  Taking up my girl's body in my arms, I stumbled over the wreck-encumbered deck, and bore it to the state-room she had occupied on the outward voyage. Percival was too busy attending to wounded sailors to be interrupted. His services, I knew, were useless now, but I wanted him to refute or corroborate a conviction which my own medical knowledge had forced upon me. The thought was so repellent, I clung to any hope which might lead to its dispersion. I waited alone with my dead. Percival came after an hour, which seemed to me an eternity. He stammered out some incoherent words of sympathy as soon as he looked in my face. But this was not the purpose for which I had detached him from his pressing duties elsewhere. I made a gesture towards the dead girl. "She has fainted!" he exclaimed, as he approached the rigid figure. I said nothing until he turned and faced me. Then I read his eyes. He said slowly: "You are aware, Marcel, that—that she is dead?" "I am." "That she has been dead—several hours?" "I am." "But let me think. It was only an hour—" "No; do not think," I interrupted. "There are things in this voyage which will not bear to be thought of. I thank you for coming so soon. You will forgive me for troubling you when you have so much to do elsewhere. And now leave us alone. I mean, leave me alone." He pressed my hand, and went away without a word. I am that man's friend. They buried her at sea. I was happily unconscious at the time, and so was spared that scene. Edith Metford, weak and The voyage home was a dreary episode. There is little more to tell, and it must be told quickly. Percival was kind, but it distressed me to find that he now plainly regarded me as weak-minded from the stress of my trouble. Once, in the extremity of my misery, I began a relation of my adventures to him, for I wanted his help. The look upon his face was enough for me. I did not make the same mistake again. To Anderson I made amends for my extravagant display of temper. He received me more kindly than I expected. I no longer thought of the money that had passed between us. And, to do him tardy justice, I do not think he thought of it either. At least he did not offer any of it back. His scruples, I presume, were conscientious. Indeed, I was no longer worth a man's enmity. Sympathy was now the only indignity that could be put upon me. And Anderson did not trespass in that direction. My misery was, I thought, complete. We were steaming along the southern coast of Java. For many hours the rugged cliffs and giant rocks which fence the island against the onslaught of the Indian Ocean had passed before us as in review, and we—Edith Metford and I—sat on the deck silently, with many thoughts in common, but without the interchange of a spoken word. The stern, forbidding aspect of that iron coast increased the gloom which had settled on my brain. Its ramparts of lonely sea-drenched crags depressed me below the mental zero that was now habitual with me. The sun went down in a red glare, which moved me not. The short twilight passed quickly, but I noticed nothing. Then night came. The restless sea disappeared in darkness. The grand march past of the silent stars began. But I neither knew nor cared. A soft whisper stirred me. "Arthur, for God's sake rouse yourself! You are brooding a great deal too much. It will destroy you." Listlessly I put my hand in hers, and clasped her fingers gently. "Bear with me!" I pleaded. "I will bear with you for ever. But you must fight on. You have not won yet." "No, nor ever shall. I have fought my last fight. The victory may go to whosoever desires it." On this she wept. I could not bear that she should suffer from my misery, and so, guarding carefully her injured arm, I drew her close to me. And then, out of the darkness of the night, far over the solitude of the sea, there came to us the sound of a voice. That voice was a woman's wail. The girl beside me shuddered and drew back. I did not ask her if she had heard. I knew she had heard. We arose and stood apart without any explanation. From that moment a caress would have been a sacrilege. I did not hear that weird sound again, nor aught else for an hour or more save the bursting of the breakers on the crags of Java. I kept no record of the commonplaces of our Edith Metford remains my friend. To part utterly after what we have undergone together is beyond our strength. But between us there is a nameless shadow, reminiscent of that awful night in the Arafura Sea, when death came very near to us. And in my ears there is always the echo of that voice which I heard by the shores of Java when the misty borderland between life and death seemed clear. My story is told. I cannot prove its truth, for there is much in it to which I am the only living witness. I cannot prove whether Herbert Brande was a scientific magician possessed of all the powers he claimed, or merely a mad physicist in charge of a new and terrible explosive; nor whether Edward Grey ever started for Labrador. The burthen of the proof of this last must be borne by others—unless it be left to Grey I am content to wait. THE END. LONDON: DIGBY, LONG AND CO., PUBLISHERS, 18 BOUVERIE STREET, FLEET STREET, E.C. ROBERT CROMIE'S BOOKS OPINIONS OF THE PRESS A PLUNGE INTO SPACE With Preface by Jules Verne Times.