proudly from window, balcony and housetop; the hotels are filling rapidly; snowshoers, tobogganeers and skaters are one and all in a fever of excitement. At last the great day comes; the place swarms with sightseers from north, south, east and west; the inauguration takes place, the ice of the programme is broken, and then for six brief but gladsome days do

-"youth and pleasure meet

To chase the glowing hours with flying feet."

From Monday to Saturday, inclusive, Montreal life in carnival time means, to seven-eighths of the population, a ceaseless round of skating, snowshoeing and toboggan

Iceboating as a Canadian sport is most extensively practiced near the cities and towns upon the great Lakes of Erie, Huron and Ontario, where the shore-ice, forming for some miles outward, affords in fairly calm seasons most excellent opportunities for indulging in the novel amusement.

The inevitable "clubs" are inaugurated, of course, and will undoubtedly do much to advance the pastime in popular favor. Indeed, all present indications seem to favor the belief that at no distant day iceboating will take up its position as an indispensable concomitant of the other established institutions of the Canadian Winter season. No account, however superficial, of Canada's Winter sports, could be deemed complete, even within its own limits, without some.slight mention of that grand symposium of brumal jollities and pleasures-the Montreal Winter Carnival. Some years ago the idea of this colossal festival originated with one of Montreal's bestknown and most widely respected snowshoers, a man whose darling ambition was the institution of a national Winter féte in that city, but who did not live to see his numerous happy suggestions carried out. In January, 1883, the first carnival was inaugurated, chiefly through the untiring energy and resolution of a number of prominent snowshoers and tobogganeers. The quidnunes. and marplots of the community frowned upon the daring scheme, and prophesied the failure they deemed inevitable. But the failure came not; the venture prospered beyond all expectations, and when, in the following year (1884), the great "Palace of January" reared its flashing walls and shimmering turrets of purest crystal ice high in the frosty air, crowds poured in from all the length and breadth of the Western Hemisphere and gazed with wonder, surprise and admiration upon the brilliant display prepared for their delectation by these benighted hyperboreans, whom many of the visitors had hitherto thought of with no other feelings than those of idle curiosity and, perhaps, pity.

pyrotechnic displays and brilliant illuminations, fancy fêtes, promenade skating concerts, trotting races, torchlight processions of white-coated raquetteurs, sleighing parties, balls, steeplechases and "meets" of the Tandem Club. The toboggan slides, with their double rows of torches flickering in the wind, resound by night and day with the shouts of thousands of gay carousers; the skating-rinks are full to repletion, and there, beneath the soft, white lights, casting countless fantastic shadows upon the smooth, shining surface, with the musical plish plash of running waters in the ice-grottoes ever in their ears, quaintly draped figures, moving gracefully to the strains of a military band, illustrate the great features of Canada's history, the various pursuits of life, and the great national sports of the Dominion. For one short, happy week the cares of humdrum life are laid asideand then comes the end. The last of the many-colored lights has glimmered away its existence behind the transparent walls of the Ice Palace; the last of the rushing rockets has lighted up the white expanse of the St. Lawrence, even to the distant arches of Stevenson's mighty bridge, and then lost its glory in the darkness of the Winter sky; the last of the snowshoers' torches has vanished like a falling star upon the wooded slopes of Mount Royal-the Carnival is over.

Then the sports of the season, that have climbed the hill of popularity to its topmost summit, pass slowly and resignedly in long procession down the other side; the rivers burst their glacial chains; the trees put forth their buds for the coming Spring; and blanket - coat, tuque, sash and moccasins, raquetteur, tobogganeer and skater, fly to their hard-earned rest.

66

A FAVORITE Pomeranian dog was cruelly blinded by a carter's lash, and, while his owner tenderly bathed the inflamed eyes, Blackie," the sleek tom-cat, always sat by with a kindly look of pity in his luminous green eyes. When "Laddie," the blind dog, was called in at night, he often failed to find the door, or would strike his venerable head against the posts. "Blackie," having noted this difficulty, would jump off his warm cushion by the kitchen-fire, trot out with a "mew" into the dark night, and in a few minutes return with "Laddie," shoulder-toshoulder, as it were, and the friends would then separate for the night. "Laddie," when younger, had quietly

ing kitten, who used to frolic with his long, fringed tail; but he was too noble to show active dislike. When the kitten died in convulsions-a victim to nerves and a ball of cotton-and i wner bent over the stiffened form in grief, "Laddie' came gravely up and kissed it. He followed it to the grave, and for many days was seen by his mistress to go up the garden and sit upon the sod.

Ax extended acquaintance with the island did not render it any more attractive to Mrs. Hawkstone. Daily there were scenes that made the servants stare. The young wife was an incarnate firebrand; her lordly mate possessed a haughty, inflexible temper, so domestic life at the Hall soon became scandalous.

She was in the saddle half her time, dashing across the downs and over the white beaches-a vision of beauty that made the islanders gaze, open-mouthed. No groom Vol. XXV., No. 1-5.

could keep pace with her. She often left Hawkstone himself far behind. She rode recklessly, magnificently, up steep hillsides, through tangled woods, leaping brawling watercourses and five-barred gates.

This seemed to be the only solace that she found on the island. At first the young husband looked on with cold indifference, but after a while he began to expostulate.

