Pierre's wife or eavesdropping under her window. Now he felt no
uneasiness of conscience as he approached the cabin, for Marie-
Anne herself had destroyed all reason for any delicate
discrimination on his part.
The rain had almost stopped, and in one of the near tents he heard
a sleepy voice. But he had no fear of chance discovery. The night
would remain dark for a long time, and in his bare feet he made no
sound the sharpest ears of a dog ten feet away might have heard.
Close to the cabin door, yet in such a way that the sudden opening
of it would not reveal him, he paused and listened.
Distinctly he heard St. Pierre's voice, but not the words. A
moment later came the soft, joyous laughter of a woman, and for an
instant a hand seemed to grip David's heart, filling it with pain.
There was no unhappiness in that laughter. It seemed, instead, to
tremble in an exultation of gladness.
Suddenly St. Pierre came nearer the door, and his voice was more
distinct. "Chere-coeur, I tell you it is the greatest joke of my
life," he heard him say. "We are safe. If it should come to the
worst, we can settle the matter in another way. I can not but sing
and laugh, even in the face of it all.
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