—The story is written with considerable liveliness, the scientific jargon is sufficiently perplexing, and the characters are sketched with some humour. Chronicle.—A strange, weird, mysterious story that holds the reader spell-bound, from the first page to the last. AthenÆum.—Mr. Cromie's Utopia is charming, and the quasi-scientific detail of the expedition is given with so much integrity that we hardly wonder at the marvellous results accomplished. Truth.—A very clever description of a flight through space to Mars ... the book is extremely interesting and suggestive; especially, perhaps, where it attacks the theories of Mr. George and "Looking Backwards." Court Journal.—Mr. Robert Cromie's remarkably clever and entertaining volume is told with much of the vivid fancy of a Jules Verne—with remarkable picturesqueness, and the experiences of mortals in Mars are described with considerable humour. Review of Reviews.—An unquestionably interesting story. The adventures of the hero and his friends are in no small degree thrilling. Glasgow Herald.—The imagination is brilliant, the scientific details are skilfully worked in, the dialogues and descriptions are lively and interesting, and the pictures of Martian life and scenery are remarkable—a decidedly clever book. FOR ENGLAND'S SAKE Academy.—There is not a dull page in the story. Army and Navy Gazette.—A capital little story of military life, full of bright word-painting. Literary World.—This exciting chapter in the history of the future is written with a great deal of enthusiasm, and a great deal of common sense to boot. Irish Times.—The plot is well conceived, and the interest throughout is well maintained. Belfast Northern Whig.—The author displays much constructive and descriptive power. He is most felicitous in his word pictures of scenery, and imparts a fascinating dash to his military scenes. Belfast Morning News.—Deeply interesting without being sensational, this charming story of love and war is sure to appeal with force to a large circle of readers. Liverpool Daily Post.—A well-told story of life and love in troublous times in India. IN SOUTHERN SEAS Written in Collaboration With W. R. Ringland. AthenÆum.—A bright, compact, and highly readable narrative, full of incidents, and illustrated with clever little vignettes. Newcastle Chronicle.—A really charming book—deeply interesting, and full of capital drawings. Scotsman.—A very well-written narrative of a trip, and as such, about as good as it could be. Spectator.—A pleasant little book of travel. Leeds Mercury.—The author relies on vivid description, pointed and racy pictures, and lively and striking incident for interest. Saturday Review.—Brightly written, and yet more brightly illustrated. The foregoing Books may be had through Digby, Long & Co., 18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, London, E.C. MAY 1895 SUPPLEMENTARY LIST DIGBY, LONG & CO.'S IN ONE VOLUME, Price 6s. NEW NOVEL BY DR ARABELLA KENEALY. The Honourable Mrs Spoor. 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The tale is told with spirit and vivacity, and shows no little skill in its descriptive passages." The PALL MALL GAZETTE says:—"A book to be read breathlessly from beginning to end. It is decidedly original ... its vivid interest. The picture of the girl is admirably drawn. The style is bright and easy." TRUTH says:—"Its heroine is at once original and charming." NEW NOVEL BY DORA RUSSELL. The Other Bond. By the Author of "A Hidden Chain," "A Country Sweetheart," "The Drift of Fate," etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s. [Third Edition. The ATHENÆUM on Miss Russell's Works, says:—"Miss Russell writes easily and well, and she has the gift of making her characters describe themselves by their dialogue, which is bright and natural." NEW NOVEL BY L. T. MEADE. A Life for a Love. By the Author of "The Medicine Lady," "A Soldier of Fortune," "In an Iron Grip," etc., etc. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s. With a Frontispiece by Hal Hurst. [Third Edition. Just out. The DAILY TELEGRAPH says:—"This thrilling tale. 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Note.—Other Works in the same Series in due course. MISCELLANEOUS. A History of the Great Western Railway from Its Inception to the Present Time. By G. A. Sekon. Revised by F. G. Saunders, Chairman of the Great Western Railway. Demy 8vo, 390 pages, cloth, 7s. 6d. With numerous Illustrations. *** Illustrated Prospectus, post free. [Second Edition. The TIMES, April 12th, 1895.—"Mr Sekon's volume is full of interest, and constitutes an important chapter in the history of railway development in England." The STANDARD (Leader), April 4th, 1895.