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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..593f6ce --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51207 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51207) diff --git a/old/51207-8.txt b/old/51207-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1cc8348..0000000 --- a/old/51207-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6229 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Harmsworth Magazine, Vol. 1, 1898-1899, -No. 4, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Harmsworth Magazine, Vol. 1, 1898-1899, No. 4 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: February 13, 2016 [EBook #51207] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARMSWORTH MAGAZINE, 1898-1899, NO. 4 *** - - - - -Produced by Victorian/Edwardian Pictorial Magazines, -Jonathan Ingram, Lesley Halamek and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -_THE HARMSWORTH MAGAZINE._ - - * * * * * - - -[Illustration: - - _Lascelles & Co., Photographers._ - -A LITTLE MAID FROM SPAIN.] - - * * * * * - - -THE - -HARMSWORTH - -MONTHLY PICTORIAL - -MAGAZINE - - -VOLUME I. - -1898-9. - -[Illustration] - - -_PUBLISHED BY_ - -HARMSWORTH BROS., LIMITED, LONDON, E.C. - - - [pointing hand: _WHEN BOUND, THE HARMSWORTH MAGAZINE WILL MAKE - TWO SUMPTUOUS VOLUMES EVERY YEAR._] - - * * * * * - - - - -[Illustration: 1,200 EGGS, OR 120 TIMES AS MANY AS REPRESENTED HERE, -CONTAIN ALL THAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE COMPOSITION OF A 150 LB. MAN.] - - - - -MAN IS MADE OF--WHAT? - -SOME FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF. - -BY T. F. MANNING. - - -It is rarely realised what a queer combination of things exists in -the human body. When the reader glances at these pages he will wonder -whatever matches, candles, balloons, sugar-basins, soap, and all the -other things illustrated have to do with the making of a man. At first -sight the illustrations seem extraordinarily out of place; but when -this article has been read through, he will then understand that the -body is more or less of a chandler's shop in the making, for it is -intended to show, in everyday language, something of its marvellous -construction. - -"Dust thou art" is a somewhat erroneous description of the body from a -biological point of view. It would be nearer the mark to say, "You are -mainly--over ninety per cent.--solidified soda-water." - -Still nearer was the observation of a witty physiologist, that the -greatest man on earth is only so much white of egg alive. To be -strictly accurate, one should say that a man is an exceedingly complex -mixture of gases, liquids, and solids, into all of which he will -ultimately revert. - -[Illustration: HERE IS A POUND OF CANDLES. THE BODY HAS ENOUGH FAT TO -MAKE FROM 3-3/4 TO 7-1/2 LBS.] - -At the same time, this wonderful machine that walks, eats, thinks, -talks, laughs, cries, and fights, consists of a very few simple -elements. And, although we get our building materials from a wonderful -variety of substances gathered from the four corners of the earth in -the form of meat, fruits, vegetables, and condiments, they are to be -found, as everyone knows, in any dairyman's shop. If one only knew -how to do it, he could take 1,200 eggs, whisk them up, and build a -complete and perfect man of 150 lbs. weight. - -Solid as our body is, it is mostly made up of gases. The five familiar -gases, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine, fluorine, and the -three well-known solids, carbon, phosphorus, and lime--or, rather, -calcium--constitute all but a trifling fraction of our whole bulk. - -The mystery of life never does seem so deep as when one reflects that, -by the mixture of these few substances in various proportions, nature -makes kings, poets, warriors, saints, burglars, thieves, and all the -rest of the great human hotch-potch. - -To build a one-hundred-and-fifty pound man, only fourteen elements, -altogether, are needed. Five of them are the above-named gases--there -is enough gas in a man to fill a gasometer of 3,649 cubic feet--and -nine are solids, found in almost any handful of clay you might take up -at random; that is to say, carbon, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sulphur, -sodium, potassium, silicon, and magnesium. In most people minute -quantities of a few other things are found, such as copper, aluminium, -manganese, lead, mercury, arsenic, and lithium; but these substances -are probably always trespassers. - -[Illustration: THERE IS ENOUGH GAS IN A MAN TO FILL A GASOMETER OF -3,649 CUBIC FEET.] - -Far and away the most important element in flesh and bone is oxygen, -and the bulk of that energetic gas which remains tranquilly compressed -within us is something marvellous. In a ten-stone-ten man the weight -of oxygen is no less than 106 lbs., and the natural bulk of it, if it -were set free, would be equal to a beam of wood one foot square and -1,191 feet--nearly a quarter of a mile--long, or several hundred times -the bulk of the body itself. Measured by the gallon it would fill 202 -36-gallon barrels. - -Even bulkier, though lighter, is the constituent hydrogen. Every man's -body contains sufficient of this lightest of all substances to -inflate a balloon that would lift himself, balloon, and tackle. In the -ten-stone-ten man, for instance, the bulk of hydrogen is over 2,400 -cubic feet--equal to the cubic space of a room ten feet high and -15-1/2 feet square, and the weight of it is a trifle short of 13-1/2 -lbs. - -Of that inexplicable gas, nitrogen, there is about half an ounce to -each pound of body weight, or, approximately, 4-1/2 lbs. altogether, -in a 150 lb. man. It is about twenty times the bulk of the body, and -by no means likes being cramped up in a space of a few cubic inches. -This is the most inert gas known. Its bulk in the body is 58 cubic -feet. - -The reason it is said to be lifeless is that it hates every other -element in the world; and, while oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and -the other things, like the Continental Powers, cannot live alone, -nitrogen, like England, will not, if it can possibly avoid it, live in -company. From this trait arises not only all the action of the human -brain and the strength of the muscles, but the terrible force of all -the great explosives. While individually without any energy whatever, -when it does chance to enter into union with other things nitrogen -becomes the most energetic substance in existence. - -The great explosive force of nitroglycerine is due to azote. One of -the most frightful explosives known is chloride of nitrogen, which -goes off if the sun shines on it, or if a leaf touches it; and, in -the human body, it is the breaking down of nitrogen compounds which -actually constitutes life. Nothing can be alive without nitrogen, -itself the type of death. - -The last of the substances of any bulk in the body is carbon. There -is, as nearly as possible, a sack of 21-1/2 lbs. in a ten-stone-ten -man, sufficient to make some sixty-five gross of lead pencils, -sixty-five times as many as represented in our picture. It is -veritably the fuel of the body, which both keeps us warm and gives us -energy to move. - -[Illustration: FIVE TACKS LIKE THESE CAN BE MADE FROM THE 48 GRAINS OF -IRON IN THE BODY.] - -Thus it is the mainspring of animal life, which consists altogether -of moving and keeping the body warm; the entire mechanism of the body, -eyes to see, mouth and hands to grasp, stomach to digest, heart to -circulate, and lungs to supply air, being designed to effect these two -simple operations. - -Although the above four elements form between 145 and 146 of a man's -150 lbs. of blood, flesh, and bone, the few pounds of the remaining -elements are absolutely essential. - -[Illustration: - - A MAN CONTAINS ENOUGH HYDROGEN TO FILL A BALLOON THAT WOULD - LIFT HIMSELF--2,400 CUBIC FEET. -] - -The erect posture, of which men are so proud, although it makes them -the slowest-moving creatures of their size on earth and exposes them -to all sorts of accidents, is due, primarily, to the two pounds of -calcium and twenty-four ounces of phosphorus in their bodies. Without -these, we should have no arms, legs, skulls, or teeth; we should have -to crawl like worms, and to live on some pap-like food. - -It seems very extraordinary, but if anyone works it out he will see -that, if the body had to get on without its two pounds of common lime, -there would be no machinery, ships, or railways, no guns and swords, -no houses and cities, and human life would entirely consist of -crawling out of some hole in the ground at sunrise, chewing berries -and leaves, and crawling under the earth again at night. - -Therefore, it is impossible to single out any element and say, "This -is the most important element of the body." For not only the two -pounds of lime, but the pound and a half of phosphorus, and the far -less quantity of iron, are as essential as the 106 lbs. of oxygen. - -What is most curious about phosphorus is that, being a powerful -and terrible poison, the body can contain such a lot of it without -suffering injury. Sufficient is scattered among the bones, the -flesh, the nervous system, and the various organs to kill off a whole -village, or to supply it with all the matches it requires. For the -body contains sufficient phosphorus to make 8,064 boxes of matches -containing 60 matches each. - -What phosphorus does for the bones is plain enough. With calcium and -oxygen it forms the exceedingly hard phosphate of calcium that gives -the bones their rigidity. - -No one appears to be perfectly sure what part it plays in the other -tissues of the body. Something very forcible, certainly, for whenever -sufficient is not present we grow listless; and nothing tones up the -system, in some states of low health, like a course of phosphorus -medication. If phosphorus is not precisely, as many people suppose, -the element that gives man his intellectual power, it is absolutely -essential to a high degree of nervous efficiency. - -[Illustration: THE BODY IS A SOAP FACTORY, AND GENERALLY CONTAINS -MATTER SUFFICIENT FOR A CAKE THIS SIZE.] - -The amount of other elements may be set down as follows:--Chlorine, -4 ozs.; sodium, 3 ozs.; sulphur, 2-1/2 ozs.; fluorine, 2 ozs.; -potassium, 1 oz.; magnesium, 12 grs.; silicon, 2 grs. - -Estimates vary, however, and, as a matter of fact, the quantities of -the elements in different men are by no means the same, nor are they -always from day to day the same in any one individual. But, taking -the whole of these last-named substances, they probably seldom exceed -three-quarters of a pound, yet the machine would come to a dead stop -without them. - -Without iron, for instance, the blood could not carry oxygen, as it -does, from the lungs to the remotest parts of the organism. There are -only 48 grains, or one-tenth of an ounce, of iron in the blood; in the -whole body there is only sufficient to make four or five tacks--vital -tacks, for if you took them away from the body of the strongest man he -would drop dead. - -Sodium and potassium are equally necessary, and so are sulphur, -chlorine, and fluorine. - -But the part these take in the processes of life is better seen by -observing what combinations they form and what ends these combinations -serve. No element exists in the body alone and separate, except, -indeed, some accidental traces of oxygen, nitrogen, and a few -particles of carbon breathed in by the lungs. They are all present -in compounds of extraordinary complexity, mostly put together in the -vegetable world, as everyone knows, by some mysterious power of the -sun. - -And, as was said, all the force of the body is derived from breaking -these complex compounds down into simpler combinations. We don't get -all the good possible out of them, for we cannot dissociate them into -separate elements, because elements have a horror of living separate, -and it would take something more powerful than a man's bodily organs -to make them do so. - -[Illustration: A PILE OF 144 PENCILS. 65 TIMES AS MANY AS THESE CAN BE -MADE FROM THE 21-1/2 LBS. OF CARBON IN THE BODY.] - -Simple water is the most important compound of all--at least, the most -abundant--consisting of hydrogen two parts, and oxygen one part. There -are from 90 to 96 lbs., or say a barrel of 9-1/2 gallons, of pure -water in a ten-stone-ten man. It has a large number of uses, but the -main use is rather curious. - -The greater part of bone and fat is what might be called lifeless -tissue. The substance that makes the body alive is protoplasm, which -forms the chief bulk of muscle, brain, nerves, lungs, heart, etc. And -protoplasm exists in the shape of millions of minute globules set side -by side, and more or less welded together. But these could no more -live out of water than could a shoal of herrings. So that, wherever -in the body protoplasm is--and it is almost everywhere--not only is -it submerged in water, but it actually passes its whole existence in -running water. - -Nothing could be done in the body without water. It dissolves the -food, carries the blood corpuscles, moistens the lining membranes of -the mouth, nose, throat, and all the inside of the body, forms a sort -of water cushion around the heart, lungs, and organs of the abdomen, -cools us by evaporation as sweat, and does many other useful things. -And the more water in the body the more vigorous the life. Restless -children have more than adults, and the sluggishness of old age is in -great measure due to a sort of bodily drought. - -Ordinary table salt, a mixture of solid sodium and gaseous chlorine, -does a lot of work in the human body. It seems necessary to the life -of every organ, and is found in the blood, muscles, and all the -other fluids and solids. It helps the fluids to pass through the thin -membranes, so that as well as promoting the absorption of food from -intestines and stomach into the blood current it also promotes -the percolation of the blood from the minute arteries out into the -tissues. - -Experiments show that if salt be withheld from an animal he quickly -languishes and dies. Yet there are only between six and seven ounces -in the whole human fabric, but quite enough to provide a large size -dinner table with it. Singularly the body is rather extravagant with -its small supply of this important constituent, and loses half an -ounce every day. - -[Illustration: SALT SUFFICIENT TO FILL THIS CELLAR SIX OR SEVEN TIMES -GOES TO THE MAKING OF A MAN.] - -Washing soda, or sodium in union with carbon and oxygen, is another -substance which performs an indispensable duty. Dissolved in the blood -it travels to every part of the body on a mission analogous to that of -the useful dustman. Wherever it finds a particle of carbonic acid it -seizes it, carries it to the lungs, and discharges it into the air. -The quantity of washing soda in the blood is really very small, but -the work it does is immense. - -You cannot perform any action without making a given quantity of -poisonous carbonic acid. Every beat of the heart and rise of the -chest, even bending the finger or closing the eyes, gives rise to some -of this waste product. And, if it were not continuously removed, it -would fatally clog the machine in a very few minutes. The washing soda -performs the necessary scavenging duty. - -This washing soda is also an important part of bone; mingled with -phosphate of lime, phosphate of magnesia, and fluoride of lime, it -helps to make our bones and teeth. - -Smelling salts seems a funny thing to have within you, but it is -there. Sodium, potassium, and ammonium are mixed with hydrogen and -oxygen to make it--the pungent ammonia, as well as the soda and potash -which are the cleansing principles of soap. These are distributed -through all the flesh of the body and are present in the blood. -Together with the phosphates they keep the blood and other fluids -alkaline. This means that they preserve us from another of the many -conditions fatal to life, for if the blood turned acid we should die. - -Chloride of ammonium, the familiar inhalement, is another of what -might be called the body's spices; so is chloride of potash, a sort -of cousin of the popular sore throat cure; and so also is hydrochloric -acid. - -This last substance is, again, one of those trifles without which -existence would be impossible. In the stomach there is a trifling -quantity of it, manufactured as required, which kills most of the -microbes, we swallow in food, prevents fermentation, and helps -digestion. - -There are ever so many other inorganic compounds. Besides these, all -civilised bodies contain a regular laboratory of adulterants, such as -boric acid and salicylic acid taken with milk, butter, and meat, and -kept some time in the body; iron, copper, antimony, arsenic, and many -other things taken in tea, beer, bottled vegetables, and the like. - -[Illustration: SUGAR MAKING IS CARRIED ON IN THE BODY--THOUGH THERE IS -NEVER MORE THAN A BOWLFUL OF IT.] - -From these comparatively simple bodies we go up to what are called the -organic compounds. There is a whole host of organic acids. Of course -these are present in very small quantities, or else they would -dissolve us like so much sugar. - -The salts, the acids, and the elements are still more complexly -associated. One mixture of them forms the proteid or albuminous -substance which scarcely differs from white of egg. It is this alone, -in fact, that lives. It is the chief solid part of muscle, heart, -lung, brain, nerve, blood, and exists in every fluid and solid of -the body (including sweat and saliva), except bile and one other -substance. What distinguishes proteid from everything else is that it -contains the lifeless gas nitrogen. - -Perhaps the nearest approach one could give to a definition of life -is that it consists of the separation of the carbon and nitrogen of -proteid substance. - -The proteid is taken into the body ready-made, in milk, meat, eggs, -fish, and to a less extent in vegetables. - -"Hamlet" and "King Lear," the "Iliad" and "Paradise Lost," every -speech and sermon one hears, and every book one reads, is really for -the most part this dissociation of carbon from nitrogen in another -man's brain, made evident to our eyes or ears. And this dissociation -is nothing more than if you took some white of egg and mixed with it a -quantity of oxygen so as to form urea, carbonic acid, and water. - -[Illustration: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE BODY--A BARREL OF 9-1/2 -GALLONS OF WATER.] - -Starch and fat supply fuel both in reserve and for immediate -consumption. They are only so much carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen -mingled in certain proportions and pretty similar to sugar. But they -go through curious careers in the body. Most of the fat that one -swallows, for instance, meets an alkali in the intestines that has -come there specially from the liver and pancreas to make soap. - -In the average man some tons of excellent soap are made in a -life-time, and at times there must be quite a large cake of soap -in the intestines. A quantity of glycerine is also formed as a -by-product, just as in a regular soap factory. The body can itself -make fat. If you give it lean meat, or starch, or sugar, it will take -them as raw material and manufacture good fat. - -Starch, a most important constituent, goes through strange -transformations. When you swallow a potato it is chiefly starch; that -is, six atoms of carbon to ten of hydrogen and five of oxygen. In the -intestines a little water is added and it becomes sugar, for sugar -is merely starch and water joined together. It goes into the blood as -sugar, not being able, in fact, to get through as starch, and then it -either burns up in the tissues or goes to the liver, where it drops -the water and becomes a kind of starch. - -The moment one feels hungry this glycogen changes into sugar again, -enters the blood, and is burned up, like a candle, into carbonic acid -and water. Sugar in the body is like loose cash in the pocket--it -does not stay long; and there seldom is a bowlful of it. But, in -some extraordinary way, if the body wishes to be saving, it sometimes -converts the sugar into a substance called inosit, which, though -sweet, is insoluble in water, and can, therefore, remain a long time -in the liver, spleen, lungs, and muscle, being very abundant in the -muscle of drunkards. - -There are many other compound substances in the body. Alcohol is found -in blood, bile, muscle, and brain; gum in the glands that make saliva, -and in the lungs; pepsin, that digests food, in the stomach; one or -two ferments, like yeast; and the pigments that colour the hair and -the eye. None of these higher compounds is put together by the body. -It never takes the elements and builds them up. It can only break down -complex things into less complex things. - -But it does one kind of manufacturing or constructive work, using -complex and ready-made substances, that is amazing. No one who has -eaten a cutlet, a sweet-bread, a kidney, a piece of liver, heart, -tongue, and tripe, need be reminded how various are the different -organs in composition. All this variety, however, the body brings -about itself, marvellously selecting from the one raw material, blood, -the different substances and the appropriate quantities for each kind -of tissue. - -Out of the blood the body takes the compounds containing calcium, -phosphorus, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and some other things, for the -making of the skeleton. The skeleton exists for the sole purpose of -giving support to the other parts, and forms 14 hundredths, or about -one-seventh, of the body-weight in a man, and 13 hundredths, or about -one-eighth, in a woman. - -Thus a man of ten-stone-ten would have to carry a skeleton weighing 21 -lbs.--that is, while quite fresh. When dry it would weigh only 12-1/2 -lbs. In a woman of eight stone the weights would be 14 lbs. and 8-1/2 -lbs. respectively. - -To make muscle, the body takes other substances in appropriate -quantities from the blood. Whether you are weak and powerless, or -fit to form one of an Oxford eight and to lift weights with Sandow, -depends, to a considerable extent, on the selective skill of your -blood. - -The muscular system constitutes three-sevenths of the structure, -contains half the water and half the proteid of the entire body, and -weighs, in a ten-stone-ten man, between 63 and 64 lbs. - -Fat is taken from the blood mostly ready-formed, and is stored away -as packing material and reserve food. It is the most inconstant of -all tissues in quantity, and varies with every change of health, -air, diet, work, and with each important life-event. But, usually, -it averages from one-fortieth to one-twentieth of the body weight, -or from 3-3/4 to 7-1/2 lbs. in a ten-stone-ten man, enough to make -several pounds of candles like those we have photographed. - -The blood itself is manufactured in the body, one part by certain -organs, another part by other organs. The making of it is still -not fully understood. But the body knows when it has and has not -sufficient. If one loses a pint of blood, the vessels take in a pint -of water from the tissues in a very short period, and soon they -have that water loaded with ingredients to bring it up to standard -strength. - -So the actual bulk and weight of blood scarcely ever varies in -the same person, although it may be quite different in different -individuals. For the average man it may be set down at from -one-fourteenth to one-twelfth of the body weight--that is, between -10-3/4 and 12-1/2 lbs. Women and fat men have proportionately less. - -The remainder of the body-weight is made up of the heavy liver, the -light lungs, the heart, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, brain, -nerves, skin, hair, nails. And all these sundries weigh from 45 to 51 -lbs. - -It will be seen that a man is made on a different principle from that -on which he makes most of the structures of civilised life. He builds -them for long endurance; he builds himself for quick destruction. -Nothing in him is permanent, or intended to be, except the skeleton -and teeth. Westminster Abbey contains all the materials of a man's -body, but it has been made into a compound edifice out of simple lime, -wood, stone, etc., with the intention that it shall remain compound as -long as possible. A man's body is constructed of compound substances -so placed together that, by their interaction, they shall speedily and -without ceasing break each other down into simple substances; and life -is thus, as was said, essentially a process of destruction. - -[Illustration: 8,064 BOXES OF MATCHES LIKE THESE CAN BE MADE FROM THE -PHOSPHORUS IN A MAN.] - -All these facts will help us to realise the wonders of the human body, -and will substantiate the somewhat startling statement that the body -is something of a chandler's shop. - - - - -[Illustration: THE ROGUEY MAN] - - - At baby boy I fondly peep-- - I came to kiss good-night; - But, there, my darling's fast asleep, - Closed are those blue eyes bright. - - Wee sturdy arms tired out with play - Are folded and at rest; - The feet that pattered round all day - Are tucked in downy nest. - - A stray lock from the curly head - Lies on the snow-white brow; - The smile from merry lips has fled, - No dimple greets me now. - - Softly he breathes; sleep on, sweet dear; - May happy dreams be thine, - And guardian-angels hover near, - To bless thee, baby mine. - - * * * * * - - But what in all the world is this-- - The blankets thrown aside, - The rose-bud lips upraised to kiss, - The dancing eyes oped wide? - - And loud he crows with baby glee, - His curls with laughter shake. - Why, he has just been fooling me-- - The roguey man's awake! - - EDMUND MITCHELL. - - - - -MY DESTINY. - -A WAYSIDE ROMANCE. - -BY C. K. BURROW. - -_Illustrated by Fred Pegram._ - - -I was travelling southward in no particularly contented mood--at -least, it pleased me to think that I was going against my will, and -solely out of respect to my father's brother, who had summoned me to -his house on a matter which might have stirred my blood a little had I -chosen to give my fancy range. - -But youth is the most uncertain thing in the world, and, since the -affair was none of my doing, I chose to assume that I had no interest -in it. - -And yet, when half my journey was done, I began to feel some -uneasiness, some excitement even. This was partly due, no doubt, to -the fact that I had never travelled before in my own chaise; it was -an experience that made equal appeal to my pride and to my sense of -responsibility. I was proud of my new importance, and at the same time -a little fearful of making some mistake that should betray me as a -novice to the vigilant eyes of innkeepers or hostlers. - -I had recently, by the death of my father, come into a moderate -fortune. I was the only child, and my mother had died long before, so -that, apart from a few legacies, I was sole heir. As I have said, I -was young, being no more than two and twenty, perhaps too young to -have unchecked licence in the use of lands and money. You may be sure -that life shone before me; it seemed to me a field for high adventure, -a thing stuffed with romance. From the empty pockets of a boy I had -suddenly risen to the full purse of a man of substance; and, to be -honest, I think it was somewhat to my honour that I made no evil use -of my new power. I had many faults then, pride being the chief; but -since those days I have learnt wisdom. With the turn of the century -many changes came to me; but I am now only writing of a single episode -that occurred before this century was born. - -Well, then, some three-fourths of the way between Worcester, from -which I started, and Dorking, in Surrey, to which I was journeying, I -stopped to change horses, and for my own and my servants' refreshment. -During the last hour I had been thinking a good deal of what awaited -me at my uncle's, and my pulse began to have the better of my will. In -a word, I was going to see the girl whom I was destined to marry. - -[Illustration: "I STOPPED TO CHANGE HORSES, AND SAW THE LANDLORD -STANDING AT THE DOOR."] - -My father and his brother had not been on the best of terms for many -years; but that had not prevented them from arranging that their -children should wed--an arrangement in which I had never been -consulted or, so far as I knew, the lady either. To add to the -uncertainty of the whole affair, I had never seen her; I did not even -know whether she were ugly or beautiful, short or tall. I might be -going to assume a bondage of roses or of steel. - -However, I was determined that if the damsel did not please me, or I -her, there should be no marriage. I had no taste for martyrdom, and -had too delicate a stomach to take a wife without love. - -I forget the name of the village at which this halt was made, but I -remember that the sign of the inn was the "George and Dragon." The -place had a long white front, with green shutters to the windows, and -over the door a great lamp hung from stanchions let into the wall. I -judged that trade was slack, for as I descended from my carriage I saw -the landlord standing at the door, smoking a pipe, and winking in the -sunlight like a sleepy dog. - -I told him to have fresh horses ready in an hour, and to attend to my -servants' appetites, and also bade him send me a meal as quickly as -he could; I intended to end my journey before sunset, and sleep that -night in my uncle's house. He took my orders placidly (I never saw -a host who was less awake), and conducted me to the parlour. It was -empty, and I sat down by an open window to look out upon the village -street. It was very warm and still, a day of perfect early summer -weather, and before long, as though the mere air of the place inclined -to rest, I began to nod in my chair. - -And with this nodding came a pleasant dream, and, of course, it was -about her whom I was on my way to meet. It seemed that I saw her -standing in a sunny orchard, with ripening apples over her head, and -her face and dress were flecked with the moving shadows of leaves. The -grass was high about her feet, reaching, indeed, almost to her knees; -her brown hair floated free about her shoulders; and there was such a -sweet smile on her lips, and so inviting a glance in her eyes, that I -made forward as though to clasp her. - -"Nay, Cousin Nigel," she said; "wait, Cousin Nigel," and stepped back. -All my thought at once became how to win this fair creature of the -orchard; but with that I awoke, and found myself in the parlour of the -"George and Dragon," and there was a maid setting out my meal. - -As I turned to the table there was a great noise of wheels and -shouting, and I stood up to see what sort of traveller came with such -a tumult of arrival. A chaise drew up before the door, the horses -all of a foam, and the postillions smeared with dust. One of the men -jumped down and had the door open before the landlord was awake. A -very elegantly-dressed man stepped out and handed forth a lady after -him; she took his hand timidly, without looking into his face, and I -saw that she would have freed it again long before he had a mind to -let it go. - -She held her head so low that I could not get a clear sight of her -face at that moment, but her figure (and I already held myself to be a -judge in such matters) was so graceful and slim, and, as it were, with -such a force of youth in it, that I felt myself happy only to have -looked upon it. "Come, come," said I to myself, "remember Cousin -Audrey and the errand you are on"; but the difficulty was that I had -nothing of Cousin Audrey to remember except her name. I did not like -the look of the girl's companion, and I liked it less when I saw him -at close quarters, later on. - -I sat down to the table while my gentleman was giving his orders, -which he did with small courtesy and great noise, and had already -made good way with an excellent cold capon before the new guests were -ushered into the room. The man hesitated for a moment when he saw that -the place was already occupied, but after looking me up and down in -a manner that made the blood tingle in my cheeks, and, I suppose -concluding that I was harmless, he came in without more ado and drew -the girl after him. She had been crying; the tears even then were wet -upon her lashes, and her breast shook with half-spent sobs. - -She threw me a timid, wistful glance, and then dropped her eyes; if -she had gone down on her knees and begged for my consideration it -could not have made me more her servant than that glance. She was most -tenderly pretty, and the more I stole furtive looks at her the more -pleased I was with the message my eyes carried to my heart. As to her -age, it could not have been beyond eighteen, so that I felt old by -comparison, and I was infinitely touched by the redness of her eyes -and cheeks where she had rubbed them with the tiny handkerchief still -tight-clasped in her hand. I was sure she would have spoken to me had -she dared, and I was resolved that, at any rate, we should not part -unacquainted. - -[Illustration: "A VERY ELEGANTLY DRESSED MAN STEPPED OUT OF THE COACH -AND HANDED FORTH A LADY."] - -As for the child's companion, the mere sight of him, added to her -tears, made me sick. He was not altogether an ill-looking man, and -might by some have been accounted handsome; but he had a brutal mouth, -a shifty, restless eye, and was of a swarthy, insolent complexion that -I did not love. As for dress, he put my outfit, although I had rather -prided myself upon it, completely out of countenance. He had more silk -about him than all my wardrobe contained, and his ruffles were of the -finest lace; he was also decked with gold chains and rare jewels--at -least, to me the jewels appeared rare, but I doubt, after all, whether -they were more than paste. He seated himself close to the lady, and -would have ventured some tendernesses with her, but she gave him no -encouragement; at which, smiling grimly to himself, he watched her as -a cat watches a frightened bird. - -I went on eating for some time, and applied myself with great -attention to the wine, in order to spur a somewhat tardy tongue. In -half an hour I knew my carriage would be ready, and that was but -short time to succour beauty in distress, for that was what my heart -conjectured the scene before me to represent. At last, leaning back in -my chair and uttering a sigh of satisfaction, I found my voice. - -"I give you good day, sir. This inn serves fair refreshment, and is -better than it looks." - -"I've known worse," he said, glancing at the table; then he turned his -back on me again. - -"You travel fast," I said, "as though upon some pleasant errand." - -"Or as though the runners were behind," he said. - -"No, no; even they, surely, would respect your company. The errand -must be pleasant." - -"Your conjecture, sir," he said, "may be right or it may be wrong. I -imagine that to be my business." - -"Come," said I, "don't be angry, but drink a glass with me. We meet -only to part, and good liquor will dwell better in the memory than -curt words." - -"Sir," he answered, eyeing me savagely, "I desire neither your liquor -nor your acquaintance, and you may drink your wine yourself." - -Now, although he was perfectly within his right in refusing my -tendered courtesy, I did not at all like the manner of his refusal, -and my blood began to warm, the more particularly as the girl had -fallen again to quiet weeping. - -"I thank you," I said, "for so gracious a permission, and may you -learn better manners before you grow too old." - -"The devil!" he said. "What ails the pair of you? The boy is impudent -and deserves a whipping, and you," turning to the lady, "not much -less. For God's sake stop snivelling and be done with this nonsense." - -"As for the whipping," said I, dropping a hand on my sword, "I take -and give only whippings with steel." - -"Bravo!" he sneered, "and a pretty hand you make at the game, I'll be -bound." - -"I'm at your service, sir," I said, draining my glass. - -The fellow was terribly put out, but I could see that he had good -reason to avoid a quarrel; he looked from me to the window and from -the window to the lady, and bit his lip with rage. After a pause, he -said, more quietly-- - -"I fight only with men, and then with such as can show beards." - -"For the lack of the beard," said I, "you have to thank my razor." - -"Indeed," he said; "then the razor must be like my Lord Chancellor, -and do little work." - -"You have a pretty wit, sir!" - -"I have often been commended for it." - -"Doubtless by men, then," said I, "for it bites too sharply for -women." - -"Nay, you mistake, for women are my greatest flatterers." He smiled so -grossly at the girl that if my life had had to answer for it I could -not have held my tongue. - -"Is it a woman's way to flatter by tears?" I asked. - -"You young dog! If I had time and were unencumbered, I'd slit that -saucy tongue of yours," he cried. - -"I asked for information, sir, not for threats. I thought that in -your charming society, which I enjoy immensely, women might find their -pleasure in tears." - -"You think too much, boy," he said; and then, with an oath, he left -the room, and I heard him cursing the landlord for his delay in -serving him, calling him more foul names than were proper for a girl -to listen to. That was my opportunity, and I was quick to take it, the -more readily as the lady's imploring eyes met mine again in full gaze. - -"Madam," said I, "if you are in any trouble, and need a protector, my -sword and life are at your service. I ask no questions--it is yours to -command." - -"Oh! sir," she answered, "I have been wicked, and 'tis now too late," -and she fell to weeping afresh. - -"Dry your eyes, dear lady. Foolish you may have been, but never -wicked. Anyway, this is no time for repenting. Do you travel willingly -with this gentleman, or do you wish to be rid of his company?" - -"Yes, yes, to be rid of him--and to forget." - -"His name is?" - -"Northfield," she murmured, as his step sounded outside the door. - -He entered, scowling, and glanced suspiciously at us; but as I had not -moved and the lady was still trying to dry her tears, he said nothing, -and sat down again at her side. A moment later food and wine were -brought, and as they took their places at the table I rose and -occupied my old station by the window. - -My blood was up, and by this time I had forgotten all about the object -of my journey; the lady's youth and beauty had made so subtle and at -the same time so strong an appeal to me, that I stopped to consider -nothing more. I have never, in all my life, been able to stand against -a woman's weeping, and at the age at which I then was, just in the -first flush of freedom, I was in no humour to reason with myself. -I stood at the window, but in such a way that I missed nothing that -passed at the table, and the more I saw the more I itched for battle. - -Northfield ate largely and drank deeply, but the girl hardly carried -a morsel to her mouth, and when she did the quivering of her lips was -pitiful to see. He urged her to take more, but, she only shook her -head, and at last put down her knife and fork altogether. - -[Illustration: - - "'MADAM,' SAID I, 'IF YOU ARE IN ANY TROUBLE AND NEED A - PROTECTOR, MY SWORD AND LIFE ARE AT YOUR SERVICE.'" -] - -"Come, child," he said, "I begin to weary of this nonsense; I don't -want a crying baby on my hands." - -"I can't help crying," she said. - -"You must help it, my lady; people will think strange things to see -your red eyes, and perhaps spoil the sport." - -My carriage was being brought round, and the sound of it made the man -prick up his ears. At the same moment an idea shot into my head. - -"The chaise is ready," Northfield said; "quick, drink something at -least, if you cannot eat." - -He filled a glass with wine, and I could have sworn he adroitly -dropped some accursed powder into it. - -"Drink," he said, pushing it towards her. - -"You are mistaken," said I: "that carriage is mine." - -The girl had put out her hand to take the glass, but as I spoke I -moved towards the door and purposely stumbled against her arm; the -glass was overset, and as the liquor soaked into the cloth, there the -powder lay upon the surface, like fine grey sand. - -"A thousand pardons!" I said. - -"You clumsy fool!" cried Northfield, rising as though to strike me. -But he thought better of it, and took the lady roughly by the arm. - -"Come, we will leave this gentleman to play the fool alone," he said. - -"I'm going back," she said. "I will--go--no further with you." - -"Come!" he said, and tightened his hold upon her arm until she cried -out. - -"Sir," said I, staring at the stained cloth, "did you ever know red -wine to have grey dregs before?" - -He turned pale, and the girl cried out again; she tried to free -herself, and called in terror that she would not go. He clapped a -heavy hand over her mouth. - -"Mr. Northfield, if that is your true name," I said, "you're a rogue, -and the lady shall not stir a step." - -He released her suddenly to confront me, and in answer to a signal she -ran round and stood trembling by my side. - -"You see, she puts herself under my protection," I said. "It is not -nice for a gentleman to drug a lady's wine; indeed, the law might have -something to say." - -"By God!" he cried, his face white with passion, "you shall pay for -this. She is my wife." - -He loosened his sword; I glanced out of the window and saw that my -carriage was almost ready. - -"No, no!" cried the girl. - -"Keep close to me," I whispered to her, and we moved towards the door. -But Northfield was there before us, and stood with his back against -it, sword in hand. I drew, and, begging my companion not to spoil the -chances of her escape by crying out, faced him with steadier nerves -than I could have given myself credit for. - -"Stand aside!" I cried. - -"Fool, do you want your lungs pricked?" - -"They are a fair target--try, if it pleases you." He made a pass at -me, and in a wink we had engaged. I was a fair swordsman, but he was a -better; I, however, had the advantage in cooler nerves and the better -position, for so long as I could keep him to the door he could not -fall back. I was fearful, every second, that the ring of steel would -bring the servants about us, and therefore, at great risk, I tried to -end the matter quickly. - -My chance came--he overreached himself, my point entered his breast -just below the neck, and he fell forward, swooning, upon his face. -In a moment I had him on his back and his shirt open; the wound was -nasty, but, I gladly thought, not serious; I had no fancy to have the -man's death on my conscience. - -The lady was so weak from terror that I had almost carry her out, but -when we reached the door she plucked up courage to lean upon my arm. -The landlord was blinking in the sun, as usual, and my chaise was -ready. I put five pounds into his hand, bade him not disturb his other -guest for half an hour, that we might have a good start in case the -fellow was hot for a pursuit, and then, opening the carriage door, -handed the girl in and bade the postillions ride for an extra guinea. -Directly I was seated, off we went, at such a terrific pace and in -such a cloud of dust that you would have thought a royal embassy was -on the road to court. - -[Illustration: "I PURPOSELY STUMBLED AGAINST HER ARM AND UPSET THE -GLASS INTO WHICH HE HAD PUT THE POWDER."] - -I leaned back against the cushions at my companion's side, and looked -at her cautiously. The tears had ceased, her eyes were closed, and -though her mouth still quivered from time to time, her breathing -gradually grew quieter and her breast still. I felt extraordinarily -lifted up at the sight of her; she was so young, so sweet, so tenderly -fashioned. Her left hand lay in her lap, and I saw that there was no -wedding ring upon it; I had been certain before that the man had lied. -I was so moved by her nearness to me that I could not refrain from -touching her fingers. They closed upon mine for a happy second. - -"My protector," she murmured. - -In half an hour, when my heat had had time to cool, I began to -reflect upon the strangeness of my situation, and it was certainly -sufficiently awkward to make me serious. Here was I, a young bachelor, -on my way to my uncle's house, whose daughter I was to marry, and -in my carriage was a girl, young and pretty, and of a most engaging -person, whose name I did not know, whose gallant, or abductor, or -whatever he was, I had incontinently wounded, and whose simplicity, -apparently, was so profound that she was as contented in my hands as -she might have been in her mother's. - -By this time she appeared to be asleep, and I had not the heart to -call her back to knowledge of the speeding carriage and her world of -sorrows. But at last, when we were some dozen miles or so upon our -way, I thought it best to try to bring matters to an issue. I touched -her hand again, and again her fingers answered mine; she had not been -asleep after all! - -"Madam," I said, "we are now travelling southward, and if your home -lies in this direction I will bid my men drive you there." - -"Oh, no, no; not home!" she cried. - -"Where, then, if not home?" - -"Anywhere but home," she said; "my father will never forgive me." - -"He could not, surely, withstand your pleading." - -She opened her eyes and shook her head. - -"He would never forgive a runaway," she said. - -"Not even when the runaway thinks better of it, and returns?" - -"Ah, but that is not all. If you only knew how naughty I've been!" - -[Illustration: "MY POINT ENTERED HIS BREAST JUST BELOW THE NECK, AND -HE FELL FORWARD SWOONING UPON HIS FACE."] - -"Dear lady, you make much of little; I dare take my oath you have no -heavy sin upon your conscience. Suppose you did run away with this -rascal Northfield, there's no great harm done, and you've stopped in -time." - -"I believed he loved me; he said he loved me, and I was so unhappy. -But he was, oh! so rough, so cruel. I hated him then!" - -She stamped her foot and set her little teeth together, which made -the heat rise in me again. I was sorry that my sword had not pricked -deeper; the man who could plot evil against so fair a life as this -deserved no pity. - -"Think no more of him," I said. "You are now with me, and as safe in -my keeping, if you will trust me, as in a nursery." - -"I trust you--yes," she said; "you saved me." - -"Ah," said I, "if I had such a sweet maid as you for sister!" - -"I will be your sister," she said, smiling into my eyes. - -"Then, dear sister, you will have a brother whose life is at your -command." - -"You have already risked it once." - -"That was nothing, child; even my groom would have done as much." - -She shook her curls in pretty disbelief, and my responsibility began -to weigh upon me again. For, although all this was very pretty, and -a game at which I could have spent hours, yet the carriage was still -flying at top speed towards my destination, and if the lady would -not tell me where she lived, what was I to do? In all my uncertainty, -however, and in spite of the talk of sister, I was sure of one thing, -and that was, that I would not marry my Cousin Audrey. - -After a time I drew to my companion again, and could not but observe -how, with returning security, her loveliness grew; it seemed to expand -and open, like a blossom shyly turning sunwards after a storm. The -thought that if I insisted on taking her home I might have little -opportunity to cultivate an acquaintance already dear to me, put -another notion into my head; and although it was wild enough I was in -no mood to reject it on that score. - -"I am going," said I, "to a relative in Surrey, and if you like -to come with me, I can promise you a courteous, if not a cordial, -welcome. You will be safe there, at least, and to-morrow, or at any -time you wish, I will see your father and plead for your forgiveness. -It already grows towards evening, and we cannot now be far from my -uncle's house." - -"I will go with you," she said, "and, oh! thank you for the thought." - -When it was settled, I began to see to what a pretty complication I -was working, and, indeed, it seemed doubtful whether my own reception -would be even courteous. The circumstances in which I met the lady -would of course explain something; but I had no reason to suppose my -uncle either blind or a fool, and I was determined, from the first, to -let him see where my preference lay. As to my Cousin Audrey, since she -had never seen me, she could not love me, so there would be no hearts -broken. The probability was that she disliked the prospect of my visit -as much as I did. - -It was a beautiful, clear evening, wonderfully gracious and serene, -and in the long silence that fell between us I turned to the carriage -window and looked out at the country through which we sped. - -My companion, during all the time we had been together, had never -taken any account of the country--an omission I have observed in many -girls. Presently we passed over the base of a noble hill, with white -shining through the green, and all astir, as it seemed, with little -winds. - -"That must be Box Hill!" I cried. - -She started and laid a hand on my arm, leaning to my side of the -chaise to look. - -"Box Hill!" she repeated, and her face paled and her voice shook. - -"Why not Box Hill?" I said. "We're close to Dorking now." - -"Dorking!" - -The poor child shook with fright, and hid her face in her hands. - -"Oh, you're taking me home," she cried, "and I did so trust you!" - -"Dear lady," I said, "if your home is here, 'tis no fault of mine that -you are back again. Remember, I beseech you, that you never told me -where you lived, nor did I question you." - -She took no heed of me, but wrung her hands and cast herself back -against the cushions in despair. - -"To come back after all!" she cried. "I was wicked to run away, I -know, I know; but to come back the same day like a child-truant! I -never really loved Mr. Northfield, but he persuaded, and persuaded, -and flattered me, and at last I promised. I was to marry my cousin, -whom I'd never seen, and I couldn't bear the thought of it. He was -coming to-to-day, and he'll be at h-home n-now, and I shall h-have to -m-marry him!" - -I listened to this speech in blank amazement; but when it was ended I -laughed aloud for joy of the light that broke upon me. - -"You're un-k-kind to l-laugh," she sobbed. - -"Unkind to you?" I cried, catching her hand. "What is your name, sweet -mistress?" - -"Audrey M-Mortimer," she said. - -"And mine," cried I, "is Nigel Gray, your Cousin Nigel, very much at -your service, and very much in love with Cousin Audrey!" - -For a moment we gazed into each other's eyes in a kind of transport, -and then, without more ado, I took the little lady in my arms, and -kissed her. At first she tried to be a little prim and coy, but, -later, she sat upon my knee, although the chaise was narrow, and -clasped her arms about my neck. - -"You dear, brave cousin!" she cried. - -"Am I so dreadful, and will you run away again?" - -"Don't tease me, Nigel," she pleaded, and laid her cheek against mine. -She was little more than a child, after all, and my heart beat high -and quick to think from what, under Providence, I had saved her that -day. - -"What can I tell father?" she asked. - -"You only left home this morning?" - -[Illustration: "I TOOK THE LITTLE LADY IN MY ARMS AND KISSED HER."] - -"Yes, cousin." - -"Tell him that you ventured on to the road to see this strange cousin -of yours, and that he recognised you and picked you up." - -"But that would be a story!" - -"Well, I will tell it for you, if you will forgive me afterwards. Do -you think you will ever love me, Audrey?" - -"I love you already, Cousin Nigel." - -"Nigel, without the cousin." - -"Nigel," she said. - -And so, you see, the adventure ended happily for both of us, but I -told my Uncle Mortimer, privately, exactly what had really occurred, -in order that we might be on guard against the man Northfield. He, -however, had had his lesson; and his wound, I suppose, not proving -serious, he hid the scar and thought it best to keep a closed mouth. -Indeed, not long after, he disappeared from the country, and was heard -of later on in America, where I trust he was better appreciated than -he ever was here. - -As for Audrey, no sweeter woman ever breathed than my wife, and she -has made up to me a thousand fold for thinking so lightly of me before -she had ever seen my face. And for myself, though I have had many -encounters since then and against heavier odds, none ever had so fair -a reward. - - - - -A FAMOUS WIGMAKER'S FAMOUS ALBUM. - -SOME INTERESTING THEATRICAL AUTOGRAPHS. - -BY GAVIN MACDONALD. - - -Mr. William Clarkson, of Wellington Street, where the wigs come from, -is almost as well known to the general public as the stars of the -theatrical and musical professions who frequent his establishment. - -In the whole of London, I doubt if you could find a more interesting -place to spend an afternoon than the Wellington Street wig shop. And, -if you are to any extent a hero worshipper of stage players, it is -here you will find them, free, unconventional, Bohemian fellows all, -with the strait lace of the footlights gone. - -Clarkson's is a sort of theatrical Rotten Row, where all the -professional world is wont to meet, and mix reminiscences and general -chit-chat of the stage with orders for wigs and make-ups. - -The shop itself is hardly less remarkable than the business carried -on within it. It has a touch of the last century about it, with its -low-pitched ceilings and curious anterooms. - -[Illustration: SKETCH BY SEYMOUR LUCAS, R.A.] - -From the former hang hundreds of grotesque pantomime and fancy-dress -masks, scarcely clearing the heads of the customers. In glass cases -around the walls of shop and anterooms are wigs and disguises and -costumes of every description, an empire's ransom in paste jewels, and -the serving of an army corps in stage weapons. - -[Illustration] - -Almost any morning in the theatrical season you will find three or -four well-known faces among the crowd in the establishment. It is a -convenient meeting-place for one thing, and it teems with familiar -faces and opportunities for friendly chats for another. - -[Illustration: PHILIP BURNE-JONES' SKETCH OF HIMSELF.] - -The groups of actors, actresses, musicians or artists, as the case -may be, stand here and there chatting unconcernedly, while the various -_employés_ rush hither and thither, dodging between them like a pack -of startled deer. And down at the desk sits Mr. Clarkson himself, -characteristically occupied in doing twenty things at once. First, it -is a genial word with a well-known star across the top of his desk. -Then a word is exchanged with a distant group, during which the -telephone rings up, and there is the Prince of Wales' fancy-dress -ball costume to be discussed. Sir Henry Irving wants a wig curled, -or possibly a new elephant is required in a hurry for a West-end -pantomime. - -[Illustration: THUMBNAIL BY PHIL MAY.] - -Meanwhile assistants momentarily consult him, till you begin to think -it is a miracle his reason survives; yet somehow all are answered, -and additional orders are shouted to others in the far corners of the -building into the bargain. This strange mixture of hustle and scurry -on the one hand and on the other is a feature of Clarkson's I have -never yet missed, although I have visited the place times without -number. - -Needless to say, there is scarcely a member of the artistic -professions whom Mr. Clarkson cannot number among his friends. He is -always ready with an apropos story should any of them be mentioned, -or should you evince any special interest in the subject it is quite -possible he will show you his famous albums, and point out the absent -one's autograph and remarks. - -The autograph books--for there are two of them--are the most wonderful -of their kind in the world, containing as they do the signatures -of almost every member of the theatrical profession, both here and -abroad. - -[Illustration: SIR HENRY IRVING'S AUTOGRAPH.] - -There are many hundreds of them, many accompanied by quotations from -favourite parts, snatches of verse, stage catch phrases identified -with their names, and so forth. - -Many of the artists have contributed sketches. The musicians in -most cases have scribbled bars of their own compositions after their -autographs. - -For the purpose of illustrating this article I have reproduced a few -autographs from this unique collection. To publish them all would need -a special edition. - -Most if not all of the names will be familiar to the readers of this -magazine. - -First we give some artists' thumbnails. The most ambitious is the pen -drawing of a Cavalier's head, by Mr. Seymour Lucas, R.A. - -It is a pity that we are not able to give a larger reproduction of -the inimitable pencil drawing of a negro's head by Phil May. It is a -wonderful piece of drawing. - -[Illustration: MISS TERRY'S QUOTATION--] - -Perhaps the cleverest thing in the album is the sketch by that -versatile actor-artist, J. Bernard Partridge. - -Not less interesting is the sketch of himself by Philip Burne-Jones. - -After the artists come the actors and actresses. - -Miss Ellen Terry quotes Shakespeare, "And mine, to eke out his." -Underneath is a particularly happy retort by Sir Arthur Sullivan, who -is inclined to baldness. He writes: "And his (Clarkson's), to eke out -mine (hair)." - -[Illustration: --AND SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN'S RETORT.] - -What Mr. Tree means by his quotation from _Henry V._ I am not prepared -to say. Is it the wig or the maker? I leave it to Mr. Clarkson. - -[Illustration] - -All playgoers will be glad to compare the diversified signatures, -whether their favourite be Sir Henry Irving, Sir Squire or Lady -Bancroft, Mr. Forbes Robertson, Madame Sarah Bernhardt, or the veteran -Mr. Toole. - -Sarah Bernhardt writes a French sentence. Curiously enough, although -this appears at the very bottom of a page, it was the first autograph -in the book; another instance of the great Sarah's eccentricity. - -[Illustration: SIR SQUIRE AND LADY BANCROFT'S CONTRIBUTION.] - -Mr. Clarkson supplies Sarah Bernhardt with all her wigs, and they are -never even curled by anyone but him, being sent especially from Paris -for the purpose. - -[Illustration: MR. G. R. SIMS ON THE "WIGGERIES."] - -[Illustration: MADAME MELBA WISHES "GOOD LUCK."] - -[Illustration: (Sketch and text by Toni Rankin)] - -[Illustration: MR. DIOSY WRITES A SNATCH FROM "THE GEISHA" IN JAPANESE -AND ENGLISH.] - -[Illustration: (Text by Emma Calvé)] - -[Illustration: MADAME PATTI'S TEXT.] - -[Illustration: MR. F. STOREY'S IDEA OF HIMSELF.] - -[Illustration: AN AIR BY A POPULAR COMPOSER.] - -[Illustration: (Pietro Mascagni's Signature)] - -[Illustration: WHAT ONE OF THE "BABES IN THE WOOD" SAYS.] - -[Illustration: MR. TREE QUOTES SHAKESPEARE.] - -Mr. Fred Storey's portrait of himself was in all probability produced -by the aid of a particularly lissom quill pen. - -Mr. George R. Sims contributes a funny travesty of a speech of one of -the witches in _Macbeth_-- - - -"THE WIGGERIES. - - "By the pricking of my thumbs - Something _wigged_ this way comes; - Open _locks_, whoever knocks." - -The inimitable Dan Leno's "Yours with or without lace" is a -characteristically original way of saying that their friendship was -not one of a business nature merely. - -One autograph is of special interest in view of the tragic happening -of a few months ago. It is the characteristically bluff signature of -the late William Terriss, written while he was playing with Sir Henry -Irving in the year 1890. - -[Illustration: SARA BERNHARDT'S COMPLIMENTS.] - -When Mr. Clarkson was a boy just fresh from school, Terriss used to -come into his father's workroom and give his order for wigs directly -to the younger Clarkson, insisting that he, and he alone, should make -them from beginning to end. The late Mr. Terriss may therefore be said -to have been Mr. Clarkson's first client. - -One of the smallest spaces in the whole book contains quite a bunch -of prominent names, the signatures of Violet Cameron, Kyrle Bellew, -Yvette Guilbert, and Arthur Pinero occupying a space very little -larger than a postage stamp. - -"My dear Clarkson," wrote the late Sir Augustus Harris, "what do you -wish me to say? Echo answers, What? You answer, Nix! So I wish you all -good luck." - -The majority of the world's greatest musicians are represented in -the album. For example, Leon Cavalli has contributed two bars of his -_Pagliacci_; Mascagni, of _Cavalleria Rusticana_ fame, signs his -name across the musical stave, and Madame Melba contributes her best -wishes. - -[Illustration: (Johnston Forbes Robertson's Autograph)] - -Another quotation of special interest, as it is written by the great -singer Madame Patti, runs as follows: "A beautiful voice is the gift -of God.