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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..27b522b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63240 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63240) diff --git a/old/63240-0.txt b/old/63240-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3acef19..0000000 --- a/old/63240-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2212 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, No. 747, April 20, 1878, 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: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 747, April 20, 1878 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: September 19, 2020 [EBook #63240] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, APRIL 20, 1878 *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL -OF -POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. - -Fourth Series - -CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS. - -NO. 747. SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1878. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -CAPTAIN COPPIN. - - -Among the many marvels of art in the present day is the art of lifting -sunk vessels from the bottom of the sea, or of rescuing them in a -sadly injured condition from dangerous ledges of rock, where in former -times they must have inevitably been lost. Of course, this marvel is -primarily due to the agency of steam acting on pumps, diving-bells, -huge chains, and other apparatus; but it is clear that without the -audacity of resource possessed by men skilled in maritime affairs, all -mechanical agency whatsoever would be valueless. - -It is pleasant to know that while science has been doing so much for -people who live on dry land, seamen who peril their lives on the great -ocean that wraps round the world have not been neglected; and to -maritime invention are added civil laws and arrangements distinctly -intended to preserve life and property at sea. In touching on this -interesting subject, we may first speak of Salvage as a means for -stimulating the efforts of humanity. Salvage is the payment due to -persons who save a vessel that has been abandoned by its crew, or which -is placed in some peculiar jeopardy. On the owners of ships so rescued, -rests the obligation of paying a reasonable sum as salvage; and in -the case of any dispute regarding the amount, the matter is settled -by a decision of the Court of Admiralty. When the vessel has been -insured against sea-risks by the underwriters at Lloyd’s, or others, -these, for their own interests, make compensation for the recovery of -the jeopardised property. Seafaring populations on the English coast -are ordinarily prompt in helping to save the lives of shipwrecked -mariners, as well as in recovering and taking charge of goods washed -ashore. At one time the wreckage of vessels driven ashore became a prey -to depredators, known as wreckers; but scandals of this kind do not -now occur, partly owing to the vigilance of magistrates, police, and -coastguard, and partly to that of the numerous agents of Lloyd’s, whose -duty it is to take charge of any species of property driven ashore. -Like an invisible army, these agents of Lloyd’s are established all -round the coasts of the British Islands, ready to pounce upon and -secure every article which the waves bring to land. The plundering of -wreckage, such as Sir Walter Scott picturesquely describes in _The -Pirate_, could not now therefore take place. As far as the law can do -it, the property imperilled on the deep is protected from depredation. - -Latterly, the succouring of vessels in a distressed condition at sea -has not been altogether left to chance or to private adventure, under -the prospect of salvage. There has sprung up a system of recovery -on a great scale. Salvage Companies possessing a large capital have -been established in London, Liverpool, and elsewhere. By means of -powerful and skilfully managed steam-tugs, they undertake to rescue, -if possible, ships that have been thought to be almost beyond human -aid. There is something heart-stirring in the idea of a few heroic men -sallying forth in the forlorn hope of lifting a ship sunk to the bottom -of the sea, floating it safely into harbour, and restoring to the owner -that which had been given up as lost. Proceedings of this kind take -their place alongside of the feats performed by means of Life-boats, -renowned among the maritime glories of England. - -In the wonderful art of lifting and floating sunk vessels, no one has -so greatly distinguished himself as Captain William Coppin, who is said -to have recovered a hundred and forty ships that would otherwise in -all probability have never more been heard of. Perhaps we may some day -have a record of the more interesting cases in which the captain was -concerned. In the meanwhile, trusting to newspaper accounts, we draw -attention to the proceedings that lately took place in endeavouring to -rescue a vessel stranded on a dangerous ledge of rocks at Bembridge, -Isle of Wight. The vessel is described as the clipper bark _Alphita_, -with ballast, bound from Amsterdam to Cardiff. Its length was a -hundred and ninety-six and a half feet, with eighteen feet depth of -hold. It was a handsomely-built, smart-sailing vessel, which cost -thirteen thousand pounds—most likely sent on a mission to take a cargo -of coal from Wales to Holland. It was fully insured at Lloyd’s. -This fine vessel encountered a tremendous gale in December 1877, and -notwithstanding the efforts of Mr G. E. Stone, master, was driven with -violence on the above-mentioned ledge of rocks. The unfortunate vessel -was thrown to a considerable distance among the rocks, and there she -stuck, with underplating damaged, her sides bulged in, water getting -freely into the hold, and with mainmast fractured. To all appearance -the ship was finished. By no ordinary process could she be got off. -What was to be done? Sad to leave a thing of beauty and considerable -cost to be dashed to pieces by recurring storms in the Channel! - -There were grave consultations on the matter by the owners and -underwriters. The vessel was too valuable even with all her injuries to -be abandoned outright. It was resolved to employ a Salvage Company to -endeavour to get the vessel floated into port. A vigorous attempt of -this kind was made, and it failed. The _Alphita_ still stuck. As if all -hope of recovery was gone, and not wishing to be plagued any more about -it, the underwriters sold the vessel where she lay for two hundred -pounds. There was a bargain. A thirteen thousand pound vessel disposed -of for the paltry sum of two hundred pounds. The purchase, however, was -a pure hazard. If the vessel could not be got off, it was not worth -anything. Already, an immense deal of trouble had been taken to float -the _Alphita_, and it was of no use. Two hundred pounds was accordingly -not a bad offer. The purchasers were the Salvage Steam-ship Company of -London, of which Captain Coppin is the managing director. - -The case is crucial. A vessel is stuck upon a reef of rocks from which -no earthly power appears to be able to dislodge it. Captain Coppin -yokes to this seeming impossibility. Let us mark the resources of -genius. - -At the spot where the _Alphita_ was fixed with a leaning to one side, -the tide rises about twelve feet. There, in the first place, is an -agency of nature, which it would be clearly important to utilise. That -is to say, make use of the rise of the tide. Very good; but there were -holes in the vessel that would require to be plugged before she would -budge. All this was done. The damaged parts of the vessel were cut off -by water-tight bulkheads, and the rents in the exterior sheathing were -repaired. There was also a good deal of calking of open seams. Until -these various arrangements were effected, the vessel was strapped down, -to prevent bumping or further damage. Wedges were also employed to make -the vessel stand upright. When these and other means had been adopted, -it was thought that the vessel was ready to be pumped dry and floated -off. Now were set agoing powerful steam-pumps, capable of throwing out -six thousand tuns of water an hour. The vessel began to be buoyant. -There were some protuberances of rock in the way which would prevent -her slipping into deep water. To make a proper channel, three hundred -tons of rock were cut away, and now, as every one believed, there was -nothing to prevent the vessel being tugged into the open sea. - -It was a great day, when all things being in readiness, the Salvage -Company’s steamer _Sherbro_, and the dockyard tug _Camel_, made their -appearance on the scene, and set to work on the hitherto disabled -vessel. What a shout from the sailors when taken in hand by the tugs, -the _Alphita_ quietly glided into deep water, and was towed along -a distance of ten or twelve miles to Portsmouth. We say this was a -triumph of art. It is what could not have been done half a century ago. -On reaching Portsmouth, the vessel underwent a regular inspection, and -was found to have sustained very material damages, which, however, -were not irreparable, and are in the course of being repaired. We -conclude the accounts given of this remarkable exploit, by stating that -Captain Coppin intends to commence operations on the _Vanguard_, one -of Her Majesty’s ironclads, accidentally sunk on the southern coast -of Ireland. He has already, it is said, managed to introduce a couple -of hawsers under the hull; and with some interest we shall await the -result. To lift an ironclad war-vessel from the bottom of the sea, -and float her to the nearest port, would surely be the perfection -of maritime engineering. Possibly it may be done. We are no longer -astonished at anything. - - W. C. - - - - -HELENA, LADY HARROGATE. - - -CHAPTER XXI.—ETHEL FINDS A FRIEND. - -‘It was all one property once,’ said Lady Maud, as she sat by Ethel’s -side in the open window of the school-room, while Ethel’s pupil, Lady -Alice, was busily engaged in copying a sketch. The window commanded -across the park a view of Carbery, with its Elizabethan gables and -vanes glinting back the sun. Lady Maud was fond of spending her spare -hours in the society of the new governess, and she and Ethel were, in -spite of the difference of their position, fast friends. - -‘It is seldom,’ said Ethel Gray, ‘that two such grand houses are so -close together.’ - -‘They belonged, as I said, to one owner,’ returned Lady Maud; ‘and -the builder of Carbery was a De Vere and lived at High Tor, long ago. -He was an ancestor of ours; but I don’t know exactly how it was that -the properties came to be divided. I do know how Sir Sykes came to -be master of the Chase; and if you like, I will tell you the story. -It is no secret. I wonder that none of the village gossips have been -beforehand with me.’ - -‘I always imagined Sir Sykes to be a relation of yours,’ said Ethel, -with another glance at the stately mansion, gleaming in the mellow -sunshine. - -‘No more than you are, dear,’ answered Lady Maud; ‘and indeed he never -could have expected to be the owner of that fine place, when he was -a boy. He was poor enough. His father, old Sir Harbottle, had been a -sad spendthrift, and died abroad; and when Sir Sykes, then a captain -of infantry, came back from India, he had nothing to inherit but the -baronetcy. They are Yorkshire people, the Denzils, not Devonshire; -but there was a connection by marriage between Sir Sykes and old Lord -Harrogate, who had married Sir Harbottle’s sister. - -‘This old Lord Harrogate was the master of Carbery Chase, and a kinsman -of ours, and head of all the De Veres; but how, I cannot exactly tell -you, for we titled people I suspect often remember as little of our -pedigree as if our names were Jones or Robinson. I only know that he -was a rich, lonely, furious-tempered old man, a widower without any -children or nephews, and had quarrelled with all his relations, with -Papa most of all, about some tiresome election business. They say lords -are forbidden by law to meddle with elections, but they do meddle; and -the Earl went on one side, and old Lord Harrogate, who was of different -politics, on the other. The end of it was that Sir Sykes was sent for, -and that Lord Harrogate made his will, giving every acre to his wife’s -nephew; just, as he said, that no De Vere should be the better for his -death. - -‘What was the oddest thing of all,’ pursued Lady Maud, ‘was that the -old lord did not like Sir Sykes at all, and told him so, they say; -but made him his heir exactly because he thought it would be gall -and wormwood to his own kith and kin. And it was supposed that Lord -Harrogate’s anger and violent emotions brought on the fatal fit of -apoplexy by which he was carried off. At anyrate he died suddenly only -a few hours after the signing of the will; and that was how Sir Sykes -became master of Carbery.’ - -‘I should not think it could have made him very happy,’ said Ethel -thoughtfully. - -‘I am sure I don’t know why it should not,’ said the more practical -Lady Maud. ‘It was no fault of his, after all, that Lord Harrogate had -the whim to will it away as he did; and Papa owed him no grudge for it; -and we have always been on neighbourly terms, if not very intimate. But -it did not make him happy. Sir Sykes,’ she added laughingly, ‘had, you -must know, a most romantic love-affair in his youth, unlikely as such a -thing seems to those who see him now.’ - -Ethel Gray asked, with more interest than before, if it were Sir Sykes -Denzil’s love-affair which had prevented his enjoying the material -prosperity which was his. - -‘I have always thought so,’ said Lady Maud confidently; ‘though people -ascribe his sad looks and retired life to a different cause. But there -is no doubt that he was very much in love with a certain Miss De Vere, -an exceedingly pretty girl, whom Papa and Mamma always speak of as -Cousin Clare, and whose picture I will shew you this evening, if you -like, in the Green Room. Cousin Clare was an orphan, with no money, and -she lived in Papa’s house when he was first married; and poor as she -was, she was to be Lady Harrogate when the old lord died.’ - -‘I thought your brother’—— said Ethel wonderingly. - -‘O yes; it has come to us now, the title,’ said Lady Maud, smiling. -‘But Miss Clare De Vere, who was a distant cousin, came next in -succession, and was to have the Barony, and be a peeress in her own -right, when the old lord died. Harrogate is one of the oldest English -titles, and goes, as they call it, to heirs-female; so that it was a -standing joke that poor Miss De Vere would be a peeress without income -enough to pay her milliner; only every one hoped she would marry well, -since she was very lovely, as I told you. Now Sir Sykes was desperately -in love with her; but the Earl did not approve of his suit, nor did -Mamma, for he was badly off and in debt, and had been married before.’ - -‘I did not know that. I noticed Lady Denzil’s monument in the church -only a month ago,’ rejoined Ethel. - -‘That was the second wife,’ said Lady Maud. ‘Jasper and the girls were -not her children. No. Sir Sykes married very young, when a subaltern -in India, and there his wife died; and when he came home a widower, -he had these three children to provide for, and scarcely any means at -all. He was a handsome man—that I think one can see. But Cousin Clare -did not like him; still she was of a gentle yielding nature, and when -Sir Sykes became owner of Carbery, and a very good match indeed, and -Papa thought Clare had better accept him, somehow she allowed herself -to be talked into an engagement. Well, the baronet was very urgent, and -he had got the Earl and Countess on his side; and poor Cousin Clare -I’m afraid was not very strong-minded, so she promised to marry Sir -Sykes; though the man she really cared for was a needy cousin of hers -and ours, Colonel Edward De Vere of the Guards; and the wedding things -were all got ready, and the lawyers had drawn the settlements; when, to -the surprise of all, Cousin Clare was missing. She had eloped with her -cousin Edward, and was married to him in Scotland.’ - -‘Sir Sykes must have felt that very much?’ said Ethel, looking across -the park towards the distant mansion of Carbery. - -‘He did,’ returned Lady Maud. ‘But I don’t pity him, because, as you -shall hear, he behaved very ill. It was Papa who broke the news to -him; and I have heard the Earl say that the passion of uncontrolled -rage with which he received it was absolutely horrible. Some anger was -natural of course; but he was more like a fiend than a man. He swore -that he would be revenged; that he would never rest until he had found -some means of stabbing Clare’s heart, as she had stabbed his, and of -making her bitterly rue the day when she had cast him off. He was, in -fact, dreadfully violent, and it seemed the more shocking in a polite -smooth-spoken man like him; but of course people excused him on account -of the excitement of his feelings. - -‘Men who are jilted do odd things, they say. In half a year after -Clare’s elopement, Sir Sykes married a Manchester heiress with a large -fortune; and three years later the second Lady Denzil died at Tunbridge -Wells; and soon after, her only child, a little girl of about three -years old, died too. From that time it was that Sir Sykes’s melancholy -was supposed to date. It was supposed that he never got over the -loss of this baby daughter, and that was the odder, because he seemed -the very last man to mourn always over a little child. It was not the -loss of his wife; he cared very little for her. And he never seemed a -devoted father to his surviving children. Yet since that tiny mite of a -girl was buried, he never held up his head as he had been used to do.’ - -‘And Miss Clare, Miss De Vere?’ asked Ethel, with a feminine interest -in the heroine of the story. - -‘Ah! poor Cousin Clare!’ said Lady Maud seriously: ‘she suffered -enough, poor thing, to expiate her breach of faith to Sir Sykes -tenfold. Very, very short was her time of happy married life before’—— - -‘I wish, Maud, please, you would look at this sketch for me, and help -me with the foreground. I’ve made the figures too big, I’m afraid, and -can’t get in the rest of it,’ said young Lady Alice, from amid her -pencils and colour-boxes. - -‘I will; I’ll come and try what I can make of it, as soon as I have -told Miss Gray the rest of the story—the saddest part of it, I am -sorry to say,’ said good-natured Lady Maud. ‘Sir Sykes’s vengeance was -realised, terribly realised, without his having to stir a finger in the -matter, for little more than three years after Cousin Clare’s marriage, -her husband, whom she almost idolised, was brought home to the house -a corpse. He had, like many other heroes both in romance and reality, -been thrown from his horse in the hunting-field and killed on the spot. - -‘The young Baroness Harrogate—I have already told you that Clare was -heir-female to the title at the death of the old lord—was all but -killed too, as I have heard, by the shock of her husband’s death; but -for the sake of her child, the only earthly consolation left to her, -the poor thing bore up under her great affliction. Yet Papa said that -when he went to see her, her mournful eyes quite haunted him for weeks -and months afterwards, and that, beautiful as she still was, she looked -but the ghost of her former self. Then, when the next summer came -round—— I hardly like to tell it!’ said Lady Maud, as the tears rose -thickly in her eyes. - -‘Do not tell me any more,’ said Ethel gently, ‘if it gives you pain.’ - -‘No; I was foolish,’ returned her friend, smiling; ‘for what I am -speaking of happened long, long ago, when you and I were in the -nursery, and I have heard it related very often, though I never told -it until to-day. Well, the young widow lived on in the house she had -inhabited since the first days of her marriage, a pretty cottage beside -the Thames, and there she dwelt alone with her child, a sweet little -creature, a girl of three years of age, who promised to be nearly as -beautiful as her beautiful mother. And then this last hope was snatched -away.’ - -‘Did the child die?’ asked Ethel falteringly. - -‘It was worse than that,’ answered Lady Maud, whose lip trembled as she -spoke. ‘She had been with the child in the garden, which bordered the -river. Little Helena—that was her name—was playing among the flowers -when her mother was called away, and as she was entering the house, she -heard a faint cry or scream, in what seemed to be the child’s voice. -She ran back to the garden, and to the grassy terrace where she had -left her young treasure; but the child was not to be seen. She called; -but there was no answer. Trembling, she neared the water’s edge, and -there she saw the child’s tiny straw-hat with its broad black ribbon, -floating down the river; but of the body—for no one could doubt but -that the poor little lamb had been drowned—there were no signs; and -when aid was summoned and a search begun, it proved fruitless.’ - -‘Was the poor little child never found then?’ asked Ethel, more moved -than she had expected to be by these details. - -‘Never found,’ replied Lady Maud. ‘No rewards, no entreaties availed, -though men examined every creek and shoal of the river. No trace of the -lost one was ever discovered except the little straw-hat. With that the -miserable young mother never would part. On her own death-bed—and she -died very soon after, utterly broken down by this double bereavement—it -was the last object on which her dying eyes looked as her feeble -fingers clung to it, that little hat of the child’s. We talk lightly of -broken hearts. And yet, such things can be. Poor Cousin Clare died of -one. Hers was a sad, sad story.’ - -Both Lady Maud and Ethel were weeping now. The former was the first to -dry her eyes. - -‘We are very silly,’ she said, trying to smile, ‘to cry in this way -over an old history concerning people that we never, to our knowledge, -saw; for though I was alive when Cousin Clare married, I don’t remember -her at all. I was too young for that. Only it struck me often that Sir -Sykes Denzil’s sadness may have more to do with the desertion of his -betrothed bride and her brief career and early ending, than with the -cause to which it is generally assigned. Don’t you think so too?’ - -Ethel did think so; but she did not speak for a moment, and then she -said: ‘I pity Sir Sykes too. How bitterly his own cruel words, as to -the revenge he threatened, must have come back to his memory when he -heard the news of that great misfortune—of the child’s being drowned.’ - -‘Idle threats, dear! Perhaps he hardly remembered having spoken so -foolishly in his excitement,’ answered Lady Maud indifferently. ‘It -was after all about that time that he lost his own little daughter. -Cousin Clare’s title came to Papa, and our brother Harrogate bears it -by courtesy, as you know. There was no property. The poor little child, -had she lived, would have been Helena, Lady Harrogate.’ - -‘The body was never found at all?’ asked Ethel. - -‘Never found!’ said Lady Maud.—‘Now Alice, I’ll help you with your -drawing.’ And the conversation ceased. - - -CHAPTER XXII.—ARCADES AMBO. - -Hot, dusty, and conventionally empty as London now was, and stifling -as was the confined air of St Nicholas Poultney, Mr Enoch Wilkins was -in gay good-humour. He shewed it by the urbanity with which he was -dismissing a shabby-genteel man of middle age, to whose remonstrances -he had listened with a bland semi-serious patience unusual to him. - -‘Now, really, Mr Greening, really we must have no more of this,’ he -said, shewing his white front teeth in an affable smile. ‘“Can’t pay” -and “Won’t pay” are, I fancy, convertible phrases. The Loan Office -cannot afford to do business on sentimental principles. And it’s all -very well to say that you only had in cash nine seven eleven, as -consideration for your notes of hand, amounting to—let me see.’ And the -solicitor glanced at a bundle of papers on the table. - -‘To twenty-eight pounds six and fourpence,’ said the debtor piteously; -‘two-thirds of which are for interest and commission.’ - -‘But that,’ pursued the solicitor, ‘by no means affects the legal -aspect of the case. The bill of sale over your furniture is none the -less valid. I didn’t quite catch your last remark.—Ah! to sell you up -would be to you sheer ruin? Then, my good Mr Greening, I advise you to -stave off the ruin by prompt payment, to escape the very heavy expenses -to which you will otherwise be put. Good-day to you.—Now,’ he added to -his clerk, ‘I will see this Mr Hold.’ And as the impecunious Greening -took his melancholy leave, the sunburnt countenance of Richard Hold -became visible in the doorway. - -‘From abroad, I presume?’ said Mr Wilkins affably, as his observant eye -noted the seafaring aspect of his visitor and the bronze on his cheek, -which might well have become a successful Australian digger, fresh with -his dust and nuggets from the gold-fields. - -‘Well—I have been abroad; I have knocked about the world a goodish -bit,’ answered Hold slowly, ‘but just latterly I’ve stayed ashore.’ - -Mr Wilkins picked up the office penknife and tapped the table with -the buckhorn handle of it somewhat impatiently. He did not entertain -quite so high an opinion of the swarthy stranger as before. The first -glance had suggested damages in a running-down case at sea; the second, -some claim for salvage; the third, an investment of savings earned, -according to the picturesque phrase, ‘where the gold grows.’ But -the solicitor knew life well enough to be aware that those who have -knocked, in Hold’s words, about the world, are rolling stones whereon -seldom grows the moss of profit. - -‘What, Mr Hold, may be your business with me?’ he asked curtly. - -Richard Hold was not in the least nettled at this chilling reception. -His dark roving eyes made their survey of the lawyer’s surroundings, -from the heavy silver inkstand to the prints on the walls, and then -settled on the face of Mr Enoch Wilkins himself. - -‘That depends,’ said Hold, with a lazy good-humour, as he leaned -against the door-post nearest to him, ‘on what you call business, -skipper!’ - -Mr Wilkins frowned; but the words, sharp and peremptory, that rose to -his lips, remained unspoken. His first idea had been that this was -the saucy freak of an ill-conditioned sailor, and that a word to his -clerk and a summons to the policeman on his beat hard by, would rid -him of the intruder. But the man was quite sober. There must be some -reason for his singular tone and bearing. Wherefore, when Mr Wilkins -spoke again, it was urbanely enough: ‘If I can be of use to you -professionally, sir, you may command me; at least I shall be glad to -hear what you have got to say. Perhaps you feel somewhat strange in a -lawyer’s office?’ - -‘I haven’t seen the inside of one since six years ago I was in trouble -at Singapore about—never mind what!’ returned Hold, checking his -too communicative flow of words, and then added: ‘Now I hail from -Devonshire—Dartmoor way—Carbery Chase way, not to mince matters.’ - -Mr Wilkins started. ‘Have you a message for me—from Sir Sykes, I mean?’ -he inquired, in an altered voice. - -‘No!’ replied Hold, in a dubious tone, and coughing expressively behind -his broad brown hand; ‘not exactly that.’ - -The lawyer looked keenly at his visitor. Hold’s bold eyes met his. The -man’s unabashed confident air was not lost on so shrewd an observer of -human nature as was Enoch Wilkins. ‘Take a chair, I beg, Mr Hold,’ he -said civilly; and Hold took a chair, placed it sideways, and seating -himself upon it in a careless informal attitude, rested one elbow on -the chair-back, and contemplated the lawyer with serene scrutiny. - -‘You come from Sir Sykes, however, although you do not bring a -message?’ asked Mr Wilkins. - -‘Take your affidavy of that, squire!’ returned Hold, in an assured -tone. ‘We ought to be friends, you and I,’ he added, with what was -meant for an engaging smile, ‘for we are both, I reckon, in the same -boat.’ - -‘In the same boat, hey?’ repeated Mr Wilkins cautiously. ‘How’s that?’ - -‘I mean,’ said Hold, knitting his black brows, ‘that we are both pretty -much on the same lay—that we know a thing or two about a rich party -that shall be nameless, and about certain old scores, and a certain -young lady, and—— Why should I do all the chat, master? Is this Greek -to you, or do you catch my meaning?’ - -Mr Wilkins, whose eyes had opened very widely as he listened, here -started as though he had been electrified. ‘I understand you to imply,’ -he said smoothly, ‘that our interests are identical?’ - -‘Well, I guess they are,’ responded Hold, in the blunt fashion that was -natural to him. ‘We both, I suppose, want as many of Sir Sykes Denzil’s -yellow coins as we can conjure out of his pocket; and both need no -teaching to turn the screw pretty smartly when we see our way to it; -eh, mister?’ - -Enoch Wilkins, gentleman, winced before this over-candid home-thrust. -It is indeed one thing to be guilty of a particular act and another -to hear it defined with unmannerly plainness of speech. And he did -not quite like the being bracketed, as to his motives and position, -with a piratical-looking fellow, such as he saw Hold to be. But to -take offence was not his cue; so he laughed softly, as at the sallies -of some rough humorist, and rattled his watch-guard to and fro, as he -warily made answer: ‘All men, I believe, are supposed to take care of -Number One. I do not profess to be a bit more disinterested than my -neighbours, and if I did, you are too wide awake to believe me.’ - -‘Right you are!’ responded Richard with a mollified grin and an -amicable snap of the ends of his hard fingers. ‘I never cruised in -company with a philanderer’ (meaning probably a philanthropist) ‘but -once, and _he_ made off with my kit and gold-dust while I was taking my -turn down shaft at Flathead Creek, in California there. My notion is -that there are pickings for both. Why should we two fall out so long -as Sir Sykes Denzil, Baronet, is good for this kind of thing?’ And the -ruffian imitated, in expressive pantomime, the action of squeezing a -sponge. - -Again the lawyer laughed. ‘No need,’ he said with well-feigned -admiration for the other’s astuteness, ‘to send _your_ wits to the -whetstone, Mr—or perhaps I should say Captain—Hold.’ - -‘Well, I don’t dislike the handle to my name; and I’ve a fairish right -to it, since I’ve had my own cuddy and my own quarter-deck,’ rejoined -Hold boastfully. ‘And now, squire, I’d like to hear your views a little -more explicit out than I have had the pleasure.’ - -It was the attorney’s turn to cough now, as he replied, still swaying -his watch-guard to and fro: ‘There you push me, my good sir, into -a corner. Every profession has its point of honour, you know; and -we lawyers are shy of talking over the affairs of an absent client -unless’—— - -‘Client, you call him, do you?’ broke in Hold. ‘Maybe you’re correct -there, since you’ve brought the Bart. to throw Pounce and Pontifex -overboard, and make you first-officer over his tenants; but he warn’t a -client before yesterday.’ - -The astonishment written in Mr Wilkins’s face was very genuine. Of all -the extraordinary confidants whom Sir Sykes could have selected, surely -this coarse fierce adventurer was the most unlikely. And yet how, save -from Sir Sykes himself, could the fellow have acquired his knowledge of -the truth? - -‘I was not prepared’—— stammered out the lawyer. - -‘Not prepared,’ interrupted Hold coolly, ‘to find a rough diamond like -yours to command, so deep in the Bart.’s little secrets. Perhaps not. -Mind ye, I don’t want to quarrel. Live and let live. But it’s good -sometimes to fire a shotted gun athwart a stranger’s bows, d’ ye see?’ - -‘You and Sir Sykes are old acquaintances?’ said the lawyer, feeling his -way. - -‘Pretty well for that. Years too have gone by a few since you and -he first came within hailing distance,’ replied Hold with assumed -carelessness. - -‘We were younger men, that’s certain,’ returned the lawyer with a jolly -laugh and a twinkling eye. That anybody should try to extract from -him—from him, Enoch Wilkins, information that he desired to keep to -himself—to pump him, in homely phraseology, seemed to the attorney of -St Nicholas Poultney, in the light of an exquisitely subtle joke. Hold, -in spite of his confidence in his own shrewdness, began to entertain -vague doubts as to whether in a fair field he was quite a match for -the London solicitor. Fortune, however, had dealt him a handful of -court-cards, and he proceeded to improve the occasion. - -‘Now, squire,’ said Hold impressively, and laying one brawny hand, as -if to enforce the argument, on the table as he spoke, ‘I could, if I -chose, clap a match to the powder-magazine and blow the whole concern -sky-high. Suppose I weren’t well used among ye? Suppose I began to -meet cold looks and buttoned-up pockets? What easier than to make -a clean breast of what it no longer pays to keep secret, stand the -consequences—I’ve stood worse on the Antipodes side of the world—and -get another sniff of blue water. That would spoil your market, squire!’ - -Mr Wilkins muttered something about edge-tools; but his seafaring -guest answered the remark by a short laugh of scorn. ‘You know a thing -or two,’ he said incisively; ‘so do I. Are we or are we not to act in -concert? If not, up with your colours and fire a broadside. Anyhow, -friend or enemy, I’ll thank you to speak out.’ - -All Mr Wilkins’s liveliness vanished in an instant, and he seemed -strongly and soberly in earnest as he said: ‘I will speak out, as you -call it. I should very much prefer to be on good terms with you. I -should like us, as far as we prudently can, to co-operate. But you have -not as yet told me what you would have me do.’ - -‘I’ll tell you,’ said Hold confidentially, edging his chair nearer to -the lawyer’s. ‘When you go down to Carbery——You mean to go, don’t you?’ -he added abruptly. - -‘Certainly,’ said the lawyer, touching a spring in the table by which -he sat, and producing from a concealed drawer, that flew open at his -touch, a letter, which he unfolded and handed to his visitor. ‘You know -so much, captain, that I need not keep back this from you. It is from -Sir Sykes, as you see. The contents are probably not strange to you.’ - -‘Not likely,’ returned the seaman, throwing his eyes, with -ill-dissembled eagerness, on the letter. ‘He asks you to come down -then, and names an early day. The rents will be passing through your -hands before long, Mister. ’Tain’t that, though, I want to speak of. -You’ll find when you get to the Chase, a young lady there.’ - -‘I understood that Sir Sykes had two daughters,’ said the attorney -innocently. - -‘He had three, if you come to that,’ was Hold’s rough answer. ‘But this -is no daughter. Maybe she’ll be a daughter-in-law, some fine day.’ - -‘Oho!’ said Mr Wilkins, arching his eyebrows. ‘Young lady on a visit, I -presume?’ - -‘On a very long visit,’ answered Hold. ‘A ward she is of the Bart., -orphan daughter of an old Indian brother-officer. Name of Willis; -Christian name Ruth.’ - -‘Ruth!’ Trained and practised as the sharp London man of business was -in the incessant struggle of wits and jarring interests, he could not -repress the exclamation. ‘Bless me—Ruth!’ he added breathlessly, and -grew red and pale by turns. There seemed to be some magic in the sound -of that apparently simple name which affected those who heard it. - -‘Name of Willis; Christian name Ruth,’ repeated Hold. ‘Like one of -themselves she is now. Shouldn’t wonder if she were to change her -name, first to Mrs Captain Denzil, afterwards to Lady Denzil when Sir -Jasper that will be comes into title and property. You’ve known Sir -Jasper that will be, squire; you’ve had dealings with him. Now, mark -me! The sooner that young dandy makes up his mind to place a gold -ring on Miss Ruth’s pretty finger, the better for him and for the -Bart. and for you too Mr Wilkins. “A nod’s as good as a wink”—you know -the rest of the proverb.’ And throwing on the table a card, on which -were legibly pencilled the words ‘CAPTAIN HOLD. Inquire at Plugger’s -Boarding-house;’ and promising, ominously, to see Mr Wilkins again, in -London or at Carbery, the seaman took his leave. - -Left alone, the lawyer’s features relaxed into a smile of satisfaction. -‘A cleverish fellow and vain of his cleverness, this Hold, but very -communicative. It would surprise you, my good captain, if you knew -how very much you have been kind enough to tell me, during our late -interview.’ - - - - -NEW EXPLOSIVES. - - -At the head of the list of deadly explosives must of course be placed -gunpowder, which is so well known that nothing needs to be said -regarding it. Interest attaches to recent inventions, still as it -were in their infancy. The most important of these new explosives is -gun-cotton, a substance of most peculiar nature and properties. It is -prepared by immersing cotton-waste (previously rendered chemically -clean) in a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acid—the latter acid -merely acting as a mechanical aid to the former. The cotton is -afterwards thoroughly washed, reduced to a pulp, and finally dried -and compressed into slabs or discs; the last operation being the only -process throughout its manufacture which is attended with danger. -Even where the greatest precautions are taken, the constant handling -of a dangerous substance with impunity will sooner or later lead to -carelessness, or at anyrate to forgetfulness of its terrible character. -The disastrous explosion some years ago at the large gun-cotton works -at Stowmarket, where the most stringent rules for the common safety -were in force, is an illustration of this. It is needless to dwell upon -the impossibility of tracing the immediate cause of such a fatality—the -guilty hand being of course one of the first to suffer the dread -penalty. - -It is a curious peculiarity of gun-cotton that the intensity of its -action depends upon the manner in which it is ignited. A smouldering -spark will induce it to smoulder also; a flame will cause it to go -off in a feeble puff; but a detonating fuse will, as it were, enrage -it, causing it to explode with a force ten times that of gunpowder. -Gun-cotton is not adapted for the rifle, where extreme uniformity of -combustion is one of the conditions of accurate shooting; but it can -be used for sporting purposes, provided that the risk of frictional -ignition in ramming home be obviated by the use of a breech-loading -gun. Its force can, by dilution with pure cotton or other inert -substance, be brought more to the level of gunpowder, but only at the -sacrifice of those good qualities, such as freedom from smoke and -reduction of fouling, which really constitute the chief advantages of -its use. It is, we believe, used exclusively for charging torpedoes; -and a suggestion has been thrown out that it might also be used with -great advantage in savage warfare for the destruction of palisades and -defences of a similar kind, in dense jungle impenetrable by artillery. - -The next explosive in order of usefulness is nitro-glycerine, to make -which, ordinary glycerine is acted upon (as in the case of gun-cotton) -with nitric and sulphuric acid. It has the appearance of a yellow -oil, insoluble in, and heavier than water. The many accidents which -have occurred from its use seem to be due to some decomposing quality -which it possesses, and which at present is little understood. Unlike -gunpowder, it burns harmlessly away when a flame is applied to it; -but when heated to the temperature of boiling water, its explosive -force is most violent. Many means have been suggested for rendering -it less liable to spontaneous explosion, for in its crude state it -cannot be stored away with any security for its good behaviour. The -most successful plan is to mix it with a particular kind of porous -earth, under which transformation it is known as ‘dynamite.’ On taking -this solid form, it will bear comparatively rough usage, while its -violent character is in no way diminished. Our readers will perhaps -remember that dynamite was the agent used in that terrible explosion -at Bremerhafen, which cost so many lives and such destruction of -property. With fiendish ingenuity it was placed in a case together with -a clockwork apparatus calculated to explode a fuse in a given time; the -object of the crime being to secure the money for which the steamer -that was to carry the terrible burden had been insured. By an error of -calculation the explosion happened, with the most awful consequences, -before the package had been removed from the quay. The practicability -of employing dynamite under water has lately been demonstrated in a -very shameful manner by a wholesale destruction of fish by its aid. The -righteous indignation of all true anglers will most probably find vent -in stopping without delay such a barbarous practice. Lithofracteur is -the name of another preparation of nitro-glycerine, so like dynamite in -its general properties that we need not further allude to it. - -A totally different class of explosives from those which we have -previously considered, are the fulminates of the different metals. -They are chiefly used diluted with some other matter (such as ordinary -gunpowder) for the priming of percussion caps, and for the detonating -fuses which play so important a part in the firing of mines, &c. The -manner of accomplishing this by the ignition of an electric fuse is, -in its neatness and freedom from danger, a great contrast to the old -system, where the operator had to light a slow-match, and take to -his heels until distance had lent more enchantment to his position. -Undiluted, the fulminates are almost useless, for the touch of a hair -is sometimes sufficient to explode them; and when fired, their power is -of the most terrible character. There are many other compounds which, -on account of their uncontrollable nature, are of no practical value, -and are never prepared except for purposes of experiment. - -It will perhaps now be understood that although there is a family -likeness between the various mixtures which we have mentioned, their -individual behaviour is most unlike. It therefore becomes necessary in -dealing with any one of them to consider first for what particular use -it is required. It is possible, for instance, to charge a shell with -an explosive which has the power of reducing it to tiny fragments; a -result which would of course almost nullify its effect. It is sometimes -perhaps necessary to throw dust in the eyes of an enemy, but certainly -not in a sense so literal as this. Again, many compounds would cause a -shell to burst with the concussion it receives when blown from the gun; -and thus prove more destructive to friends than foes. Such an accident -is next to impossible with either gunpowder or cotton. The latter is -employed with very startling results in combination with water in the -so-called water-shells. A very small charge of compressed gun-cotton -is placed in a shell, the remaining space being filled with water. -In practice it is found that a shell so charged explodes into eight -times as many fragments as it will when _filled_ with gunpowder in the -ordinary way. The effects of gun-cotton are different from those of -powder, in that it exerts a sudden splitting power. The blasting of -rocks, for instance, is often commenced with the former, which splits -the mineral into cracks and fissures. These cracks are afterwards -filled with powder, which detaches huge masses from their beds with a -lifting power of which gun-cotton alone, is incapable. - -Many plans have at various times been proposed to render explosives -harmless during manufacture and transport. The suggestion of mixing -pulverised glass with gunpowder is effective in separating mechanically -the grains, and so preventing the initial flash from penetrating -beyond the particular ones submitted to inflammation. In consequence, -probably, of the exposure entailed in the mixing as well as during -the subsequent process of sifting out the glass before the powder -can be used, the process has not attained any practical importance. -Gun-cotton, on the other hand, by being saturated with water is -rendered quite inert; the subsequent process of removing the excess of -moisture being free from danger. Special conditions are necessary to -its explosion in a damp state, conditions not easily brought about by -mere accident. Dr Sprengle has suggested several powerful explosives -which claim the advantage of safety, for their constituents are -harmless in themselves, and need not be blended until they are actually -required for use. Concerning Schultz’s wood-powder we may perhaps have -a few words to say in a future paper. - -Before quitting our subject it will be in some measure a relief -to reflect that the things of which we have spoken are not wholly -dedicated to bloodshed. Besides their use in our mines and quarries, -whereby an incalculable amount of manual labour is dispensed with, -many of them are in constant requisition for the demolition of old -structures, such as the piers of bridges, and for the removal of -submarine structures of all kinds. In the excavations for the Suez -Canal, gunpowder was largely used; and many other engineering schemes -owe their ready accomplishment to the employment of a like agent. -The greatest recorded undertaking of the kind is the destruction in -1876 of the Hellgate rocks, which formed such a dangerous obstruction -to navigation in East River, New York. No less than sixty thousand -pounds of dynamite were consumed on this occasion, the watery field of -operation covering about three acres. Some years had been previously -employed in making the necessary excavations for the reception of the -cartridges, which were eventually fired by an electric battery of one -thousand cells. The results gained quite surpassed the most sanguine -expectations of the engineers engaged, and other obstructions in -neighbouring rivers are shortly to receive similar treatment. Some -of the good people of New York were terribly agitated at the thought -even of the contemplated scheme, and left the city with the firm -conviction that they would return only to find it in ruins. But the -fair city still exists unharmed—with the advantage of a much-improved -tideway—and the good folk alluded to are forced to acknowledge that -their prognostications of evil have ended in smoke. - - - - -MR ASLATT’S WARD. - - -IN FOUR CHAPTERS.—CHAPTER III. - -It was a strange day that followed. After much deliberation and a hard -struggle with her shrinking from such a proceeding, Rose resolved to -follow my advice, and make her confession to Mr Aslatt, trusting to -obtain his forbearance towards the chief delinquent. She went to him -in his library soon after breakfast, from which meal she had absented -herself on the plea of a headache, which was no mere excuse, but the -natural result of her violent weeping during the preceding night. - -What passed at that interview I never knew. They were together for -more than an hour. At the end of that time I heard Rose come out -of the library and go slowly up-stairs. I followed her after a few -minutes, thinking she might need me; but as I ascended the stairs I -heard her hastily lock her door, as a security against intrusion. -Shortly afterwards, as I stood at the window, I saw Mr Aslatt leave the -house and cross the park in the direction in which the school-house -lay. Several hours passed. Mr Aslatt did not return, and Rose’s door -continued closed against me. I was beginning to feel anxious, when I -received a note from Mr Aslatt, brought to the house by one of the -school children, in which he briefly informed me that he was obliged to -make a hasty journey to London, and would not be home till night. - -I saw nothing of Rose until the dinner-hour arrived, when we sat down -to table together. She strove hard to appear as usual during the -meal. Her dress manifested careful arrangement, and though her cheeks -were almost as pale as the white robe she wore, she looked strikingly -beautiful. As long as the servant remained in the room she talked -incessantly, and even laughed; but when there was no longer need to -keep up an appearance of cheerfulness, her manner changed. The troubled -look returned, and she grew painfully restless. The evening was -passed by her in wandering from room to room, unable to settle to any -occupation. Sometimes she took up a book, but only to throw it aside in -impatience the next moment and go to a window, to watch with growing -anxiety for Mr Aslatt’s return. - -At last, when her endurance had been tried to the utmost, he came. I -was grieved to see the weary saddened look his face wore when he came -into the room where we both were. He seemed to have grown ten years -older in one day. Rose became paler than ever as he entered. She did -not move to meet him, but stood still, gazing at him with an eager -questioning glance. As he approached her, I slipped out of the room, -for I was sure they would wish to be alone. - -The next day Mr Aslatt took me into his confidence, and freely -discussed with me the difficult position in which he found himself -placed in regard to Rose. Knowing her vehement attachment to Mr -Hammond, and having had a proof of the strength of her determination -to cling to him, he shrank from paining her, and perhaps driving her -to an undesirable course of action by refusing his consent to their -marriage; the more so that he had made inquiries, and discovered that -the assertion, which Rose so repeatedly made, namely that her lover -was by birth a gentleman, was quite correct. Mr Aslatt had had some -conversation with a solicitor, an elderly man, who was acquainted with -Mr Hammond’s family history, and who spoke of him as a singularly -unfortunate young man. His father had been a spendthrift man of -pleasure, who had squandered away all his property, and been forced to -sell the family estate whilst his son—whose mother had died in giving -him birth—was yet a child. The self-ruined man had then pursued a -disgraceful career of gambling, which had terminated in a premature -death. Neglected and uncared for during his father’s lifetime, the -boy was in a still more deplorable situation after his decease, and -would have fared ill, if the solicitor who had managed his father’s -affairs, hearing of his desolate condition, had not exerted himself to -procure the lad’s admission into an orphan asylum. Here he had received -a tolerable education; and at the close of his term of schooling a -place had been found for him as clerk in a merchant’s office. But the -occupation had not been to his taste, and at the end of a twelvemonth -he took offence at some trivial occurrence, and threw up his situation. - -The gentleman who had told Mr Aslatt thus much was unable to say how Mr -Hammond had supported himself during the interval that had elapsed from -the time of his leaving the merchant’s office to the day when he sought -the post of village schoolmaster; but he believed he had resided abroad -during most of the time. He had brought Mr Aslatt credentials as to -his respectability and qualifications from the hand of a schoolmaster -living in the north of England. Pleased with the young man’s appearance -and bearing, Mr Aslatt had rather hastily concluded an engagement with -him, and had not deemed it necessary to make very particular inquiries -as to his antecedents. Now that he was anxious to learn more of the -young man’s previous history, he found, to his disappointment, that the -schoolmaster who had acted as referee had died but a few weeks before. - -It may readily be imagined that Mr Aslatt was not satisfied with the -information he had gleaned. There was a period of Mr Hammond’s life -of which he knew nothing except that, from his own explanation, he -had supported himself during those years by giving English lessons in -schools and families in the neighbourhood of Berlin. Mr Aslatt felt -that he had no reasonable ground for doubting the truth of the young -man’s statement; yet in spite of his desire to be perfectly just, -he could not divest his mind of uncomfortable suspicions. Yet there -was nothing in the facts which he had learned which he could urge as -a reason why Rose should consent to give up all idea of marrying Mr -Hammond. The story of his unfortunate childhood and youth would but -excite her warmest pity, and incline her to cling to him with greater -devotion. Mr Aslatt was much perplexed how to act. He confessed to -me—little guessing how well I understood his words, having divined -his heart’s secret—that the thought of giving his ward to Mr Hammond -was inexpressibly painful to him, for of late he had conceived an -inexplicable aversion to the young man, and a feeling of distrust, -which had been strengthened by the discovery of the censurable manner -in which Mr Hammond had gained paramount influence over Rose. Yet he -shrank from the thought of blighting the girl’s whole life, as she had -passionately declared that he would, if he prevented her marrying the -man she loved. - -I felt much for Mr Aslatt in the painful position in which he -was placed, and longed to help him, but knew not how. After some -deliberation, however, we decided upon a course of action which -seemed to us both the best possible under the circumstances. Without -absolutely opposing the union, Mr Aslatt determined to withhold his -formal consent for the space of twelve months, during which time the -young people should be allowed to meet at stated intervals, if they -would promise to abstain from all clandestine proceedings. At the -expiration of the year, if nothing had transpired to shake Mr Aslatt’s -confidence in the young schoolmaster, he pledged his word to consent -to his marriage with Rose, and to do all in his power to promote their -happiness. Meanwhile he proposed to find Mr Hammond some employment -more in keeping with the hopes he cherished than the post he had -previously held. It seemed to me that this was better treatment than -the young man deserved. But it was love for Rose that prompted the -arrangement, and a generous desire on her guardian’s part to shield her -from suffering even at the cost of bitter pain to himself. - -Before our discussion terminated, Mr Aslatt confided to me the facts -concerning Rose’s parentage, which I have already related. He had never -yet told them to her, he said, fearing she would over-estimate her -obligation to him, which after all was merely imaginary, for whatever -kindness he had shewn her had been more than compensated for by the -happiness her companionship had brought him. In earlier days, when she -questioned him as to her parentage, he had told her that at some future -time she should know all; but of late she had made no inquiries, and he -had been reluctant to say anything which might disturb their pleasant -relations. - -I told him that I thought she ought to know the history of her early -days. - -‘Do you think so?’ he said. ‘But I could not tell her now. It would -seem as if I were trying to coerce her into acquiescence to my wishes -by revealing claims to her gratitude. No, no; I cannot tell her now.’ -After a while he added: ‘I do not believe I shall ever tell her myself; -and yet she may ask me any day, and perhaps I ought not to keep her -in ignorance. If ever you think it well to tell her what I have told -you, Miss Bygrave, you have my permission to do so, but not at present. -And pray, never let her imagine that I have great claims upon her -gratitude.’ - -To make a long story short; the proposed arrangement was carried out. -Rose humbly and thankfully agreed to wait a year for her guardian’s -formal consent; and Mr Hammond made no objection, though it must -have been sorely against his will. Mr Aslatt succeeded in obtaining -a position in Somerset House for the young man, who was therefore -obliged to reside in London; though every fortnight he paid us a visit, -and stayed from Saturday evening till Monday morning at the Hall. Rose -always seemed to look forward with such eagerness to these fortnightly -visits that it must have been very painful for Mr Aslatt to witness -the delight she took in Mr Hammond’s society. But however bitter his -feelings were, he carefully concealed them, and ever treated the young -man with the utmost consideration and kindness. His manner to Rose -betrayed nought save the tenderness of a parent; and she on her part -no longer indulged in fits of petulance, but was gentle, subdued, and -affectionate in her intercourse with him. Indeed she had changed from -a wilful child to a thoughtful woman, since the memorable night when I -had saved her from committing a rash act. Mr Hammond’s demeanour also -had improved. He no longer bore himself haughtily, but strove by a -humble and becoming deportment to reinstate himself in Mr Aslatt’s good -opinion. - -As time passed on I came to entertain for him a kindlier feeling, -though I could not anticipate with any pleasure the expiration of the -probationary period which rapidly drew nigh. Winter came and went; -spring returned to gladden the land; the summer months succeeded, and -it wanted but a few weeks to the day Rose was so eagerly expecting. -Mr Hammond was staying for a few days at the Hall, and one lovely -afternoon Rose proposed that we should ride over to Ashdene and spend -a few hours in wandering amongst the ruins. We all agreed to the -proposal, and were soon ready to start. On our way thither, Rose and Mr -Hammond took the lead, and Mr Aslatt and I followed a few paces behind. -It was becoming more and more difficult for Mr Aslatt to maintain a -cheerful demeanour. In Rose’s presence, he always made the effort, but -out of her sight he frequently fell into a gloomy mood. He scarcely -made a remark during our ride to Ashdene; and after a few attempts to -draw him into conversation, I left him to himself. Arrived at Ashdene, -we left our horses at the inn, and proceeded to the ruined Priory. -Rose was as gay as a bird that afternoon; her laugh rang through -the deserted corridors as she flitted from one part of the ruins to -another, followed by Mr Hammond. - -I wandered away by myself, feeling sure that Mr Aslatt would not -require my company, and indeed would feel more at ease if left alone. -After a while I found myself within the four walls inclosing what had -once been the chapter-house. Glancing through a window much mutilated, -but rendered beautiful by the ivy which festooned its broken shafts -and crumbling arches, I perceived Rose and her lover sauntering over -the green turf, a few yards from the wall within which I stood. At the -same moment I became aware that I was not the only one observing them. -Close to where I stood, but on the other side of the wall, sheltered -from view on all sides save the one which I commanded, by the angle of -a projecting doorway, stood a woman. Her tall gaunt figure was clad in -a silk dress which had once been black, but was now rusty with age, -and frayed and torn with frequent wear. A bonnet of the same hue and -equally shabby, rested at the back of her head, and did not conceal the -thick black hair which fell loosely over her forehead. But I scarcely -noted her apparel at first, so much was I attracted by her strange -weird face. She was very pale, but her eyes were intensely bright with -a scorching burning brilliancy, which suggested the possibility of -madness. They were gleaming with hatred as I looked at her, for there -was no mistaking the expression of her white haggard countenance, -even if the angry tone in which she muttered to herself words that I -could not catch, and the clenched fist which she was shaking after the -retreating figures, had not revealed her mind. As I watched her in -considerable amazement and fear, she suddenly turned and beheld me. -For a few moments she returned my gaze defiantly, as if questioning my -right to watch her. Then moved by a sudden impulse, she advanced with -rapid strides to the window at which I stood, and laying her hand on -mine as it rested on the sill, demanded in a hoarse voice: ‘Who is the -young lady walking with that man?’ pointing as she spoke to the distant -pair. - -‘I cannot answer that question,’ I replied, ‘unless you tell me what -reason you have for asking it.’ - -‘What reason?’ she repeated. ‘The most powerful of all reasons. But -tell me only this: does she think to marry him? _That_ at least I have -a right to know. Ah! you do not answer. You cannot deny it: I can -read the truth in your face. And so he intends to marry that pretty -fair-haired girl, does he? Ha, ha, ha!’ And she laughed a wild laugh, -which filled me with horror as I heard it. - -‘Who are you?’ I exclaimed. ‘And what do you mean by such words?’ - -‘Who am I?’ she reiterated. ‘You shall know soon. I will tell you all, -but not now. _He_ must be by, or my revenge will not be complete. But -there is no time to lose.’ So saying, she walked hastily away, in -spite of my efforts to detain her, and quickly disappeared round the -corner of the chapter-house. In great consternation, I also quitted -the spot and hastened in search of my companions. I found them at no -great distance; Mr Aslatt, Rose, and Mr Hammond seated on some stones a -little way beyond the Priory, chatting together and looking out for me. - -‘Where have you been?’ exclaimed Rose as I approached. ‘We were -beginning to fear you were lost.’ - -‘I think it is about time for us to return home,’ said Mr Aslatt, as he -looked at his watch. - -‘I am quite ready,’ I replied; for I felt such dread of the strange -woman making her appearance, that I longed to get away from the place. - -‘Oh, do not let us go yet!’ exclaimed Rose; ‘it is so delightful here.’ -As she spoke she took off her hat, and the light evening breeze played -at will amongst her sunny tresses. Her face was radiant with happiness, -as all unsuspicious of coming woe she sat there; when suddenly a hand -was laid on her arm, and a low hoarse voice startled us all with the -words: ‘That man by your side is a liar, and a traitor, fair lady!’ - -It was the woman I had already seen. She had come through the ruin -behind us, and managed to approach unseen as we sat with our faces -turned in another direction. Had some explosive missile been suddenly -thrown into our midst it could not have produced greater consternation -than did these words. For a moment we were all speechless from -bewilderment. But the next, Rose recovered herself, and the blood -rushed in an angry torrent to her face, as shaking off the woman’s -hand, she exclaimed indignantly: ‘How dare you? What right have you to -say such words?’ - -‘The right of one who knows him far better than you can—_for he is my -husband!_’ - -‘It is false!’ broke from Rose’s quivering lips, as she turned -appealingly to Mr Hammond; but alas! his pallid face betrayed an -agitation which seemed to confirm the woman’s statement. - -‘This woman is mad,’ he said, striving hard to maintain his composure. - -But Rose heeded not his words. She knew intuitively that the worst -was true. Mr Aslatt was at her side in a moment, assuring her, as he -tenderly supported her fainting form, that she need not fear, for the -woman’s story should not be believed without full proof. But she made -no reply; indeed I doubt whether she heard what he said, for Nature -kindly came to her relief, and she sank into unconsciousness. - - - - -LUNDY ISLAND. - - -At the mouth of the Bristol Channel, off the pleasant western English -shore, fighting as it were with the long white waves of the Atlantic, -and with its lighthouse warning the mariner to give it ample range, -stands the lonely little island of Lundy, between Devon on the -south and the coast of Wales on the north; while from the island’s -granite cliffs, looking towards the western horizon, stretches the -open Atlantic. It is a very little place; only three and a half -miles in length by an average of one half mile in width, and of an -extreme altitude of a trifle over five hundred feet. The top is an -undulating table-land; the sides slope down green with ferns, and in -the blossoming-time bright with flowers, to rocks, on the eastern side -of from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet in height; while -to the west the cliffs, rich with orange, yellow, and gray lichens, -are tumbled in strange confusion, and present a scene of wild and -precipitous grandeur. Of the three thousand acres of which the island -consists, about five hundred are under cultivation, and produce -turnips and cereal crops, besides grass; the remainder is gorse and -heather, which, however, is now also in course of being brought into -cultivation. Of farm-produce Lundy also rears poultry, sheep, and -cattle. - -In 1877, the population consisted of between forty and fifty -individuals, consisting of the proprietor and his family and household, -a farmer and a dozen farm-labourers, three lighthouse-men, and two -signal-station-men; besides which the islet boasts of a doctor and a -clergyman—though not of a church. The owner Mr W. H. Hearen purchased -the property in 1834, and has since, for the most part, resided on his -sea-girt rock. - -Solitary and little known as Lundy now is, it was once a place of -considerable importance. Of its earliest history indeed nothing -is ascertained; even its name cannot be exactly traced, and the -suggestion that would derive it from the Norse has not met with -entire acceptance. Some years since a discovery was made on the island -which would have been of more than local interest had the occurrence -been duly reported to any of the scientific societies, and thoroughly -investigated. Some workmen in digging a foundation for a wall, exhumed -two skeletons, which excited wonder from the unusual size of the bones, -and from the curious manner of their interment. The larger skeleton, -after careful (but unscientific) measurement, was found to be eight -feet three inches in height; while the other, though smaller, was -yet of no ordinary stature. It has been thought that probably some -mistake has been made through want of skill in the measurements; -these interesting relics were inclosed in stone slabs, according to a -primitive fashion. - -The time when Lundy comes clearly in view is of much later date. The -noble House of Montmorency (or De Marisco, as the English branch of -the family was called) was in earliest recorded possession of the -island. The De Mariscos seem to have been a restless turbulent set, a -weariness and a grief to their liege lords, two of whom, namely Henry -II. and John, respectively made and confirmed a grant of the island as -forfeited to the crown (for the misdemeanours of the De Mariscos of -their days) to the Knights Templar. The Knights, however, never had -it actually in their hands—the De Mariscos proving too wily or too -strong for ejectment. Be this as it may, it is recorded that a Sir -William de Marisco, of sad piratical proclivities and practice, after -a fruitless attempt to murder his sovereign Henry III., retired to his -stronghold of Lundy, and there flourished until he was captured by the -king’s forces, and summarily put to death. The ruins of his castle at -Lundy still bear his name, and perched on the cliff top, commanding -a wide sea and coast view, and overlooking the roadstead and single -good landing-place of the island, shew what a post of vantage he must -have held. Cottages nestle now for shelter from the wild winter winds, -within the thick walls of the old keep; and the little gray beach -below, shut in by towering precipice and pinnacled rock, tells no tale -of former times. - -When the troublous days of difference between Charles I. and his -parliament darkened the land, Lundy held out stoutly for the king; -and when at length, in the fainting of the king’s fortunes, Thomas -Bushell the governor writes for permission to surrender it quietly, he -concludes his letter with words worthy of remembrance, however obscure -the scene and the actor: ‘But if otherwise your Majesty shall require -my longer stay here, be confident, Sir, I shall sacrifice both life and -fortune before the loyalty of your obedient servant, THOMAS BUSHELL.’ -Charles replied from Newcastle, the shadow of his fate already upon -him: ‘BUSHELL—We have perused your letter, in which we finde thy care -to answer thy trust we first reposed in thee. Now, since the place is -inconsiderable in itself ... we do hereby give you leave to use your -discretion in it, with this caution, that you do take example from -ourselves, and be not over-credulous of vain promises, which hath made -us great only in our sufferings, and will not discharge our debts.’ - -In subsequent times the island seems to have relapsed into its old wild -piratical courses. Complaints many and bitter are made against it. As -before it had been a refuge for outcasts, so now it became a harbour -for privateers, ‘who put terror into all vessels;’ ‘much shooting’ -being heard there also on occasion. For a time it falls into the hands -of the French, and is generally a terrible thorn in the sides of the -prosperous west country. The next name, however, which has left any -local memorial is that of Thomas Benson, a gentleman of North Devon, -who renting the island from Lord Gower, made free use of it for his -smuggling ventures. A large cave under the castle, where he is said -to have stored his contraband goods, is still called ‘Benson’s Cave,’ -and must have afforded ample room for many a ‘run cargo.’ To Lundy too -he exported such convicts as he was under contract with government -to convey to America, and employed them in building walls, saying -it ‘was all as well as elsewhere, seeing it was out of England.’ -Finally, however, he ceased to enjoy the prosperity of the wicked, and -being discovered in a nefarious scheme to rob the insurance offices, -he fled to Portugal, where he died. Since then, excepting for some -free fighting between Welsh and Irish, the island has had little to -recall its stormier days, and appears to have faded out of the public -memory—so completely, that the ‘taxed British hoof,’ to use Emerson’s -bland expression, leaves no impress on its soil, and the civilised -miseries of rates are unknown; though whether the omission is due -to a lingering remnant of its old sovereignty, or to its present -insignificance, we know not. - -In its geological aspect, Lundy seems to be allied to Devonshire, -consisting chiefly of granite and slate. Both granite and slate are -alike intersected by numerous dikes, varying from one to thirty feet -in width, running from east to west, and described as ‘belonging to a -grand system of intrusive greenstone.’ - -Some years ago the granite was worked by a Company, who brought -stone-cutters from Scotland, and opened quarries at considerable -expense; but the affair is said to have been ill-managed, and the works -were closed at a loss. Copper has been found at the junction of the -slate and granite at the south end; but the island has been so shaken -here and in various other parts by some terrible convulsion of nature, -that it is considered improbable that any lode could be profitably -followed up. The effects of this convulsion are peculiarly manifested -on the western side, between the ‘Quarter’ and ‘Halfway’ walls. Many -rents are visible in the solid rock. One large cleft, fern-fringed and -flower-bedecked, stands up like a perpendicular wall of some fifty -feet on the upper side; the lower, broken and split, has slipped away -from it in tumbled rock and treacherous crevice. Below this again is -a second, deeper opening. At one end is a narrow entrance, leading by -a steep scrambling descent into the yawning chasm. A few green things -grow in the chinks and cracks, and sparse tufts of long grass mark the -footway. The walls, a little apart, and sloping slightly outwards, -are clean cut as by some giant’s sword. The air is chill out of the -sunshine, and the strip of sky overhead looks blue and clear between -its two dark boundaries. Among the natural curiosities of the island is -a mass of granite resembling a human head, with lineaments so perfect, -that it is difficult to believe that Art has not supplemented Nature -in its formation. The grave face looking seawards, like a watching -knight (The Knight Templar as it is called), has probably been the work -of many centuries of subtle influences, disintegration by wind and -weather—as in the case of the ‘Old Man of Hoy,’ which looks out on the -Pentland Firth—being the chief. The soil of the island is principally -of a black peaty nature, with in parts a substratum of clay. And -that the land has been anciently extensively cultivated is shewn by -traces of the plough where now there is only wild pasturage. Ruins of -round towers (for what purposes designed is unknown), and of humble -dwelling-places, are also visible. - -The flora of Lundy is extremely interesting, but has never been -exhaustively treated. Masses of broom and gorse (_Ulex Europeus_) glow -like living lights on the ‘sidelands’ in the spring-time; or in early -autumn, the latter’s dwarf relative (_Ulex nanus_) weaves, with heath -and heather, carpets gorgeous beyond those of Eastern looms. Thrift -(_Armeria vulgaris_) lies in breadths of pinky bloom, and blue-bells -climb like a tender mist along the valleys and slopes. Regal foxgloves -tower not only over their own kindred, but above the usual stature -of man; and the _Osmunda regalis_, crowned among ferns, waves its -lovely fronds in the pure sea-breeze. Thickets of honeysuckle make the -sunshine a fragrance; and the beautiful bladder campion hangs like -snow-wreaths from the rocks. - -With vegetation so luxuriant in for the most part a mild equable -temperature, the insect world is, as would be supposed, a numerous one. -The beetle tribe alone, however, has been fully examined. Mr Wollaston, -who visited the island many years ago (and is still remembered there as -‘the beetle-catcher’), remarks on the richness of this order of insects -and the rarity of the specimens he found there. He also mentions -the curious fact, which, however, has been since modified, that the -coleopterous fauna of Lundy is quite dissimilar to that of Devonshire, -its nearest neighbour, resembling much in character that of Wales. Mr -J. B. Chanter of Barnstaple (to whose comprehensive monograph on Lundy -we have been indebted for this paper) furnishes some notes regarding -certain rare insects found on the island. - -The ornithological fauna of Lundy is said to be very remarkable. -Amongst the rarer feathered visitants may be mentioned the -rose-coloured pastor, the buff-breasted sandpiper, the golden oriole, -Bohemian waxwing, hoopoe, &c. Feathered songsters too abound; and when -‘the time of the singing of the birds is come,’ the air is stirred with -their thousand lyrics. But the chief feathered inhabitants of the -island are the sea-birds, the variety of which, as at St Kilda, would -well repay a visit of the ornithologist. - - - - -BY-LAW No. 7. - - -I have only two companions—the one a good-natured-looking, middle-aged -gentleman with a mild benevolent expression, strangely at variance -with the nervous restlessness of his eyes; the other a grim taciturn -man, who has been absorbed in his paper ever since the train left -Edinburgh _en route_ for the South. They had got in together, and were -evidently travelling companions. Rather a queerly assorted couple; for -from their dress and general appearance there could be no doubt but -that their stations in life were widely apart. What could they be? -Master and servant? Evidently not; for the humbler of the two seemed -to have control of all their travelling arrangements. A detective and -his prisoner? I think not; for the one looks too much at ease to have a -troubled conscience; and the other, though evidently in command, treats -his companion with more deference than is compatible with the conscious -power of a captor. - -My speculations on this point have filled up a gap in the journey. -Having read all the war telegrams in the morning paper, which I know -I will find contradicted in the evening editions when I reach London; -and having watched the telegraph wires gliding up and down beside -the carriage-window, anon disappearing suddenly into space, only to -reappear as suddenly to continue their monotonous up-and-down motion, -I am beginning to weary of this, and if neither of my companions -volunteers a remark, I must do something to force a conversation. - -We are past Dunbar by this time, and are fast approaching Berwick. I -have been vainly trying to catch the restless eyes of my apparently -more companionable companion. He is now closing them, and evidently -settling down for a quiet nap. My more taciturn friend has never taken -his attention off his paper; he must either be a very slow reader, or -having exhausted the news, he must have fallen on the advertisements. -I offer him my paper. He takes it with a bow, giving me his own in -exchange—_The Banffshire Gazette_. No news to be got out of that after -having exhausted _The Scotsman_. I am soon reduced to the births, -marriages, and deaths. Much interested to know that the wife of Hugh -Macdonald stone-mason has presented him with a son; also to hear that -Mrs M‘Queen is dead; and the nursery rhyme I sometimes hear my wife -repeating to our boys occurs to me, and I mentally inquire, ‘How did -she die?’ The announcement does not, however, enlighten me on that -point; though it is easy to guess, seeing that it contains the further -information that she departed this life at one hundred and one years -of age, and is deeply regretted. The latter assertion I fear is only a -conventional fib, for I find in a paragraph announcing her death as a -local centenarian, that she had great possessions, which have fallen to -her nearest surviving relative, a great-grand-nephew. - -My friend opposite is fairly off to sleep. Quite clear that he has -nothing on his conscience. The other is as deep in _The Scotsman_ as he -was erewhile in his own paper. I can’t stand this any longer. Talk I -must. _The Banffshire Gazette_ is published in the county town bearing -the same name; so I see my way to an opening. - -‘You come from Banff, I presume? You must have been travelling all -night? No wonder our friend here is worn out.’ - -‘We have come from Banff,’ replies my friend, with no trace of the -churl in his voice or manner that his appearance would lead me to -expect. ‘We have come from Banff; but we have not travelled all -night. Our governor makes it a point never to over-fatigue any of -his patients. It’s part of his system; so we broke our journey at -Edinburgh.’ - -His patients! I would as soon have suspected my opposite neighbour of -being a criminal as an invalid. - -‘Indeed,’ I say. ‘Might I inquire what is his complaint?’ - -My taciturn friend touches his head in a mysterious way, and I am just -in time to stop a low whistle indicative of surprise, and to turn it -into another ‘Indeed.’ - -‘What particular form does his—ahem—complaint take?’ - -I am beginning to hope he is not violent. - -‘Generosity.’ - -‘Generosity?’ - -‘Yes, sir. You see he gets all sorts of schemes into his head for the -relief of suffering of all kinds; and his friends, fearing he might -make ducks and drakes of his money, have put him under the care of our -governor.’ - -‘Is he wealthy?’ - -‘Very.’ - -‘Are his friends quite disinterested?’ - -‘Well, I don’t know. But at anyrate they are quite right. He might fall -into the hands of unprincipled people, who would help out his schemes -to further their own.’ - -‘What is his latest plan?’ - -‘Well, sir, his last idea was, that ambitious people who had failed -in their aims—such as authors whose books were roughly handled by the -critics, artists whose works did not meet with the appreciation they -expected, actors whose genius was not universally recognised, and -suchlike—were a great bore to society, and in their turn were inclined -to shun the world; so he proposed building a retreat where all such -could retire to seclusion—a kind of Agapemone, you see, sir.’ - -‘If he had found a scanty population for his rural settlement, it would -nevertheless not be for the lack of such people.’ - -‘Just so, sir.’ - -‘Do you consider his a hopeless case?’ - -‘I fear so, sir. He’s one of the quiet sort, you see. More violent -cases are often easier to deal with. Our governor turned out a rare -wild one quite cured the other day.’ - -‘What was his treatment?’ - -‘Letting him have his own way. It’s part of our governor’s system; but -it was rather risky in this case.’ - -I feel interested, and I intimate as much. - -‘Well, sir, Captain B—— had been down with the yellow fever in the West -Indies, and it was such a severe attack that the doctors gave him up -as a bad job, and handed him over to the black nurses to do what they -could for him. They pulled him through, but with such strong doses of -quinine, that before he was convalescent his reason was gone. His was -suicidal mania—about the worst kind we have to do with, for the patient -always has his victim handy if he can only get the means. They had a -rare job to get him over to England; and when he was first put under -the governor’s care, he was about the worst case we had. The governor -studied him carefully, and found that letting him have his own way was -the only thing that did him any good. He was very fond of bathing; and -by-and-by, when he began to mend a little, he was allowed to go to a -river near our place. Of course I always went too, and kept a pretty -sharp eye on him. However, this did not suit him; so one day he goes to -the governor and says: “Dr ——, it is not congenial to my feelings as -a gentleman, always to have that fellow with me when I take my bath; -I would much prefer privacy.” The governor tried to put him off; but -the contradiction had a bad effect on him. Now one of the governor’s -theories is, that at a certain stage of the complaint, if you can -humour patients, they have every chance of recovery; cross them, and -it is gone. “Captain B——,” says he, “I know that if you pass your word -to me, you will keep it like a man of honour; so if you will give me -your word as an officer and gentleman that if I let you go alone you -will return to me in an hour and report yourself, I will let you go.” -Captain B—— gave his word as required, and every day he used to do the -same, always coming to give his word of honour, and returning each -day to report himself, proud of being trusted. It was rather risky -treatment for a suicidal patient, but it succeeded. He’s as well now, -sir, as you or I. - -‘There was another case we had, quite different’—— - -I have settled myself into a listening attitude; but my friend -has suddenly ceased. Looking up, I find my opposite neighbour has -just awakened; and his attendant having perhaps no other topic of -conversation than his professional experiences, which he no doubt -rightly considers an inappropriate subject to discuss before one of his -charges, has relapsed to his perusal of _The Scotsman_, nor do I hear -another word from him till he bids me good-day at York. - -‘Grantham, Grantham!’ - -I have been following the example of the generous lunatic, and taking a -nap which almost deserves the name of a sleep. I awake to the glorious -conviction that I am nearing my journey’s end, and have unconsciously -got over about one hundred miles of loneliness. I have still some hours -before me yet, however, and seem doomed to perform that part of the -journey solus. What shall I do to fill up the time? Happy thought! -Smoke! But this is not a smoking compartment, and by-law No. 7 says -‘that any person smoking in any carriage other than a smoking carriage -shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding forty shillings.’ Bother -by-law No. 7! - -I call the guard. The first-class smoking compartment is full. Well, -what’s to be done? A small business transaction between the guard -and myself; beginning with my hand in my pocket and ending with his -in his; and he suggests that as I am all alone and by his favour -likely to be so, I may as well smoke where I am. I light up amidst -evident preparations for a start, and am quietly settling down to -the enjoyment of my cigar when the door hurriedly opens and I have a -companion—a man about my own height and age, altogether not very unlike -me. (I am of that mediocre mould in which nature has formed so many of -my fellow-creatures.) - -I am to have a companion after all. Well, so much the better. It will -be somebody to talk to and pass the time. I wonder if he is as taciturn -as my companions at the outset of the journey. Evidently not; he is -recovering his breath after his hurry, and is preparing to address me. - -‘I’ll trouble you to put that cigar out, sir! I object to smoke.’ - -‘But, sir’—— - -‘Here, guard! Tell this person to put his cigar out at once. This is -not a smoking compartment.’ - -‘Plenty of room in the next carriage, sir. Would you mind stepping in -there?’ - -‘Yes; I would mind. By-law No. 7 says, &c. &c.,’ says my companion, -standing blocking up the doorway and arguing with the guard. - -‘Very sorry, sir; but you must put out your cigar.’ - -‘Can’t I go into the next carriage?’ - -‘Two ladies in there, sir—old ladies!’ - -‘Have you any empty compartment?’ - -‘We’re just off, sir,’ says the guard, slamming to the door, and the -next minute we are spinning on our way to Peterborough. - -Shall I put out my cigar? I have been alluded to as a ‘person.’ I have -been addressed in a dictatorial manner, which has the very reverse of -a soothing influence on me. I feel ruffled and obstinate. Had I been -asked politely, my Havana had been out of the window in a twinkling. -Shall I put it out or infringe by-law No. 7, and be fined forty -shillings? I _will_ finish my cigar, and abide by the consequences. - -My companion is evidently as unaccustomed to opposition as I am to -dictation, and for a few minutes he stares at me dumbfounded, then he -lets fly his own version of King James’s Counterblast against Tobacco. -On my part I preserve an obstinate silence. My companion pulls up the -window on his side; I put up that on mine, which produces a violent fit -of coughing on his part, when down go both windows in a hurry. - -We have arrived at Peterborough, and the guard is again called. I have -almost finished my cigar, and I throw the end away. My companion cannot -let the matter rest, however, and when we are started again, he reads -me another lecture, couched in such unacceptable terms that for reply I -light another cigar. - -‘Sir, here is my card; and I insist upon knowing your name and address.’ - -I take his card, open my card-case, put his card in, and return the -case to my pocket without giving him my card in exchange. I finish my -cigar amidst a volley of threats of getting my name and address by -force. - -We are at Finsbury Park now, and tickets are being collected. This is -the nearest station to my home, and here I intend to leave the train. -My companion follows me up the platform, and calls the guard to take my -name and address. Being under the scrutiny of the other passengers, who -evidently think I have got into trouble for card-sharping, and having -made up my mind to pay the penalty, I lose no time in giving my card. - -At home I am received with open arms, and I am hurried into the -dining-room by my boys to inspect a device over the sideboard for my -especial benefit—‘Welcome’ in blue letters on a white ground. My wife -is full of inquiries after all our friends in Edinburgh, and what sort -of a journey I have had. - -Having informed her that individually and collectively all our friends -are as well as could be expected, considering the wintry weather they -have had, and that all were as kind and hospitable as ever, I briefly -tell her of my smoking adventure. - -‘And who was your companion?’ asks my wife. - -‘How should I know?’ - -‘Why, you have his card.’ - -‘To be sure; I quite forgot that,’ say I, producing my card-case. I -search it through carefully, but no card, other than my own, can I find. - -‘I know I put it in here. Why, bless me! I must have given it to the -guard instead of my own. How odd!’ - -I have almost dismissed the adventure from my mind, when a few days -later my wife, in skimming over the paper at the breakfast-table, -breaks out into a merry laugh. What on earth can she find so amusing in -any other than the ‘Agony’ column? which I can see is not the portion -under perusal. It is the police reports, and she hands me the paper, -pointing out the place for my attention. - -‘At the —— Police Court, J—— B—— of Verandah House, Crouch Hill, -was summoned by the Great Northern Railway Company for smoking in a -carriage not a smoking carriage, to the annoyance of other passengers. -The guard having proved identity, and the accused’s card, given up by -himself, being put in as corroborative evidence, the magistrate asked -the defendant if he had anything to say in reply. An attempt was made -to prove that the accused was really the complainant, and that he had -given the card produced to the real offender; which the magistrate -characterised as an impudently lame defence, and fined the defendant in -the full penalty of forty shillings.’ - -‘My dear,’ says my wife. - -‘Well, my dear?’ I respond. - -‘Verandah House is that pretty place that has just been finished a -little farther up the hill. Don’t you think that you behaved in rather -an unneighbourly manner?’ - -‘Did our neighbour behave any better?’ - -‘At all events he has suffered unjustly. This cannot be allowed to -pass. Don’t you think you had better call and apologise?’ - -‘Well, I’ll think about it.’ - -On my way home from the station that evening I rang the visitor’s bell -at Verandah House, and was in due course ushered into the presence -of the eccentric proprietor. Our recognition was mutual; and as my -neighbour approached me, I prepared to put myself in a defensive -attitude. His hand, however, was not extended to commit an assault, -and before I could stammer out the elaborate apology I had prepared, I -was forestalled by a hearty shake of the hand and an apology from the -quondam fire-eater! - -Under such circumstances it may easily be guessed that a satisfactory -understanding was soon arrived at, and an exchange of invitations to -spend the remainder of the evening in each other’s society ended in my -returning home with my neighbour as my guest. I am very partial to -an after-dinner cigar. Having already committed myself, however, I -determined to practise a little self-denial; but what was my surprise, -when I had carried off my neighbour to my study to shew him a few rare -volumes of which I am almost as proud as I am of my children, to see -my friend produce a cigar-case, and not only offer me the means of -indulging my favourite weakness, but himself preparing to join in it. - -‘You may well look surprised,’ said he; ‘but in truth I am an -inveterate smoker. I passed many years of my life in Havana, and these -cigars—which I venture to say you will find remarkably good—are of my -own importing.’ - -‘But you expressed such contrary opinions the other day.’ - -‘The fact is, that when in the West Indies I suffered from a severe -attack of yellow fever, and the remedial appliances so affected my mind -that for some time I had to be placed under restraint. Thanks to the -skill of a clever practitioner, I am cured; but my old malady still -shews itself in occasional fits of uncontrollable obstinacy.’ - -‘I beg your pardon,’ say I; ‘but are you not a military man?’ - -‘Yes; I was captain in the ——th Regiment.’ - -Captain B——! My mind reverts to the story I had heard on the morning -of our first meeting. But was our friend as thoroughly cured as his -ex-keeper seemed to imagine? I can’t say, but I know that he is an -excellent neighbour. He treats his misadventure as a capital joke; and -it is likely to be a stock story for the rest of his life how he was -fined forty shillings by the railway company, because another passenger -had infringed by-law No. 7! - - - - -THE LITTLE DOG MATCH. - - -Fifty years ago my great-grandmother sat in the porch of her cottage, -looking with pleasure on the fragrant flowers growing in her garden -and listening to the song of her canaries hanging over her head. It -was a sultry August evening; and gradually the sky overcast, a solemn -stillness stole over the scene, while large drops of rain and heavy -claps of thunder denoted the approach of a storm. She rose and removed -her birds to the interior of the cottage. On returning to the open door -she saw a woman dragging wearily up the garden-path followed by a lean -and hungry-looking dog. - -‘For the love of mercy, ma’am,’ began the tramp, ‘please to buy a -box or two of matches of a poor woman, for I’ve not tasted food this -blessed day.’ - -My great-grandmother looked at her with pity. Benevolence formed -a large ingredient in her character. Here stood a fellow-creature -whose forlorn appearance and sickly countenance denoted her condition -as plainly as her words; while the famished animal beside her was -evidently unable to travel farther. The good old lady spoke at once in -her primitive hospitality. - -‘Come in, poor soul, and sit ye down and rest. A storm is coming up. -Here, take this meal, and enjoy it. You are truly welcome.’ - -She busied herself in setting food before the wanderer, and then turned -to the wanderer’s companion, her dog. ‘The poor dumb beast is nearly -dead,’ she said; and amid the violence of the storm she exercised the -bidding of the apostle to the best of her ability. - -As soon as the tempest subsided the woman rose to go, full of gratitude -for the kindness shewn her. The dog reposed comfortably on a rug, and -seemed indisposed to quit his new home. - -‘Would you care to have the dog, mistress?’ said the owner. ‘He’s none -so handsome; but he’d guard thy house; and it’s part we must, sooner or -later. He’ll have a blessed exchange, that’s certain.’ - -My great-grandmother thanked her and expressed her pleasure at the -prospect of keeping the dog. The woman went her way; her canine -companion stayed in his new home, and was, in remembrance of his -former owner, named Match. He proved faithful and affectionate to his -mistress, and soon learned to distinguish her particular friends; while -to members of her family he ever paid the greatest attention, trotting -regularly every day to see her daughter, my grandmother, who lived -in the next village, about a mile apart. He would, if the front-door -was open, walk through the house to the part where the family lived, -receive and return their greetings, walk to a particular mat which lay -at the foot of the staircase, lie down for a time, and then return. - -After he had lived some years with my aged relative, a nephew of hers -from the border of Sherwood Forest, came to pay her a visit, and -witnessing the intelligence and fidelity of Match, begged him as a -present. Very loath she was to part from her faithful friend; but the -entreaties of her favourite nephew prevailed, and when he returned -home he took the dog with him. His journey was performed partly by -stage-wagons, partly on foot. Finally he wrote to announce his safe -arrival at home, with Match. Three weeks later, as my grandmother and -her daughters sat at work one afternoon with open doors and windows, -the apparition of an emaciated dog stumbled over the threshold, -crawled feebly through the room to his accustomed corner, and sank -exhausted upon the mat, too far gone to do more than raise his eyes -for sympathy to his well-known friends. There was a great outcry. ‘It -is poor Match!’ Work was thrown aside and all gathered round the dog. -His bleeding feet were bathed, and some milk given him, which he drank -eagerly, afterwards licking the hands outstretched to help; then, with -a sigh of relief and contentment, he fell asleep, and stirred not all -night. But in the early morning, with a joyous bark, he bounded off -through the doorway, and swiftly made his way to his dear old home, -where he was received with every demonstration of delight, which he -returned with interest. - -From that time to the day of his death, some years later, Match was -regarded as a hero, having travelled more than one hundred miles -on foot, a road over which he had passed only once. Afterwards it -transpired that he had experienced a beating for attempting to escape -previously; and when his flight was discovered, it was at once -conjectured whither he had gone, although it was considered impossible -for him to accomplish the journey. Like many humble heroes, Match never -played a prominent part out of his own circle; but among the family in -which he lived his name is handed down as an instance of true fidelity. -He had no pretensions to beauty, being a sandy-coloured dog with short -rough hair; but must have possessed great powers of endurance and a -wonderful memory. - - - - -PHONOGRAPH ODDITIES. - - -Professor Fleeming Jenkin has applied the phonograph to a very -interesting series of observations on the wave-forms of articulate -sound. By a process of enlargement of the vibrations caused by the -indented tinfoil, he, with the assistance of Mr J. A. Ewing, has -obtained a large series of markings, upon bands of paper, by which the -wave-forms of different sounds have been shewn. Some of those results -Professor Jenkin has laid before the Royal Society of Edinburgh. -The vowel sounds in the phonograph are found not to be dependent on -the speed with which the cylinder of the phonograph is turned, the -distinct vowel being heard however much the pitch of the note may be -altered. He found that the phonograph resolutely refused to reproduce -the French _u_, converting it always into the sound of _oo_. On the -black-board, Professor Jenkin illustrated some of the constant forms -assumed by the sound-waves, one of the most interesting being those of -the letter _r_. In the case of the broad sound of _a_, it was shewn -that while with most ordinary voices the wave took the form which -might be described as having two humps, a rich bass voice had been -found to give a wave-form much more intricate, shewing four distinct -humps in each recurrent period of vibration. It was found that the -phonograph gave vowel sounds, as well when the cylinder was turned -backwards as forwards; and encouraged by this, the consonants were -experimented upon, giving the same result. Even with a consonant at -the beginning and end of a syllable, as, for example, _bab_, it was -rather unexpectedly found that the word would be correctly repeated -either way; shewing the identity of the sound. Professor Jenkin gave -some amusement by describing the effects of reading words backwards, -stating that with careful observation every sound could be heard, as, -for example, in ‘Association,’ which, when the cylinder was reversed, -could be distinctly heard as ‘nosh-a-i-sho-sa.’ In ‘Edinburgh’—which -he said Mr Ewing could pronounce backwards, though _he_ could not—the -various sounds could also be distinguished. Words and sentences which -when pronounced backwards or forwards sound the same, were tried. -Thus was tried the well-known sentence, ‘Madam, I’m Adam,’ with which -Adam is traditionally alleged to have saluted Eve; but ‘Madam, I’m -Adam,’ although spelt the same both ways, did not sound the same in -the phonograph, the diphthongal sound of the ‘I’m’ giving a sound like -‘mya.’ It is obvious from Professor Fleeming Jenkin’s experiments that -some interesting points in acoustics may yet be settled by means of -this extraordinary instrument. - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, -and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. - - * * * * * - -_All Rights Reserved._ - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber’s note: the following changes have been made to this text. - -Page 206: repeated word “an” corrected—“an hour and report”.] - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art,, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, APRIL 20, 1878 *** - -***** This file should be named 63240-0.txt or 63240-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/2/4/63240/ - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://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: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 747, April 20, 1878 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: September 19, 2020 [EBook #63240] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, APRIL 20, 1878 *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">{193}</a></span></p> - - -<h1>CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL<br /> -OF<br /> -POPULAR<br /> -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART.</h1> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" >CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<p class='center'> - -<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. --> - -<a href="#CAPTAIN_COPPIN">CAPTAIN COPPIN.</a><br /> -<a href="#HELENA_LADY_HARROGATE">HELENA, LADY HARROGATE.</a><br /> -<a href="#NEW_EXPLOSIVES">NEW EXPLOSIVES.</a><br /> -<a href="#MR_ASLATTS_WARD">MR ASLATT’S WARD.</a><br /> -<a href="#LUNDY_ISLAND">LUNDY ISLAND.</a><br /> -<a href="#BY-LAW_No_7">BY-LAW No. 7.</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_LITTLE_DOG_MATCH">THE LITTLE DOG MATCH.</a><br /> -<a href="#PHONOGRAPH_ODDITIES">PHONOGRAPH ODDITIES.</a><br /> - -<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. --> - -</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="header" style="max-width: 37.5em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/header.png" alt="Chambers’s Journal of Popular Literature, Science, -and Art. Fourth Series. Conducted by William and Robert Chambers." /> -</div> - -<hr class="full" /> -<div class="center"> -<div class="header"> -<p class="floatl"><span class="smcap">No. 747.</span></p> -<p class="floatr"><span class="smcap">Price</span> 1½<em>d.</em></p> -<p class="floatc">SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1878.</p> -</div></div></div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CAPTAIN_COPPIN">CAPTAIN COPPIN.</h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Among</span> the many marvels of art in the present -day is the art of lifting sunk vessels from the -bottom of the sea, or of rescuing them in a sadly -injured condition from dangerous ledges of rock, -where in former times they must have inevitably -been lost. Of course, this marvel is primarily due -to the agency of steam acting on pumps, diving-bells, -huge chains, and other apparatus; but -it is clear that without the audacity of resource -possessed by men skilled in maritime affairs, all -mechanical agency whatsoever would be valueless.