise! do not permit the holy calm within to be ruffled." I replied, "The superieure, my dear mother, has only performed her duty, I disapproved of the measure, and I rejoice that through the expression of her wish, the Lord has enabled you to declare your opinions." Therese continued, “I have now done with the world, Louise; and you will soon follow me. That blessed book which opened my blind eyes and healed my broken heart, will support you during your short remaining stay on earth, and I trust that we shall again meet in that joyful state, where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest.' Pray for me, while I can understand your petitions and join with you in desire." I presumed that the superieure would have withdrawn, but as she had been directed to witness the manner of Therese's death, she remained by the bed. I breathed forth my humble but sincere prayer for our dying mother, and for my beloved Diganu. Her amen was appended to my supplications, as my emotions obliged me to pause, especially when your welfare was the subject, and also when I implored that she might enjoy the light of God's countenance in the parting moment, and be carried by angels into Abraham's bosom. The superieure was evidently affected. To her it was a novelty incomprehensible, that a heretic could pray to God through Jesus Christ. As I arose from my knees, Therese motioned to me to approach nearer to her; and having kissed me, with a look of tender affection she said, "My dear Louise, I hope all is well. I trust that I have found acceptance in Christ. May God hear and answer your prayers, and may you ever experience his grace, mercy and peace, until we meet in the joys of heaven!" Having presented the superieure her adieu, she reclined her head in a doze, occasionally interrupted by the motion of her lips, which, from the clasping of her hands, betokened prayer, Her breath and pulse gradually became more faint, After several hours, we distinctly perceived a placid smile overspreading her languid features; she opened her eyes, and looked upon me. I took her hand, she feebly returned the pressure, it was her last effort! presently my mother uttered, "I shall, Louise, I shall," and her spirit returned to God who gave it. Her corpse was removed by Rohoirsic's directions; and I was consoled by hearing, my dear brother, that you had attended your mother's remains to "the house ap pointed for all living," DEPARTURE OF LOUISE.. Death springs to life Though brief and sad thy story, Thy years all spent in care and gloom, Eternity and glory Dawn through the portals of the tomb. LOUISE thus finished her narrative. "My dear brother! I have been employed for some time in examining the papers which record my experience since our separation, and as I know not how soon the messenger may be despatched for you to witness my dissolution, while I have a little strength, I will supply all that is necessary for you fully to retrace my varying exercises. "From the first sight of the cross on your head so exactly similar to my own, I always felt as if we were naturally related. When I assented to your proposal of marriage, my feelings revolted, notwithstanding all my affection for you; and something whispered within me, you cannot be married. Nothing but the dread of losing your protection and that of Chretien, and of being again separated and exposed to my former dangers, induced my involuntary acquiescence. It is impossible to explain to you the unceasing perplexity in which I passed my nights and days. Every one of those incidents which alarmed us urged me nearer to you as the only alternative of escape, while every feeling of my heart repelled the idea of a matrimonial connexion. The only point on which I never wavered, was respecting the performance of the nuptial ceremony at Lorette. A deep-rooted prepossession, for which I never could account, was fixed in my heart, that, as there we first became acquainted, so there it should terminate or be sealed for ever. Therese inti mated, that a delay in the time and a change in the place would have overcome all the difficulties; but this was an incorrect impression which the deceitful pretre had given her, for he informed me, although it might have involved more trouble, that the result would have been the same. You and Chretien were so closely and incessantly watched, that you could not have left Quebec without being pursued; and he also assured me with the utmost sang-froid, that your lives if necessary would have been forfeited, rather than you should have escaped to publish the fact of my abduction. "Nothing is more easy," said the Jesuit, with a petrifying look of malignant obduracy, which I shall ever recollect," and they would have been remembered only with abhorrence." Every priest was instructed how to act in case two young men named Diganu and Chretien offered themselves for marriage, so that I am now convinced, the melancholy affair was ordered in wisdom and mercy. Through your means, I was delivered, your mother converted; and a peaceful seclusion is secured to me as long as I am a sojourner in this vale of tears. To Rohoirsic, under God, I am indebted for all the alleviations of my trials during my residence in Quebec. I cannot describe to you his agitation, while I narrated my doleful tale. He delicately requested me to evade any facts which it would pain me to disclose; and manifested great satisfaction at the recital of my escape; but resolutely pronounced his indignation. "Fear not, Louise," he said at the close of my narrative, as far as is consistent with the personal safety of Diganu and Chretien, you shall have redress. They cannot alleviate your sorrow-I can; and be assured, in spite of all the power, artifices, and malevolence of every Jesuit in Canada, I will be your friend and pro 66 tector, or some other person shall fill that office, as long as you live." We separated. His promise was a reviving cordial, the benefits of which I have enjoyed during ten years, undiminished both in its sweets and plenteousness. 66 Notwithstanding all the servile duties which I was obliged to perform, my spirits remained cheerful. I lived upon the truth of the Divine word. I supplicated for light to discern my spiritual way; and the Hearer of prayer graciously condescended to apportion my ability to my burden. The irregularities which I witnessed only increased my aversion to sin. The pretended arguments with which my principles were assailed affected my mind no more than the green withes could bind Sampson's strength. The heartless formality with which the popish ceremonies were despatched, only confirmed my dislike of that hollow imposing exterior which concealed the real corruption. Even the most vexatious of all their devices, the contumely of the uninformed youth eventually produced no other effect, than to keep me nearer the Lord, whom I found to be 'my refuge and fortress, and whose truth was my shield and buckler.' Yet there were hours of overwhelming dreariness. I was not formed for solitude, and the little of Christianity which I knew often rendered the want of communion with a fellow pilgrim, a subject of almost undevout murmur. When I annually heard of you and Chretien, of your exemplary characters, of your steadfast adherence to your principles, and of your prayers on my behalf, I have frequently ejaculated, "O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest' with you. Then after a temporary reverie, I would awake to the consciousness of my coufined cell, and feel an overpowering restless aching void, which was only assuaged by the application of the gospel; and with all solici |