--Adelina Patti-Nicolini." - -Then by way of contrast there is a portion of one of Miss Hope -Temple's songs, in the handwriting of the composer. - -One of the most interesting contributions is that supplied by Mr. -Diosy, the popular Secretary of the Japan Society. It consists of a -message to Mr. Clarkson, and a few lines from _The Geisha_ in Japanese -writing and characters. - -"From an artiste in airs to an artiste in hairs," over the -signature and music of Mr. Isidore de Lara, is a particularly happy -contribution. - -Many of the illustrations are self-explanatory, and we have therefore -omitted mention of them in this article. - -[Illustration: MR. TOOLE'S MODESTY.] - -[Illustration: A WORD FROM DRURY LANE.] - -[Illustration: (Isodore de Lara - Prologo: 'The Light of Asia')] - -[Illustration: A MURDERED MAN'S AUTOGRAPH. (William Terriss)] - -[Illustration: (Judicie H. Cohen)] - -[Illustration: (Violet Vanburgh)] - -[Illustration: DAN LENO'S INTIMATION.] - -[Illustration: (Meril Tempest)] - -[Illustration: MR. PINERO FINDS HIMSELF IN PLEASANT COMPANY.] - -[Illustration: Kyrle Bellew] - -[Illustration: Yvette Guilbert] - -[Illustration: Jean de Herzke] - - - - -DAPHNE. - -A COMPLETE STORY BY WALTER E. GROGAN. - -_Illustrated by Harold Copping._ - - -When a man has looked at death out in Nevada, has rioted in a -brawling mining camp, and has lived for years where the constraint of -civilisation is considerably relaxed, he may outwardly conform to the -decorum of an English village, but underneath you may be certain he is -as lawless as ever. - -Gustave Derwent locked up the memories of the days when he was known -as "Wild Gus," banished the recollection of the rough life he had -spent, and brought to Grorepound, on the confines of Dartmoor, -only the knowledge of his great wealth; but at heart the master of -Grorespound Hall was "Wild Gus" still. - -County society received him rapturously. He was very wealthy, and -happily of a good family. The Derwents of Gloucestershire were quite -in the very best set. It is true that younger sons had little besides -the old name, and it was therefore sometimes inconvenient to know -them; but Gustave had made quite a fortune in mining, and the name -made it easy for him to step into the set which had been his in past -days. - -His connections were anxious that his subscriptions to the hunt and -other county institutions, and also his entertainments generally, -might be taken as part payment of their own debts to society. There -was little doubt that Derwent understood this, and therefore chose -Devon. - -Grorepound had little to recommend it. Those who called upon him -were few, because there were very few to call; the village was merely -rural. - -"I have been hunted--it's much more exciting than chasing foxes; and -as for shooting, there isn't much sport in butchering tame pheasants," -he said to the Squire, standing squarely against his mantelpiece. - -The Squire remonstrated. - -[Illustration: "DAPHNE BLAKISTON WAS PRETTY."] - -"It's all very well for me, Derwent. I know every inch of the place -and every fool living within twenty miles. I was born here. I fit it -and it fits me. I was at sea at Oxford, and when I came down I was -glad. My father mortgaged most of the land, I've done the rest. I'm -not rich. I'm growing poorer every day. Land isn't what it was. But I -love the place. There's a whole army of Blakistons in the church, and -please God I shall add to their number. I am someone here--I'm nobody -away. I like to potter after the hounds on a half-bred. I like to -catch my trout. I have old friends here, and can talk to them of old -times. But you? Why, bless me, Derwent, you are rich, not bad looking, -and young. What do you want to bury yourself here for? It's no life -for you. It isn't as though you were married even." - -At all of which Derwent smiled. He smiled habitually. It was not a -pleasant smile, for in it lurked a suspicion of irony. - -"Blakiston, no man can understand another. This place suits me. It's -quiet, and I want quiet. I have had my fill of excitement out West. I -am young--but forty does not mean a boy." - -"Forty! pooh! what's forty?" cried the Squire. He was well over -sixty, and looked upon the vault in the church of which he was fond of -speaking as a possibility very hazy from its remoteness. - -"Forty, my friend, is middle age. I am not married, and am not anxious -for a wife. A wife seems to me a risky bargain; because you are lucky, -that is no reason why I should be." - -The Squire shifted his hands from his knees and shuffled his feet. He -did not regard his wife as absolutely essential to his happiness. - -"Of course, of course," he said, testily. "Mary is an excellent woman, -a really excellent woman." - -"Yes, but it was a lottery. She might not have been excellent, -Blakiston; she might have been bad-tempered, she might have attempted -to rule you." - -The Squire looked at him with a gleam of suspicion. His wife Mary was -bad-tempered and did rule him, and that in an unpleasantly harsh way. -Derwent smiled still, and the Squire merely reached for his glass of -whisky and water and hoped that his host was unconsciously ironical. - -"Then you won't marry?" he asked. - -"I don't say that," Derwent answered. At moments in his life he had -thought that love might be the beautiful thing of which men raved. -Those moments were rare, for the making of money is an occupation -which gives little leisure. - -"No, I don't say that," he went on. "But I am in no hurry." - -"Got my niece coming to-morrow, Derwent," the Squire growled, after a -period of silence. "She has no nearer relations, worse luck! Been with -a girl friend for a year--father was killed in India, mother died when -she was a baby. So she comes to us." - -"It is fortunate for her that she has so excellent a home open to -her." - -"Yes," the Squire answered, lamely. He was not sure whether Derwent -did not see under the surface. He was conscious of his wife's outcry -about the new expense and the new inconvenience. - -A few days later Derwent saw the niece and fell in love with her with -all the fierceness of his nature. - -She was pretty, but a critical observer would have ended at that -qualification. The question was whether anyone could be critical in -her presence and under the spell of her eyes. - -Her hair was of that shade of brown which has kindred with the sun, -but is dusky in the shade. Her nose was small and not very straight, -her mouth was small, and her chin set forward with a determined -tilt; but her eyes were her glory--large, brown, trusting, and yet -unfathomable. Derwent, seeing them, thought of stars in a midnight -sky, the stars out West, which had spoken to him in those rare moments -when he had respite from dollar making. - -Daphne Blakiston was high-spirited. In two or three days she conquered -both the Squire and his wife, who were surprised to find themselves in -accord in liking anyone. - -There was a breeziness in her manner which carried them away in spite -of themselves. - -"She is a thorough Blakiston," the Squire said. - -"She might have been a Courtenay to hear her speak," said his wife. - -They set much store by family in Devon. - -Derwent found her so pleasant that he went exploring the gardens with -her. They had never seemed so worthy of notice before. - -"You like this place?" he asked her. - -"Of course--it's lovely. You can breathe here. Did you ever try to -breathe in London? You can't really--you only cough." - -"I have had room to breathe in my life." - -"You come from the West. It must be grand to be in the forefront of -civilisation--to get away from the restrictions of society." - -"One gets away from all restrictions," he answered, slowly, "but I do -not know that it is grand." - -"But you live out there; you work for your living, and you work hard." - -"Yes." - -"It must be glorious! I wish I could go there." - -"God forbid!" he cried. - -"Why? I have grit--that's what you call it, isn't it?" - -He smiled. "I don't doubt it, Miss Blakiston; but you have also a -conscience. A conscience is inconvenient without settled laws to back -it up." - -"But right is right everywhere," she expostulated. - -"Right there is in the possession of a good revolver and a quick eye." - -"You have had a wild life," she murmured, looking at him with some -curiosity and a little awe. - -"Wild enough; and I sometimes wonder whether the wildness is all out -yet. Who says habit is second nature? There is a great deal of truth -in it. They may put me into English dress and place a riding-whip in -my hand in exchange for a pick or a revolver, but if anything I really -wanted was to come into my life and there was any obstacle--" He broke -off and looked hardly through the hedge, seeing something that was not -there. His hands clenched themselves, and his face becoming set made -him look more than his forty years. - -She watched him with a new interest. - -"Well?" - -"I think it would go hard with the obstacle." - -Daphne was about to continue her investigation when she caught sight -of a straw hat over the hedge which bordered the meadow from the road. - -"There's Jack!" she cried. "I know there is only one straw hat so -dilapidated in the world!" - -He looked at her narrowly. - -"Who's Jack?" he demanded. - -"Jack's--well, Jack. He is the son of the rector. I knew him in -London. He's on long leave. Jack!" she called. - -Jack found a gap in the hedge--the Squire's hedges had many gaps--and -came towards them. Derwent saw that he was good-looking, tall, young, -and carried himself with the easy air of a military man. He hated him. -It was a new experience; he had never hated men before--he had only -disliked them. - -[Illustration: "'COME,' HE SAID, 'I WISH TO SPEAK TO YOU. I CAN'T TALK -IN THIS CROWD OF FOOLS.'"] - -"Ah, Daphne!" cried Jack; "I hardly hoped to see you." - -"This is Mr. Derwent--Mr. De Courcy. I knew you were coming down -yesterday. Your father told me." She poured out her words in excited -gasps. To Derwent it seemed that she ignored him, and he did not like -it. - -"You are in the army?" he asked curtly of the young man named Jack. - -"Yes, the 10th Lancers. I was too much of a muff for anything else. I -can ride a bit, I am fairly well made," he looked down at his length -of limb complacently, "and--and I don't think I should funk." - -"No man knows until he has been tried." - -"I suppose so." - -The two left Derwent somewhat unceremoniously. From that he gathered -that Daphne merely looked upon him as her uncle's friend. No man likes -to awake suddenly and find that he has become middle-aged. He may be -fond of joking about it, but that is because he believes he is far -from its border. When the knowledge comes to him suddenly, and, above -all, through a woman who has found favour in his eyes, it is bitter. - -Derwent watched them go, cursing the young soldier. - -"An insolent puppy--a mere boy!" he said. "It is dishonourable for him -to be making love to _her_. He is a pauper!" - -De Courcy hardly noticed Derwent beyond a vague wonder at his -churlishness. - -"Rum beggar, Daphne," he said. "I suppose living so long in a savage -place has made him grumpy. Beastly rich, isn't he?" - -"Yes. Made it all himself. Nevada must be a glorious place!" - -"What a mercenary being you are, Daphne!" he laughed. "I prefer -Canterbury, or Grorepound, even. I suppose I shall be jealous of him." - -"Mr. Derwent? Why, he is an old man." - -"He seems over forty--not old, you know; and he has dollars, which -mean diamonds." - -He smiled throughout, because it seemed manifestly impossible that -any woman should prefer anyone to himself. Jack De Courcy was well -satisfied with the work of Nature in fashioning himself. - -"Oh, Jack!" she protested. - -"And I am a pauper," he went on. - -He certainly was a pauper in comparison with Derwent; but, poverty -being only comparative, he was a rich man to many. His mother's -private fortune--some four hundred a year--was added to the pay which -a grateful country gave him for his exertions on parade. - -Derwent lived for a week in the agony of jealousy. He had never cared -for anyone very much in all his previous life. He had indeed been -aware of an innate capacity for affection, but the business of making -money had left him no leisure. - -One day he came to a decision. - -"You are a fool," he said, apostrophising himself. "You are a fool. -Go and ask her whether she can care for you. You don't know yet -for certain; you only imagine. The soldier is a boy. Women--young -women--don't care for boys. Besides, he is poor, and women like -jewels." - -The same afternoon he sought her out from a number of guests playing -tennis on the Squire's lawn. She was flushed with victory, having, -mainly by the aid of Jack's long legs and skill, succeeded in -vanquishing the antagonistic couple in a hard fight. Derwent hated -tennis, because he did not play it and Jack did. Tennis is not much -practised in mining camps; they prefer shooting. - -"Come," he said, very quietly, yet in the tone of one who is set upon -a purpose. "I wish to speak to you. I can't talk in this crowd of -fools. I have not yet got the hang of it." - -She looked at him and laughed. - -"What a dear old grumbler you are!" she cried. She really liked -him--it is possible that there was something to like in him, and that -if matters had run easily he would have been a pleasant member of -society. A man after all is largely shaped by his surroundings. - -He did not answer her, at which she was surprised, for his general -taciturnity had usually disappeared at her bidding. - -"You are bad-tempered," she said. "Don't be bad-tempered. The sun is -just lovely and I shall be freckled. I hate being freckled, but the -process is alluring. And I have news." She added the last softly to -herself, expecting him to question her. He did not. He led her to a -seat in the shade of a tree and stood behind her looking down on her -wide straw hat. - -"I am not young," he began; "I have nearly reached forty----" - -"I thought you were more," she interrupted, and his brows contracted. - -"I have lived hardly. I have done many things which I wish to forget, -and which I cannot. I have made money where to make money needs grit -and--and a conscience not too tender." - -"Are you going to write an autobiography?" she asked. She had no idea -of the seriousness of his mood, for all of his moods struck her as -more or less serious. - -"I am stating broadly the manner of man I am. I don't want to appear a -saint. I would rather you did not know how I lived when I was heaping -dollars. My past life belongs to the past. I have now another life -before me. It may be happier than the drag of years behind." - -"It ought to be--you are rich." - -"It depends upon you." - -She tilted her hat upwards, but the brim was wide and she could not -see him. - -"On me?" - -"Yes. I love you. I have loved you since I first saw you. I have never -loved another woman--I never shall. Can you find it in your heart to -make my new life happy?" - -"Mr. Derwent," she answered, "I had no idea that you cared. I--I -like you very much--as a friend. But now--I told you I had news -to-day--news which has made me happy--tuned me to the day, which is -happy. Jack has asked me to be his wife, and I have accepted him." - -Derwent paled a little under his bronze, and his face darkened. - -"If--if Mr. De Courcy had not come into your life----" he began. - -"That is an idle thought." - -"Yes, it is idle--but I thought--it would--if he had not come?" - -"Who knows--I cannot realise a life without him." Then she added other -words. "I like you, Mr. Derwent, and--and I am very sorry." - -He let her find her way back to the guests alone. - -In the blindness of his jealousy he construed her words into an -admittance that she would have married him if it had not been for -De Courcy. They allowed no such interpretation, but jealousy is not -shrewd-sighted, and more often than not blunders. - -They had not named him "Wild Gus," singling him out from among other -wild natures for the epithet, for nothing. All the passions which -had been restrained since his advent into society surged upwards and -confirmed him in a resolve. With the intention of carrying out that -resolve he returned to the tennis lawn. - -[Illustration: "HE POURED THE CONTENTS OF THE PHIAL INTO HIS -COMPANION'S TUMBLER."] - -Daphne, who, in spite of her flippant tongue, was possessed of a very -tender heart, was glad to see him, glad to notice the easy way in -which he passed from guest to guest talking of quiet matters with that -earnestness which had made him popular. - -She had been troubled lest he had been too keenly disappointed. She -argued that if he cared much he could not hide his hurt so readily. -She lacked experience. - -Derwent sought out De Courcy and congratulated him with a seeming -frankness that completely dispelled the young officer's aversion. -Daphne was standing quite close to them, and at the elder man's words -was glad. - -"I do not pretend," he said, easily, "that we are not all envious, De -Courcy. You have gained a very great prize, and we should all be more -than human if we were not. But Miss Blakiston's happiness----" His -voice faded into an inarticulate murmur. - -After dinner he told many stories to De Courcy, strong stories of a -man's life in wild lands, and De Courcy told himself that the Derwent -fellow was a very decent chap, and that he had underrated him vastly. - -"There was little restraint in those early days in Nevada. A -man's friendship was true, and his hatred deadly. Vengeance was -swift-footed, and I have seen a man anger another and be laid out cold -under the blue sky in the very same day." - -"Savage, Derwent, savage!" cried the Squire. "I'm glad that we have -laws and constables and magistrates here." - -"We are all savage underneath." - -De Courcy looked at him and laughed. - -"I am glad, Derwent, that I am not likely to rile you. I should say -you would be apt to lapse into those primitive customs." - -"De Courcy," the Squire said, "your father has gone away for the -night, hasn't he?" - -"Yes. He's Rural Dean, you know, and has driven over to an outlying -parish. The rector is putting him up." - -"Then you had better stop the night here. It will be lonely for you." - -"Thanks, no. The governor would not care for the house to be left -to itself. You know, Derwent," he went on, "the governor is -awfully faddy, and will let no servant sleep in the Rectory but the -housekeeper, and she went two days ago to a dying daughter. Daughter -isn't dead yet, so I shall be entirely alone." - -Derwent expressed surprise, yet he had been fully aware of this. It -was indeed current gossip in the village. The whims of the rector made -a good deal of conversation in the course of a year. - -At ten o'clock Derwent and De Courcy started together. Both walked, -for the night was fine, though a strong wind came over the moor. - -"Dear old moor!" De Courcy said. "It blows us strength in the hottest -of weather." - -"The wind is strong--it will increase." Derwent remarked this with -satisfaction. - -The Rectory, standing alone, was some little way from the village. It -was thatched, and there was much trellis-work over its face, dry and -warped with many days' suns. When they reached it Derwent was in the -middle of some exciting reminiscence. - -"Come in," cried De Courcy, "come in. There's whisky and seltzer, or -soda, if you prefer it. You can have a pipe and finish your yarn. It -is quite early." - -"Not for Grorepound," remonstrated Derwent. The lights in the village -were going out one after another like the sparks of an exploded -firework. - -"But for us? I can't sleep without a pipe, and I expect you are the -same. Let us have our pipes in a sociable way instead of in silent -communion. Come." - -Derwent went in with De Courcy, passing through the hall into the -library. The library window looked on to the lawn by the side of the -trellised porch. - -As they entered the wind rattled the windows gustily. - -"You will not find the wind so strong at the back," said Derwent. - -"But I sleep in the front," explained De Courcy. "My room is the one -over this." - -Derwent looked at the porch and smiled. - -"Then," he said, "you will probably get little sleep to-night." - -"Nonsense! I am used to noises. The stables are very near my quarters -at Canterbury, and the horses kick up a fearful row. Seltzer or soda?" - -"Soda, thanks." - -Derwent watched the other mix the drinks with a curious fascination. -When the tumblers were filled he turned to a portrait at the back of -De Courcy and over the sideboard. - -"Is that your mother?" he asked. - -The officer turned with a smile and looked for a moment at the face -smiling back at him. During that moment the elder man drew a small -phial from his waistcoat pocket, and poured its contents swiftly and -silently into the tumbler nearest his companion. It was a preparation -of opium which he used for insomnia, and invariably carried with him; -a small dose for one accustomed to the drug as he was, but one large -enough to ensure a very heavy sleep in anyone not habituated to it. - -"Yes," said De Courcy, in a soft voice, "my mother. She died four -years ago. If there be any good about me I owe it to her. God never -gave man a better mother." - -"Ah, I cannot remember my mother. She died when I was quite a -youngster." - -He leant his head on his hand, shading it from the lamp. For a moment -neither man spoke, and then Derwent reached out his hand and took -the tumbler nearest to him, not the one into which he had poured the -opium. - -"Come, De Courcy, we must drink to your bride. Miss Blakiston!" he -cried. - -"Daphne, God bless her!" answered De Courcy. - -Derwent watched him stealthily while he drank, smiling when he set -down the empty tumbler. - -They remained together smoking for a quarter of an hour, Derwent -finishing the story which had been the means of his coming in. De -Courcy seemed to lose interest in it, and at its close, after yawning -once or twice, laughed. - -"I am awfully sorry, but I've grown uncommonly sleepy. The effect of -the moor air, I expect," he said. - -Derwent rose. - -"My dear fellow, don't let me keep you up. I suffer from insomnia -so much that I would not willingly rob a man of a minute's sleep. -Good-night, and thanks. I can find my way out." - -De Courcy protested, but Derwent was determined, and stumbled out into -the darkness. For a short while he examined the porch. - -"It is dry enough," he muttered. "In half an hour he will be fast -asleep. Nothing will wake him--nothing shall wake him! How the wind -blows! It blew like this when I shot Black Dan by the Dumper's Claim. -Why do I think of that now? I must get back at once--there is little -time to be lost." - -He strode in the direction of his own house. The butler only was -awake. - -"I am very tired, John. I shall go to my room now. Lock up." - -"Very good, sir." - -"I shall be late in the morning. I have suffered from insomnia very -badly the last few nights, but now I know I shall sleep. Don't wake -me. Let me have my sleep out." - -"Very good, sir." - -Derwent went up to his room, undressed quickly, jumped into bed, and -lay there until he heard the butler pass along the corridor. Then he -rose and dressed hastily. - -[Illustration: "CLINGING TO THE LEDGE OF THE WINDOW-SILL, HE CLOSED -THE WINDOW AFTER HIM."] - -"They will be able to swear that I was home, and that my bed was -slept in," he said. He dressed in a rough, negligent style, unlike the -extreme order which he had observed since his return to England. - -He opened the window and looked out. The wind rushed in and blew down -the heavy looking-glass, cracking it across. - -"That," he said, "is unlucky. Some men would turn back at the omen. I -never was one to believe in omens. I never was a man to turn back." - -A pipe ran close to his window. By it the way to the ground was easy. -Outside, clinging to the ledge of the window-sill with one hand, he -closed the window after him. Then he slid down the pipe, and walked -rapidly to the Rectory. - -He approached it from the rear. The wind was in his face. It was so -violent that he kept his head down, and his eyes fixed upon a few -yards of the way before him. - -What was that? Surely the night had grown lighter? Was the dawn -breaking? That was impossible--it was little after midnight. But the -hedges were plainly seen now, and before they had been blurred into -the general blackness. The road was lighter. There was no doubt of it. - -Derwent stopped, and, holding his hat, looked up. In front of him the -sky was lurid, and over the roof of the Rectory close to hand were -long thin tongues of flame and showers of sparks. There was no doubt -about it. The thing he had come to do was already accomplished: the -Rectory was in flames, and the fire had started from the very quarter -he had planned. The wind was fanning it fiercely, as he had seen that -it would. - -For a moment he was dazed, standing in the middle of the road, staring -at the spurting light dancing behind the Rectory, the house looking -black against the illumination beyond. Then he ran, struggling against -the wind, towards the fire. The reason of his going he did not stop -to analyse. He was impelled. The wind whirled his hat away, but he did -not notice it. In two minutes he was standing breathless in front of -the Rectory. The flames were licking round De Courcy's bedroom -window. He saw at once the cause of it. The lamp had overturned in the -library. Probably the wind had burst in the window and blown the lamp -over. - -For a minute he stood gazing at the scene, and then he was conscious -of the arrival of Blakiston and his niece. - -"Derwent!" the Squire shouted, "where is De Courcy?" - -Derwent turned to him. The question seemed a repetition of the older -one, "Where is thy brother?" He looked at the Squire and at Daphne -clinging to her uncle's arm, white and terrified. - -"He must be in his room," he said. "I left him over an hour ago. He -was going up then." - -The flames leapt in a rush of demoniac exultation, and Daphne cowered. - -"Mr. Derwent, can't you do something, can't you do something?" she -cried. - -He did not answer her. He was busy with his own thoughts. He began to -realise that he loved her more than he had supposed men ever loved. It -seemed pitiful that she should suffer thus. - -"Daphne saw the light from her room and hastened me over," said the -Squire, hurriedly, yet in that whispering awe which comes upon men in -view of a tragedy. - -"He must be in his room," Derwent said, looking at the broad sheet -of flame licking the front of the house. Then he suddenly left them, -going in the direction of some outbuildings. - -Daphne, fascinated with the horror of the scene, clung to her uncle -and moaned and prayed. The wind caught her hair and blew it about -sportively. The trellis-work crackled and burst in the heat. - -"Derwent has gone for help," said the Squire. - -"What help can get here quickly enough?" she wailed. "Oh, Jack, Jack, -my darling!" - -Presently Derwent appeared, moving slowly. He was dragging something. -It seemed very heavy. When he came into the light they saw that it was -an old ladder, a primitive, rough ladder, very strong and very heavy. - -He moved forward. The weight was great, but he was a strong man. -Twenty years of heavy work had firmed his muscles. - -"Come!" he said to the Squire, "this is stout, it will last longer -against the flames." - -The old man helped him rear it against the burning casement of the -bedroom. A shower of sparks fell upon them as they did it. One fell -upon Derwent's eye, and he swore as he brushed it aside. He had wanted -all his sight for the work he had before him. He did not care so much -for the pain, but the blindness which disabled one eye was serious. - -He went over to Daphne. - -"Give me something for my face--a handkerchief--anything!" he said, -roughly. - -She took a silk handkerchief from her bosom. It felt warm to his -touch, and he was thrilled with a sudden sense of loss. He strode -quickly away from her and wrung it in the fountain sporting merrily in -front of the burning house. She followed him. - -"Bind it round my mouth and nose," he cried. - -She did it silently. Then she noticed his eye. - -"You are hurt!" she cried. - -"It is nothing. I wish it had come later, that is all. It won't matter -much in an hour's time." - -She thought of his words after, but then she was too anxious. - -"God bless you," she whispered, and he mounted the ladder. The flames -curled about him and licked his face and shoulders, but he did not -falter. Then he disappeared at the window, and they waited. The Squire -had found an old bowl and was throwing water from the fountain upon -the ladder, which here and there was beginning to burn. Daphne stood -watching the flames spurt and roar, and, with white lips, prayed -inaudibly. It was perhaps human that she thought little of Derwent and -all of Jack. - -The heat beat back the Squire, and he stood looking helplessly at the -ladder now crackling in the flames. - -[Illustration: "DERWENT APPEARED AT THE WINDOW BEARING DE COURCY IN -HIS ARMS."] - -Suddenly Derwent appeared at the window. He was bearing De Courcy in -his arms. The flames rioted round him, and they could see that his -clothes were all charred. - -"The staircase is a sheet of flame," he cried. "He was on his bed. The -flames have not reached him." - -As he spoke the ladder snapped in the middle and fell, and Daphne -screamed, shutting out the scene with her hands, and then as suddenly -snatching them away. - -Derwent, framed in the window and holding Jack in his arms, cursed at -it. For a moment he seemed nonplussed. Then he shouted-- - -"Blakiston, stand in as near as possible. I'm going to throw him out. -You can break his fall. It is only the drop of a few feet. Stand on -that bed, it will be softer." - -The old man rushed to the spot. The flower bed seemed a good way -from the house, but the flames reached it in the eddies of the wind. -Daphne, realising what was meant, also went and stood on the bed. -She looked at the twelve feet or more between it and the house, and -wondered, yet never for a moment doubted that Derwent could do what he -purposed. - -They breathlessly watched him brace his muscles. In the glow of the -light he looked grand, as a hero might, strengthening himself for his -last fight. Then, with a cry of warning, he threw the man out, and the -two waiting broke his fall. They, intent upon the rescued man, bore -him from the reach of the flames, forgetting for a moment the man who -had risked so much. When they looked he was gone. - -The recoil had thrown him back, and the floor, rotten with the heating -of the fire, had broken away. They knew afterwards that he must have -been aware of the result, and that, knowing, he had given his life for -the other. For it would have been an easy thing for him to have jumped -himself had he been willing to sacrifice De Courcy. - -De Courcy could never explain his insensibility that night. - -"Felt beastly tired, and must have fallen asleep directly I got to my -room." He was rescued fully dressed. "I suppose the smoke suffocated -me and rendered me insensible before I awoke. If it had not been for -poor old Derwent I must have been burnt. What a grand fellow he was!" - -Daphne often wonders at Derwent's words. "It won't matter much in -an hour's time," he had said, and it had not. And Jack's explanation -always seems unsatisfactory to her, though she has never said so. - -Derwent's tomb, which is very handsome, but which contains nothing of -Derwent himself, bears the legend, "He gave his life for his friend"; -but this is not true. - - - - -FROM A SMOKER'S MUSEUM. - -SOME BEAUTIFUL AND QUAINT BURNERS OF TOBACCO. - -BY T. C. HEPWORTH. - - -Smoking being so universal, it is no matter for surprise that much -ingenuity has been spent over the chief implement concerned in its -practice. We put cigar and cigarette smoking aside, having nothing to -do with the object of the present article; moreover, both the cigar -and cigarette are of comparatively recent introduction. - -[Illustration: EXQUISITE VENETIAN-GLASS PIPE.] - -[Illustration: IRON PIPE MADE AS A KEY.] - -The pipe is the popular smoking appliance and most smokers give it the -preference over everything else that can be smoked. It also has the -support of the ladies, and any careful housewife will tell us that -she would rather admit three or four pipe smokers to her curtained and -carpeted rooms than one of those horrid cigars, which leaves its faint -and disagreeable odour hanging about the place for many days. Ladies, -indeed, are more tolerant of tobacco smoke than they used to be. - -The first kind of European pipes were walnut shells, a hole being -bored in one side for the reception of the stem--a common straw. It -is possible that we get from this early form of tobacco pipe the term -"straw," as applied to modern long clays, if, indeed, they are not -named like _straw_-berries, from the material which protects them from -injury. - -The custom of using a pipe common to an assembled company was, no -doubt, partly due to the circumstance that tobacco was at one time a -most costly thing. Three years after its introduction here it cost per -ounce what would be equivalent to 18_s._ of our present money. Later -on it became the custom for a purchaser to throw into the scale a -silver coin, and he received just as much tobacco in return as would -balance his money. - -For the same reason the bowls of early pipes were very small, witness -our photographs of early English pipes dug up at Chelsea which could -be filled many dozen times over with a single ounce of tobacco. But, -as in all other things, demand stimulated supply, until tobacco in our -own day has become remarkably cheap. Perhaps some of our readers -who pay fourpence an ounce for their little luxury may traverse this -statement, forgetting that the value of the weed which they purchase -is only about one fourth of what they pay for it, the difference going -to H.M. Customs. - -After the walnut and straw pipes had had their day, clay pipes became -common in this country, where smoking became general after the great -plague of London in 1665. To this pestilence we owe the suddenly -increased use of tobacco, for it was bruited abroad that of all the -tradesmen of London the tobacconists alone had not been attacked by -the disease. - -[Illustration: CARVED WOOD PIPE, 6-1/2 INCHES HIGH. TOBACCO PLACED -BEHIND HORSE'S HEAD.] - -Smoking was recognised as a valuable sanitary precaution against the -malady, and we find quaint old Pepys mentioning the fact in his famous -diary after seeing two houses in Drury Lane marked with a red cross on -their portals--the token of a plague-stricken household. "It put me," -he says, "in an illconception of myself and my smell, so that I was -forced to buy some roll tobacco to smell to, and chaw, which took away -my apprehension." - -[Illustration: 17TH CENTURY CLAY PIPE.] - -Clay pipes have an enormous sale in this country at the present day, -and we may assume that the publicans are the chief buyers, for it -has long been the custom to give pipes away to patrons of beershops, -without making any charge. Such pipes are mostly made from a -Dorsetshire clay, the material being first well kneaded, moulded into -pipe form, then dried, and lastly burnt in a kiln. The work of making -this kind of pipe is so expeditious that a manufacturer can count on -an output of five hundred pipes per day from each hand employed. - -At one time there was a demand for "clays" of a more ornate kind, some -of the bowls representing heads of popular or unpopular personages. -For example, when the great Duke of Wellington tried to stop smoking -in the army, except from the muzzles of the guns, he was caricatured -in a pipe bowl in which his famous nose was given undue proportions, -while the neck of the pipe bore the figure of a subaltern emulating -the rude conduct of the gentleman in the Ingoldsby Legends-- - - "The sacristan said not one word - To indicate a doubt, - He put his thumb unto his nose - And spread his fingers out." - -In the same way the French pipes offered endless variety--one pipe -would represent a devil's head; another a skull; a favourite was the -head of John Bull treated in a conventional way and not too flattering -a spirit. There is also a well-known pipe bearing the head of a -Dutchman stuck in a wooden shoe. - -But if we want to find variety in pipe design, we must search for it -in that country of great smokers--Germany. It would be quite easy to -fill an entire number of this publication with pictures of pipes -from the German empire, and we have access to collections which would -afford endless variety of designs, for pipe collecting is almost as -popular a hobby as that of stamp collecting. Here we give three very -remarkable examples, as different as they could possibly be. - -[Illustration: OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE SNAKE PIPE.] - -First, we show a pipe in the form of a key. It is made of iron, as -many of the early pipes were; some were of brass, silver, or other -metals; but as knowledge increased, and people learnt that these -metals are greedy of heat, they were discarded for more suitable -materials. - -Our second German example is a very well carved figure of a mounted -cavalry officer, made of wood, with silver armour and trappings. This -is an eighteenth century pipe, and the original is no less than six -and a half inches in height. It will be noted that the bowl proper is -in the lower part of the horse's neck, this part of the animal being -hinged so that the tobacco can be inserted. The pipe stem fits into a -kind of holster at the back. This is essentially a pipe for home use, -for although it is not heavy, considering its size, few men would care -to be seen smoking such a huge thing out of doors. - -[Illustration: THE TWO CLAY PIPES ON THIS PAGE WERE FOUND IN MILMAN'S -ROW, CHELSEA.] - -[Illustration: TRIPLE-BOWL PIPE FOR SMOKING THREE KINDS OF TOBACCO.] - -[Illustration: ITALIAN PIPE OF MOTHER-OF-PEARL.] - -Our third example from Deutschland is a triple-bowl pipe very finely -carved out of one solid piece of hard wood, and mounted with silver -tops, etc. There always have been, and probably always will be, -persons who prefer to go a roundabout way to accomplish a thing which -can be done by far easier means. These simple folk are satirised by -genial Artemus Ward in a story of a person who was immured in a gloomy -prison. He tried the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and endeavoured to -remove the iron bars from the window. Next he tried to escape by the -chimney. When suddenly "a lucky thort" struck him. "He opened the door -and walked out." - -Now, it is quite certain that a man possessing this amount of resource -would never have designed a pipe with three bowls in order that he -might at the same moment inhale three different kinds of tobacco; -he would have done what many smokers prefer to do at the present -day--that is, he would have mingled his various kinds of tobacco and -smoked them in a pipe of normal construction. The modern German pipes, -affected chiefly by students, are too well known to need illustration. -They have most capacious bowls of porcelain, and bear a painted -picture, generally the representation of a more or less pretty maid. - -But the Germans and French must not have it all their own way with the -curiosities of pipeland. We give a photograph of an English one, which -may be meant for a snake with a man's head, or a catherine wheel; -and, if its coils could be opened out, it would measure many feet -in length. It is made of earthenware, of a buff colour, covered -with brown spots. He would be a bold man who would venture into the -smoking-room of a London club with such a grotesque thing between his -lips. But it was used before the days of modern clubs. - -Italy supplies many examples of curious pipes. One is a bowl made -from a natural shell resplendent with mother-of-pearl; it has an -earthenware lining and silver cap. Another is a pipe of glass--not -more brittle perhaps than a clay "churchwarden," but rather too -expensive to risk between the teeth, for it is a fine example of that -beautiful Venetian-glass work which is not excelled throughout the -world. - -A third Italian pipe is like the fur seal, in that the most valuable -part of it is its skin, or case, made of finely-perforated silver. It -will be noted that the pipe is too long for the case, an intentional -peculiarity, in order that it may be smoked while encased in its -handsome covering. - -[Illustration: PERFORATED SILVER PIPE CASE.] - -[Illustration: - - THIS PIPE IS SMOKED IN THE CASE. -] - -Turkey offers a great variety of pipes, from the humble red clay to -the lordly hookah or hubble-bubble--a device of Persian origin for -allowing the smoke to be drawn through water in order to purify it -before reaching the mouth. Another pipe, with which the hookah is -often mistakenly identified, is the "Narghile." This word is a native -Indian one for a cocoa-nut, and the pipes are either made of an -actual nut, as shown in our illustration, or have a receptacle for the -nicotine of similar shape and character. A gourd pipe, with a gourd -twelve inches in diameter, is not unknown. - -[Illustration: INDIAN COCOA-NUT PIPE.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -THE FACE AT THE DOOR. - -THE DRAMA OF A GHASTLY DELUSION. - -BY WALTER D. DOBELL. - -_Illustrated by S. H. Vedder._ - -A STORY IN TWO LETTERS FROM THOMAS CAMPBELL, OF LONDON, TO HIS -BROTHER, DR. JOHN CAMPBELL, IN BOMBAY. - - - DEAR JACK, Jan. 3rd., 1898. - -What the Psychical Research Society really wants is an authentic -record of any supernatural or inexplicable event in the life of a -"healthy subject" with nerves of iron, and a hearty contempt for all -forms of superstition. - -Therefore I have not the slightest intention of following your advice -and laying this story before that most learned and conscientious -tribunal, because I fear that I cannot claim for John Barton, the -principal actor in this little drama, either remarkably good health or -a complete freedom from superstition. But as you ask for the details -you shall have them. - -I first met Barton some two years ago in the rooms of a friend of -mine. We had been playing whist, and after the departure of the fourth -player he and I stayed on talking with our host till the early hours -of the morning. - -The conversation ran chiefly on vampires, wehr-wolves, and other -subjects of an equally light and cheerful nature, and Barton, I -remember, showed himself to be an adept at the art of making the flesh -creep. He walked part of the way home with me, and we discovered that -we had quite a large number of friends and interests in common. - -I came across him constantly after this, and one day when he was -dining with me--in September, '95, I think it was? he told me that he -was engaged to be married, and a few days afterwards introduced me to -the lady. I was much struck by her beauty and the wonderful power that -was expressed both in her face and by her speech and bearing. - -Her age, if a poor bachelor is any judge, was about twenty-eight, and -she was, I believe, of Russian extraction. She was living with friends -in Paris, the Russian heaven, and naturally Barton spent most of his -time in the same city, so that though I heard of him and from him from -time to time, we never actually met again till January of this year. -Mickleham asked me to come and dine with him for the purpose of -meeting Barton, who would, he said, leave England again in a couple of -days. I gladly accepted the invitation, and a very pleasant dinner -we had at the Travellers' Club, adjourning afterwards to Mickleham's -rooms, where we sat and talked for two or three hours. - -I noticed at dinner that Barton was not looking well, and afterwards, -though he talked as much and as brilliantly as usual, he studiously -avoided supernatural subjects, once his favourite topic, and displayed -marked uneasiness whenever the talk strayed in that direction. I don't -think Mickleham noticed anything--he never was exactly a Sherlock -Holmes, you remember--and in fact there was only one trivial -indication of the state of Barton's nerves that was particularly -remarkable. He seemed to have acquired a habit, even in the middle -of some of his best stories, of continually glancing in a sidelong -fashion at the door. Once, indeed, he rose and went towards it as if -to close it; but seeing, as I then supposed, that it was shut, he went -back to his seat. - -We both left at about one o'clock, and as he was sleeping at the -Métropole we parted at the corner of St. James' Street, and I said -good-bye and wished him a pleasant crossing, thinking, of course, that -I should not see him again before he left England. You can judge of my -surprise when after walking home I found Barton already in my rooms. -He apologised, saying that he had remembered something which he had -meant to tell me, and had driven back to do it, passing me, I suppose, -on the way. It was some time before I could get him to tell me what -it was that he had forgotten. I was rather riled, as I wanted to go -to bed, but when at last he did begin his story, I can tell you there -wasn't much sleepiness left in me. He told it as no one else could -have told it, and it's a solid fact that he made me feel like a -frightened child, and you know I'm not a particularly imaginative man. - -He began by asking me if I had observed his continual glances at the -door in Mickleham's room--he was keeping his eye on my door, by the -way, all the time he was telling the story. I said I had observed -this, and he then gave me the reason for his conduct, and, by George, -old boy, when I heard what he was always seeing when he did look at -the aforesaid door, I admired the poor devil for his pluck as much as -I pitied him for his delusion. I'm quite certain I couldn't stand it -for half a minute, and he had been bearing it for more than a year. - -He said that the door of any and every room in which he was always -appeared to be ajar, and round the edge of the door--I declare it -frightens me even to think of it--round the corner, as it were, just -coming into the room, he always saw the hand and half the face of a -man--never more, and never less. The hand was grasping the door about -a foot above the handle, and the face was peering round it, with one -eye--he couldn't see the other--always fixed on him. Cheerful, wasn't -it? He could see the nose, which was very large and fleshy, and all -the left side of the face, which was a sort of dirty white. The -hair was black and rather long, he thought, and there was a large -abrasion--"something between a cut and a bruise" was his phrase--on -the temple. - -He had been receiving this delightful visitor daily ever since the -autumn of '95--a pleasant year he must have had of it, poor chap. I -told him to go to a doctor, but he said that he had tried that without -any success--had told the doctor that he was suffering from delusions, -and had implicitly followed his instructions, but still the white face -kept turning up at the door. - -He seemed chiefly distressed about it because of his approaching -marriage; he had, as I told you, become engaged in September, '95. -He spoke very nicely of his future wife, of whom he seemed extremely -fond, and asked my advice as to telling her all about it. I thought he -had better not, and advised him to go in for hard exercise and early -hours--but really I did not know what to say to him. "Paternosters -were peas in plates to his sorrows." - -He seemed rather more cheerful before he left, and we tried an -interesting, though to me a somewhat alarming, experiment. Keeping his -eyes fixed on the door, Barton walked slowly towards it, and laid -his hand upon the handle. Directly he did this the face, he said, -disappeared, but the hand remained. While he was turning the handle, -however, the hand, which he said was large and dirty, followed the -example of the head, and it became instantly clear to Barton that the -door was not really ajar, but tightly closed. This was the invariable -programme, he told me. - -I saw him off, wished him well rid of his encumbrance, and promised to -say nothing about it; then, taking my life and my candle in my hands, -I rushed frantically up to bed. - -I didn't meet Barton again until his wedding, which took place last -month. He was looking nervous and harassed, but not more so than most -men in his unhappy plight--it was a regular church affair. Naturally -I had no opportunity for a quiet talk with him, even if I had been -particularly anxious to have one--which I was not. - -The happy pair started for Italy to spend their honeymoon, and I gave -them a day's law before following. I had promised to join Robinson in -Florence, and was already overdue. I hadn't the slightest intention -of meeting the Bartons, and therefore of course they were almost the -first English people that I came across in the streets of Florence. We -exchanged a few fatuous remarks, and I then hurried away. It was too -early in the honeymoon for them to be longing, like the couple in -_Punch_, "for some friend to turn up, or even some enemy." That very -evening, however, Barton came round to see me. I introduced him to -Robinson, and we all talked for a bit in the hotel verandah, but it -was so obvious that Barton had something to say to me in private that -Robinson soon left us. - -"Campbell," said Barton immediately, "it's getting worse than ever." - -"What is?" I asked, though I knew. - -"That infernal man at the door: I can see nearly all his face round -the corner now, and I tell you I'm losing my nerve. And there's a new -development: he doesn't always look at me now. I've noticed sometimes -that his eyes--I can see both are fixed on Helene, my wife; and it's -that, I think, that has shaken me." - -"You haven't told her, I suppose?" said I. - -"Of course not: but I think she sees that there's something wrong. -I've seen her look at me very curiously at times, though she doesn't -say anything. You don't think I ought to tell her?" - -"Certainly not," I said; "but for goodness' sake go to a decent doctor -when you get home, and tell him everything. I'm very sorry for you, my -dear fellow, but that's really all I can advise; and if I were you I -wouldn't put it off too long." - -[Illustration: "SHE WAS A RUSSIAN, AND I WAS MUCH STRUCK BY HER -BEAUTY."] - -"We're going home next week," he said, and we parted. I really don't -see what I could have said that could have done the slightest good. It -was in his liver or his eyes that the fault lay, I thought--I'm not so -sure about that now--and I'm no doctor. - -Well, two days after this interview, while Robinson and I were at -dinner, a waiter came to me and said that there was a lady in our -private room who insisted on seeing me immediately. I went up, of -course, and there found Mrs. Barton in a state of terrible excitement -and anxiety. - -"You must come with me, Mr. Campbell," she cried, on seeing me; "my -husband has met with a terrible accident," and she literally dragged -me out of the hotel into her carriage. - -"He is in a doctor's house," she said, as we rattled furiously down -the street; "the accident happened at the very door, and he was -carried in. He has been asking continually for you." - -I thought she seemed to resent this, and perhaps it was only natural. -"How did it happen?" I asked. - -"He had been buying some old armour and two old Florentine daggers, -and was carrying them home when he slipped and fell, and one of the -daggers ran into his leg. It was all my fault, I ought to have helped -him to carry the things; his hands were full, and he couldn't save -himself." - -"Oh, it will be all right, Mrs. Barton," said I; "a cut in the leg is -not very serious." - -"Not serious!" she replied, angrily; "the doctor said himself that -in ten seconds more he would have bled to death. Here is the house; I -shall take you straight to him." She hurried me through the open door -of a somewhat mean little dwelling--we had driven into a rather low -quarter of the town. I didn't know Florence well enough to be sure -exactly where we were, and during my drive I had been too much -occupied to look out of the window. We went into a small bedroom on -the ground floor. Two little men in black coats were standing by the -bed, and on it lay Barton, with a face of the most ghastly pallor and -wildly glaring eyes. - -"Thank God you've come, Campbell," he gasped. "I'm too weak--too -weak--you must keep him out," and then his head fell back and he -fainted. Restoratives were applied without avail, and the two men in -black exchanged whispers in Italian which I could not catch. - -"Speak English," said Mrs. Barton, furiously--she looked like a -madwoman--"Speak English. What are you going to do?" - -I thought it improbable that either of the men would know the -language, but I was wrong. - -"We are agreed," said the taller of the two, speaking with a very -slight accent, "my brother and I, that one thing only can be done. -Your husband is dying from want of blood: we must give him more blood. -How much will you pay?" - -"There's no question of that," I said, as I grasped his meaning; "you -can bleed me, I'm willing. Be quick, there's no time to lose." - -"No, no," said the doctor, "you are not strong enough; it might not -save him; it would certainly lose--that is, kill you. But we are -fortunate; there is in our house what you call a lodger, he is -strong and his blood will serve. He will not refuse me, he is of the -Religion; but you must pay." - -"Of the Religion?" I said. "Oh, I see, you are a Jew. Well, I will -guarantee you five hundred pounds; divide it as you choose, only make -haste." - -"That will be sufficient," said the shorter of the brothers, "but you -and the lady must not be here. The room is small; I will take you -to another, and bring down our guest, and I will tell you when it is -finished, that you may thank him." - -So saying, he led us into a room facing the door of the bedroom and -locked us in. I heard him go upstairs; heard voices: then his steps -coming down, followed by someone with a much heavier tread; heard them -enter the bedroom and close the door. Mrs. Barton was lying back in -her chair in a sort of stupor, and I was examining the room by the -light of one candle--it was now nearly half-past nine--when I heard a -sudden outbreak of noise, the bedroom door opened, the key of our door -was turned, and the taller of the two brothers looked in. - -"The gentleman must come, please," he said, and I hurried out. "He is -calling for you," he said, closing the door, "and will not keep still; -we can do nothing if he will not keep still." - -We went into the bedroom. Barton was tossing wildly about on the bed; -the little doctor was trying to keep him down while a tall dark man of -an unmistakably Jewish type was holding the injured leg as still as -he was able. I went up and took Barton's hands in mine: instantly he -became perfectly quiet, and his eyes closed. - -"Keep him away. Campbell, I trust to you," he said, and lapsed into -unconsciousness. - -"We must be quick," said the little doctor. "If the gentleman holds -the right hand all will be well; we will operate on the left arm. -Come, Israel," to the stranger, "stand here." - -Barton was lying perfectly still, but when the man Israel approached -the head of the bed an extraordinary shudder ran through his body, his -eyes opened and glared at me, and his lips moved as if to speak; but -apparently the sight of me sitting by the bed soothed him, for the -panic died out of his eyes and his head fell back again on the pillow. - -The operation commenced. I'm not doctor enough to give you the -details, and I could not see very clearly, but apparently the -doctors--for both the brothers appeared to be medical men--had -established, by means of a sort of a pipe, a connection between the -circulatory system of the big Jew and the poor fellow on the bed, so -that the blood of the former poured into the veins of the latter. - -[Illustration: "'MY HUSBAND HAS MET WITH A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT,' SHE -CRIED."] - -As this idea came home to me, I glanced anxiously at the stranger to -see if he was fitted to bear such a strain, and I was satisfied. A -fine full-blooded fellow he looked, six feet high and well built, -with black hair and ruddy cheeks, which seemed to me to be gradually -growing paler, but perhaps this may have been due to the failing light -of the little lamp by whose feeble rays this difficult operation was -being performed. - -It seemed to me that this wonderful lending or selling of life, as it -were, had been going on for a long time, when I heard a slight noise -behind me, and, glancing round, I saw Mrs. Barton at the end of the -room near the door. Her eyes were fixed in a stare of terror on the -face, not of her husband on the bed, but on the stranger who was -saving that husband's life. The operation was almost over apparently. -Barton's face was in shadow, and I could see no change in its -appearance, but the smaller of the two doctors was bringing forward -instruments and bandages with a view apparently to the necessary -stoppage of the flow of blood when the connecting pipe should be -removed. I motioned to Mrs. Barton to keep back and be silent. I -suppose the big Jew Israel noticed my gesture, for his eyes turned -towards the door. I saw his face, which was now very pale, suddenly -stiffen as it were, and in another moment he gave a terrible cry, and -leaped back from the bed. - -The smaller doctor, with the most admirable presence of mind, -instantly commenced operations on Barton's arm, while his brother -seized hold of his lodger round the waist. Mrs. Barton, her eyes still -fixed on the big Jew, was crouching down at the end of the room, and -I hurried round the bed only just in time to stop the man Israel, who -rushed towards her, dragging the doctor after him, and yelling out -some perfectly unintelligible gibberish. It was obvious, however, that -he meant murder, and I collared him in front while the doctor hung -on gallantly behind. Israel was enormously strong, and, seizing the -little man by the neck, he simply tore him off and flung him away into -a corner of the room. In doing this, however, he threw all his weight -on to his left foot, which I promptly kicked from under him, and we -came down together, knocking over the table and rolling wildly about -on the floor. - -He seemed to be growing weaker, and at last I got my knee on his -chest, when I suddenly remembered that his arm had never been attended -to, that he must be bleeding to death. I could see nothing; for in our -fall his head had struck the table and upset the lamp--thank goodness -it was filled with colza, not paraffin--so I yelled to the doctors -to strike a light and lend a hand. The little man, who had quietly -finished Barton's arm while we were waltzing about all over the floor, -relighted the lamp, and I don't think I shall ever forget the scene -that the feeble light displayed to me. - -Barton was sitting up on the bed looking anxiously in my direction; -one doctor was just getting on to his feet, the other was hurrying -towards me, and in the corner by the door was huddled Mrs. Barton, -still wildly staring round, but perfectly motionless. I looked down at -the man on the floor, and saw to my horror that he was on the point of -death--in fact, before the little doctor could reach him, and put the -lamp down, his jaw had dropped and his head fell back with a thud on -the bare boards. - -"He is dead," said the little man, quietly; "that blow on the head -would perhaps have sufficed, but the cause of death was loss of blood; -perhaps the gentleman would prefer to make the fee seven hundred -pounds and he shall not be troubled with any too curious questions. As -the gentleman's carriage is at the door, the gentleman had better be -removed; it will not hurt him. Is there anything the matter with the -lady?" - -Mrs. Barton had risen, and now came slowly forward. "No," she said, -"I am well. That man--I was afraid--I thought he was going to--to hurt -me." - -"It was so, without doubt," said the little man, calmly; "he was -angry. Is the gentleman ready to be moved?" - -"All right," said Barton, speaking in quite his ordinary voice, "all -right, I can walk." - -"He must be carried," said the doctors together; "the other gentleman -will help us, and then he will perhaps arrange about the money." - -We picked Barton up amongst us, his wife going first to prepare the -carriage for his reception, and carried him to the door. - -"Stop a minute!" said Barton, suddenly, "let me see the poor fellow -who is dead." - -"It is right that the gentleman should see him," said the smaller -brother, "he saved the gentleman's life." - -We had propped the corpse up in a sitting position against the end of -the bed, and Barton looked long into the ghastly face. - -"Good God! how strange!" he whispered at last. "He has saved my life, -and I feared him--how I feared him!" - -"The gentleman knew Israel Hoffmann then?" said the taller of the two -doctors. - -"No," said Barton, "I have never met him before. Go on," and we -carried him to the carriage where his wife was waiting us. I got in -with them, telling the doctors I would return immediately, and they -allowed me to depart without protest, somewhat to my surprise. I saw -Barton safely in bed, and was hurrying from the room when he called me -back and asked his wife to leave us for a moment. - -"Campbell," he said, when she had gone, "do you know who that man -was?" - -"No," said I, "he was a lodger in the house. I know no more than that, -but I can find out if you like." - -"I don't mean that," he said; "that man's face was the face that had -peered at me round the door for more than a year; the face I had told -you about, the face I had grown to fear as I never feared anything in -my life before; and yet that man has saved my life. It was good, not -evil, that the vision meant, Campbell--good, not evil, and it was -nearly driving me mad. Go back to that house; you can leave me safely, -I am happier and better than I ever was before. I thought the thing -was evil, and I find it to be good." - -I left him repeating these words over and over again, told his wife, -and hurried back to my rooms. Then, having procured the money, I -drove to the doctor's house. I settled with the two little men in the -sitting-room, and then asked if I might see the body. - -"It is upstairs," they said. "We will arrange everything; he is of the -Religion. But you may see him." - -I went upstairs, and there on a bed in a tiny room lay the body of -my late antagonist, wrapped in a sheet. The face was exposed, and I -examined it with interest. It was deathly pale and somewhat fallen -away, the thick, curving nose standing forward prominently. On the -left temple and on the forehead was a terrible bruise, caused, -I suppose, by the edge of the table on which the lamp had stood. -Certainly the face tallied marvellously with Barton's description of -his visionary visitor. I went back to my rooms and tried to puzzle -the thing out, but I can't say that I succeeded. The connection that -seemed to exist between the dead man and Mrs. Barton only complicated -matters instead of simplifying them. - -Robinson and I are still staying on here, but the Bartons left -yesterday, Barton having recovered in a perfectly marvellous manner. -I've written a very long letter, old boy, but as you seem excited by -the remarks I let fall in my last epistle to you about the subject, I -thought I had better give you the full details. I'm afraid I must ask -you not to repeat the story--you will yourself see the reasons against -so doing. I don't know if you will be able to form any theory about -it--I shall be glad to hear it if you can. Hoping to get a letter from -you soon, and that you are quite fit, - - I am - - Your loving brother, - - TOM. - - * * * * * - - April 14, 1898. - - DEAR JACK, - -I will give you, since you desire it, full details of the whole -terrible business, but I must repeat the caution of my last letter. -Don't make this public just yet. Of course many of the facts are -known, but still I should prefer you not to repeat what I am going to -tell you. I am taking legal advice on the subject. - -In my letter to you, last summer, I told you, I think, all about -Barton's strange delusion and the extraordinary episode of the -transfusion of blood from the very man whose wraith he was always -seeing into Barton's own veins. The Bartons had been in England for -some time before I returned to find an invitation awaiting me to dine -at their house in town. I accepted, as I was anxious to see how Barton -was getting on, and whether he had got rid of his horrible delusion. - -[Illustration: "WE FELL DOWN TOGETHER, AND I GOT MY KNEE ON HIS -CHEST."] - -I found him in the best of health, better and stronger apparently than -he had been even before the commencement of his hallucination; but -Mrs. Barton was much paler and thinner than when I had seen her last. -I was the only guest, and the burden of the conversation was borne -by myself and Barton, who was really almost boisterous at times--an -extraordinary change for him. Mrs. Barton scarcely spoke. I noticed -that she never so much as glanced in the direction of her husband. I -thought at the time that probably the first tiff of their married life -had come off some time that day, and that Barton's boisterousness and -his wife's silence arose from the same cause. I know better now. - -When Mrs. Barton left us to our cigarettes, I asked about the man at -the door. Barton, I think, was rather vexed at the question, but he -told me that he had no return of the vision, and then passed on to -something else. I also inquired after his wife's health, and as far -as I could judge he seemed actually pleased to hear that I thought her -looking ill, and his manner of speaking of her altogether confirmed me -in the idea that they had had a quarrel, and a fairly serious quarrel, -that very day, though of course I couldn't pursue the subject. - -A short while afterwards a message was brought in to Barton, and he -asked me to excuse him for a few minutes, as he must see someone--a -groom I think he said--and would rejoin me in the drawing-room. - -I went upstairs and entered into conversation with my hostess, -whose manners had completely changed. She talked now with a feverish -rapidity, and I noticed with the most intense surprise, and I must -add with a creeping sensation of horror, that she had caught Barton's -trick of constantly shooting anxious glances at the door. I suppose -she saw that I had observed her, for she turned her chair round with -its back to the door and said-- - -"I was wondering why my husband did not come." - -I told her that he was engaged for the moment, and she continued-- - -"Have you noticed any change in him, Mr. Campbell?" - -"He seems marvellously well," I replied. "We really owe a great debt -to the two little doctors and to----" - -I stopped abruptly. Mrs. Barton had grown ghastly pale, and I -remembered how fiercely the Jew had endeavoured to attack her in that -terrible little room in Florence. Once again she seemed to read my -thoughts. - -"I knew that man Israel Hoffmann, Mr. Campbell," she said. "I am a -Russian, you know, and we--my father and I--disliked him, and he hated -us, and had threatened often to revenge--that is, to injure us. My -father warned me against him only a few months before he died, and you -see how the man tried to attack me on that night. We do not like Jews -in Russia you know, Mr. Campbell.--Why, what is it?" - -"Nothing," I said, hastily, but I'm afraid my voice shook; "I thought -I saw your husband coming in--I was mistaken." - -It was no mistake, I knew. It was Barton's face that I had seen -looking round the door, with his eyes fixed on his wife; but as I -spoke the head was withdrawn, and the door softly closed. - -[Illustration: "IT WAS BARTON'S FACE--HIS EYES FIXED ON HIS WIFE."] - -"Mr. Campbell," said--or, rather, gasped--the woman at my side, "was -he--was he peering at me round the door?" - -"Well, I--I thought so," I stammered. - -"He always does that now," she whispered, "and it frightens me, Mr. -Campbell--it frightens me. What does it mean?" - -What on earth was I to say? Here was Barton apparently taking the -place of his departed ghastly visitor; but how was I to explain this -to his wife, who had never heard, and now most certainly must never -hear, of her husband's hideous delusion. I was relieved from my -difficulty by Barton himself, who now entered the room with the same -boisterously cheerful manner that I had noticed before. - -"Well, I hope you're not bored, Campbell," he cried. - -"Very much the reverse," said I, with perfect truth. - -"I'm afraid that isn't true," said Mrs. Barton; "I'm very dull -to-night, but Mr. Campbell must excuse me--my head is aching terribly, -and I really think I must go to bed." - -Of course, I expressed my sympathy and wished her good-night; but as I -opened the door for her she whispered, "For God's sake stay as long as -you can. Good-night." - -Well, I did stay as long as I could; and if ever a host made it clear -to a guest that he wasn't wanted, Barton did that night. After about -an hour of it he asked me point blank to go, as he had had a very -tiring day. - -I couldn't very well stay on after that, could I? I soothed my -conscience by determining to find some pretext for coming round to the -house the next morning, and got up to go. Barton helped me on with my -coat himself, and while he was doing so I noticed an immensely heavy -whip lying on an old oak chest in the hall. - -"Sorry for your horses, Barton," said I, "if that's your idea of a -riding-crop." - -Barton laughed. - -"It's a Russian executioner's knout," he said. "I got it as an -interesting curiosity, and a pretty penny I had to pay for it. I -thought it might interest my wife--she's a Russian, as you know." - -"Rather a ghastly present," I said. - -"Oh, horrors appeal to the Slavonic temperament," he answered; "she'll -be glad to have that knout. Good-night." - -I must admit that I left the house with a very strong presentiment of -trouble to come, and cudgelling my brains in vain to discover a reason -for Barton's amazing conduct at the drawing-room door. I did not like -to ask him about it--the less said about his delusion the better, I -thought--but I determined to come round in the morning; I could make -the Russian knout an excuse for doing so--I could easily assume an -interest in a curiosity like that. - -So at ten o'clock next day I walked round to the Bartons'. As I turned -the corner into Pont Street, I saw with a thrill of undefined dread -that there was a small crowd gathered round the Bartons' house, and -two policemen were engaged in pushing the people back from the door, -which was open. I forced my way furiously through the crowd, and -seeing the white face of the old butler in the hall, behind the -policemen, I called to him. He came forward and I was admitted, after -some delay, as a friend of the family. - -"What is it, Parsons?" I asked. - -"God knows, Mr. Campbell," he whispered. "Mr. and Mrs. Barton -breakfasted together in the oak room this morning: there wasn't no -one waiting, and about ten minutes gone I heard a cry and went to the -door. It was locked, Mr. Campbell, and there's something goin' on in -there as I don't like, sir. The police are breaking in the door now." - -[Illustration: "THE POLICEMAN AND BUTLER TRIED TO BREAK IN THE STRONG -OAK DOOR."] - -I hurried past the old fellow, and up the stairs to the oak room, -a little panelled room with a strong oak door, which two men, a -policeman and the footman, were trying to break in. From the room came -a noise of blows and of a voice singing, heard from time to time, as -the two men paused in their violent attack on the door. The voice was -strange to me, and I could make nothing of the words of the song; they -were not English, that was all I could discover. As I threw my weight -against it the door gave way, and the three of us tumbled into the -room together. It was a ghastly sight, Jack. There, with her head on -the table among the breakfast things and her body resting across the -back of a chair, lay Mrs. Barton, dead, and horribly lacerated on the -back and shoulders, from which the clothes had been torn away. Her -husband was standing beside her, still singing the hideous song we had -heard, and waving round his head the terrible whip that I had seen -the night before, and which was now dripping with the blood of the -wretched woman whose life he had taken. - -We all rushed in at him together: he knocked the footman head over -heels with his left hand, and struck at me with his whip, but at the -same moment the policeman at my side cut him down with a blow of his -truncheon, and he lay writhing on the floor. I lifted up the body of -the poor woman, but finding that life was quite extinct I laid her -down and turned to the madman at my feet. The blow of the policeman's -staff had caught him on the side of the head, crushing it in like an -egg-shell, and I saw that he was dying. I knelt down by him, and he -seemed to recognise me, but in a moment his eyes closed, and though he -breathed for more than an hour he never recovered consciousness. - -[Illustration: "WE RUSHED AT HIM TOGETHER. HE KNOCKED THE FOOTMAN HEAD -OVER HEELS."] - -You read my evidence at the inquest: of course my description of -Barton's delusion was necessary to establish the poor fellow's -undoubted madness, but I did not think it incumbent on me to enter -into great detail. Now, I want your opinion as a medical man. This -affair has shaken my nerves in the most terrible way. - -Of course the vision and its fulfilment, if you can call it such, -is and must remain inexplicable. It is Barton's conduct after the -operation that I want you to explain. - -I know, from certain correspondence that I have in my hands, that -the man Israel Hoffmann was terribly wronged by Mrs. Barton and her -father: his wife was, in fact, executed on their representations -alone, as far as I can ascertain, and the whole object of his life -was revenge. Is it possible that the spirit of vengeance passed into -Barton's soul as the blood of the injured Jew passed into his veins? - -Could that be the reason for his strange choice of a weapon, and for -the ghastly song, which may have been a Russian song, or even one of -the psalms in Yiddish for all I know, which he sang as he beat his -wife to death? If this is so, the only feeling we should have towards -poor Barton is one of intense pity; and if not, if such an idea is -repugnant to medical science, how do you explain the whole hideous -story? - -Write soon and tell me. - -Your loving brother, - - TOM. - -P.S.--It is a coincidence--an interesting coincidence--that the fatal -wound on poor Barton's head corresponded exactly, or almost exactly, -with a terrible bruise I saw on the head of Israel Hoffmann. - - - - -A MAN HUNT WITH BLOODHOUNDS. - -SHOWING HOW THEY MAY BE USED IN THE DETECTION OF CRIME. - -BY ALFRED ARKAS. - - -[Illustration: TRAINING PUPPY TO HUNT CLEAN BOOT.] - -I have just been hunted by bloodhounds, and, strangely enough, I -am none the worse for the experience. It is more exciting than -fox-hunting, and for sheer fascination is well ahead of any other -sport of which I have any knowledge. The why and wherefore is another -story, of which more presently. - -The trial of the bloodhound in the practical work of tracking -criminals is no new thing. In 1888, when the Whitechapel murders -were agitating all England, the public, alarmed and indignant at the -impotence of the police, plied the authorities with no less than 1,200 -letters per day containing suggestions for the murderer's capture. Of -these 800 advocated the trial of bloodhounds. - -Ultimately, the weight of public opinion was such as to induce Sir -Charles Warren, Commissioner of Police, to give them a trial. Mr. -Brough, the eminent authority on the breed, was consulted, and he -brought a couple of hounds, trained to hunt man, to London, and -several experiments were undertaken. - -In some of these Sir Charles himself acted as quarry, the runs being -made in Hyde Park. They were all successful, the Commissioner -and others who acted as runners being run to earth each time with -unfailing regularity. He expressed himself more than satisfied, it -being clearly demonstrated that the hounds would run a man to earth -who was a complete stranger to them, notwithstanding that the scent -might be crossed by a number of other persons. - -[Illustration: LAYING TRAINED BLOODHOUNDS ON THE SCENT.] - -During all the weeks the hounds were in London no further crime -occurred, and the opportunity of utilising their services was lost. -Sir Charles kept them till it seemed that the terrible Jack the Ripper -scare was over. The hounds were then returned to their owner. They had -not left London more than two or three days when another ghastly -crime was perpetrated. Obviously their presence exercised a deterrent -effect, and had the police seen fit to add a couple of well-trained -hounds to the Scotland Yard staff it is probable no other murder would -have been added to the series. - -[Illustration: CASTING--TO PICK UP SCENT.] - -The mysterious and apparently illimitable scenting power possessed by -the bloodhound appeals to the imagination of the criminal classes to -an extraordinary extent. From what I have gathered of the subject, -I cannot help feeling that no police station of any size should -be without a couple of trained hounds. The fear of the "cat" is -proverbial. Utilise the bloodhound, and a far greater deterrent -against crime will have been found. - -Some time since the subject once more engaged further attention, and -it was decided to organise a series of private trials in connection -with _The Harmsworth Magazine_, with a view to determining the real -capability of the hound for hunting man. The next thing was to procure -hounds of the purest breed. At this stage we put ourselves into -communication with Mr. Edwin Brough, of Wyndyate, near Scarborough. - -Mr. Brough has been a breeder of bloodhounds for something like thirty -years. He is regarded as the highest living authority on the breed. He -is the winner of over 400 first and champion prizes for hounds of -his own breeding, and he may be aptly described the creator of the -splendid type of hound we have to-day. - -Mr. Brough received my suggestion in a sporting manner, and with -characteristic generosity offered me every facility in the most -difficult and patience-racking task of obtaining the photographs which -accompany this article. His hounds are his best friends, and he -is willing to go to almost any lengths in order to correct the -innumerable absurd ideas that are prevalent with regard to the breed. - -Accordingly a short time since a small two-man expedition, equipped -with a camera and an unlimited stock of patience, set out for -Scarborough. - -Early on the following morning I took part in my first manhunt, and -a weirdly fascinating experience it was in all conscience--harmless -enough, in spite of its sanguinary title. - -At the back of Mr. Brough's house are spacious kennels. Here we found -thirty or forty valuable hounds, gazing from behind the iron bars of -their kennel runs, each handsome and well groomed, the black and -fawn coat glistening like velvet; each a perfect type, with handsome -expressive face, and pedigree long enough to turn many a human being -pale with envy. The kennel man opened two of the doors, and we trudged -down the drive and out on to the fields by the cliff-side with four -magnificent hounds at our heels. - -A soft green undulation in the countryside, sloping into a wooded -valley, was chosen for our first trial, and standing at a gate on the -summit I had an uninterrupted view of the whole run. - -A few moments after our arrival a gentleman who had volunteered to -act as runner or quarry started over the slope, and sprinted quickly -across the valley on to the opposite hillside. His destination -had been previously decided, and with the aid of a glass we could -distinctly see him crouching behind the bushes. - -[Illustration: BABBO--THE FAMOUS TRACKER OF HUMAN BEINGS.] - -A short time after he had concealed himself, the hounds, which had -been held in check out of sight, were brought through the gate and -laid on scent. The laying on was done by the kennel man, who simply -ran his hand along the line or lines of scent to give the hounds a -start. A moment later they were rapidly casting round on the trail. -Then, before you could say "Jack Robinson," there was a deep sonorous -bay, more like the roar of the sea-lion echoing in the roof of -Brighton Aquarium than anything else I know, but sweet and resonant -as the note of a bell. They had found the scent, and were off like -streaked lightning. - -[Illustration: FINDING THE QUARRY--INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPH.] - -Down the hill they flew, three in a bunch, the fourth perhaps a yard -behind, their noses almost scraping the ground, and the long graceful -ears trailing noiselessly in the short grass. A couple of minutes -later a deep-bayed quartette echoed away on the further hillside. They -had found their man, and were jumping and licking him delightedly. So -much for the tearing limb from limb theory. - -As a matter of fact, the bloodhound never hurts his quarry when -found. He is the gentlest and most lovable of hounds, and vice of any -description is utterly foreign to his character. If he is required -to hold his man at bay it is necessary to specially train him for the -purpose. - -"Strong scent," said Mr. Brough. "They went right away." And, in -truth, they travelled like racehorses. So fast, indeed, that one -forgot for the moment that they were not pursuing a visible object, or -racing to a pre-arranged goal. - -When the truth made itself clear that they were hunting what is termed -"the clean boot"--following the natural scent of a man through -his shoe leather--across rough and broken country at a -twelve-miles-an-hour gait, it seemed incredible. - -And it should be remembered that it was the individual scent of -that one man they were tracking. Each human being seems to possess a -distinctive scent, and when well-trained hounds are laid on to any -one scent they cannot be diverted, though the trail be crossed by any -number of other persons. - -Five minutes later I ran myself. I was a complete stranger to the -hounds. I know that no artificial scent had been attached to my boots, -and the course was an entirely different one of my own choosing. Yet -they found me a mile away, a few minutes after they were laid on, and -bayed with delight as they came up. - -In all our trials, extending over three days, they were successful, -although every difficulty was placed in their way. In one trial the -runner ran to the bank of a river, then up along the side for some -yards; back again over the same scent to the first point of contact -with the bank; then he forded the river and ran along the opposite -bank. - -The hounds came up at full trot, traced him along the near bank, till -in their eagerness they ran over the scent. Then they all checked -and cast again, and after a few moments found by the double -scent--although he had practically returned over the same line--that -he had doubled over his own track. At the bank they cast again, and -after assuring themselves that he had not returned to the starting -place they swam the stream, and in a few moments had picked up the -scent on the other side and found him. - -In another instance several circles were made by the quarry in the -middle of a run, and while they were casting about this invisible -maze, in an endeavour to find his outgoing trail, we were enabled to -obtain our photograph of a cast. - -In most of our trials the hounds were put on the trail comparatively -soon after the runner had passed over the course, but it must not be -forgotten that they are equally successful in working what is termed -a "cold scent"--one many hours old. In this respect they surpass all -other breeds of hounds. - -As I have already said, this power of scent is so subtle as to be -almost uncanny. And it is as deep a mystery to those who have devoted -a lifetime to hound breeding as to the ignorant layman. - -Certain it was, however, that the hounds performed marvels, and their -success, under circumstances of great difficulty, was sufficient to -more than convince me of their value in the detection of crime. They -must have fair play, of course, and conditions more or less favourable -for their particular work. - -The training of the uneducated puppy to hunt the clean boot is as -interesting as the work of the fully trained adults. - -The puppies begin their training when only four or five months old, -and Mr. Brough resorts to none of the methods generally advocated, -such as rubbing the boots of the runner with blood or aniseed. They -begin as they finish--on the clean boot. For the first few times they -practise tracking a runner whom they know. - -The runner starts in view of the pups; runs some two or three hundred -yards up wind in a straight line on grass land. He hides himself as -soon as possible, and then the trainer takes the pup over the exact -line of scent. He trails his hand along it, endeavouring to get the -dog to put his head down and work for himself. This goes on till the -quarry is reached, when the dog is rewarded by a piece of meat. - -This has to be repeated several times perhaps, before the young hound -gets his head down and understands what is required of him. Once he -understands, he takes the greatest possible interest in the quest, and -improves rapidly. - -Then difficulties are placed in his way. The line is purposely crossed -by others. The time of laying on is postponed some time after the run. -Zig-zag runs are also made, and sticks with white flags on them are -stuck in the ground at all the angles. By this means the trainer is -enabled to judge of the accuracy of the dog's work. - -Mr. Brough makes an intimate friend of each and every hound, and their -individual characteristics are well known to him. Extreme patience, -kindly persistence and firmness are all that is necessary in the -upbringing of these beautiful creatures. - -As friends they are unsurpassed. Mr. Brough says, "The bloodhound is -essentially and pre-eminently a gentlemanly dog, and when you have -once won his esteem he may be depended upon as your staunch, trusty, -life-long friend." - -Mr. Brough's dogs are the handsomest I ever saw. They have a majestic -bearing, and thoughtful expressive faces, quite in harmony with their -aristocratic lineage. - -I should advise every dog lover to obtain a good puppy and train it -himself. There are few healthier or more delightful recreations. - -[Illustration: WATCHING A PUPPY'S WORK.] - - - - -[Illustration: Three Score and Ten.] - - - Come to me, little one, - Out of the autumn sun; - Play must be surely done-- - Three kisses, then. - Clamber up on my knee. - Old, do they say of me? - You would not like to be - Three score and ten! - - Time's to be blamed, not I; - Whether we laugh or sigh, - His busy wheels must fly - For maids and men. - Once I was six years old, - Only the years have roll'd; - Most of the tale is told - At three score and ten! - - Age, too, has dreams of May, - Loved faces gone away, - Green ways grown sad and gray. - Scarce we know when. - Crying?