A few days after the events related, our friends were compelled to leave the holy place and take their departure for L'Islet; Madame Casgrainie offered to take them on her steam yacht, and begged them to accept the hospitality of her house during their stay in the village. Mr. Allen thanked the amiable lady, but told of his promise to return to Montmorency. "That can be easily arranged," said Mrs. Allen. "We are not in need of our trunks; after our visit to L'Islet we can keep our engagement with our friends at Montmorency and send Bo's baggage to him by express."
The next morning the yacht steamed out of the harbor bearing away a jolly party, young and old were full of merriment, so true it is that a clean conscience makes a happy heart. The mid-day bells were chiming the Angelus as they landed at the pier, where Monsieur Le Curé and Brother Director gave them a warm welcome to L'Islet. The good, old gentleman insisted on having his niece and her family dine at the Parsonage every day, for, said he, "I must see all I can of you, my children, it may be my last opportunity." Bolax conducted his father and mother through the College; they were perfectly satisfied with all the arrangements, and thanked the good Brothers for the interest they had shown in their son.
Madame Casgrainie proved herself a most entertaining hostess, she was lavish in her attention to her guests and made their visit to her a never-to-be-forgotten pleasure.
On September 8th, the whole family went on an excursion to Isle St. Roch. This is a charming spot. On the island is a ledge of rocks, and seemingly carved on the stones can be seen the footprints of a man and those of a dog; they extend the length of half a mile and are then lost in a maze of tangled brushwood. The pious people of the place believe that St. Roch, the great hunter, came here long ago and left his footprints and those of his faithful dog. The ladies and girls roamed over the island gathering blue berries, and the boys caught a basket of fine fish. While they were resting, after a substantial luncheon, a shrill sound floated down from high overhead. Gazing up, Bolax traced aloft against the blue sky, the V-shaped phalanx, pointed southward of the wild goose—the swift Canadian bird by its own instinct following after summer heat.
"Ma, dear," said the boy, "I fear that is the signal for your departure; the frosts come soon after the passage of those big birds, and Papa will not be able to bear our cold winds. But, oh, how I shall miss you!" "My darling, my heart will be very empty without you, but your father and I make the sacrifice of leaving you because we are sure you are under the best of care, both for your temporal and spiritual interests."
Madame Casgrainie and her daughter comforted Bolax, promising to have him at their house as often as the Brothers would permit. "After all, Bo," said Leon, "you are better off than most boys, even if you are a thousand miles from home; you have your uncle, Monsieur Le Curé, so cheer up and let us have a race on this hard beach. Whoever wins shall have the biggest peach in the basket." (Peaches are a rarety in Quebec, and its environs and are very costly.)
That evening Mr. Allen had a long talk with his son. He gave sound advice on several points, notably the following: "Let conscience be your king, and never attempt to weaken or to deviate from its commands. It is God's merciful messenger within you to testify of Himself, to warn you of danger, and point the right. Beware of trifling with conscience or of weakening its force. You can do so, but when you have silenced it, you will be left like a man, who, on a dark night, in a strange country extinguishes his lantern.
"There are three words which perhaps every school boy has written as a text-hand exercise, but which few lay to heart while they are following the copy. They are these: 'Sin causes sorrow.' A mighty truth; would that every boy would so learn it that the suffering which sin inevitably brings with it might be escaped.
"Be truthful in the slightest matters; never allow yourself to exaggerate. Have your mind occupied always with something good, pure, useful. Remember the old saying, 'A vacant mind is the devil's workshop.' Beware of the slightest propensity to evil, no pleasure derived from sense can be compared with the tranquil joy which springs from a pure heart.