"Vera," he said to her at dinner, one day, "is it not

time for you to turn your attention to some other matter tha Ali? Your own education, for instance."

6.

"My education !" she echoed, scornfully. "Did you not teach me to read and write two years ago? And since that time have I not waded through countless books to please you Tedious work it was, too! Can I not even execute your national anthem, 'Yankee Doodle,' on the piano and violin ?"-with a derisive little laugh. Pray, why should I wish for more accomplishments?" "Because you are my wife," he answered, gravely, "and it is necessary that you should fit yourself for your new position in life. I know of no better opportunity than the present, while we are living so quietly here. It will be an easy matter to call the best tutors to our aid, and you will soon master all that it is desirable for yon to learn. You must see that it is no easy task to fill the late Mrs. Hawkstone's place acceptably. You need particular preparation for it."

Her fair face hardened in an unpleasant way.

"I see," she said, sharply, "you are ashamed of me, Basil, You dare not present me to your friends, and so you keep me shut up on this island. It's a pity ”— with a sneer"that yon did not think to send me away to school with Jetta Ravenel. I am your wife, the mother of your child. It is rather late to consign me to tutors, is it not? Your teaching was quite enough for me, I think. In fact, Basil "-stamping her small foot violently "I decline to be educated to suit your friends, I decline to be made over after the pattern of your stepmother! I will have no tutors, no study. I will be myself, and no other person, now and always."

"Pray be reasonable, Vera! I spoke for your own good, your own happiness. Cannot you see?"

She sprang from her chair, seized the thing nearest to her hand-a carafe of ice-water-and hurled it at him across the table.

"I am myself; I shall always remain myself!" she cried, and swept out of the room, and up the stair to her own chamber.

The young husband did not follow her. All this day and the next she remained alone, in a fit of obdurate sulks.

"Mon Dieu!" sighed her French maid Celende; "men are but brutes! Monsieur should come to make peace with madame on his two knees!"

He began to tear down the blazing draperies, shouting to the terrified servants to supplement his efforts with water. In five minutes the carpet was strewn with débris, the fire was out, and Hawkstone confronted his wife with brows drawn ominously down over his angry eyes. "Did you set fire to the room to bring me here ?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered; "why not? The end justifies the means."

"I hope you are satisfied, madame," said Hawkstone, in a tone that would have frightened another woman. Her vicious little laugh rang out like silver bells.

"Not yet!" she answered. "I warn you, Basil-if you persist in keeping me on the island, I will burn this old rookery over your head!"

He looked first at the ruin she had made, and then at the slight, girlish figure standing erect, with white bosom heaving, and blue eyes flashing.

"You have marked out a pleasant programme," he said, dryly. "Are we to live henceforth in open warfare, Vera? We are young, remember, a mere boy and girl in years we have probably a long life before us."

A great sigh parted her lips. In a moment she had ceased to be a little demon, and was a lovely wet-eyed angel.

No, I do not want to live in open warfare with you, Basil," she sobbed. "You loved me when we left Paris, but the air of this dreadful island has changed youmade you cold, unkind, grim as Bluebeard

Before the last words were out he opened his arms. With a cry, she sprang into them. They kissed each other like lovers. The reconciliation seemed complete. Hawkstone went back to his overseer; the servants came in to remove the débris and restore order.

As for Vera, she stole away to another chamber, donned her blue habit, mounted Ali, and unseen and unattended, started off for a gallop across the island.

"I love him," hissed Vera, through her little white teeth, "and I hate him! Did you ever hear a paradox like that, Celende ?"

But monsieur did not come. He was tearing about his island domain on all sorts of errands, evidently forgetful of the panting, pining young creature with whom he had quarreled. A nature like Vera's could not long endure this state of things. The third day arrived and brought a crisis.

Here a

Basil Hawkstone was sitting in his library, looking over accounts with the overseer, when a wild outery suddenly arose and filled the house. He dashed out into the hall, and up the stair to the landing above. cloud of dense smoke met him, rolling out from his wife's chamber. He leaped into the room. The window-curtains, the draperies of the huge carved bed, were all ablaze-everything. in the chamber seemed shriveling in a sheet of fire. And there, in the midst of the choking smoke and the uncanny red glare, stood Vera, smil. ing, triumphant, her blue eyes bright with malice and mockery!

"So you have come to me at last, sir !" she said.

He was of low stature, thickset, and not bad-looking, yet with something about him that suggested the stable rather than the drawing-room. Not a high-bred person, by any means-there was too much color in his necktie, and a superfluity of stripes in his pantaloons. Nevertheless, he went straight up to Vera Hawkstone, and seized Ali's bridle with the freedom of an old acquaintance.

"By my soul, Zephyr," he cried, "it's good to see you again, my dear!"

She sat in her saddle for a moment, as though turning to stone; then she gave a wild, glad, astonished cry. "Oh, Jasper !" she answered; "oh, Jasper Hatton! can it be you, and here!"

He laughed.

"It's me, fast enough. I was told, over at Whithaven, that strangers are not received on your island, and that if I ventured too close to Tempest Hall-as you call it-the servants would most likely set the dogs upon me. So I've been wandering around, like a babe in the woods,