150 OVER ON THE ISLAND

robbers were larger and stouter than the ordinary mouse, and were poorly adapted for climbing. They lived in the forests and bore litters of ten or twelve every six weeks. They laid up provisions for the winter and were greatly prized by their enemies as the piéce de résistance for a full-course dinner.

No wonder, then, that their existence is com- memorated in the name of a modern town which once understood and experienced their depredations.

Souris has another, quite different, interest. Under a shady tree in the little Catholic cemetery in the west end of the town stands a monument to the memory of Elizabeth McDonald, wife of Andrew McInnis. “She was a native of Lochaber, Scotland, and was the lady honoured with having the first dance with King George III at the Royal Ball in Edinburgh, in 1818.”

Perhaps it is rather unnecessary to record the pomp of yesterday on a tombstone, but it certainly breaks the monotony of a cemetery. Of Elizabeth little else is known besides her epitaph; but I have my own picture of her as she reminds her husband, after their semi~ weekly spat, that she did not have to come out to this cold, miserable country, that she was of high rank, that she danced with the king, the first dance, mind you . . . and so on.

Then there is another picture of her as she gathers her children around her in front of the large open fire— place, and tells them tales of old Scotland, and particularly of that Royal Ball in Edinburgh. They listen with awe. Their mother has actually danced with the king! They know the story by heart now. She wore that delicate pink and blue dress with the flowers at the side of the hoop skirt. . . . She still