</p> - -<p>It is pleasant to know that while science has -been doing so much for people who live on dry -land, seamen who peril their lives on the great -ocean that wraps round the world have not been -neglected; and to maritime invention are added -civil laws and arrangements distinctly intended -to preserve life and property at sea. In touching -on this interesting subject, we may first speak -of Salvage as a means for stimulating the efforts -of humanity. Salvage is the payment due to -persons who save a vessel that has been abandoned -by its crew, or which is placed in some peculiar -jeopardy. On the owners of ships so rescued, -rests the obligation of paying a reasonable sum -as salvage; and in the case of any dispute regarding -the amount, the matter is settled by a decision -of the Court of Admiralty. When the vessel has -been insured against sea-risks by the underwriters -at Lloyd’s, or others, these, for their own -interests, make compensation for the recovery of -the jeopardised property. Seafaring populations -on the English coast are ordinarily prompt in -helping to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners, -as well as in recovering and taking charge of goods -washed ashore. At one time the wreckage of -vessels driven ashore became a prey to depredators, -known as wreckers; but scandals of this kind -do not now occur, partly owing to the vigilance -of magistrates, police, and coastguard, and partly -to that of the numerous agents of Lloyd’s, whose -duty it is to take charge of any species of property -driven ashore. Like an invisible army, these -agents of Lloyd’s are established all round the -coasts of the British Islands, ready to pounce -upon and secure every article which the waves -bring to land. The plundering of wreckage, -such as Sir Walter Scott picturesquely describes -in <i>The Pirate</i>, could not now therefore take place. -As far as the law can do it, the property imperilled -on the deep is protected from depredation.</p> - -<p>Latterly, the succouring of vessels in a distressed -condition at sea has not been altogether left to -chance or to private adventure, under the prospect -of salvage. There has sprung up a system of -recovery on a great scale. Salvage Companies -possessing a large capital have been established in -London, Liverpool, and elsewhere. By means of -powerful and skilfully managed steam-tugs, they -undertake to rescue, if possible, ships that have -been thought to be almost beyond human aid. -There is something heart-stirring in the idea of a -few heroic men sallying forth in the forlorn hope -of lifting a ship sunk to the bottom of the sea, -floating it safely into harbour, and restoring to -the owner that which had been given up as lost. -Proceedings of this kind take their place alongside -of the feats performed by means of Life-boats, -renowned among the maritime glories of England.</p> - -<p>In the wonderful art of lifting and floating sunk -vessels, no one has so greatly distinguished himself -as Captain William Coppin, who is said to -have recovered a hundred and forty ships that -would otherwise in all probability have never -more been heard of. Perhaps we may some day -have a record of the more interesting cases in -which the captain was concerned. In the meanwhile, -trusting to newspaper accounts, we draw -attention to the proceedings that lately took place -in endeavouring to rescue a vessel stranded on a -dangerous ledge of rocks at Bembridge, Isle of -Wight. The vessel is described as the clipper -bark <i>Alphita</i>, with ballast, bound from Amsterdam -to Cardiff. Its length was a hundred and ninety-six -and a half feet, with eighteen feet depth of hold. -It was a handsomely-built, smart-sailing vessel, -which cost thirteen thousand pounds—most likely -sent on a mission to take a cargo of coal from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">{194}</a></span> -Wales to Holland. It was fully insured at Lloyd’s. -This fine vessel encountered a tremendous gale in -December 1877, and notwithstanding the efforts -of Mr G. E. Stone, master, was driven with violence -on the above-mentioned ledge of rocks. The -unfortunate vessel was thrown to a considerable -distance among the rocks, and there she stuck, -with underplating damaged, her sides bulged in, -water getting freely into the hold, and with mainmast -fractured. To all appearance the ship was -finished. By no ordinary process could she be got -off. What was to be done? Sad to leave a thing -of beauty and considerable cost to be dashed to -pieces by recurring storms in the Channel!</p> - -<p>There were grave consultations on the matter -by the owners and underwriters. The vessel was -too valuable even with all her injuries to be -abandoned outright. It was resolved to employ -a Salvage Company to endeavour to get the vessel -floated into port. A vigorous attempt of this kind -was made, and it failed. The <i>Alphita</i> still stuck. -As if all hope of recovery was gone, and not wishing -to be plagued any more about it, the underwriters -sold the vessel where she lay for two hundred -pounds. There was a bargain. A thirteen -thousand pound vessel disposed of for the paltry -sum of two hundred pounds. The purchase, however, -was a pure hazard. If the vessel could not -be got off, it was not worth anything. Already, -an immense deal of trouble had been taken to -float the <i>Alphita</i>, and it was of no use. Two -hundred pounds was accordingly not a bad offer. -The purchasers were the Salvage Steam-ship Company -of London, of which Captain Coppin is the -managing director.</p> - -<p>The case is crucial. A vessel is stuck upon a -reef of rocks from which no earthly power appears -to be able to dislodge it. Captain Coppin yokes -to this seeming impossibility. Let us mark the -resources of genius.</p> - -<p>At the spot where the <i>Alphita</i> was fixed with a -leaning to one side, the tide rises about twelve -feet. There, in the first place, is an agency of -nature, which it would be clearly important to -utilise. That is to say, make use of the rise of the -tide. Very good; but there were holes in the vessel -that would require to be plugged before she would -budge. All this was done. The damaged parts of -the vessel were cut off by water-tight bulkheads, -and the rents in the exterior sheathing were -repaired. There was also a good deal of calking -of open seams. Until these various arrangements -were effected, the vessel was strapped down, to -prevent bumping or further damage. Wedges -were also employed to make the vessel stand -upright. When these and other means had been -adopted, it was thought that the vessel was ready -to be pumped dry and floated off. Now were set -agoing powerful steam-pumps, capable of throwing -out six thousand tuns of water an hour. The -vessel began to be buoyant. There were some -protuberances of rock in the way which would -prevent her slipping into deep water. To make a -proper channel, three hundred tons of rock were -cut away, and now, as every one believed, there -was nothing to prevent the vessel being tugged -into the open sea.</p> - -<p>It was a great day, when all things being in -readiness, the Salvage Company’s steamer <i>Sherbro</i>, -and the dockyard tug <i>Camel</i>, made their appearance -on the scene, and set to work on the hitherto -disabled vessel. What a shout from the sailors -when taken in hand by the tugs, the <i>Alphita</i> -quietly glided into deep water, and was towed -along a distance of ten or twelve miles to Portsmouth. -We say this was a triumph of art. It is -what could not have been done half a century ago. -On reaching Portsmouth, the vessel underwent -a regular inspection, and was found to have sustained -very material damages, which, however, -were not irreparable, and are in the course of -being repaired. We conclude the accounts given -of this remarkable exploit, by stating that Captain -Coppin intends to commence operations on -the <i>Vanguard</i>, one of Her Majesty’s ironclads, -accidentally sunk on the southern coast of Ireland. -He has already, it is said, managed to introduce -a couple of hawsers under the hull; and with -some interest we shall await the result. To lift -an ironclad war-vessel from the bottom of the -sea, and float her to the nearest port, would -surely be the perfection of maritime engineering. -Possibly it may be done. We are no longer -astonished at anything.</p> - -<p class="right"> -W. C. -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="HELENA_LADY_HARROGATE">HELENA, LADY HARROGATE.</h2> -</div> - -<h3>CHAPTER XXI.—ETHEL FINDS A FRIEND.</h3> - -<p>‘<span class="smcap">It</span> was all one property once,’ said Lady Maud, -as she sat by Ethel’s side in the open window -of the school-room, while Ethel’s pupil, Lady -Alice, was busily engaged in copying a sketch. -The window commanded across the park a view -of Carbery, with its Elizabethan gables and -vanes glinting back the sun. Lady Maud was -fond of spending her spare hours in the society -of the new governess, and she and Ethel were, -in spite of the difference of their position, fast -friends.</p> - -<p>‘It is seldom,’ said Ethel Gray, ‘that two such -grand houses are so close together.’</p> - -<p>‘They belonged, as I said, to one owner,’ -returned Lady Maud; ‘and the builder of Carbery -was a De Vere and lived at High Tor, long ago. -He was an ancestor of ours; but I don’t know -exactly how it was that the properties came to be -divided. I do know how Sir Sykes came to be -master of the Chase; and if you like, I will tell -you the story. It is no secret. I wonder that -none of the village gossips have been beforehand -with me.’</p> - -<p>‘I always imagined Sir Sykes to be a relation -of yours,’ said Ethel, with another glance at the -stately mansion, gleaming in the mellow sunshine.</p> - -<p>‘No more than you are, dear,’ answered Lady -Maud; ‘and indeed he never could have expected -to be the owner of that fine place, when he was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">{195}</a></span> -boy. He was poor enough. His father, old Sir -Harbottle, had been a sad spendthrift, and died -abroad; and when Sir Sykes, then a captain of -infantry, came back from India, he had nothing -to inherit but the baronetcy. They are Yorkshire -people, the Denzils, not Devonshire; but there -was a connection by marriage between Sir Sykes -and old Lord Harrogate, who had married Sir -Harbottle’s sister.</p> - -<p>‘This old Lord Harrogate was the master of -Carbery Chase, and a kinsman of ours, and head -of all the De Veres; but how, I cannot exactly -tell you, for we titled people I suspect often -remember as little of our pedigree as if our names -were Jones or Robinson. I only know that he -was a rich, lonely, furious-tempered old man, a -widower without any children or nephews, and -had quarrelled with all his relations, with Papa -most of all, about some tiresome election business. -They say lords are forbidden by law to meddle -with elections, but they do meddle; and the Earl -went on one side, and old Lord Harrogate, who -was of different politics, on the other. The end of -it was that Sir Sykes was sent for, and that Lord -Harrogate made his will, giving every acre to his -wife’s nephew; just, as he said, that no De Vere -should be the better for his death.</p> - -<p>‘What was the oddest thing of all,’ pursued -Lady Maud, ‘was that the old lord did not like -Sir Sykes at all, and told him so, they say; but -made him his heir exactly because he thought -it would be gall and wormwood to his own kith -and kin. And it was supposed that Lord Harrogate’s -anger and violent emotions brought on the -fatal fit of apoplexy by which he was carried off. -At anyrate he died suddenly only a few hours -after the signing of the will; and that was how -Sir Sykes became master of Carbery.’</p> - -<p>‘I should not think it could have made him -very happy,’ said Ethel thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>‘I am sure I don’t know why it should not,’ -said the more practical Lady Maud. ‘It was no -fault of his, after all, that Lord Harrogate had -the whim to will it away as he did; and Papa -owed him no grudge for it; and we have always -been on neighbourly terms, if not very intimate. -But it did not make him happy. Sir Sykes,’ she -added laughingly, ‘had, you must know, a most -romantic love-affair in his youth, unlikely as such -a thing seems to those who see him now.’</p> - -<p>Ethel Gray asked, with more interest than -before, if it were Sir Sykes Denzil’s love-affair -which had prevented his enjoying the material -prosperity which was his.</p> - -<p>‘I have always thought so,’ said Lady Maud -confidently; ‘though people ascribe his sad looks -and retired life to a different cause. But there -is no doubt that he was very much in love with a -certain Miss De Vere, an exceedingly pretty girl, -whom Papa and Mamma always speak of as Cousin -Clare, and whose picture I will shew you this -evening, if you like, in the Green Room. Cousin -Clare was an orphan, with no money, and she -lived in Papa’s house when he was first married; -and poor as she was, she was to be Lady Harrogate -when the old lord died.’</p> - -<p>‘I thought your brother’—— said Ethel wonderingly.</p> - -<p>‘O yes; it has come to us now, the title,’ said -Lady Maud, smiling. ‘But Miss Clare De Vere, -who was a distant cousin, came next in succession, -and was to have the Barony, and be a peeress in -her own right, when the old lord died. Harrogate -is one of the oldest English titles, and goes, as -they call it, to heirs-female; so that it was a -standing joke that poor Miss De Vere would be -a peeress without income enough to pay her -milliner; only every one hoped she would marry -well, since she was very lovely, as I told you. -Now Sir Sykes was desperately in love with her; -but the Earl did not approve of his suit, nor did -Mamma, for he was badly off and in debt, and -had been married before.’</p> - -<p>‘I did not know that. I noticed Lady Denzil’s -monument in the church only a month ago,’ -rejoined Ethel.</p> - -<p>‘That was the second wife,’ said Lady Maud. -‘Jasper and the girls were not her children. No. -Sir Sykes married very young, when a subaltern -in India, and there his wife died; and when he -came home a widower, he had these three children -to provide for, and scarcely any means at all. He -was a handsome man—that I think one can see. -But Cousin Clare did not like him; still she was -of a gentle yielding nature, and when Sir Sykes -became owner of Carbery, and a very good match -indeed, and Papa thought Clare had better accept -him, somehow she allowed herself to be talked -into an engagement. Well, the baronet was very -urgent, and he had got the Earl and Countess on -his side; and poor Cousin Clare I’m afraid was -not very strong-minded, so she promised to marry -Sir Sykes; though the man she really cared for -was a needy cousin of hers and ours, Colonel -Edward De Vere of the Guards; and the wedding -things were all got ready, and the lawyers had -drawn the settlements; when, to the surprise of -all, Cousin Clare was missing. She had eloped -with her cousin Edward, and was married to him -in Scotland.’</p> - -<p>‘Sir Sykes must have felt that very much?’ said -Ethel, looking across the park towards the distant -mansion of Carbery.</p> - -<p>‘He did,’ returned Lady Maud. ‘But I don’t -pity him, because, as you shall hear, he behaved -very ill. It was Papa who broke the news to him; -and I have heard the Earl say that the passion of -uncontrolled rage with which he received it was -absolutely horrible. Some anger was natural of -course; but he was more like a fiend than a man. -He swore that he would be revenged; that he -would never rest until he had found some means -of stabbing Clare’s heart, as she had stabbed his, -and of making her bitterly rue the day when she -had cast him off. He was, in fact, dreadfully -violent, and it seemed the more shocking in a -polite smooth-spoken man like him; but of course -people excused him on account of the excitement -of his feelings.</p> - -<p>‘Men who are jilted do odd things, they say. -In half a year after Clare’s elopement, Sir Sykes -married a Manchester heiress with a large fortune; -and three years later the second Lady Denzil died -at Tunbridge Wells; and soon after, her only child, -a little girl of about three years old, died too. -From that time it was that Sir Sykes’s melancholy -was supposed to date. It was supposed that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">{196}</a></span> -never got over the loss of this baby daughter, and -that was the odder, because he seemed the very -last man to mourn always over a little child. It -was not the loss of his wife; he cared very little -for her. And he never seemed a devoted father -to his surviving children. Yet since that tiny -mite of a girl was buried, he never held up his -head as he had been used to do.’</p> - -<p>‘And Miss Clare, Miss De Vere?’ asked Ethel, -with a feminine interest in the heroine of the -story.</p> - -<p>‘Ah! poor Cousin Clare!’ said Lady Maud -seriously: ‘she suffered enough, poor thing, to -expiate her breach of faith to Sir Sykes tenfold. -Very, very short was her time of happy married -life before’——</p> - -<p>‘I wish, Maud, please, you would look at this -sketch for me, and help me with the foreground. -I’ve made the figures too big, I’m afraid, and can’t -get in the rest of it,’ said young Lady Alice, from -amid her pencils and colour-boxes.</p> - -<p>‘I will; I’ll come and try what I can make of -it, as soon as I have told Miss Gray the rest of the -story—the saddest part of it, I am sorry to say,’ -said good-natured Lady Maud. ‘Sir Sykes’s vengeance -was realised, terribly realised, without his -having to stir a finger in the matter, for little -more than three years after Cousin Clare’s marriage, -her husband, whom she almost idolised, was -brought home to the house a corpse. He had, -like many other heroes both in romance and -reality, been thrown from his horse in the -hunting-field and killed on the spot.</p> - -<p>‘The young Baroness Harrogate—I have already -told you that Clare was heir-female to the title at -the death of the old lord—was all but killed too, -as I have heard, by the shock of her husband’s -death; but for the sake of her child, the only -earthly consolation left to her, the poor thing bore -up under her great affliction. Yet Papa said that -when he went to see her, her mournful eyes quite -haunted him for weeks and months afterwards, -and that, beautiful as she still was, she looked but -the ghost of her former self. Then, when the -next summer came round—— I hardly like to -tell it!’ said Lady Maud, as the tears rose thickly -in her eyes.</p> - -<p>‘Do not tell me any more,’ said Ethel gently, -‘if it gives you pain.’</p> - -<p>‘No; I was foolish,’ returned her friend, smiling; -‘for what I am speaking of happened long, -long ago, when you and I were in the nursery, -and I have heard it related very often, though I -never told it until to-day. Well, the young -widow lived on in the house she had inhabited -since the first days of her marriage, a pretty -cottage beside the Thames, and there she dwelt -alone with her child, a sweet little creature, a -girl of three years of age, who promised to be -nearly as beautiful as her beautiful mother. And -then this last hope was snatched away.’</p> - -<p>‘Did the child die?’ asked Ethel falteringly.</p> - -<p>‘It was worse than that,’ answered Lady Maud, -whose lip trembled as she spoke. ‘She had been -with the child in the garden, which bordered the -river. Little Helena—that was her name—was -playing among the flowers when her mother was -called away, and as she was entering the house, -she heard a faint cry or scream, in what seemed to -be the child’s voice. She ran back to the garden, -and to the grassy terrace where she had left her -young treasure; but the child was not to be seen. -She called; but there was no answer. Trembling, -she neared the water’s edge, and there she saw the -child’s tiny straw-hat with its broad black ribbon, -floating down the river; but of the body—for no -one could doubt but that the poor little lamb had -been drowned—there were no signs; and when aid -was summoned and a search begun, it proved -fruitless.’</p> - -<p>‘Was the poor little child never found then?’ -asked Ethel, more moved than she had expected to -be by these details.</p> - -<p>‘Never found,’ replied Lady Maud. ‘No rewards, -no entreaties availed, though men examined -every creek and shoal of the river. No trace of -the lost one was ever discovered except the little -straw-hat. With that the miserable young mother -never would part. On her own death-bed—and -she died very soon after, utterly broken down by -this double bereavement—it was the last object on -which her dying eyes looked as her feeble fingers -clung to it, that little hat of the child’s. We talk -lightly of broken hearts. And yet, such things -can be. Poor Cousin Clare died of one. Hers -was a sad, sad story.’</p> - -<p>Both Lady Maud and Ethel were weeping now. -The former was the first to dry her eyes.</p> - -<p>‘We are very silly,’ she said, trying to smile, -‘to cry in this way over an old history concerning -people that we never, to our knowledge, saw; for -though I was alive when Cousin Clare married, I -don’t remember her at all. I was too young for -that. Only it struck me often that Sir Sykes -Denzil’s sadness may have more to do with the -desertion of his betrothed bride and her brief -career and early ending, than with the cause to -which it is generally assigned. Don’t you think -so too?’</p> - -<p>Ethel did think so; but she did not speak for a -moment, and then she said: ‘I pity Sir Sykes -too. How bitterly his own cruel words, as to the -revenge he threatened, must have come back to his -memory when he heard the news of that great -misfortune—of the child’s being drowned.’</p> - -<p>‘Idle threats, dear! Perhaps he hardly remembered -having spoken so foolishly in his excitement,’ -answered Lady Maud indifferently. ‘It was after -all about that time that he lost his own little -daughter. Cousin Clare’s title came to Papa, and -our brother Harrogate bears it by courtesy, as you -know. There was no property. The poor little -child, had she lived, would have been Helena, -Lady Harrogate.’</p> - -<p>‘The body was never found at all?’ asked -Ethel.</p> - -<p>‘Never found!’ said Lady Maud.—‘Now Alice, -I’ll help you with your drawing.’ And the -conversation ceased.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER XXII.—ARCADES AMBO.</h3> - -<p>Hot, dusty, and conventionally empty as London -now was, and stifling as was the confined air of St -Nicholas Poultney, Mr Enoch Wilkins was in gay -good-humour. He shewed it by the urbanity -with which he was dismissing a shabby-genteel -man of middle age, to whose remonstrances he -had listened with a bland semi-serious patience -unusual to him.</p> - -<p>‘Now, really, Mr Greening, really we must -have no more of this,’ he said, shewing his white<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">{197}</a></span> -front teeth in an affable smile. ‘“Can’t pay” and -“Won’t pay” are, I fancy, convertible phrases. The -Loan Office cannot afford to do business on sentimental -principles. And it’s all very well to say -that you only had in cash nine seven eleven, as -consideration for your notes of hand, amounting -to—let me see.’ And the solicitor glanced at a -bundle of papers on the table.</p> - -<p>‘To twenty-eight pounds six and fourpence,’ -said the debtor piteously; ‘two-thirds of which -are for interest and commission.’</p> - -<p>‘But that,’ pursued the solicitor, ‘by no means -affects the legal aspect of the case. The bill of -sale over your furniture is none the less valid. I -didn’t quite catch your last remark.—Ah! to sell -you up would be to you sheer ruin? Then, my -good Mr Greening, I advise you to stave off the -ruin by prompt payment, to escape the very heavy -expenses to which you will otherwise be put. -Good-day to you.—Now,’ he added to his clerk, ‘I -will see this Mr Hold.’ And as the impecunious -Greening took his melancholy leave, the sunburnt -countenance of Richard Hold became visible in -the doorway.</p> - -<p>‘From abroad, I presume?’ said Mr Wilkins -affably, as his observant eye noted the seafaring -aspect of his visitor and the bronze on his cheek, -which might well have become a successful -Australian digger, fresh with his dust and nuggets -from the gold-fields.</p> - -<p>‘Well—I have been abroad; I have knocked -about the world a goodish bit,’ answered Hold -slowly, ‘but just latterly I’ve stayed ashore.’</p> - -<p>Mr Wilkins picked up the office penknife and -tapped the table with the buckhorn handle of it -somewhat impatiently. He did not entertain -quite so high an opinion of the swarthy stranger -as before. The first glance had suggested damages -in a running-down case at sea; the second, some -claim for salvage; the third, an investment of -savings earned, according to the picturesque -phrase, ‘where the gold grows.’ But the solicitor -knew life well enough to be aware that those who -have knocked, in Hold’s words, about the world, -are rolling stones whereon seldom grows the -moss of profit.</p> - -<p>‘What, Mr Hold, may be your business with -me?’ he asked curtly.</p> - -<p>Richard Hold was not in the least nettled at -this chilling reception. His dark roving eyes -made their survey of the lawyer’s surroundings, -from the heavy silver inkstand to the prints on the -walls, and then settled on the face of Mr Enoch -Wilkins himself.</p> - -<p>‘That depends,’ said Hold, with a lazy good-humour, -as he leaned against the door-post nearest -to him, ‘on what you call business, skipper!’</p> - -<p>Mr Wilkins frowned; but the words, sharp and -peremptory, that rose to his lips, remained unspoken. -His first idea had been that this was the saucy -freak of an ill-conditioned sailor, and that a word -to his clerk and a summons to the policeman on -his beat hard by, would rid him of the intruder. -But the man was quite sober. There must be -some reason for his singular tone and bearing. -Wherefore, when Mr Wilkins spoke again, it was -urbanely enough: ‘If I can be of use to you professionally, -sir, you may command me; at least I -shall be glad to hear what you have got to say. -Perhaps you feel somewhat strange in a lawyer’s -office?’