--no, little one; - Tears should be past and done, - Rest is so nearly won, - At three score and ten! - - Lift me your baby eyes, - Blue as the summer skies; - More in their laughter lies - Than Age may ken. - Heav'n in their depth I see: - Pray it may there still be - When you can count, like me, - Three score and ten! - - - - -THE DESPATCHES FOR GIBRALTAR. - -A VICTORIA CROSS AFFAIR. - -BY GILBERT HERON. - -_Illustrated by D. B. Waters and F. T. Jane._ - - -In the summer of 189-, the Channel Squadron, having taken part in the -Annual Mobilisation, had dispersed. - -Ships and men alike were resting, the former in their respective -dockyards, the latter enjoying themselves after their kind on leave. - -Although only a senior lieutenant, I had lately been appointed to -the command of a torpedo-gunboat, the _Quickmatch_, a vessel of the -_Speedy_ type, which I had left at Portsmouth. I was spending my leave -at the country seat in Hampshire of one of my late father's oldest -friends, whose daughter I had long loved, when a telegram arrived -ordering me to join my ship with all possible despatch. Hawes, our -cheeky little clerk, evidently thinking I should regard it as a piece -of good news, had added on his own responsibility, "War declared! Vive -la gloire!" - -[Illustration: "'I HAVE DECIDED TO ENTRUST YOU WITH A DIFFICULT AND -DANGEROUS MISSION.'"] - -So it had come, then, and I should have to leave the delights of love -in a country house for the stern realities of war. There was nothing -for it but to leave Bertha and say farewell. We had been engaged for -some time, but had decided that it would be folly to marry till I had -at least reached the rank of Commander; and the one drop of sweetness -in the bitter cup of our farewell was the thought that active service -would give me an opportunity for quick promotion. - -[Illustration: "I BADE HER A LONG GOOD-BYE."] - -It was difficult to find a quiet corner for leave-taking; but -eventually, in the drawing-room, behind a palm-shaded screen, I bade -her a long good-bye. - -"I will write whenever I can, dearest," I said, "but I expect it will -not be an easy matter. You must be content to hear from me at odd -intervals till the war is over. You will trust me, dear, will you -not?" - -"With my very life!" was her passionate reply. "Oh, Herbert! Herbert!" -she cried, the tears, which nothing could now hold back, coming thick -and fast; "I will pray for you always--always, that the God of battles -may spare you to me!" - -At length I managed to tear myself away, leaving her to find -consolation from Him who dries all tears with His infinite pity -and compassion, and gives even to weak women and little children a -strength that many an erring man envies. - -I reached the _Quickmatch_ the same night, and found instructions to -join up with the great fleet which was already assembling at Spithead. - -The next morning we weighed anchor in the presence of the greatest -crowd of people it has ever been my lot to witness. Southsea beach was -one compact mass of men, women, and children, anxious to get a last -glimpse of the near and dear ones who were so soon to do battle for -their native land. - -Slowly we moved off, and though we were far from the shore, on the -outside right of the fleet, we could hear the hoarse cries which broke -wildly from the vast concourse watching us steam away--from home and -friends, from love and life, from all that man holds dear, to death -and an unknown resting-place. - -Two days later saw us across the Bay of Biscay, in compliance with the -sealed instructions which the Admiral had opened as soon as we were -out of sight of land. The Channel Squadron, with Gibraltar as its -temporary headquarters, was to keep open the line of communication -from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. This, with the information -that France and Russia were actively operating against us, was all we -knew. - -The _Blenheim_ had been sent on ahead as one of our scouts, and she -had signalled nothing of consequence till we had arrived off Cape St. -Vincent. Then, however, she sent us some sufficiently startling news -by her mast-head semaphore. She reported that a strong French fleet -lay stretched right across the entrance to the Straits of Gibraltar. - -Immediately all was excitement aboard. Evidently we should have to -force our passage through them, and everyone was keenly awaiting the -signal to get into "line of battle." But the signal did not come. - -A heavy white fog came stealing across the face of the waters, and -in a very few moments had swallowed up sea and sky and ships in its -devouring obscurity. - -Then came a signal to stop engines, and soon the entire fleet had -stopped and were lying almost as if at anchor. - -Besides myself, the officers of the _Quickmatch_ consisted of a -lieutenant, Taylor, who acted as my first lieutenant and performed the -navigating duties; a sub-lieutenant, Hastings, fresh from college; -an engineer officer; and a gunner, a fine specimen of a self-educated -bluejacket who resolutely sets himself to climb the ladder of -promotion from the lower deck. - -We were standing together on the quarter-deck discussing the -probability of the fog lifting, when I was surprised by a signal from -Admiral Beaufoy, ordering me to repair aboard the flag-ship. - -I lost no time in obeying his summons, and in a few minutes was -standing in his cabin. - -The Admiral, who was pacing to and fro when I entered, stopped and -curiously regarded me for a few embarrassing seconds. - -"Ralph," he said at length, "I have decided to entrust you with a -difficult and dangerous mission." - -I bowed in silence, wondering to what this was to lead. Evidently -it was something serious, and success would mean promotion, and -promotion--marriage! And at that thought my lovelorn mind went back -to the picture of Bertha seated under the old elm tree, a picture so -sweet that for an instant I entirely forgot the business on hand. - -I was recalled from my day-dreams by the cold, calm voice of the -Admiral. "The position," he was saying, "as you are aware, is this:-- - -"There is a powerful French fleet between us and Gibraltar. I intend -to fight that fleet"--his eyes sparkled, and he involuntarily clenched -his fists--"and drive it into the Mediterranean. - -"Now, I have very important despatches from home for the Governor of -Gibraltar, which _must_ be delivered not later than to-morrow. I had -intended to deliver them myself, not being aware of the presence of -the blockading fleet. Then, when I heard of their position, I had -determined to attack at dawn, and thus the despatches would still have -been in time. But now, since I cannot attack till the fog lifts"--he -made a gesture of impatience--"and that may be days, the only thing -left for me to do is to run past the French, and so deliver the -despatches to the Governor." - -I was all attention, and followed the Admiral intently as he went on, -now somewhat more quickly. - -"The _Quickmatch_, Ralph, is in every way suited for such a purpose, -and I intend you to take her through. Now, please, listen carefully -to the suggestions I am about to make you. Will you take a glass of -wine?" - -I was so elated at the prospect of distinction thus offered to me that -I hardly know how I answered. - -The Admiral continued: "If you start shortly, you will be in the mouth -of the Straits of Gibraltar about sunset, and you can creep along -under the lee of the African coast with a very fair chance of success. -You will thus arrive at Gibraltar during the night, and go at once to -the Governor and deliver your despatches. You will then await further -orders. Of course, in the event of failure----" - -Here I leapt up and interrupted him. "Failure, sir! I shall not think -of it! I'll get past those Frenchmen, and deliver my despatches, -though the whole French navy were after me. Failure, sir! Not if the -_Quickmatch_ and every soul aboard of her goes to the bottom! No, not -even then!" - -The Admiral smiled at my warmth. Of course, he did not know that my -life-long happiness--Bertha, to wit--depended on my getting through -with those despatches. - -He poured out a glass of champagne, and said, "Don't be too sanguine, -Ralph. It's no easy matter, you know, to dodge past such a fleet; but -I've great confidence in you, and somehow I think you'll do it. Come, -let's drink to your success!" - -And, standing, we drained our glasses. - -The undertaking was certainly rather a big order, and in my most -extravagant dreams of distinction I had not ventured to hope of such -a thing. What a glorious chance of distinguishing myself! Most of the -men I knew would give their ears for such an opportunity, and here it -was within my grasp at the very outset of the war. - -The Admiral was a man of few words. Going to a curious little Indian -safe which stood in a corner of the cabin, he took from it the -precious despatches I was to risk my own and the lives of all my -shipmates to deliver. - -[Illustration: "A RINGING CHEER FOLLOWED US AS THE THICK GREY MIST -RAPIDLY SWALLOWED US UP."] - -"Here, sir," he said, "are the documents. They contain most important -political information, and _must_ be in the Governor's hands as -_soon as possible_. In case of any accident, burn them, throw them -overboard, destroy them somehow. But _don't_, for goodness' sake, let -them fall into the hands of the enemy. They are more important than I -dare hint at. Take them, and success go with you!" - -The fog was as thick as ever when I got on deck, and getting into my -boat, we cautiously crept our way through the mist, and five minutes -later I was aboard. - -I went at once down to my cabin and sent for my faithful first -lieutenant. I made him sit down, and told him what we had to do. He -did not seem to think it a very great piece of good luck. - -"Quite good enough to have to chance it with the remainder," he said, -"without getting sent on beastly special service jobs. Still, there's -no help for it I suppose, and so we'll have to buckle to and get -ready." - -And as Taylor had no inducement to make him long for adventures of -this kind, in the shape of a lady-love, I could hardly blame him for -not taking quite so enthusiastic a view of the affair as myself. - -Meanwhile, time was advancing, and at four bells (2 p.m.) we got under -way. It was too foggy for the ships' companies to see much of us as we -moved away, but as we noiselessly glided through the now calm and oily -water with ever-increasing speed past the _Terrible_, someone noticed -us, and a ringing cheer followed us as the thick grey mist rapidly -swallowed us up. - -And as we got settled down to our work we increased the speed, and -presently were going a good 20 knots per hour--never a slow speed, and -in such thick weather an infinitely perilous thing to do. - -But then, as I told Taylor, "Fog or no fog, we've only got a few hours -to do it in, and we're about 150 miles away. Besides, we'll have to -ease down when we get close in shore, and so we'd better make the most -of it while we can." Nevertheless, I knew what a fearsome thing I was -doing. - -Up on deck one could see but a few yards away from the ship's side. -All around us lay the white impenetrable mist, wrapping up everything -in its death-like folds, which shut out not only sight but sound. - -Any moment the form of some ship might loom spectrally up through -the fog, and hurl us to destruction; and, clinging to the rail, -I constantly strained my eyes ahead, endeavouring to pierce the -impenetrable mist in front of us. In this way we continued throughout -the afternoon, and at four o'clock Taylor came up to relieve me on the -bridge. Going below, I took a hasty meal, and bethought myself of -the best plan for carrying the despatches, which I wished to keep -continually on my person. - -Some instinct seemed to tell me that I should not suffer injury; and -while I lived I was determined that the documents should be delivered. -I decided to place them in an oilskin envelope, and then to put them -within my cholera belt--that indispensable adjunct to all those who -are constantly exposed to quick changes of temperature. When I did -eventually go on deck again it was nearly five, and to my great joy I -saw that the fog was decidedly lifting. Far away on our starboard beam -we could just catch a faint glimpse of Morocco's cruel-looking coast. - -I went up on the bridge to Taylor. "Can you see anything?" he asked as -I came up. "What's in sight, old man?" I replied somewhat anxiously, -for I knew by his manner he had seen something worth looking at. - -[Illustration: "WE COULD SEE THREE CRUISERS, THE ADVANCE GUARD OF THE -FRENCH FLEET."] - -For answer he pointed dead ahead. And there, very faint and indistinct -in the still somewhat dense atmosphere, we could see three cruisers, -the advance guard of the French fleet. - -"We must run in under the land, Taylor," I said, trembling with -suppressed excitement. - -"We must certainly dodge those three beggars." He nodded and gave -orders for the wheel to be put round hard to port. Round came the -dear little craft, beautifully (she was a regular demon for turning, -performing the man[oe]uvre easily in her own length) and we headed -dead for the rocky coast. - -"Half-speed," I shouted, and instantly "cling-clang!" rang out the -indicator bell as they put the engines down as I had ordered. - -We were not observed as yet, but the fog was rapidly lifting now, and -soon we should be well within sight of the French, and the greatest -caution was necessary. - -So for the next hour we crept slowly along, all eyes fixed on the -forest of masts ahead of us. It was by this time nearly pitch dark, an -unusual thing for the time of the year, which we put down to the dense -fog. It had lifted from the face of the waters, but would still be -hanging like a thick pall overhead. - -As we advanced we could clearly see the great fleet of the enemy, -lying well on our port side, only about eight miles distant, and -spread out so as to cover a great extent. - -We were right in under the shadow of the rocks, as close in now as I -dared venture, for although our draught was very light, the coast is -a most treacherous one, and any moment a sunken rock might do us -irreparable harm. All at once a broad bright streak of brilliant light -shot up into the dark and moonless night, followed first by one or -two, and then by many others, which crossed and recrossed the horizon -perpetually. The French had begun to work their searchlights! - -[Illustration: "THE FRENCH BEGAN TO WORK THEIR SEARCHLIGHTS."] - -And now commenced the real difficulty of our task. Should we venture -to even cross one of those brilliant paths of light so vividly -flashing all around us, we must inevitably be discovered. Speaking -in whispers, hardly daring even to breathe, I cautiously guided the -little vessel in and out and to and fro, so as to avoid if possible -those argus eyes. But no calculation, no precaution, could be of any -use to us now, and I knew not at what instant one of those lights -might be directed full on us, and reveal every detail of our vessel in -its pitilessly searching glare. - -We were of course all ready for action, and I had given orders that -all the watertight compartments were to be closed. Taylor now came up -and reported everything ready, and the men assembled at their posts -ready for any and every emergency. The torpedo tubes were each and all -laden with their deadly freight, and the two 4·7 inch quick-firing bow -and stern guns were manned; the latter under Taylor's supervision, the -former under the gunner's. - -I had increased our speed again, and we should soon be within hailing -distance of the out-lying French cruisers, and I knew that our -immunity could not last many moments more. - -And sure enough, the next instant a blinding white light rested for -a couple of seconds upon us, throwing every little detail up into a -strong relief, and then was gone, leaving the black night blacker than -ever by contrast. It was the search light of the nearest Frenchman. - -"Spotted, by George!" said Taylor, vehemently. "We're done!" - -"Now or never!" I shouted. "Full speed ahead!" - -Like a gallant racehorse responding to its rider's whip the little -craft sprang suddenly forward, and in a very few moments we were past -the cruiser, who had as yet not quite determined whether she had seen -us or not, out into the blackness beyond. - -[Illustration: "THE WORK IN THE STOKE-HOLD WAS ENORMOUS."] - -As I have already said, the fleet was lying well from us to port, and -the cruiser who had seen us was about the only ship we had immediately -to fear. But now she began to work all her search lights in our -direction, and every few seconds we were disclosed relentlessly in the -glare of their 25,000-candle-power lights. The attention of the other -ships had by this time been drawn to us, and now several more began to -dodge their lights about and around us. - -"There she goes, sir," said the Quarter-master at the wheel to me the -next instant, as a brilliant flash came from the bows of the French -cruiser, followed by a loud and ringing report. - -"Not a bad shot," said Taylor, as with a "whirrr-rrr-ooo" the -projectile shrieked its way through the air high over our heads. - -"Gentle hint to lie to, sir," said the Quarter-master, with an attempt -at a smile. - -As he spoke I could see the cruiser turning and steaming off after -us, flashing a signal to her flag-ship as she did so. Then two small -vessels detached themselves from the fleet and prepared to follow us -also. - -But we were past them all, and had a full head of steam on, and so we -could reasonably hope to have a very good run for it at least. - -Presently--bang! and another shot whizzed past us and lost itself in -the night. - -It was a shell, and we heard it explode far ahead as it plunged down -into the water. - -"Are the night sights all in good order?" I asked Taylor, who stood -close by, with his hands in his pockets, as nonchalant as ever, -smoking a cigarette. - -"Everything's O.K., old man," was his reply. "I'd dearly love to give -'em a taste of our after 4·7. Don't you think we ought to, now?" - -"No," said I; "I don't think we will just yet. We'll reserve that for -awhile till they get within closer range. They probably have not quite -made up their minds yet as to who we are!" - -And now the chase grew furious. - -We were rushing along for all we were worth, and our funnels were -almost red-hot, vomiting sparks and flames as copiously as smoke. The -roaring of our furnaces could be plainly heard on deck, and the work -in the stoke-hold was enormous. The cruiser behind us was gaining -slightly; but if we could manage to escape without much damage for the -next hour we should be well within range of Gibraltar, and the enemy -would hardly attempt to follow us any further. "Besides," said I to -Taylor, "if they hear firing, surely the _Rupert_ or the _Polyphemus_ -will put out to reconnoitre, and of course either will be a very -valuable help." - -All this time the cruiser had been firing intermittently, and we had -not taken much account of the two smaller vessels, who were beginning -to gain rapidly. They were torpedo-boat destroyers, and if they got -much closer we should have to avow our identity by opening fire. - -But suddenly a great cloud of steam burst from the hindmost one, and -she began to rock violently. - -"She's bust 'er b'iler, sir," said the Quarter-master. "_She_ ain't -no more good, anyway. That's one less to reckon with, sir." Evidently -something serious had occurred, for the boat swung round in her -course, and we could see the men rushing in confusion hither and -thither on her decks, while a dense cloud of steam still arose from -her funnels. - -But the other boat was rapidly gaining. - -Leaving Taylor in charge of the bridge, I rushed along aft to the -quarter deck. "Are you ready to fire?" I shouted to the captain of the -gun. - -"Aye, aye, sir," was the cheery response from the man, a grizzled -old gunner's mate with a shaggy beard, who had seen service in every -corner of the globe--a man of cast-iron nerves, with a fondness for -rum and the everlasting piece of spun-yarn tied round his bare big -toe. - -"Get a good sight on," I said. "Aim low at that torpedo boat coming up -astern, and fire when I give you the word. Put on about 1,000 yards, -but be sure to aim well down, now!" - -The old veteran bent low and carefully over the tiny night sight. -"She's coming on beautif'ly, sir," he said. "I've got 'er fixed right -amidships. Ready, sir?" - -As he spoke the cruiser's search-light accidentally rested full on the -torpedo boat. At the same instant a well-directed shot from her bow -gun rushed by us, crashing into the woodwork of the bridge behind our -backs. - -"Fire!" I sang out. - -A blinding flash, and the distressingly sharp report of cordite, -followed immediately. It was our first shot, but it did more damage -than the Frenchman, with all her firing, had been able to inflict on -us. As we strained our eyes in the direction of the boat, we saw the -shell burst right between her funnels. - -"_Good_ shot!" I yelled in triumph. - -[Illustration: "THE POOR WRETCHES RUSHED UP ON DECK TO FIND THEIR -FRAIL COCKLESHELL GOING OVER RAPIDLY."] - -A brilliant flare of spark and flame shot suddenly up into the night, -and then came a fearful agonised pandemonium, as the poor wretches -rushed up on deck, to find their frail cockleshell of a ship hit in -her vitals, and going over rapidly. We could see the water full of -struggling figures, and then suddenly she heeled and collapsed, and I -could look no more, for the cruiser, without attempting to pick up a -soul, now began to fire rapidly and continuously at us. - -Taylor, in our tiny conning tower, was steering a most erratic course, -which rendered hitting us a matter of some difficulty, as all the -target we presented was our stern, which, only coming at intervals -into the glare of the searchlight, was no easy matter to follow with a -gun. - -We now began to fire continuously also, but could not tell whether our -shots told or not, and indeed we could hardly hope to do much damage, -for the cruiser was evidently a boat of weight, and, in accordance -with the French custom, would be heavily armoured round her bows. - -I looked at my watch. It was past eight, and we could reasonably hope -to be within sight and hearing of Gibraltar soon. - -For the next fifteen minutes nothing of importance happened; but just -as we sighted Tarifa Light ahead, there was a terrible crash, followed -by a loud report, and I was thrown flat on my back on the deck. - -They had hit us in the stern, and evidently low down. - -Jumping to my feet and half stunned by the shock, I rushed down below, -and attempted to discover the extent of the damage. The shell had -crashed right through the after bulk-heading, and had exploded in the -ward-room. - -The wreckage was fearful. As far as I could tell from a hasty glance -round, there was not a single thing untouched. - -I had no time to observe details though, but I noticed that the -foremost water-tight doors had held good, and the water, which was now -coming in very fast astern, would thus be prevented from gaining on -the fore part of the vessel. - -But were the screws touched, or the steering-gear? - -I was not able to make a direct examination, and went at once on deck -again, where the firing was now fast and furious. - -Another and another shot struck us, and the sight was piteous. Not -a boat remained at the davits, and everywhere splinters were flying -about, wounding many a poor fellow as he stood at his gun. The shell -which had exploded below, too, had set the _Quickmatch_ on fire in two -places, and I had to send some men down with the hose, lest the fire -should spread to the deck beneath our feet. - -Suddenly out of the darkness right ahead came a bright glare of light, -followed by the reports of several guns. - -Looking, I beheld a sight that made my heart leap for very joy. - -"Hurrah, the _Polyphemus_!" I shouted. "We shall do it yet, men!" - -For the famous torpedo-ram, the only ship of her kind in the world, -had appeared on the scene, and a formidable opponent would our friends -the enemy find her. - -[Illustration: "A SHOT CARRIED AWAY A FUNNEL AND KILLED POOR TAYLOR."] - -And as if to damp my ardour there came another shot from the cruiser, -which, carrying away our foremost funnel with an awful crash, struck -the bridge, killing poor Taylor instantaneously as he stood there. - -"Oh! the blackguards!" I yelled despairingly, my heart down in my -boots again, for the cruiser was now rapidly nearing us. - -There was, unfortunately, no chance of our torpedoing her, for our -stern-tube had been knocked to atoms by the shell which had come in -astern. Were we to lose the day at the eleventh hour, and just as the -succour we so greatly needed came in sight? It was too bitter; and, -forgetful of every risk now, I shook my fist frantically at the -Frenchman, a frightful rage gnawing at my heart. After coming so far -and losing so many brave men, to fail at last! - -But it had been ordained that I was not to fail in my mission, -after all, for the _Polyphemus_ had now to be reckoned with by the -Frenchman, and she was gallantly trying to draw the enemy's fire from -us to herself. - -We were very close in shore, and the cruiser was now trying to get in -after us, so as to present one broadside to us and the other to the -_Polyphemus_. - -She gave her helm a turn, and was almost down upon us. - -Simultaneously the _Polyphemus_, that wonderful vessel, releasing -her false bottom, lightened her draught by several hundred tons, and -seemed to spring bodily into the air, and was in between us. - -But not before a shot from the Frenchman, fired almost point blank, -struck our port upperdeck torpedo-tube. - -There was a terrible deafening crash, and I was flung headlong into -the water. - -Then came sudden silence, the more intense for the raving turmoil that -had filled my ears the moment before, and I went down and down, to -an apparently interminable depth, till I began to wonder, in an -impersonal sort of way, whether I were ever coming to the surface -again. - -But before I had realised it, I had shot up again, and my head was -above water. - -Heavily weighted as I was by my clothes and sea-boots, I struggled -fiercely to maintain my position. But though I felt no pain, a sudden -numbness had taken possession of my right leg, and vainly I attempted -to swim or tread water. - -Twice I had already gone under, when I found myself grasped by the -coat collar, and a gruff voice shouted hoarsely in my ear, "Keep it -up, sir, you're all right!" - -It was Bates, the gunner's mate, who had managed, as he had so many -times before, to escape unhurt, and had got hold of a spar. I grasped -his arm and the piece of oar, and looked about me. - -The cold had restored my scattered faculties, and it was indeed -a fearful and heartrending sight that I beheld. Almost beyond -conception, the terrible scene is to this day branded on my brain, -never to be erased till my dying day. - -There were but few souls in the water, alas, for the explosion -had killed most of my men as they stood on the upperdeck, and the -_Quickmatch_ was nowhere to be seen. - -A couple of hundred yards away, still keeping up an aimless fire, -was the Frenchman; a terrible outcry rising from her decks; the men -already breaking away from the restraints of discipline and leaping -headlong over the side. - -[Illustration: "THE 'POLYPHEMUS' HAD RAMMED HER."] - -The _Polyphemus_ had rammed her! - -As we gazed we saw the great vessel vomiting flames and men, heel -slowly over, and gradually go down into the unknown depths; a fearful -hissing noise, followed by a terrible explosion, telling of the dire -conflict of fire and water as her furnaces met their natural enemy. -The air was thick with lurid smoke, filled with the shrieks of the -dying and the fierce oaths of men who were vainly attempting to catch -some passing spar, or clutching at some more favoured individual -at the imminent risk of dragging both down to destruction in their -frenzy. - -We strained our eyes in the direction of the _Polyphemus_, and had the -heartfelt satisfaction of seeing her lowering all her available boats. - -And then the reaction overcame me and I fainted dead away, and would -inevitably have drowned but for the strong right arm of Bates. - - * * * * * - -When I came to myself I was in a bunk on board the _Polyphemus_, with -a group of anxious faces round me. - -There was a strong odour of iodoform in the cabin, and a lavish -display of lint and bandages, for which I vainly tried to account. I -felt at once for the despatches, and had the satisfaction of feeling -their bulky outline against my skin. - -"All right now?" cheerily asked the little Welsh doctor who had been -busily engaged in bringing me to life again. - -"Yes, thanks," I replied, trying to sit upright in the bunk, a -movement which gave me excruciating pain, and was promptly prevented -by the sick bay steward and the doctor. - -"Come, come!" he said, with a smile, "none of your nonsense, now. You -won't be able to move for a while yet." - -Then I remembered the strange numbness of my right leg when I fell -into the water. - -"What has happened?" I asked. "What have I done--what----" - -"Well, if you insist," he said, unwillingly, "you've broken your -thigh. It's nothing much, just a simple fracture," he continued, -quickly. "Soon be well again, and none the worse for it. Now, don't -worry; you'll probably be able to walk as well as if nothing had -happened." - -I lay still and groaned. This, then, was to be the end of all my -vain-glorious imaginings. I began to pity myself with an exceeding -pity. Instead of dramatically delivering my despatches, I was to lie -on a sick bed. I was deformed, disfigured--what would Bertha think -when she saw me! In spite of the doctor's assurance, I felt sure that -I should go through life with a limp. A graceful figure I should make! - -The Captain of the _Polyphemus_ here suddenly recalled my wandering -mind. - -[Illustration: "'YOU HAVE DONE A VERY PLUCKY THING, SIR,' SAID THE -CAPTAIN."] - -[Illustration: "MY DEAR WIFE LOOKS OVER MY SHOULDER."] - -"We shall be very glad to have an account of your adventures, -Lieutenant Ralph," he said, courteously, "and how you came to be -chased by that brute of a cruiser." - -In as few words as possible I told them all that had occurred since -the declaration of war, finally inquiring for Bates, to whom I owed -my life, and had the happiness of hearing that he was safe and sound -aboard. - -"You have done a very plucky thing, sir," said the Captain, at the -close of my recital. "You fought a splendid fight, and I am sure your -country will not forget your brave and valuable services. I am sorry -to say that only four of your ship's company have been recovered, and -a few Frenchmen." - -We were by this time nearly at Gibraltar; and the Captain, having -received the despatches from me and assured me they should go at once -to the Governor, left me to fall into a deep, refreshing sleep, from -which I awoke calm and content. The despatches were delivered in time, -though not by my hand. But their safe delivery was the chief matter. - -That night, in spite of the doctor's protestations, I was taken from -the ship and sent ashore, where I was received at the comfortable -little Gibraltar hospital. - -My thigh was indeed badly fractured, but a sound constitution, aided -by the unremitting care bestowed upon me in Gibraltar, soon brought me -round again, but a slight limp is always with me. - - * * * * * - -When my dear wife, who looks over my shoulder as I write these words, -says that my infirmity is no less glorious than the Victoria Cross -which rests so proudly on my breast, I feel amply repaid for anything -I may have done or risked in the service of my country; and the day -when I shall attain flag-rank looms larger upon the satisfactory -horizon of my life. - - - - -THE SAD FATE OF MISTRESS PRUE. - - - Mistress Prue was gay and sweet, - And fair as maid could be; - From dainty head to twinkling feet, - A source of joy was she. - - But Mistress Prue was hard to please, - And full of whims and airs; - Her beaux she'd torment, flout, and tease, - Unheeding all their prayers. - - At length one day _she_ loved a swain, - And changed her ways at last; - But "Mistress Prue" she did remain, - For wooing days were past. - -[Illustration: _Illustration by Sauber._] - - - - -A GIRL'S BALLOON JOURNEY OVER LONDON. - -THE STORY OF AN ADVENTURE IN THE AIR AT FORTY MILES AN HOUR. - -BY GERTRUDE BACON. - - -[Illustration: MISS GERTRUDE BACON.] - -A few weeks ago a telegram was put into my hands containing two words -only, "Come along." - -The message was short, but eminently satisfactory, for it signified -that the negotiations which had been in progress for a lofty balloon -ascent from the Crystal Palace had been completed. - -I scanned the weather with interest, for on this occasion I was to -accompany my father skywards, and with him and the aeronaut to make -an ascent which should not only be my first, but should be noteworthy -from the height it was hoped to attain, we being a light party and the -balloon a specially large one. - -A talismanic card bearing Mr. Spencer's name, and the magic words -"Private ascent," gained us free and instant admission to the Palace. - -On our way to the balloon enclosure we fell in with our captain, Mr. -Stanley Spencer, the youngest member of that firm of distinguished -aeronauts who may be said to possess almost the monopoly of the upper -regions, and the right of way in the skyey realms. - -He was dressed in nautical fashion, as befits the man who sails -his own craft through that vastest of all oceans--the ocean of the -air--and with his gold-laced cap and blue jacket looked every inch the -sailor that he is. He has steered his ship all over the world, being -only just returned from India and China, while he wears on his coat -the gold medal that the grateful people of Cuba presented him with in -the days before the war. - -Mr. Spencer's genial face was wreathed in smiles. He said the day was -cut out for our ascent, that everything was in readiness, that the sky -was clear, and that the wind would carry us directly over London, only -he wished there was not quite so much of it. - -[Illustration: "THE BALLOON WAS A FLAT, LIMP MASS OF RED AND YELLOW -SILK AND CORD NETTING."] - -It was hard to believe that the flat, limp mass of red and yellow -silk and cord netting that lay so inert and shapeless on the grass -was shortly to bear us among the fleecy clouds that now flecked the -heavens. - -In the car we carefully stowed the cameras, the horns and tuning-forks -and other acoustic instruments, the big exhausted glass bulb in which -we were to bottle up a portion of the higher atmosphere for subsequent -analysis, the coats and sandwiches that we might be very glad of -later. The balloon was a beauty, of 40,000 odd cubic feet capacity, -and had only been used twice before. - -At four o'clock the patient company sitting on the grass, at a -distance rigidly enforced by a stony-hearted policeman, sent a -delegate to ask how much longer we should be. We could not say, but we -sat and sadly regarded the swaying silk, and contemplated the ignominy -of a return home. At length our captain, in whose mind feelings of -prudence were plainly battling with a desire to be off, had the ring -and car attached, just to see how things stood. The sand-bags all drew -up together, and the balloon rose up higher into the air and began -to roll, slowly and majestically, first to one side and then to the -other, like a mighty pendulum. - -Just at that moment came a lull in the breeze; the angry little -squall-demons had whisked themselves off elsewhere; the sun came -out from behind a cloud. Things looked brighter in every sense, and -Captain Spencer, casting an admiring glance at his stately craft, -quivering to be free, came up with a smile. - -"I think we'll be off now." - -There was a rustle of satisfaction among the onlookers as we sprang -into the car, more especially as, the moment the sandbags were -removed, the balloon became lively, and gave promise of some fun. -Strong arms were holding us down, and up in the ring sat Jack, a -weather-beaten old sailor, familiarly known as the "commodore," a -tried and trusted servant of the Spencer family, and partner in many -an adventure. - -"Look here," said our captain; "the wind is stiff, and we may have a -roughish descent and need help. Would it not be wiser to abandon -the high ascent, part with more ballast-bags, and take up old Jack -instead?" - -Clearly prudence was on the captain's side, though it was with real -sorrow we relinquished our pet scheme of reaching 20,000 feet. So old -Jack remained in the ring, our aeronaut commenced throwing bags till -we began to rise--but not far. "Hold on!" he cried to the men holding -the last rope, and "Look out!" to us, as with a jarring shock the car -dashed down on the grass again. Another bag, another rise, and another -bump. The squall demons were coming back again, and the people were -getting excited. - -"Can you spare any of this?" said the captain, looking down at the -instruments; "There are not many more sandbags." - -So, with another pang, two cameras and other sundries were handed out. - -[Illustration: PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOUTH LONDON SUBURBS TAKEN FROM A -BALLOON.] - -Another bump, a swaying straining of the ropes, while the balloon -seemed rapidly losing both patience and temper. One more bag out, a -rush upwards, a momentary hesitation, a cheer from the spectators, -"She's off! Let go!" and forthwith the tossing car was at peace and -still. But the people and the trees, the water-towers and the Palace, -took a sudden headlong plunge downwards, and ere I could struggle up -from the bottom of the car were hundreds of feet below. - -[Illustration: - - THE CAR OF THE BALLOON CONTAINS CAMERAS, ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS, - AND A GLASS BULB FOR BOTTLING SOME AIR. -] - -From this moment until we again touched the earth the balloon never -moved. Of this I can be sure, for I was in it; but a strange motion -caused the earth beneath us to recede rapidly, and at the same time to -move backwards; so that trees, fields, houses, gardens, streets, and -rivers were rushing madly by under our gaze. Not a breeze disturbed -us; not a breath came nigh us. Quickly we rose 1,000 feet, 2,000, -3,000, and very shortly we had attained our greatest altitude, almost -6,000 feet--rather over a mile--high. - -And now what a glorious panorama spread itself before our delighted -gaze! Above, our view was mainly confined to old Jack's boots, for the -commodore maintained his position in the ring. Above him spread the -gaudy red and yellow silk, with a vista of the valve through the open -mouth of the balloon. The sun, now sinking towards the west, beamed -hotly upon us, and directly under it was a fleecy white cloud, but -unlike any cloud I had ever seen before, because we were looking at it -"end on," from a height as great as its own. - -But below was a prospect indescribable in its loveliness and weird -in its unfamiliarity. Every house, tree, road, garden and field was -outlined with startling distinctness and sharpness of detail, but of -Liliputian size and in preposterous perspective. - -Swiftly we sped along, bearing northwards at some forty miles an hour. -Dulwich, Camberwell, Peckham Rye, Bermondsey, swept by, their parks -and gardens and ever-thickening streets almost unnoticed, for now all -eyes were turned on the shining river, and the great dark mass of the -Metropolis we were so quickly approaching, and whose faint murmur -was even now striking our ears. It was as we had foreseen--we were -to cross London, and at its densest point. Fortune was favouring us -indeed, for not twice in thirty ascents from the Palace does such an -event occur. - -And now we were actually over Southwark, and about to cross the -gleaming Thames that wound so sinuously through the maze and tangle of -streets, lost in haze as it crept towards the sea, and dazzling in its -brilliance where it reflected the waning sunlight. Dotted about -upon its surface were a fleet of the sweetest possible little toy -ships--tiny models, such as children would sail in their baths at -bedtime. Across it we could trace each teeming thoroughfare, Tower -Bridge in particular standing out as a beautiful little miniature. - -Every block and square, the great arteries of traffic and the -less-trodden by-lanes, were delineated as in a huge map. There was St. -Paul's looking as Sir Christopher Wren surely never dreamed of, there -the great square of the Tower and the shimmering water of the Docks. -Conspicuous among the wilderness of roofs eastward shone out an -enclosure of little white objects, puzzling at first, but which we -presently decided to be the gravestones of some large cemetery--Tower -Hamlets probably. - -We crossed the river between London and Tower bridges and kept our -course north with just a dash of east in it; and all the while the air -was full of a strange loud noise, a deep continuous hum, not so much -that of bees in the limes or at swarming time, as the ceaseless roar -of vast machinery, the booming drone of a mighty dynamo, suggesting -sleepless activity, endless motion, and infinite strength and power. -It was the voice of the toiling millions, the whirr of the engines of -nations, the throb of the heart of the world. - -Northward yet, and the streets thinned out and the fields and trees -appeared again, and the roar gave place to an almost deathlike -silence, for we were above the height to which the sounds of country -life could penetrate. We seemed to cross a region of market-gardeners, -and at one place all the country appeared covered with hot-houses, -whose glass roofs glittered like diamonds. Anon and all the lovely -plain was studded with stately mansions and rich men's country seats. - -On and on over park and field and wood. Presently our balloon began -dropping, and we noted that at 3,200 feet elevation the first sounds -reached us, the crowing of a cock, a dog's bark, and the shrill voices -of children. Above that height all had been absolute silence, except -for the occasional report of a gun, which, however, sounded sharp and -short, and different from what it was at lesser elevation. - -Down we swooped until we could see the rabbits in a field scuttling to -their holes and the ducks on a pond flapping with consternation at our -approach. All the neighbourhood turned out to look at us and cheer. -We hailed one farmstead and inquired our whereabouts, but we could not -catch the reply, though we heard one old woman plainly protesting we -were knocking the tiles off her roof with our trail rope. - -For half an hour longer we floated on, over fields and hedges that -gave one no impression so much as that of irregular patchwork. - -We could trace the lanes and main roads, and presently we noticed -what seemed to be a well marked "non-slipping" pneumatic bicycle track -running through the land. There were ridiculous little white sticks -beside it, and we knew it for a railway line. The sight of it began to -remind us of certain considerations we would fain have forgotten. -To quit these realms for earthly cares and earthly limitations, to -exchange our steady car, open to the pure, unbreathed air, for a -stuffy, jolting train, was a hard thing to do. But the evening was -approaching, the balloon once more dropping, and quickly too, and we -had but one more bag of ballast. "This looks a good place for landing, -Jack," said the captain, and so it did. - -[Illustration: WHAT THE CRYSTAL PALACE GROUNDS LOOKED LIKE AS I LEFT -THEM.] - -A broad stretch of level fields, some grass and some with the corn -just cut, no trees and not even a hedge, only a long way ahead a high -road with telegraph posts, and beyond that again the railway running -north. So we made ready for the end. Jack came down from the ring, the -captain took the end of the valve rope ready to pull, I was placed in -the centre with orders to stand with my knees bent, to hold on fast to -a rope on each side, and to prepare for a big bump. Nearer and nearer -the earth we swooped, and as we bore down we could perceive that the -wind we had been perfectly unconscious of above, and which we fondly -hoped had abated, was blowing as stiffly as ever, and sweeping over -the open plain fresh and strong. - -We left a young plantation behind us, just shaved a patch of growing -wheat, and then hovered over a field where the corn was reaped, and -the sheaves, piled in shocks, stretched in neat rows to the high road -far ahead. It was the very spot. - -"Now!" cried our aeronaut, as he tugged the valve rope with all his -force and held it taut. Over went the anchor, and instantly the earth -made a sudden violent rush upwards and hit the car with a stunning -crash that shook every bone in one's body. We actually landed on -a corn shock, scattering the sheaves right and left, and the great -floundering balloon pulled us over flat on one side, so that for a -moment the wheat ears brushed our faces as we lay, all in a heap, -holding on with might and main, till in a moment we lifted again. - -[Illustration: HERTFORDSHIRE WOODS AS SEEN FROM A BALLOON.] - -But then an untoward event occurred. Under ordinary circumstances, the -many-pronged anchor, let fall from a height, buries itself deeply in -the ground, and thus moored, after two or three rebounds, the -balloon subsides. But no rain had fallen for many a day, and in that -iron-baked soil the grapnel hooks could penetrate scarce half an inch. -The balloon rose, plunging and straining, and in a moment the wind -had caught the fast emptying silk and carried it madly forward, the -useless anchor dragging vainly along the impenetrable ground, and -the unfortunate car, all on its side, bumping, banging, leaping, and -tearing in its wake. Along we trailed, the wind flapping and roaring -in the silk, every stick in the wicker basket creaking and straining -as it skipped and bounded from one corn shock to another, while its -four inhabitants, bruised and breathless, gripped the sides, set their -teeth, and wondered what was coming next. - -We could do nothing but hold on for dear life and hope for the best, -and all the while the telegraph posts and wires drew nearer and -nearer. - -In the end those telegraph wires proved our salvation. Only a field -beyond them ran the Great Northern, and to have caught our anchor in -its boundary fence and fallen on the rails, as we assuredly might have -done, would have been a far from pleasant or safe proceeding. As it -was, the tight wires caught the netting, so that the great silk bag -fell over one side while the car remained the other, and although -the dying monster struggled hard, aided by the sweeping wind, to rise -again, it had not life enough, so fast its vital force was ebbing, to -lift us above the obstacle. - -Then, as we lay heaving and straining yet with every gust, came shouts -and hurrying feet, and half a dozen lusty harvesters, panting and -excited, tore down to the rescue, and brawny sunburnt arms took tight -hold on the ropes, and red jovial faces peered over the side of the -basket on the four storm-tossed voyagers within. And by the time we -had all scrambled out on to the grass, glad to stretch our limbs -and find that none were broken, the whole countryside was alive -and rushing up, on foot, on horseback, on bicycles, in carts and -carriages, to where the huge balloon lay prostrate in the road, -blocking the way and quivering yet in its mortal throes. - -All was interest and excitement--no, not all. Within ten yards of our -resting place browsed placidly an apathetic donkey. When the gaudy, -flapping, unknown giant fell down from the heavens at his very hoofs, -this intelligent animal went on grazing. The idea that something -unusual was occurring presently penetrated his asinine brain, and he -raised his head and looked. Half an hour later, when the balloon -was packed up and loaded on the cart that took it to the station, he -raised his tail also and brayed long and loud. He was beginning to be -astonished at last! - -We quickly learnt that we had fallen between Ashwell and Baldock on -the borders of the shires of Hertford and Cambridge, and soon we had -proof of the proverbial hospitality of the Cambridgeshire folk. - -One word in extenuation of my photographs taken from the balloon. -Balloon pictures are very often apt to be hazy on account of the -diffusion of light from the particles of matter in suspension, when -viewed from above, and mine were taken late in the day on an occasion -when weeks of drought had heavily laden the air with dust and -impurities. The rapid motion of the balloon, moreover, forbade -anything but snapshot exposures being attempted. - - - - -THE EDITOR'S ESCAPADE. - -THE STORY OF A MAN AND A MANUSCRIPT. - -BY ARCHIBALD EYRE. - - -[Illustration] - -One sometimes wonders what becomes of those meteoric young men -who flash through University firmaments trailing behind them an -accumulating tail of honours and other academic distinctions. Do -they continue to dazzle onlookers throughout their career, or do they -"fizzle out" at an early age? - -If the fates had been less kind, it is conceivable that Hubert Didcott -might have "fizzled out." That he did not do so may have been due to -a piece of luck. While the laurels that crowned his brows were still -freshly green, he met a very respectable middle-aged gentleman, -who had made an enormous fortune and was turning his attention to -literature. - -He had recently purchased the _Didactic Weekly_ from the eminent firm -of Sholman and Company, publishers, and was understood to be looking -out for an editor. Someone introduced him to Hubert Didcott, and they -came to terms. - -While the new editor and the recent proprietor were gaining experience -in lines entirely novel, the position of the paper was parlous in the -extreme. The circulation sank to so low an ebb that it was only by a -generous courtesy that it could be considered to have a circulation at -all. - -But when things were at their worst, they began to mend. Hubert -Didcott settled himself firmly in his editorial chair, used the -intelligence which survived his education, and, shaking himself free -from academic trammels, began to grope for the heart of the public. -In the end, he found it. When ten years had elapsed, the _Didactic -Weekly_ had made for itself a distinct position. - -One day, while Didcott sat at his desk, Mr. William Winder, M.P., the -proprietor, was announced. - -"Good morning, good morning," he began, with great cordiality. - -Didcott responded politely. - -"Things all right?" - -The editor nodded. "Quite a rush for our last number," he said, -thawing as he always did when alluding to a success of his beloved -paper. "The Bishop of Brighton's article on 'Reunion' has made quite a -stir in some circles." - -"So I've heard," replied Mr. Winder. "The Prime Minister spoke to me -about it. I hadn't read it. Of course," he smiled genially, "I didn't -say so." - -"The Prime Minister?" echoed the editor. "I wonder if----" - -"I asked him," replied Mr. Winder, promptly. "But he couldn't. Too -busy. Besides his public works, he's bringing out a new edition of -Homer, or the Psalms, or something. He talked to me about it." He -smiled again. "I hope he thought my silence betokened intelligence. It -didn't." - -The editor smiled. "How goes the political world?" - -Mr. Winder leant back in his chair. His face assumed an expression -of mysterious significance. "The New Year's Honours, I'm told----" he -whispered. - -Didcott nodded with intelligence; he was aware of Mr. Winder's -aspirations. There was a pause while Mr. Winder indulged in silent and -pleased anticipations of what the New Year might bring. Very shortly, -the pleased look died away; he straightened himself. - -"Oh, I say," he said, "I came to speak to you about something. I am -afraid you'll think it a great nuisance." - -"What is it?" - -"Have you fixed on your serial for the New Year?" - -"No," replied Didcott, surprised. "I want to get to Meredith's new -story, but I haven't done anything yet." - -There was a distinct look of worry on the old man's face. - -"Didcott, my boy," he said, with an almost beseeching air, "don't be -angry with me. I did what I could. I couldn't help it." - -"Why, what's the matter?" - -"I have a daughter," Mr. Winder went on, a little brokenly. "You know -that?" - -"Yes, I know," replied Didcott. "But what of that? She's at school, -isn't she?" - -Mr. Winder shook his head. "No, she's finished. She's home for good." - -"That must be very pleasant for you," said Didcott, politely. - -"Very nice indeed." Mr. Winder produced his handkerchief, and mopped -his brow. "I simply have to do what she tells me. You've no idea. -I----" He stopped short, and looked everywhere save at the editor's -face. - -"Well?" Didcott leant back and smiled encouragingly. He guessed that -Mr. Winder was going to confide some domestic incident to his keeping. - -"She's nineteen, and quite grown up. And the way she has of getting -round me! I can't resist her, the puss!" A smile of mingled vexation -and pride played about the father's lips. "You see, she has no mother; -so she gets her own way." - -"You are quite right to let her have her own way," answered Didcott. -"That's the only way to manage a woman." - -Mr. Winder brightened. "You think so? You understand? I'm glad, -Didcott. It makes it easier for me." - -"Makes what easier?" - -Mr. Winder sighed. "I do hope you won't mind." He glanced hastily at -his companion and then away, and for a few moments an uneasy silence -prevailed. - -"You want to tell me that----" began Didcott, to help him. - -"Would you mind telling someone to bring in the parcel the footman has -left in the outer office?" - -Slightly amused, Didcott touched the bell, and gave the needful -directions. A minute later the boy brought in a bulky brown paper -parcel. - -When the door was closed Mr. Winder drew his chair close to Didcott's. - -"It's a novel; she's written it," he whispered, eyeing his companion -eagerly. - -Didcott laughed. "Is that all? There's nothing in that. All girls do -so sooner or later. It comes as surely as the measles. I expect you -want me to read it. I will do so with pleasure." - -"She wants it published," said Mr. Winder, forlornly. - -"And why not? It won't cost much. And--and she needn't put her real -name." - -Mr. Winder sighed again. "I've promised that it shall be published. I -couldn't help it----" - -"And why not?" - -"In the _Didactic Weekly_." - -"What!" cried the editor, leaping from his chair. - -"Now, don't take on, my dear fellow. I did what I could. But she has -such ways, and she was so keen on it, and--and she kept worrying, -and----" - -"It's out of the question," said the editor, with clenched teeth. -"Quite absurd." - -"I'm afraid it'll have to be. I've given my word, and I can't back -out." - -Didcott stood frowning and biting his lips. "You must see it is -impossible," he said at length. - -"I do see that," said the old man, humbly, "but I don't see any way -out of it. I've given my word, and I must stick to it. Now, Didcott," -he went on, "I beg of you not to be angry. It may not be so _very_ -bad. It may be quite good; after all, one never knows." - -"Why doesn't she get it published in volume form?" - -"The publishers have all declined it." - -Didcott groaned. "But if you paid for the cost of production?" - -"I offered that. All the good firms decline it even on those -terms, and she won't go to a second-rate house. She was so cut up, -and--and--hang it, she's my only child." - -Didcott rose. "Very well, I'll look through it and see what it is -like. We will talk over the matter again." - -The old man rose and held out his hand. - -"Don't be angry, my boy," he said. "I know it's a great nuisance, -but--but very few people read serial stories. I daresay it will pass -unnoticed. Good-bye." - -"Good-bye," repeated the editor, mechanically. When Mr. Winder had -gone, he took up a knife and cut the string of the bulky package. -Taking out the manuscript, he began to read. - -Half an hour later, he stumbled down the office stairs with the -face of a demon and lips that moved without speaking. The office boy -trembled as he passed. - - -II. - -For a week the manuscript, roughly wrapped up in its original covering -of brown paper, lay undisturbed on the editor's table. Sometimes his -eyes dwelt on it with concentrated hatred, but he never touched it. -He went on with his work as if it did not exist, but he was never -unconscious of its presence. - -At last he told himself that he had come to a decision. He would -exhaust every method to prevent its publication in the _Didactic -Weekly_. If necessary, he would appeal personally to Miss Winder--on -his knees, if that would help matters. If all was in vain, he would -resign. - -Resign! The very thought gave him indescribable pangs. - -"It hasn't come to that yet," he said. "I must exhaust all -possibilities first." He shook his fist at the manuscript novel. "I -wish it were at the bottom of the sea." - -A day or two later he received a note from Mr. Winder, inviting him to -dine the following evening. "I have told my daughter," the letter ran, -"that you have been reading her novel, and she is most anxious to know -your opinion. She wonders whether you would mind bringing the MS., -so that she may go through it with you, with a view, no doubt, of -pointing out certain beauties you may have missed." - -"This is my opportunity," said Didcott, grimly, "and I will take -advantage of it." - -The next day he presented himself at the house, with the manuscript -under his arm. Leaving it in the care of a servant, he was shown into -the drawing-room. Mr. Winder came forward hastily as he entered. - -"My dear fellow," he said, rather nervously, "how good of you to come -at such short notice. I don't think you have met my daughter. Elsie, -this is Mr. Didcott." - -Didcott bowed. He glanced at the girl before him. - -"No, we haven't met before," he answered, and took the hand she -proffered. - -[Illustration: "'WHAT!' CRIED THE EDITOR, LEAPING FROM HIS CHAIR."] - -"I have often heard of you," said Miss Winder. She was a pretty girl, -fresh as a flower, and frank and ready in her manner. "Father is -always talking of you. I daresay you've heard of me." - -"Oh, yes," replied Didcott, a abruptly; "I've heard of you." - -[Illustration: "'I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE MET MY DAUGHTER--ELSIE.'"] - -"I think dinner is ready," interposed Mr. Winder, hastily. He moved to -the door, and the pair followed him. - -"You're not quite what I expected," observed Miss Winder, frankly, as -they made their way downstairs. "I thought you would be older." - -"I am sorry." - -"I am so glad you liked my book." - -Didcott was taken aback. - -"Who told you that?" he asked, endeavouring to impart an air of -archness to the query. - -"Father said so. I was so pleased." Something in Didcott's manner -struck her, for she asked a little sharply, "You do like it, don't -you?" - -Didcott blinked. - -"I have never read anything like it before," he answered. - -"It is original," she admitted. "And isn't the hero lovely?" - -"The hero?" - -"Yes, Rupert Vavasour. 'Tall and pale, with eyes that flash.'" - -"Oh, ah! Yes, indeed, he is lovely. He falls in love with--er--the -heroine." - -"Not at first. Afterwards. When they meet upon the lake. Isn't that a -beautiful scene? I wept like anything when I wrote it." - -"I felt the same way when I read it," Didcott murmured. - -"Did you really?" cried Miss Winder, delightedly. "How charming of -you. Father, Mr. Didcott likes my book tremendously." - -The old man beamed with pleasure. - -"Really, my boy?