—"An excellent addition to the literature of our iron roads." The DAILY TELEGRAPH, April 13th, 1895.—"Mr G. A. Sekon has performed a service to the public. His book is full of interest, and is evidently the result of a great deal of painstaking inquiry.... His book is made all the more valuable by several pictures of engines, collisions, the Saltash Bridge, the Old Bath Station and the Box Tunnel; and it will be welcomed by all interested in the history and extraordinary expansion of our iron roadways." Three Empresses. Josephine, Marie-Louise, EugÉnie. By Caroline Geary, Author of "In Other Lands," etc. With portraits. Cr. 8vo, cloth, 6s. (Second Edit.) The PALL MALL GAZETTE says:—"This charming book.... Gracefully and graphically written, the story of each Empress is clearly and fully told.... This delightful book." Winter and Summer Excursions in Canada. By C. L. Johnstone, Author of "Historical Families of Dumfriesshire," etc. With Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s. The DAILY NEWS says:—"Not for a long while have we read a book of its class which deserves so much confidence. Intending settlers would do well to study Mr Johnstone's book." The Author's Manual. By Percy Russell. With Prefatory Remarks by Mr Gladstone. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d. net. (Eighth and Cheaper Edition.) With portrait. The WESTMINSTER REVIEW says:—"... Mr Russell's book is a very complete manual and guide for journalist and author. It is not a merely practical work—it is literary and appreciative of literature in its best sense; ... we have little else but praise for the volume." A Guide to British and American Novels. From the Earliest Period to the end of 1894. By Percy Russell, Author of "The Author's Manual," etc. Crown 8vo, cloth. Price 3s. 6d. net. (Second Edition carefully revised.) The SPECTATOR says:—"Mr Russell's familiarity with every form of novel is amazing, and his summaries of plots and comments thereon are as brief and lucid as they are various." Sixty Years' Experience as an Irish Landlord. Memoirs of John Hamilton, D.L. of St Ernan's, Donegal. Edited, with Introduction, by the Rev. H. C. White, late Chaplain, Paris. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s. With Portrait. The TIMES says:—"Much valuable light on the real history of Ireland, and of the Irish agrarian question in the present century is thrown by a very interesting volume entitled 'Sixty Years' Experience as an Irish Landlord.'... This very instructive volume." Nigh on Sixty Years at Sea. By Robert Woolward ("Old Woolward"). Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s. With Portrait. (Second Edition.) The TIMES says:—"Very entertaining reading. Captain Woolward writes sensibly and straightforwardly, and tells his story with the frankness of an old salt. He has a keen sense of humour, and his stories are endless and very entertaining." Whose Fault? The Story of a Trial at Nisi Prius. By Ellis J. Davis, Barrister-at-Law. In handsome pictorial binding. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d. The TIMES says:—"An ingenious attempt to convey to the lay mind an accurate and complete idea of the origin and progress and all the essential circumstances of an ordinary action at law. The idea is certainly a good one, and is executed in very entertaining fashion.... Mr Davis's instructive little book." Borodin and Liszt. I.—Life and Works of a Russian Composer. II.—Liszt, as sketched in the Letters of Borodin. By Alfred Habets. Translated with a Preface by Rosa Newmarch. With Portraits and Fac-similes. [Just out. Fragments from Victor Hugo's Legends and Lyrics. By Cecilia Elizabeth Meetkerke. Crown 8vo, cloth, 7s. 6d. The WORLD says:—"The most admirable rendering of French poetry into English that has come to our knowledge since Father Prout's translation of 'La Chant du Cosaque.'" BY THE AUTHOR OF "SONG FAVOURS." MinutiÆ. By Charles William Dalmon. Royal 16mo, cloth elegant, price 2s. 6d. The ACADEMY says:—"His song has a rare and sweet note. The little book has colour and fragrance, and is none the less welcome because the fragrance is delicate, evanescent; the colours of white and silver grey and lavender, rather than brilliant and exuberant.... Mr Dalmon's genuine artistry. In his sonnets he shows a deft touch, particularly in the fine one, 'Ecce Ancilla Domini.' Yet, after all, it is in the lyrics that he is most individual.... Let him take heart, for surely the song that he has to sing is worth singing." *** A complete Catalogue of Novels, Travels, Biographies, Poems, etc., with a critical or descriptive notice of each, free by post on application. London: DIGBY, LONG & CO., Publishers, Transcriber's Note: "If we fail to act before the 31st December, in the year 2000, he will proceed." (p. 151) has been amended to the year 1900, bearing in mind the story takes place towards the end of the 19th century. |
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