</p> - -<p>‘I haven’t seen the inside of one since six years -ago I was in trouble at Singapore about—never -mind what!’ returned Hold, checking his too communicative -flow of words, and then added: ‘Now -I hail from Devonshire—Dartmoor way—Carbery -Chase way, not to mince matters.’</p> - -<p>Mr Wilkins started. ‘Have you a message for -me—from Sir Sykes, I mean?’ he inquired, in an -altered voice.</p> - -<p>‘No!’ replied Hold, in a dubious tone, and -coughing expressively behind his broad brown -hand; ‘not exactly that.’</p> - -<p>The lawyer looked keenly at his visitor. Hold’s -bold eyes met his. The man’s unabashed confident -air was not lost on so shrewd an observer of -human nature as was Enoch Wilkins. ‘Take a -chair, I beg, Mr Hold,’ he said civilly; and Hold -took a chair, placed it sideways, and seating himself -upon it in a careless informal attitude, rested -one elbow on the chair-back, and contemplated the -lawyer with serene scrutiny.</p> - -<p>‘You come from Sir Sykes, however, although -you do not bring a message?’ asked Mr Wilkins.</p> - -<p>‘Take your affidavy of that, squire!’ returned -Hold, in an assured tone. ‘We ought to be friends, -you and I,’ he added, with what was meant for an -engaging smile, ‘for we are both, I reckon, in the -same boat.’</p> - -<p>‘In the same boat, hey?’ repeated Mr Wilkins -cautiously. ‘How’s that?’</p> - -<p>‘I mean,’ said Hold, knitting his black brows, -‘that we are both pretty much on the same lay—that -we know a thing or two about a rich party -that shall be nameless, and about certain old -scores, and a certain young lady, and—— Why -should I do all the chat, master? Is this Greek -to you, or do you catch my meaning?’</p> - -<p>Mr Wilkins, whose eyes had opened very widely -as he listened, here started as though he had -been electrified. ‘I understand you to imply,’ he -said smoothly, ‘that our interests are identical?’</p> - -<p>‘Well, I guess they are,’ responded Hold, in -the blunt fashion that was natural to him. ‘We -both, I suppose, want as many of Sir Sykes -Denzil’s yellow coins as we can conjure out of -his pocket; and both need no teaching to turn -the screw pretty smartly when we see our way -to it; eh, mister?’</p> - -<p>Enoch Wilkins, gentleman, winced before this -over-candid home-thrust. It is indeed one thing -to be guilty of a particular act and another to -hear it defined with unmannerly plainness of -speech. And he did not quite like the being -bracketed, as to his motives and position, with -a piratical-looking fellow, such as he saw Hold -to be. But to take offence was not his cue; so -he laughed softly, as at the sallies of some rough -humorist, and rattled his watch-guard to and -fro, as he warily made answer: ‘All men, I -believe, are supposed to take care of Number One. -I do not profess to be a bit more disinterested -than my neighbours, and if I did, you are too -wide awake to believe me.’</p> - -<p>‘Right you are!’ responded Richard with a -mollified grin and an amicable snap of the ends -of his hard fingers. ‘I never cruised in company -with a philanderer’ (meaning probably a philanthropist) -‘but once, and <i>he</i> made off with my kit -and gold-dust while I was taking my turn down -shaft at Flathead Creek, in California there. My -notion is that there are pickings for both. Why<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">{198}</a></span> -should we two fall out so long as Sir Sykes Denzil, -Baronet, is good for this kind of thing?’ And -the ruffian imitated, in expressive pantomime, the -action of squeezing a sponge.</p> - -<p>Again the lawyer laughed. ‘No need,’ he said -with well-feigned admiration for the other’s astuteness, -‘to send <i>your</i> wits to the whetstone, Mr—or -perhaps I should say Captain—Hold.’</p> - -<p>‘Well, I don’t dislike the handle to my name; -and I’ve a fairish right to it, since I’ve had my -own cuddy and my own quarter-deck,’ rejoined -Hold boastfully. ‘And now, squire, I’d like to -hear your views a little more explicit out than -I have had the pleasure.’</p> - -<p>It was the attorney’s turn to cough now, as he -replied, still swaying his watch-guard to and fro: -‘There you push me, my good sir, into a corner. -Every profession has its point of honour, you -know; and we lawyers are shy of talking over -the affairs of an absent client unless’——</p> - -<p>‘Client, you call him, do you?’ broke in Hold. -‘Maybe you’re correct there, since you’ve brought -the Bart. to throw Pounce and Pontifex overboard, -and make you first-officer over his tenants; -but he warn’t a client before yesterday.’</p> - -<p>The astonishment written in Mr Wilkins’s face -was very genuine. Of all the extraordinary confidants -whom Sir Sykes could have selected, surely -this coarse fierce adventurer was the most unlikely. -And yet how, save from Sir Sykes himself, -could the fellow have acquired his knowledge -of the truth?</p> - -<p>‘I was not prepared’—— stammered out the -lawyer.</p> - -<p>‘Not prepared,’ interrupted Hold coolly, ‘to -find a rough diamond like yours to command, so -deep in the Bart.’s little secrets. Perhaps not. -Mind ye, I don’t want to quarrel. Live and let -live. But it’s good sometimes to fire a shotted -gun athwart a stranger’s bows, d’ ye see?’</p> - -<p>‘You and Sir Sykes are old acquaintances?’ -said the lawyer, feeling his way.</p> - -<p>‘Pretty well for that. Years too have gone by -a few since you and he first came within hailing -distance,’ replied Hold with assumed carelessness.</p> - -<p>‘We were younger men, that’s certain,’ returned -the lawyer with a jolly laugh and a twinkling eye. -That anybody should try to extract from him—from -him, Enoch Wilkins, information that he desired -to keep to himself—to pump him, in homely -phraseology, seemed to the attorney of St Nicholas -Poultney, in the light of an exquisitely subtle -joke. Hold, in spite of his confidence in his own -shrewdness, began to entertain vague doubts as to -whether in a fair field he was quite a match for -the London solicitor. Fortune, however, had dealt -him a handful of court-cards, and he proceeded -to improve the occasion.</p> - -<p>‘Now, squire,’ said Hold impressively, and -laying one brawny hand, as if to enforce the argument, -on the table as he spoke, ‘I could, if I -chose, clap a match to the powder-magazine and -blow the whole concern sky-high. Suppose I -weren’t well used among ye? Suppose I began -to meet cold looks and buttoned-up pockets? -What easier than to make a clean breast of what -it no longer pays to keep secret, stand the consequences—I’ve -stood worse on the Antipodes side -of the world—and get another sniff of blue water. -That would spoil your market, squire!’</p> - -<p>Mr Wilkins muttered something about edge-tools; -but his seafaring guest answered the remark -by a short laugh of scorn. ‘You know a thing or -two,’ he said incisively; ‘so do I. Are we or are -we not to act in concert? If not, up with your -colours and fire a broadside. Anyhow, friend or -enemy, I’ll thank you to speak out.’</p> - -<p>All Mr Wilkins’s liveliness vanished in an -instant, and he seemed strongly and soberly in -earnest as he said: ‘I will speak out, as you call -it. I should very much prefer to be on good -terms with you. I should like us, as far as we -prudently can, to co-operate. But you have not -as yet told me what you would have me do.’</p> - -<p>‘I’ll tell you,’ said Hold confidentially, edging -his chair nearer to the lawyer’s. ‘When you go -down to Carbery——You mean to go, don’t -you?’ he added abruptly.</p> - -<p>‘Certainly,’ said the lawyer, touching a spring -in the table by which he sat, and producing from -a concealed drawer, that flew open at his touch, -a letter, which he unfolded and handed to his -visitor. ‘You know so much, captain, that I -need not keep back this from you. It is from Sir -Sykes, as you see. The contents are probably not -strange to you.’</p> - -<p>‘Not likely,’ returned the seaman, throwing his -eyes, with ill-dissembled eagerness, on the letter. -‘He asks you to come down then, and names -an early day. The rents will be passing through -your hands before long, Mister. ’Tain’t that, -though, I want to speak of. You’ll find when -you get to the Chase, a young lady there.’</p> - -<p>‘I understood that Sir Sykes had two daughters,’ -said the attorney innocently.</p> - -<p>‘He had three, if you come to that,’ was Hold’s -rough answer. ‘But this is no daughter. Maybe -she’ll be a daughter-in-law, some fine day.’</p> - -<p>‘Oho!’ said Mr Wilkins, arching his eyebrows. -‘Young lady on a visit, I presume?’</p> - -<p>‘On a very long visit,’ answered Hold. ‘A -ward she is of the Bart., orphan daughter of an old -Indian brother-officer. Name of Willis; Christian -name Ruth.’</p> - -<p>‘Ruth!’ Trained and practised as the sharp -London man of business was in the incessant -struggle of wits and jarring interests, he could -not repress the exclamation. ‘Bless me—Ruth!’ -he added breathlessly, and grew red and pale by -turns. There seemed to be some magic in the -sound of that apparently simple name which -affected those who heard it.</p> - -<p>‘Name of Willis; Christian name Ruth,’ repeated -Hold. ‘Like one of themselves she is -now. Shouldn’t wonder if she were to change -her name, first to Mrs Captain Denzil, afterwards -to Lady Denzil when Sir Jasper that will be -comes into title and property. You’ve known -Sir Jasper that will be, squire; you’ve had dealings -with him. Now, mark me! The sooner that -young dandy makes up his mind to place a gold -ring on Miss Ruth’s pretty finger, the better for -him and for the Bart. and for you too Mr Wilkins. -“A nod’s as good as a wink”—you know the rest -of the proverb.’ And throwing on the table a -card, on which were legibly pencilled the words -‘<span class="smcap">Captain Hold</span>. Inquire at Plugger’s Boarding-house;’ -and promising, ominously, to see Mr -Wilkins again, in London or at Carbery, the -seaman took his leave.</p> - -<p>Left alone, the lawyer’s features relaxed into a -smile of satisfaction. ‘A cleverish fellow and vain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">{199}</a></span> -of his cleverness, this Hold, but very communicative. -It would surprise you, my good captain, if -you knew how very much you have been kind -enough to tell me, during our late interview.’</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="NEW_EXPLOSIVES">NEW EXPLOSIVES.</h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">At</span> the head of the list of deadly explosives must -of course be placed gunpowder, which is so well -known that nothing needs to be said regarding -it. Interest attaches to recent inventions, still -as it were in their infancy. The most important -of these new explosives is gun-cotton, a -substance of most peculiar nature and properties. -It is prepared by immersing cotton-waste -(previously rendered chemically clean) in a mixture -of nitric and sulphuric acid—the latter -acid merely acting as a mechanical aid to the -former. The cotton is afterwards thoroughly -washed, reduced to a pulp, and finally dried and -compressed into slabs or discs; the last operation -being the only process throughout its manufacture -which is attended with danger. Even where the -greatest precautions are taken, the constant handling -of a dangerous substance with impunity will -sooner or later lead to carelessness, or at anyrate -to forgetfulness of its terrible character. The -disastrous explosion some years ago at the large -gun-cotton works at Stowmarket, where the -most stringent rules for the common safety were -in force, is an illustration of this. It is needless -to dwell upon the impossibility of tracing the -immediate cause of such a fatality—the guilty -hand being of course one of the first to suffer the -dread penalty.</p> - -<p>It is a curious peculiarity of gun-cotton that the -intensity of its action depends upon the manner in -which it is ignited. A smouldering spark will -induce it to smoulder also; a flame will cause it to -go off in a feeble puff; but a detonating fuse will, -as it were, enrage it, causing it to explode with a -force ten times that of gunpowder. Gun-cotton is -not adapted for the rifle, where extreme uniformity -of combustion is one of the conditions of accurate -shooting; but it can be used for sporting purposes, -provided that the risk of frictional ignition in -ramming home be obviated by the use of a breech-loading -gun. Its force can, by dilution with pure -cotton or other inert substance, be brought more -to the level of gunpowder, but only at the sacrifice -of those good qualities, such as freedom from -smoke and reduction of fouling, which really -constitute the chief advantages of its use. It is, we -believe, used exclusively for charging torpedoes; -and a suggestion has been thrown out that it -might also be used with great advantage in savage -warfare for the destruction of palisades and -defences of a similar kind, in dense jungle impenetrable -by artillery.</p> - -<p>The next explosive in order of usefulness is -nitro-glycerine, to make which, ordinary glycerine -is acted upon (as in the case of gun-cotton) with -nitric and sulphuric acid. It has the appearance -of a yellow oil, insoluble in, and heavier than -water. The many accidents which have occurred -from its use seem to be due to some decomposing -quality which it possesses, and which at present -is little understood. Unlike gunpowder, it burns -harmlessly away when a flame is applied to it; but -when heated to the temperature of boiling water, -its explosive force is most violent. Many means -have been suggested for rendering it less liable to -spontaneous explosion, for in its crude state it -cannot be stored away with any security for its -good behaviour. The most successful plan is to -mix it with a particular kind of porous earth, -under which transformation it is known as ‘dynamite.’ -On taking this solid form, it will bear -comparatively rough usage, while its violent character -is in no way diminished. Our readers will -perhaps remember that dynamite was the agent -used in that terrible explosion at Bremerhafen, -which cost so many lives and such destruction of -property. With fiendish ingenuity it was placed -in a case together with a clockwork apparatus -calculated to explode a fuse in a given time; the -object of the crime being to secure the money for -which the steamer that was to carry the terrible -burden had been insured. By an error of calculation -the explosion happened, with the most awful -consequences, before the package had been removed -from the quay. The practicability of employing -dynamite under water has lately been demonstrated -in a very shameful manner by a wholesale -destruction of fish by its aid. The righteous indignation -of all true anglers will most probably find -vent in stopping without delay such a barbarous -practice. Lithofracteur is the name of another -preparation of nitro-glycerine, so like dynamite in -its general properties that we need not further -allude to it.</p> - -<p>A totally different class of explosives from those -which we have previously considered, are the -fulminates of the different metals. They are -chiefly used diluted with some other matter (such -as ordinary gunpowder) for the priming of percussion -caps, and for the detonating fuses which -play so important a part in the firing of mines, &c. -The manner of accomplishing this by the ignition -of an electric fuse is, in its neatness and freedom -from danger, a great contrast to the old system, -where the operator had to light a slow-match, -and take to his heels until distance had lent more -enchantment to his position. Undiluted, the -fulminates are almost useless, for the touch of a -hair is sometimes sufficient to explode them; and -when fired, their power is of the most terrible -character. There are many other compounds -which, on account of their uncontrollable nature, -are of no practical value, and are never prepared -except for purposes of experiment.</p> - -<p>It will perhaps now be understood that although -there is a family likeness between the various -mixtures which we have mentioned, their individual -behaviour is most unlike. It therefore becomes -necessary in dealing with any one of them to -consider first for what particular use it is required. -It is possible, for instance, to charge a shell with -an explosive which has the power of reducing it -to tiny fragments; a result which would of course -almost nullify its effect. It is sometimes perhaps -necessary to throw dust in the eyes of an enemy, -but certainly not in a sense so literal as this. -Again, many compounds would cause a shell to -burst with the concussion it receives when blown -from the gun; and thus prove more destructive to -friends than foes. Such an accident is next to -impossible with either gunpowder or cotton. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">{200}</a></span> -latter is employed with very startling results in -combination with water in the so-called water-shells. -A very small charge of compressed gun-cotton -is placed in a shell, the remaining space -being filled with water. In practice it is found -that a shell so charged explodes into eight times as -many fragments as it will when <i>filled</i> with gunpowder -in the ordinary way. The effects of gun-cotton -are different from those of powder, in that -it exerts a sudden splitting power. The blasting -of rocks, for instance, is often commenced with the -former, which splits the mineral into cracks and -fissures. These cracks are afterwards filled with -powder, which detaches huge masses from their -beds with a lifting power of which gun-cotton -alone, is incapable.</p> - -<p>Many plans have at various times been proposed -to render explosives harmless during manufacture -and transport. The suggestion of mixing pulverised -glass with gunpowder is effective in separating -mechanically the grains, and so preventing the -initial flash from penetrating beyond the particular -ones submitted to inflammation. In consequence, -probably, of the exposure entailed in the mixing -as well as during the subsequent process of sifting -out the glass before the powder can be used, the -process has not attained any practical importance. -Gun-cotton, on the other hand, by being saturated -with water is rendered quite inert; the subsequent -process of removing the excess of moisture being -free from danger. Special conditions are necessary -to its explosion in a damp state, conditions -not easily brought about by mere accident. Dr -Sprengle has suggested several powerful explosives -which claim the advantage of safety, for their -constituents are harmless in themselves, and need -not be blended until they are actually required -for use. Concerning Schultz’s wood-powder we -may perhaps have a few words to say in a future -paper.</p> - -<p>Before quitting our subject it will be in some -measure a relief to reflect that the things of which -we have spoken are not wholly dedicated to -bloodshed. Besides their use in our mines and -quarries, whereby an incalculable amount of manual -labour is dispensed with, many of them are -in constant requisition for the demolition of old -structures, such as the piers of bridges, and for -the removal of submarine structures of all kinds. -In the excavations for the Suez Canal, gunpowder -was largely used; and many other engineering -schemes owe their ready accomplishment to the -employment of a like agent. The greatest recorded -undertaking of the kind is the destruction in -1876 of the Hellgate rocks, which formed such a -dangerous obstruction to navigation in East River, -New York. No less than sixty thousand pounds -of dynamite were consumed on this occasion, the -watery field of operation covering about three -acres. Some years had been previously employed -in making the necessary excavations for the reception -of the cartridges, which were eventually fired -by an electric battery of one thousand cells. The -results gained quite surpassed the most sanguine -expectations of the engineers engaged, and other -obstructions in neighbouring rivers are shortly to -receive similar treatment. Some of the good -people of New York were terribly agitated at the -thought even of the contemplated scheme, and -left the city with the firm conviction that they -would return only to find it in ruins. But the -fair city still exists unharmed—with the advantage -of a much-improved tideway—and the good folk -alluded to are forced to acknowledge that their -prognostications of evil have ended in smoke.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="MR_ASLATTS_WARD">MR ASLATT’S WARD.</h2> -</div> - -<h3 title="CHAPTER III.">IN FOUR CHAPTERS.—CHAPTER III.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> was a strange day that followed. After much -deliberation and a hard struggle with her shrinking -from such a proceeding, Rose resolved to -follow my advice, and make her confession to Mr -Aslatt, trusting to obtain his forbearance towards -the chief delinquent. She went to him in his -library soon after breakfast, from which meal she -had absented herself on the plea of a headache, -which was no mere excuse, but the natural result -of her violent weeping during the preceding -night.</p> - -<p>What passed at that interview I never knew. -They were together for more than an hour. At -the end of that time I heard Rose come out of the -library and go slowly up-stairs. I followed her -after a few minutes, thinking she might need me; -but as I ascended the stairs I heard her hastily -lock her door, as a security against intrusion. -Shortly afterwards, as I stood at the window, I -saw Mr Aslatt leave the house and cross the park -in the direction in which the school-house lay. -Several hours passed. Mr Aslatt did not return, -and Rose’s door continued closed against me. I -was beginning to feel anxious, when I received a -note from Mr Aslatt, brought to the house by one -of the school children, in which he briefly informed -me that he was obliged to make a hasty -journey to London, and would not be home till -night.</p> - -<p>I saw nothing of Rose until the dinner-hour -arrived, when we sat down to table together. -She strove hard to appear as usual during the -meal. Her dress manifested careful arrangement, -and though her cheeks were almost as pale as -the white robe she wore, she looked strikingly -beautiful. As long as the servant remained in the -room she talked incessantly, and even laughed; -but when there was no longer need to keep up an -appearance of cheerfulness, her manner changed. -The troubled look returned, and she grew painfully -restless. The evening was passed by her in -wandering from room to room, unable to settle to -any occupation. Sometimes she took up a book, -but only to throw it aside in impatience the next -moment and go to a window, to watch with growing -anxiety for Mr Aslatt’s return.</p> - -<p>At last, when her endurance had been tried to -the utmost, he came. I was grieved to see the -weary saddened look his face wore when he came -into the room where we both were. He seemed -to have grown ten years older in one day. Rose -became paler than ever as he entered. She did -not move to meet him, but stood still, gazing at -him with an eager questioning glance. As he -approached her, I slipped out of the room, for I -was sure they would wish to be alone.</p> - -<p>The next day Mr Aslatt took me into his confidence, -and freely discussed with me the difficult -position in which he found himself placed in -regard to Rose. Knowing her vehement attachment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">{201}</a></span> -to Mr Hammond, and having had a proof of -the strength of her determination to cling to him, -he shrank from paining her, and perhaps driving -her to an undesirable course of action by refusing -his consent to their marriage; the more so that -he had made inquiries, and discovered that the -assertion, which Rose so repeatedly made, namely -that her lover was by birth a gentleman, was -quite correct. Mr Aslatt had had some conversation -with a solicitor, an elderly man, who was -acquainted with Mr Hammond’s family history, -and who spoke of him as a singularly unfortunate -young man. His father had been a spendthrift -man of pleasure, who had squandered away all his -property, and been forced to sell the family estate -whilst his son—whose mother had died in giving -him birth—was yet a child. The self-ruined man -had then pursued a disgraceful career of gambling, -which had terminated in a premature death. -Neglected and uncared for during his father’s lifetime, -the boy was in a still more deplorable situation -after his decease, and would have fared ill, -if the solicitor who had managed his father’s -affairs, hearing of his desolate condition, had not -exerted himself to procure the lad’s admission into -an orphan asylum. Here he had received a tolerable -education; and at the close of his term of -schooling a place had been found for him as clerk -in a merchant’s office. But the occupation had not -been to his taste, and at the end of a twelvemonth -he took offence at some trivial occurrence, and -threw up his situation.