--not really?" he asked. - -Didcott struggled to free himself from his embarrassment. - -"I----" he began. - -"I don't think, papa, that you should suggest Mr. Didcott is not -sincere," said Miss Winder, with dignity. "I have a better opinion of -him than that." She smiled with great sweetness on the young man. "You -do really like it, don't you, Mr. Didcott?" - -"Of course I like it," replied the unhappy young man. - -What else could he say? - -Throughout dinner nothing was talked of save the merits of the novel. -Before long Didcott found he had committed himself to the opinion that -it rivalled George Eliot at her best. - -"I never did see much in George Eliot," remarked the fair authoress, -modestly. "If you had said Marie Corelli----" - -And of course the young man said Marie Corelli. He would have said -Shakespeare before the dinner was over. Given a charming profile, -an excellent dinner, and '84 champagne, what else could have been -expected? - -When the young lady returned to the drawing-room, leaving the two men -to their cigars, Mr. Winder leant over to him confidentially. "Do you -really think," he asked, almost wistfully, "that my little girl's book -is as good as you say?" - -Didcott did not meet his eye. He puffed out a volume of smoke as if he -would have hidden himself in its cloud. - -The old man sighed. - -"You did it out of kindness, Didcott, my boy. It was good of you." - -The young man felt his conscience prick him. He had not acted from -kindness, but from weakness. The sad look on the father's face touched -him. - -"Mr. Winder," he said, acting on a sudden impulse, "the book is -excellent." - -Very soon they joined Miss Winder. The rest of the evening was spent -by the authoress in reading aloud extracts from her immortal work. But -Didcott did not listen; he found sufficient occupation in watching the -varying expressions on the girl's face. - -At a late hour he rose reluctantly to go. When the front door closed -on him, and he had climbed into a cab, the manuscript on the seat -beside him, he realised suddenly how hopeless his case had become. -How could he make a stand against the publication of the novel without -exposing himself to the scorn of the young lady, and writing himself -down an arrant hypocrite in her eyes and in the eyes of the father? He -had committed himself beyond redemption. - -Suddenly a thought struck him. Suppose the MS. was lost! Suppose he -left it in the cab! He remembered there was no name on the parcel. At -the impulse of the moment, without stopping to consider the futility -of the project, or the objection to it on a moral score, he shouted -to the cab to stop, and almost before it had come to a stand he was in -the road. Just opposite were the Houses of Parliament. Thrusting -some silver into the man's hand, he set off at a rapid pace across -Westminster Bridge. There were few passers-by, and after a minute -or two of rapid walking he broke into a run. The stony stare of a -solitary policeman caused him to adopt a meditative saunter. - -As he walked on, he looked out for another cab. At length he heard -wheels behind him and turned joyfully. Alas! it was the cab he had -just relinquished. - -"Hi, sir!" shouted the man, "You've left a parcel be'ind you." - -For a moment Didcott stood paralysed. "No, I didn't," he said, at -length. - -"What!" said the cabman. - -"It isn't mine," said Didcott, faintly. - -[Illustration: "HE SPRANG ON THE STEP AND DRAGGED FORTH THE PACKAGE."] - -"Why," said the cabman, astonished, "I saw the blooming servant hand -it in to you." - -Didcott shook his head. "I don't know anything about it," he replied. - -The policeman who had witnessed his haste had approached, and stood a -silent spectator. - -[Illustration: "HE FLUNG THE PARCEL CONTAINING THE MS. OVER -WESTMINSTER BRIDGE."] - -"You'd better take it to Scotland Yard," he observed at this point. - -"Why, I knows it's 'is," said the cabman, aggrievedly. - -"The gen'lman says it ain't," responded the policeman, judicially. - -"Rats!" returned the cabman, plethorically. - -Didcott stood miserably silent; he had got beyond his depth, and the -conviction that his behaviour was asinine was growing more acute. - -"I'll take it to the Yard," said the cabman, disgustedly, "and then -I'll call at the 'ouse I picked 'im up at, and tell them." - -"Oh, my goodness!" ejaculated Didcott, overwhelmed at the thought. The -cabman and the policeman bent frowning brows on him. - -"Beg pardon, sir," said the policeman, politely. - -Didcott laughed in a strained and unnatural manner. "Ha, ha! So stupid -of me! I had forgotten. It does belong to me." - -The eyebrows of the other two ascended to the altitudes. - -"I'll get it," said Didcott, blithely. - -He sprang on to the step, and dragged forth the package. "So much -obliged to you. Thank you very much." He tucked the parcel under his -arm. "Good-bye." - -He turned and hastened along the bridge southwards, leaving the -policeman and the cabman regarding him with doubtful eyes. He crossed -the bridge, and wandered about in the streets on the Surrey side for -nearly an hour before he ventured to retrace his steps. - -As he walked back over the bridge, he felt the parcel heavy in his -hands. Could he not get rid of it for good and all? Why not drop it -over the bridge? No one was in sight. He leant over and looked at the -dark waters. Everything was quiet. In an instant, making up his mind, -he flung the parcel into the silent river. He heard the splash that -followed, and with the sound came an overwhelming sense of guilt. - -He turned and hastened homewards, but he had gone only a few yards -when, to his consternation, the same policeman confronted him. - -"I've been watching you," said the constable. - -"Have you?" replied Didcott, vaguely. - -"What's that you've thrown into the water?" - -"Nothing," said Didcott, finding speech with difficulty. - -"Where's that there parcel the cabman gave you?" - -Didcott faltered, and then there came a conviction that at any cost he -must brazen the matter out. - -"I don't know what you mean," he answered, feeling his legs quivering -under him. - -There was a look of supreme disdain on the policeman's face. - -"You'll have to come along of me," he said, briefly. - -Didcott shrank back. "With you? Why?" - -The policeman nodded. "That's all right. Never you mind what for." - -"I haven't done anything wrong," cried Didcott, piteously. At no time -a man of strong nerve, at this crisis he utterly and entirely lost his -head. - -"That there brown parcel----" began the policeman, argumentatively. - -"I don't know anything about it," cried Didcott. "You're mistaking me -for someone else. And--and it was only old clothes and things I didn't -want." - -"You had better explain that to the inspector," said the policeman, -unmoved. "What I says is, that things look a bit fishy." - -"You've no right to make me come with you," cried Didcott, -despairingly. - -"Come along," said the constable. - -Before Didcott's mind rose a vision of police-court proceedings and -newspaper paragraphs; but above all, and dwarfing everything, he -seemed to see Miss Winder's scornful face. He eyed the constable, -noticing that he was stout and unwieldy of build. The bridge lay -silent on either side. In a moment Didcott made up his mind. Darting -past the policeman, he ran headlong towards Westminster. He ran as he -had never run before. The policeman started in pursuit, but gave up -the chase as hopeless after a few yards; he stopped, and Didcott heard -the blast of his whistle shrilling in his rear. - -Like a hunted hare Didcott flashed past the Houses of Parliament, -standing in grim and disapproving majesty. To his heated imagination -hundreds of policemen seemed to start from the shadows and join in the -pursuit. Certainly one made an effort to stop him, but Didcott dodged, -and then easily distanced him. Then rushing blindly along, Didcott -cannoned into another, with the result that the constable was toppled -over, and Didcott, skipping over his prostrate form, continued his -headlong flight. He managed to reach Victoria Street, more by luck -than by any consciousness of direction, and down its electric-lit -length he fled. In the distance he believed he heard the roar of -pursuit. - -Luckily he met no more policemen, and the few passers by made no -effort to impede his progress. He ran straight, in panic-stricken -haste. - -To his horror, he found he had entered a blind alley. To retrace his -steps seemed hopeless. He gave himself up for lost, when he noticed a -little gate cut in the double doors of a work yard standing slightly -ajar. He dashed through, and lay on the ground panting. He lay, he -knew not how long, in a state of semi-consciousness. - -At last, when the faint approach of dawn had begun to lighten the sky, -he stole forth and, like a hunted thief, glided homewards to his flat. - -[Illustration: "HE CANNONED INTO A POLICEMAN AND TOPPLED HIM OVER, BUT -CONTINUED HIS HEADLONG FLIGHT."] - - -III. - -When Didcott woke the next morning he was at first unable to convince -himself that his previous night's experience was not merely a bad -dream. Then he was lost in astonishment that he could have behaved so -idiotically. - -He started for Fleet Street at the usual time, but to his disgust -found himself blenching before every policeman. Always impulsive, he -darted into a barber's shop, and emerged with a beardless face. After -this, he was able to confront the world with eyes that did not shift -uneasily. - -During the course of the day, he wrote a letter to Miss Winder, -telling her he had been unfortunate enough to leave her priceless -manuscript in a hansom cab, but that he had no doubt of eventually -recovering it. - -The immediate effect of his note was to bring Miss Winder pale with -consternation to his office. - -[Illustration: "'OH, MR. DIDCOTT,' SAID MISS WINDER, 'HAVE YOU FOUND -MY NOVEL YET?'"] - -"Oh, Mr. Didcott," she cried, as she entered breathlessly, "have you -found it yet?" - -"Not yet, Miss Winder. There has been no time." - -"How could you have been so--so careless?" - -It had not struck him before that his imagined tale left him culpable. -In a moment he rent the air with his lamentation. - -"Can you ever forgive me my shameful carelessness?" he wound up. -"But even if you do, it will matter little, for I can never forgive -myself." - -She softened at once. "You mustn't blame yourself, Mr. Didcott," she -observed, earnestly. "It is an accident that might have happened to -anyone." - -He took her hand, and pressed it tenderly. "How good you are to me!" -he said, brokenly. - -She blushed and withdrew her hand hastily, and then felt a little -sorry she had done so. - -During the following weeks nothing was heard of the unfortunate -manuscript. Didcott was always at Mr. Winder's house consulting with -the daughter and devising schemes for the recovery of her novel. - -Each day brought with it an increase of intimacy. The novel was still -the ostensible cause of his visits, but as a subject for conversation -it had begun to show a tendency to diminish in value. Something more -purely personal commenced to take its place. - -One day, about a month after the episode that has been related, -Didcott and Miss Winder sat together in the latter's boudoir, chatting -confidentially. - -"I have been wondering whether I ought to write another book," -observed Miss Winder, meditatively. - -"I should not if I were you," replied Didcott, with considerable -emphasis. - -"Why?" - -"I don't deny it would be a great book," said Didcott, diplomatically, -"but somehow I don't want you to be a literary woman." - -Miss Winder smiled a little to herself. - -"Why not, Mr. Didcott?" she asked, coyly. - -"Oh, I don't know." Then he looked at her. "You were never meant for -literary work." - -"What!" - -"I mean, judging from your appearance," he explained hastily. -"Literary ladies are seldom attractive. Their shoulders have an ugly -stoop, and they always wear glasses. Oh, no, you mustn't go in for -literature." - -She smiled tolerantly. - -"There is something in what you say--literary women do dress anyhow; -but I should like to write just one more book." - -He went on hurriedly-- - -"No sensible man would ever marry a literary woman, however much he -cared for her. If a friend of mine was going to marry a lady novelist, -I would at once go out and buy him a millstone--yes, and I could fix -it for him. It would be an obvious duty." - -"Oh, Mr. Didcott!" exclaimed this very young lady, impressed, "are -they as bad as all that?" - -He nodded darkly. - -"But, Mr. Didcott, if a woman has genius----" - -He glanced up. - -"Take your case, Miss Winder. You have genius. Go on, and you may -become a famous novelist. On the other hand, you may marry, and live -happily ever afterwards; but you cannot do both." - -"I think," Miss Winder observed, ingenuously, "that I shall not write -any more." - -He pressed her hand. - -"Elsie," he began, passionately, "there is something I want to ask -you. Oh! Elsie----" - -And then the door opened, and the maid came in to say that a man -wished to speak to Miss Winder. - -"What man--what about?" asked Miss Winder, sharply; for the -interruption had come at an inopportune moment. - -"About some advertisement, miss." - -"Oh, yes, I know. Show him in." She turned to Didcott. "It's about my -novel--news at last, evidently." - -"News?" - -"Yes. I forgot to tell you that I put an advertisement in the _Times_ -and the _Morning Post_. It only appeared this morning, and here is -somebody already." - -Didcott felt a faintness steal over him. "What did you say in the -advertisement?" he asked. - -"Oh, I simply said that on such and such a date, and at such and -such a time, a parcel was left in a cab, and I asked anyone who knew -anything about it to call here." - -"I will leave you to interview this man," said Didcott. "I shall only -be in the way." - -"Oh, no, no," she cried; "it is so lucky you are here." - -[Illustration: "THE DOOR OPENED, AND DIDCOTT RECOGNISED THE FORM OF -THE POLICEMAN FROM WHOM HE HAD ESCAPED."] - -Just then the door opened, and with a sinking heart Didcott recognised -the short stout form of the policeman from whom he had escaped. -He shrank back in his seat and uttered a fervent prayer for -non-recognition. - -"I saw your advertisement, miss," began the policeman, "and I thought -as how I might give you some information." - -"Thank you," replied Miss Winder. "And do you really think you know -where the parcel is?" - -The policeman pursed his lips. "I know where a parcel is. But p'raps -it ain't the same." - -"Oh, it must be the same. Have you got it with you?" - -"Did the parcel contain valuables?" - -"No--yes. Yes, very valuable contents." - -"I thought so," said the policeman. - -"Where is it?" repeated Miss Winder, impatiently. - -The policeman shook his head. "It was like this, miss," he went on. -"I was on Westminster Bridge one night, and I sees a gentleman running -very quick and nervous like." - -"A gentleman?" queried Miss Winder. - -"In evening dress. Quite the toff. So I turns and follows him." - -"Did he have the parcel?" - -"No, miss. Suddenly a cab drives along the bridge, and the cabman -hollers out to the gentleman as how he has left a parcel in the cab. -The gen'leman was took aback, and said as how it wasn't his. So the -cabman said he'd drive round to where he had picked up his fare and -inquire----" - -"Yes," said the girl. - -"At that the gentleman turns quite white, and says it is his parcel. -He hops into the cab, picks up the parcel, and is off before you could -say 'Jack Robinson.'" - -"You shouldn't have let this strange man take my parcel," said Miss -Winder, excitedly. - -"I didn't know as how it was yours," said the policeman, "but being -suspicious like, I hangs about the bridge, and presently I sees the -gen'leman come creeping back, and then he chucks the parcel over the -bridge." - -"Oh, oh!" cried the girl. "Into the water?" - -"Yes, 'm." - -"Who was this man? Mr. Didcott, who could this man have been?" - -"I don't know," muttered Didcott, painfully conscious that the -policeman's heavy eyes were on his face. "Probably it was a different -parcel altogether." - -"What was the man like," demanded Miss Winder. - -"Beg pardon, lady, but he was very much like this here gentleman." - -"What!" cried Miss Winder. - -"Don't listen to such rubbish," exclaimed Didcott, rising. "Constable, -how dare you talk such nonsense?" He stood trembling, with beads of -perspiration starting on his forehead. - -"The gen'leman had a beard," observed the policeman, impartially. - -"You had a beard then, don't you remember?" said Miss Winder, -mystified. "How very strange!" - -"I am quite sure now as how it was this gen'leman," remarked the -constable, imperturbably. - -The girl turned on Didcott. Thought after thought chased each other in -succession through her brain. - -"Did you throw my story into the water?" she asked, in a low voice. - -"Yes," said Didcott, and felt relieved. For the first time he dared to -meet the policeman's gaze. "Send this man away, and I'll tell you -the whole thing." He felt in his waistcoat pocket and drew out a -sovereign. "Here, take this and get out." - -The policeman took the coin, and stood doubtfully with it between his -finger and thumb. - -"Yes, please go," said Miss Winder, faintly. - -"Shall I wait outside, mum?" - -"Confound you, no," shouted Didcott. "Go right away." - -"Right away," echoed Miss Winder. - -The constable turned and left the room, not dissatisfied with the -results of his interview. When the door had closed on him, Didcott -turned to Miss Winder. - -"What will you think of me? What can you think of me? Of course you -will never speak to me again." - -"I--I don't understand. Why ever did you throw my story into the -water?" - -Didcott groaned. "I would to heaven I had thrown myself. How I could -have done so monstrous a thing, I can't understand." - -"But why? You must have had some kind of reason," persisted the young -lady. - -"Your father insisted that it should be published in the _Didactic -Weekly_, and it seemed the only way to get rid of it," blurted out -Didcott. - -Miss Winder drew back a pace. "But you liked it. You said it reminded -you of George Eliot at her best. You said it was a work of genius." - -"It wasn't!" replied Didcott, briefly. - -"What!" cried Miss Winder, her voice raised an octave. - -"It was pure drivel," said Didcott, firmly. - -Miss Winder sat down suddenly, and began to cry. - -Didcott struck his forehead. "I am a brute!" he cried. "I am still a -brute." He went on his knees and implored her to smile. - -"You pretended you liked it," sobbed the girl. - -"I know I did. I was a hypocrite; and now I am being punished." - -"You have been laughing at me, all this time," said Miss Winder, -wiping her eyes, and becoming dignified. - -"No, no. Understand how I was situated. I have worked for years for -the _Didactic Weekly_. My life's work is in it. I have struggled for -it and brought it to success; it is part of my life. And then I was -told I must publish your story. It would have made me the laughing -stock of the journalistic world. It would have damaged if not ruined -my paper. I couldn't bear it. I----" - -"You might have told me this," said Miss Winder, proudly. "I should -have accepted your opinion. I have sense enough not to insist on -publishing what is not fit for publication. Why could you not have -treated me like a reasonable being?" - -"I wanted to," said Didcott, still on his knees. "I came here to -do so, but couldn't. I didn't like to disappoint you. I hadn't the -heart." - -"It was your duty to do so." - -"Ah, I am only a man, and you are a beautiful woman. I was weak." - -"Oh," said the lady, and pondered. A pause intervened. "Get up, Mr. -Didcott," she said at length. "You do look rather ridiculous on the -carpet." - -Didcott rose. "I will go away, and you need never see me again. I will -resign my editorship at once." He moved towards the door. - -"Oh, no," she cried. - -He turned. - -She came towards him. "Don't you see, Mr. Didcott," she said, a little -petulantly, "I don't want to be made ridiculous. I have been conceited -and foolish, believing I was a great authoress, when really I have -been writing nonsense. I don't want it to get about." - -"I will tell no one," he said, earnestly. - -"Yes, but----" She was silent a moment. "What I want is that we should -mutually agree to forget the whole of this stupid business." - -"It is a bargain," he answered, eagerly. "We will slam the door on the -past." - -She looked away. "Not on all the past," she murmured, "only the past -that is concerned with my novel." - -[Illustration: "'GET UP, MR. DIDCOTT,' SHE SAID, 'YOU DO LOOK -RIDICULOUS ON THE CARPET.'"] - -"Shall we take up our history from the point where it intervened -to-day?" he queried. - -She made no sign, save that the flush on her cheek deepened. - - - - -[Illustration: REMARKABLE SECRET CHAMBERS.] - -STORIES OF QUEER HIDING PLACES [Linux Libertine Initials?] - -_Written and Illustrated by Allan Fea._ - - -The secret chamber is a favourite item in the properties of the -novelist, but few people are aware how many secret chambers really -exist. They are not quite so numerous as "ghosts," but many of our -country houses still possess these queer hiding places. The majority -of them owe their origin to the religious persecutions of Queen Bess. - -In the mansions of the old Roman Catholic families we often find an -apartment in a secluded part of the house or garret in the roof, named -"the Chapel," where religious rites could be performed with the utmost -privacy; and close handy was usually an artfully contrived hiding -place, not only for the officiating priest to slip into in case of -emergency, but also where the vestments, sacred vessels, and altar -furniture could be put away at a moment's notice. - -It appears that most of the hiding places for priests, called -"Priests' Holes," were invented and constructed by the Jesuit, -Nicholas Owen, a servant of Father Garnet, who devoted the greater -part of his life to constructing these places in the principal -Catholic houses all over England. - -"With incomparable skill," says Father Tanner, writing in the -seventeenth century, "he knew how to conduct priests to a place of -safety along subterranean passages, to hide them between walls and -bury them in impenetrable recesses, and to entangle them in labyrinths -of a thousand windings. - -[Illustration: - - CAPTAIN ARTHUR JONES WAS HARDLY CONCEALED IN THE SECRET - CHAMBER AT CHASTLETON, WHEN THE ENEMY ARRIVED TO SEARCH THE - HOUSE. -] - -"He alone was both their architect and their builder, working at them -with inexhaustible industry and labour; for generally the thickest -walls had to be broken into, and large stones excavated, requiring -stronger arms than were attached to a body so diminutive as to give -him the nickname of 'Little John'; and by this his skill many priests -were preserved from becoming the prey of the persecutors." - -[Illustration: SWINGING SHELVES IN A CUPBOARD AT ABBOTS SALFORD -OPENING INTO A SECRET RECESS. - -The shelves closed.] - -After the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot, "Little John" and his -master Father Garnet were arrested at Hindlip Hall, Worcestershire, -from information given to the Government by Catesby's servant, Bates. - -[Illustration: PRIEST'S HOLE AT BOSCOBEL HOUSE USED BY CHARLES II.] - -The grey old Jacobean mansion, Chastleton, preserves in its -oak-panelled hall the sword and portrait of the gallant Cavalier, -Captain Arthur Jones, who, narrowly escaping from the battlefield, -rode home with all speed with some of Cromwell's soldiers at his -heels, and his wife, a lady of great courage, had scarcely concealed -him in the secret chamber, when the enemy arrived to search the house. - -[Illustration: The shelves open.] - -Little daunted, the lady, with great presence of mind, made no -objection whatever--indeed, facilitated their operations by personally -conducting them over the mansion. Here, as in so many other instances, -the secret room was entered from the principal bedroom, and in -inspecting the latter the suspicion of the Roundheads was in some way -or other aroused. So here they determined to remain for the rest of -the night. - -An ample supper and a good store of wine (which, by the way, had been -carefully drugged) was sent up to the unwelcome visitors, and in due -course the drink effected its purpose, and its victims dropped off one -by one until the whole party lay like logs upon the floor. - -Mrs. Arthur Jones then crept in, having even to step over the bodies -of the inanimate Roundheads, released her husband, and, a fresh horse -being in readiness, by the time the effects of the wine had worn off, -the Royalist captain was far beyond their reach. The secret room is -situated in the front of the building, and has now been converted into -a very cosy little dressing-room, preserving its panelled wainscoting, -and but little altered, with the exception of the entry to it, which -is now by an ordinary door. - -The above tradition has been provided by Miss Whitmore Jones, the -present representative of the family. - -Abbots Salford, another fine old mansion, has its chapel and resident -priest for the services still held there. - -In a dark passage up in the garrets is the priest's hole, as -ingeniously concealed and intact as it was three centuries ago. -By removing a wooden peg from a particular shelf in the most -innocent-looking of cupboards, the whole back of it, oak shelves and -all, swings backwards into a large and dismal recess four feet in -depth. This ingenious swing door may be fastened on the inside by a -stout wooden bolt provided for that purpose. - -[Illustration: SECRET CHAMBER UNDER A ROOM IN MOSELEY HALL--ALSO USED -BY CHARLES II.] - -When the Civil War was raging, many a defeated Royalist owed his -preservation to the priests' holes and secret chambers of the old -Catholic houses all over the country. Did not King Charles II. himself -owe his life to the artful hiding-places of Boscobel, Moseley, Trent, -and Heale? - -After the defeat of Wigan the gallant Earl of Derby sought refuge -at Boscobel, and after a sojourn of two days proceeded to Gatacre -Park--now rebuilt, but also famous for its hiding holes--where he -was concealed by a Mr. Humphrey Elliot. When the day was lost on the -disastrous 3rd of September, the Earl suggesting his recent place -of concealment and the loyalty of the Penderels, Boscobel House was -decided upon as the safest place for the King in his dire extremity. -"I chose to trust them," says King Charles, "because I knew they had -hiding holes for priests that I thought I might make use of in case of -need." - -A door now occupies the position of the sliding panel in the -wainscoting of "the squire's bedroom," behind which one of the hiding -places is situated. In the floor a trap-door can be raised, below -which is a recess some five feet square, and this communicated by a -narrow flight of steps in the great chimney to an outlet screened by -creepers, leading to the garden. - -The other hiding place is entered from the floor above through a small -square hole at the top of a staircase leading to what is known as "the -gallery"--a large attic from the windows of which Charles II. could -get a good view of the surrounding country, and where he could take -some exercise and stretch his limbs after the narrow confinement of -his uncomfortable sleeping quarters. The hiding place in the garret is -five feet two inches in depth and 3-1/4 by 4-1/2 feet wide. - -[Illustration: SECRET CHAMBER UNDER A WINDOW SEAT AT PARHAM HALL.] - -The priest's hole at Moseley Hall, whither His Majesty removed when he -left Boscobel, is situated at the back of a large brewhouse chimney, -and is entered through a trap-door in the floor of a small room or -closet adjoining the apartment which was occupied by the fugitive -King. His narrow escape when the house was visited by Southall, the -notorious priest-catcher, has thus graphically been described by -Charles' host, Mr. Thomas Whitgreave:-- - -"In the afternoon, reposing himself on his bed in the parlour chamber, -and inclining to sleep, as I was watching at the window, one of the -neighbours I saw came running in, who told the maid soldiers were -coming to search, who therefore presentlie came running to the -staires' head and cried, 'Soldiers! Soldiers are coming!' which His -Majesty hearing, presentlie started out of his bedd, and ran to his -privacie, where I secured him the best I could, and then leaving him, -went forth into the street to meet the soldiers who were comeing to -search; as soon as they saw me and knew who I was, they were readie to -pull mee to pieces, and take me away with them, saying I was come -from the Worcester fight, but after much dispute with them, and by the -neighbours being informed of their false information that I was not -there, being very ill a great while, they let mee goe, but till I saw -them clearly all gone forth of the town, I returned not. But as soon -as they were I returned to release him." - -In a corner of the priest's hole is a low brick seat. The walls are -of brick, and huge oak beams, in one of which we noticed a wooden -pin, about an inch in diameter, that could be easily pulled out by the -fingers. In all likelihood a straw or reed could be passed through -to supply an inmate with liquid food, as we shall see was the case at -Harvington. - -Window seats often contained secret means of ingress to priests' -holes. In the long gallery of Parham Hall, Sussex, not far from "the -chapel," is an example wherein Charles Paget was concealed for some -days after the failure of the Babington Conspiracy. - -[Illustration: THE MOVABLE STAIR AT HARVINGTON HALL, BENEATH WHICH IS -A ROOM FIVE FEET SQUARE.] - -[Illustration: TRAP-DOOR IN ROCHESTER HOUSE, SAID TO HAVE BEEN USED BY -JAMES II.] - -If we visit Harvington Hall in Worcestershire at twilight and ascend -the massive oak staircase, it will require no great stretch of the -imagination to people it with "pursuivants" hunting for their prey; -or if we climb to the top landing, to conjure up an indistinct form -stealthily removing the floorboard from one of the stairs and creeping -beneath it. - -This particular step of a short flight running from the landing into -the garrets is upon closer inspection indeed movable, and beneath -gapes a dark cavity about five feet square, on the floor of which -still remains the piece of sedge matting whereon a certain Father Wall -reclined a few days prior to his capture and execution in August 1679. - -A small concealed aperture in the wainscoting of the "banqueting-room" -would admit a straw being thrust from the hiding hole, through which -caudles and broths could be sucked up by the unfortunate inmate should -his friends be upon the alert. - -The house of the loyal Sir Richard Head still exists at Rochester, -where King James II. went from Whitehall for the last few days ere -he quitted the country. He departed thence secretly. About twelve at -night he was rowed to a smack which was waiting without the fort at -Sheerness. - -[Illustration: HIDING PLACE IN THE GARRET OF UFTON HALL.] - -There is a secret passage in the upper story communicating with a -trap-door to the floor of one of the garrets; this leads by a private -staircase to the back of the house. Whether King James found it -necessary to make use of the secret passage and trap-door must remain -an open question. - -The curious, many-gabled mansion Ufton Court, Berkshire, both from its -secluded situation and quaint internal construction, appears to have -been peculiarly suitable for the secretion of persecuted priests. - -A remarkable hole is to be seen in one of the gables close to the -ceiling, of which a sketch is given in the heading to this article. -It is triangular in shape, and is opened by a spring bolt that can be -unlatched by pulling a string which runs through a tiny hole pierced -in the framework of the door of the adjoining room. The door of the -hiding place swings upon a pivot, and externally is thickly coated -with plaster, so as to resemble the rest of the wall, and is so solid -that when sounded there is no hollow sound from the cavity behind, -where it is supposed the crucifix and sacred vessels were secreted. - -Not far off, in an upper garret, is a hiding place in the thickness -of the wall large enough to contain a man standing upright. Like -the other, the door or entrance forms part of the plaster wall, -intersected by thick oak beams, into which it exactly fits, disguising -any appearance of an opening. - -Sawston Hall, Cambridgeshire, the fine old mansion of the Huddlestons, -has a remarkable hiding place on the top landing of a quaint spiral -staircase. When one of the floor-boards is raised, a round hole or -tunnel is discovered in the stone masonry slanting into the wall, -where is a space ten or twelve feet deep, and of sufficient breadth to -contain any sized priest, should he succeed in squeezing through -the aforesaid circular entrance, which would not admit a very bulky -person. - -Blocks of oak fixed upon the inside of the floor-board fit exactly -into sockets scooped out of the beams which run at right angles and -support the landing, and unless the movable board be pointed out it is -impossible to detect it, so ingenious is its construction. - -These are but a few of the stories that might be told of these quaint -hiding-places which abound in England and Scotland. Unfortunately the -buildings in which they exist are gradually disappearing. The pictures -and facts here given, however, will bring vividly to mind the romantic -and exciting conditions under which some of our forefathers lived. - -[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO TUNNEL UNDER FLOOR-BOARDS AT SAWSTON HALL.] - - - - -DEAD MEN'S STRANGE WISHES. - -SOME QUEER BURIAL PLACES. - -BY H. G. ARCHER. - - -[Illustration: THIS TOWER ON LEITH HILL CONTAINS ITS BUILDER'S BODY.] - -Strange requests are often made by men when they are dying or in their -wills. And few are stranger than those made concerning their mode of -burial. - -The most extraordinary of all was that made by the celebrated Jeremy -Bentham. The great philanthropist and exponent of the doctrine of -utilitarianism, dying in 1832, left directions that his body should -be dissected, and that the skeleton should be put together, and after -being clothed in his old vestments, should be seated in a sort of -glasshouse on wheels. The first part of the programme was performed -by his faithful disciple, Dr. Southwood Smith, who, in endeavouring -to preserve the head, deprived the face of all expression. Seeing this -would not do for exhibition purposes, Dr. Smith had a model made in -wax by a distinguished French artist, who succeeded in producing a -most admirable likeness. - -The skeleton was then stuffed out to fit Bentham's own clothes, and -the wax likeness fitted to the trunk. This figure was placed seated -on the chair in which he usually sat, with one hand holding the -walking-stick which was his constant companion in life, called by him -(like a dog) "Dapple." The whole was enclosed in a mahogany case with -a glass front, covered by folding doors, and presented to University -College, Gower Street, where it can be seen in the south gallery of -the college museum. Our sketch was made on the spot specially for this -article. - -To those knowing the story the spectacle is certainly a startling -one--to all appearances a living man is seated within the case; while -to those ignorant of the facts the figure seems to be nothing more -than a wax effigy. Mr. Bentham has a whole host of visitors, nearly -all Americans though, many of whom want to take photographs. - -[Illustration: THE STUFFED BODY OF JEREMY BENTHAM IN UNIVERSITY -COLLEGE.] - -Next in point of interest comes the strange request of Anthony -Ettericke, who was an eminent lawyer, and once Recorder of Poole. -Having some cause of offence against the people of Wimborne, in which -town he lived, he declared that he was to be buried in a consecrated -spot, but not above nor below the ground, not in the church nor out of -it. - -To make certain that this was done he got permission to build a coffin -into the wall of Wimborne Minster, so that it is half in the church -and half out, half above the ground and half below it. To do this a -special arch had to be made, and for the repair of this arch and the -coffin Anthony Ettericke gave to the church a sum of 20_s._ from a -farm. To bury him the wall of the church level with the pavement was -opened and the body deposited in the coffin as described. It is of -slate, and is emblazoned with many coats-of-arms. - -There are two dates on it, 1691 and 1703, one over the other, so as to -render both almost unreadable. He was fully convinced that he should -die in 1691, and had his coffin made and that date placed upon it. -But he did not die till 1703, and so the second date was cut over the -first. - -An art gallery seems a queer place in which to bury bodies, and -probably few of the inhabitants of Dulwich are aware that Dulwich -College Picture Gallery contains three bodies--the bodies of the three -people to whom that collection of pictures owes its existence. - -Noll Joseph Desenfans was a native of Douai in France, but settled -in London, first as a teacher of languages. He became possessed of -a valuable picture by Claude, which he sold to George III. for 1,000 -guineas, and so became a picture dealer. - -[Illustration: THE SLATE COFFIN OF A MAN WHO WOULD NOT BE BURIED IN -THE CHURCH NOR OUT OF IT, NOT ABOVE THE GROUND NOR BELOW IT.] - -Then Stanislaus, King of Poland, commissioned him to purchase pictures -to form a National Gallery for Poland, and in this work Desenfans was -helped by his friend Sir Francis Bourgeois, R.A. - -When the Polish King was overthrown, the collection of pictures -came back to Desenfans, and was housed in Sir F. Bourgeois' house in -Charlotte Street, Portland Place, where Desenfans lived. - -On his death Desenfans left his pictures to Bourgeois, and he decided -to hand them over to some public body for the benefit of the public. -Accident directed his attention to Dulwich College, to which he -bequeathed his pictures. - -The bequest was conditional. He wished a mausoleum to be erected in -the gallery where his own remains and those of his friends Mons. -and Mme. Desenfans might repose. The condition was accepted, and our -photograph shows the burial place of these three patrons of the fine -arts. The mausoleum can be entered from the Art Gallery. - -Students of De Quincey will remember his tale of the "clock-case -mummy." This was none other than the embalmed corpse of a Miss -Beswick, which for many years posed as an exhibit in the Manchester -Natural History Museum. When in the flesh, during the middle of the -last century, this lady had been attended medically by a Dr. White, -to whose skill she had owed much alleviation of her sufferings from -chronic neuralgia. Accordingly, she left him a bequest of £25,000, but -with the condition annexed to it that she should be embalmed, and that -once a year Mr. White, accompanied by two witnesses of credit, should -withdraw the veil from her face. To render this easy, Mr. White placed -his benefactor in an ordinary grandfather's clock case, with the usual -glass face. The doctor died in the year 1813, and the greater part of -his museum was divided among the Manchester hospitals and museums, -the mummy finding its way to the old Natural History Museum. When, -however, the contents of this museum were transferred to Owens -College, the authorities had the mummy buried. - -[Illustration: EXTERIOR OF THE TRIPLE GRAVE IN THE DULWICH COLLEGE -PICTURE GALLERY.] - -In 1783, the remains of Margaret, widow of Richard Coosins, of -Parrock, Gravesend, were deposited in Cuxton church, near Rochester. -Under a pyramidal mural monument is a vault with a glass door, covered -with a green silk curtain, with a lock having a key standing inside. -Here, resting upon tressels, is a mahogany coffin with gilt furniture, -the lid of which is not screwed down. This coffin contains the body of -the above lady, attired, so it is said, in a costly dress of scarlet -satin, according to her wish. - -In 1766, Richard Hull, a native of Bristol, bencher of the Inner -Temple, and an ex-member of the Irish Parliament, resided at Leith -Hill Place, Dorking. In that year, having obtained permission of the -lord of the manor, Sir John Evelyn, of Wotton, he erected a tower on -the summit of Leith Hill, both for the benefit of the public and -to form his own cenotaph. Dying on January 18, 1772, his body was -deposited within the east wall of the building, where a tablet of -Portland stone marks the spot. - -The subsequent history of this tower is rather curious. For many years -it remained open to the public, but as this privilege was abused and -the tower became a harbour for smugglers, gypsies, and other lawless -characters, a subscription was raised in 1795 among the gentry in the -locality to make it uninhabitable. The whole of the interior was then -filled up with stones and cement, and remained in this state until a -dozen years ago, when the present holder of the property announced his -intention of reopening it to the public. - -So solid was the cement, however, that it was found impossible -to reopen the old entrance and interior staircase. Accordingly, a -staircase tower was built by the side in order to make it available -for the original purpose. A splendid view is to be obtained from its -commanding situation--on a clear day the sea is even visible--but -few of the holiday folk frequenting it are acquainted with its real -history. - -[Illustration: THIS SUMMER HOUSE IN RUINS HAS BEEN USED FOR NEARLY A -HUNDRED YEARS AS A MAUSOLEUM.] - -Another well-known case of eccentric burial is that of the Rev. -Langton Freeman, of Whilton, Northamptonshire. This gentleman, by his -will, dated September 16, 1783, left the following singular directions -for his interment. Five days after death his body was to be wrapped in -a strong, double winding-sheet, and to be conveyed to a summer-house -in his garden, where it was to be laid in the bed he had slept in -during life. This being carried out, the doors and windows of the -fragile mausoleum were to be locked up and bolted, and the building -planted around with evergreen plants, and fenced off with oak pales, -painted a dark blue colour. - -His wishes were fulfilled to the letter, and only twenty years ago, -when the property, owing to litigation, was without a rightful owner, -and consequently much neglected, it was said that the remains in the -derelict summer-house were plainly visible. The body is still there, -but a large stone slab has been placed over the remains in the -bedstead, as some time ago several vandals forced their way in and -disturbed them. There is now some talk of removing the bones to the -churchyard. - -Before railroads swept away the mail-coaches, the coachmen on the -London and York stage, as they clattered through Stevenage, used to -point out the barn containing within its rafters the body of a farmer -named Trigg. This worthy, who died in 1805, ordered that his remains, -in a leaden coffin, should rest in this curious position for a period -of thirty years. As a considerable sum of money depended upon the -fulfilment of this caprice, the heirs were careful to see that it was -duly carried out. - -[Illustration: CHURCH TOWER AT PINNER WITH A PROJECTING COFFIN.] - -Another and somewhat similar case may be seen in Pinner churchyard at -the present day, where a mausoleum, raised on arches above the ground, -has a stone coffin inserted through it, one end of which--utilised as -a tablet for the inscription--projects through. The story goes that -the descendants of the occupant, a Scotch merchant named Loudoun, who -died in 1804, enjoy a large property so long as it remains in this -position, plainly above ground. There are even gratings at the foot of -the edifice, probably in order to prove that there is no deception. - -Sepulchral vagaries--of far commoner occurrence than might generally -be supposed--vary considerably both in character and degree. Some are -whimsical and fantastical in the extreme; others apparently consist -only in shunning the usual and appointed places of interment, while -the peculiarity of others appears, not in the place, but in the mode -of burial. In the majority of instances where outlandish places have -been chosen for sepulture, the individuals who selected them have been -marked by some peculiarities worthy of observation. - -For instance, Baskerville, the celebrated printer, whose infidel -opinions shocked even the hardened Wilkes, directed that his body -should be buried in a tomb of masonry on the site of an old windmill -in the garden of his Birmingham residence. This direction proceeded -from some curious disbelief in the "Revelation," but his wish was duly -carried out on his death in 1775. - -More extraordinary still is the case of Major Peter Labellere, the -religious fanatic, who, in the year 1800, was interred upon the summit -of Box Hill as follows:--The place appointed to receive his remains -was about ten feet deep, more in the form of a well than a grave. The -coffin was let down and placed on its head, with the feet upright, in -that situation. The eccentric Major was firmly convinced that at the -resurrection the world will be turned topsy-turvy, and he took this -precaution in order that he might then find himself on his feet! - -But queer burials are things of the past. For county councils and -parish councils now prevent these eccentric interments in cellars, -haylofts, and summer-houses. - - - - -OUR MONTHLY GALLERY OF BEAUTIFUL AND INTERESTING PICTURES. - - -[Illustration: ONE OF GREUZE'S MASTERPIECES. - -(Now in the National Gallery.) - -_By permission of the Autotype Co., London_] - -[Illustration: TIME TO GET UP! - -_From the Painting by A. J. Elsley._ - - _By Permission of Venn. Frost and Reed, Bristol, - Publishers of the large Engraving_ -] - -[Illustration: THE SON AND HEIR. - -_From the painting by L. Schmutzler._ - - _By permission of S. Hildesheimer & Co., London and Manchester_ -] - -[Illustration: A PUSHING FAMILY. - -_From the Painting by G. A. Holmes._ - - _By permission of Messrs. Hildesheimer & Co., London and Manchester_ -] - -[Illustration: TURNER'S GREAT WORK: THE FIGHTING TEMERAIRE. - -(Now in the National Gallery.) - - _By Permission of the Autotype Co., London_ -] - -[Illustration: GORDONS AND GREYS TO THE FRONT. - -_From the Painting by Stanley Berkeley._ - - _By Permission of Hildesheimer & Co., London and Manchester_ -] - -[Illustration: THE NE'ER DO WELL'S RETURN. - -_From the Painting by K. Schultheiss._ - - _By Permission of the Berlin Photographic Co._ -] - - -TYPES OF WOMANLY BEAUTY. - -[Illustration: COUNTESS OF ANNESLEY - -_Lafayette, Photo_ - -MISS E. MATTHEWS - -_Bassano, Photo_ - -MISS CLEMENTS - -_Bassano, Photo_] - - - - - THE NEXT NUMBER WILL BE - - The - - Christmas . . . - - Harmsworth. - - - IT WILL BE A - - WONDERFUL SIXPENNYWORTH - - OF - - PICTURES, FACT & FICTION. - - * * * * * - - _ORDER NOW._ - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - - -- - signifies italic text. Some words appear both hyphenated and -unhyphenated. This is as printed in the various articles, by various -authors, or according to the meaning of the text. - -There is some 17th century spelling in this book; there were no -spelling rules in the 17th century. There is also some dialect. - -Line 236: 'oyxgen' corrected to 'oxygen'. - -"Without iron, for instance, the blood could not carry oxygen,..." - -The first part-sentence on page 359 has been removed, and added to the -last part-sentence on page 357, as the sentence had been interrupted -by a page of illustrations. - -Page 371: 'illconception' is as printed. Pepys was writing in the 17th -century. There were no spelling rules until the second half of the -19th century. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Harmsworth Magazine, Vol. 1, -1898-1899, No. 4, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARMSWORTH MAGAZINE, 1898-1899, NO. 4 *** - -***** This file should be named 51207-8.txt or 51207-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/2/0/51207/ - -Produced by Victorian/Edwardian Pictorial Magazines, -Jonathan Ingram, Lesley Halamek and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Harmsworth Magazine, Vol. 1, 1898-1899, No. 4 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: February 13, 2016 [EBook #51207] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARMSWORTH MAGAZINE, 1898-1899, NO. 4 *** - - - - -Produced by Victorian/Edwardian Pictorial Magazines, -Jonathan Ingram, Lesley Halamek and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="center"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h1><span style="float: left; padding-left: 2em;"><small><span class="sc">The</span></small></span><br /> - -<span style="float: left;"><big>HARMSWORTH</big></span><br /> - -<small>MONTHLY PICTORIAL</small><br /> - -<span style="float: right;"><big>MAGAZINE</big></span><br /><br /> - -<span class="less2" style="float: right; padding-right: 1em;">VOLUME I.</span><br /> - -<span class="less2" style="float: right;">1898-9. No. 4.</span></h1> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;"><img src="images/title_flowers-200.png" width="200" height="181" alt="title-page flowers" /></div> -</div> -<p class="centerb1" style="padding-right: 25em;"><i>PUBLISHED BY</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">HARMSWORTH BROS., <span class="sc">Limited, London, E.C.</span></p></div> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<h2 class="m2">CONTENTS</h2> - -<table class="toc space-below" summary="contents" border="0"> -<tr> - <th colspan="2"><h4>ARTICLES.</h4> - </th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td> </td> - <td class="right">PAGE.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page356">ALBUM, A FAMOUS WIGMAKER'S FAMOUS. By Gavin Macdonald. -Illustrated by Facsimiles</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page356">356</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page400">BALLOON JOURNEY, A GIRL'S, OVER LONDON. By Gertrude Bacon. -Illustrated by Photographs</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page400">400</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page383">BLOODHOUNDS, A MAN HUNT WITH. By Alfred Arkas. -Illustrated by Photographs</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page383">383</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page339">MAN IS MADE OF WHAT? By T. F. Manning. -Illustrated by Photographs</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page339">339</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page416">SECRET CHAMBERS, REMARKABLE. -Written and illustrated by Allan Fea</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page416">416</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page370">SMOKER'S MUSEUM, FROM A. By T. C. Hepworth. -With Illustrations</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page370">370</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <th colspan="2"><h4>STORIES.</h4> - </th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page361">DAPHNE. By Walter E. Grogan. -Illustrated by Harold Copping</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page361">361</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page389">DESPATCHES FOR GIBRALTAR, THE. By Gilbert Heron. -Illustrated by D. B. Waters</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page389">389</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page347">DESTINY, MY. A Wayside Romance. By C. K. Burrow. -Illustrated by Fred Pegram</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page347">347</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page405">EDITOR'S ESCAPADE, THE. By Archibald Eyre. -Illustrated by S. H. Vedder</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page405">405</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page373">FACE AT THE DOOR, THE. By Walter D. Dobell. -Illustrated by S. H. Vedder</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page373">373</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <th colspan="2"><h4>FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.</h4> - </th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page430">GORDONS AND GREYS TO THE FRONT. -From the Painting by Stanley Berkeley</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page430">430</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page428">PUSHING FAMILY, A. -From the Painting by G. A. Holmes</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page428">428</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page427">SON AND HEIR, THE. -From the Painting by L. Schmutzler</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page427">427</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page338">SPAIN, A LITTLE MAID FROM. -Photographic Study</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page338">338</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page426">TIME TO GET UP. -From the Painting by A. J. Elsley</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page426">426</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page429">TURNER'S GREAT WORK—THE FIGHTING TEMERAIRE. -Now in the National Gallery</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page429">429</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <th colspan="2"><h4>POETRY.</h4> - </th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page346">ROGUEY MAN, THE. -Illustrated by H. H. Flère</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page346">346</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page399">SAD FATE OF MISTRESS PRUE, THE. -Illustrated by Robert Sauber </a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page399">399</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><a class="toc" href="#page388">THREE SCORE AND TEN. -Illustrated by T. Walter West</a></td> - <td class="right1"><a class="ask" href="#page388">388</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/pointing_hand-25.png" width="25" height="11" alt="pointing hand" /> <i>When bound, -the Harmsworth Magazine will make Two sumptuous Volumes every year.</i></p> - -<hr class="medium" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page338" id="page338"></a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 320px;"><a href="images/338-650.png"><img src="images/338-320.png" width="320" height="475" alt="" /></a> -<p><span style="float: right; margin-top: -1em;"><i>Lascelles & Co., Photographers.</i></span><br /><br class="b30" /></p> -<h3>A LITTLE MAID FROM SPAIN.</h3></div> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page339" id="page339"></a>[pg 339]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/339a-1000.png"><img src="images/339a-600.png" width="600" height="130" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">1,200 EGGS, OR 120 TIMES AS MANY AS REPRESENTED HERE, CONTAIN ALL THAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE COMPOSITION OF A 150 LB. MAN.</p></div> - -<h2><span class="spaced2 wsp more2">MAN IS MADE OF—WHAT?</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 wsp">SOME FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF.<br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="sc">By T. F. Manning.</span></span></h2> -</div> - -<p>It is rarely realised what a queer combination of things exists in the -human body. When the reader glances at these pages he will wonder -whatever matches, candles, balloons, sugar-basins, soap, and all the -other things illustrated have to do with the making of a man. At first -sight the illustrations seem extraordinarily out of place; but when -this article has been read through, he will then understand that the -body is more or less of a chandler's shop in the making, for it is -intended to show, in everyday language, something of its marvellous -construction.</p> - -<p>"Dust thou art" is a somewhat erroneous description of the body from a -biological point of view. It would be nearer the mark to say, "You are -mainly—over ninety per cent.—solidified soda-water."</p> - -<p>Still nearer was the observation of a witty physiologist, that the -greatest man on earth is only so much white of egg alive. To be -strictly accurate, one should say that a man is an exceedingly complex -mixture of gases, liquids, and solids, into all of which he will -ultimately revert.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 340px;"><a href="images/339b-700.png"><img src="images/339b-340.png" width="340" height="477" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">HERE IS A POUND OF CANDLES. THE BODY HAS ENOUGH FAT TO MAKE FROM 3¾ TO 7½ LBS.</p></div> - -<p>At the same time, this wonderful machine that walks, eats, thinks, -talks, laughs, cries, and fights, consists of a very few simple -elements. And, although we get our building materials from a wonderful -variety of substances gathered from the four corners of the earth in -the form of meat, fruits, vegetables, and condiments, they are to be -found, as everyone knows, in any dairyman's shop. If one only knew how -to do it, he could take 1,200 eggs, whisk them up, and build a <span class="pagenum"><a -name="page340" id="page340"></a>[pg 340]</span> complete and perfect man of 150 -lbs. weight.</p> - -<p>Solid as our body is, it is mostly made up of gases. The five familiar -gases, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine, fluorine, and the three -well-known solids, carbon, phosphorus, and lime—or, rather, -calcium—constitute all but a trifling fraction of our whole -bulk.</p> - -<p>The mystery of life never does seem so deep as when one reflects that, -by the mixture of these few substances in various proportions, nature -makes kings, poets, warriors, saints, burglars, thieves, and all the -rest of the great human hotch-potch.</p> - -<p>To build a one-hundred-and-fifty pound man, only fourteen elements, -altogether, are needed. Five of them are the above-named -gases—there is enough gas in a man to fill a gasometer of 3,649 -cubic feet—and nine are solids, found in almost any handful of -clay you might take up at random; that is to say, carbon, calcium, -phosphorus, iron, sulphur, sodium, potassium, silicon, and magnesium. -In most people minute quantities of a few other things are found, such -as copper, aluminium, manganese, lead, mercury, arsenic, and lithium; -but these substances are probably always trespassers.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/340-900.png"><img src="images/340-400.png" width="400" height="347" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THERE IS ENOUGH GAS IN A MAN TO FILL A GASOMETER OF 3,649 CUBIC FEET.</p></div> - -<p>Far and away the most important element in flesh and bone is oxygen, -and the bulk of that energetic gas which remains tranquilly compressed -within us is something marvellous. In a ten-stone-ten man the weight -of oxygen is no less than 106 lbs., and the natural bulk of it, if it -were set free, would be equal to a beam of wood one foot square and -1,191 feet—nearly a quarter of a mile—long, or several -hundred times the bulk of the body itself. Measured by the gallon it -would fill 202 36-gallon barrels.</p> - -<p>Even bulkier, though lighter, is the constituent hydrogen. Every man's -body contains sufficient of this lightest of all substances to inflate -a balloon that would lift himself, balloon, and tackle. In the -ten-stone-ten man, for instance, the bulk of hydrogen is over 2,400 -cubic feet—equal to the cubic space of a room ten feet high and -15½ feet square, and the weight of it is a trifle short of -13½ lbs.</p> - -<p>Of that inexplicable gas, nitrogen, there is about half an ounce to -each pound of body weight, or, approximately, 4½ lbs. -altogether, in a 150 lb. man. It is about twenty times the bulk of the -body, and by no means likes being cramped up in a space of a few cubic -inches. This is the most inert gas known. Its bulk in the body is 58 -cubic feet.</p> - -<p>The reason it is said to be lifeless is that it hates every other -element in the world; and, while oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and the -other things, like the Continental Powers, cannot live alone, -nitrogen, like England, will not, if it can possibly avoid it, live in -company. From this trait arises not only all the action of the human -brain and the strength of the muscles, but the terrible force of all -the great explosives. While individually without any energy whatever, -when it does chance to enter into union with other things nitrogen -becomes the most energetic substance in existence.</p> - -<p>The great explosive force of nitroglycerine is due to azote. One of -the most frightful explosives known is chloride of nitrogen, which -goes off if the sun shines on it, or if a leaf touches it; and, in the -human body, it is the breaking down of nitrogen compounds which -actually constitutes life. Nothing can be alive without nitrogen, -itself the type of death.</p> - -<p>The last of the substances of any bulk in the body is carbon. There -is, as nearly as <span class="pagenum"><a name="page341" id="page341"></a>[pg 341]</span> -possible, a sack of 21½ lbs. in a ten-stone-ten man, sufficient -to make some sixty-five gross of lead pencils, sixty-five times as -many as represented in our picture. It is veritably the fuel of the -body, which both keeps us warm and gives us energy to move.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/341a-600.png"><img src="images/341a-300.png" width="300" height="88" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">FIVE TACKS LIKE THESE CAN BE MADE FROM THE 48 GRAINS OF IRON IN THE BODY.</p></div> - -<p>Thus it is the mainspring of animal life, which consists altogether of -moving and keeping the body warm; the entire mechanism of the body, -eyes to see, mouth and hands to grasp, stomach to digest, heart to -circulate, and lungs to supply air, being designed to effect these two -simple operations.</p> - -<p>Although the above four elements form between 145 and 146 of a man's -150 lbs. of blood, flesh, and bone, the few pounds of the remaining -elements are absolutely essential.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 250px;"><a href="images/341b-500.png"><img src="images/341b-250.png" width="250" height="333" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="center"> -A MAN CONTAINS ENOUGH HYDROGEN TO FILL A BALLOON THAT WOULD LIFT HIMSELF—2,400 CUBIC FEET.</p></div> - -<p>The erect posture, of which men are so proud, although it makes them -the slowest-moving creatures of their size on earth and exposes them -to all sorts of accidents, is due, primarily, to the two pounds of -calcium and twenty-four ounces of phosphorus in their bodies. Without -these, we should have no arms, legs, skulls, or teeth; we should have -to crawl like worms, and to live on some pap-like food.</p> - -<p>It seems very extraordinary, but if anyone works it out he will see -that, if the body had to get on without its two pounds of common lime, -there would be no machinery, ships, or railways, no guns and swords, -no houses and cities, and human life would entirely consist of -crawling out of some hole in the ground at sunrise, chewing berries -and leaves, and crawling under the earth again at night.</p> - -<p>Therefore, it is impossible to single out any element and say, "This -is the most important element of the body." For not only the two -pounds of lime, but the pound and a half of phosphorus, and the far -less quantity of iron, are as essential as the 106 lbs. of oxygen.</p> - -<p>What is most curious about phosphorus is that, being a powerful and -terrible poison, the body can contain such a lot of it without -suffering injury. Sufficient is scattered among the bones, the flesh, -the nervous system, and the various organs to kill off a whole -village, or to supply it with all the matches it requires. For the -body contains sufficient phosphorus to make 8,064 boxes of matches -containing 60 matches each.</p> - -<p>What phosphorus does for the bones is plain enough. With calcium and -oxygen it forms the exceedingly hard phosphate of calcium that gives -the bones their rigidity.</p> - -<p>No one appears to be perfectly sure what part it plays in the other -tissues of the body. Something very forcible, certainly, for whenever -sufficient is not present we grow listless; and nothing tones up the -system, in some states of low health, like a course of phosphorus -medication. If phosphorus is not precisely, as many people suppose, -the element that gives man his intellectual power, it is absolutely -essential to a high degree of nervous efficiency.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/341c-800.png"><img src="images/341c-400.png" width="400" height="183" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THE BODY IS A SOAP FACTORY, AND GENERALLY CONTAINS MATTER SUFFICIENT FOR A CAKE THIS SIZE.</p></div> - -<p>The amount of other elements may be -set down as follows:—Chlorine, 4 ozs.; -sodium, 3 ozs.; sulphur, 2½ ozs.; fluorine, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page342" id="page342"></a>[pg 342]</span> -2 ozs.; potassium, 1 oz.; magnesium, -12 grs.; silicon, 2 grs.</p> - -<p>Estimates vary, however, and, as a matter of fact, the quantities of -the elements in different men are by no means the same, nor are they -always from day to day the same in any one individual. But, taking the -whole of these last-named substances, they probably seldom exceed -three-quarters of a pound, yet the machine would come to a dead stop -without them.</p> - -<p>Without iron, for instance, the blood could not carry oxygen, as it -does, from the lungs to the remotest parts of the organism. There are -only 48 grains, or one-tenth of an ounce, of iron in the blood; in the -whole body there is only sufficient to make four or five -tacks—vital tacks, for if you took them away from the body of -the strongest man he would drop dead.</p> - -<p>Sodium and potassium are equally necessary, and so are sulphur, -chlorine, and fluorine.</p> - -<p>But the part these take in the processes of life is better seen by -observing what combinations they form and what ends these combinations -serve. No element exists in the body alone and separate, except, -indeed, some accidental traces of oxygen, nitrogen, and a few -particles of carbon breathed in by the lungs. They are all present in -compounds of extraordinary complexity, mostly put together in the -vegetable world, as everyone knows, by some mysterious power of the -sun.</p> - -<p>And, as was said, all the force of the body is derived from breaking -these complex compounds down into simpler combinations. We don't get -all the good possible out of them, for we cannot dissociate them into -separate elements, because elements have a horror of living separate, -and it would take something more powerful than a man's bodily organs -to make them do so.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 360px;"><a href="images/342-800.png"><img src="images/342-360.png" width="360" height="448" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center" style="margin-top: -3em;">A PILE OF <br />144 PENCILS.<br /> -65 TIMES AS<br /> MANY AS THESE CAN BE MADE FROM THE 21½ LBS. OF CARBON IN THE BODY.</p></div> - -<p>Simple water is the most important compound of all—at least, the -most abundant—consisting of hydrogen two parts, and oxygen one -part. There are from 90 to 96 lbs., or say a barrel of 9½ -gallons, of pure water in a ten-stone-ten man. It has a large number -of uses, but the main use is rather curious.</p> - -<p>The greater part of bone and fat is what might be called lifeless -tissue. The substance that makes the body alive is protoplasm, which -forms the chief bulk of muscle, brain, nerves, lungs, heart, etc. And -protoplasm exists in the shape of millions of minute globules set side -by side, and more or less welded together. But these could no more -live out of water than could a shoal of herrings. So that, wherever in -the body protoplasm is—and it is almost everywhere—not -only is it submerged in water, but it actually passes its whole -existence in running water.</p> - -<p>Nothing could be done in the body without water. It dissolves the -food, carries the blood corpuscles, moistens the lining membranes of -the mouth, nose, throat, and all the inside of the body, forms a sort -of water cushion around the heart, lungs, and organs of the abdomen, -cools us by evaporation as sweat, and does many other useful things. -And the more water in the body the more vigorous the life. Restless -children have more than adults, and the sluggishness of old age is in -great measure due to a sort of bodily drought.</p> - -<p>Ordinary table salt, a mixture of solid sodium and gaseous chlorine, -does a lot of work in the human body. It seems necessary to the life -of every organ, and is found in the blood, muscles, and all the other -fluids and solids. It helps the fluids to pass through the thin -membranes, so that as well as promoting the absorption of food from -intestines and stomach into the blood current it also promotes the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page343" id="page343"></a>[pg 343]</span> -percolation of the blood from the minute arteries out into -the tissues.</p> - -<p>Experiments show that if salt be withheld from an animal he quickly -languishes and dies. Yet there are only between six and seven ounces -in the whole human fabric, but quite enough to provide a large size -dinner table with it. Singularly the body is rather extravagant with -its small supply of this important constituent, and loses half an -ounce every day.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 260px;"><a href="images/343a-550.png"><img src="images/343a-260.png" width="260" height="278" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">SALT SUFFICIENT TO FILL THIS CELLAR SIX OR SEVEN -TIMES GOES TO THE MAKING OF A MAN.</p></div> - -<p>Washing soda, or sodium in union with carbon and oxygen, is another -substance which performs an indispensable duty. Dissolved in the blood -it travels to every part of the body on a mission analogous to that of -the useful dustman. Wherever it finds a particle of carbonic acid it -seizes it, carries it to the lungs, and discharges it into the air. -The quantity of washing soda in the blood is really very small, but -the work it does is immense.</p> - -<p>You cannot perform any action without making a given quantity of -poisonous carbonic acid. Every beat of the heart and rise of the -chest, even bending the finger or closing the eyes, gives rise to some -of this waste product. And, if it were not continuously removed, it -would fatally clog the machine in a very few minutes. The washing soda -performs the necessary scavenging duty.</p> - -<p>This washing soda is also an important part of bone; mingled with -phosphate of lime, phosphate of magnesia, and fluoride of lime, it -helps to make our bones and teeth.</p> - -<p>Smelling salts seems a funny thing to have within you, but it is -there. Sodium, potassium, and ammonium are mixed with hydrogen and -oxygen to make it—the pungent ammonia, as well as the soda and -potash which are the cleansing principles of soap. These are -distributed through all the flesh of the body and are present in the -blood. Together with the phosphates they keep the blood and other -fluids alkaline. This means that they preserve us from another of the -many conditions fatal to life, for if the blood turned acid we should -die.</p> - -<p>Chloride of ammonium, the familiar inhalement, is another of what -might be called the body's spices; so is chloride of potash, a sort of -cousin of the popular sore throat cure; and so also is hydrochloric -acid.</p> - -<p>This last substance is, again, one of those trifles without which -existence would be impossible. In the stomach there is a trifling -quantity of it, manufactured as required, which kills most of the -microbes, we swallow in food, prevents fermentation, and helps -digestion.</p> - -<p>There are ever so many other inorganic compounds. Besides these, all -civilised bodies contain a regular laboratory of adulterants, such as -boric acid and salicylic acid taken with milk, butter, and meat, and -kept some time in the body; iron, copper, antimony, arsenic, and many -other things taken in tea, beer, bottled vegetables, and the like.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;"><a href="images/343b-900.png"><img src="images/343b-450.png" width="450" height="315" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">SUGAR MAKING IS CARRIED ON IN THE BODY—THOUGH -THERE IS NEVER MORE THAN A BOWLFUL OF IT.</p></div> - -<p>From these comparatively simple bodies we go up to what are called the -organic compounds. There is a whole host of organic acids. Of course -these are present <span class="pagenum"><a name="page344" id="page344"></a>[pg 344]</span> in very small quantities, or else they -would dissolve us like so much sugar.</p> - -<p>The salts, the acids, and the elements are still more complexly -associated. One mixture of them forms the proteid or albuminous -substance which scarcely differs from white of egg. It is this alone, -in fact, that lives. It is the chief solid part of muscle, heart, -lung, brain, nerve, blood, and exists in every fluid and solid of the -body (including sweat and saliva), except bile and one other -substance. What distinguishes proteid from everything else is that it -contains the lifeless gas nitrogen.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the nearest approach one could give to a definition of life is -that it consists of the separation of the carbon and nitrogen of -proteid substance.</p> - -<p>The proteid is taken into the body ready-made, in milk, meat, eggs, -fish, and to a less extent in vegetables.</p> - -<p>"Hamlet" and "King Lear," the "Iliad" and "Paradise Lost," every -speech and sermon one hears, and every book one reads, is really for -the most part this dissociation of carbon from nitrogen in another -man's brain, made evident to our eyes or ears. And this dissociation -is nothing more than if you took some white of egg and mixed with it a -quantity of oxygen so as to form urea, carbonic acid, and water.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 259px;"><a href="images/344-500.png"><img src="images/344-250.png" width="259" height="371" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE BODY—A BARREL OF 9½ GALLONS OF WATER.</p></div> - -<p>Starch and fat supply fuel both in reserve and for immediate -consumption. They are only so much carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen -mingled in certain proportions and pretty similar to sugar. But they -go through curious careers in the body. Most of the fat that one -swallows, for instance, meets an alkali in the intestines that has -come there specially from the liver and pancreas to make soap.</p> - -<p>In the average man some tons of excellent soap are made in a -life-time, and at times there must be quite a large cake of soap in -the intestines. A quantity of glycerine is also formed as a -by-product, just as in a regular soap factory. The body can itself -make fat. If you give it lean meat, or starch, or sugar, it will take -them as raw material and manufacture good fat.</p> - -<p>Starch, a most important constituent, goes through strange -transformations. When you swallow a potato it is chiefly starch; that -is, six atoms of carbon to ten of hydrogen and five of oxygen. In the -intestines a little water is added and it becomes sugar, for sugar is -merely starch and water joined together. It goes into the blood as -sugar, not being able, in fact, to get through as starch, and then it -either burns up in the tissues or goes to the liver, where it drops -the water and becomes a kind of starch.</p> - -<p>The moment one feels hungry this glycogen changes into sugar again, -enters the blood, and is burned up, like a candle, into carbonic acid -and water. Sugar in the body is like loose cash in the pocket—it -does not stay long; and there seldom is a bowlful of it. But, in some -extraordinary way, if the body wishes to be saving, it sometimes -converts the sugar into a substance called inosit, which, though -sweet, is insoluble in water, and can, therefore, remain a long time -in the liver, spleen, lungs, and muscle, being very abundant in the -muscle of drunkards.