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           Duncanbowedlow,pleasedwiththecompliment,inspiteofamostheroicdeterminationtosuffernoartificetoallurehimintoforgetfulnessoftheinterestofhisprince;andMontcalm,afterapauseofamoment,asiftorecollecthisthoughts,proceeded—

           "Yourcommandantisabraveman,andwellqualifiedtorepelmyassault.Mais,monsieur,isitnottimetobegintotakemorecounselofhumanity,andlessofyourcourage?Theoneasstronglycharacterizestheheroastheother."

           "Weconsiderthequalitiesasinseparable,"returnedDuncan,smiling;"butwhilewefindinthevigorofyourexcellencyeverymotivetostimulatetheone,wecan,asyet,seenoparticularcallfortheexerciseoftheother."

           Montcalm,inhisturn,slightlybowed,butitwaswiththeairofamantoopractisedtorememberthelanguageofflattery.Aftermusingamoment,headded—

           "Itispossiblemyglasseshavedeceivedme,andthatyourworksresistourcannonbetterthanIhadsupposed.Youknowourforce?"

           "Ouraccountsvary,"saidDuncan,carelessly;"thehighest,however,hasnotexceededtwentythousandmen."

           TheFrenchmanbithislip,andfastenedhiseyeskeenlyontheotherasiftoreadhisthoughts;then,withareadinesspeculiartohimself,hecontinued,asifassentingtothetruthofanenumerationwhichquitedoubledhisarmy—

           "Itisapoorcomplimenttothevigilanceofussoldiers,monsieur,that,dowhatwewill,wenevercanconcealournumbers.Ifitweretobedoneatall,onewouldbelieveitmightsucceedinthesewoods.