Among all the events of the old French War, Grandfather thought that there was none more interesting than the removal of the inhabitants of Acadia.
And now, having thrown a gentle gloom around the Thanksgiving fireside by a story that made the children feel the blessing of a secure and peaceful hearth, Grandfather put off the other events of the old French War till the next evening.
They missed the freedom, indulgence, and familiarity of the old French trading houses, and did not relish the sober exactness, reserve, and method of the new- comers.
On these occasions might be seen the change since the unceremonious times of the old French traders; now the aristocratic character of the Briton shone forth magnificently, or rather the feudal spirit of the Highlander.
While the chiefs thus revelled in hall, and made the rafters resound with bursts of loyalty and old Scottish songs, chanted in voices cracked and sharpened by the northern blast, their merriment was echoed and prolonged by a mongrel legion of retainers, Canadian voyageurs, half-breeds, Indian hunters, and vagabond hangers-on who feasted sumptuously without on the crumbs that fell from their table, and made the welkin ring with old French ditties, mingled with Indian yelps and yellings.
In the
old French portion of the town, the thoroughfares are narrow and crooked, and some of the houses are very quaint and picturesque: being built of wood, with tumble-down galleries before the windows, approachable by stairs or rather ladders from the street.
Through her careful reading of them, she exemplifies well her thesis that the
Old French texts under scrutiny should be understood as didactic texts, concerned with the education of all Christians on their salvific journey.
Though the exact date the original
Old French House was built is unknown, estimates point to the mid-1700s, during the French occupation of the Coast.
Christian Hamoui, a 59-year
old French national, was GM at Mercure Al Khobar where he has managed the grand opening of the hotel, and was the GM of Mercure Value, Riyadh.
Nevertheless, the appearance of these texts with English translations, along with the high quality of their presentation, will provide a valuable stimulus for their inclusion on
Old French literature courses.
The result is a polyphonic study that will be relevant well beyond the spheres of Old Norse and
Old French studies.