</p> - -<p>There are many other compound substances in the body. Alcohol is found -in blood, bile, muscle, and brain; gum in the glands that make saliva, -and in the lungs; pepsin, that digests food, in the stomach; one or -two ferments, like yeast; and the pigments that colour the hair and -the eye. None of these higher compounds is put together by the body. -It never takes the elements and builds them up. It can only break down -complex things into less complex things.</p> - -<p>But it does one kind of manufacturing or constructive work, using -complex and ready-made substances, that is amazing. No one who has -eaten a cutlet, a sweet-bread, a kidney, a piece of liver, heart, -tongue, and tripe, need be reminded how various are the different -organs in composition. All this variety, however, the body brings -about itself, marvellously <span class="pagenum"><a name="page345" id="page345"></a>[pg 345]</span> -selecting from the one raw -material, blood, the different substances and the appropriate -quantities for each kind of tissue.</p> - -<p>Out of the blood the body takes the compounds containing calcium, -phosphorus, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and some other things, for the -making of the skeleton. The skeleton exists for the sole purpose of -giving support to the other parts, and forms 14 hundredths, or about -one-seventh, of the body-weight in a man, and 13 hundredths, or about -one-eighth, in a woman.</p> - -<p>Thus a man of ten-stone-ten would have to carry a skeleton weighing 21 -lbs.—that is, while quite fresh. When dry it would weigh only -12½ lbs. In a woman of eight stone the weights would be 14 lbs. -and 8½ lbs. respectively.</p> - -<p>To make muscle, the body takes other substances in appropriate -quantities from the blood. Whether you are weak and powerless, or fit -to form one of an Oxford eight and to lift weights with Sandow, -depends, to a considerable extent, on the selective skill of your -blood.</p> - -<p>The muscular system constitutes three-sevenths of the structure, -contains half the water and half the proteid of the entire body, and -weighs, in a ten-stone-ten man, between 63 and 64 lbs.</p> - -<p>Fat is taken from the blood mostly ready-formed, and is stored away as -packing material and reserve food. It is the most inconstant of all -tissues in quantity, and varies with every change of health, air, -diet, work, and with each important life-event. But, usually, it -averages from one-fortieth to one-twentieth of the body weight, or -from 3¾ to 7½ lbs. in a ten-stone-ten man, enough to make -several pounds of candles like those we have photographed.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 360px;"><a href="images/345-750.png"><img src="images/345-360.png" width="360" height="386" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">8,064 BOXES OF MATCHES LIKE THESE CAN BE MADE -FROM THE PHOSPHORUS IN A MAN.</p></div> - -<p>The blood itself is manufactured in the body, one part by certain -organs, another part by other organs. The making of it is still not -fully understood. But the body knows when it has and has not -sufficient. If one loses a pint of blood, the vessels take in a pint -of water from the tissues in a very short period, and soon they have -that water loaded with ingredients to bring it up to standard -strength.</p> - -<p>So the actual bulk and weight of blood scarcely ever varies in the -same person, although it may be quite different in different -individuals. For the average man it may be set down at from -one-fourteenth to one-twelfth of the body weight—that is, -between 10¾ and 12½ lbs. Women and fat men have -proportionately less.</p> - -<p>The remainder of the body-weight is made up of the heavy liver, the -light lungs, the heart, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, brain, -nerves, skin, hair, nails. And all these sundries weigh from 45 to 51 -lbs.</p> - -<p>It will be seen that a man is made on a different principle from that -on which he makes most of the structures of civilised life. He builds -them for long endurance; he builds himself for quick destruction. -Nothing in him is permanent, or intended to be, except the skeleton -and teeth. Westminster Abbey contains all the materials of a man's -body, but it has been made into a compound edifice out of simple lime, -wood, stone, etc., with the intention that it shall remain compound as -long as possible. A man's body is constructed of compound substances -so placed together that, by their interaction, they shall speedily and -without ceasing break each other down into simple substances; and life -is thus, as was said, essentially a process of destruction.</p> - -<p>All these facts will help us to realise the wonders of the human body, -and will substantiate the somewhat startling statement that the body -is something of a chandler's shop.</p> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page346" id="page346"></a>[pg 346]</span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 370px;"><a href="images/346-660.png"><img src="images/346-370.png" width="370" height="564" alt="" /></a></div></div> - -<div class="container"> -<h3 class="m0">THE ROGUEY MAN</h3> -<div class="poem width21"> <div class="stanza"> -<p><span class="dropcap1">A</span><span class="sp2"> T baby boy I fondly peep—</span></p> -<p class="i2"> I came to kiss good-night;</p> -<p>But, there, my darling's fast asleep,</p> -<p class="i2">Closed are those blue eyes bright.</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p>Wee sturdy arms tired out with play</p> -<p class="i2">Are folded and at rest;</p> -<p>The feet that pattered round all day</p> -<p class="i2">Are tucked in downy nest.</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p>A stray lock from the curly head</p> -<p class="i2">Lies on the snow-white brow;</p> -<p>The smile from merry lips has fled,</p> -<p class="i2">No dimple greets me now.</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p>Softly he breathes; sleep on, sweet dear;</p> -<p class="i2">May happy dreams be thine,</p> -<p>And guardian-angels hover near,</p> -<p class="i2">To bless thee, baby mine.</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p class="i4">*<span style="padding-left: 2em;">*</span><span style="padding-left: 2em;">*</span><span style="padding-left: 2em;">*</span></p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p>But what in all the world is this—</p> -<p class="i2">The blankets thrown aside,</p> -<p>The rose-bud lips upraised to kiss,</p> -<p class="i2">The dancing eyes oped wide?</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p>And loud he crows with baby glee,</p> -<p class="i2">His curls with laughter shake.</p> -<p>Why, he has just been fooling me—</p> -<p class="i2">The roguey man's awake!</p> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<p class="i12"><span class="sc">Edmund Mitchell.</span></p> - </div> </div> </div> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page347" id="page347"></a>[pg 347]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="spaced1 wsp more2">MY DESTINY.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 spaced2 wsp">A WAYSIDE ROMANCE.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 wsp"><span class="sc">By C. K. Burrow.</span></span></h2></div> - -<p class="centern1"><i>Illustrated by Fred Pegram.</i></p> - -<p>I was travelling southward in no particularly contented mood—at -least, it pleased me to think that I was going against my will, and -solely out of respect to my father's brother, who had summoned me to -his house on a matter which might have stirred my blood a little had I -chosen to give my fancy range.</p> - -<p>But youth is the most uncertain thing in the world, and, since the -affair was none of my doing, I chose to assume that I had no interest -in it.</p> - -<p>And yet, when half my journey was done, I began to feel some -uneasiness, some excitement even. This was partly due, no doubt, to -the fact that I had never travelled before in my own chaise; it was an -experience that made equal appeal to my pride and to my sense of -responsibility. I was proud of my new importance, and at the same time -a little fearful of making some mistake that should betray me as a -novice to the vigilant eyes of innkeepers or hostlers.</p> - -<p>I had recently, by the death of my father, come into a moderate -fortune. I was the only child, and my mother had died long before, so -that, apart from a few legacies, I was sole heir. As I have said, I -was young, being no more than two and twenty, perhaps too young to -have unchecked licence in the use of lands and money. You may be sure -that life shone before me; it seemed to me a field for high adventure, -a thing stuffed with romance. From the empty pockets of a boy I had -suddenly risen to the full purse of a man of substance; and, to be -honest, I think it was somewhat to my honour that I made no evil use -of my new power. I had many faults then, pride being the chief; but -since those days I have learnt wisdom. With the turn of the century -many changes came to me; but I am now only writing of a single episode -that occurred before this century was born.</p> - -<p>Well, then, some three-fourths of the way between Worcester, from -which I started, and Dorking, in Surrey, to which I was journeying, I -stopped to change horses, and for my own and my servants' refreshment. -During the last hour I had been thinking a good deal of what awaited -me at my uncle's, and my pulse began to have the better of my will. In -a word, I was going to see the girl whom I was destined to marry.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 325px;"><a href="images/347-690.png"><img src="images/347-325.png" width="325" height="470" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"I STOPPED TO CHANGE HORSES, AND SAW THE LANDLORD STANDING AT THE DOOR."</p></div> - -<p>My father and his brother had not been on the best of terms for many -years; but that had not prevented them from arranging that their -children should wed—an arrangement in which I had never been -consulted or, so far as I knew, the lady <span class="pagenum"><a name="page348" id="page348"></a>[pg 348]</span> -either. To add to the uncertainty of the whole affair, I had never seen her; -I did not even know whether she were ugly or beautiful, short or tall. I might -be going to assume a bondage of roses or of steel.</p> - -<p>However, I was determined that if the damsel did not please me, or I -her, there should be no marriage. I had no taste for martyrdom, and -had too delicate a stomach to take a wife without love.</p> - -<p>I forget the name of the village at which this halt was made, but I -remember that the sign of the inn was the "George and Dragon." The -place had a long white front, with green shutters to the windows, and -over the door a great lamp hung from stanchions let into the wall. I -judged that trade was slack, for as I descended from my carriage I saw -the landlord standing at the door, smoking a pipe, and winking in the -sunlight like a sleepy dog.</p> - -<p>I told him to have fresh horses ready in an hour, and to attend to my -servants' appetites, and also bade him send me a meal as quickly as he -could; I intended to end my journey before sunset, and sleep that -night in my uncle's house. He took my orders placidly (I never saw a -host who was less awake), and conducted me to the parlour. It was -empty, and I sat down by an open window to look out upon the village -street. It was very warm and still, a day of perfect early summer -weather, and before long, as though the mere air of the place inclined -to rest, I began to nod in my chair.</p> - -<p>And with this nodding came a pleasant dream, and, of course, it was -about her whom I was on my way to meet. It seemed that I saw her -standing in a sunny orchard, with ripening apples over her head, and -her face and dress were flecked with the moving shadows of leaves. The -grass was high about her feet, reaching, indeed, almost to her knees; -her brown hair floated free about her shoulders; and there was such a -sweet smile on her lips, and so inviting a glance in her eyes, that I -made forward as though to clasp her.</p> - -<p>"Nay, Cousin Nigel," she said; "wait, Cousin Nigel," and stepped back. -All my thought at once became how to win this fair creature of the -orchard; but with that I awoke, and found myself in the parlour of the -"George and Dragon," and there was a maid setting out my meal.</p> - -<p>As I turned to the table there was a great noise of wheels and -shouting, and I stood up to see what sort of traveller came with such -a tumult of arrival. A chaise drew up before the door, the horses all -of a foam, and the postillions smeared with dust. One of the men -jumped down and had the door open before the landlord was awake. A -very elegantly-dressed man stepped out and handed forth a lady after -him; she took his hand timidly, without looking into his face, and I -saw that she would have freed it again long before he had a mind to -let it go.</p> - -<p>She held her head so low that I could not get a clear sight of her -face at that moment, but her figure (and I already held myself to be a -judge in such matters) was so graceful and slim, and, as it were, with -such a force of youth in it, that I felt myself happy only to have -looked upon it. "Come, come," said I to myself, "remember Cousin -Audrey and the errand you are on"; but the difficulty was that I had -nothing of Cousin Audrey to remember except her name. I did not like -the look of the girl's companion, and I liked it less when I saw him -at close quarters, later on.</p> - -<p>I sat down to the table while my gentleman was giving his orders, -which he did with small courtesy and great noise, and had already made -good way with an excellent cold capon before the new guests were -ushered into the room. The man hesitated for a moment when he saw that -the place was already occupied, but after looking me up and down in a -manner that made the blood tingle in my cheeks, and, I suppose -concluding that I was harmless, he came in without more ado and drew -the girl after him. She had been crying; the tears even then were wet -upon her lashes, and her breast shook with half-spent sobs.</p> - -<p>She threw me a timid, wistful glance, and then dropped her eyes; if -she had gone down on her knees and begged for my consideration it -could not have made me more her servant than that glance. She was most -tenderly pretty, and the more I stole furtive looks at her the more -pleased I was with the message my eyes carried to my heart. As to her -age, it could not have been beyond eighteen, so that I felt old by -comparison, and I was infinitely touched by the redness of her eyes -and cheeks where she had rubbed them with the tiny handkerchief still -tight-clasped in her hand. I was sure she would have spoken to me had -she dared, and I was resolved that, at any rate, we should not part -unacquainted.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page349" id="page349"></a>[pg 349]</span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 360px;"><a href="images/349-765.png"><img src="images/349-360.png" width="360" height="471" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"A VERY ELEGANTLY DRESSED MAN STEPPED OUT OF THE COACH AND HANDED FORTH A LADY."</p></div> - -<p>As for the child's companion, the mere sight of him, added to her -tears, made me sick. He was not altogether an ill-looking man, and -might by some have been accounted handsome; but he had a brutal mouth, -a shifty, restless eye, and was of a swarthy, insolent complexion that -I did not love. As for dress, he put my outfit, although I had rather -prided myself upon it, completely out of countenance. He had more silk -about him than all my wardrobe contained, and his ruffles were of the -finest lace; he was also decked with gold chains and rare -jewels—at least, to me the jewels appeared rare, but I doubt, -after all, whether they were more than paste. He seated himself close -to the lady, and would have ventured some tendernesses with her, but -she gave him no encouragement; at which, smiling grimly to himself, he -watched her as a cat watches a frightened bird.</p> - -<p>I went on eating for some time, and applied myself with great -attention to the wine, in order to spur a somewhat tardy tongue. In -half an hour I knew my carriage would be ready, and that was but short -time to succour beauty in distress, for that was what my heart -conjectured the <span class="pagenum"><a name="page350" id="page350"></a>[pg 350]</span> -scene before me to represent. At last, leaning back in my chair and -uttering a sigh of satisfaction, I found my voice.</p> - -<p>"I give you good day, sir. This inn serves fair refreshment, and is -better than it looks."</p> - -<p>"I've known worse," he said, glancing at the table; then he turned his -back on me again.</p> - -<p>"You travel fast," I said, "as though upon some pleasant errand."</p> - -<p>"Or as though the runners were behind," he said.</p> - -<p>"No, no; even they, surely, would respect your company. The errand -must be pleasant."</p> - -<p>"Your conjecture, sir," he said, "may be right or it may be wrong. I -imagine that to be my business."</p> - -<p>"Come," said I, "don't be angry, but drink a glass with me. We meet -only to part, and good liquor will dwell better in the memory than -curt words."</p> - -<p>"Sir," he answered, eyeing me savagely, "I desire neither your liquor -nor your acquaintance, and you may drink your wine yourself."</p> - -<p>Now, although he was perfectly within his right in refusing my -tendered courtesy, I did not at all like the manner of his refusal, -and my blood began to warm, the more particularly as the girl had -fallen again to quiet weeping.</p> - -<p>"I thank you," I said, "for so gracious a permission, and may you -learn better manners before you grow too old."</p> - -<p>"The devil!" he said. "What ails the pair of you? The boy is impudent -and deserves a whipping, and you," turning to the lady, "not much -less. For God's sake stop snivelling and be done with this nonsense."</p> - -<p>"As for the whipping," said I, dropping a hand on my sword, "I take -and give only whippings with steel."</p> - -<p>"Bravo!" he sneered, "and a pretty hand you make at the game, I'll be -bound."</p> - -<p>"I'm at your service, sir," I said, draining my glass.</p> - -<p>The fellow was terribly put out, but I could see that he had good -reason to avoid a quarrel; he looked from me to the window and from -the window to the lady, and bit his lip with rage. After a pause, he -said, more quietly—</p> - -<p>"I fight only with men, and then with such as can show beards."</p> - -<p>"For the lack of the beard," said I, "you have to thank my razor."</p> - -<p>"Indeed," he said; "then the razor must be like my Lord Chancellor, -and do little work."</p> - -<p>"You have a pretty wit, sir!"</p> - -<p>"I have often been commended for it."</p> - -<p>"Doubtless by men, then," said I, "for it bites too sharply for -women."</p> - -<p>"Nay, you mistake, for women are my greatest flatterers." He smiled so -grossly at the girl that if my life had had to answer for it I could -not have held my tongue.</p> - -<p>"Is it a woman's way to flatter by tears?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"You young dog! If I had time and were unencumbered, I'd slit that -saucy tongue of yours," he cried.</p> - -<p>"I asked for information, sir, not for threats. I thought that in your -charming society, which I enjoy immensely, women might find their -pleasure in tears."</p> - -<p>"You think too much, boy," he said; and then, with an oath, he left -the room, and I heard him cursing the landlord for his delay in -serving him, calling him more foul names than were proper for a girl -to listen to. That was my opportunity, and I was quick to take it, the -more readily as the lady's imploring eyes met mine again in full gaze.</p> - -<p>"Madam," said I, "if you are in any trouble, and need a protector, my -sword and life are at your service. I ask no questions—it is -yours to command."</p> - -<p>"Oh! sir," she answered, "I have been wicked, and 'tis now too late," -and she fell to weeping afresh.</p> - -<p>"Dry your eyes, dear lady. Foolish you may have been, but never -wicked. Anyway, this is no time for repenting. Do you travel willingly -with this gentleman, or do you wish to be rid of his company?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, to be rid of him—and to forget."</p> - -<p>"His name is?"</p> - -<p>"Northfield," she murmured, as his step sounded outside the door.</p> - -<p>He entered, scowling, and glanced suspiciously at us; but as I had not -moved and the lady was still trying to dry her tears, he said nothing, -and sat down again at her side. A moment later food and wine were -brought, and as they took their places at the table I rose and -occupied my old station by the window.</p> - -<p>My blood was up, and by this time I had forgotten all about the object -of my journey; the lady's youth and beauty had made so subtle and at -the same time so strong an appeal to me, that I stopped to consider -nothing more. I have never, in all my life, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page351" id="page351"></a>[pg 351]</span> -been able to stand against a woman's weeping, and at the age at which -I then was, just in the first flush of freedom, I was in no humour to -reason with myself. I stood at the window, but in such a way that I -missed nothing that passed at the table, and the more I saw the more I -itched for battle.</p> - -<p>Northfield ate largely and drank deeply, but the girl hardly carried a -morsel to her mouth, and when she did the quivering of her lips was -pitiful to see. He urged her to take more, but, she only shook her -head, and at last put down her knife and fork altogether.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/351-1000.png"><img src="images/351-500.png" width="500" height="458" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="center"> -"'MADAM,' SAID I, 'IF YOU ARE IN ANY TROUBLE AND NEED A PROTECTOR, MY SWORD AND LIFE ARE AT YOUR SERVICE.'"</p></div> - -<p>"Come, child," he said, "I begin to weary of this nonsense; I don't -want a crying baby on my hands."</p> - -<p>"I can't help crying," she said.</p> - -<p>"You must help it, my lady; people will think strange things to see -your red eyes, and perhaps spoil the sport."</p> - -<p>My carriage was being brought round, and the sound of it made the man -prick up his ears. At the same moment an idea shot into my head.</p> - -<p>"The chaise is ready," Northfield said; "quick, drink something at -least, if you cannot eat."</p> - -<p>He filled a glass with wine, and I could have sworn he adroitly -dropped some accursed powder into it.</p> - -<p>"Drink," he said, pushing it towards her.</p> - -<p>"You are mistaken," said I: "that carriage is mine."</p> - -<p>The girl had put out her hand to take the glass, but as I spoke I -moved towards the door and purposely stumbled against her arm; the -glass was overset, and as the liquor soaked into the cloth, there the -powder lay upon the surface, like fine grey sand.</p> - -<p>"A thousand pardons!" I said.</p> - -<p>"You clumsy fool!" cried Northfield, rising as though to strike me. -But he thought better of it, and took the lady roughly by the arm.</p> - -<p>"Come, we will leave this gentleman to play the fool alone," he said.</p> - -<p>"I'm going back," she said. "I will—go—no further with -you."</p> - -<p>"Come!" he said, and tightened his hold upon her arm until she cried -out.</p> - -<p>"Sir," said I, staring at the stained cloth, "did you ever know red -wine to have grey dregs before?"</p> - -<p>He turned pale, and the girl cried out again; she tried to free -herself, and called in terror that she would not go. He clapped a -heavy hand over her mouth.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Northfield, if that is your true name," I said, "you're a rogue, -and the lady shall not stir a step."</p> - -<p>He released her suddenly to confront me, and in answer to a signal she -ran round and stood trembling by my side.</p> - -<p>"You see, she puts herself under my protection," I said. "It is not -nice for a gentleman to drug a lady's wine; indeed, the law might have -something to say."</p> - -<p>"By God!" he cried, his face white with passion, "you shall pay for -this. She is my wife."</p> - -<p>He loosened his sword; I glanced out <span class="pagenum"><a name="page352" id="page352"></a>[pg 352]</span> -of the window and saw that my carriage was almost ready.</p> - -<p>"No, no!" cried the girl.</p> - -<p>"Keep close to me," I whispered to her, and we moved towards the door. -But Northfield was there before us, and stood with his back against -it, sword in hand. I drew, and, begging my companion not to spoil the -chances of her escape by crying out, faced him with steadier nerves -than I could have given myself credit for.</p> - -<p>"Stand aside!" I cried.</p> - -<p>"Fool, do you want your lungs pricked?"</p> - -<p>"They are a fair target—try, if it pleases you." He made a pass -at me, and in a wink we had engaged. I was a fair swordsman, but he -was a better; I, however, had the advantage in cooler nerves and the -better position, for so long as I could keep him to the door he could -not fall back. I was fearful, every second, that the ring of steel -would bring the servants about us, and therefore, at great risk, I -tried to end the matter quickly.</p> - -<p>My chance came—he overreached himself, my point entered his -breast just below the neck, and he fell forward, swooning, upon his -face. In a moment I had him on his back and his shirt open; the wound -was nasty, but, I gladly thought, not serious; I had no fancy to have -the man's death on my conscience.</p> - -<p>The lady was so weak from terror that I had almost carry her out, but -when we reached the door she plucked up courage to lean upon my arm. -The landlord was blinking in the sun, as usual, and my chaise was -ready. I put five pounds into his hand, bade him not disturb his other -guest for half an hour, that we might have a good start in case the -fellow was hot for a pursuit, and then, opening the carriage door, -handed the girl in and bade the postillions ride for an extra guinea. -Directly I was seated, off we went, at such a terrific pace and in -such a cloud of dust that you would have thought a royal embassy was -on the road to court.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/352-1000.png"><img src="images/352-500.png" width="500" height="443" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"I PURPOSELY STUMBLED AGAINST HER ARM AND UPSET THE GLASS INTO WHICH HE HAD PUT THE POWDER."</p></div> - -<p>I leaned back against the cushions at my companion's side, and looked -at her cautiously. The tears had ceased, her eyes were closed, and -though her mouth still quivered from time to time, her breathing -gradually grew quieter and her breast still. I felt extraordinarily -lifted up at the sight of her; she was so young, so sweet, so tenderly -fashioned. Her left hand lay in her lap, and I saw that there was no -wedding ring upon it; I had been certain before that the man had lied. -I was so moved by her nearness to me that I could not refrain from -touching her fingers. They closed upon mine for a happy second.</p> - -<p>"My protector," she murmured.</p> - -<p>In half an hour, when my heat had had time to cool, I began to reflect -upon the strangeness of my situation, and it was certainly -sufficiently awkward to make me serious. Here was I, a young bachelor, -on my way to my uncle's house, whose daughter I was to marry, and in -my carriage was a girl, young and pretty, and of a most engaging -person, whose name I did not know, whose gallant, or abductor, or -whatever he was, I had incontinently wounded, and whose simplicity, -apparently, was so profound that she was as contented in my hands as -she might have been in her mother's.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page353" id="page353"></a>[pg 353]</span></p> - -<p>By this time she appeared to be asleep, and I had not the heart to -call her back to knowledge of the speeding carriage and her world of -sorrows. But at last, when we were some dozen miles or so upon our -way, I thought it best to try to bring matters to an issue. I touched -her hand again, and again her fingers answered mine; she had not been -asleep after all!</p> - -<p>"Madam," I said, "we are now travelling southward, and if your home -lies in this direction I will bid my men drive you there."</p> - -<p>"Oh, no, no; not home!" she cried.</p> - -<p>"Where, then, if not home?"</p> - -<p>"Anywhere but home," she said; "my father will never forgive me."</p> - -<p>"He could not, surely, withstand your pleading."</p> - -<p>She opened her eyes and shook her head.</p> - -<p>"He would never forgive a runaway," she said.</p> - -<p>"Not even when the runaway thinks better of it, and returns?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, but that is not all. If you only knew how naughty I've been!"</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 420px;"><a href="images/353-870.png"><img src="images/353-420.png" width="420" height="479" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"MY POINT ENTERED HIS BREAST JUST BELOW THE NECK, AND HE FELL FORWARD SWOONING UPON HIS FACE."</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page354" id="page354"></a>[pg 354]</span></p> - -<p>"Dear lady, you make much of little; I dare take my oath you have no -heavy sin upon your conscience. Suppose you did run away with this -rascal Northfield, there's no great harm done, and you've stopped in -time."</p> - -<p>"I believed he loved me; he said he loved me, and I was so unhappy. -But he was, oh! so rough, so cruel. I hated him then!"</p> - -<p>She stamped her foot and set her little teeth together, which made the -heat rise in me again. I was sorry that my sword had not pricked -deeper; the man who could plot evil against so fair a life as this -deserved no pity.</p> - -<p>"Think no more of him," I said. "You are now with me, and as safe in -my keeping, if you will trust me, as in a nursery."</p> - -<p>"I trust you—yes," she said; "you saved me."</p> - -<p>"Ah," said I, "if I had such a sweet maid as you for sister!"</p> - -<p>"I will be your sister," she said, smiling into my eyes.</p> - -<p>"Then, dear sister, you will have a brother whose life is at your -command."</p> - -<p>"You have already risked it once."</p> - -<p>"That was nothing, child; even my groom would have done as much."</p> - -<p>She shook her curls in pretty disbelief, and my responsibility began -to weigh upon me again. For, although all this was very pretty, and a -game at which I could have spent hours, yet the carriage was still -flying at top speed towards my destination, and if the lady would not -tell me where she lived, what was I to do? In all my uncertainty, -however, and in spite of the talk of sister, I was sure of one thing, -and that was, that I would not marry my Cousin Audrey.</p> - -<p>After a time I drew to my companion again, and could not but observe -how, with returning security, her loveliness grew; it seemed to expand -and open, like a blossom shyly turning sunwards after a storm. The -thought that if I insisted on taking her home I might have little -opportunity to cultivate an acquaintance already dear to me, put -another notion into my head; and although it was wild enough I was in -no mood to reject it on that score.</p> - -<p>"I am going," said I, "to a relative in Surrey, and if you like to -come with me, I can promise you a courteous, if not a cordial, -welcome. You will be safe there, at least, and to-morrow, or at any -time you wish, I will see your father and plead for your forgiveness. -It already grows towards evening, and we cannot now be far from my -uncle's house."</p> - -<p>"I will go with you," she said, "and, oh! thank you for the thought."</p> - -<p>When it was settled, I began to see to what a pretty complication I -was working, and, indeed, it seemed doubtful whether my own reception -would be even courteous. The circumstances in which I met the lady -would of course explain something; but I had no reason to suppose my -uncle either blind or a fool, and I was determined, from the first, to -let him see where my preference lay. As to my Cousin Audrey, since she -had never seen me, she could not love me, so there would be no hearts -broken. The probability was that she disliked the prospect of my visit -as much as I did.</p> - -<p>It was a beautiful, clear evening, wonderfully gracious and serene, -and in the long silence that fell between us I turned to the carriage -window and looked out at the country through which we sped.</p> - -<p>My companion, during all the time we had been together, had never -taken any account of the country—an omission I have observed in -many girls. Presently we passed over the base of a noble hill, with -white shining through the green, and all astir, as it seemed, with -little winds.</p> - -<p>"That must be Box Hill!" I cried.</p> - -<p>She started and laid a hand on my arm, leaning to my side of the -chaise to look.</p> - -<p>"Box Hill!" she repeated, and her face paled and her voice shook.</p> - -<p>"Why not Box Hill?" I said. "We're close to Dorking now."</p> - -<p>"Dorking!"</p> - -<p>The poor child shook with fright, and hid her face in her hands.</p> - -<p>"Oh, you're taking me home," she cried, "and I did so trust you!"</p> - -<p>"Dear lady," I said, "if your home is here, 'tis no fault of mine that -you are back again. Remember, I beseech you, that you never told me -where you lived, nor did I question you."</p> - -<p>She took no heed of me, but wrung her hands and cast herself back -against the cushions in despair.</p> - -<p>"To come back after all!" she cried. "I was wicked to run away, I -know, I know; but to come back the same day like a child-truant! I -never really loved Mr. Northfield, but he persuaded, and persuaded, -and flattered me, and at last I promised. I was to marry my cousin, -whom I'd never seen, and I couldn't bear the thought of it. He was -coming to-to-day, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page355" id="page355"></a>[pg 355]</span> -and he'll be at h-home n-now, and I shall h-have to m-marry him!"</p> - -<p>I listened to this speech in blank amazement; but when it was ended I -laughed aloud for joy of the light that broke upon me.</p> - -<p>"You're un-k-kind to l-laugh," she sobbed.</p> - -<p>"Unkind to you?" I cried, catching her hand. "What is your name, sweet -mistress?"</p> - -<p>"Audrey M-Mortimer," she said.</p> - -<p>"And mine," cried I, "is Nigel Gray, your Cousin Nigel, very much at -your service, and very much in love with Cousin Audrey!"</p> - -<p>For a moment we gazed into each other's eyes in a kind of transport, -and then, without more ado, I took the little lady in my arms, and -kissed her. At first she tried to be a little prim and coy, but, -later, she sat upon my knee, although the chaise was narrow, and -clasped her arms about my neck.</p> - -<p>"You dear, brave cousin!" she cried.</p> - -<p>"Am I so dreadful, and will you run away again?"</p> - -<p>"Don't tease me, Nigel," she pleaded, and laid her cheek against mine. -She was little more than a child, after all, and my heart beat high -and quick to think from what, under Providence, I had saved her that -day.</p> - -<p>"What can I tell father?" she asked.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 345px;"><a href="images/355-730.png"><img src="images/355-345.png" width="345" height="470" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"I TOOK THE LITTLE LADY IN MY ARMS AND KISSED HER."</p></div> - -<p>"You only left home this morning?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, cousin."</p> - -<p>"Tell him that you ventured on to the road to see this strange cousin -of yours, and that he recognised you and picked you up."</p> - -<p>"But that would be a story!"</p> - -<p>"Well, I will tell it for you, if you will forgive me afterwards. Do -you think you will ever love me, Audrey?"</p> - -<p>"I love you already, Cousin Nigel."</p> - -<p>"Nigel, without the cousin."</p> - -<p>"Nigel," she said.</p> - -<p>And so, you see, the adventure ended happily for both of us, but I -told my Uncle Mortimer, privately, exactly what had really occurred, -in order that we might be on guard against the man Northfield. He, -however, had had his lesson; and his wound, I suppose, not proving -serious, he hid the scar and thought it best to keep a closed mouth. -Indeed, not long after, he disappeared from the country, and was heard -of later on in America, where I trust he was better appreciated than -he ever was here.</p> - -<p>As for Audrey, no sweeter woman ever breathed than my wife, and she -has made up to me a thousand fold for thinking so lightly of me before -she had ever seen my face. And for myself, though I have had many -encounters since then and against heavier odds, none ever had so fair -a reward.</p> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page356" id="page356"></a>[pg 356]</span></p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/356b-800.png"> -<img src="images/356b-300.png" width="300" height="245" alt="Before and After: A subject for Clarkson. Bernard Gould. J Bernard Partridge." -title="Before and After: A subject for Clarkson. Bernard Gould. J Bernard Partridge." /></a></div> - -<h2><span class="spaced2 wsp">A FAMOUS WIGMAKER'S FAMOUS ALBUM.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 wsp">SOME INTERESTING THEATRICAL AUTOGRAPHS.<br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="sc">By Gavin Macdonald.</span></span></h2></div> - -<p>Mr. William Clarkson, of Wellington Street, where the wigs come from, -is almost as well known to the general public as the stars of the -theatrical and musical professions who frequent his establishment.</p> - -<p>In the whole of London, I doubt if you could find a more interesting -place to spend an afternoon than the Wellington Street wig shop. And, -if you are to any extent a hero worshipper of stage players, it is -here you will find them, free, unconventional, Bohemian fellows all, -with the strait lace of the footlights gone.</p> - -<p>Clarkson's is a sort of theatrical Rotten Row, where all the -professional world is wont to meet, and mix reminiscences and general -chit-chat of the stage with orders for wigs and make-ups.</p> - -<p>The shop itself is hardly less remarkable than the business carried on -within it. It has a touch of the last century about it, with its -low-pitched ceilings and curious anterooms.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;"><a href="images/356a-550.png"><img src="images/356a-200.png" width="200" height="284" alt="" /></a> -SKETCH BY SEYMOUR LUCAS, R.A.</div> - -<p>From the former hang hundreds of grotesque pantomime and fancy-dress -masks, scarcely clearing the heads of the customers. In glass cases -around the walls of shop and anterooms are wigs and disguises and -costumes of every description, an empire's ransom in paste jewels, and -the serving of an army corps in stage weapons.</p> - -<p>Almost any morning in the theatrical season you will find three or -four well-known faces among the crowd in the establishment. It is a -convenient meeting-place for one thing, and it teems with familiar -faces and opportunities for friendly chats for another.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/356c-700.png"><img src="images/356c-300.png" width="300" height="291" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">PHILIP BURNE-JONES' SKETCH OF HIMSELF.</p></div> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 240px;"><a href="images/356d-480.png"><img src="images/356d-240.png" width="240" height="130" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THUMBNAIL BY PHIL MAY.</p></div> - -<p>The groups of actors, actresses, musicians or artists, as the case may -be, stand here and there chatting unconcernedly, while the various -<i>employés</i> rush hither and thither, dodging between them like a pack -of startled deer. And down at the desk sits Mr. Clarkson himself, -characteristically occupied in doing twenty things at once. First, it -is a genial word with a well-known star across the top of his desk. -Then a word is exchanged with a distant group, during which the -telephone rings up, and there is the Prince of Wales' fancy-dress ball -costume to be discussed. Sir Henry Irving wants a wig curled, or -possibly a new elephant is required in a hurry for a West-end -pantomime.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile assistants momentarily consult him, till you begin to think -it is a miracle his reason survives; yet somehow all are answered, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page357" id="page357"></a>[pg 357]</span> -and additional orders are shouted to others in the far -corners of the building into the bargain. This strange mixture of -hustle and scurry on the one hand and on the other is a feature of -Clarkson's I have never yet missed, although I have visited the place -times without number.</p> - -<p>Needless to say, there is scarcely a member of the artistic -professions whom Mr. Clarkson cannot number among his friends. He is -always ready with an apropos story should any of them be mentioned, or -should you evince any special interest in the subject it is quite -possible he will show you his famous albums, and point out the absent -one's autograph and remarks.</p> - -<p>The autograph books—for there are two of them—are the most -wonderful of their kind in the world, containing as they do the -signatures of almost every member of the theatrical profession, both -here and abroad.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/357a-800.png"><img src="images/357a-300.png" width="300" height="116" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">SIR HENRY IRVING'S AUTOGRAPH.</p></div> - -<p>There are many hundreds of them, many accompanied by quotations from -favourite parts, snatches of verse, stage catch phrases identified -with their names, and so forth.</p> - -<p>Many of the artists have contributed sketches. The musicians in most -cases have scribbled bars of their own compositions after their -autographs.</p> - -<p>For the purpose of illustrating this article I have reproduced a few -autographs from this unique collection. To publish them all would need -a special edition.</p> - -<p>Most if not all of the names will be familiar to the readers of this -magazine.</p> - -<p>First we give some artists' thumbnails. The most ambitious is the pen -drawing of a Cavalier's head, by Mr. Seymour Lucas, R.A.</p> - -<p>It is a pity that we are not able to give a larger reproduction of the -inimitable pencil drawing of a negro's head by Phil May. It is a -wonderful piece of drawing.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/357b-1000.png"><img src="images/357b-500.png" width="500" height="120" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">MISS TERRY'S QUOTATION—</p></div> - -<p>Perhaps the cleverest thing in the album is the sketch by that -versatile actor-artist, J. Bernard Partridge.</p> - -<p>Not less interesting is the sketch of himself by Philip Burne-Jones.</p> - -<p>After the artists come the actors and actresses.</p> - -<p>Miss Ellen Terry quotes Shakespeare, "And mine, to eke out his." -Underneath is a particularly happy retort by Sir Arthur Sullivan, who -is inclined to baldness. He writes: "And his (Clarkson's), to eke out -mine (hair)."</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/357c-1000.png"><img src="images/357c-400.png" width="400" height="95" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">—AND SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN'S RETORT.</p></div> - -<p>What Mr. Tree means by his quotation from <i>Henry V.</i> I am not prepared -to say. Is it the wig or the maker? I leave it to Mr. Clarkson.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 160px;"><a href="images/357d-380.png"> -<img src="images/357d-160.png" width="160" height="91" alt="Yours truly, Gordon Crump" title="Yours truly, Gordon Crump" /></a></div> - -<p>All playgoers will be glad to compare -the diversified signatures, whether -their favourite be Sir Henry Irving, -Sir Squire or Lady Bancroft, Mr. Forbes -Robertson, Madame Sarah Bernhardt, or -the veteran Mr. Toole.</p> - -<p>Sarah Bernhardt writes a French sentence. Curiously enough, although -this appears at the very bottom of a page, it was the first autograph -in the book; another instance of the great Sarah's eccentricity.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/357e-1000.png"><img src="images/357e-500.png" width="500" height="215" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">SIR SQUIRE AND LADY BANCROFT'S CONTRIBUTION.</p></div> - -<p>Mr. Clarkson supplies Sarah Bernhardt with all her wigs, and they are -never even curled by anyone but him, being sent especially from Paris -for the purpose.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page358" id="page358"></a>[pg 358]</span></p> -<table class="artcontainer" summary="autographs on page 358" border="0"> - -<tr> - <td class="left"><a href="images/358a-900.png"><img src="images/358a-350.png" width="350" height="177" alt="" /></a> - <p class="center">MR. G. R. SIMS ON THE "WIGGERIES."</p></td> - <td class="right"><a href="images/358f-1000.png"><img src="images/358f-500.png" width="500" height="180" alt="" /></a> - <p class="center">MADAME PATTI'S TEXT.</p></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="left"><a href="images/358b-1000.png"><img src="images/358b-450.png" width="450" height="308" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center" style="margin-top: -2em;">MADAME MELBA WISHES "GOOD LUCK."</p></td> - <td class="rightm"><a href="images/358g-1000.png"><img src="images/358g-450.png" width="450" height="211" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center" style="margin-top: -2em;">MR. F. STOREY'S IDEA OF HIMSELF.</p></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="leftcm" rowspan="2"><a href="images/358c-900.png"> -<img src="images/358c-400.png" width="400" height="330" alt="Sketch and text by Toni Rankin" title="Sketch and text by Toni Rankin" /></a> - </td> - <td class="right"><a href="images/358h-1000.png"><img src="images/358h-500.png" width="500" height="243" alt="" /></a> - <p class="center" style="margin-top: 0;">AN AIR BY A POPULAR COMPOSER.</p></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="right"><a href="images/358i-900.png"> -<img src="images/358i-450.png" width="450" height="185" alt="Pietro Mascagni's Signature" title="Pietro Mascagni's Signature" /></a> - </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="leftm"><a href="images/358d-1000.png"><img src="images/358d-500.png" width="500" height="207" alt="" /></a> - </td> - <td class="rightct"><div class="container1">MR. DIOSY WRITES A<br />SNATCH FROM<br /> "THE GEISHA" IN<br /> JAPANESE AND<br /> ENGLISH.</div></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="left"><a href="images/358e-1000.png"> -<img src="images/358e-500.png" width="500" height="157" alt="Text by Emma Calvé" title="Text by Emma Calvé" /></a></td> - <td class="rightcm"><a href="images/358j-700.png"><img src="images/358j-350.png" width="350" height="159" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center" style="margin-top: -0.5em;">WHAT ONE OF THE "BABES IN THE WOOD" SAYS.</p></td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page359" id="page359"></a>[pg 359]</span></p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/359a-1000.png"><img src="images/359a-500.png" width="500" height="149" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">MR. TREE QUOTES SHAKESPEARE.</p></div> - -<p>Mr. Fred Storey's portrait of himself was in all probability produced -by the aid of a particularly lissom quill pen.</p> - -<p>Mr. George R. Sims contributes a funny travesty of a speech of one of -the witches in <i>Macbeth</i>—</p> - -<h3>"THE WIGGERIES.</h3> - -<div class="poem width21"> <div class="stanza"> -<p class="i12">"By the pricking of my thumbs</p> -<p class="i12">Something <i>wigged</i> this way comes;</p> -<p class="i12">Open <i>locks</i>, whoever knocks."</p> - </div> </div> - -<p>The inimitable Dan Leno's "Yours with or without lace" is a -characteristically original way of saying that their friendship was -not one of a business nature merely.</p> - -<p>One autograph is of special interest in view of the tragic happening -of a few months ago. It is the characteristically bluff signature of -the late William Terriss, written while he was playing with Sir Henry -Irving in the year 1890.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/359b-1000.png"><img src="images/359b-500.png" width="500" height="70" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">SARA BERNHARDT'S COMPLIMENTS.</p></div> - -<p>When Mr. Clarkson was a boy just fresh from school, Terriss used to -come into his father's workroom and give his order for wigs directly -to the younger Clarkson, insisting that he, and he alone, should make -them from beginning to end. The late Mr. Terriss may therefore be said -to have been Mr. Clarkson's first client.</p> - -<p>One of the smallest spaces in the whole book contains quite a bunch of -prominent names, the signatures of Violet Cameron, Kyrle Bellew, -Yvette Guilbert, and Arthur Pinero occupying a space very little -larger than a postage stamp.</p> - -<p>"My dear Clarkson," wrote the late Sir Augustus Harris, "what do you -wish me to say? Echo answers, What? You answer, Nix! So I wish you all -good luck."</p> - -<p>The majority of the world's greatest musicians are represented in the -album. For example, Leon Cavalli has contributed two bars of his -<i>Pagliacci</i>; Mascagni, of <i>Cavalleria Rusticana</i> fame, signs his name -across the musical stave, and Madame Melba contributes her best -wishes.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;"><a href="images/359c-900.png"> -<img src="images/359c-450.png" width="450" height="122" alt="Johnston Forbes Robertson's Autograph" title="Johnston Forbes Robertson's Autograph" /></a></div> - -<p>Another quotation of special interest, as it is written by the great -singer Madame Patti, runs as follows: "A beautiful voice is the gift -of God.—Adelina Patti-Nicolini."</p> - -<p>Then by way of contrast there is a portion of one of Miss Hope -Temple's songs, in the handwriting of the composer.</p> - -<p>One of the most interesting contributions is that supplied by Mr. -Diosy, the popular Secretary of the Japan Society. It consists of a -message to Mr. Clarkson, and a few lines from <i>The Geisha</i> in Japanese -writing and characters.</p> - -<p>"From an artiste in airs to an artiste in hairs," over the signature -and music of Mr. Isidore de Lara, is a particularly happy -contribution.</p> - -<p>Many of the illustrations are self-explanatory, and we have therefore -omitted mention of them in this article.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/359d-1000.png"><img src="images/359d-600.png" width="600" height="182" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center" style="margin-top: -0.5em;">MR. TOOLE'S MODESTY.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page360" id="page360"></a>[pg 360]</span></p> - -<table class="artcontainer" summary="autographs on page 360" border="0"> - -<tr> - <td class="leftcm"><a href="images/360a-780.png"><img src="images/360a-340.png" width="340" height="271" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center" style="margin-top: -4em;">A WORD FROM DRURY LANE.</p></td> - <td class="rightct"><a href="images/360g-1000.png"> -<img src="images/360g-450.png" width="450" height="147" alt="Meril Tempest" title="Meril Tempest" /></a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="left"><a href="images/360b-1000.png"> -<img src="images/360b-450.png" width="450" height="187" alt="Isodore de Lara - Prologo: 'The Light of Asia'" title="Isodore de Lara - Prologo: 'The Light of Asia'" /></a></td> - <td class="rightcm"><a href="images/360h-800.png"> -<img src="images/360h-300.png" width="300" height="196" alt="With pleasure and good wishes. Lois Y. Selby" title="With pleasure and good wishes. Lois Y. Selby" /></a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="leftm" rowspan="4"> -<div class="left">A MURDERED<br /> MAN'S<br /> AUTOGRAPH.</div> -<a href="images/360c-900.png"><img src="images/360c-400.png" width="400" height="304" alt="William Terriss" title="William Terriss" /></a></td> - <td class="right"><a href="images/360i-900.png"> -<img src="images/360i-400.png" width="400" height="181" alt="Violet Cameron" title="Violet Cameron" /></a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="right"><div class="left_ind"><p class="center">MR. PINERO<br /> FINDS HIMSELF<br /> IN PLEASANT<br /> COMPANY.</p></div> - <a href="images/360j-550.png"> -<img src="images/360j-200.png" width="200" height="66" alt="Arthur Pinero" title="Arthur Pinero" /></a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="right"><a href="images/360k-560.png"> -<img src="images/360k-250.png" width="250" height="127" alt="Kyrle Bellew" title="Kyrle Bellew" /></a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="right"><a href="images/360l-560.png"> -<img src="images/360l-250.png" width="250" height="210" alt="Yvette Guilbert" title="Yvette Guilbert" /></a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="left"><a href="images/360d-960.png"> -<img src="images/360d-400.png" width="400" height="283" alt="Judicie H. Cohen" title="Judicie H. Cohen" /></a></td> - <td class="leftm"><a href="images/360e-900.png"> -<img src="images/360e-400.png" width="400" height="137" alt="Violet Vanburgh" title="Violet Vanburgh" /></a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="left"><a href="images/360f-1000.png"><img src="images/360f-500.png" width="500" height="81" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center" style="margin-top: 0;">DAN LENO'S INTIMATION.</p></td> - <td class="rightct"><a href="images/360m-1000.png"> -<img src="images/360m-500.png" width="500" height="216" alt="Jean de Herzke" title="Jean de Herzke" /></a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page361" id="page361"></a>[pg 361]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="spaced1 wsp">DAPHNE.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="sc">A Complete Story by Walter E. Grogan.</span></h2></div> - -<p class="centern1"><i>Illustrated by Harold Copping.</i></p> - -<p>When a man has looked at death out in Nevada, has rioted in a brawling -mining camp, and has lived for years where the constraint of -civilisation is considerably relaxed, he may outwardly conform to the -decorum of an English village, but underneath you may be certain he is -as lawless as ever.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 360px;"><a href="images/361-760.png"><img src="images/361-360.png" width="360" height="468" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"DAPHNE BLAKISTON WAS PRETTY."</p></div> - -<p>Gustave Derwent locked up the memories of the days when he was known -as "Wild Gus," banished the recollection of the rough life he had -spent, and brought to Grorepound, on the confines of Dartmoor, only -the knowledge of his great wealth; but at heart the master of -Grorespound Hall was "Wild Gus" still.</p> - -<p>County society received him rapturously. He was very wealthy, and -happily of a good family. The Derwents of Gloucestershire were quite -in the very best set. It is true that younger sons had little besides -the old name, and it was therefore sometimes inconvenient to know -them; but Gustave had made quite a fortune in mining, and the name -made it easy for him to step into the set which had been his in past -days.</p> - -<p>His connections were anxious that his subscriptions to the hunt and -other county institutions, and also his entertainments generally, -might be taken as part payment of their own debts to society. There -was little doubt that Derwent understood this, and therefore chose -Devon.</p> - -<p>Grorepound had little to recommend it. Those who called upon him were -few, because there were very few to call; the village was merely -rural.</p> - -<p>"I have been hunted—it's much more exciting than chasing foxes; -and as for shooting, there isn't much sport in butchering tame -pheasants," he said to the Squire, standing squarely against his -mantelpiece.</p> - -<p>The Squire remonstrated.</p> - -<p>"It's all very well for me, Derwent. I know every inch of the place -and every fool living within twenty miles. I was born here. I fit it -and it fits me. I was at sea at Oxford, and when I came down I was -glad. My father mortgaged most of the land, I've done the rest. I'm -not rich. I'm growing poorer every day. Land isn't what it was. But I -love the place. There's a whole army of Blakistons in the church, and -please God I shall add to their number. I am someone here—I'm -nobody away. I like to potter after the hounds on a half-bred. I like -to catch my trout. <span class="pagenum"><a name="page362" id="page362"></a>[pg 362]</span> -I have old friends here, and can talk to them of old times. But you? -Why, bless me, Derwent, you are rich, not bad looking, and young. What -do you want to bury yourself here for? It's no life for you. It isn't -as though you were married even."</p> - -<p>At all of which Derwent smiled. He smiled habitually. It was not a -pleasant smile, for in it lurked a suspicion of irony.</p> - -<p>"Blakiston, no man can understand another. This place suits me. It's -quiet, and I want quiet. I have had my fill of excitement out West. I -am young—but forty does not mean a boy."</p> - -<p>"Forty! pooh! what's forty?" cried the Squire. He was well over sixty, -and looked upon the vault in the church of which he was fond of -speaking as a possibility very hazy from its remoteness.</p> - -<p>"Forty, my friend, is middle age. I am not married, and am not anxious -for a wife. A wife seems to me a risky bargain; because you are lucky, -that is no reason why I should be."</p> - -<p>The Squire shifted his hands from his knees and shuffled his feet. He -did not regard his wife as absolutely essential to his happiness.</p> - -<p>"Of course, of course," he said, testily. "Mary is an excellent woman, -a really excellent woman."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but it was a lottery. She might not have been excellent, -Blakiston; she might have been bad-tempered, she might have attempted -to rule you."</p> - -<p>The Squire looked at him with a gleam of suspicion. His wife Mary was -bad-tempered and did rule him, and that in an unpleasantly harsh way. -Derwent smiled still, and the Squire merely reached for his glass of -whisky and water and hoped that his host was unconsciously ironical.</p> - -<p>"Then you won't marry?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"I don't say that," Derwent answered. At moments in his life he had -thought that love might be the beautiful thing of which men raved. -Those moments were rare, for the making of money is an occupation -which gives little leisure.</p> - -<p>"No, I don't say that," he went on. "But I am in no hurry."</p> - -<p>"Got my niece coming to-morrow, Derwent," the Squire growled, after a -period of silence. "She has no nearer relations, worse luck! Been with -a girl friend for a year—father was killed in India, mother died -when she was a baby. So she comes to us."</p> - -<p>"It is fortunate for her that she has so excellent a home open to -her."</p> - -<p>"Yes," the Squire answered, lamely. He was not sure whether Derwent -did not see under the surface. He was conscious of his wife's outcry -about the new expense and the new inconvenience.</p> - -<p>A few days later Derwent saw the niece and fell in love with her with -all the fierceness of his nature.</p> - -<p>She was pretty, but a critical observer would have ended at that -qualification. The question was whether anyone could be critical in -her presence and under the spell of her eyes.</p> - -<p>Her hair was of that shade of brown which has kindred with the sun, -but is dusky in the shade. Her nose was small and not very straight, -her mouth was small, and her chin set forward with a determined tilt; -but her eyes were her glory—large, brown, trusting, and yet -unfathomable. Derwent, seeing them, thought of stars in a midnight -sky, the stars out West, which had spoken to him in those rare moments -when he had respite from dollar making.</p> - -<p>Daphne Blakiston was high-spirited. In two or three days she conquered -both the Squire and his wife, who were surprised to find themselves in -accord in liking anyone.</p> - -<p>There was a breeziness in her manner which carried them away in spite -of themselves.</p> - -<p>"She is a thorough Blakiston," the Squire said.</p> - -<p>"She might have been a Courtenay to hear her speak," said his wife.</p> - -<p>They set much store by family in Devon.</p> - -<p>Derwent found her so pleasant that he went exploring the gardens with -her. They had never seemed so worthy of notice before.</p> - -<p>"You like this place?" he asked her.</p> - -<p>"Of course—it's lovely. You can breathe here. Did you ever try -to breathe in London? You can't really—you only cough."</p> - -<p>"I have had room to breathe in my life."</p> - -<p>"You come from the West. It must be grand to be in the forefront of -civilisation—to get away from the restrictions of society."</p> - -<p>"One gets away from all restrictions," he answered, slowly, "but I do -not know that it is grand."</p> - -<p>"But you live out there; you work for your living, and you work hard."</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"It must be glorious! I wish I could go there."</p> - -<p>"God forbid!" he cried.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page363" id="page363"></a>[pg 363]</span></p> - -<p>"Why? I have grit—that's what you call it, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>He smiled. "I don't doubt it, Miss Blakiston; but you have also a -conscience. A conscience is inconvenient without settled laws to back -it up."</p> - -<p>"But right is right everywhere," she expostulated.</p> - -<p>"Right there is in the possession of a good revolver and a quick eye."</p> - -<p>"You have had a wild life," she murmured, looking at him with some -curiosity and a little awe.</p> - -<p>"Wild enough; and I sometimes wonder whether the wildness is all out -yet. Who says habit is second nature? There is a great deal of truth -in it. They may put me into English dress and place a riding-whip in -my hand in exchange for a pick or a revolver, but if anything I really -wanted was to come into my life and there was any obstacle—" He -broke off and looked hardly through the hedge, seeing something that -was not there. His hands clenched themselves, and his face becoming -set made him look more than his forty years.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 360px;"><a href="images/363-800.png"><img src="images/363-360.png" width="360" height="443" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"'COME,' HE SAID, 'I WISH TO SPEAK TO YOU. I CAN'T TALK IN THIS CROWD OF FOOLS.'"</p></div> - -<p>She watched him with a new interest.</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>"I think it would go hard with the obstacle."</p> - -<p>Daphne was about to continue her investigation when she caught sight -of a straw hat over the hedge which bordered the meadow from the road.</p> - -<p>"There's Jack!" she cried. "I know there is only one straw hat so -dilapidated in the world!"</p> - -<p>He looked at her narrowly.</p> - -<p>"Who's Jack?" he demanded.</p> - -<p>"Jack's—well, Jack. He is the son of the rector. I knew him in -London. He's on long leave. Jack!" she called.</p> - -<p>Jack found a gap in the hedge—the Squire's hedges had many -gaps—and came towards them. Derwent saw that he was -good-looking, tall, young, and carried himself with the easy air of a -military man. He hated him. It was a new experience; he had never -hated men before—he had only disliked them.</p> - -<p>"Ah, Daphne!" cried Jack; "I hardly hoped to see you."</p> - -<p>"This is Mr. Derwent—Mr. De Courcy. I knew you were coming down -yesterday. <span class="pagenum"><a name="page364" id="page364"></a>[pg 364]</span> -Your father told me." She poured out her words in excited gasps. To -Derwent it seemed that she ignored him, and he did not like it.</p> - -<p>"You are in the army?" he asked curtly of the young man named Jack.</p> - -<p>"Yes, the 10th Lancers. I was too much of a muff for anything else. I -can ride a bit, I am fairly well made," he looked down at his length -of limb complacently, "and—and I don't think I should funk."</p> - -<p>"No man knows until he has been tried."</p> - -<p>"I suppose so."</p> - -<p>The two left Derwent somewhat unceremoniously. From that he gathered -that Daphne merely looked upon him as her uncle's friend. No man likes -to awake suddenly and find that he has become middle-aged. He may be -fond of joking about it, but that is because he believes he is far -from its border. When the knowledge comes to him suddenly, and, above -all, through a woman who has found favour in his eyes, it is bitter.</p> - -<p>Derwent watched them go, cursing the young soldier.</p> - -<p>"An insolent puppy—a mere boy!" he said. "It is dishonourable -for him to be making love to <i>her</i>. He is a pauper!"</p> - -<p>De Courcy hardly noticed Derwent beyond a vague wonder at his -churlishness.</p> - -<p>"Rum beggar, Daphne," he said. "I suppose living so long in a savage -place has made him grumpy. Beastly rich, isn't he?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Made it all himself. Nevada must be a glorious place!"</p> - -<p>"What a mercenary being you are, Daphne!" he laughed. "I prefer -Canterbury, or Grorepound, even. I suppose I shall be jealous of him."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Derwent? Why, he is an old man."</p> - -<p>"He seems over forty—not old, you know; and he has dollars, -which mean diamonds."</p> - -<p>He smiled throughout, because it seemed manifestly impossible that any -woman should prefer anyone to himself. Jack De Courcy was well -satisfied with the work of Nature in fashioning himself.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Jack!" she protested.</p> - -<p>"And I am a pauper," he went on.</p> - -<p>He certainly was a pauper in comparison with Derwent; but, poverty -being only comparative, he was a rich man to many. His mother's -private fortune—some four hundred a year—was added to the -pay which a grateful country gave him for his exertions on parade.</p> - -<p>Derwent lived for a week in the agony of jealousy. He had never cared -for anyone very much in all his previous life. He had indeed been -aware of an innate capacity for affection, but the business of making -money had left him no leisure.</p> - -<p>One day he came to a decision.</p> - -<p>"You are a fool," he said, apostrophising himself. "You are a fool. Go -and ask her whether she can care for you. You don't know yet for -certain; you only imagine. The soldier is a boy. Women—young -women—don't care for boys. Besides, he is poor, and women like -jewels."</p> - -<p>The same afternoon he sought her out from a number of guests playing -tennis on the Squire's lawn. She was flushed with victory, having, -mainly by the aid of Jack's long legs and skill, succeeded in -vanquishing the antagonistic couple in a hard fight. Derwent hated -tennis, because he did not play it and Jack did. Tennis is not much -practised in mining camps; they prefer shooting.</p> - -<p>"Come," he said, very quietly, yet in the tone of one who is set upon -a purpose. "I wish to speak to you. I can't talk in this crowd of -fools. I have not yet got the hang of it."</p> - -<p>She looked at him and laughed.</p> - -<p>"What a dear old grumbler you are!" she cried. She really liked -him—it is possible that there was something to like in him, and -that if matters had run easily he would have been a pleasant member of -society. A man after all is largely shaped by his surroundings.</p> - -<p>He did not answer her, at which she was surprised, for his general -taciturnity had usually disappeared at her bidding.</p> - -<p>"You are bad-tempered," she said. "Don't be bad-tempered. The sun is -just lovely and I shall be freckled. I hate being freckled, but the -process is alluring. And I have news." She added the last softly to -herself, expecting him to question her. He did not. He led her to a -seat in the shade of a tree and stood behind her looking down on her -wide straw hat.</p> - -<p>"I am not young," he began; "I have nearly reached forty——"</p> - -<p>"I thought you were more," she interrupted, and his brows contracted.</p> - -<p>"I have lived hardly. I have done many things which I wish to forget, -and which I cannot. I have made money where to make money needs grit -and—and a conscience not too tender."</p> - -<p>"Are you going to write an autobiography?" <span class="pagenum"><a name="page365" id="page365"></a>[pg 365]</span> -she asked. She had no idea of the seriousness of his mood, for all of -his moods struck her as more or less serious.</p> - -<p>"I am stating broadly the manner of man I am. I don't want to appear a -saint. I would rather you did not know how I lived when I was heaping -dollars. My past life belongs to the past. I have now another life -before me. It may be happier than the drag of years behind."</p> - -<p>"It ought to be—you are rich."</p> - -<p>"It depends upon you."</p> - -<p>She tilted her hat upwards, but the brim was wide and she could not -see him.</p> - -<p>"On me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I love you. I have loved you since I first saw you. I have never -loved another woman—I never shall. Can you find it in your heart -to make my new life happy?"</p> - -<p>"Mr. Derwent," she answered, "I had no idea that you cared. I—I -like you very much—as a friend. But now—I told you I had -news to-day—news which has made me happy—tuned me to the -day, which is happy. Jack has asked me to be his wife, and I have -accepted him."</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/365-980.png"><img src="images/365-400.png" width="400" height="405" alt="'" /></a> -<p class="center">"HE POURED THE CONTENTS OF THE PHIAL INTO HIS COMPANION'S TUMBLER."</p></div> - -<p>Derwent paled a little under his bronze, and his face darkened.</p> - -<p>"If—if Mr. De Courcy had not come into your life——" -he began.</p> - -<p>"That is an idle thought."</p> - -<p>"Yes, it is idle—but I thought—it would—if he had -not come?"</p> - -<p>"Who knows—I cannot realise a life without him." Then she added -other words. "I like you, Mr. Derwent, and—and I am very sorry."</p> - -<p>He let her find her way back to the guests alone.</p> - -<p>In the blindness of his jealousy he construed her words into an -admittance that she would have married him if it had not been for De -Courcy. They allowed no such interpretation, but jealousy is not -shrewd-sighted, and more often than not blunders.</p> - -<p>They had not named him "Wild Gus," singling him out from among other -wild natures for the epithet, for nothing. All the passions which had -been restrained since his advent into society surged upwards and -confirmed him in a resolve. With the intention of carrying out that -resolve he returned to the tennis lawn.