</p> - -<p>The gentleman who had told Mr Aslatt thus -much was unable to say how Mr Hammond had -supported himself during the interval that had -elapsed from the time of his leaving the merchant’s -office to the day when he sought the post -of village schoolmaster; but he believed he had -resided abroad during most of the time. He had -brought Mr Aslatt credentials as to his respectability -and qualifications from the hand of a schoolmaster -living in the north of England. Pleased -with the young man’s appearance and bearing, Mr -Aslatt had rather hastily concluded an engagement -with him, and had not deemed it necessary to -make very particular inquiries as to his antecedents. -Now that he was anxious to learn more -of the young man’s previous history, he found, to -his disappointment, that the schoolmaster who -had acted as referee had died but a few weeks -before.</p> - -<p>It may readily be imagined that Mr Aslatt was -not satisfied with the information he had gleaned. -There was a period of Mr Hammond’s life of -which he knew nothing except that, from his -own explanation, he had supported himself during -those years by giving English lessons in schools -and families in the neighbourhood of Berlin. Mr -Aslatt felt that he had no reasonable ground for -doubting the truth of the young man’s statement; -yet in spite of his desire to be perfectly just, he -could not divest his mind of uncomfortable suspicions. -Yet there was nothing in the facts which -he had learned which he could urge as a reason why -Rose should consent to give up all idea of marrying -Mr Hammond. The story of his unfortunate -childhood and youth would but excite her warmest -pity, and incline her to cling to him with greater -devotion. Mr Aslatt was much perplexed how to -act. He confessed to me—little guessing how well -I understood his words, having divined his heart’s -secret—that the thought of giving his ward to Mr -Hammond was inexpressibly painful to him, for of -late he had conceived an inexplicable aversion to -the young man, and a feeling of distrust, which -had been strengthened by the discovery of the -censurable manner in which Mr Hammond had -gained paramount influence over Rose. Yet he -shrank from the thought of blighting the girl’s -whole life, as she had passionately declared that -he would, if he prevented her marrying the man -she loved.</p> - -<p>I felt much for Mr Aslatt in the painful position -in which he was placed, and longed to help him, -but knew not how. After some deliberation, -however, we decided upon a course of action which -seemed to us both the best possible under the -circumstances. Without absolutely opposing the -union, Mr Aslatt determined to withhold his -formal consent for the space of twelve months, -during which time the young people should be -allowed to meet at stated intervals, if they would -promise to abstain from all clandestine proceedings. -At the expiration of the year, if nothing -had transpired to shake Mr Aslatt’s confidence in -the young schoolmaster, he pledged his word to -consent to his marriage with Rose, and to do all in -his power to promote their happiness. Meanwhile -he proposed to find Mr Hammond some employment -more in keeping with the hopes he cherished -than the post he had previously held. It seemed -to me that this was better treatment than the -young man deserved. But it was love for Rose -that prompted the arrangement, and a generous -desire on her guardian’s part to shield her from -suffering even at the cost of bitter pain to -himself.</p> - -<p>Before our discussion terminated, Mr Aslatt -confided to me the facts concerning Rose’s -parentage, which I have already related. He had -never yet told them to her, he said, fearing she -would over-estimate her obligation to him, which -after all was merely imaginary, for whatever kindness -he had shewn her had been more than compensated -for by the happiness her companionship -had brought him. In earlier days, when she -questioned him as to her parentage, he had told -her that at some future time she should know all; -but of late she had made no inquiries, and he had -been reluctant to say anything which might disturb -their pleasant relations.</p> - -<p>I told him that I thought she ought to know -the history of her early days.</p> - -<p>‘Do you think so?’ he said. ‘But I could not -tell her now. It would seem as if I were trying -to coerce her into acquiescence to my wishes by -revealing claims to her gratitude. No, no; I cannot -tell her now.’ After a while he added: ‘I do -not believe I shall ever tell her myself; and yet -she may ask me any day, and perhaps I ought not -to keep her in ignorance. If ever you think it -well to tell her what I have told you, Miss Bygrave, -you have my permission to do so, but not at -present. And pray, never let her imagine that I -have great claims upon her gratitude.’</p> - -<p>To make a long story short; the proposed -arrangement was carried out. Rose humbly and -thankfully agreed to wait a year for her guardian’s -formal consent; and Mr Hammond made no objection, -though it must have been sorely against his -will. Mr Aslatt succeeded in obtaining a position -in Somerset House for the young man, who was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">{202}</a></span> -therefore obliged to reside in London; though -every fortnight he paid us a visit, and stayed from -Saturday evening till Monday morning at the Hall. -Rose always seemed to look forward with such -eagerness to these fortnightly visits that it must -have been very painful for Mr Aslatt to witness -the delight she took in Mr Hammond’s society. -But however bitter his feelings were, he carefully -concealed them, and ever treated the young man -with the utmost consideration and kindness. His -manner to Rose betrayed nought save the tenderness -of a parent; and she on her part no longer -indulged in fits of petulance, but was gentle, subdued, -and affectionate in her intercourse with him. -Indeed she had changed from a wilful child to a -thoughtful woman, since the memorable night -when I had saved her from committing a rash act. -Mr Hammond’s demeanour also had improved. -He no longer bore himself haughtily, but strove by -a humble and becoming deportment to reinstate -himself in Mr Aslatt’s good opinion.</p> - -<p>As time passed on I came to entertain for him -a kindlier feeling, though I could not anticipate -with any pleasure the expiration of the probationary -period which rapidly drew nigh. Winter -came and went; spring returned to gladden the -land; the summer months succeeded, and it wanted -but a few weeks to the day Rose was so eagerly -expecting. Mr Hammond was staying for a few -days at the Hall, and one lovely afternoon Rose -proposed that we should ride over to Ashdene -and spend a few hours in wandering amongst -the ruins. We all agreed to the proposal, and -were soon ready to start. On our way thither, -Rose and Mr Hammond took the lead, and Mr -Aslatt and I followed a few paces behind. It was -becoming more and more difficult for Mr Aslatt -to maintain a cheerful demeanour. In Rose’s -presence, he always made the effort, but out of -her sight he frequently fell into a gloomy mood. -He scarcely made a remark during our ride to -Ashdene; and after a few attempts to draw him -into conversation, I left him to himself. Arrived -at Ashdene, we left our horses at the inn, and -proceeded to the ruined Priory. Rose was as gay -as a bird that afternoon; her laugh rang through -the deserted corridors as she flitted from one part -of the ruins to another, followed by Mr Hammond.</p> - -<p>I wandered away by myself, feeling sure that -Mr Aslatt would not require my company, and -indeed would feel more at ease if left alone. -After a while I found myself within the four walls -inclosing what had once been the chapter-house. -Glancing through a window much mutilated, but -rendered beautiful by the ivy which festooned -its broken shafts and crumbling arches, I perceived -Rose and her lover sauntering over the -green turf, a few yards from the wall within which -I stood. At the same moment I became aware -that I was not the only one observing them. -Close to where I stood, but on the other side -of the wall, sheltered from view on all sides save -the one which I commanded, by the angle of -a projecting doorway, stood a woman. Her tall -gaunt figure was clad in a silk dress which had -once been black, but was now rusty with age, and -frayed and torn with frequent wear. A bonnet -of the same hue and equally shabby, rested at -the back of her head, and did not conceal the -thick black hair which fell loosely over her forehead. -But I scarcely noted her apparel at first, -so much was I attracted by her strange weird face. -She was very pale, but her eyes were intensely -bright with a scorching burning brilliancy, which -suggested the possibility of madness. They were -gleaming with hatred as I looked at her, for there -was no mistaking the expression of her white -haggard countenance, even if the angry tone in -which she muttered to herself words that I could -not catch, and the clenched fist which she was -shaking after the retreating figures, had not -revealed her mind. As I watched her in considerable -amazement and fear, she suddenly turned -and beheld me. For a few moments she returned -my gaze defiantly, as if questioning my right to -watch her. Then moved by a sudden impulse, -she advanced with rapid strides to the window -at which I stood, and laying her hand on mine -as it rested on the sill, demanded in a hoarse -voice: ‘Who is the young lady walking with -that man?’ pointing as she spoke to the distant -pair.</p> - -<p>‘I cannot answer that question,’ I replied, -‘unless you tell me what reason you have for -asking it.’</p> - -<p>‘What reason?’ she repeated. ‘The most powerful -of all reasons. But tell me only this: does she -think to marry him? <i>That</i> at least I have a right -to know. Ah! you do not answer. You cannot -deny it: I can read the truth in your face. And -so he intends to marry that pretty fair-haired girl, -does he? Ha, ha, ha!’ And she laughed a wild -laugh, which filled me with horror as I heard it.</p> - -<p>‘Who are you?’ I exclaimed. ‘And what do -you mean by such words?’</p> - -<p>‘Who am I?’ she reiterated. ‘You shall know -soon. I will tell you all, but not now. <i>He</i> must -be by, or my revenge will not be complete. But -there is no time to lose.’ So saying, she walked -hastily away, in spite of my efforts to detain her, -and quickly disappeared round the corner of the -chapter-house. In great consternation, I also -quitted the spot and hastened in search of my -companions. I found them at no great distance; -Mr Aslatt, Rose, and Mr Hammond seated on -some stones a little way beyond the Priory, chatting -together and looking out for me.</p> - -<p>‘Where have you been?’ exclaimed Rose as I -approached. ‘We were beginning to fear you were -lost.’</p> - -<p>‘I think it is about time for us to return home,’ -said Mr Aslatt, as he looked at his watch.</p> - -<p>‘I am quite ready,’ I replied; for I felt such -dread of the strange woman making her appearance, -that I longed to get away from the place.</p> - -<p>‘Oh, do not let us go yet!’ exclaimed Rose; -‘it is so delightful here.’ As she spoke she took -off her hat, and the light evening breeze played -at will amongst her sunny tresses. Her face was -radiant with happiness, as all unsuspicious of coming -woe she sat there; when suddenly a hand was -laid on her arm, and a low hoarse voice startled -us all with the words: ‘That man by your side -is a liar, and a traitor, fair lady!’</p> - -<p>It was the woman I had already seen. She had -come through the ruin behind us, and managed to -approach unseen as we sat with our faces turned -in another direction. Had some explosive missile -been suddenly thrown into our midst it could not -have produced greater consternation than did these -words. For a moment we were all speechless from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">{203}</a></span> -bewilderment. But the next, Rose recovered herself, -and the blood rushed in an angry torrent to -her face, as shaking off the woman’s hand, she -exclaimed indignantly: ‘How dare you? What -right have you to say such words?’</p> - -<p>‘The right of one who knows him far better -than you can—<i>for he is my husband!</i>’</p> - -<p>‘It is false!’ broke from Rose’s quivering lips, -as she turned appealingly to Mr Hammond; but -alas! his pallid face betrayed an agitation which -seemed to confirm the woman’s statement.</p> - -<p>‘This woman is mad,’ he said, striving hard to -maintain his composure.</p> - -<p>But Rose heeded not his words. She knew -intuitively that the worst was true. Mr Aslatt -was at her side in a moment, assuring her, as he -tenderly supported her fainting form, that she -need not fear, for the woman’s story should not -be believed without full proof. But she made no -reply; indeed I doubt whether she heard what he -said, for Nature kindly came to her relief, and she -sank into unconsciousness.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="LUNDY_ISLAND">LUNDY ISLAND.</h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">At</span> the mouth of the Bristol Channel, off the -pleasant western English shore, fighting as it were -with the long white waves of the Atlantic, and -with its lighthouse warning the mariner to give it -ample range, stands the lonely little island of -Lundy, between Devon on the south and the coast -of Wales on the north; while from the island’s -granite cliffs, looking towards the western horizon, -stretches the open Atlantic. It is a very little -place; only three and a half miles in length by -an average of one half mile in width, and of an -extreme altitude of a trifle over five hundred feet. -The top is an undulating table-land; the sides -slope down green with ferns, and in the blossoming-time -bright with flowers, to rocks, on the -eastern side of from one hundred and fifty to two -hundred feet in height; while to the west the -cliffs, rich with orange, yellow, and gray lichens, -are tumbled in strange confusion, and present a -scene of wild and precipitous grandeur. Of the -three thousand acres of which the island consists, -about five hundred are under cultivation, and -produce turnips and cereal crops, besides grass; -the remainder is gorse and heather, which, however, -is now also in course of being brought into -cultivation. Of farm-produce Lundy also rears -poultry, sheep, and cattle.</p> - -<p>In 1877, the population consisted of between -forty and fifty individuals, consisting of the proprietor -and his family and household, a farmer -and a dozen farm-labourers, three lighthouse-men, -and two signal-station-men; besides which the -islet boasts of a doctor and a clergyman—though -not of a church. The owner Mr W. H. Hearen -purchased the property in 1834, and has since, -for the most part, resided on his sea-girt rock.</p> - -<p>Solitary and little known as Lundy now is, it -was once a place of considerable importance. Of -its earliest history indeed nothing is ascertained; -even its name cannot be exactly traced, and the -suggestion that would derive it from the Norse -has not met with entire acceptance. Some years -since a discovery was made on the island which -would have been of more than local interest had -the occurrence been duly reported to any of the -scientific societies, and thoroughly investigated. -Some workmen in digging a foundation for a wall, -exhumed two skeletons, which excited wonder -from the unusual size of the bones, and from the -curious manner of their interment. The larger -skeleton, after careful (but unscientific) measurement, -was found to be eight feet three inches in -height; while the other, though smaller, was yet -of no ordinary stature. It has been thought that -probably some mistake has been made through -want of skill in the measurements; these interesting -relics were inclosed in stone slabs, according to -a primitive fashion.</p> - -<p>The time when Lundy comes clearly in view -is of much later date. The noble House of -Montmorency (or De Marisco, as the English -branch of the family was called) was in earliest recorded -possession of the island. The De Mariscos -seem to have been a restless turbulent set, a -weariness and a grief to their liege lords, two of -whom, namely Henry II. and John, respectively -made and confirmed a grant of the island as forfeited -to the crown (for the misdemeanours of -the De Mariscos of their days) to the Knights -Templar. The Knights, however, never had it -actually in their hands—the De Mariscos proving -too wily or too strong for ejectment. Be this as it -may, it is recorded that a Sir William de Marisco, -of sad piratical proclivities and practice, after a -fruitless attempt to murder his sovereign Henry -III., retired to his stronghold of Lundy, and there -flourished until he was captured by the king’s -forces, and summarily put to death. The ruins -of his castle at Lundy still bear his name, -and perched on the cliff top, commanding a -wide sea and coast view, and overlooking the -roadstead and single good landing-place of the -island, shew what a post of vantage he must have -held. Cottages nestle now for shelter from the -wild winter winds, within the thick walls of the -old keep; and the little gray beach below, shut in -by towering precipice and pinnacled rock, tells no -tale of former times.</p> - -<p>When the troublous days of difference between -Charles I. and his parliament darkened the -land, Lundy held out stoutly for the king; and -when at length, in the fainting of the king’s -fortunes, Thomas Bushell the governor writes for -permission to surrender it quietly, he concludes -his letter with words worthy of remembrance, -however obscure the scene and the actor: ‘But if -otherwise your Majesty shall require my longer -stay here, be confident, Sir, I shall sacrifice both life -and fortune before the loyalty of your obedient -servant, <span class="smcap">Thomas Bushell</span>.’ Charles replied from -Newcastle, the shadow of his fate already upon -him: ‘<span class="smcap">Bushell</span>—We have perused your letter, in -which we finde thy care to answer thy trust we first -reposed in thee. Now, since the place is inconsiderable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">{204}</a></span> -in itself ... we do hereby give you leave -to use your discretion in it, with this caution, that -you do take example from ourselves, and be not -over-credulous of vain promises, which hath made -us great only in our sufferings, and will not -discharge our debts.’</p> - -<p>In subsequent times the island seems to have -relapsed into its old wild piratical courses. Complaints -many and bitter are made against it. As -before it had been a refuge for outcasts, so -now it became a harbour for privateers, ‘who -put terror into all vessels;’ ‘much shooting’ -being heard there also on occasion. For a -time it falls into the hands of the French, -and is generally a terrible thorn in the sides of -the prosperous west country. The next name, -however, which has left any local memorial -is that of Thomas Benson, a gentleman of North -Devon, who renting the island from Lord Gower, -made free use of it for his smuggling ventures. A -large cave under the castle, where he is said to -have stored his contraband goods, is still called -‘Benson’s Cave,’ and must have afforded ample -room for many a ‘run cargo.’ To Lundy too he -exported such convicts as he was under contract -with government to convey to America, and employed -them in building walls, saying it ‘was all as -well as elsewhere, seeing it was out of England.’ -Finally, however, he ceased to enjoy the prosperity -of the wicked, and being discovered in a -nefarious scheme to rob the insurance offices, -he fled to Portugal, where he died. Since then, -excepting for some free fighting between Welsh -and Irish, the island has had little to recall its -stormier days, and appears to have faded out of -the public memory—so completely, that the -‘taxed British hoof,’ to use Emerson’s bland -expression, leaves no impress on its soil, and the -civilised miseries of rates are unknown; though -whether the omission is due to a lingering remnant -of its old sovereignty, or to its present insignificance, -we know not.</p> - -<p>In its geological aspect, Lundy seems to be allied -to Devonshire, consisting chiefly of granite and -slate. Both granite and slate are alike intersected -by numerous dikes, varying from one to thirty feet -in width, running from east to west, and described -as ‘belonging to a grand system of intrusive -greenstone.’</p> - -<p>Some years ago the granite was worked by a -Company, who brought stone-cutters from Scotland, -and opened quarries at considerable expense; -but the affair is said to have been -ill-managed, and the works were closed at a loss. -Copper has been found at the junction of the -slate and granite at the south end; but the -island has been so shaken here and in various -other parts by some terrible convulsion of nature, -that it is considered improbable that any lode -could be profitably followed up. The effects of -this convulsion are peculiarly manifested on the -western side, between the ‘Quarter’ and ‘Halfway’ -walls. Many rents are visible in the solid -rock. One large cleft, fern-fringed and flower-bedecked, -stands up like a perpendicular wall of -some fifty feet on the upper side; the lower, -broken and split, has slipped away from it in -tumbled rock and treacherous crevice. Below this -again is a second, deeper opening. At one end is -a narrow entrance, leading by a steep scrambling -descent into the yawning chasm. A few green -things grow in the chinks and cracks, and sparse -tufts of long grass mark the footway. The walls, -a little apart, and sloping slightly outwards, are -clean cut as by some giant’s sword. The air is -chill out of the sunshine, and the strip of sky -overhead looks blue and clear between its two -dark boundaries. Among the natural curiosities -of the island is a mass of granite resembling a -human head, with lineaments so perfect, that it is -difficult to believe that Art has not supplemented -Nature in its formation. The grave face looking -seawards, like a watching knight (The Knight -Templar as it is called), has probably been the -work of many centuries of subtle influences, -disintegration by wind and weather—as in the case -of the ‘Old Man of Hoy,’ which looks out on the -Pentland Firth—being the chief. The soil of the -island is principally of a black peaty nature, -with in parts a substratum of clay. And that the -land has been anciently extensively cultivated is -shewn by traces of the plough where now there is -only wild pasturage. Ruins of round towers (for -what purposes designed is unknown), and of -humble dwelling-places, are also visible.</p> - -<p>The flora of Lundy is extremely interesting, but -has never been exhaustively treated. Masses of -broom and gorse (<i>Ulex Europeus</i>) glow like living -lights on the ‘sidelands’ in the spring-time; or -in early autumn, the latter’s dwarf relative (<i>Ulex -nanus</i>) weaves, with heath and heather, carpets -gorgeous beyond those of Eastern looms. Thrift -(<i>Armeria vulgaris</i>) lies in breadths of pinky bloom, -and blue-bells climb like a tender mist along the -valleys and slopes. Regal foxgloves tower not -only over their own kindred, but above the usual -stature of man; and the <i>Osmunda regalis</i>, crowned -among ferns, waves its lovely fronds in the pure -sea-breeze. Thickets of honeysuckle make the -sunshine a fragrance; and the beautiful bladder -campion hangs like snow-wreaths from the rocks.</p> - -<p>With vegetation so luxuriant in for the most -part a mild equable temperature, the insect world -is, as would be supposed, a numerous one. The -beetle tribe alone, however, has been fully examined. -Mr Wollaston, who visited the island -many years ago (and is still remembered there -as ‘the beetle-catcher’), remarks on the richness -of this order of insects and the rarity of the -specimens he found there. He also mentions the -curious fact, which, however, has been since modified, -that the coleopterous fauna of Lundy is quite -dissimilar to that of Devonshire, its nearest neighbour, -resembling much in character that of Wales. -Mr J. B. Chanter of Barnstaple (to whose comprehensive -monograph on Lundy we have been indebted -for this paper) furnishes some notes regarding -certain rare insects found on the island.</p> - -<p>The ornithological fauna of Lundy is said to -be very remarkable. Amongst the rarer feathered -visitants may be mentioned the rose-coloured pastor, -the buff-breasted sandpiper, the golden oriole, -Bohemian waxwing, hoopoe, &c. Feathered songsters -too abound; and when ‘the time of the singing -of the birds is come,’ the air is stirred with their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">{205}</a></span> -thousand lyrics. But the chief feathered inhabitants -of the island are the sea-birds, the variety of -which, as at St Kilda, would well repay a visit -of the ornithologist.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BY-LAW_No_7">BY-LAW No. 7.</h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">I have</span> only two companions—the one a good-natured-looking, -middle-aged gentleman with a -mild benevolent expression, strangely at variance -with the nervous restlessness of his eyes; the -other a grim taciturn man, who has been absorbed -in his paper ever since the train left Edinburgh -<i>en route</i> for the South. They had got in together, -and were evidently travelling companions. Rather -a queerly assorted couple; for from their dress and -general appearance there could be no doubt but -that their stations in life were widely apart. What -could they be? Master and servant? Evidently -not; for the humbler of the two seemed to have -control of all their travelling arrangements. A -detective and his prisoner? I think not; for the -one looks too much at ease to have a troubled -conscience; and the other, though evidently in -command, treats his companion with more deference -than is compatible with the conscious power -of a captor.