The French Spy

This 1874 Beadle and Adams dime novel, *The French Spy* by W.J. Hamilton, depicts the fall of Montreal during the French and Indian War. The narrative opens with a cloaked gentleman rescuing Marie D'Arigny, a Montreal belle, from three abductors on a dark street. The rescuer is Despard, a spy—secretly English despite his French upbringing and French service. Sergeant Pierre Soule and musketeers aid Despard, later escorting Marie home. Despard reveals to Marie his long-held English allegiance and his bitter hatred of France, stemming from an unspecified past wrong. The narrative involves multiple plot strands: Marie's brother was murdered by Mariot Dujardin, who now seeks her hand; the American "Silent Slayer" Wilton, whom Marie loves, infiltrates French circles; and impending English military invasion. Despard decodes a cryptic message from Wilton using colored sticks representing English leaders—Rangers under Seely and Putnam, commanders Haviland, and British regulars under Lords Rollo and Amherst—indicating the English campaign's progression toward Montreal.