</p> - -<p>Daphne, who, in spite of her flippant tongue, was possessed of a very -tender heart, was glad to see him, glad to notice the easy way in -which he passed from guest to guest talking of quiet matters with that -earnestness which had made him popular.</p> - -<p>She had been troubled lest he had been too keenly disappointed. She -argued that if he cared much he could not hide his hurt so readily. -She lacked experience.</p> - -<p>Derwent sought out De Courcy and <span class="pagenum"><a name="page366" id="page366"></a>[pg 366]</span> -congratulated him with a seeming frankness that completely dispelled -the young officer's aversion. Daphne was standing quite close to them, -and at the elder man's words was glad.</p> - -<p>"I do not pretend," he said, easily, "that we are not all envious, De -Courcy. You have gained a very great prize, and we should all be more -than human if we were not. But Miss Blakiston's -happiness——" His voice faded into an inarticulate murmur.</p> - -<p>After dinner he told many stories to De Courcy, strong stories of a -man's life in wild lands, and De Courcy told himself that the Derwent -fellow was a very decent chap, and that he had underrated him vastly.</p> - -<p>"There was little restraint in those early days in Nevada. A man's -friendship was true, and his hatred deadly. Vengeance was -swift-footed, and I have seen a man anger another and be laid out cold -under the blue sky in the very same day."</p> - -<p>"Savage, Derwent, savage!" cried the Squire. "I'm glad that we have -laws and constables and magistrates here."</p> - -<p>"We are all savage underneath."</p> - -<p>De Courcy looked at him and laughed.</p> - -<p>"I am glad, Derwent, that I am not likely to rile you. I should say -you would be apt to lapse into those primitive customs."</p> - -<p>"De Courcy," the Squire said, "your father has gone away for the -night, hasn't he?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. He's Rural Dean, you know, and has driven over to an outlying -parish. The rector is putting him up."</p> - -<p>"Then you had better stop the night here. It will be lonely for you."</p> - -<p>"Thanks, no. The governor would not care for the house to be left to -itself. You know, Derwent," he went on, "the governor is awfully -faddy, and will let no servant sleep in the Rectory but the -housekeeper, and she went two days ago to a dying daughter. Daughter -isn't dead yet, so I shall be entirely alone."</p> - -<p>Derwent expressed surprise, yet he had been fully aware of this. It -was indeed current gossip in the village. The whims of the rector made -a good deal of conversation in the course of a year.</p> - -<p>At ten o'clock Derwent and De Courcy started together. Both walked, -for the night was fine, though a strong wind came over the moor.</p> - -<p>"Dear old moor!" De Courcy said. "It blows us strength in the hottest -of weather."</p> - -<p>"The wind is strong—it will increase." Derwent remarked this -with satisfaction.</p> - -<p>The Rectory, standing alone, was some little way from the village. It -was thatched, and there was much trellis-work over its face, dry and -warped with many days' suns. When they reached it Derwent was in the -middle of some exciting reminiscence.</p> - -<p>"Come in," cried De Courcy, "come in. There's whisky and seltzer, or -soda, if you prefer it. You can have a pipe and finish your yarn. It -is quite early."</p> - -<p>"Not for Grorepound," remonstrated Derwent. The lights in the village -were going out one after another like the sparks of an exploded -firework.</p> - -<p>"But for us? I can't sleep without a pipe, and I expect you are the -same. Let us have our pipes in a sociable way instead of in silent -communion. Come."</p> - -<p>Derwent went in with De Courcy, passing through the hall into the -library. The library window looked on to the lawn by the side of the -trellised porch.</p> - -<p>As they entered the wind rattled the windows gustily.</p> - -<p>"You will not find the wind so strong at the back," said Derwent.</p> - -<p>"But I sleep in the front," explained De Courcy. "My room is the one -over this."</p> - -<p>Derwent looked at the porch and smiled.</p> - -<p>"Then," he said, "you will probably get little sleep to-night."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense! I am used to noises. The stables are very near my quarters -at Canterbury, and the horses kick up a fearful row. Seltzer or soda?"</p> - -<p>"Soda, thanks."</p> - -<p>Derwent watched the other mix the drinks with a curious fascination. -When the tumblers were filled he turned to a portrait at the back of -De Courcy and over the sideboard.</p> - -<p>"Is that your mother?" he asked.</p> - -<p>The officer turned with a smile and looked for a moment at the face -smiling back at him. During that moment the elder man drew a small -phial from his waistcoat pocket, and poured its contents swiftly and -silently into the tumbler nearest his companion. It was a preparation -of opium which he used for insomnia, and invariably carried with him; -a small dose for one accustomed to the drug as he was, but one large -enough to ensure a very heavy sleep in anyone not habituated to it.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page367" id="page367"></a>[pg 367]</span></p> - -<p>"Yes," said De Courcy, in a soft voice, "my mother. She died four -years ago. If there be any good about me I owe it to her. God never -gave man a better mother."</p> - -<p>"Ah, I cannot remember my mother. She died when I was quite a -youngster."</p> - -<p>He leant his head on his hand, shading it from the lamp. For a moment -neither man spoke, and then Derwent reached out his hand and took the -tumbler nearest to him, not the one into which he had poured the -opium.</p> - -<p>"Come, De Courcy, we must drink to your bride. Miss Blakiston!" he -cried.</p> - -<p>"Daphne, God bless her!" answered De Courcy.</p> - -<p>Derwent watched him stealthily while he drank, smiling when he set -down the empty tumbler.</p> - -<p>They remained together smoking for a quarter of an hour, Derwent -finishing the story which had been the means of his coming in. De -Courcy seemed to lose interest in it, and at its close, after yawning -once or twice, laughed.</p> - -<p>"I am awfully sorry, but I've grown uncommonly sleepy. The effect of -the moor air, I expect," he said.</p> - -<p>Derwent rose.</p> - -<p>"My dear fellow, don't let me keep you up. I suffer from insomnia so -much that I would not willingly rob a man of a minute's sleep. -Good-night, and thanks. I can find my way out."</p> - -<p>De Courcy protested, but Derwent was determined, and stumbled out into -the darkness. For a short while he examined the porch.</p> - -<p>"It is dry enough," he muttered. "In half an hour he will be fast -asleep. Nothing will wake him—nothing shall wake him! How the -wind blows! It blew like this when I shot Black Dan by the Dumper's -Claim. Why do I think of that now? I must get back at once—there -is little time to be lost."</p> - -<p>He strode in the direction of his own house. The butler only was -awake.</p> - -<p>"I am very tired, John. I shall go to my room now. Lock up."</p> - -<p>"Very good, sir."</p> - -<p>"I shall be late in the morning. I have suffered from insomnia very -badly the last few nights, but now I know I shall sleep. Don't wake -me. Let me have my sleep out."</p> - -<p>"Very good, sir."</p> - -<p>Derwent went up to his room, undressed quickly, jumped into bed, and -lay there until he heard the butler pass along the corridor. Then he -rose and dressed hastily.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 280px;"><a href="images/367-580.png"><img src="images/367-280.png" width="280" height="468" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"CLINGING TO THE LEDGE OF THE WINDOW-SILL, HE CLOSED THE WINDOW AFTER HIM."</p></div> - -<p>"They will be able to swear that I was home, and that my bed was slept -in," he said. He dressed in a rough, negligent style, unlike the -extreme order which he had observed since his return to England.</p> - -<p>He opened the window and looked out. The wind rushed in and blew down -the heavy looking-glass, cracking it across.</p> - -<p>"That," he said, "is unlucky. Some men would turn back at the omen. I -never was one to believe in omens. I never was a man to turn back."</p> - -<p>A pipe ran close to his window. By it the way to the ground was easy. -Outside, clinging to the ledge of the window-sill with one hand, he -closed the window after him. Then he slid down the pipe, and walked -rapidly to the Rectory.</p> - -<p>He approached it from the rear. The wind was in his face. It was so -violent that he kept his head down, and his eyes <span class="pagenum"><a name="page368" id="page368"></a>[pg 368]</span> -fixed upon a few yards of the way before him.</p> - -<p>What was that? Surely the night had grown lighter? Was the dawn -breaking? That was impossible—it was little after midnight. But -the hedges were plainly seen now, and before they had been blurred -into the general blackness. The road was lighter. There was no doubt -of it.</p> - -<p>Derwent stopped, and, holding his hat, looked up. In front of him the -sky was lurid, and over the roof of the Rectory close to hand were -long thin tongues of flame and showers of sparks. There was no doubt -about it. The thing he had come to do was already accomplished: the -Rectory was in flames, and the fire had started from the very quarter -he had planned. The wind was fanning it fiercely, as he had seen that -it would.</p> - -<p>For a moment he was dazed, standing in the middle of the road, staring -at the spurting light dancing behind the Rectory, the house looking -black against the illumination beyond. Then he ran, struggling against -the wind, towards the fire. The reason of his going he did not stop to -analyse. He was impelled. The wind whirled his hat away, but he did -not notice it. In two minutes he was standing breathless in front of -the Rectory. The flames were licking round De Courcy's bedroom window. -He saw at once the cause of it. The lamp had overturned in the -library. Probably the wind had burst in the window and blown the lamp -over.</p> - -<p>For a minute he stood gazing at the scene, and then he was conscious -of the arrival of Blakiston and his niece.</p> - -<p>"Derwent!" the Squire shouted, "where is De Courcy?"</p> - -<p>Derwent turned to him. The question seemed a repetition of the older -one, "Where is thy brother?" He looked at the Squire and at Daphne -clinging to her uncle's arm, white and terrified.</p> - -<p>"He must be in his room," he said. "I left him over an hour ago. He -was going up then."</p> - -<p>The flames leapt in a rush of demoniac exultation, and Daphne cowered.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Derwent, can't you do something, can't you do something?" she -cried.</p> - -<p>He did not answer her. He was busy with his own thoughts. He began to -realise that he loved her more than he had supposed men ever loved. It -seemed pitiful that she should suffer thus.</p> - -<p>"Daphne saw the light from her room and hastened me over," said the -Squire, hurriedly, yet in that whispering awe which comes upon men in -view of a tragedy.</p> - -<p>"He must be in his room," Derwent said, looking at the broad sheet of -flame licking the front of the house. Then he suddenly left them, -going in the direction of some outbuildings.</p> - -<p>Daphne, fascinated with the horror of the scene, clung to her uncle -and moaned and prayed. The wind caught her hair and blew it about -sportively. The trellis-work crackled and burst in the heat.</p> - -<p>"Derwent has gone for help," said the Squire.</p> - -<p>"What help can get here quickly enough?" she wailed. "Oh, Jack, Jack, -my darling!"</p> - -<p>Presently Derwent appeared, moving slowly. He was dragging something. -It seemed very heavy. When he came into the light they saw that it was -an old ladder, a primitive, rough ladder, very strong and very heavy.</p> - -<p>He moved forward. The weight was great, but he was a strong man. -Twenty years of heavy work had firmed his muscles.</p> - -<p>"Come!" he said to the Squire, "this is stout, it will last longer -against the flames."</p> - -<p>The old man helped him rear it against the burning casement of the -bedroom. A shower of sparks fell upon them as they did it. One fell -upon Derwent's eye, and he swore as he brushed it aside. He had wanted -all his sight for the work he had before him. He did not care so much -for the pain, but the blindness which disabled one eye was serious.</p> - -<p>He went over to Daphne.</p> - -<p>"Give me something for my face—a handkerchief—anything!" -he said, roughly.</p> - -<p>She took a silk handkerchief from her bosom. It felt warm to his -touch, and he was thrilled with a sudden sense of loss. He strode -quickly away from her and wrung it in the fountain sporting merrily in -front of the burning house. She followed him.</p> - -<p>"Bind it round my mouth and nose," he cried.</p> - -<p>She did it silently. Then she noticed his eye.</p> - -<p>"You are hurt!" she cried.</p> - -<p>"It is nothing. I wish it had come later, that is all. It won't matter -much in an hour's time."</p> - -<p>She thought of his words after, but then she was too anxious.</p> - -<p>"God bless you," she whispered, and he <span class="pagenum"><a name="page369" id="page369"></a>[pg 369]</span> -mounted the ladder. The flames curled about him and licked his face -and shoulders, but he did not falter. Then he disappeared at the -window, and they waited. The Squire had found an old bowl and was -throwing water from the fountain upon the ladder, which here and there -was beginning to burn. Daphne stood watching the flames spurt and -roar, and, with white lips, prayed inaudibly. It was perhaps human -that she thought little of Derwent and all of Jack.</p> - -<p>The heat beat back the Squire, and he stood looking helplessly at the -ladder now crackling in the flames.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;"><a href="images/369-990.png"><img src="images/369-450.png" width="450" height="446" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">DERWENT APPEARED AT THE WINDOW BEARING DE COURCY IN HIS ARMS."</p></div> - -<p>Suddenly Derwent appeared at the window. He was bearing De Courcy in -his arms. The flames rioted round him, and they could see that his -clothes were all charred.</p> - -<p>"The staircase is a sheet of flame," he cried. "He was on his bed. The -flames have not reached him."</p> - -<p>As he spoke the ladder snapped in the middle and fell, and Daphne -screamed, shutting out the scene with her hands, and then as suddenly -snatching them away.</p> - -<p>Derwent, framed in the window and holding Jack in his arms, cursed at -it. For a moment he seemed nonplussed. Then he shouted—</p> - -<p>"Blakiston, stand in as near as possible. I'm going to throw him out. -You can break his fall. It is only the drop of a few feet. Stand on -that bed, it will be softer."</p> - -<p>The old man rushed to the spot. The flower bed seemed a good way from -the house, but the flames reached it in the eddies of the wind. -Daphne, realising what was meant, also went and stood on the bed. She -looked at the twelve feet or more between it and the house, and -wondered, yet never for a moment doubted that Derwent could do what he -purposed.</p> - -<p>They breathlessly watched him brace his muscles. In the glow of the -light he looked grand, as a hero might, strengthening himself for his -last fight. Then, with a cry of warning, he threw the man out, and the -two waiting broke his fall. They, intent upon the rescued man, bore -him from the reach of the flames, forgetting for a moment the man who -had risked so much. When they looked he was gone.</p> - -<p>The recoil had thrown him back, and the floor, rotten with the heating -of the fire, had broken away. They knew afterwards that he must have -been aware of the result, and that, knowing, he had given his life for -the other. For it would have been an easy thing for him to have jumped -himself had he been willing to sacrifice De Courcy.</p> - -<p>De Courcy could never explain his insensibility that night.</p> - -<p>"Felt beastly tired, and must have fallen asleep directly I got to my -room." He was rescued fully dressed. "I suppose the smoke suffocated -me and rendered me insensible before I awoke. If it had not been for -poor old Derwent I must have been burnt. What a grand fellow he was!"</p> - -<p>Daphne often wonders at Derwent's words. "It won't matter much in an -hour's time," he had said, and it had not. And Jack's explanation -always seems unsatisfactory to her, though she has never said so.</p> - -<p>Derwent's tomb, which is very handsome, but which contains nothing of -Derwent himself, bears the legend, "He gave his life for his friend"; -but this is not true.</p> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page370" id="page370"></a>[pg 370]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="spaced1 wsp">FROM A SMOKER'S MUSEUM.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class=" less2">SOME BEAUTIFUL AND QUAINT BURNERS OF TOBACCO.<br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="sc">By T. C. Hepworth.</span></span></h2></div> - -<p>Smoking being so universal, it is no matter for surprise that much -ingenuity has been spent over the chief implement concerned in its -practice. We put cigar and cigarette smoking aside, having nothing to -do with the object of the present article; moreover, both the cigar -and cigarette are of comparatively recent introduction.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/370a-1000.png"><img src="images/370a-500.png" width="500" height="206" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">EXQUISITE VENETIAN-GLASS PIPE.</p></div> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 170px;"><a href="images/370b-340.png"><img src="images/370b-170.png" width="170" height="311" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">IRON PIPE MADE AS A KEY.</p></div> - -<p>The pipe is the popular smoking appliance and most smokers give it the -preference over everything else that can be smoked. It also has the -support of the ladies, and any careful housewife will tell us that she -would rather admit three or four pipe smokers to her curtained and -carpeted rooms than one of those horrid cigars, which leaves its faint -and disagreeable odour hanging about the place for many days. Ladies, -indeed, are more tolerant of tobacco smoke than they used to be.</p> - -<p>The first kind of European pipes were walnut shells, a hole being -bored in one side for the reception of the stem—a common straw. -It is possible that we get from this early form of tobacco pipe the -term "straw," as applied to modern long clays, if, indeed, they are -not named like <i>straw</i>-berries, from the material which protects them -from injury.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 350px;"><a href="images/370c-740.png"><img src="images/370c-350.png" width="350" height="318" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">CARVED WOOD PIPE, 6½ INCHES HIGH. TOBACCO PLACED BEHIND HORSE'S HEAD.</p></div> - -<p>The custom of using a pipe common to an assembled company was, -no doubt, partly due to the circumstance that tobacco was at one time -a most costly thing. Three years after its introduction here it cost -per ounce what would be equivalent to 18<i>s.</i> of our present money. -Later on it became the custom for a purchaser to throw into the scale -a silver coin, and he received just as much tobacco in return as would -balance his money.</p> - -<p>For the same reason the bowls of early pipes were very small, witness -our photographs of early English pipes dug up at Chelsea which could -be filled many dozen times over with a single ounce of tobacco. But, -as in all other things, demand stimulated supply, until tobacco in our -own day has become remarkably cheap. Perhaps some of our readers who -pay fourpence an ounce for their little luxury may traverse this -statement, forgetting that the value of the weed which they purchase -is only about one fourth of what they pay for it, the difference going -to H.M. Customs.</p> - -<p>After the walnut and straw pipes had had their day, clay pipes became -common in this country, where smoking became general after the great -plague of London in 1665. To this pestilence we owe the suddenly -increased use of tobacco, for it was bruited abroad that of all the -tradesmen of London the tobacconists alone had not been attacked by -the disease.</p> - -<p>Smoking was recognised as a valuable sanitary precaution against the -malady, and we find quaint <span class="pagenum"><a name="page371" id="page371"></a>[pg 371]</span> -old Pepys mentioning the fact in his famous diary after seeing two -houses in Drury Lane marked with a red cross on their -portals—the token of a plague-stricken household. "It put me," -he says, "in an illconception of myself and my smell, so that I was -forced to buy some roll tobacco to smell to, and chaw, which took away -my apprehension."</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 260px;"><a href="images/371a-530.png"><img src="images/371a-260.png" width="260" height="126" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">17TH CENTURY CLAY PIPE.</p></div> - -<p>Clay pipes have an enormous sale in this country at the present day, -and we may assume that the publicans are the chief buyers, for it has -long been the custom to give pipes away to patrons of beershops, -without making any charge. Such pipes are mostly made from a -Dorsetshire clay, the material being first well kneaded, moulded into -pipe form, then dried, and lastly burnt in a kiln. The work of making -this kind of pipe is so expeditious that a manufacturer can count on -an output of five hundred pipes per day from each hand employed.</p> - -<p>At one time there was a demand for "clays" of a more ornate kind, some -of the bowls representing heads of popular or unpopular personages. -For example, when the great Duke of Wellington tried to stop smoking -in the army, except from the muzzles of the guns, he was caricatured -in a pipe bowl in which his famous nose was given undue proportions, -while the neck of the pipe bore the figure of a subaltern emulating -the rude conduct of the gentleman in the Ingoldsby Legends—</p> - -<div class="poem width18"> <div class="stanza"> -<p>"The sacristan said not one word</p> -<p class="i2">To indicate a doubt,</p> -<p>He put his thumb unto his nose</p> -<p class="i2">And spread his fingers out."</p> - </div> </div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/371b-1000.png"><img src="images/371b-500.png" width="500" height="314" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE SNAKE PIPE.</p></div> - -<p>In the same way the French pipes offered endless variety—one -pipe would represent a devil's head; another a skull; a favourite was -the head of John Bull treated in a conventional way and not too -flattering a spirit. There is also a well-known pipe bearing the head -of a Dutchman stuck in a wooden shoe.</p> - -<p>But if we want to find variety in pipe design, we must search for it -in that country of great smokers—Germany. It would be quite easy -to fill an entire number of this publication with pictures of pipes -from the German empire, and we have access to collections which would -afford endless variety of designs, for pipe collecting is almost as -popular a hobby as that of stamp collecting. Here we give three very -remarkable examples, as different as they could possibly be.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 280px;"><a href="images/371c-560.png"><img src="images/371c-280.png" width="280" height="144" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THE TWO CLAY PIPES ON THIS PAGE WERE FOUND IN MILMAN'S ROW, CHELSEA.</p></div> - -<p>First, we show a pipe in the form of a key. It is made of iron, as -many of the early pipes were; some were of brass, silver, or other -metals; but as knowledge increased, and people learnt that these -metals are greedy of heat, they were discarded for more suitable -materials.</p> - -<p>Our second German example is a very well carved figure of a mounted -cavalry officer, made of wood, with silver armour and trappings. This -is an eighteenth century pipe, and the original is no less than six -and a half inches in height. It will be noted that the bowl proper is -in the lower part of the horse's neck, this part of the animal being -hinged so that the tobacco can be inserted. The pipe stem fits into a -kind of holster at the back. This is essentially a pipe for home use, -for although it is not heavy, considering its size, few men would care -to be seen smoking such a huge thing out of doors.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page372" id="page372"></a>[pg 372]</span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 250px;"><a href="images/372a-500.png"><img src="images/372a-250.png" width="250" height="301" alt="" /></a> -<p class="figright">TRIPLE-BOWL PIPE FOR SMOKING THREE KINDS OF TOBACCO.</p></div> - -<p>Our third example from Deutschland is a triple-bowl pipe very finely -carved out of one solid piece of hard wood, and mounted with silver -tops, etc. There always have been, and probably always will be, -persons who prefer to go a roundabout way to accomplish a thing which -can be done by far easier means. These simple folk are satirised by -genial Artemus Ward in a story of a person who was immured in a gloomy -prison. He tried the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and endeavoured to -remove the iron bars from the window. Next he tried to escape by the -chimney. When suddenly "a lucky thort" struck him. "He opened the door -and walked out."</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 200px;"><a href="images/372b-430.png"><img src="images/372b-200.png" width="200" height="204" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center" style="clear: both;">ITALIAN PIPE OF MOTHER-OF-PEARL.</p></div> - -<p>Now, it is quite certain that a man possessing this amount of resource -would never have designed a pipe with three bowls in order that he -might at the same moment inhale three different kinds of tobacco; he -would have done what many smokers prefer to do at the present -day—that is, he would have mingled his various kinds of tobacco -and smoked them in a pipe of normal construction. The modern German -pipes, affected chiefly by students, are too well known to need -illustration. They have most capacious bowls of porcelain, and bear a -painted picture, generally the representation of a more or less pretty -maid.</p> - -<p>But the Germans and French must not have it all their own way with the -curiosities of pipeland. We give a photograph of an English one, which -may be meant for a snake with a man's head, or a catherine wheel; and, -if its coils could be opened out, it would measure many feet in -length. It is made of earthenware, of a buff colour, covered with -brown spots. He would be a bold man who would venture into the -smoking-room of a London club with such a grotesque thing between his -lips. But it was used before the days of modern clubs.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px; clear: both;"><a href="images/372c-740.png"><img src="images/372c-300.png" width="300" height="344" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">PERFORATED SILVER PIPE CASE.</p></div> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 280px; clear: both;"><a href="images/372d-700.png"><img src="images/372d-280.png" width="280" height="374" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center" style="margin-top: -1em;">THIS PIPE IS SMOKED IN THE CASE.</p></div> - -<p>Italy supplies many examples of curious pipes. One is a bowl made from -a natural shell resplendent with mother-of-pearl; it has an -earthenware lining and silver cap. Another is a pipe of -glass—not more brittle perhaps than a clay "churchwarden," but -rather too expensive to risk between the teeth, for it is a fine -example of that beautiful Venetian-glass work which is not excelled -throughout the world.</p> - -<p>A third Italian pipe is like the fur seal, in that the most valuable -part of it is its skin, or case, made of finely-perforated silver. It -will be noted that the pipe is too long for the case, an intentional -peculiarity, in order that it may be smoked while encased in its -handsome covering.</p> -<!-- --> -<p class="space-above5">Turkey offers a great variety of pipes, from the humble red clay to -the lordly hookah or hubble-bubble—a device of Persian origin -for allowing the smoke to be drawn through water in order to purify it -before reaching the mouth. Another pipe, with which the hookah is -often mistakenly identified, is the "Narghile." This word is a native -Indian one for a cocoa-nut, and the pipes are either made of an actual -nut, as shown in our illustration, or have a receptacle for the -nicotine of similar shape and character. A gourd pipe, with a gourd -twelve inches in diameter, is not unknown.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;"><a href="images/372e-430.png"><img src="images/372e-200.png" width="200" height="337" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">INDIAN COCOA-NUT PIPE.</p></div> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page373" id="page373"></a>[pg 373]</span></p> - -<div class="figparts"> -<a href="images/373-1000.png"><img src="images/373a-600.png" width="600" height="354" alt="The face at the door" class="door" /></a> -<a href="images/373-1000.png"><img src="images/373b-450.png" width="450" height="202" alt="" class="door1" /></a></div> - -<div class="whole"><a href="images/373-1000.png"><img src="images/373-600.png" width="600" height="556" alt="The face at the door" /></a></div> - -<h2 style="padding-top: 1.5em;"><span class="spaced2 wsp more2">THE FACE AT THE DOOR.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 wsp" style="line-height: 110%;">THE DRAMA OF A GHASTLY DELUSION.<br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="sc">By Walter D. Dobell.</span></span></h2></div> - -<p class="centern1"><i>Illustrated by S. H. Vedder.</i></p> - -<p><span class="sc">A Story in Two Letters from Thomas Campbell, of London, -to his Brother, Dr. John Campbell, in Bombay.</span></p> - -<p><span class="sc"> Dear Jack</span>,<span style="padding-left: 3em;">Jan. 3rd., 1898.</span></p> - -<p>What the Psychical Research Society really wants is an authentic -record of any supernatural or inexplicable event in the life of a -"healthy subject" with nerves of iron, and a hearty contempt for all -forms of superstition.</p> - -<p>Therefore I have not the slightest intention of following your advice -and laying this story before that most learned and conscientious -tribunal, because I fear that I cannot claim for John Barton, the -principal actor in this little drama, either remarkably good health or -a complete freedom from superstition. But as you ask for the details -you shall have them.</p> - -<p>I first met Barton some two years ago in the rooms of a friend of -mine. We had been playing whist, and after the departure of the fourth -player he and I stayed on talking with our host till the early hours -of the morning.</p> - -<p>The conversation ran chiefly on vampires, wehr-wolves, and other -subjects of an equally light and cheerful nature, and Barton, I -remember, showed himself to be an adept at the art of making the flesh -creep. He walked part of the way home with me, and we discovered that -we had quite a large number of friends and interests in common.</p> - -<p>I came across him constantly after this, and one day when he was -dining with me—in September, '95, I think it was? he told me -that he was engaged to be married, and a few days afterwards -introduced me to the lady. I was much struck by her beauty and the -wonderful power that was expressed both in her face and by her speech -and bearing.</p> - -<p>Her age, if a poor bachelor is any judge, was about twenty-eight, and -she was, I believe, of Russian extraction. She was living with friends -in Paris, the Russian heaven, and naturally Barton spent most of his -time in the same city, so that though I heard of him and from him from -time to time, we never actually met again till <span class="pagenum"><a name="page374" id="page374"></a>[pg 374]</span> -January of this year. Mickleham asked me to come and dine with him for -the purpose of meeting Barton, who would, he said, leave England again -in a couple of days. I gladly accepted the invitation, and a very -pleasant dinner we had at the Travellers' Club, adjourning afterwards -to Mickleham's rooms, where we sat and talked for two or three hours.</p> - -<p>I noticed at dinner that Barton was not looking well, and afterwards, -though he talked as much and as brilliantly as usual, he studiously -avoided supernatural subjects, once his favourite topic, and displayed -marked uneasiness whenever the talk strayed in that direction. I don't -think Mickleham noticed anything—he never was exactly a Sherlock -Holmes, you remember—and in fact there was only one trivial -indication of the state of Barton's nerves that was particularly -remarkable. He seemed to have acquired a habit, even in the middle of -some of his best stories, of continually glancing in a sidelong -fashion at the door. Once, indeed, he rose and went towards it as if -to close it; but seeing, as I then supposed, that it was shut, he went -back to his seat.</p> - -<p>We both left at about one o'clock, and as he was sleeping at the -Métropole we parted at the corner of St. James' Street, and I said -good-bye and wished him a pleasant crossing, thinking, of course, that -I should not see him again before he left England. You can judge of my -surprise when after walking home I found Barton already in my rooms. -He apologised, saying that he had remembered something which he had -meant to tell me, and had driven back to do it, passing me, I suppose, -on the way. It was some time before I could get him to tell me what it -was that he had forgotten. I was rather riled, as I wanted to go to -bed, but when at last he did begin his story, I can tell you there -wasn't much sleepiness left in me. He told it as no one else could -have told it, and it's a solid fact that he made me feel like a -frightened child, and you know I'm not a particularly imaginative man.</p> - -<p>He began by asking me if I had observed his continual glances at the -door in Mickleham's room—he was keeping his eye on my door, by -the way, all the time he was telling the story. I said I had observed -this, and he then gave me the reason for his conduct, and, by George, -old boy, when I heard what he was always seeing when he did look at -the aforesaid door, I admired the poor devil for his pluck as much as -I pitied him for his delusion. I'm quite certain I couldn't stand it -for half a minute, and he had been bearing it for more than a year.</p> - -<p>He said that the door of any and every room in which he was always -appeared to be ajar, and round the edge of the door—I declare it -frightens me even to think of it—round the corner, as it were, -just coming into the room, he always saw the hand and half the face of -a man—never more, and never less. The hand was grasping the door -about a foot above the handle, and the face was peering round it, with -one eye—he couldn't see the other—always fixed on him. -Cheerful, wasn't it? He could see the nose, which was very large and -fleshy, and all the left side of the face, which was a sort of dirty -white. The hair was black and rather long, he thought, and there was a -large abrasion—"something between a cut and a bruise" was his -phrase—on the temple.</p> - -<p>He had been receiving this delightful visitor daily ever since the -autumn of '95—a pleasant year he must have had of it, poor chap. -I told him to go to a doctor, but he said that he had tried that -without any success—had told the doctor that he was suffering -from delusions, and had implicitly followed his instructions, but -still the white face kept turning up at the door.</p> - -<p>He seemed chiefly distressed about it because of his approaching -marriage; he had, as I told you, become engaged in September, '95. He -spoke very nicely of his future wife, of whom he seemed extremely -fond, and asked my advice as to telling her all about it. I thought he -had better not, and advised him to go in for hard exercise and early -hours—but really I did not know what to say to him. -"Paternosters were peas in plates to his sorrows."</p> - -<p>He seemed rather more cheerful before he left, and we tried an -interesting, though to me a somewhat alarming, experiment. Keeping his -eyes fixed on the door, Barton walked slowly towards it, and laid his -hand upon the handle. Directly he did this the face, he said, -disappeared, but the hand remained. While he was turning the handle, -however, the hand, which he said was large and dirty, followed the -example of the head, and it became instantly clear to Barton that the -door was not really ajar, but tightly closed. This was the invariable -programme, he told me.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page375" id="page375"></a>[pg 375]</span></p> - -<p>I saw him off, wished him well rid of his encumbrance, and promised to -say nothing about it; then, taking my life and my candle in my hands, -I rushed frantically up to bed.</p> - -<p>I didn't meet Barton again until his wedding, which took place last -month. He was looking nervous and harassed, but not more so than most -men in his unhappy plight—it was a regular church affair. -Naturally I had no opportunity for a quiet talk with him, even if I -had been particularly anxious to have one—which I was not.</p> - -<p>The happy pair started for Italy to spend their honeymoon, and I gave -them a day's law before following. I had promised to join Robinson in -Florence, and was already overdue. I hadn't the slightest intention of -meeting the Bartons, and therefore of course they were almost the -first English people that I came across in the streets of Florence. We -exchanged a few fatuous remarks, and I then hurried away. It was too -early in the honeymoon for them to be longing, like the couple in -<i>Punch</i>, "for some friend to turn up, or even some enemy." That very -evening, however, Barton came round to see me. I introduced him to -Robinson, and we all talked for a bit in the hotel verandah, but it -was so obvious that Barton had something to say to me in private that -Robinson soon left us.</p> - -<p>"Campbell," said Barton immediately, "it's getting worse than ever."</p> - -<p>"What is?" I asked, though I knew.</p> - -<p>"That infernal man at the door: I can see nearly all his face round -the corner now, and I tell you I'm losing my nerve. And there's a new -development: he doesn't always look at me now. I've noticed sometimes -that his eyes—I can see both are fixed on Helene, my wife; and -it's that, I think, that has shaken me."</p> - -<p>"You haven't told her, I suppose?" said I.</p> - -<p>"Of course not: but I think she sees that there's something wrong. -I've seen her look at me very curiously at times, though she doesn't -say anything. You don't think I ought to tell her?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly not," I said; "but for goodness' sake go to a decent doctor -when you get home, and tell him everything. I'm very sorry for you, my -dear fellow, but that's really all I can advise; and if I were you I -wouldn't put it off too long."</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 340px;"><a href="images/375-730.png"><img src="images/375-340.png" width="340" height="462" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"SHE WAS A RUSSIAN, AND I WAS MUCH STRUCK BY HER BEAUTY."</p></div> - -<p>"We're going home next week," he said, and we parted. I really don't -see what I could <span class="pagenum"><a name="page376" id="page376"></a>[pg 376]</span> have said that could have done the slightest -good. It was in his liver or his eyes that the fault lay, I -thought—I'm not so sure about that now—and I'm no doctor.</p> - -<p>Well, two days after this interview, while Robinson and I were at -dinner, a waiter came to me and said that there was a lady in our -private room who insisted on seeing me immediately. I went up, of -course, and there found Mrs. Barton in a state of terrible excitement -and anxiety.</p> - -<p>"You must come with me, Mr. Campbell," she cried, on seeing me; "my -husband has met with a terrible accident," and she literally dragged -me out of the hotel into her carriage.</p> - -<p>"He is in a doctor's house," she said, as we rattled furiously down -the street; "the accident happened at the very door, and he was -carried in. He has been asking continually for you."</p> - -<p>I thought she seemed to resent this, and perhaps it was only natural. -"How did it happen?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"He had been buying some old armour and two old Florentine daggers, -and was carrying them home when he slipped and fell, and one of the -daggers ran into his leg. It was all my fault, I ought to have helped -him to carry the things; his hands were full, and he couldn't save -himself."</p> - -<p>"Oh, it will be all right, Mrs. Barton," said I; "a cut in the leg is -not very serious."</p> - -<p>"Not serious!" she replied, angrily; "the doctor said himself that in -ten seconds more he would have bled to death. Here is the house; I -shall take you straight to him." She hurried me through the open door -of a somewhat mean little dwelling—we had driven into a rather -low quarter of the town. I didn't know Florence well enough to be sure -exactly where we were, and during my drive I had been too much -occupied to look out of the window. We went into a small bedroom on -the ground floor. Two little men in black coats were standing by the -bed, and on it lay Barton, with a face of the most ghastly pallor and -wildly glaring eyes.</p> - -<p>"Thank God you've come, Campbell," he gasped. "I'm too weak—too -weak—you must keep him out," and then his head fell back and he -fainted. Restoratives were applied without avail, and the two men in -black exchanged whispers in Italian which I could not catch.</p> - -<p>"Speak English," said Mrs. Barton, furiously—she looked like a -madwoman—"Speak English. What are you going to do?"</p> - -<p>I thought it improbable that either of the men would know the -language, but I was wrong.</p> - -<p>"We are agreed," said the taller of the two, speaking with a very -slight accent, "my brother and I, that one thing only can be done. -Your husband is dying from want of blood: we must give him more blood. -How much will you pay?"</p> - -<p>"There's no question of that," I said, as I grasped his meaning; "you -can bleed me, I'm willing. Be quick, there's no time to lose."</p> - -<p>"No, no," said the doctor, "you are not strong enough; it might not -save him; it would certainly lose—that is, kill you. But we are -fortunate; there is in our house what you call a lodger, he is strong -and his blood will serve. He will not refuse me, he is of the -Religion; but you must pay."</p> - -<p>"Of the Religion?" I said. "Oh, I see, you are a Jew. Well, I will -guarantee you five hundred pounds; divide it as you choose, only make -haste."</p> - -<p>"That will be sufficient," said the shorter of the brothers, "but you -and the lady must not be here. The room is small; I will take you to -another, and bring down our guest, and I will tell you when it is -finished, that you may thank him."</p> - -<p>So saying, he led us into a room facing the door of the bedroom and -locked us in. I heard him go upstairs; heard voices: then his steps -coming down, followed by someone with a much heavier tread; heard them -enter the bedroom and close the door. Mrs. Barton was lying back in -her chair in a sort of stupor, and I was examining the room by the -light of one candle—it was now nearly half-past nine—when -I heard a sudden outbreak of noise, the bedroom door opened, the key -of our door was turned, and the taller of the two brothers looked in.</p> - -<p>"The gentleman must come, please," he said, and I hurried out. "He is -calling for you," he said, closing the door, "and will not keep still; -we can do nothing if he will not keep still."</p> - -<p>We went into the bedroom. Barton was tossing wildly about on the bed; -the little doctor was trying to keep him down while a tall dark man of -an unmistakably Jewish type was holding the injured leg as still as he -was able. I went up and took Barton's hands in mine: instantly he -became perfectly quiet, and his eyes closed.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page377" id="page377"></a>[pg 377]</span></p> - -<p>"Keep him away. Campbell, I trust to you," he said, and lapsed into -unconsciousness.</p> - -<p>"We must be quick," said the little doctor. "If the gentleman holds -the right hand all will be well; we will operate on the left arm. -Come, Israel," to the stranger, "stand here."</p> - -<p>Barton was lying perfectly still, but when the man Israel approached -the head of the bed an extraordinary shudder ran through his body, his -eyes opened and glared at me, and his lips moved as if to speak; but -apparently the sight of me sitting by the bed soothed him, for the -panic died out of his eyes and his head fell back again on the pillow.</p> - -<p>The operation commenced. I'm not doctor enough to give you the -details, and I could not see very clearly, but apparently the -doctors—for both the brothers appeared to be medical -men—had established, by means of a sort of a pipe, a connection -between the circulatory system of the big Jew and the poor fellow on -the bed, so that the blood of the former poured into the veins of the -latter.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 320px;"><a href="images/377-700.png"><img src="images/377-320.png" width="320" height="452" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"'MY HUSBAND HAS MET WITH A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT,' SHE CRIED."</p></div> - -<p>As this idea came home to me, I glanced anxiously at the stranger to -see if he was fitted to bear such a strain, and I was satisfied. A -fine full-blooded fellow he looked, six feet high and well built, with -black hair and ruddy cheeks, which seemed to me to be gradually -growing paler, but perhaps this may have been due to the failing light -of the little lamp by whose feeble rays this difficult operation was -being performed.</p> - -<p>It seemed to me that this wonderful lending or selling of life, as it -were, had been going on for a long time, when I heard a slight noise -behind me, and, glancing round, I saw Mrs. Barton at the end of the -room near the door. Her eyes were fixed in a stare of terror on the -face, not of her husband on the bed, but on the stranger who was -saving that husband's life. The operation was almost over apparently. -Barton's face was in shadow, and I could see no change in its -appearance, but the smaller of the two doctors was bringing forward -instruments and bandages with a view apparently to the necessary -stoppage of the flow of blood when the connecting pipe should be -removed. I motioned to Mrs. Barton to keep back and be silent. I -suppose the big Jew Israel noticed my gesture, for his eyes turned -towards the door. I saw his face, which was now very pale, suddenly -stiffen as it were, and in another moment he gave a terrible cry, and -leaped back from the bed.</p> - -<p>The smaller doctor, with the most admirable presence of mind, -instantly commenced operations on Barton's arm, while his brother -seized hold of his lodger round the waist. Mrs. Barton, her eyes still -fixed on the big Jew, was crouching down at the end of the room, and I -hurried round the bed only just in time to stop the man Israel, who -rushed towards <span class="pagenum"><a name="page378" id="page378"></a>[pg 378]</span> -her, dragging the doctor after him, and yelling out some perfectly -unintelligible gibberish. It was obvious, however, that he meant -murder, and I collared him in front while the doctor hung on gallantly -behind. Israel was enormously strong, and, seizing the little man by -the neck, he simply tore him off and flung him away into a corner of -the room. In doing this, however, he threw all his weight on to his -left foot, which I promptly kicked from under him, and we came down -together, knocking over the table and rolling wildly about on the -floor.</p> - -<p>He seemed to be growing weaker, and at last I got my knee on his -chest, when I suddenly remembered that his arm had never been attended -to, that he must be bleeding to death. I could see nothing; for in our -fall his head had struck the table and upset the lamp—thank -goodness it was filled with colza, not paraffin—so I yelled to -the doctors to strike a light and lend a hand. The little man, who had -quietly finished Barton's arm while we were waltzing about all over -the floor, relighted the lamp, and I don't think I shall ever forget -the scene that the feeble light displayed to me.</p> - -<p>Barton was sitting up on the bed looking anxiously in my direction; -one doctor was just getting on to his feet, the other was hurrying -towards me, and in the corner by the door was huddled Mrs. Barton, -still wildly staring round, but perfectly motionless. I looked down at -the man on the floor, and saw to my horror that he was on the point of -death—in fact, before the little doctor could reach him, and put -the lamp down, his jaw had dropped and his head fell back with a thud -on the bare boards.</p> - -<p>"He is dead," said the little man, quietly; "that blow on the head -would perhaps have sufficed, but the cause of death was loss of blood; -perhaps the gentleman would prefer to make the fee seven hundred -pounds and he shall not be troubled with any too curious questions. As -the gentleman's carriage is at the door, the gentleman had better be -removed; it will not hurt him. Is there anything the matter with the -lady?"</p> - -<p>Mrs. Barton had risen, and now came slowly forward. "No," she said, "I -am well. That man—I was afraid—I thought he was going -to—to hurt me."</p> - -<p>"It was so, without doubt," said the little man, calmly; "he was -angry. Is the gentleman ready to be moved?"</p> - -<p>"All right," said Barton, speaking in quite his ordinary voice, "all -right, I can walk."</p> - -<p>"He must be carried," said the doctors together; "the other gentleman -will help us, and then he will perhaps arrange about the money."</p> - -<p>We picked Barton up amongst us, his wife going first to prepare the -carriage for his reception, and carried him to the door.</p> - -<p>"Stop a minute!" said Barton, suddenly, "let me see the poor fellow -who is dead."</p> - -<p>"It is right that the gentleman should see him," said the smaller -brother, "he saved the gentleman's life."</p> - -<p>We had propped the corpse up in a sitting position against the end of -the bed, and Barton looked long into the ghastly face.</p> - -<p>"Good God! how strange!" he whispered at last. "He has saved my life, -and I feared him—how I feared him!"</p> - -<p>"The gentleman knew Israel Hoffmann then?" said the taller of the two -doctors.</p> - -<p>"No," said Barton, "I have never met him before. Go on," and we -carried him to the carriage where his wife was waiting us. I got in -with them, telling the doctors I would return immediately, and they -allowed me to depart without protest, somewhat to my surprise. I saw -Barton safely in bed, and was hurrying from the room when he called me -back and asked his wife to leave us for a moment.</p> - -<p>"Campbell," he said, when she had gone, "do you know who that man -was?"</p> - -<p>"No," said I, "he was a lodger in the house. I know no more than that, -but I can find out if you like."</p> - -<p>"I don't mean that," he said; "that man's face was the face that had -peered at me round the door for more than a year; the face I had told -you about, the face I had grown to fear as I never feared anything in -my life before; and yet that man has saved my life. It was good, not -evil, that the vision meant, Campbell—good, not evil, and it was -nearly driving me mad. Go back to that house; you can leave me safely, -I am happier and better than I ever was before. I thought the thing -was evil, and I find it to be good."</p> - -<p>I left him repeating these words over and over again, told his wife, -and hurried back to my rooms. Then, having procured the money, I drove -to the doctor's house. I settled with the two little men in the -sitting-room, and then asked if I might see the body.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page379" id="page379"></a>[pg 379]</span></p> - -<p>"It is upstairs," they said. "We will arrange everything; he is of the -Religion. But you may see him."</p> - -<p>I went upstairs, and there on a bed in a tiny room lay the body of my -late antagonist, wrapped in a sheet. The face was exposed, and I -examined it with interest. It was deathly pale and somewhat fallen -away, the thick, curving nose standing forward prominently. On the -left temple and on the forehead was a terrible bruise, caused, I -suppose, by the edge of the table on which the lamp had stood. -Certainly the face tallied marvellously with Barton's description of -his visionary visitor. I went back to my rooms and tried to puzzle the -thing out, but I can't say that I succeeded. The connection that -seemed to exist between the dead man and Mrs. Barton only complicated -matters instead of simplifying them.</p> - -<p>Robinson and I are still staying on here, but the Bartons left -yesterday, Barton having recovered in a perfectly marvellous manner. -I've written a very long letter, old boy, but as you seem excited by -the remarks I let fall in my last epistle to you about the subject, I -thought I had better give you the full details. I'm afraid I must ask -you not to repeat the story—you will yourself see the reasons -against so doing. I don't know if you will be able to form any theory -about it—I shall be glad to hear it if you can. Hoping to get a -letter from you soon, and that you are quite fit,</p> - -<p class="author2">I am</p> - -<p class="author1">Your loving brother,</p> - -<p class="author"><span class="sc">Tom</span>.</p> - -<hr class="medium" /> - -<p class="date">April 14, 1898.</p> - -<p><span class="sc">Dear Jack</span>,</p> - -<p> I will give you, since you desire it, full details of the whole -terrible business, but I must repeat the caution of my last letter. -Don't make this public just yet. Of course many of the facts are -known, but still I should prefer you not to repeat what I am going to -tell you. I am taking legal advice on the subject.</p> - -<p>In my letter to you, last summer, I told you, I think, all about -Barton's strange delusion and the extraordinary episode of the -transfusion of blood from the very man whose wraith he was always -seeing into Barton's own veins. The Bartons had been in England for -some time before I returned to find an invitation awaiting me to dine -at their house in town. I accepted, as I was anxious to see how Barton -was getting on, and whether he had got rid of his horrible delusion.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;"><a href="images/379-990.png"><img src="images/379-450.png" width="450" height="457" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"WE FELL DOWN TOGETHER, AND I GOT MY KNEE ON HIS CHEST."</p></div> - -<p>I found him in the best of health, better and stronger apparently than -he had been even before the commencement of his hallucination; but -Mrs. Barton was much paler and thinner than when I had seen her last. -I was the only guest, and the burden of the conversation was borne by -myself and Barton, who was really almost boisterous at times—an -extraordinary change for him. Mrs. Barton scarcely spoke. I noticed -that she never so much as glanced in the direction of her husband. I -thought at the time that probably the first tiff of their married life -had come off some time that day, and that Barton's boisterousness and -his wife's silence arose from the same cause. I know better now.</p> - -<p>When Mrs. Barton left us to our cigarettes, I asked about the man at -the door. Barton, I think, was rather vexed at the question, but he -told me that he had no return of the vision, and then passed on to -something else. I also inquired after his wife's health, and as far as -I could judge <span class="pagenum"><a name="page380" id="page380"></a>[pg 380]</span> -he seemed actually pleased to hear that I thought her looking ill, and -his manner of speaking of her altogether confirmed me in the idea that -they had had a quarrel, and a fairly serious quarrel, that very day, -though of course I couldn't pursue the subject.</p> - -<p>A short while afterwards a message was brought in to Barton, and he -asked me to excuse him for a few minutes, as he must see -someone—a groom I think he said—and would rejoin me in the -drawing-room.</p> - -<p>I went upstairs and entered into conversation with my hostess, whose -manners had completely changed. She talked now with a feverish -rapidity, and I noticed with the most intense surprise, and I must add -with a creeping sensation of horror, that she had caught Barton's -trick of constantly shooting anxious glances at the door. I suppose -she saw that I had observed her, for she turned her chair round with -its back to the door and said—</p> - -<p>"I was wondering why my husband did not come."</p> - -<p>I told her that he was engaged for the moment, and she -continued—</p> - -<p>"Have you noticed any change in him, Mr. Campbell?"</p> - -<p>"He seems marvellously well," I replied. "We really owe a great debt -to the two little doctors and to——"</p> - -<p>I stopped abruptly. Mrs. Barton had grown ghastly pale, and I -remembered how fiercely the Jew had endeavoured to attack her in that -terrible little room in Florence. Once again she seemed to read my -thoughts.</p> - -<p>"I knew that man Israel Hoffmann, Mr. Campbell," she said. "I am a -Russian, you know, and we—my father and I—disliked him, -and he hated us, and had threatened often to revenge—that is, to -injure us. My father warned me against him only a few months before he -died, and you see how the man tried to attack me on that night. We do -not like Jews in Russia you know, Mr. Campbell.—Why, what is -it?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing," I said, hastily, but I'm afraid my voice shook; "I thought -I saw your husband coming in—I was mistaken."</p> - -<p>It was no mistake, I knew. It was Barton's face that I had seen -looking round the door, with his eyes fixed on his wife; but as I -spoke the head was withdrawn, and the door softly closed.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/380-600.png"><img src="images/380-300.png" width="300" height="490" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"IT WAS BARTON'S FACE—HIS EYES FIXED ON HIS WIFE."</p></div> - -<p>"Mr. Campbell," said—or, rather, gasped—the woman at my -side, "was he—was he peering at me round the door?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I—I thought so," I stammered.</p> - -<p>"He always does that now," she whispered, "and it frightens me, Mr. -Campbell—it frightens me. What does it mean?"</p> - -<p>What on earth was I to say? Here was Barton apparently taking the -place of his departed ghastly visitor; but how was I to explain this -to his wife, who had never heard, and now most certainly must never -hear, of her husband's hideous delusion. I was relieved from my -difficulty by Barton himself, who now entered the room with the same -boisterously cheerful manner that I had noticed before.</p> - -<p>"Well, I hope you're not bored, Campbell," he cried.</p> - -<p>"Very much the reverse," said I, with perfect truth.</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid that isn't true," said Mrs. Barton; "I'm very dull -to-night, but Mr. Campbell must excuse me—my head is aching -terribly, and I really think I must go to bed."</p> - -<p>Of course, I expressed my sympathy and wished her good-night; but as I -opened the door for her she whispered, "For God's sake stay as long as -you can. Good-night."</p> - -<p>Well, I did stay as long as I could; and if ever a host made it clear -to a guest that he wasn't wanted, Barton did that night. After about -an hour of it he asked me point blank to go, as he had had a very -tiring day.</p> - -<p>I couldn't very well stay on after that, could I? I soothed my -conscience by determining to find some pretext for coming round to the -house the next morning, and got up to go. Barton helped me on with my -coat himself, and while he was doing <span class="pagenum"><a name="page381" id="page381"></a>[pg 381]</span> -so I noticed an immensely heavy whip lying on an old oak chest in the -hall.</p> - -<p>"Sorry for your horses, Barton," said I, "if that's your idea of a -riding-crop."</p> - -<p>Barton laughed.</p> - -<p>"It's a Russian executioner's knout," he said. "I got it as an -interesting curiosity, and a pretty penny I had to pay for it. I -thought it might interest my wife—she's a Russian, as you know."</p> - -<p>"Rather a ghastly present," I said.</p> - -<p>"Oh, horrors appeal to the Slavonic temperament," he answered; "she'll -be glad to have that knout. Good-night."</p> - -<p>I must admit that I left the house with a very strong presentiment of -trouble to come, and cudgelling my brains in vain to discover a reason -for Barton's amazing conduct at the drawing-room door. I did not like -to ask him about it—the less said about his delusion the better, -I thought—but I determined to come round in the morning; I could -make the Russian knout an excuse for doing so—I could easily -assume an interest in a curiosity like that.</p> - -<p>So at ten o'clock next day I walked round to the Bartons'. As I turned -the corner into Pont Street, I saw with a thrill of undefined dread -that there was a small crowd gathered round the Bartons' house, and -two policemen were engaged in pushing the people back from the door, -which was open. I forced my way furiously through the crowd, and -seeing the white face of the old butler in the hall, behind the -policemen, I called to him. He came forward and I was admitted, after -some delay, as a friend of the family.</p> - -<p>"What is it, Parsons?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"God knows, Mr. Campbell," he whispered. "Mr. and Mrs. Barton -breakfasted together in the oak room this morning: there wasn't no one -waiting, and about ten minutes gone I heard a cry and went to the -door. It was locked, Mr. Campbell, and there's something goin' on in -there as I don't like, sir. The police are breaking in the door now."</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 280px;"><a href="images/381-600.png"><img src="images/381-280.png" width="280" height="454" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"THE POLICEMAN AND BUTLER TRIED TO BREAK IN THE STRONG OAK DOOR."</p></div> - -<p>I hurried past the old fellow, and up the stairs to the oak room, a -little panelled room with a strong oak door, which two men, a -policeman and the footman, were trying to break in. From the room came -a noise of blows and of a voice singing, heard from time to time, as -the two men paused in their violent attack on the door. The voice was -strange to me, and I could make nothing of the words of the song; they -were not English, that was all I could discover. As I threw my weight -against it the door gave way, and the three of us tumbled into the -room together. It was a ghastly sight, Jack. There, with her head on -the table among the breakfast things and her body resting across the -back of a chair, lay Mrs. Barton, dead, and horribly lacerated on the -back and shoulders, from which the clothes had been torn away. Her -husband was standing beside her, still singing the hideous song we had -heard, and waving round his head the terrible whip that I had seen the -night before, and which was now dripping with the blood of the -wretched woman whose life he had taken.</p> - -<p>We all rushed in at him together: he knocked the footman head over -heels with his left hand, and struck at me with his whip, but at the -same moment the policeman at my side cut him down with a blow of his -truncheon, and he lay writhing on the floor. I lifted up the body of -the poor woman, but finding that life was quite <span class="pagenum"><a name="page382" id="page382"></a>[pg 382]</span> -extinct I laid her down and turned to the madman at my feet. The blow -of the policeman's staff had caught him on the side of the head, -crushing it in like an egg-shell, and I saw that he was dying. I knelt -down by him, and he seemed to recognise me, but in a moment his eyes -closed, and though he breathed for more than an hour he never -recovered consciousness.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/382-840.png"><img src="images/382-400.png" width="400" height="471" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"WE RUSHED AT HIMTOGETHER. HE KNOCKED THE FOOTMAN HEAD OVER HEELS."</p></div> - -<p>You read my evidence at the inquest: of course my description of -Barton's delusion was necessary to establish the poor fellow's -undoubted madness, but I did not think it incumbent on me to enter -into great detail. Now, I want your opinion as a medical man. This -affair has shaken my nerves in the most terrible way.</p> - -<p>Of course the vision and its fulfilment, if you can call it such, is -and must remain inexplicable. It is Barton's conduct after the -operation that I want you to explain.</p> - -<p>I know, from certain correspondence that I have in my hands, that the -man Israel Hoffmann was terribly wronged by Mrs. Barton and her -father: his wife was, in fact, executed on their representations -alone, as far as I can ascertain, and the whole object of his life was -revenge. Is it possible that the spirit of vengeance passed into -Barton's soul as the blood of the injured Jew passed into his veins?</p> - -<p>Could that be the reason for his strange choice of a weapon, and for -the ghastly song, which may have been a Russian song, or even one of -the psalms in Yiddish for all I know, which he sang as he beat his -wife to death? If this is so, the only feeling we should have towards -poor Barton is one of intense pity; and if not, if such an idea is -repugnant to medical science, how do you explain the whole hideous -story?</p> - -<p class="ind">Write soon and tell me.</p> - -<p class="ind1">Your loving brother,</p> - -<p class="ind2"><span class="sc">Tom</span>.</p> - -<p>P.S.—It is a coincidence—an interesting -coincidence—that the fatal wound on poor Barton's head -corresponded exactly, or almost exactly, with a terrible bruise I saw -on the head of Israel Hoffmann.</p> - -<hr class="medium" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page383" id="page383"></a>[pg 383]</span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/383a-960.png"><img src="images/383a-400.png" width="400" height="262" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">TRAINING PUPPY TO HUNT CLEAN BOOT.</p></div> - -<h2><span class="spaced1 wsp">A MAN HUNT WITH BLOODHOUNDS.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 wsp">SHOWING HOW THEY MAY BE USED IN THE DETECTION OF CRIME.</span></h2></div> - -<p class="centern1"><span class="sc">By Alfred Arkas.</span></p> - -<p>I have just been hunted by bloodhounds, and, strangely enough, I am -none the worse for the experience. It is more exciting than -fox-hunting, and for sheer fascination is well ahead of any other -sport of which I have any knowledge. The why and wherefore is another -story, of which more presently.</p> - -<p>The trial of the bloodhound in the practical work of tracking -criminals is no new thing. In 1888, when the Whitechapel murders were -agitating all England, the public, alarmed and indignant at the -impotence of the police, plied the authorities with no less than 1,200 -letters per day containing suggestions for the murderer's capture. Of -these 800 advocated the trial of bloodhounds.</p> - -<p>Ultimately, the weight of public opinion was such as to induce Sir -Charles Warren, Commissioner of Police, to give them a trial. Mr. -Brough, the eminent authority on the breed, was consulted, and he -brought a couple of hounds, trained to hunt man, to London, and -several experiments were undertaken.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/383b-1200.png"><img src="images/383b-600.png" width="600" height="348" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">LAYING TRAINED BLOODHOUNDS ON THE SCENT.</p></div> - -<p>In some of these Sir Charles himself acted as quarry, the runs being -made in Hyde Park. They were all successful, the Commissioner and -others who acted as runners being run to earth each time with -unfailing regularity. He expressed himself more than satisfied, it -being clearly demonstrated that the hounds would run a man to earth -who was a complete stranger to them, notwithstanding that the scent -might be crossed by a number of other persons.</p> - -<p>During all the weeks the hounds were in London no further crime -occurred, and the opportunity of utilising their services was lost. -Sir Charles kept them till it seemed <span class="pagenum"><a name="page384" id="page384"></a>[pg 384]</span> -that the terrible Jack the Ripper scare was over. The hounds were then returned to their -owner. They had not left London more than two or three days when -another ghastly crime was perpetrated. Obviously their presence -exercised a deterrent effect, and had the police seen fit to add a -couple of well-trained hounds to the Scotland Yard staff it is -probable no other murder would have been added to the series.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 460px;"><a href="images/384-950.png"><img src="images/384-460.png" width="460" height="328" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">CASTING—TO PICK UP SCENT.</p></div> - -<p>The mysterious and apparently illimitable scenting power possessed by -the bloodhound appeals to the imagination of the criminal classes to -an extraordinary extent. From what I have gathered of the subject, I -cannot help feeling that no police station of any size should be -without a couple of trained hounds. The fear of the "cat" is -proverbial. Utilise the bloodhound, and a far greater deterrent -against crime will have been found.</p> - -<p>Some time since the subject once more engaged further attention, and -it was decided to organise a series of private trials in connection -with <i>The Harmsworth Magazine</i>, with a view to determining the real -capability of the hound for hunting man. The next thing was to procure -hounds of the purest breed. At this stage we put ourselves into -communication with Mr. Edwin Brough, of Wyndyate, near Scarborough.</p> - -<p>Mr. Brough has been a breeder of bloodhounds for something like thirty -years. He is regarded as the highest living authority on the breed. He -is the winner of over 400 first and champion prizes for hounds of his -own breeding, and he may be aptly described the creator of the -splendid type of hound we have to-day.