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THINGS did not go quite smoothly elsewhere.

On the day of the second issuing of a warrant
for Father Nicholas's arrest, Mr. McMannikin,
the magistrate, (or somebody for him,) had come out with
the publication of a deposition dated August Fifteenth,
taken by him of the same Father Nicholas, in which the
priest rehearsed, on his oath, the particulars of Lucy
Barbury's being “brought to the care of the Sisters of
St. Ursula, of Bay-Harbor, as one sick, and desiring to
enter the shelter of the Catholic Church; that she was
kept there for four days and ministered to; that she disappeared;
and deponent did not know whither she went
nor where she was.”

This vigilant magistrate was dealt with to get from
him some satisfactory explanation of his two months'
silence and sudden publication. He said that his object
had been to prevent dangerous suspicions from being excited
against certain parties, while at the same time there
was no relief to be brought to the family and friends.

Mr. McMannikin was relieved of his office in consequence
of his peculiar views of his duty in it.

The feeling of those to whom the legal proceedings in
the case of the priest and nuns had been very offensive,

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grew still more uneasy and angry in all parts of the Bay,
as it was also reported to have grown in the capital. The
rest of the community at the same time felt warmly and
strongly in behalf of the assertion of the law.

On Sunday, news came to the Bay which, while it
gave evidence of the state of the excited parts of the
community in St. John's, stimulated still more the corresponding
parties in the towns and settlements of Conception
Bay and neighborhood.

The wife of Judge Bearn happened to be a Roman
Catholic, while her husband was a member of the Anglican
Church; and while the Judge was staying in Bay-Harbor,
she, having remained in the capital, went on
Sunday morning to the Chapel, at which she attended
whenever she went to mass. There had been no very
cordial feeling towards this lady on the part of the straiter
of her fellow-religionists; and more than one exhibition
of dislike had been made since her husband had engaged
in the legal proceedings in the Bay. The lady (who had
a high spirit) had been in nowise intimidated.

On this Sunday morning, as the Judge's carriage, containing
Mrs. Bearn, was about entering the inclosure of
the chapel, a priest had suddenly seized the horse's head,
and, applying at the same time his cane to the animal's
back, had turned him restive and frightened away; while
a number of men, women, and children, instigated by his
example and precept, pelted the carriage as it left the
chapel-yard. The coachman was appalled; but the lady
did not at all lose her presence of mind, and tried to
make him bring his horse back to the scene of the encounter.
She did not succeed; and, alighting, made her
way to the chapel door between dark looks and insulting
words, (which, however, were kept in check by the manly

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spirit of a larger number of those present;) and being by
the priest forbidden to enter, and driven from the steps,
went home on foot.

These facts were soon known throughout the town,
and in the afternoon a large throng of people pressed
about the judge's house, and his lady was escorted by
hundreds of people to and from St. John's Church, to
which she had frequently gone with her husband, her
carriage being dragged through the streets by as many as
could in any way take part in that operation. The governor
of the colony (a military man) very wisely had
troops in readiness to support the civil authorities in preventing
a collision between the respective parties, and to
protect the judge's house from the danger of assault. It
was understood that Mrs. Bearn would henceforth forsake
the Roman Catholic religion forever.

The news of these things came, after the old habit of
news, in some unexplained way, to Bay-Harbor, before
Sunday was up. It was the Judge's intention (there being
nothing to detain him longer) to go back to the capital
on Monday morning. Early on that morning a deputation
of prominent citizens of the Bay waited upon him,
begging him to accept of a schooner, to be manned and
fitted up by them, for his passage to Portugal Cove or to
St. John's, as he might prefer; and to allow of a guard
of honor which they were desirous of furnishing him.
The Judge, who was a frank, hearty man, thanked them
for the kindness shown and meant, reminding them, however,
that it would be strange for him to seek protection
anywhere but in the law; but that he had no fears whatever.
He begged them farther to consider, that while he
trusted that he had done his duty, yet, to allow of such a
demonstration as that proposed, might give to his conduct

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the very thing that it did not deserve—a party-color. At
the same time, however, he prayed that there might ever
be in the community a feeling that, only by the energetic
and fearless execution of the laws, was there any lasting
security for life and property.

According to his wish, the schooner which had been
proposed for his conveyance was not brought forth; but
the day being fine, and there being little wind, the beautiful
Bay gleaming smoothly where the sunlight fell, and
lying smooth far as the eye could see, a scene of unexpected
life showed itself, as the boat bearing the Judge
was passing out of the harbor. A countless fleet of punts
and other boats, adorned with the house-flags of merchants
in different parts of the North Shore, and manned
by volunteer fishermen in their blue jackets, swarmed out
of coves and nooks for convoy. A speech, which the
Judge addressed to some of the nearest of the parties in
the demonstration, was entirely drowned with cheers; and
all the men contrived (or happened) to keep at such a
distance as not to be able to hear a word of scruple or
objection.

It was a fair and affecting sight, such as Conception
Bay never saw before, and may not soon see again.
They measured with their oars and gladdened with their
waving colors every foot of a wide way across the water;
and from behind Belle-Isle started forth to meet them as
they drew near, another swarm as great of South Shore
punts, wearing the flags of merchants of St. John's. The
wondrous show was therefore still more wonderful.

They swept round the southern end of the fair island
in long and wide array, and spread over the level space
between it and the cove. The island seemed to be a part
of the fair pageant, as it lay with its broad, hollow,

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sloping side in the full sunshine, and having a white beach
under it, like a fresh covering laid down upon the summer's
deep for it to rest upon. Lying thus, as if sunning
itself on the smooth plain of water, it seemed to smile
peacefully on the scene.

Once on shore the Judge asserted his inclination, and
would not budge until the last of a crowd of zealous people,
who had come down to lead him honorably home,
had gone. He then went quietly by the same road.

p638-619

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