</p> - -<p>My speculations on this point have filled up a -gap in the journey. Having read all the war telegrams -in the morning paper, which I know I will -find contradicted in the evening editions when I -reach London; and having watched the telegraph -wires gliding up and down beside the carriage-window, -anon disappearing suddenly into space, -only to reappear as suddenly to continue their -monotonous up-and-down motion, I am beginning -to weary of this, and if neither of my companions -volunteers a remark, I must do something to force -a conversation.</p> - -<p>We are past Dunbar by this time, and are fast -approaching Berwick. I have been vainly trying to -catch the restless eyes of my apparently more companionable -companion. He is now closing them, -and evidently settling down for a quiet nap. My -more taciturn friend has never taken his attention -off his paper; he must either be a very slow reader, -or having exhausted the news, he must have fallen -on the advertisements. I offer him my paper. -He takes it with a bow, giving me his own in -exchange—<i>The Banffshire Gazette</i>. No news to be -got out of that after having exhausted <i>The Scotsman</i>. -I am soon reduced to the births, marriages, and -deaths. Much interested to know that the wife of -Hugh Macdonald stone-mason has presented him -with a son; also to hear that Mrs M‘Queen is dead; -and the nursery rhyme I sometimes hear my wife -repeating to our boys occurs to me, and I mentally -inquire, ‘How did she die?’ The announcement -does not, however, enlighten me on that point; -though it is easy to guess, seeing that it contains -the further information that she departed this life -at one hundred and one years of age, and is deeply -regretted. The latter assertion I fear is only a -conventional fib, for I find in a paragraph announcing -her death as a local centenarian, that she had -great possessions, which have fallen to her nearest -surviving relative, a great-grand-nephew.</p> - -<p>My friend opposite is fairly off to sleep. Quite -clear that he has nothing on his conscience. The -other is as deep in <i>The Scotsman</i> as he was erewhile -in his own paper. I can’t stand this any -longer. Talk I must. <i>The Banffshire Gazette</i> is -published in the county town bearing the same -name; so I see my way to an opening.</p> - -<p>‘You come from Banff, I presume? You must -have been travelling all night? No wonder our -friend here is worn out.’</p> - -<p>‘We have come from Banff,’ replies my friend, -with no trace of the churl in his voice or manner -that his appearance would lead me to expect. -‘We have come from Banff; but we have not -travelled all night. Our governor makes it a -point never to over-fatigue any of his patients. -It’s part of his system; so we broke our journey -at Edinburgh.’</p> - -<p>His patients! I would as soon have suspected -my opposite neighbour of being a criminal as an -invalid.</p> - -<p>‘Indeed,’ I say. ‘Might I inquire what is his -complaint?’</p> - -<p>My taciturn friend touches his head in a -mysterious way, and I am just in time to stop a -low whistle indicative of surprise, and to turn it -into another ‘Indeed.’</p> - -<p>‘What particular form does his—ahem—complaint -take?’</p> - -<p>I am beginning to hope he is not violent.</p> - -<p>‘Generosity.’</p> - -<p>‘Generosity?’</p> - -<p>‘Yes, sir. You see he gets all sorts of schemes -into his head for the relief of suffering of all -kinds; and his friends, fearing he might make -ducks and drakes of his money, have put him -under the care of our governor.’</p> - -<p>‘Is he wealthy?’</p> - -<p>‘Very.’</p> - -<p>‘Are his friends quite disinterested?’</p> - -<p>‘Well, I don’t know. But at anyrate they are -quite right. He might fall into the hands of -unprincipled people, who would help out his -schemes to further their own.’</p> - -<p>‘What is his latest plan?’</p> - -<p>‘Well, sir, his last idea was, that ambitious -people who had failed in their aims—such as -authors whose books were roughly handled by -the critics, artists whose works did not meet -with the appreciation they expected, actors whose -genius was not universally recognised, and suchlike—were -a great bore to society, and in their -turn were inclined to shun the world; so he proposed -building a retreat where all such could -retire to seclusion—a kind of Agapemone, you -see, sir.’</p> - -<p>‘If he had found a scanty population for his -rural settlement, it would nevertheless not be for -the lack of such people.’</p> - -<p>‘Just so, sir.’</p> - -<p>‘Do you consider his a hopeless case?’</p> - -<p>‘I fear so, sir. He’s one of the quiet sort, you -see. More violent cases are often easier to deal -with. Our governor turned out a rare wild one -quite cured the other day.’</p> - -<p>‘What was his treatment?’</p> - -<p>‘Letting him have his own way. It’s part of -our governor’s system; but it was rather risky in -this case.’</p> - -<p>I feel interested, and I intimate as much.</p> - -<p>‘Well, sir, Captain B—— had been down with -the yellow fever in the West Indies, and it was -such a severe attack that the doctors gave him up -as a bad job, and handed him over to the black -nurses to do what they could for him. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">{206}</a></span> -pulled him through, but with such strong doses -of quinine, that before he was convalescent his -reason was gone. His was suicidal mania—about -the worst kind we have to do with, for the patient -always has his victim handy if he can only get -the means. They had a rare job to get him over -to England; and when he was first put under the -governor’s care, he was about the worst case we -had. The governor studied him carefully, and -found that letting him have his own way was the -only thing that did him any good. He was very -fond of bathing; and by-and-by, when he began to -mend a little, he was allowed to go to a river near -our place. Of course I always went too, and kept -a pretty sharp eye on him. However, this did not -suit him; so one day he goes to the governor and -says: “Dr ——, it is not congenial to my feelings -as a gentleman, always to have that fellow with -me when I take my bath; I would much prefer -privacy.” The governor tried to put him off; but -the contradiction had a bad effect on him. Now -one of the governor’s theories is, that at a certain -stage of the complaint, if you can humour patients, -they have every chance of recovery; cross them, -and it is gone. “Captain B——,” says he, “I -know that if you pass your word to me, you will -keep it like a man of honour; so if you will give -me your word as an officer and gentleman that if -I let you go alone you will return to me in -an hour and report yourself, I will let you go.” -Captain B—— gave his word as required, and -every day he used to do the same, always coming -to give his word of honour, and returning each -day to report himself, proud of being trusted. It -was rather risky treatment for a suicidal patient, -but it succeeded. He’s as well now, sir, as you or I.</p> - -<p>‘There was another case we had, quite different’——</p> - -<p>I have settled myself into a listening attitude; -but my friend has suddenly ceased. Looking up, -I find my opposite neighbour has just awakened; -and his attendant having perhaps no other topic -of conversation than his professional experiences, -which he no doubt rightly considers an inappropriate -subject to discuss before one of his charges, -has relapsed to his perusal of <i>The Scotsman</i>, nor -do I hear another word from him till he bids me -good-day at York.</p> - -<p>‘Grantham, Grantham!’</p> - -<p>I have been following the example of the -generous lunatic, and taking a nap which almost -deserves the name of a sleep. I awake to the -glorious conviction that I am nearing my journey’s -end, and have unconsciously got over about one -hundred miles of loneliness. I have still some -hours before me yet, however, and seem doomed -to perform that part of the journey solus. What -shall I do to fill up the time? Happy thought! -Smoke! But this is not a smoking compartment, -and by-law No. 7 says ‘that any person smoking -in any carriage other than a smoking carriage shall -be liable to a penalty not exceeding forty shillings.’ -Bother by-law No. 7!</p> - -<p>I call the guard. The first-class smoking compartment -is full. Well, what’s to be done? A -small business transaction between the guard and -myself; beginning with my hand in my pocket -and ending with his in his; and he suggests that -as I am all alone and by his favour likely to be -so, I may as well smoke where I am. I light up -amidst evident preparations for a start, and am -quietly settling down to the enjoyment of my -cigar when the door hurriedly opens and I have a -companion—a man about my own height and age, -altogether not very unlike me. (I am of that -mediocre mould in which nature has formed so -many of my fellow-creatures.)</p> - -<p>I am to have a companion after all. Well, so -much the better. It will be somebody to talk to -and pass the time. I wonder if he is as taciturn -as my companions at the outset of the journey. -Evidently not; he is recovering his breath after -his hurry, and is preparing to address me.</p> - -<p>‘I’ll trouble you to put that cigar out, sir! I -object to smoke.’</p> - -<p>‘But, sir’——</p> - -<p>‘Here, guard! Tell this person to put his cigar -out at once. This is not a smoking compartment.’</p> - -<p>‘Plenty of room in the next carriage, sir. Would -you mind stepping in there?’</p> - -<p>‘Yes; I would mind. By-law No. 7 says, &c. -&c.,’ says my companion, standing blocking up the -doorway and arguing with the guard.</p> - -<p>‘Very sorry, sir; but you must put out your -cigar.’</p> - -<p>‘Can’t I go into the next carriage?’</p> - -<p>‘Two ladies in there, sir—old ladies!’</p> - -<p>‘Have you any empty compartment?’</p> - -<p>‘We’re just off, sir,’ says the guard, slamming -to the door, and the next minute we are spinning -on our way to Peterborough.</p> - -<p>Shall I put out my cigar? I have been -alluded to as a ‘person.’ I have been addressed in -a dictatorial manner, which has the very reverse -of a soothing influence on me. I feel ruffled and -obstinate. Had I been asked politely, my Havana -had been out of the window in a twinkling. Shall -I put it out or infringe by-law No. 7, and be fined -forty shillings? I <i>will</i> finish my cigar, and abide -by the consequences.</p> - -<p>My companion is evidently as unaccustomed to -opposition as I am to dictation, and for a few -minutes he stares at me dumbfounded, then he -lets fly his own version of King James’s Counterblast -against Tobacco. On my part I preserve an -obstinate silence. My companion pulls up the -window on his side; I put up that on mine, which -produces a violent fit of coughing on his part, when -down go both windows in a hurry.</p> - -<p>We have arrived at Peterborough, and the guard -is again called. I have almost finished my cigar, and -I throw the end away. My companion cannot let -the matter rest, however, and when we are started -again, he reads me another lecture, couched in such -unacceptable terms that for reply I light another -cigar.</p> - -<p>‘Sir, here is my card; and I insist upon knowing -your name and address.’</p> - -<p>I take his card, open my card-case, put his card -in, and return the case to my pocket without -giving him my card in exchange. I finish my -cigar amidst a volley of threats of getting my -name and address by force.</p> - -<p>We are at Finsbury Park now, and tickets are -being collected. This is the nearest station to my -home, and here I intend to leave the train. My -companion follows me up the platform, and calls -the guard to take my name and address. Being -under the scrutiny of the other passengers, who -evidently think I have got into trouble for card-sharping, -and having made up my mind to pay -the penalty, I lose no time in giving my card.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">{207}</a></span></p> - -<p>At home I am received with open arms, and I -am hurried into the dining-room by my boys to -inspect a device over the sideboard for my especial -benefit—‘Welcome’ in blue letters on a white -ground. My wife is full of inquiries after all our -friends in Edinburgh, and what sort of a journey -I have had.</p> - -<p>Having informed her that individually and collectively -all our friends are as well as could be -expected, considering the wintry weather they -have had, and that all were as kind and hospitable -as ever, I briefly tell her of my smoking adventure.</p> - -<p>‘And who was your companion?’ asks my wife.</p> - -<p>‘How should I know?’</p> - -<p>‘Why, you have his card.’</p> - -<p>‘To be sure; I quite forgot that,’ say I, producing -my card-case. I search it through carefully, but -no card, other than my own, can I find.</p> - -<p>‘I know I put it in here. Why, bless me! -I must have given it to the guard instead of my -own. How odd!’</p> - -<p>I have almost dismissed the adventure from my -mind, when a few days later my wife, in skimming -over the paper at the breakfast-table, breaks out -into a merry laugh. What on earth can she find -so amusing in any other than the ‘Agony’ column? -which I can see is not the portion under perusal. -It is the police reports, and she hands me the -paper, pointing out the place for my attention.</p> - -<p>‘At the —— Police Court, J—— B—— of Verandah -House, Crouch Hill, was summoned by the -Great Northern Railway Company for smoking -in a carriage not a smoking carriage, to the annoyance -of other passengers. The guard having proved -identity, and the accused’s card, given up by himself, -being put in as corroborative evidence, the -magistrate asked the defendant if he had anything -to say in reply. An attempt was made to prove -that the accused was really the complainant, and -that he had given the card produced to the real -offender; which the magistrate characterised as an -impudently lame defence, and fined the defendant -in the full penalty of forty shillings.’</p> - -<p>‘My dear,’ says my wife.</p> - -<p>‘Well, my dear?’ I respond.</p> - -<p>‘Verandah House is that pretty place that has -just been finished a little farther up the hill. -Don’t you think that you behaved in rather an -unneighbourly manner?’</p> - -<p>‘Did our neighbour behave any better?’</p> - -<p>‘At all events he has suffered unjustly. This -cannot be allowed to pass. Don’t you think you -had better call and apologise?’</p> - -<p>‘Well, I’ll think about it.’</p> - -<p>On my way home from the station that evening -I rang the visitor’s bell at Verandah House, -and was in due course ushered into the presence -of the eccentric proprietor. Our recognition was -mutual; and as my neighbour approached me, -I prepared to put myself in a defensive attitude. -His hand, however, was not extended to -commit an assault, and before I could stammer -out the elaborate apology I had prepared, I was -forestalled by a hearty shake of the hand and an -apology from the quondam fire-eater!</p> - -<p>Under such circumstances it may easily be -guessed that a satisfactory understanding was -soon arrived at, and an exchange of invitations -to spend the remainder of the evening in each -other’s society ended in my returning home with -my neighbour as my guest. I am very partial to -an after-dinner cigar. Having already committed -myself, however, I determined to practise a little -self-denial; but what was my surprise, when I had -carried off my neighbour to my study to shew -him a few rare volumes of which I am almost as -proud as I am of my children, to see my friend -produce a cigar-case, and not only offer me the -means of indulging my favourite weakness, but -himself preparing to join in it.</p> - -<p>‘You may well look surprised,’ said he; ‘but in -truth I am an inveterate smoker. I passed many -years of my life in Havana, and these cigars—which -I venture to say you will find remarkably -good—are of my own importing.’</p> - -<p>‘But you expressed such contrary opinions the -other day.’</p> - -<p>‘The fact is, that when in the West Indies I -suffered from a severe attack of yellow fever, and -the remedial appliances so affected my mind that -for some time I had to be placed under restraint. -Thanks to the skill of a clever practitioner, I am -cured; but my old malady still shews itself in -occasional fits of uncontrollable obstinacy.’</p> - -<p>‘I beg your pardon,’ say I; ‘but are you not a -military man?’</p> - -<p>‘Yes; I was captain in the ——th Regiment.’</p> - -<p>Captain B——! My mind reverts to the story -I had heard on the morning of our first meeting. -But was our friend as thoroughly cured as his -ex-keeper seemed to imagine? I can’t say, but I -know that he is an excellent neighbour. He -treats his misadventure as a capital joke; and it -is likely to be a stock story for the rest of his -life how he was fined forty shillings by the railway -company, because another passenger had -infringed by-law No. 7!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_LITTLE_DOG_MATCH">THE LITTLE DOG MATCH.</h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Fifty</span> years ago my great-grandmother sat in the -porch of her cottage, looking with pleasure on the -fragrant flowers growing in her garden and listening -to the song of her canaries hanging over her -head. It was a sultry August evening; and -gradually the sky overcast, a solemn stillness -stole over the scene, while large drops of rain and -heavy claps of thunder denoted the approach of -a storm. She rose and removed her birds to the -interior of the cottage. On returning to the open -door she saw a woman dragging wearily up the -garden-path followed by a lean and hungry-looking -dog.</p> - -<p>‘For the love of mercy, ma’am,’ began the -tramp, ‘please to buy a box or two of matches of -a poor woman, for I’ve not tasted food this blessed -day.’</p> - -<p>My great-grandmother looked at her with pity. -Benevolence formed a large ingredient in her -character. Here stood a fellow-creature whose -forlorn appearance and sickly countenance denoted -her condition as plainly as her words; while the -famished animal beside her was evidently unable -to travel farther. The good old lady spoke at -once in her primitive hospitality.</p> - -<p>‘Come in, poor soul, and sit ye down and rest. -A storm is coming up. Here, take this meal, and -enjoy it. You are truly welcome.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">{208}</a></span></p> - -<p>She busied herself in setting food before the -wanderer, and then turned to the wanderer’s -companion, her dog. ‘The poor dumb beast is -nearly dead,’ she said; and amid the violence of -the storm she exercised the bidding of the apostle -to the best of her ability.</p> - -<p>As soon as the tempest subsided the woman rose -to go, full of gratitude for the kindness shewn her. -The dog reposed comfortably on a rug, and seemed -indisposed to quit his new home.</p> - -<p>‘Would you care to have the dog, mistress?’ -said the owner. ‘He’s none so handsome; but -he’d guard thy house; and it’s part we must, -sooner or later. He’ll have a blessed exchange, -that’s certain.’</p> - -<p>My great-grandmother thanked her and expressed -her pleasure at the prospect of keeping the dog. -The woman went her way; her canine companion -stayed in his new home, and was, in remembrance -of his former owner, named Match. He proved -faithful and affectionate to his mistress, and soon -learned to distinguish her particular friends; while -to members of her family he ever paid the greatest -attention, trotting regularly every day to see her -daughter, my grandmother, who lived in the next -village, about a mile apart. He would, if the -front-door was open, walk through the house to -the part where the family lived, receive and -return their greetings, walk to a particular mat -which lay at the foot of the staircase, lie down -for a time, and then return.</p> - -<p>After he had lived some years with my aged -relative, a nephew of hers from the border of -Sherwood Forest, came to pay her a visit, and -witnessing the intelligence and fidelity of Match, -begged him as a present. Very loath she was to -part from her faithful friend; but the entreaties -of her favourite nephew prevailed, and when he -returned home he took the dog with him. His -journey was performed partly by stage-wagons, -partly on foot. Finally he wrote to announce his -safe arrival at home, with Match. Three weeks -later, as my grandmother and her daughters sat at -work one afternoon with open doors and windows, -the apparition of an emaciated dog stumbled over -the threshold, crawled feebly through the room -to his accustomed corner, and sank exhausted upon -the mat, too far gone to do more than raise his eyes -for sympathy to his well-known friends. There -was a great outcry. ‘It is poor Match!’ Work -was thrown aside and all gathered round the dog. -His bleeding feet were bathed, and some milk given -him, which he drank eagerly, afterwards licking -the hands outstretched to help; then, with a sigh -of relief and contentment, he fell asleep, and -stirred not all night. But in the early morning, -with a joyous bark, he bounded off through the -doorway, and swiftly made his way to his dear -old home, where he was received with every -demonstration of delight, which he returned with -interest.</p> - -<p>From that time to the day of his death, some -years later, Match was regarded as a hero, having -travelled more than one hundred miles on foot, -a road over which he had passed only once. -Afterwards it transpired that he had experienced -a beating for attempting to escape previously; and -when his flight was discovered, it was at once -conjectured whither he had gone, although it was -considered impossible for him to accomplish the -journey. Like many humble heroes, Match never -played a prominent part out of his own circle; -but among the family in which he lived his name -is handed down as an instance of true fidelity. -He had no pretensions to beauty, being a sandy-coloured -dog with short rough hair; but must -have possessed great powers of endurance and a -wonderful memory.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PHONOGRAPH_ODDITIES">PHONOGRAPH ODDITIES.</h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Professor Fleeming Jenkin</span> has applied the -phonograph to a very interesting series of observations -on the wave-forms of articulate sound. By -a process of enlargement of the vibrations caused -by the indented tinfoil, he, with the assistance of -Mr J. A. Ewing, has obtained a large series of -markings, upon bands of paper, by which the -wave-forms of different sounds have been shewn. -Some of those results Professor Jenkin has laid -before the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The -vowel sounds in the phonograph are found not -to be dependent on the speed with which the -cylinder of the phonograph is turned, the distinct -vowel being heard however much the pitch of the -note may be altered. He found that the phonograph -resolutely refused to reproduce the French -<i>u</i>, converting it always into the sound of <i>oo</i>. -On the black-board, Professor Jenkin illustrated -some of the constant forms assumed by the -sound-waves, one of the most interesting being -those of the letter <i>r</i>. In the case of the broad -sound of <i>a</i>, it was shewn that while with most -ordinary voices the wave took the form which -might be described as having two humps, a -rich bass voice had been found to give a wave-form -much more intricate, shewing four distinct -humps in each recurrent period of vibration. It -was found that the phonograph gave vowel sounds, -as well when the cylinder was turned backwards -as forwards; and encouraged by this, the consonants -were experimented upon, giving the same -result. Even with a consonant at the beginning -and end of a syllable, as, for example, <i>bab</i>, it was -rather unexpectedly found that the word would -be correctly repeated either way; shewing the -identity of the sound. Professor Jenkin gave -some amusement by describing the effects of reading -words backwards, stating that with careful -observation every sound could be heard, as, for -example, in ‘Association,’ which, when the cylinder -was reversed, could be distinctly heard as ‘nosh-a-i-sho-sa.’ -In ‘Edinburgh’—which he said Mr -Ewing could pronounce backwards, though <i>he</i> -could not—the various sounds could also be distinguished. -Words and sentences which when -pronounced backwards or forwards sound the -same, were tried. Thus was tried the well-known -sentence, ‘Madam, I’m Adam,’ with which -Adam is traditionally alleged to have saluted Eve; -but ‘Madam, I’m Adam,’ although spelt the same -both ways, did not sound the same in the phonograph, -the diphthongal sound of the ‘I’m’ giving -a sound like ‘mya.’ It is obvious from Professor -Fleeming Jenkin’s experiments that some interesting -points in acoustics may yet be settled by -means of this extraordinary instrument.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="center">Printed and Published by <span class="smcap">W. & R. Chambers</span>, 47 Paternoster -Row, <span class="smcap">London</span>, and 339 High Street, <span class="smcap">Edinburgh</span>.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="center"><i>All Rights Reserved.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>[Transcriber’s note: the following changes have been made to this text.</p> - -<p>Page 206: repeated word “an” corrected—“an hour and report”.]</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art,, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, APRIL 20, 1878 *** - -***** This file should be named 63240-h.htm or 63240-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/2/4/63240/ - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://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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