</p> - -<p>Mr. Brough received my suggestion in a sporting manner, and with -characteristic generosity offered me every facility in the most -difficult and patience-racking task of obtaining the photographs which -accompany this article. His hounds are his best friends, and he is -willing to go to almost any lengths in order to correct the -innumerable absurd ideas that are prevalent with regard to the breed.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 330px;"><a href="images/385-820.png"><img src="images/385-330.png" width="330" height="478" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">BABBO—THE FAMOUS TRACKER OF HUMAN BEINGS.</p></div> - -<p>Accordingly a short time since a small two-man expedition, equipped -with a camera and an unlimited stock of patience, set out for -Scarborough.</p> - -<p>Early on the following morning I took part in my first manhunt, and a -weirdly fascinating experience it was in all conscience—harmless -enough, in spite of its sanguinary title.</p> - -<p>At the back of Mr. Brough's house are spacious kennels. Here we found -thirty or forty valuable hounds, gazing from behind the iron bars of -their kennel runs, each handsome and well groomed, the black and fawn -coat glistening like velvet; each a perfect type, with handsome -expressive face, and pedigree long enough to turn many a human being -pale with envy. The kennel man opened two of the doors, and we trudged -down the drive and out on to the fields by the cliff-side with four -magnificent hounds at our heels.</p> - -<p>A soft green undulation in the countryside, sloping into a wooded -valley, was chosen for our first trial, and standing at a gate on the -summit I had an uninterrupted view of the whole run.</p> - -<p>A few moments after our arrival a gentleman who had volunteered to act -as runner or quarry started over the slope, and sprinted quickly -across the valley on to the opposite hillside. His destination had -been previously decided, and with the aid of a glass we could -distinctly see him crouching behind the bushes.</p> - -<p class="space-below3">A short time after he had concealed himself, the hounds, which had -been held in check out of sight, were brought through the gate and -laid on scent. The laying on was done by the kennel man, who simply -ran his hand along the line or lines of scent to give the hounds a -start. A moment <span class="pagenum"><a name="page385" id="page385"></a></span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page386" id="page386"></a>[pg 386]</span> -later they were rapidly casting round on the trail. Then, before you -could say "Jack Robinson," there was a deep sonorous bay, more like -the roar of the sea-lion echoing in the roof of Brighton Aquarium than -anything else I know, but sweet and resonant as the note of a bell. -They had found the scent, and were off like streaked lightning.</p> - -<div class="figparts"><p>FINDING THE QUARRY—INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPH.</p> -<a href="images/386-1000.png"><img src="images/386a-500.png" width="500" height="205" alt="" class="quarry" /></a> -<a href="images/386-1000.png"><img src="images/386b-600.png" width="600" height="156" alt="" class="quarry1" /></a></div> - -<div class="whole"><a href="images/386-1000.png"><img src="images/386-600.png" width="604" height="361" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">FINDING THE QUARRY—INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPH.</p></div> - -<p class="m0">Down the hill they flew, three in a bunch, the fourth perhaps a yard -behind, their noses almost scraping the ground, and the long graceful -ears trailing noiselessly in the short grass. A couple of minutes -later a deep-bayed quartette echoed away on the further hillside. They -had found their man, and were jumping and licking him delightedly. So -much for the tearing limb from limb theory.</p> - -<p>As a matter of fact, the bloodhound never hurts his quarry when found. -He is the gentlest and most lovable of hounds, and vice of any -description is utterly foreign to his character. If he is required to -hold his man at bay it is necessary to specially train him for the -purpose.</p> - -<p>"Strong scent," said Mr. Brough. "They went right away." And, in -truth, they travelled like racehorses. So fast, indeed, that one -forgot for the moment that they were not pursuing a visible object, or -racing to a pre-arranged goal.</p> - -<p>When the truth made itself clear that they were hunting what is termed -"the clean boot"—following the natural scent of a man through -his shoe leather—across rough and broken country at a -twelve-miles-an-hour gait, it seemed incredible.</p> - -<p>And it should be remembered that it was the individual scent of that -one man they were tracking. Each human being seems to possess a -distinctive scent, and when well-trained hounds are laid on to any one -scent they cannot be diverted, though the trail be crossed by any -number of other persons.</p> - -<p>Five minutes later I ran myself. I was a complete stranger to the -hounds. I know that no artificial scent had been attached to my boots, -and the course was an entirely different one of my own choosing. Yet -they found me a mile away, a few minutes after they were laid on, and -bayed with delight as they came up.</p> - -<p>In all our trials, extending over three days, they were successful, -although every difficulty was placed in their way. In one trial the -runner ran to the bank of a river, then up along the side for some -yards; back again over the same scent to the first point of contact -with the bank; then he forded the river and ran along the opposite -bank.</p> - -<p>The hounds came up at full trot, traced him along the near bank, till -in their eagerness they ran over the scent. Then they all checked and -cast again, and after a few moments found by the double -scent—although he had practically returned over the same -line—that he had doubled over his own track. At the bank they -cast again, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page387" id="page387"></a>[pg 387]</span> -and after assuring themselves that he had not returned to the starting -place they swam the stream, and in a few moments had picked up the -scent on the other side and found him.</p> - -<p>In another instance several circles were made by the quarry in the -middle of a run, and while they were casting about this invisible -maze, in an endeavour to find his outgoing trail, we were enabled to -obtain our photograph of a cast.</p> - -<p>In most of our trials the hounds were put on the trail comparatively -soon after the runner had passed over the course, but it must not be -forgotten that they are equally successful in working what is termed a -"cold scent"—one many hours old. In this respect they surpass -all other breeds of hounds.</p> - -<p>As I have already said, this power of scent is so subtle as to be -almost uncanny. And it is as deep a mystery to those who have devoted -a lifetime to hound breeding as to the ignorant layman.</p> - -<p>Certain it was, however, that the hounds performed marvels, and their -success, under circumstances of great difficulty, was sufficient to -more than convince me of their value in the detection of crime. They -must have fair play, of course, and conditions more or less favourable -for their particular work.</p> - -<p>The training of the uneducated puppy to hunt the clean boot is as -interesting as the work of the fully trained adults.</p> - -<p>The puppies begin their training when only four or five months old, -and Mr. Brough resorts to none of the methods generally advocated, -such as rubbing the boots of the runner with blood or aniseed. They -begin as they finish—on the clean boot. For the first few times -they practise tracking a runner whom they know.</p> - -<p>The runner starts in view of the pups; runs some two or three hundred -yards up wind in a straight line on grass land. He hides himself as -soon as possible, and then the trainer takes the pup over the exact -line of scent. He trails his hand along it, endeavouring to get the -dog to put his head down and work for himself. This goes on till the -quarry is reached, when the dog is rewarded by a piece of meat.</p> - -<p>This has to be repeated several times perhaps, before the young hound -gets his head down and understands what is required of him. Once he -understands, he takes the greatest possible interest in the quest, and -improves rapidly.</p> - -<p>Then difficulties are placed in his way. The line is purposely crossed -by others. The time of laying on is postponed some time after the run. -Zig-zag runs are also made, and sticks with white flags on them are -stuck in the ground at all the angles. By this means the trainer is -enabled to judge of the accuracy of the dog's work.</p> - -<p>Mr. Brough makes an intimate friend of each and every hound, and their -individual characteristics are well known to him. Extreme patience, -kindly persistence and firmness are all that is necessary in the -upbringing of these beautiful creatures.</p> - -<p>As friends they are unsurpassed. Mr. Brough says, "The bloodhound is -essentially and pre-eminently a gentlemanly dog, and when you have -once won his esteem he may be depended upon as your staunch, trusty, -life-long friend."</p> - -<p>Mr. Brough's dogs are the handsomest I ever saw. They have a majestic -bearing, and thoughtful expressive faces, quite in harmony with their -aristocratic lineage.</p> - -<p>I should advise every dog lover to obtain a good puppy and train it -himself. There are few healthier or more delightful recreations.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 480px;"><a href="images/387-970.png"><img src="images/387-480.png" width="480" height="465" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">WATCHING A PUPPY'S WORK.</p></div> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page388" id="page388"></a>[pg 388]</span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 350px;"><a href="images/388-740.png"><img src="images/388-350.png" width="350" height="564" alt="" /></a> -</div></div> - -<div class="container"> -<h3 class="m0">Three Score and Ten.</h3> -<div class="poem width18"> <div class="stanza"> -<p><span class="dropcap1">C</span><span class="sp3">OME to me, little one,</span></p> -<p class="i2"> Out of the autumn sun;</p> -<p>Play must be surely done—</p> -<p class="i2">Three kisses, then.</p> -<p>Clamber up on my knee.</p> -<p>Old, do they say of me?</p> -<p>You would not like to be</p> -<p class="i2">Three score and ten!</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p><span class="dropcap1">T</span><span class="sp3">IME'S to be blamed, not I;</span></p> -<p class="i2"> Whether we laugh or sigh,</p> -<p>His busy wheels must fly</p> -<p class="i2">For maids and men.</p> -<p>Once I was six years old,</p> -<p>Only the years have roll'd;</p> -<p>Most of the tale is told</p> -<p class="i2">At three score and ten!</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p><span class="dropcap1">A</span><span class="sp3">GE, too, has dreams of May,</span></p> -<p class="i2"> Loved faces gone away,</p> -<p>Green ways grown sad and gray.</p> -<p class="i2">Scarce we know when.</p> -<p>Crying?—no, little one;</p> -<p>Tears should be past and done,</p> -<p>Rest is so nearly won,</p> -<p class="i2">At three score and ten!</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p><span class="dropcap1">L</span><span class="sp3">IFT me your baby eyes,</span></p> -<p class="i2"> Blue as the summer skies;</p> -<p>More in their laughter lies</p> -<p class="i2">Than Age may ken.</p> -<p>Heav'n in their depth I see:</p> -<p>Pray it may there still be</p> -<p>When you can count, like me,</p> -<p class="i2">Three score and ten!</p> - </div> </div> </div> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page389" id="page389"></a>[pg 389]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="spaced2 wsp more2">THE DESPATCHES FOR GIBRALTAR.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 wsp">A VICTORIA CROSS AFFAIR.<br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="sc">By Gilbert Heron.</span></span></h2> - -<p class="centern1"><i>Illustrated by D. B. Waters and F. T. Jane.</i></p></div> - -<div class="figparts"><p>"'I HAVE DECIDED TO ENTRUST YOU WITH A DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS MISSION.'"</p> -<a href="images/389a-900.png"><img src="images/389a_t-450.png" width="450" height="305" alt="" class="quarry" /></a> -<a href="images/389a-900.png"><img src="images/389a_b-370.png" width="370" height="185" alt="" class="quarry1" /></a></div> - -<div class="whole"><a href="images/389a-900.png"><img src="images/389a-450.png" width="450" height="490" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"'I HAVE DECIDED TO ENTRUST YOU WITH A DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS MISSION.'"</p></div> - -<p>In the summer of 189-, the Channel Squadron, having taken part in the -Annual Mobilisation, had dispersed.</p> - -<p>Ships and men alike were resting, the former in their respective -dockyards, the latter enjoying themselves after their kind on leave.</p> - -<p>Although only a senior lieutenant, I had lately been appointed to the -command of a torpedo-gunboat, the <i>Quickmatch</i>, a vessel of the -<i>Speedy</i> type, which I had left at Portsmouth. I was spending my leave -at the country seat in Hampshire of one of my late father's oldest -friends, whose daughter I had long loved, when a telegram arrived -ordering me to join my ship with all possible despatch. Hawes,our -cheeky little clerk, evidently thinking I should regard it as a piece -of good news, had added on his own responsibility, "War declared! Vive -la gloire!"</p> - -<p>So it had come, then, and I should have to leave the delights of love -in a country house for the stern realities of war. There was nothing -for it but to leave Bertha and say farewell. We had been engaged for -some time, but had decided that it would be folly to marry till I had -at least reached the rank of Commander; and the one drop of sweetness -in the bitter cup of our farewell was the thought that active service -would give me an opportunity for quick promotion.</p> - -<p>It was difficult to find a quiet corner for leave-taking; but -eventually, in the drawing-room, behind a palm-shaded screen, I bade -her a long good-bye.</p> - -<p>"I will write whenever I can, dearest," I said, "but I expect it will -not be an easy matter. You must be content to hear from me at odd -intervals till the war is over. You will trust me, dear, will you -not?"</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 280px;"><a href="images/389b-550.png"><img src="images/389b-280.png" width="280" height="435" alt="" /></a> -"I BADE HER A LONG GOOD-BYE."</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page390" id="page390"></a>[pg 390]</span></p> - -<p>"With my very life!" was her passionate reply. "Oh, Herbert! Herbert!" -she cried, the tears, which nothing could now hold back, coming thick -and fast; "I will pray for you always—always, that the God of -battles may spare you to me!"</p> - -<p>At length I managed to tear myself away, leaving her to find -consolation from Him who dries all tears with His infinite pity and -compassion, and gives even to weak women and little children a -strength that many an erring man envies.</p> - -<p>I reached the <i>Quickmatch</i> the same night, and found instructions to -join up with the great fleet which was already assembling at Spithead.</p> - -<p>The next morning we weighed anchor in the presence of the greatest -crowd of people it has ever been my lot to witness. Southsea beach was -one compact mass of men, women, and children, anxious to get a last -glimpse of the near and dear ones who were so soon to do battle for -their native land.</p> - -<p>Slowly we moved off, and though we were far from the shore, on the -outside right of the fleet, we could hear the hoarse cries which broke -wildly from the vast concourse watching us steam away—from home -and friends, from love and life, from all that man holds dear, to -death and an unknown resting-place.</p> - -<p>Two days later saw us across the Bay of Biscay, in compliance with the -sealed instructions which the Admiral had opened as soon as we were -out of sight of land. The Channel Squadron, with Gibraltar as its -temporary headquarters, was to keep open the line of communication -from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. This, with the information -that France and Russia were actively operating against us, was all we -knew.</p> - -<p>The <i>Blenheim</i> had been sent on ahead as one of our scouts, and she -had signalled nothing of consequence till we had arrived off Cape St. -Vincent. Then, however, she sent us some sufficiently startling news -by her mast-head semaphore. She reported that a strong French fleet -lay stretched right across the entrance to the Straits of Gibraltar.</p> - -<p>Immediately all was excitement aboard. Evidently we should have to -force our passage through them, and everyone was keenly awaiting the -signal to get into "line of battle." But the signal did not come.</p> - -<p>A heavy white fog came stealing across the face of the waters, and in -a very few moments had swallowed up sea and sky and ships in its -devouring obscurity.</p> - -<p>Then came a signal to stop engines, and soon the entire fleet had -stopped and were lying almost as if at anchor.</p> - -<p>Besides myself, the officers of the <i>Quickmatch</i> consisted of a -lieutenant, Taylor, who acted as my first lieutenant and performed the -navigating duties; a sub-lieutenant, Hastings, fresh from college; an -engineer officer; and a gunner, a fine specimen of a self-educated -bluejacket who resolutely sets himself to climb the ladder of -promotion from the lower deck.</p> - -<p>We were standing together on the quarter-deck discussing the -probability of the fog lifting, when I was surprised by a signal from -Admiral Beaufoy, ordering me to repair aboard the flag-ship.</p> - -<p>I lost no time in obeying his summons, and in a few minutes was -standing in his cabin.</p> - -<p>The Admiral, who was pacing to and fro when I entered, stopped and -curiously regarded me for a few embarrassing seconds.</p> - -<p>"Ralph," he said at length, "I have decided to entrust you with a -difficult and dangerous mission."</p> - -<p>I bowed in silence, wondering to what this was to lead. Evidently it -was something serious, and success would mean promotion, and -promotion—marriage! And at that thought my lovelorn mind went -back to the picture of Bertha seated under the old elm tree, a picture -so sweet that for an instant I entirely forgot the business on hand.</p> - -<p>I was recalled from my day-dreams by the cold, calm voice of the -Admiral. "The position," he was saying, "as you are aware, is -this:—</p> - -<p>"There is a powerful French fleet between us and Gibraltar. I intend -to fight that fleet"—his eyes sparkled, and he involuntarily -clenched his fists—"and drive it into the Mediterranean.</p> - -<p>"Now, I have very important despatches from home for the Governor of -Gibraltar, which <i>must</i> be delivered not later than to-morrow. I had -intended to deliver them myself, not being aware of the presence of -the blockading fleet. Then, when I heard of their position, I had -determined to attack at dawn, and thus the despatches would still have -been in time. But now, since I cannot attack till the fog -lifts"—he <span class="pagenum"><a name="page391" id="page391"></a>[pg 391]</span> -made a gesture of impatience—"and that may be days, the only -thing left for me to do is to run past the French, and so deliver the -despatches to the Governor."</p> - -<p>I was all attention, and followed the Admiral intently as he went on, -now somewhat more quickly.</p> - -<p>"The <i>Quickmatch</i>, Ralph, is in every way suited for such a purpose, -and I intend you to take her through. Now, please, listen carefully to -the suggestions I am about to make you. Will you take a glass of -wine?"</p> - -<p>I was so elated at the prospect of distinction thus offered to me that -I hardly know how I answered.</p> - -<p>The Admiral continued: "If you start shortly, you will be in the mouth -of the Straits of Gibraltar about sunset, and you can creep along -under the lee of the African coast with a very fair chance of success. -You will thus arrive at Gibraltar during the night, and go at once to -the Governor and deliver your despatches. You will then await further -orders. Of course, in the event of failure——"</p> - -<p>Here I leapt up and interrupted him. "Failure, sir! I shall not think -of it! I'll get past those Frenchmen, and deliver my despatches, -though the whole French navy were after me. Failure, sir! Not if the -<i>Quickmatch</i> and every soul aboard of her goes to the bottom! No, not -even then!"</p> - -<p>The Admiral smiled at my warmth. Of course, he did not know that my -life-long happiness—Bertha, to wit—depended on my getting -through with those despatches.</p> - -<p>He poured out a glass of champagne, and said, "Don't be too sanguine, -Ralph. It's no easy matter, you know, to dodge past such a fleet; but -I've great confidence in you, and somehow I think you'll do it. Come, -let's drink to your success!"</p> - -<p>And, standing, we drained our glasses.</p> - -<p>The undertaking was certainly rather a big order, and in my most -extravagant dreams of distinction I had not ventured to hope of such a -thing. What a glorious chance of distinguishing myself! Most of the -men I knew would give their ears for such an opportunity, and here it -was within my grasp at the very outset of the war.</p> - -<p>The Admiral was a man of few words. Going to a curious little Indian -safe which stood in a corner of the cabin, he took from it the -precious despatches I was to risk my own and the lives of all my -shipmates to deliver.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/391-1000.png"><img src="images/391-600.png" width="600" height="430" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"A RINGING CHEER FOLLOWED US AS THE THICK GREY MIST RAPIDLY SWALLOWED US UP."</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page392" id="page392"></a>[pg 392]</span></p> - -<p>"Here, sir," he said, "are the documents. They contain most important -political information, and <i>must</i> be in the Governor's hands as <i>soon -as possible</i>. In case of any accident, burn them, throw them -overboard, destroy them somehow. But <i>don't</i>, for goodness' sake, let -them fall into the hands of the enemy. They are more important than I -dare hint at. Take them, and success go with you!"</p> - -<p>The fog was as thick as ever when I got on deck, and getting into my -boat, we cautiously crept our way through the mist, and five minutes -later I was aboard.</p> - -<p>I went at once down to my cabin and sent for my faithful first -lieutenant. I made him sit down, and told him what we had to do. He -did not seem to think it a very great piece of good luck.</p> - -<p>"Quite good enough to have to chance it with the remainder," he said, -"without getting sent on beastly special service jobs. Still, there's -no help for it I suppose, and so we'll have to buckle to and get -ready."</p> - -<p>And as Taylor had no inducement to make him long for adventures of -this kind, in the shape of a lady-love, I could hardly blame him for -not taking quite so enthusiastic a view of the affair as myself.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, time was advancing, and at four bells (2 p.m.) we got under -way. It was too foggy for the ships' companies to see much of us as we -moved away, but as we noiselessly glided through the now calm and oily -water with ever-increasing speed past the <i>Terrible</i>, someone noticed -us, and a ringing cheer followed us as the thick grey mist rapidly -swallowed us up.</p> - -<p>And as we got settled down to our work we increased the speed, and -presently were going a good 20 knots per hour—never a slow -speed, and in such thick weather an infinitely perilous thing to do.</p> - -<p>But then, as I told Taylor, "Fog or no fog, we've only got a few hours -to do it in, and we're about 150 miles away. Besides, we'll have to -ease down when we get close in shore, and so we'd better make the most -of it while we can." Nevertheless, I knew what a fearsome thing I was -doing.</p> - -<p>Up on deck one could see but a few yards away from the ship's side. -All around us lay the white impenetrable mist, wrapping up everything -in its death-like folds, which shut out not only sight but sound.</p> - -<p>Any moment the form of some ship might loom spectrally up through the -fog, and hurl us to destruction; and, clinging to the rail, I -constantly strained my eyes ahead, endeavouring to pierce the -impenetrable mist in front of us. In this way we continued throughout -the afternoon, and at four o'clock Taylor came up to relieve me on the -bridge. Going below, I took a hasty meal, and bethought myself of the -best plan for carrying the despatches, which I wished to keep -continually on my person.</p> - -<p>Some instinct seemed to tell me that I should not suffer injury; and -while I lived I was determined that the documents should be delivered. -I decided to place them in an oilskin envelope, and then to put them -within my cholera belt—that indispensable adjunct to all those -who are constantly exposed to quick changes of temperature. When I did -eventually go on deck again it was nearly five, and to my great joy I -saw that the fog was decidedly lifting. Far away on our starboard beam -we could just catch a faint glimpse of Morocco's cruel-looking coast.</p> - -<p>I went up on the bridge to Taylor. "Can you see anything?" he asked as -I came up. "What's in sight, old man?" I replied somewhat anxiously, -for I knew by his manner he had seen something worth looking at.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/392-1000.png"><img src="images/392-600.png" width="600" height="188" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"WE COULD SEE THREE CRUISERS, THE ADVANCE GUARD OF THE FRENCH FLEET."</p></div> - -<p>For answer he pointed dead ahead. And there, very faint and indistinct -in the still somewhat dense atmosphere, we could see <span class="pagenum"><a name="page393" id="page393"></a>[pg 393]</span> three -cruisers, the advance guard of the French fleet.</p> - -<p>"We must run in under the land, Taylor," I said, trembling with -suppressed excitement.</p> - -<p>"We must certainly dodge those three beggars." He nodded and gave -orders for the wheel to be put round hard to port. Round came the dear -little craft, beautifully (she was a regular demon for turning, -performing the manœuvre easily in her own length) and we headed -dead for the rocky coast.</p> - -<p>"Half-speed," I shouted, and instantly "cling-clang!" rang out the -indicator bell as they put the engines down as I had ordered.</p> - -<p>We were not observed as yet, but the fog was rapidly lifting now, and -soon we should be well within sight of the French, and the greatest -caution was necessary.</p> - -<p>So for the next hour we crept slowly along, all eyes fixed on the -forest of masts ahead of us. It was by this time nearly pitch dark, an -unusual thing for the time of the year, which we put down to the dense -fog. It had lifted from the face of the waters, but would still be -hanging like a thick pall overhead.</p> - -<p>As we advanced we could clearly see the great fleet of the enemy, -lying well on our port side, only about eight miles distant, and -spread out so as to cover a great extent.</p> - -<p>We were right in under the shadow of the rocks, as close in now as I -dared venture, for although our draught was very light, the coast is a -most treacherous one, and any moment a sunken rock might do us -irreparable harm. All at once a broad bright streak of brilliant light -shot up into the dark and moonless night, followed first by one or -two, and then by many others, which crossed and recrossed the horizon -perpetually. The French had begun to work their searchlights!</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;"><a href="images/393-900.png"><img src="images/393-450.png" width="450" height="324" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"THE FRENCH BEGAN TO WORK THEIR SEARCHLIGHTS."</p></div> - -<p>And now commenced the real difficulty of our task. Should we venture -to even cross one of those brilliant paths of light so vividly -flashing all around us, we must inevitably be discovered. Speaking in -whispers, hardly daring even to breathe, I cautiously guided the -little vessel in and out and to and fro, so as to avoid if possible -those argus eyes. But no calculation, no precaution, could be of any -use to us now, and I knew not at what instant one of those lights -might be directed full on us, and reveal every detail of our vessel in -its pitilessly searching glare.</p> - -<p>We were of course all ready for action, and I had given orders that -all the watertight compartments were to be closed. Taylor now came up -and reported everything ready, and the men assembled at their posts -ready for any and every emergency. The torpedo tubes were each and all -laden with their deadly freight, and the two 4·7 inch -quick-firing bow and stern guns were manned; the latter under Taylor's -supervision, the former under the gunner's.</p> - -<p>I had increased our speed again, and we should soon be within hailing -distance of the out-lying French cruisers, and I knew that our -immunity could not last many moments more.</p> - -<p>And sure enough, the next instant a blinding white light rested for a -couple of seconds upon us, throwing every little detail up into a -strong relief, and then was gone, leaving the black night blacker than -ever by contrast. It was the search light of the nearest Frenchman.</p> - -<p>"Spotted, by George!" said Taylor, vehemently. "We're done!"</p> - -<p>"Now or never!" I shouted. "Full speed ahead!"</p> - -<p>Like a gallant racehorse responding to its rider's whip the little -craft sprang suddenly <span class="pagenum"><a name="page394" id="page394"></a>[pg 394]</span> -forward, and in a very few moments we were past the cruiser, who had -as yet not quite determined whether she had seen us or not, out into -the blackness beyond.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;"><a href="images/394-900.png"><img src="images/394-450.png" width="450" height="389" alt="" /></a> -"THE WORK IN THE STOKE-HOLD WAS ENORMOUS."</div> - -<p>As I have already said, the fleet was lying well from us to port, and -the cruiser who had seen us was about the only ship we had immediately -to fear. But now she began to work all her search lights in our -direction, and every few seconds we were disclosed relentlessly in the -glare of their 25,000-candle-power lights. The attention of the other -ships had by this time been drawn to us, and now several more began to -dodge their lights about and around us.</p> - -<p>"There she goes, sir," said the Quarter-master at the wheel to me the -next instant, as a brilliant flash came from the bows of the French -cruiser, followed by a loud and ringing report.</p> - -<p>"Not a bad shot," said Taylor, as with a "whirrr-rrr-ooo" the -projectile shrieked its way through the air high over our heads.</p> - -<p>"Gentle hint to lie to, sir," said the Quarter-master, with an attempt -at a smile.</p> - -<p>As he spoke I could see the cruiser turning and steaming off after us, -flashing a signal to her flag-ship as she did so. Then two small -vessels detached themselves from the fleet and prepared to follow us -also.</p> - -<p>But we were past them all, and had a full head of steam on, and so we -could reasonably hope to have a very good run for it at least.</p> - -<p>Presently—bang! and another shot whizzed past us and lost itself -in the night.</p> - -<p>It was a shell, and we heard it explode far ahead as it plunged down -into the water.</p> - -<p>"Are the night sights all in good order?" I asked Taylor, who stood -close by, with his hands in his pockets, as nonchalant as ever, -smoking a cigarette.</p> - -<p>"Everything's O.K., old man," was his reply. "I'd dearly love to give -'em a taste of our after 4·7. Don't you think we ought to, -now?"</p> - -<p>"No," said I; "I don't think we will just yet. We'll reserve that for -awhile till they get within closer range. They probably have not quite -made up their minds yet as to who we are!"</p> - -<p>And now the chase grew furious.</p> - -<p>We were rushing along for all we were worth, and our funnels were -almost red-hot, vomiting sparks and flames as copiously as smoke. The -roaring of our furnaces could be plainly heard on deck, and the work -in the stoke-hold was enormous. The cruiser behind us was gaining -slightly; but if we could manage to escape without much damage for the -next hour we should be well within range of Gibraltar, and the enemy -would hardly attempt to follow us any further. "Besides," said I to -Taylor, "if they hear firing, surely the <i>Rupert</i> or the <i>Polyphemus</i> -will put out to reconnoitre, and of course either will be a very -valuable help."</p> - -<p>All this time the cruiser had been firing intermittently, and we had -not taken much account of the two smaller vessels, who were beginning -to gain rapidly. They were torpedo-boat destroyers, and if they got -much closer we should have to avow our identity by opening fire.</p> - -<p>But suddenly a great cloud of steam burst from the hindmost one, and -she began to rock violently.</p> - -<p>"She's bust 'er b'iler, sir," said the <span class="pagenum"><a name="page395" id="page395"></a>[pg 395]</span> -Quarter-master. "<i>She</i> ain't no more good, anyway. That's one less to -reckon with, sir." Evidently something serious had occurred, for the -boat swung round in her course, and we could see the men rushing in -confusion hither and thither on her decks, while a dense cloud of -steam still arose from her funnels.</p> - -<p>But the other boat was rapidly gaining.</p> - -<p>Leaving Taylor in charge of the bridge, I rushed along aft to the -quarter deck. "Are you ready to fire?" I shouted to the captain of the -gun.</p> - -<p>"Aye, aye, sir," was the cheery response from the man, a grizzled old -gunner's mate with a shaggy beard, who had seen service in every -corner of the globe—a man of cast-iron nerves, with a fondness -for rum and the everlasting piece of spun-yarn tied round his bare big -toe.</p> - -<p>"Get a good sight on," I said. "Aim low at that torpedo boat coming up -astern, and fire when I give you the word. Put on about 1,000 yards, -but be sure to aim well down, now!"</p> - -<p>The old veteran bent low and carefully over the tiny night sight. -"She's coming on beautif'ly, sir," he said. "I've got 'er fixed right -amidships. Ready, sir?"</p> - -<p>As he spoke the cruiser's search-light accidentally rested full on the -torpedo boat. At the same instant a well-directed shot from her bow -gun rushed by us, crashing into the woodwork of the bridge behind our -backs.</p> - -<p>"Fire!" I sang out.</p> - -<p>A blinding flash, and the distressingly sharp report of cordite, -followed immediately. It was our first shot, but it did more damage -than the Frenchman, with all her firing, had been able to inflict on -us. As we strained our eyes in the direction of the boat, we saw the -shell burst right between her funnels.</p> - -<p>"<i>Good</i> shot!" I yelled in triumph.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/395-1000.png"><img src="images/395-600.png" width="600" height="352" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"THE POOR WRETCHES RUSHED UP ON DECK TO FIND THEIR FRAIL COCKLESHELL GOING OVER RAPIDLY."</p></div> - -<p>A brilliant flare of spark and flame shot suddenly up into the night, -and then came a fearful agonised pandemonium, as the poor wretches -rushed up on deck, to find their frail cockleshell of a ship hit in -her vitals, and going over rapidly. We could see the water full of -struggling figures, and then suddenly she heeled and collapsed, and I -could look no more, for the cruiser, without attempting to pick up a -soul, now began to fire rapidly and continuously at us.</p> - -<p>Taylor, in our tiny conning tower, was steering a most erratic course, -which rendered hitting us a matter of some difficulty, as all the -target we presented was our stern, which, only coming at intervals -into the glare of the searchlight, was no easy matter to follow with a -gun.</p> - -<p>We now began to fire continuously also, but could not tell whether our -shots told or not, and indeed we could hardly hope to do much damage, -for the cruiser was evidently a boat of weight, and, in accordance -with the French custom, would be heavily armoured round her bows.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page396" id="page396"></a>[pg 396]</span></p> - -<p>I looked at my watch. It was past eight, and we could reasonably hope -to be within sight and hearing of Gibraltar soon.</p> - -<p>For the next fifteen minutes nothing of importance happened; but just -as we sighted Tarifa Light ahead, there was a terrible crash, followed -by a loud report, and I was thrown flat on my back on the deck.</p> - -<p>They had hit us in the stern, and evidently low down.</p> - -<p>Jumping to my feet and half stunned by the shock, I rushed down below, -and attempted to discover the extent of the damage. The shell had -crashed right through the after bulk-heading, and had exploded in the -ward-room.</p> - -<p>The wreckage was fearful. As far as I could tell from a hasty glance -round, there was not a single thing untouched.</p> - -<p>I had no time to observe details though, but I noticed that the -foremost water-tight doors had held good, and the water, which was now -coming in very fast astern, would thus be prevented from gaining on -the fore part of the vessel.</p> - -<p>But were the screws touched, or the steering-gear?</p> - -<div class="figparts"><p class="right">"A SHOT CARRIED AWAY A FUNNEL AND KILLED POOR TAYLOR."</p> -<a href="images/396-800.png"><img src="images/396a-400.png" width="400" height="323" alt="" class="shot" /></a> -<a href="images/396-800.png"><img src="images/396b-226.png" width="226" height="154" alt="" class="shot1" /></a></div> - -<div class="whole"><a href="images/396-800.png"><img src="images/396-400.png" width="400" height="477" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"A SHOT CARRIED AWAY A FUNNEL AND KILLED POOR TAYLOR."</p></div> - -<p>I was not able to make a direct examination, and went at once on deck -again, where the firing was now fast and furious.</p> - -<p>Another and another shot struck us, and the sight was piteous. Not a -boat remained at the davits, and everywhere splinters were flying -about, wounding many a poor fellow as he stood at his gun. The shell -which had exploded below, too, had set the <i>Quickmatch</i> on fire in two -places, and I had to send some men down with the hose, lest the fire -should spread to the deck beneath our feet.</p> - -<p>Suddenly out of the darkness right ahead came a bright glare of light, -followed by the reports of several guns.</p> - -<p>Looking, I beheld a sight that made my heart leap for very joy.</p> - -<p>"Hurrah, the <i>Polyphemus</i>!" I shouted. "We shall do it yet, men!"</p> - -<p>For the famous torpedo-ram, the only ship of her kind in the world, -had appeared on the scene, and a formidable opponent would our friends -the enemy find her.</p> - -<p>And as if to damp my ardour there came another shot from the cruiser, -which, carrying away our foremost funnel with an awful crash, struck -the bridge, killing poor Taylor instantaneously as he stood there.</p> - -<p>"Oh! the blackguards!" I yelled despairingly, my heart down in my -boots again, for the cruiser was now rapidly nearing us.</p> - -<p>There was, unfortunately, no chance of our torpedoing her, for our -stern-tube had been knocked to atoms by the shell which had come in -astern. Were we to lose the day at the eleventh hour, and just as the -succour we so greatly needed came in sight? It was too bitter; and, -forgetful of every risk now, I shook my fist frantically at the -Frenchman, a frightful rage gnawing at my heart. After coming so far -and losing so many brave men, to fail at last!</p> - -<p>But it had been ordained that I was not <span class="pagenum"><a name="page397" id="page397"></a>[pg 397]</span> -to fail in my mission, after all, for the <i>Polyphemus</i> had now to be -reckoned with by the Frenchman, and she was gallantly trying to draw -the enemy's fire from us to herself.</p> - -<p>We were very close in shore, and the cruiser was now trying to get in -after us, so as to present one broadside to us and the other to the -<i>Polyphemus</i>.</p> - -<p>She gave her helm a turn, and was almost down upon us.</p> - -<p>Simultaneously the <i>Polyphemus</i>, that wonderful vessel, releasing her -false bottom, lightened her draught by several hundred tons, and -seemed to spring bodily into the air, and was in between us.</p> - -<p>But not before a shot from the Frenchman, fired almost point blank, -struck our port upperdeck torpedo-tube.</p> - -<p>There was a terrible deafening crash, and I was flung headlong into -the water.</p> - -<p>Then came sudden silence, the more intense for the raving turmoil that -had filled my ears the moment before, and I went down and down, to an -apparently interminable depth, till I began to wonder, in an -impersonal sort of way, whether I were ever coming to the surface -again.</p> - -<p>But before I had realised it, I had shot up again, and my head was -above water.</p> - -<p>Heavily weighted as I was by my clothes and sea-boots, I struggled -fiercely to maintain my position. But though I felt no pain, a sudden -numbness had taken possession of my right leg, and vainly I attempted -to swim or tread water.</p> - -<p>Twice I had already gone under, when I found myself grasped by the -coat collar, and a gruff voice shouted hoarsely in my ear, "Keep it -up, sir, you're all right!"</p> - -<p>It was Bates, the gunner's mate, who had managed, as he had so many -times before, to escape unhurt, and had got hold of a spar. I grasped -his arm and the piece of oar, and looked about me.</p> - -<p>The cold had restored my scattered faculties, and it was indeed a -fearful and heartrending sight that I beheld. Almost beyond -conception, the terrible scene is to this day branded on my brain, -never to be erased till my dying day.</p> - -<p>There were but few souls in the water, alas, for the explosion had -killed most of my men as they stood on the upperdeck, and the -<i>Quickmatch</i> was nowhere to be seen.</p> - -<p>A couple of hundred yards away, still keeping up an aimless fire, was -the Frenchman; a terrible outcry rising from her decks; the men -already breaking away from the restraints of discipline and leaping -headlong over the side.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/397-1000.png"><img src="images/397-600.png" width="600" height="315" alt="" /></a> -"THE 'POLYPHEMUS' HAD RAMMED HER."</div> - -<p>The <i>Polyphemus</i> had rammed her!</p> - -<p>As we gazed we saw the great vessel vomiting flames and men, heel -slowly over, and gradually go down into the unknown depths; a fearful -hissing noise, followed by a terrible explosion, telling of the dire -conflict of fire and water as her furnaces met their natural enemy. -The air was thick with lurid smoke, filled with the shrieks of the -dying and the fierce oaths of men who were vainly attempting to catch -some passing spar, or clutching at some more favoured individual at -the imminent risk of dragging both down to destruction in their -frenzy.</p> - -<p>We strained our eyes in the direction of the <i>Polyphemus</i>, and had the -heartfelt <span class="pagenum"><a name="page398" id="page398"></a>[pg 398]</span> -satisfaction of seeing her lowering all her available boats.</p> - -<p>And then the reaction overcame me and I fainted dead away, and would -inevitably have drowned but for the strong right arm of Bates.</p> - -<p class="center">*<span style="padding-left: 5em;">*</span><span style="padding-left: 5em;">*</span><span style="padding-left: 5em;">*</span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/398a-900.png"><img src="images/398a-400.png" width="400" height="423" alt="" /></a> -"'YOU HAVE DONE A VERY PLUCKY THING, SIR,' SAID THE CAPTAIN."</div> - -<p>When I came to myself I was in a bunk on board the <i>Polyphemus</i>, with -a group of anxious faces round me.</p> - -<p>There was a strong odour of iodoform in the cabin, and a lavish -display of lint and bandages, for which I vainly tried to account. I -felt at once for the despatches, and had the satisfaction of feeling -their bulky outline against my skin.</p> - -<p>"All right now?" cheerily asked the little Welsh doctor who had been -busily engaged in bringing me to life again.</p> - -<p>"Yes, thanks," I replied, trying to sit upright in the bunk, a -movement which gave me excruciating pain, and was promptly prevented -by the sick bay steward and the doctor.</p> - -<p>"Come, come!" he said, with a smile, "none of your nonsense, now. You -won't be able to move for a while yet."</p> - -<p>Then I remembered the strange numbness of my right leg when I fell -into the water.</p> - -<p>"What has happened?" I asked. "What have I -done—what——"</p> - -<p>"Well, if you insist," he said, unwillingly, "you've broken your -thigh. It's nothing much, just a simple fracture," he continued, -quickly. "Soon be well again, and none the worse for it. Now, don't -worry; you'll probably be able to walk as well as if nothing had -happened."</p> - -<p>I lay still and groaned. This, then, was to be the end of all my -vain-glorious imaginings. I began to pity myself with an exceeding -pity. Instead of dramatically delivering my despatches, I was to lie -on a sick bed. I was deformed, disfigured—what would Bertha -think when she saw me! In spite of the doctor's assurance, I felt sure -that I should go through life with a limp. A graceful figure I should -make!</p> - -<p>The Captain of the <i>Polyphemus</i> here suddenly recalled my wandering -mind.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/398b-680.png"><img src="images/398b-300.png" width="300" height="398" alt="" /></a> -"MY DEAR WIFE LOOKS OVER MY SHOULDER."</div> - -<p>"We shall be very glad to have an account of your adventures, -Lieutenant Ralph," he said, courteously, "and how <span class="pagenum"><a name="page399" id="page399"></a>[pg 399]</span> -you came to be chased by that brute of a cruiser."</p> - -<p>In as few words as possible I told them all that had occurred since -the declaration of war, finally inquiring for Bates, to whom I owed my -life, and had the happiness of hearing that he was safe and sound -aboard.</p> - -<p>"You have done a very plucky thing, sir," said the Captain, at the -close of my recital. "You fought a splendid fight, and I am sure your -country will not forget your brave and valuable services. I am sorry -to say that only four of your ship's company have been recovered, and -a few Frenchmen."</p> - -<p>We were by this time nearly at Gibraltar; and the Captain, having -received the despatches from me and assured me they should go at once -to the Governor, left me to fall into a deep, refreshing sleep, from -which I awoke calm and content. The despatches were delivered in time, -though not by my hand. But their safe delivery was the chief matter.</p> - -<p>That night, in spite of the doctor's protestations, I was taken from -the ship and sent ashore, where I was received at the comfortable -little Gibraltar hospital.</p> - -<p>My thigh was indeed badly fractured, but a sound constitution, aided -by the unremitting care bestowed upon me in Gibraltar, soon brought me -round again, but a slight limp is always with me.</p> - -<p class="center">*<span style="padding-left: 5em;">*</span><span style="padding-left: 5em;">*</span><span style="padding-left: 5em;">*</span></p> - -<p>When my dear wife, who looks over my shoulder as I write these words, -says that my infirmity is no less glorious than the Victoria Cross -which rests so proudly on my breast, I feel amply repaid for anything -I may have done or risked in the service of my country; and the day -when I shall attain flag-rank looms larger upon the satisfactory -horizon of my life.</p> - -<hr class="clear" /> -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2>THE SAD FATE OF MISTRESS PRUE.</h2></div> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;"><a href="images/399-900.png"><img src="images/399-450.png" width="450" height="463" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center"><i>Illustration by Sauber.</i></p></div> - -<div class="container"> -<div class="poem width21"> <div class="stanza"> -<p>Mistress Prue was gay and sweet,</p> -<p class="i2">And fair as maid could be;</p> -<p>From dainty head to twinkling feet,</p> -<p class="i2">A source of joy was she.</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p>But Mistress Prue was hard to please,</p> -<p class="i2">And full of whims and airs;</p> -<p>Her beaux she'd torment, flout, and tease,</p> -<p class="i2">Unheeding all their prayers.</p> - </div><div class="stanza"> -<p>At length one day <i>she</i> loved a swain,</p> -<p class="i2">And changed her ways at last;</p> -<p>But "Mistress Prue" she did remain,</p> -<p class="i2">For wooing days were past.</p> - </div> </div> </div> - -<hr class="clear" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page400" id="page400"></a>[pg 400]</span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;"><a href="images/400a-500.png"><img src="images/400a-200.png" width="200" height="216" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">MISS GERTRUDE BACON.</p></div> - -<h2><span class="spaced2 wsp more2">A GIRL'S BALLOON JOURNEY OVER LONDON.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less wsp">THE STORY OF AN ADVENTURE IN THE AIR AT FORTY MILES AN HOUR.<br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="sc">By Gertrude Bacon.</span></span></h2></div> - -<p>A few weeks ago a telegram was put into my hands containing two words -only, "Come along."</p> - -<p>The message was short, but eminently satisfactory, for it signified -that the negotiations which had been in progress for a lofty balloon -ascent from the Crystal Palace had been completed.</p> - -<p>I scanned the weather with interest, for on this occasion I was to -accompany my father skywards, and with him and the aeronaut to make an -ascent which should not only be my first, but should be noteworthy -from the height it was hoped to attain, we being a light party and the -balloon a specially large one.</p> - -<p>A talismanic card bearing Mr. Spencer's name, and the magic words -"Private ascent," gained us free and instant admission to the Palace.</p> - -<p>On our way to the balloon enclosure we fell in with our captain, Mr. -Stanley Spencer, the youngest member of that firm of distinguished -aeronauts who may be said to possess almost the monopoly of the upper -regions, and the right of way in the skyey realms.</p> - -<p>He was dressed in nautical fashion, as befits the man who sails his -own craft through that vastest of all oceans—the ocean of the -air—and with his gold-laced cap and blue jacket looked every -inch the sailor that he is. He has steered his ship all over the -world, being only just returned from India and China, while he wears -on his coat the gold medal that the grateful people of Cuba presented -him with in the days before the war.</p> - -<p>Mr. Spencer's genial face was wreathed in smiles. He said the day was -cut out for our ascent, that everything was in readiness, that the sky -was clear, and that the wind would carry us directly over London, only -he wished there was not quite so much of it.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/400b-1000.png"><img src="images/400b-600.png" width="600" height="452" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"THE BALLOON WAS A FLAT, LIMP MASS OF RED AND YELLOW SILK AND CORD NETTING."</p></div> - -<p>It was hard to believe that the flat, limp mass of red and yellow silk -and cord netting that lay so inert and shapeless on the grass was -shortly to bear us among the fleecy clouds that now flecked the -heavens.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/401a-1000.png"><img src="images/401a-500.png" width="500" height="494" alt="" /></a> -<div class="figright" style="width: 500px; margin-left: -2em; margin-top: -1.5em;"><a href="images/401b-1000.png"><img src="images/401b-500.png" width="500" height="498" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center1">PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOUTH LONDON SUBURBS TAKEN FROM A BALLOON.</p></div></div> - -<p>In the car we carefully stowed the cameras, the horns and tuning-forks -and other acoustic instruments, the big exhausted glass bulb in which -we were to bottle up a <span class="pagenum"><a name="page401" id="page401"></a>[pg 401]</span> -portion of the higher atmosphere for subsequent analysis, the coats -and sandwiches that we might be very glad of later. The balloon was a -beauty, of 40,000 odd cubic feet capacity, and had only been used -twice before.</p> - -<p>At four o'clock the patient company sitting on the grass, at a -distance rigidly enforced by a stony-hearted policeman, sent a -delegate to ask how much longer we should be. We could not say, but we -sat and sadly regarded the swaying silk, and contemplated the ignominy -of a return home. At length our captain, in whose mind feelings of -prudence were plainly battling with a desire to be off, had the ring -and car attached, just to see how things stood. The sand-bags all drew -up together, and the balloon rose up higher into the air and began to -roll, slowly and majestically, first to one side and then to the -other, like a mighty pendulum.</p> - -<p>Just at that moment came a lull in the breeze; the angry little -squall-demons had whisked themselves off elsewhere; the sun came out -from behind a cloud. Things looked brighter in every sense, and -Captain Spencer, casting an admiring glance at his stately craft, -quivering to be free, came up with a smile.</p> - -<p>"I think we'll be off now."</p> - -<p>There was a rustle of satisfaction among the onlookers as we sprang -into the car, more especially as, the moment the sandbags were -removed, the balloon became lively, and gave promise of some fun. -Strong arms were holding us down, and up in the ring sat Jack, a -weather-beaten old sailor, familiarly known as the "commodore," a -tried and trusted servant of the Spencer family, and partner in many -an adventure.</p> - -<p>"Look here," said our captain; "the wind is stiff, and we may have a -roughish descent and need help. Would it not be wiser to abandon the -high ascent, part with more ballast-bags, and take up old Jack -instead?"</p> - -<p>Clearly prudence was on the captain's side, though it was with real -sorrow we relinquished our pet scheme of reaching 20,000 feet. So old -Jack remained in the ring, our aeronaut commenced throwing bags till -we began to rise—but not far. "Hold on!" he cried to the men -holding the last rope, and "Look out!" to us, as with a jarring shock -the car dashed down on the grass again. Another bag, another rise, and -another bump. The squall demons were coming back again, and the people -were getting excited.</p> - -<p>"Can you spare any of this?" said the captain, looking down at the -instruments; "There are not many more sandbags."</p> - -<p>So, with another pang, two cameras and other sundries were handed out.</p> - -<p>Another bump, a swaying straining of the ropes, while the balloon -seemed rapidly losing both patience and temper. One more bag out, a -rush upwards, a momentary hesitation, a cheer from the spectators, -"She's <span class="pagenum"><a name="page402" id="page402"></a>[pg 402]</span> -off! Let go!" and forthwith the tossing car was at peace and still. -But the people and the trees, the water-towers and the Palace, took a -sudden headlong plunge downwards, and ere I could struggle up from the -bottom of the car were hundreds of feet below.</p> - -<div class="figparts"><p>THE CAR OF THE BALLOON CONTAINS CAMERAS, ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS, <br /> -<span style="padding-left: 6em;">AND A GLASS BULB FOR BOTTLING SOME AIR.</span></p> -<a href="images/402-970.png"><img src="images/402a-500.png" width="500" height="267" alt="" class="quarry" /></a> -<a href="images/402-970.png"><img src="images/402b-276.png" width="276" height="108" alt="" class="quarry1" /></a></div> - -<div class="whole"><a href="images/402-970.png"><img src="images/402-500.png" width="500" height="375" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THE CAR OF THE BALLOON CONTAINS CAMERAS, ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS, AND A GLASS BULB FOR BOTTLING SOME AIR.</p></div> - -<p>From this moment until we again touched the earth the balloon never -moved. Of this I can be sure, for I was in it; but a strange motion -caused the earth beneath us to recede rapidly, and at the same time to -move backwards; so that trees, fields, houses, gardens, streets, and -rivers were rushing madly by under our gaze. Not a breeze disturbed -us; not a breath came nigh us. Quickly we rose 1,000 feet, 2,000, -3,000, and very shortly we had attained our greatest altitude, almost -6,000 feet—rather over a mile—high.</p> - -<p>And now what a glorious panorama spread itself before our delighted -gaze! Above, our view was mainly confined to old Jack's boots, for the -commodore maintained his position in the ring. Above him spread the -gaudy red and yellow silk, with a vista of the valve through the open -mouth of the balloon. The sun, now sinking towards the west, beamed -hotly upon us, and directly under it was a fleecy white cloud, but -unlike any cloud I had ever seen before, because we were looking at it -"end on," from a height as great as its own.</p> - -<p>But below was a prospect indescribable in its loveliness and weird in -its unfamiliarity. Every house, tree, road, garden and field was -outlined with startling distinctness and sharpness of detail, but of -Liliputian size and in preposterous perspective.</p> - -<p>Swiftly we sped along, bearing northwards at some forty miles an hour. -Dulwich, Camberwell, Peckham Rye, Bermondsey, swept by, their parks -and gardens and ever-thickening streets almost unnoticed, for now all -eyes were turned on the shining river, and the great dark mass of the -Metropolis we were so quickly approaching, and whose faint murmur was -even now striking our ears. It was as we had foreseen—we were to -cross London, and at its densest point. Fortune was favouring us -indeed, for not twice in thirty ascents from the Palace does such an -event occur.</p> - -<p>And now we were actually over Southwark, and about to cross the -gleaming Thames that wound so sinuously through the maze and tangle of -streets, lost in haze as it crept towards the sea, and dazzling in its -brilliance where it reflected the waning sunlight. Dotted about upon -its surface were a fleet of the sweetest possible little toy -ships—tiny models, such as children would sail in their baths at -bedtime. Across it we could trace each teeming thoroughfare, Tower -Bridge in particular standing out as a beautiful little miniature.</p> - -<p>Every block and square, the great arteries of traffic and the -less-trodden by-lanes, were delineated as in a huge map. There was St. -Paul's looking as Sir Christopher Wren surely never dreamed of, there -the great square of the Tower and the shimmering water of the Docks. -Conspicuous among the wilderness of roofs eastward shone out an -enclosure of little white objects, puzzling at first, but which we -presently decided to be the gravestones of some large -cemetery—Tower Hamlets probably.</p> - -<p>We crossed the river between London and Tower bridges and kept our -course north with just a dash of east in it; and all the while the air -was full of a strange loud noise, a deep continuous hum, not so much -that of bees in the limes or at swarming time, as the ceaseless roar -of vast machinery, the booming drone of a mighty dynamo, suggesting -sleepless activity, endless motion, and infinite strength and power. -It was the voice of the toiling millions, the <span class="pagenum"><a name="page403" id="page403"></a>[pg 403]</span> -whirr of the engines of nations, the throb of the heart of the world.</p> - -<p>Northward yet, and the streets thinned out and the fields and trees -appeared again, and the roar gave place to an almost deathlike -silence, for we were above the height to which the sounds of country -life could penetrate. We seemed to cross a region of market-gardeners, -and at one place all the country appeared covered with hot-houses, -whose glass roofs glittered like diamonds. Anon and all the lovely -plain was studded with stately mansions and rich men's country seats.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/403-830.png"><img src="images/403-400.png" width="400" height="399" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">WHAT THE CRYSTAL PALACE GROUNDS LOOKED LIKE AS I LEFT THEM.</p></div> - -<p>On and on over park and field and wood. Presently our balloon began -dropping, and we noted that at 3,200 feet elevation the first sounds -reached us, the crowing of a cock, a dog's bark, and the shrill voices -of children. Above that height all had been absolute silence, except -for the occasional report of a gun, which, however, sounded sharp and -short, and different from what it was at lesser elevation.</p> - -<p>Down we swooped until we could see the rabbits in a field scuttling to -their holes and the ducks on a pond flapping with consternation at our -approach. All the neighbourhood turned out to look at us and cheer. We -hailed one farmstead and inquired our whereabouts, but we could not -catch the reply, though we heard one old woman plainly protesting we -were knocking the tiles off her roof with our trail rope.</p> - -<p>For half an hour longer we floated on, over fields and hedges that -gave one no impression so much as that of irregular patchwork.</p> - -<p>We could trace the lanes and main roads, and presently we noticed what -seemed to be a well marked "non-slipping" pneumatic bicycle track -running through the land. There were ridiculous little white sticks -beside it, and we knew it for a railway line. The sight of it began to -remind us of certain considerations we would fain have forgotten. To -quit these realms for earthly cares and earthly limitations, to -exchange our steady car, open to the pure, unbreathed air, for a -stuffy, jolting train, was a hard thing to do. But the evening was -approaching, the balloon once more dropping, and quickly too, and we -had but one more bag of ballast. "This looks a good place for landing, -Jack," said the captain, and so it did.</p> - -<p>A broad stretch of level fields, some grass and some with the corn -just cut, no trees and not even a hedge, only a long way ahead a high -road with telegraph posts, and beyond that again the railway running -north. So we made ready for the end. Jack came down from the ring, the -captain took the end of the valve rope ready to pull, I was placed in -the centre with orders to stand with my knees bent, to hold on fast to -a rope on each side, and to prepare for a big bump. Nearer and nearer -the earth we swooped, and as we bore down we could perceive that the -wind we had been perfectly unconscious of above, and which we fondly -hoped had abated, was blowing as stiffly as ever, and sweeping over -the open plain fresh and strong.</p> - -<p>We left a young plantation behind us, just shaved a patch of growing -wheat, and then hovered over a field where the corn was reaped, and -the sheaves, piled in shocks, stretched in neat rows to the high road -far ahead. It was the very spot.</p> - -<p>"Now!" cried our aeronaut, as he tugged the valve rope with all his -force and held it taut. Over went the anchor, and instantly the earth -made a sudden violent rush upwards and hit the car with a stunning -crash that shook every bone in one's body. We actually landed on a -corn shock, scattering the sheaves right and left, and the great -floundering balloon pulled us <span class="pagenum"><a name="page404" id="page404"></a>[pg 404]</span> -over flat on one side, so that for a moment the wheat ears brushed our -faces as we lay, all in a heap, holding on with might and main, till -in a moment we lifted again.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 350px;"><a href="images/404-670.png"><img src="images/404-350.png" width="350" height="395" alt="" /></a> -HERTFORDSHIRE WOODS AS SEEN FROM A BALLOON.</div> - -<p>But then an untoward event occurred. Under ordinary circumstances, the -many-pronged anchor, let fall from a height, buries itself deeply in -the ground, and thus moored, after two or three rebounds, the balloon -subsides. But no rain had fallen for many a day, and in that -iron-baked soil the grapnel hooks could penetrate scarce half an inch. -The balloon rose, plunging and straining, and in a moment the wind had -caught the fast emptying silk and carried it madly forward, the -useless anchor dragging vainly along the impenetrable ground, and the -unfortunate car, all on its side, bumping, banging, leaping, and -tearing in its wake. Along we trailed, the wind flapping and roaring -in the silk, every stick in the wicker basket creaking and straining -as it skipped and bounded from one corn shock to another, while its -four inhabitants, bruised and breathless, gripped the sides, set their -teeth, and wondered what was coming next.</p> - -<p>We could do nothing but hold on for dear life and hope for the best, -and all the while the telegraph posts and wires drew nearer and -nearer.</p> - -<p>In the end those telegraph wires proved our salvation. Only a field -beyond them ran the Great Northern, and to have caught our anchor in -its boundary fence and fallen on the rails, as we assuredly might have -done, would have been a far from pleasant or safe proceeding. As it -was, the tight wires caught the netting, so that the great silk bag -fell over one side while the car remained the other, and although the -dying monster struggled hard, aided by the sweeping wind, to rise -again, it had not life enough, so fast its vital force was ebbing, to -lift us above the obstacle.</p> - -<p>Then, as we lay heaving and straining yet with every gust, came shouts -and hurrying feet, and half a dozen lusty harvesters, panting and -excited, tore down to the rescue, and brawny sunburnt arms took tight -hold on the ropes, and red jovial faces peered over the side of the -basket on the four storm-tossed voyagers within. And by the time we -had all scrambled out on to the grass, glad to stretch our limbs and -find that none were broken, the whole countryside was alive and -rushing up, on foot, on horseback, on bicycles, in carts and -carriages, to where the huge balloon lay prostrate in the road, -blocking the way and quivering yet in its mortal throes.</p> - -<p>All was interest and excitement—no, not all. Within ten yards of -our resting place browsed placidly an apathetic donkey. When the -gaudy, flapping, unknown giant fell down from the heavens at his very -hoofs, this intelligent animal went on grazing. The idea that -something unusual was occurring presently penetrated his asinine -brain, and he raised his head and looked. Half an hour later, when the -balloon was packed up and loaded on the cart that took it to the -station, he raised his tail also and brayed long and loud. He was -beginning to be astonished at last!</p> - -<p>We quickly learnt that we had fallen between Ashwell and Baldock on -the borders of the shires of Hertford and Cambridge, and soon we had -proof of the proverbial hospitality of the Cambridgeshire folk.</p> - -<p>One word in extenuation of my photographs taken from the balloon. -Balloon pictures are very often apt to be hazy on account of the -diffusion of light from the particles of matter in suspension, when -viewed from above, and mine were taken late in the day on an occasion -when weeks of drought had heavily laden the air with dust and -impurities. The rapid motion of the balloon, moreover, forbade -anything but snapshot exposures being attempted.</p> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page405" id="page405"></a>[pg 405]</span></p> - -<h2 style="margin-bottom: -0.8em;"><span class="spaced2 wsp more2">THE EDITOR'S ESCAPADE.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 wsp">THE STORY OF A MAN AND A MANUSCRIPT.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="sc">By Archibald Eyre.</span></h2></div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/405-1200.png"><img src="images/405-600.png" width="600" height="360" alt="" /></a></div> - -<p>One sometimes wonders what becomes of those meteoric young men who -flash through University firmaments trailing behind them an -accumulating tail of honours and other academic distinctions. Do they -continue to dazzle onlookers throughout their career, or do they -"fizzle out" at an early age?</p> - -<p>If the fates had been less kind, it is conceivable that Hubert Didcott -might have "fizzled out." That he did not do so may have been due to a -piece of luck. While the laurels that crowned his brows were still -freshly green, he met a very respectable middle-aged gentleman, who -had made an enormous fortune and was turning his attention to -literature.</p> - -<p>He had recently purchased the <i>Didactic Weekly</i> from the eminent firm -of Sholman and Company, publishers, and was understood to be looking -out for an editor. Someone introduced him to Hubert Didcott, and they -came to terms.</p> - -<p>While the new editor and the recent proprietor were gaining experience -in lines entirely novel, the position of the paper was parlous in the -extreme. The circulation sank to so low an ebb that it was only by a -generous courtesy that it could be considered to have a circulation at -all.</p> - -<p>But when things were at their worst, they began to mend. Hubert -Didcott settled himself firmly in his editorial chair, used the -intelligence which survived his education, and, shaking himself free -from academic trammels, began to grope for the heart of the public. In -the end, he found it. When ten years had elapsed, the <i>Didactic -Weekly</i> had made for itself a distinct position.</p> - -<p>One day, while Didcott sat at his desk, Mr. William Winder, M.P., the -proprietor, was announced.</p> - -<p>"Good morning, good morning," he began, with great cordiality.</p> - -<p>Didcott responded politely.</p> - -<p>"Things all right?"</p> - -<p>The editor nodded. "Quite a rush for our last number," he said, -thawing as he always did when alluding to a success of his beloved -paper. "The Bishop of Brighton's article on 'Reunion' has made quite a -stir in some circles."</p> - -<p>"So I've heard," replied Mr. Winder. "The Prime Minister spoke to me -about it. I hadn't read it. Of course," he smiled genially, "I didn't -say so."</p> - -<p>"The Prime Minister?" echoed the editor. "I wonder if——"</p> - -<p>"I asked him," replied Mr. Winder, promptly. "But he couldn't. Too -busy. Besides his public works, he's bringing out a new edition of -Homer, or the Psalms, or something. He talked to me about it." He -smiled again. "I hope he thought my silence betokened intelligence. It -didn't."</p> - -<p>The editor smiled. "How goes the political world?"</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page406" id="page406"></a>[pg 406]</span></p> - -<p>Mr. Winder leant back in his chair. His face assumed an expression of -mysterious significance. "The New Year's Honours, I'm -told——" he whispered.</p> - -<p>Didcott nodded with intelligence; he was aware of Mr. Winder's -aspirations. There was a pause while Mr. Winder indulged in silent and -pleased anticipations of what the New Year might bring. Very shortly, -the pleased look died away; he straightened himself.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I say," he said, "I came to speak to you about something. I am -afraid you'll think it a great nuisance."</p> - -<p>"What is it?"</p> - -<p>"Have you fixed on your serial for the New Year?"</p> - -<p>"No," replied Didcott, surprised. "I want to get to Meredith's new -story, but I haven't done anything yet."</p> - -<p>There was a distinct look of worry on the old man's face.</p> - -<p>"Didcott, my boy," he said, with an almost beseeching air, "don't be -angry with me. I did what I could. I couldn't help it."</p> - -<p>"Why, what's the matter?"</p> - -<p>"I have a daughter," Mr. Winder went on, a little brokenly. "You know -that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know," replied Didcott. "But what of that? She's at school, -isn't she?"</p> - -<p>Mr. Winder shook his head. "No, she's finished. She's home for good."</p> - -<p>"That must be very pleasant for you," said Didcott, politely.</p> - -<p>"Very nice indeed." Mr. Winder produced his handkerchief, and mopped -his brow. "I simply have to do what she tells me. You've no idea. -I——" He stopped short, and looked everywhere save at the -editor's face.</p> - -<p>"Well?" Didcott leant back and smiled encouragingly. He guessed that -Mr. Winder was going to confide some domestic incident to his keeping.</p> - -<p>"She's nineteen, and quite grown up. And the way she has of getting -round me! I can't resist her, the puss!" A smile of mingled vexation -and pride played about the father's lips. "You see, she has no mother; -so she gets her own way."</p> - -<p>"You are quite right to let her have her own way," answered Didcott. -"That's the only way to manage a woman."</p> - -<p>Mr. Winder brightened. "You think so? You understand? I'm glad, -Didcott. It makes it easier for me."</p> - -<p>"Makes what easier?"</p> - -<p>Mr. Winder sighed. "I do hope you won't mind." He glanced hastily at -his companion and then away, and for a few moments an uneasy silence -prevailed.</p> - -<p>"You want to tell me that——" began Didcott, to help him.</p> - -<p>"Would you mind telling someone to bring in the parcel the footman has -left in the outer office?"</p> - -<p>Slightly amused, Didcott touched the bell, and gave the needful -directions. A minute later the boy brought in a bulky brown paper -parcel.</p> - -<p>When the door was closed Mr. Winder drew his chair close to Didcott's.</p> - -<p>"It's a novel; she's written it," he whispered, eyeing his companion -eagerly.</p> - -<p>Didcott laughed. "Is that all? There's nothing in that. All girls do -so sooner or later. It comes as surely as the measles. I expect you -want me to read it. I will do so with pleasure."</p> - -<p>"She wants it published," said Mr. Winder, forlornly.</p> - -<p>"And why not? It won't cost much. And—and she needn't put her -real name."</p> - -<p>Mr. Winder sighed again. "I've promised that it shall be published. I -couldn't help it——"</p> - -<p>"And why not?"</p> - -<p>"In the <i>Didactic Weekly</i>."</p> - -<p>"What!" cried the editor, leaping from his chair.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/407-1000.png"><img src="images/407-500.png" width="500" height="380" alt="" /></a> -"'WHAT!' CRIED THE EDITOR, LEAPING FROM HIS CHAIR."</div> - -<p>"Now, don't take on, my dear fellow. I did what I could. But she has -such ways, and she was so keen on it, and—and she kept worrying, -and——"</p> - -<p>"It's out of the question," said the editor, with clenched teeth. -"Quite absurd."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid it'll have to be. I've given my word, and I can't back -out."</p> - -<p>Didcott stood frowning and biting his lips. "You must see it is -impossible," he said at length.</p> - -<p>"I do see that," said the old man, humbly, "but I don't see any way -out of it. I've given my word, and I must stick to it. Now, Didcott," -he went on, "I beg of you not to be angry. It may not be so <i>very</i> -bad. It may be quite good; after all, one never knows."</p> - -<p>"Why doesn't she get it published in volume form?"</p> - -<p>"The publishers have all declined it."</p> - -<p>Didcott groaned. "But if you paid for the cost of production?"</p> - -<p>"I offered that. All the good firms decline it even on those terms, -and she <span class="pagenum"><a name="page407" id="page407"></a>[pg 407]</span> -won't go to a second-rate house. She was so cut up, -and—and—hang it, she's my only child."</p> - -<p>Didcott rose. "Very well, I'll look through it and see what it is -like. We will talk over the matter again."</p> - -<p>The old man rose and held out his hand.</p> - -<p>"Don't be angry, my boy," he said. "I know it's a great nuisance, -but—but very few people read serial stories. I daresay it will -pass unnoticed. Good-bye."</p> - -<p>"Good-bye," repeated the editor, mechanically. When Mr. Winder had -gone, he took up a knife and cut the string of the bulky package. -Taking out the manuscript, he began to read.</p> - -<p>Half an hour later, he stumbled down the office stairs with the face -of a demon and lips that moved without speaking. The office boy -trembled as he passed.</p> - -<h4>II.</h4> - -<p>For a week the manuscript, roughly wrapped up in its original covering -of brown paper, lay undisturbed on the editor's table. Sometimes his -eyes dwelt on it with concentrated hatred, but he never touched it. He -went on with his work as if it did not exist, but he was never -unconscious of its presence.</p> - -<p>At last he told himself that he had come to a decision. He would -exhaust every method to prevent its publication in the <i>Didactic -Weekly</i>. If necessary, he would appeal personally to Miss -Winder—on his knees, if that would help matters. If all was in -vain, he would resign.</p> - -<p>Resign! The very thought gave him indescribable pangs.</p> - -<p>"It hasn't come to that yet," he said. "I must exhaust all -possibilities first." He shook his fist at the manuscript novel. "I -wish it were at the bottom of the sea."</p> - -<p>A day or two later he received a note from Mr. Winder, inviting him to -dine the following evening. "I have told my daughter," the letter ran, -"that you have been reading her novel, and she is most anxious to know -your opinion. She wonders whether you would mind bringing the MS., so -that she may go through it with you, with a view, no doubt, of -pointing out certain beauties you may have missed."</p> - -<p>"This is my opportunity," said Didcott, grimly, "and I will take -advantage of it."</p> - -<p>The next day he presented himself at the house, with the manuscript -under his arm. Leaving it in the care of a servant, he was shown into -the drawing-room. Mr. Winder came forward hastily as he entered.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 360px;"><a href="images/408-800.png"><img src="images/408-360.png" width="360" height="443" alt="" /></a> -"'I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE MET MY DAUGHTER—ELSIE.'"</div> - -<p>"My dear fellow," he said, rather nervously, "how good of you to come -at such short notice. I don't think you have met my daughter. Elsie, -this is Mr. Didcott."</p> - -<p>Didcott bowed. He glanced at the girl before him.</p> - -<p>"No, we haven't met before," he answered, and took the hand she -proffered.</p> - -<p>"I have often heard of you," said Miss Winder. She was a pretty girl, -fresh as a flower, and frank and ready in her manner. <span class="pagenum"><a -name="page408" id="page408"></a>[pg 408]</span> "Father is always talking of you. -I daresay you've heard of me."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes," replied Didcott, a abruptly; "I've heard of you."</p> - -<p>"I think dinner is ready," interposed Mr. Winder, hastily. He moved to -the door, and the pair followed him.</p> - -<p>"You're not quite what I expected," observed Miss Winder, frankly, as -they made their way downstairs. "I thought you would be older."</p> - -<p>"I am sorry."</p> - -<p>"I am so glad you liked my book."</p> - -<p>Didcott was taken aback.</p> - -<p>"Who told you that?" he asked, endeavouring to impart an air of -archness to the query.</p> - -<p>"Father said so. I was so pleased." Something in Didcott's manner -struck her, for she asked a little sharply, "You do like it, don't -you?"</p> - -<p>Didcott blinked.</p> - -<p>"I have never read anything like it before," he answered.</p> - -<p>"It is original," she admitted. "And isn't the hero lovely?"</p> - -<p>"The hero?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Rupert Vavasour. 'Tall and pale, with eyes that flash.'"</p> - -<p>"Oh, ah! Yes, indeed, he is lovely. He falls in love -with—er—the heroine."</p> - -<p>"Not at first. Afterwards. When they meet upon the lake. Isn't that a -beautiful scene? I wept like anything when I wrote it."</p> - -<p>"I felt the same way when I read it," Didcott murmured.</p> - -<p>"Did you really?" cried Miss Winder, delightedly. "How charming of -you. Father, Mr. Didcott likes my book tremendously."</p> - -<p>The old man beamed with pleasure.</p> - -<p>"Really, my boy?—not really?" he asked.</p> - -<p>Didcott struggled to free himself from his embarrassment.</p> - -<p>"I——" he began.</p> - -<p>"I don't think, papa, that you should suggest Mr. Didcott is not -sincere," said Miss Winder, with dignity. "I have a better opinion of -him than that." She smiled with great sweetness on the young man. "You -do really like it, don't you, Mr. Didcott?"</p> - -<p>"Of course I like it," replied the unhappy young man.</p> - -<p>What else could he say?</p> - -<p>Throughout dinner nothing was talked of save the merits of the novel. -Before long Didcott found he had committed himself to the opinion that -it rivalled George Eliot at her best.</p> - -<p>"I never did see much in George Eliot," remarked the fair authoress, -modestly. "If you had said Marie Corelli——"</p> - -<p>And of course the young man said Marie Corelli. He would have said -Shakespeare before the dinner was over. Given a charming profile, an -excellent dinner, and '84 champagne, what else could have been -expected?</p> - -<p>When the young lady returned to the drawing-room, leaving the two men -to their cigars, Mr. Winder leant over to him confidentially. "Do you -really think," he asked, almost wistfully, "that my little girl's book -is as good as you say?"</p> - -<p>Didcott did not meet his eye. He puffed out a volume of smoke as if he -would have hidden himself in its cloud.</p> - -<p>The old man sighed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page409" id="page409"></a>[pg 409]</span></p> - -<p>"You did it out of kindness, Didcott, my boy. It was good of you."</p> - -<p>The young man felt his conscience prick him. He had not acted from -kindness, but from weakness. The sad look on the father's face touched -him.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Winder," he said, acting on a sudden impulse, "the book is -excellent."</p> - -<p>Very soon they joined Miss Winder. The rest of the evening was spent -by the authoress in reading aloud extracts from her immortal work. But -Didcott did not listen; he found sufficient occupation in watching the -varying expressions on the girl's face.</p> - -<div class="figparts"><p class="right" style="font-size: 0.9em;">"HE SPRANG ON THE STEP AND<br /> DRAGGED FORTH THE PACKAGE."</p> -<a href="images/409-1000.png"><img src="images/409a-225.png" width="225" height="112" alt="" class="shot" /></a> -<a href="images/409-1000.png"><img src="images/409b-360.png" width="360" height="353" alt="" class="shot1" /></a></div> - -<div class="whole"><a href="images/409-1000.png"><img src="images/409-360.png" width="360" height="466" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"HE SPRANG ON THE STEP AND DRAGGED FORTH THE PACKAGE."</p></div> - -<p>At a late hour he rose reluctantly to go. When the front door closed -on him, and he had climbed into a cab, the manuscript on the seat -beside him, he realised suddenly how hopeless his case had become. How -could he make a stand against the publication of the novel without -exposing himself to the scorn of the young lady, and writing himself -down an arrant hypocrite in her eyes and in the eyes of the father? He -had committed himself beyond redemption.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a thought struck him. Suppose the MS. was lost! Suppose he -left it in the cab! He remembered there was no name on the parcel. At -the impulse of the moment, without stopping to consider the futility -of the project, or the objection to it on a moral score, he shouted to -the cab to stop, and almost before it had come to a stand he was in -the road. Just opposite were the Houses of Parliament. Thrusting some -silver into the man's hand, he set off at a rapid pace across -Westminster Bridge. There were few passers-by, and after a minute or -two of rapid walking he broke into a run. The stony stare of a -solitary policeman caused him to adopt a meditative saunter.</p> - -<p>As he walked on, he looked out for another cab. At length he heard -wheels behind him and turned joyfully. Alas! it was the cab he had -just relinquished.</p> - -<p>"Hi, sir!" shouted the man, "You've left a parcel be'ind you."</p> - -<p>For a moment Didcott stood paralysed. "No, I didn't," he said, at -length.</p> - -<p>"What!" said the cabman.</p> - -<p>"It isn't mine," said Didcott, faintly.</p> - -<p>"Why," said the cabman, astonished, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page410" id="page410"></a>[pg 410]</span> -"I saw the blooming servant hand it in to you."</p> - -<p>Didcott shook his head. "I don't know anything about it," he replied.</p> - -<p>The policeman who had witnessed his haste had approached, and stood a -silent spectator.</p> - -<p>"You'd better take it to Scotland Yard," he observed at this point.</p> - -<p>"Why, I knows it's 'is," said the cabman, aggrievedly.</p> - -<p>"The gen'lman says it ain't," responded the policeman, judicially.</p> - -<p>"Rats!" returned the cabman, plethorically.</p> - -<p>Didcott stood miserably silent; he had got beyond his depth, and the -conviction that his behaviour was asinine was growing more acute.</p> - -<p>"I'll take it to the Yard," said the cabman, disgustedly, "and then -I'll call at the 'ouse I picked 'im up at, and tell them."</p> - -<p>"Oh, my goodness!" ejaculated Didcott, overwhelmed at the thought. The -cabman and the policeman bent frowning brows on him.</p> - -<p>"Beg pardon, sir," said the policeman, politely.</p> - -<p>Didcott laughed in a strained and unnatural manner. "Ha, ha! So stupid -of me! I had forgotten. It does belong to me."</p> - -<p>The eyebrows of the other two ascended to the altitudes.</p> - -<p>"I'll get it," said Didcott, blithely.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/410-600.png"><img src="images/410-300.png" width="300" height="449" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"HE FLUNG THE PARCEL CONTAINING THE MS. OVER WESTMINSTER BRIDGE."</p></div> - -<p>He sprang on to the step, and dragged forth the package. "So much -obliged to you. Thank you very much." He tucked the parcel under his -arm. "Good-bye."</p> - -<p>He turned and hastened along the bridge southwards, leaving the -policeman and the cabman regarding him with doubtful eyes. He crossed -the bridge, and wandered about in the streets on the Surrey side for -nearly an hour before he ventured to retrace his steps.</p> - -<p>As he walked back over the bridge, he felt the parcel heavy in his -hands. Could he not get rid of it for good and all? Why not drop it -over the bridge? No one was in sight. He leant over and looked at the -dark waters. Everything was quiet. In an instant, making up his mind, -he flung the parcel into the silent river. He heard the splash that -followed, and with the sound came an overwhelming sense of guilt.</p> - -<p>He turned and hastened homewards, but he had gone only a few yards -when, to his consternation, the same policeman confronted him.</p> - -<p>"I've been watching you," said the constable.</p> - -<p>"Have you?" replied Didcott, vaguely.</p> - -<p>"What's that you've thrown into the water?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing," said Didcott, finding speech with difficulty.</p> - -<p>"Where's that there parcel the cabman gave you?"</p> - -<p>Didcott faltered, and then there came a conviction that at any cost he -must brazen the matter out.</p> - -<p>"I don't know what you mean," he answered, feeling his legs quivering -under him.</p> - -<p>There was a look of supreme disdain on the policeman's face.</p> - -<p>"You'll have to come along of me," he said, briefly.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page411" id="page411"></a>[pg 411]</span></p> - -<p>Didcott shrank back. "With you? Why?"</p> - -<div class="figparts"><p>HE CANNONED INTO A POLICEMAN<br /> -AND TOPPLED HIM OVER, BUT<br /> CONTINUED HIS HEADLONG FLIGHT.</p> -<a href="images/411-980.png"><img src="images/411a-210.png" width="210" height="140" alt="" class="quarry" /></a> -<a href="images/411-980.png"><img src="images/411b1-160.png" width="170" height="100" alt="" class="quarry2" /></a> -<a href="images/411-980.png"><img src="images/411c1-215-50.png" width="215" height="50" alt="" class="quarry2" /></a> -<a href="images/411-980.png"><img src="images/411d1-275.png" width="285" height="50" alt="" class="quarry2" /></a> -<a href="images/411-980.png"><img src="images/411e-300.png" width="300" height="119" alt="" class="quarry2" /></a> -</div> - -<div class="whole"><a href="images/411-980.png"><img src="images/411-300.png" width="300" height="459" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"HE CANNONED INTO A POLICEMAN AND TOPPLED HIM OVER, BUT CONTINUED HIS HEADLONG FLIGHT."</p></div> - -<p style="margin-top: -0.3em;">The policeman nodded. "That's all right. Never you mind what for."</p> - -<p>"I haven't done anything wrong," cried Didcott, piteously. At no time -a man of strong nerve, at this crisis he utterly and entirely lost his -head.</p> - -<p>"That there brown parcel——" began the policeman, -argumentatively.</p> - -<p>"I don't know anything about it," cried Didcott. "You're mistaking me -for someone else. And—and it was only old clothes and things I -didn't want."</p> - -<p>"You had better explain that to the inspector," said the policeman, -unmoved. "What I says is, that things look a bit fishy."</p> - -<p>"You've no right to make me come with you," cried Didcott, -despairingly.</p> - -<p>"Come along," said the constable.</p> - -<p>Before Didcott's mind rose a vision of police-court proceedings and -newspaper paragraphs; but above all, and dwarfing everything, he -seemed to see Miss Winder's scornful face. He eyed the constable, -noticing that he was stout and unwieldy of build. The bridge lay -silent on either side. In a moment Didcott made up his mind. Darting -past the policeman, he ran headlong towards Westminster. He ran as he -had never run before. The policeman started in pursuit, but gave up -the chase as hopeless after a few yards; he stopped, and Didcott heard -the blast of his whistle shrilling in his rear.</p> - -<p>Like a hunted hare Didcott flashed past the Houses of Parliament, -standing in grim and disapproving majesty. To his heated imagination -hundreds of policemen seemed to start from the shadows and join in the -pursuit. Certainly one made an effort to stop him, but Didcott dodged, -and then easily distanced him. Then rushing blindly along, Didcott -cannoned into another, with the result that the constable was toppled -over, and Didcott, skipping over his prostrate form, continued his -headlong flight. He managed to reach Victoria Street, more by luck -than by any consciousness of direction, and down its electric-lit -length he fled. In the distance he believed he heard the roar of -pursuit.</p> - -<p>Luckily he met no more policemen, and the few passers by made no -effort to impede his progress. He ran straight, in panic-stricken -haste.</p> - -<p>To his horror, he found he had entered a blind alley. To retrace his -steps seemed hopeless. He gave himself up for lost, when he noticed a -little gate cut in the double doors of a work yard standing slightly -ajar. He dashed through, and lay on the ground panting. He lay, he -knew not how long, in a state of semi-consciousness.</p> - -<p>At last, when the faint approach of dawn had begun to lighten the sky, -he stole forth and, like a hunted thief, glided homewards to his flat.</p> - -<h4>III.</h4> - -<p>When Didcott woke the next morning he was at first unable to convince -himself that his previous <span class="pagenum"><a name="page412" id="page412"></a>[pg 412]</span> -night's experience was not merely a bad dream. Then he was lost in -astonishment that he could have behaved so idiotically.</p> - -<p>He started for Fleet Street at the usual time, but to his disgust -found himself blenching before every policeman. Always impulsive, he -darted into a barber's shop, and emerged with a beardless face. After -this, he was able to confront the world with eyes that did not shift -uneasily.</p> - -<p>During the course of the day, he wrote a letter to Miss Winder, -telling her he had been unfortunate enough to leave her priceless -manuscript in a hansom cab, but that he had no doubt of eventually -recovering it.</p> - -<p>The immediate effect of his note was to bring Miss Winder pale with -consternation to his office.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/412-860.png"><img src="images/412-400.png" width="400" height="464" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"'OH, MR. DIDCOTT,' SAID MISS WINDER, 'HAVE YOU FOUND MY NOVEL YET?'"</p></div> - -<p>"Oh, Mr. Didcott," she cried, as she entered breathlessly, "have you -found it yet?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet, Miss Winder. There has been no time."</p> - -<p>"How could you have been so—so careless?"</p> - -<p>It had not struck him before that his imagined tale left him culpable. -In a moment he rent the air with his lamentation.</p> - -<p>"Can you ever forgive me my shameful carelessness?" he wound up. "But -even if you do, it will matter little, for I can never forgive -myself."</p> - -<p>She softened at once. "You mustn't blame yourself, Mr. Didcott," she -observed, earnestly. "It is an accident that might have happened to -anyone."</p> - -<p>He took her hand, and pressed it tenderly. "How good you are to me!" -he said, brokenly.</p> - -<p>She blushed and withdrew her hand hastily, and then felt a little -sorry she had done so.</p> - -<p>During the following weeks nothing was heard of the unfortunate -manuscript. Didcott was always at Mr. Winder's house consulting with -the daughter and devising schemes for the recovery of her novel.</p> - -<p>Each day brought with it an increase of intimacy. The novel was still -the ostensible cause of his visits, but as a subject for conversation -it had begun to show a tendency to diminish in value. Something more -purely personal commenced to take its place.</p> - -<p>One day, about a month after the episode that has been related, -Didcott and Miss Winder sat together in the latter's boudoir, chatting -confidentially.</p> - -<p>"I have been wondering whether I <span class="pagenum"><a name="page413" id="page413"></a>[pg 413]</span> -ought to write another book," observed Miss Winder, meditatively.</p> - -<p>"I should not if I were you," replied Didcott, with considerable -emphasis.</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"I don't deny it would be a great book," said Didcott, diplomatically, -"but somehow I don't want you to be a literary woman."</p> - -<p>Miss Winder smiled a little to herself.</p> - -<p>"Why not, Mr. Didcott?" she asked, coyly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I don't know." Then he looked at her. "You were never meant for -literary work."</p> - -<p>"What!"</p> - -<p>"I mean, judging from your appearance," he explained hastily. -"Literary ladies are seldom attractive. Their shoulders have an ugly -stoop, and they always wear glasses. Oh, no, you mustn't go in for -literature."</p> - -<p>She smiled tolerantly.</p> - -<p>"There is something in what you say—literary women do dress -anyhow; but I should like to write just one more book."</p> - -<p>He went on hurriedly—</p> - -<p>"No sensible man would ever marry a literary woman, however much he -cared for her. If a friend of mine was going to marry a lady novelist, -I would at once go out and buy him a millstone—yes, and I could -fix it for him. It would be an obvious duty."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Mr. Didcott!" exclaimed this very young lady, impressed, "are -they as bad as all that?"</p> - -<p>He nodded darkly.</p> - -<p>"But, Mr. Didcott, if a woman has genius——"</p> - -<p>He glanced up.</p> - -<p>"Take your case, Miss Winder. You have genius. Go on, and you may -become a famous novelist. On the other hand, you may marry, and live -happily ever afterwards; but you cannot do both."</p> - -<p>"I think," Miss Winder observed, ingenuously, "that I shall not write -any more."</p> - -<p>He pressed her hand.</p> - -<p>"Elsie," he began, passionately, "there is something I want to ask -you. Oh! Elsie——"</p> - -<p>And then the door opened, and the maid came in to say that a man -wished to speak to Miss Winder.</p> - -<p>"What man—what about?" asked Miss Winder, sharply; for the -interruption had come at an inopportune moment.</p> - -<p>"About some advertisement, miss."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, I know. Show him in." She turned to Didcott. "It's about my -novel—news at last, evidently."</p> - -<p>"News?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I forgot to tell you that I put an advertisement in the <i>Times</i> -and the <i>Morning Post</i>. It only appeared this morning, and here is -somebody already."</p> - -<p>Didcott felt a faintness steal over him. "What did you say in the -advertisement?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I simply said that on such and such a date, and at such and such -a time, a parcel was left in a cab, and I asked anyone who knew -anything about it to call here."</p> - -<p>"I will leave you to interview this man," said Didcott. "I shall only -be in the way."</p> - -<p>"Oh, no, no," she cried; "it is so lucky you are here."</p> - -<div class="figparts"><p class="left" style="font-size: 0.9em;">"THE DOOR OPENED, AND DIDCOTT <br />RECOGNISED THE FORM OF THE POLICEMAN<br /> FROM WHOM HE HAD ESCAPED."</p> -<a href="images/413-800.png"><img src="images/413a-260.png" width="260" height="150" alt="" class="quarry" /></a> -<a href="images/413-800.png"><img src="images/413b-315.png" width="315" height="90" alt="" class="quarry2" /></a> -<a href="images/413-800.png"><img src="images/413c-370.png" width="370" height="222" alt="" class="quarry2" /></a></div> - -<div class="whole"><a href="images/413-800.png"><img src="images/413-370.png" width="370" height="462" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"THE DOOR OPENED, AND DIDCOTT RECOGNISED THE FORM OF THE POLICEMAN FROM WHOM HE HAD ESCAPED."</p></div> - -<p>Just then the door opened, and with a sinking heart Didcott recognised -the short stout form of the policeman from whom he had escaped. He -shrank back in his seat and uttered a fervent prayer for -non-recognition.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page414" id="page414"></a>[pg 414]</span></p> - -<p>"I saw your advertisement, miss," began the policeman, "and I thought -as how I might give you some information."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," replied Miss Winder. "And do you really think you know -where the parcel is?"</p> - -<p>The policeman pursed his lips. "I know where a parcel is. But p'raps -it ain't the same."</p> - -<p>"Oh, it must be the same. Have you got it with you?"</p> - -<p>"Did the parcel contain valuables?"</p> - -<p>"No—yes. Yes, very valuable contents."</p> - -<p>"I thought so," said the policeman.</p> - -<p>"Where is it?" repeated Miss Winder, impatiently.</p> - -<p>The policeman shook his head. "It was like this, miss," he went on. "I -was on Westminster Bridge one night, and I sees a gentleman running -very quick and nervous like."</p> - -<p>"A gentleman?" queried Miss Winder.</p> - -<p>"In evening dress. Quite the toff. So I turns and follows him."</p> - -<p>"Did he have the parcel?"</p> - -<p>"No, miss. Suddenly a cab drives along the bridge, and the cabman -hollers out to the gentleman as how he has left a parcel in the cab. -The gen'leman was took aback, and said as how it wasn't his. So the -cabman said he'd drive round to where he had picked up his fare and -inquire——"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said the girl.</p> - -<p>"At that the gentleman turns quite white, and says it is his parcel. -He hops into the cab, picks up the parcel, and is off before you could -say 'Jack Robinson.'"</p> - -<p>"You shouldn't have let this strange man take my parcel," said Miss -Winder, excitedly.</p> - -<p>"I didn't know as how it was yours," said the policeman, "but being -suspicious like, I hangs about the bridge, and presently I sees the -gen'leman come creeping back, and then he chucks the parcel over the -bridge."</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh!" cried the girl. "Into the water? "</p> - -<p>"Yes, 'm."</p> - -<p>"Who was this man? Mr. Didcott, who could this man have been?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," muttered Didcott, painfully conscious that the -policeman's heavy eyes were on his face. "Probably it was a different -parcel altogether."</p> - -<p>"What was the man like," demanded Miss Winder.</p> - -<p>"Beg pardon, lady, but he was very much like this here gentleman."</p> - -<p>"What!" cried Miss Winder.</p> - -<p>"Don't listen to such rubbish," exclaimed Didcott, rising. "Constable, -how dare you talk such nonsense?" He stood trembling, with beads of -perspiration starting on his forehead.</p> - -<p>"The gen'leman had a beard," observed the policeman, impartially.</p> - -<p>"You had a beard then, don't you remember?" said Miss Winder, -mystified. "How very strange!"</p> - -<p>"I am quite sure now as how it was this gen'leman," remarked the -constable, imperturbably.</p> - -<p>The girl turned on Didcott. Thought after thought chased each other in -succession through her brain.</p> - -<p>"Did you throw my story into the water?" she asked, in a low voice.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Didcott, and felt relieved. For the first time he dared to -meet the policeman's gaze. "Send this man away, and I'll tell you the -whole thing." He felt in his waistcoat pocket and drew out a -sovereign. "Here, take this and get out."</p> - -<p>The policeman took the coin, and stood doubtfully with it between his -finger and thumb.</p> - -<p>"Yes, please go," said Miss Winder, faintly.</p> - -<p>"Shall I wait outside, mum?"</p> - -<p>"Confound you, no," shouted Didcott. "Go right away."</p> - -<p>"Right away," echoed Miss Winder.</p> - -<p>The constable turned and left the room, not dissatisfied with the -results of his interview. When the door had closed on him, Didcott -turned to Miss Winder.</p> - -<p>"What will you think of me? What can you think of me? Of course you -will never speak to me again."</p> - -<p>"I—I don't understand. Why ever did you throw my story into the -water?"</p> - -<p>Didcott groaned. "I would to heaven I had thrown myself. How I could -have done so monstrous a thing, I can't understand."</p> - -<p>"But why? You must have had some kind of reason," persisted the young -lady.</p> - -<p>"Your father insisted that it should be published in the <i>Didactic -Weekly</i>, and it seemed the only way to get rid of it," blurted out -Didcott.</p> - -<p>Miss Winder drew back a pace. "But you liked it. You said it reminded -you of George Eliot at her best. You said it was a work of genius."</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page415" id="page415"></a>[pg 415]</span></p> - -<p>"It wasn't!" replied Didcott, briefly.</p> - -<p>"What!" cried Miss Winder, her voice raised an octave.</p> - -<p>"It was pure drivel," said Didcott, firmly.</p> - -<p>Miss Winder sat down suddenly, and began to cry.</p> - -<p>Didcott struck his forehead. "I am a brute!" he cried. "I am still a -brute." He went on his knees and implored her to smile.</p> - -<p>"You pretended you liked it," sobbed the girl.</p> - -<p>"I know I did. I was a hypocrite; and now I am being punished."</p> - -<p>"You have been laughing at me, all this time," said Miss Winder, -wiping her eyes, and becoming dignified.</p> - -<p>"No, no. Understand how I was situated. I have worked for years for -the <i>Didactic Weekly</i>. My life's work is in it. I have struggled for -it and brought it to success; it is part of my life. And then I was -told I must publish your story. It would have made me the laughing -stock of the journalistic world. It would have damaged if not ruined -my paper. I couldn't bear it. I——"</p> - -<p>"You might have told me this," said Miss Winder, proudly. "I should -have accepted your opinion. I have sense enough not to insist on -publishing what is not fit for publication. Why could you not have -treated me like a reasonable being?"</p> - -<p>"I wanted to," said Didcott, still on his knees. "I came here to do -so, but couldn't. I didn't like to disappoint you. I hadn't the -heart."</p> - -<p>"It was your duty to do so."</p> - -<div class="figparts"><p class="right" style="font-size: 0.9em;">"'GET UP, MR. DIDCOTT,' SHE SAID,<br /> 'YOU DO LOOK RIDICULOUS ON THE CARPET.'"</p> -<a href="images/415-790.png"><img src="images/415a-240.png" width="240" height="200" alt="" class="shot" /></a> -<a href="images/415-790.png"><img src="images/415b-370.png" width="370" height="267" alt="" class="shot1" /></a></div> - -<div class="whole"><a href="images/415-790.png"><img src="images/415-370.png" width="370" height="467" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">"'GET UP, MR. DIDCOTT,' SHE SAID, 'YOU DO LOOK RIDICULOUS ON THE CARPET.'"</p></div> - -<p>"Ah, I am only a man, and you are a beautiful woman. I was weak."</p> - -<p>"Oh," said the lady, and pondered. A pause intervened. "Get up, Mr. -Didcott," she said at length. "You do look rather ridiculous on the -carpet."</p> - -<p>Didcott rose. "I will go away, and you need never see me again. I will -resign my editorship at once." He moved towards the door.</p> - -<p>"Oh, no," she cried.</p> - -<p>He turned.</p> - -<p>She came towards him. "Don't you see, Mr. Didcott," she said, a little -petulantly, "I don't want to be made ridiculous. I have been conceited -and foolish, believing I was a great authoress, when really I have -been writing nonsense. I don't want it to get about."</p> - -<p>"I will tell no one," he said, earnestly.</p> - -<p>"Yes, but——" She was silent a moment. "What I want is that -we should mutually agree to forget the whole of this stupid business."</p> - -<p>"It is a bargain," he answered, eagerly. "We will slam the door on the -past."</p> - -<p>She looked away. "Not on all the past," she murmured, "only the past -that is concerned with my novel."</p> - -<p>"Shall we take up our history from the point where it intervened -to-day?" he queried.</p> - -<p>She made no sign, save that the flush on her cheek deepened.</p> - -<hr class="clear" /> -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page416" id="page416"></a>[pg 416]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/416a-1200.png"><img src="images/416a-600.png" width="600" height="289" alt="" /></a> -<h2 class="q"><span class="spaced2 wsp"><span class="sc">Remarkable Secret Chambers.</span></span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 wsp"><span class="sc">STORIES OF QUEER HIDING PLACES</span></span></h2></div> - -<p class="centern1"><i>Written and Illustrated by Allan Fea.</i></p></div> - -<p>The secret chamber is a favourite item in the properties of the -novelist, but few people are aware how many secret chambers really -exist. They are not quite so numerous as "ghosts," but many of our -country houses still possess these queer hiding places. The majority -of them owe their origin to the religious persecutions of Queen Bess.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 360px;"><a href="images/416b-750.png"><img src="images/416b-360.png" width="360" height="463" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="center">CAPTAIN ARTHUR JONES WAS HARDLY CONCEALED IN THE SECRET CHAMBER AT CHASTLETON, WHEN THE ENEMY ARRIVED TO SEARCH THE HOUSE.</p></div> - -<p>In the mansions of the old Roman Catholic families we often find an -apartment in a secluded part of the house or garret in the roof, named -"the Chapel," where religious rites could be performed with the utmost -privacy; and close handy was usually an artfully contrived hiding -place, not only for the officiating priest to slip into in case of -emergency, but also where the vestments, sacred vessels, and altar -furniture could be put away at a moment's notice.</p> - -<p>It appears that most of the hiding places for priests, called -"Priests' Holes," were invented and constructed by the Jesuit, -Nicholas Owen, a servant of Father Garnet, who devoted the greater -part of his life to constructing these places in the principal -Catholic houses all over England.</p> - -<p>"With incomparable skill," says Father Tanner, writing in the -seventeenth century, "he knew how to conduct priests to a place of -safety along subterranean passages, to hide them between walls and -bury them in impenetrable recesses, and to entangle them in labyrinths -of a thousand windings.</p> - -<p>"He alone was both their architect and their builder, working at them -with inexhaustible industry and labour; for generally the thickest -walls had to be broken into, and large stones excavated, requiring -stronger arms than were attached to a body so diminutive as to give -him the nickname of 'Little John'; and by this his skill many priests -were <span class="pagenum"><a name="page417" id="page417"></a>[pg 417]</span> -preserved from becoming the prey of the persecutors."</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/417a-600.png"><img src="images/417a-300.png" width="300" height="221" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">SWINGING SHELVES IN A CUPBOARD AT ABBOTS SALFORD OPENING INTO A SECRET RECESS.</p> -<p class="center" style="clear: both;">The shelves closed.</p></div> - -<p>After the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot, "Little John" and his -master Father Garnet were arrested at Hindlip Hall, Worcestershire, -from information given to the Government by Catesby's servant, Bates.</p> - -<p>The grey old Jacobean mansion, Chastleton, preserves in its -oak-panelled hall the sword and portrait of the gallant Cavalier, -Captain Arthur Jones, who, narrowly escaping from the battlefield, -rode home with all speed with some of Cromwell's soldiers at his -heels, and his wife, a lady of great courage, had scarcely concealed -him in the secret chamber, when the enemy arrived to search the house.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 300px; clear: both;"><a href="images/417b-660.png"><img src="images/417b-300.png" width="300" height="454" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">PRIEST'S HOLE AT BOSCOBEL HOUSE USED BY CHARLES II.</p></div> - -<p>Little daunted, the lady, with great presence of mind, made no -objection whatever—indeed, facilitated their operations by -personally conducting them over the mansion. Here, as in so many other -instances, the secret room was entered from the principal bedroom, and -in inspecting the latter the suspicion of the Roundheads was in some -way or other aroused. So here they determined to remain for the rest -of the night.</p> - -<p>An ample supper and a good store of wine (which, by the way, had been -carefully drugged) was sent up to the unwelcome visitors, and in due -course the drink effected its purpose, and its victims dropped off one -by one until the whole party lay like logs upon the floor.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Arthur Jones then crept in, having even to step over the bodies -of the inanimate Roundheads, released her husband, and, a fresh horse -being in readiness, by the time the effects of the wine had worn off, -the Royalist captain was far beyond their reach. The secret room is -situated in the front of the building, and has now been converted into -a very cosy little dressing-room, preserving its panelled wainscoting, -and but little altered, with the exception of the entry to it, which -is now by an ordinary door.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/417c-650.png"><img src="images/417c-300.png" width="300" height="221" alt="The shelves open." /></a> -<p class="center">The shelves open.</p></div> - -<p>The above tradition has been provided by Miss Whitmore Jones, the -present representative of the family.</p> - -<p>Abbots Salford, another fine old mansion, has its chapel and resident -priest for the services still held there.</p> - -<p>In a dark passage up in the garrets is the priest's hole, as -ingeniously concealed and intact as it was three centuries ago. By -removing a wooden peg from a particular shelf in the most -innocent-looking of cupboards, the whole back of it, oak shelves -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page418" id="page418">[pg 418]</a></span> -and all, swings backwards into a large and dismal recess four feet in -depth. This ingenious swing door may be fastened on the inside by a -stout wooden bolt provided for that purpose.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/418a-600.png"><img src="images/418a-300.png" width="300" height="417" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">SECRET CHAMBER UNDER A ROOM IN MOSELEY HALL—ALSO USED BY CHARLES II.</p></div> - -<p>When the Civil War was raging, many a defeated Royalist owed his -preservation to the priests' holes and secret chambers of the old -Catholic houses all over the country. Did not King Charles II. himself -owe his life to the artful hiding-places of Boscobel, Moseley, Trent, -and Heale?</p> - -<p>After the defeat of Wigan the gallant Earl of Derby sought refuge at -Boscobel, and after a sojourn of two days proceeded to Gatacre -Park—now rebuilt, but also famous for its hiding -holes—where he was concealed by a Mr. Humphrey Elliot. When the -day was lost on the disastrous 3rd of September, the Earl suggesting -his recent place of concealment and the loyalty of the Penderels, -Boscobel House was decided upon as the safest place for the King in -his dire extremity. "I chose to trust them," says King Charles, -"because I knew they had hiding holes for priests that I thought I -might make use of in case of need."</p> - -<p>A door now occupies the position of the sliding panel in the -wainscoting of "the squire's bedroom," behind which one of the hiding -places is situated. In the floor a trap-door can be raised, below -which is a recess some five feet square, and this communicated by a -narrow flight of steps in the great chimney to an outlet screened by -creepers, leading to the garden.</p> - -<p>The other hiding place is entered from the floor above through a small -square hole at the top of a staircase leading to what is known as "the -gallery"—a large attic from the windows of which Charles II. -could get a good view of the surrounding country, and where he could -take some exercise and stretch his limbs after the narrow confinement -of his uncomfortable sleeping quarters. The hiding place in the garret -is five feet two inches in depth and 3¼ by 4½ feet wide.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px; clear: both;"><a href="images/418b-1000.png"><img src="images/418b-500.png" width="500" height="281" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">SECRET CHAMBER UNDER A WINDOW SEAT AT PARHAM HALL.</p></div> - -<p>The priest's hole at Moseley Hall, whither His Majesty removed when he -left Boscobel, is situated at the back of a large brewhouse chimney, -and is entered through a trap-door in the floor of a small room or -closet adjoining the apartment which was occupied by the fugitive -King. His narrow escape when the house was visited by Southall, the -notorious priest-catcher, has thus graphically been described by -Charles' host, Mr. Thomas Whitgreave:—</p> - -<p>"In the afternoon, reposing himself on his bed in the parlour chamber, -and inclining to sleep, as I was watching at the window, one of the -neighbours I saw came running in, who told the maid soldiers were -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page419" id="page419"></a>[pg 419]</span> -coming to search, who therefore presentlie came running to the -staires' head and cried, 'Soldiers! Soldiers are coming!' which His -Majesty hearing, presentlie started out of his bedd, and ran to his -privacie, where I secured him the best I could, and then leaving him, -went forth into the street to meet the soldiers who were comeing to -search; as soon as they saw me and knew who I was, they were readie to -pull mee to pieces, and take me away with them, saying I was come from -the Worcester fight, but after much dispute with them, and by the -neighbours being informed of their false information that I was not -there, being very ill a great while, they let mee goe, but till I saw -them clearly all gone forth of the town, I returned not. But as soon -as they were I returned to release him."</p> - -<p>In a corner of the priest's hole is a low brick seat. The walls are of -brick, and huge oak beams, in one of which we noticed a wooden pin, -about an inch in diameter, that could be easily pulled out by the -fingers. In all likelihood a straw or reed could be passed through to -supply an inmate with liquid food, as we shall see was the case at -Harvington.</p> - -<p>Window seats often contained secret means of ingress to priests' -holes. In the long gallery of Parham Hall, Sussex, not far from "the -chapel," is an example wherein Charles Paget was concealed for some -days after the failure of the Babington Conspiracy.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 360px;"><a href="images/419a-750.png"><img src="images/419a-360.png" width="360" height="466" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THE MOVABLE STAIR AT HARVINGTON HALL, BENEATH WHICH IS A ROOM FIVE FEET SQUARE.</p></div> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 360px;"><a href="images/419b-750.png"><img src="images/419b-360.png" width="360" height="460" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">TRAP-DOOR IN ROCHESTER HOUSE, SAID TO HAVE BEEN USED BY JAMES II.</p></div> - -<p class="space-above3">If we visit Harvington Hall in Worcestershire at twilight and ascend -the massive oak staircase, it will require no great stretch of the -imagination to people it with "pursuivants" hunting for their prey; or -if we climb to the top landing, to conjure up an indistinct form -stealthily removing the floorboard from one of the stairs and creeping -beneath it.</p> - -<p class="space-above2">This particular step of a short flight running from the landing into -the garrets is upon closer inspection indeed movable, and beneath -gapes a dark cavity about five feet square, on the floor of which -still remains the piece of sedge matting whereon a certain Father Wall -reclined a few days prior to his capture and execution in August 1679.</p> - -<p class="space-above3">A small concealed aperture in the wainscoting of the "banqueting-room" -would admit a straw being thrust from the hiding hole, through which -caudles and broths could be sucked up by the unfortunate inmate should -his friends be upon the alert.</p> - -<p>The house of the loyal Sir Richard Head still exists at Rochester, -where King James II. went from Whitehall for the last few days ere he -quitted the country. <span class="pagenum"><a name="page420" id="page420"></a>[pg 420]</span> -He departed thence secretly. About twelve at night he was rowed to a -smack which was waiting without the fort at Sheerness.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;"><a href="images/420a-600.png"><img src="images/420a-300.png" width="300" height="476" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">HIDING PLACE IN THE GARRET OF UFTON HALL.</p></div> - -<p>There is a secret passage in the upper story communicating with a -trap-door to the floor of one of the garrets; this leads by a private -staircase to the back of the house. Whether King James found it -necessary to make use of the secret passage and trap-door must remain -an open question.</p> - -<p>The curious, many-gabled mansion Ufton Court, Berkshire, both from its -secluded situation and quaint internal construction, appears to have -been peculiarly suitable for the secretion of persecuted priests.</p> - -<p>A remarkable hole is to be seen in one of the gables close to the -ceiling, of which a sketch is given in the heading to this article. It -is triangular in shape, and is opened by a spring bolt that can be -unlatched by pulling a string which runs through a tiny hole pierced -in the framework of the door of the adjoining room. The door of the -hiding place swings upon a pivot, and externally is thickly coated -with plaster, so as to resemble the rest of the wall, and is so solid -that when sounded there is no hollow sound from the cavity behind, -where it is supposed the crucifix and sacred vessels were secreted.</p> - -<p>Not far off, in an upper garret, is a -hiding place in the thickness of the wall -large enough to contain a man standing -upright. Like the other, the door or entrance -forms part of the plaster wall, intersected -by thick oak beams, into which it -exactly fits, disguising any appearance of -an opening.</p> - -<p>Sawston Hall, Cambridgeshire, the fine old mansion of the Huddlestons, -has a remarkable hiding place on the top landing of a quaint spiral -staircase. When one of the floor-boards is raised, a round hole or -tunnel is discovered in the stone masonry slanting into the wall, -where is a space ten or twelve feet deep, and of sufficient breadth to -contain any sized priest, should he succeed in squeezing through the -aforesaid circular entrance, which would not admit a very bulky -person.</p> - -<p>Blocks of oak fixed upon the inside of the floor-board fit exactly -into sockets scooped out of the beams which run at right angles and -support the landing, and unless the movable board be pointed out it is -impossible to detect it, so ingenious is its construction.</p> - -<p>These are but a few of the stories that might be told of these quaint -hiding-places which abound in England and Scotland. Unfortunately the -buildings in which they exist are gradually disappearing. The pictures -and facts here given, however, will bring vividly to mind the romantic -and exciting conditions under which some of our forefathers lived.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/420b-1000.png"><img src="images/420b-500.png" width="500" height="315" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">ENTRANCE TO TUNNEL UNDER FLOOR-BOARDS AT SAWSTON HALL.</p></div> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page421" id="page421"></a>[pg 421]</span></p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 350px;"><a href="images/421a-700.png"><img src="images/421a-350.png" width="350" height="472" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THIS TOWER ON LEITH HILL CONTAINS ITS BUILDER'S BODY.</p></div> - -<h2><span class="spaced2 wsp">DEAD MEN'S STRANGE WISHES.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="less2 wsp">SOME QUEER BURIAL PLACES.</span><br /><br class="b30" /> - -<span class="sc">By H. G. Archer.</span></h2></div> - -<p>Strange requests are often made by men when they are dying or in their -wills. And few are stranger than those made concerning their mode of -burial.</p> - -<p>The most extraordinary of all was that made by the celebrated Jeremy -Bentham. The great philanthropist and exponent of the doctrine of -utilitarianism, dying in 1832, left directions that his body should be -dissected, and that the skeleton should be put together, and after -being clothed in his old vestments, should be seated in a sort of -glasshouse on wheels. The first part of the programme was performed by -his faithful disciple, Dr. Southwood Smith, who, in endeavouring to -preserve the head, deprived the face of all expression. Seeing this -would not do for exhibition purposes, Dr. Smith had a model made in -wax by a distinguished French artist, who succeeded in producing a -most admirable likeness.</p> - -<p>The skeleton was then stuffed out to fit Bentham's own clothes, and -the wax likeness fitted to the trunk. This figure was placed seated on -the chair in which he usually sat, with one hand holding the -walking-stick which was his constant companion in life, called by him -(like a dog) "Dapple." The whole was enclosed in a mahogany case with -a glass front, covered by folding doors, and presented to University -College, Gower Street, where it can be seen in the south gallery of -the college museum. Our sketch was made on the spot specially for this -article.</p> - -<p>To those knowing the story the spectacle is certainly a startling -one—to all appearances a living man is seated within the case; -while to those ignorant of the facts the figure seems to be nothing -more than a wax effigy. Mr. Bentham has a whole host of visitors, -nearly all Americans though, many of whom want to take photographs.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/421b-880.png"><img src="images/421b-400.png" width="400" height="452" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THE STUFFED BODY OF JEREMY BENTHAM IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE.</p></div> - -<p>Next in point of interest comes the strange request of Anthony -Ettericke, who was an eminent lawyer, and once Recorder of Poole. -Having some cause of offence against the people of Wimborne, in which -town he lived, he declared that he was to <span class="pagenum"><a name="page422" id="page422"></a>[pg 422]</span> be buried in a -consecrated spot, but not above nor below the ground, not in the -church nor out of it.</p> - -<p>To make certain that this was done he got permission to build a coffin -into the wall of Wimborne Minster, so that it is half in the church -and half out, half above the ground and half below it. To do this a -special arch had to be made, and for the repair of this arch and the -coffin Anthony Ettericke gave to the church a sum of 20<i>s.</i> from a -farm. To bury him the wall of the church level with the pavement was -opened and the body deposited in the coffin as described. It is of -slate, and is emblazoned with many coats-of-arms.</p> - -<p>There are two dates on it, 1691 and 1703, one over the other, so as to -render both almost unreadable. He was fully convinced that he should -die in 1691, and had his coffin made and that date placed upon it. But -he did not die till 1703, and so the second date was cut over the -first.</p> - -<p>An art gallery seems a queer place in which to bury bodies, and -probably few of the inhabitants of Dulwich are aware that Dulwich -College Picture Gallery contains three bodies—the bodies of the -three people to whom that collection of pictures owes its existence.</p> - -<p>Noll Joseph Desenfans was a native of Douai in France, but settled in -London, first as a teacher of languages. He became possessed of a -valuable picture by Claude, which he sold to George III. for 1,000 -guineas, and so became a picture dealer.</p> - -<p>Then Stanislaus, King of Poland, commissioned him to purchase pictures -to form a National Gallery for Poland, and in this work Desenfans was -helped by his friend Sir Francis Bourgeois, R.A.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 500px;"><a href="images/422-1000.png"><img src="images/422-500.png" width="500" height="349" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THE SLATE COFFIN OF A MAN WHO WOULD NOT BE BURIED IN THE CHURCH NOR OUT OF IT, NOT ABOVE THE GROUND NOR BELOW IT.</p></div> - -<p>When the Polish King was overthrown, the collection of pictures came -back to Desenfans, and was housed in Sir F. Bourgeois' house in -Charlotte Street, Portland Place, where Desenfans lived.</p> - -<p>On his death Desenfans left his pictures to Bourgeois, and he decided -to hand them over to some public body for the benefit of the public. -Accident directed his attention to Dulwich College, to which he -bequeathed his pictures.</p> - -<p>The bequest was conditional. He wished a mausoleum to be erected in -the gallery where his own remains and those of his friends Mons. and -Mme. Desenfans might repose. The condition was accepted, and our -photograph shows the burial place of these three patrons of the fine -arts. The mausoleum can be entered from the Art Gallery.</p> - -<p>Students of De Quincey will remember his tale of the "clock-case -mummy." This was none other than the embalmed corpse of a Miss -Beswick, which for many years posed as an exhibit in the Manchester -Natural History Museum. When in the flesh, during the middle of the -last century, this lady had been attended medically by a Dr. White, to -whose skill she had owed much alleviation of her sufferings from -chronic neuralgia. Accordingly, she left him a bequest of £25,000, but -with the condition annexed to it that she should be embalmed, and that -once a year Mr. White, accompanied by two witnesses of credit, should -withdraw the veil <span class="pagenum"><a name="page423" id="page423"></a>[pg 423]</span> -from her face. To render this easy, Mr. White placed his benefactor in -an ordinary grandfather's clock case, with the usual glass face. The -doctor died in the year 1813, and the greater part of his museum was -divided among the Manchester hospitals and museums, the mummy finding -its way to the old Natural History Museum. When, however, the contents -of this museum were transferred to Owens College, the authorities had -the mummy buried.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;"><a href="images/423a-750.png"><img src="images/423a-450.png" width="450" height="456" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">EXTERIOR OF THE TRIPLE GRAVE IN THE DULWICH COLLEGE PICTURE GALLERY.</p></div> - -<p>In 1783, the remains of Margaret, widow of Richard Coosins, of -Parrock, Gravesend, were deposited in Cuxton church, near Rochester. -Under a pyramidal mural monument is a vault with a glass door, covered -with a green silk curtain, with a lock having a key standing inside. -Here, resting upon tressels, is a mahogany coffin with gilt furniture, -the lid of which is not screwed down. This coffin contains the body of -the above lady, attired, so it is said, in a costly dress of scarlet -satin, according to her wish.</p> - -<p>In 1766, Richard Hull, a native of Bristol, bencher of the Inner -Temple, and an ex-member of the Irish Parliament, resided at Leith -Hill Place, Dorking. In that year, having obtained permission of the -lord of the manor, Sir John Evelyn, of Wotton, he erected a tower on -the summit of Leith Hill, both for the benefit of the public and to -form his own cenotaph. Dying on January 18, 1772, his body was -deposited within the east wall of the building, where a tablet of -Portland stone marks the spot.</p> - -<p>The subsequent history of this tower is rather curious. For many years -it remained open to the public, but as this privilege was abused and -the tower became a harbour for smugglers, gypsies, and other lawless -characters, a subscription was raised in 1795 among the gentry in the -locality to make it uninhabitable. The whole of the interior was then -filled up with stones and cement, and remained in this state until a -dozen years ago, when the present holder of the property announced his -intention of reopening it to the public.</p> - -<p>So solid was the cement, however, that it was found impossible to -reopen the old entrance and interior staircase. Accordingly, a -staircase tower was built by the side in order to make it available -for the original purpose. A splendid view is to be obtained from its -commanding situation—on a clear day the sea is even -visible—but few of the holiday folk frequenting it are -acquainted with its real history.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 350px;"><a href="images/423b-600.png"><img src="images/423b-350.png" width="350" height="295" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">THIS SUMMER HOUSE IN RUINS HAS BEEN USED FOR NEARLY A HUNDRED YEARS AS A MAUSOLEUM.</p></div> - -<p>Another well-known case of eccentric burial is that of the Rev. -Langton Freeman, of Whilton, Northamptonshire. This gentleman, by his -will, dated September 16, 1783, left the following singular directions -for his interment. Five days after death his body was to be wrapped in -a strong, double winding-sheet, and to be conveyed to a summer-house -in his garden, where it was to be laid in the bed he had slept in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page424" id="page424"></a>[pg 424]</span> -during life. This being carried out, the doors and windows of -the fragile mausoleum were to be locked up and bolted, and the -building planted around with evergreen plants, and fenced off with oak -pales, painted a dark blue colour.</p> - -<p>His wishes were fulfilled to the letter, and only twenty years ago, -when the property, owing to litigation, was without a rightful owner, -and consequently much neglected, it was said that the remains in the -derelict summer-house were plainly visible. The body is still there, -but a large stone slab has been placed over the remains in the -bedstead, as some time ago several vandals forced their way in and -disturbed them. There is now some talk of removing the bones to the -churchyard.</p> - -<p>Before railroads swept away the mail-coaches, the coachmen on the -London and York stage, as they clattered through Stevenage, used to -point out the barn containing within its rafters the body of a farmer -named Trigg. This worthy, who died in 1805, ordered that his remains, -in a leaden coffin, should rest in this curious position for a period -of thirty years. As a considerable sum of money depended upon the -fulfilment of this caprice, the heirs were careful to see that it was -duly carried out.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 320px;"><a href="images/424-680.png"><img src="images/424-320.png" width="320" height="463" alt="" /></a> -<p class="center">CHURCH TOWER AT PINNER WITH A PROJECTING COFFIN.</p></div> - -<p>Another and somewhat similar case may be seen in Pinner churchyard at -the present day, where a mausoleum, raised on arches above the ground, -has a stone coffin inserted through it, one end of -which—utilised as a tablet for the inscription—projects -through. The story goes that the descendants of the occupant, a Scotch -merchant named Loudoun, who died in 1804, enjoy a large property so -long as it remains in this position, plainly above ground. There are -even gratings at the foot of the edifice, probably in order to prove -that there is no deception.</p> - -<p>Sepulchral vagaries—of far commoner occurrence than might -generally be supposed—vary considerably both in character and -degree. Some are whimsical and fantastical in the extreme; others -apparently consist only in shunning the usual and appointed places of -interment, while the peculiarity of others appears, not in the place, -but in the mode of burial. In the majority of instances where -outlandish places have been chosen for sepulture, the individuals who -selected them have been marked by some peculiarities worthy of -observation.</p> - -<p>For instance, Baskerville, the celebrated printer, whose infidel -opinions shocked even the hardened Wilkes, directed that his body -should be buried in a tomb of masonry on the site of an old windmill -in the garden of his Birmingham residence. This direction proceeded -from some curious disbelief in the "Revelation," but his wish was duly -carried out on his death in 1775.</p> - -<p>More extraordinary still is the case of Major Peter Labellere, the -religious fanatic, who, in the year 1800, was interred upon the summit -of Box Hill as follows:—The place appointed to receive his -remains was about ten feet deep, more in the form of a well than a -grave. The coffin was let down and placed on its head, with the feet -upright, in that situation. The eccentric Major was firmly convinced -that at the resurrection the world will be turned topsy-turvy, and he -took this precaution in order that he might then find himself on his -feet!</p> - -<p>But queer burials are things of the past. For county councils and -parish councils now prevent these eccentric interments in cellars, -haylofts, and summer-houses.</p> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page425" id="page425"></a>[pg 425]</span></p> - -<h2 class="space-below">OUR MONTHLY GALLERY OF BEAUTIFUL AND INTERESTING PICTURES.</h2></div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 460px;"><a href="images/425-1000.png"><img src="images/425-460.png" width="460" height="549" alt="" /></a> -<p class="right"><i>By permission of the Autotype Co., London</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">ONE OF GREUZE'S MASTERPIECES.</p> - -<p class="center">(Now in the National Gallery.)</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page426" id="page426"></a>[pg 426]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><a href="images/426-1000.png"><img src="images/426-400.png" width="400" height="514" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="right"><i>By Permission of Venn. Frost and Reed, Bristol,<br /> -Publishers of the large Engraving</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">TIME TO GET UP!</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From the Painting by A. J. Elsley.</i></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page427" id="page427"></a>[pg 427]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 580px;"><a href="images/427-1500.png"><img src="images/427-580.png" width="580" height="416" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="right"><i>By permission of S. Hildesheimer & Co., London and Manchester</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">THE SON AND HEIR.</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From the painting by L. Schmutzler.</i></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page428" id="page428"></a>[pg 428]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/428-1500.png"><img src="images/428-600.png" width="600" height="470" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="right"><i>By permission of Messrs. Hildesheimer & Co., London and Manchester</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">A PUSHING FAMILY.</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From the Painting by G. A. Holmes.</i></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page429" id="page429"></a>[pg 429]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/429-1500.png"><img src="images/429-600.png" width="600" height="453" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="right"><i>By Permission of the Autotype Co., London</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">TURNER'S GREAT WORK: THE FIGHTING TEMERAIRE.</p> - -<p class="center">(Now in the National Gallery.)</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page430" id="page430"></a>[pg 430]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/430-1500.png"><img src="images/430-600.png" width="600" height="361" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="right"><i>By Permission of Hildesheimer & Co., London and Manchester</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">GORDONS AND GREYS TO THE FRONT.</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From the Painting by Stanley Berkeley.</i></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page431" id="page431"></a>[pg 431]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a href="images/431-1500.png"><img src="images/431-600.png" width="600" height="428" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="right"><i>By Permission of the Berlin Photographic Co.</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">THE NE'ER DO WELL'S RETURN.</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From the Painting by K. Schultheiss.</i></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page432" id="page432"></a>[pg 432]</span></p> - -<h3>TYPES OF WOMANLY BEAUTY.</h3> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 330px;"><a href="images/432-1000.png"><img src="images/432-330.png" width="330" height="475" alt="" /></a> - -<p class="center"><i>Lafayette, Photo</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">COUNTESS OF ANNESLEY</p> - -<p class="center"><i>Bassano, Photo</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">MISS E. MATTHEWS</p> - -<p class="center"><i>Bassano, Photo</i></p> - -<p class="centerb1">MISS CLEMENTS</p></div> - -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="center"> -<div class="content"> -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="centerb1 space-above3">THE NEXT NUMBER</p> -<p class="center1s">WILL BE</p> - -<p class="title1"><span class="und"><big>The</big></span><br /><br /><br class="b50" /> -<span class="inda"><big>Christmas .<span style="padding-left: 1em;">.</span><span style="padding-left: 1em;">.</span></big></span><br /><br /><br class="b50" /> -<span class="ind1a"><big>Harmsworth.</big></span></p> - -<p class="center1s space-above3">It will be a</p> - -<p class="title1ar">WONDERFUL SIXPENNYWORTH</p> - -<p class="center1s">· OF ·</p> - -<p class="title1b spaced2">PICTURES, FACT & FICTION.</p> - -<hr class="short" /> - -<p class="centerb1 spaced2"><i>ORDER NOW.</i></p> - -</div></div></div> -<hr class="clear" /> - -<div class="tn"> -<h4>Transcriber's Note:</h4> - -<p>Some words appear both hyphenated and unhyphenated. -This is as printed in the various articles, by various authors, or according to the meaning of the text.</p> - -<p>There is some 17th century spelling in this book; there were no spelling rules in the 17th century. -There is also some dialect.</p> - -<p>The first part-sentence on page 359 has been removed, and added to the last -part-sentence on page 357, as the sentence had been interrupted by a page of -illustrations.</p> - -<p>Page 371: 'illconception' is as printed. -Pepys was writing in the 17th century. There were no spelling rules until the -second half of the 19th century.</p> -</div> -<hr class="clear" /> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Harmsworth Magazine, Vol. 1, -1898-1899, No. 4, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARMSWORTH MAGAZINE, 1898-1899, NO. 4 *** - -***** This file should be named 51207-h.htm or 51207-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/2/0/51207/ - -Produced by Victorian/Edwardian Pictorial Magazines, -Jonathan Ingram, Lesley Halamek and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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