Mrs. Falchion, Volume 1.

usand iron eyes, in strong repose by the Arabian Sea. Overhead was the cloudless sun, and everywhere the tremulous glare of a sandy shore and the creamy wash of the sea, like fusing opals.

e. Beyond the mountain-wall and lofty Jebel Shamsan, rising in fine pink and bronze, and at the end of a high-walled path between the great hills, lay the town of Aden proper. Ab

k the disabled and wounded from a battle, in which a handful of British soldiers were set to punish thirty times their number in an unknown country. But there was another man-of-war in port with which we were familiar. We passed it far out on the Indian Ocean. It again passed us, and reached Aden before we did. The 'Porcupine' lay not far from the 'Fulvia', and as I leaned over the bulwarks, idly looking at her, a boat shot away from her side, and came towards us. As it drew near, I saw that it w

ght some sketching materials, and both of us (for, as has been suggested, I had a slight gift for drawing) made sketches of the burial-place. Having done this, we moved away to other parts of the cemetery, looking at the tombstones, many of which told sad tales enough of those

swimming with tears and

t I

to the

OR C

n the Fr

his friend,

B.

s was the s

evil hath

ur brother

one brother." Her t

coe, who was

l he spent-all." Now I guessed the meaning of the scene on board the 'Fulvia', when she had been so anxious to preserve her present relations with Mrs. Falchion. This was the secret-a beautiful one. She rose. "They disgraced Hector in New Caledonia," she said, "because he refused to punish a convict at Ile Nou who did not deserve i

n beside the grave, but

She drew from her dress a letter. "It is here. Pleas

to the letter was

was dressed in civilian's clothes, I guessed to be an officer of the navy. He was of more than middle height, had black hair, dark blue eyes, straight, strongly-marked brows, and was clean-shaven. He was a little ascetic-looking, and rather interesting and uncommon, and yet he was unmistakably a sea-going man. It was a face that one would turn to look at again and again-a

"but you remind me of one whose grave I came to see." His hand made a slight motion toward Hector Caron's resting-place. Her

nd he held out his hand. She took it, and kissed it imp

said. "I am only grateful now-grateful altogether. And you will t

compassionately, and yet with a little scrutiny, as though to know mo

ht by saying: "I am the

ron here. She is trave

tine here said: "Travel

er humble herself so. A look of understanding came into Roscoe's face. Then he said: "

l see very little of yo

d supported her. The weakness lasted only for a moment, and then, steadying herself, she said to both of us: "

ip; but before he finally went, he put on the grave a small bouquet from his buttonhole. Then I excused myself from Justine, and, going over to Miss Treherne, explained to her the circumstances, and asked her if she would go and speak to the afflicted g

I will go to her, poor girl! Wil

terest in Justine, she rather naively turned the talk upon the charms of Europe. And, I fear, not without some slight cynicism, I followed her where she led; for, as I said to myself, it did not matter what direction our idle tongues took, so long as I kept my mind

insisted she was well enough to go back to the vessel alo

en, beautiful attendants of the heroes and heroines of tragedy, who, when all is over, close the eyes, compose the bodies, and cover the faces of the dead, pronouncing with just lips the benediction, fittest in their mouths. Their loves, their deeds,

sh world draw th

l my s

that we should first explore the port-town, and then visit the city of Aden

avans of camels, with dusty stride, swung up the hillside and beyond into the desert; the Jewish water-carrier with his donkey trudged down the pass from the cool fountains in the volcanic hills; a guard of eunuchs marched by with the harem of a Mohammedan; in the doorways of the houses goats and donkeys fed. Jews, with greasy faces, red-hemmed skirt, and hungry look, moved about, offeri

be polite to co

for alms. In about three-quarters of an hour we had passed the lofty barriers of Jebel Shamsan and its comrades, and were making clouds of dust in the streets of Aden. In spite of the cantonments, the British Government House, and the European Church, it was an Oriental town pure and simple, where the slow-footed hours wandered by, leaving apathy in their train; where sloth and surfeit sat in the market-places; idle women gossiped in

in Kandy, in Calcutta, i

Queensland

ct, the only spots of verdure on the peninsula of Aden. It was a very sickly green, from which wan and dusty fig trees rose. In their scant shadow, or in the shelter of an overhanging ledge of rock, Ar

den did not have the benefits conferred even on the land of the seven fat and seven lean kine-that there had not been rain there for

feel it so! It is like looking at old graves. And how hig

have done so, but Mrs. Callendar was anxious to accept, therefore we expressed our gratitude and joined the group. On second thoughts I was glad that we did so, because, otherwise, my party must have been without refreshments until they returned to the ship-the restaurants at Aden are not to be trusted. To me Mrs. Falchion was p

nt of Amshar, the guide of Mrs. Falchion's party. Among a score of claimants, Amshar had had one particular opponent-a personal enemy-who would not desist even when the choice had been made. He, indeed, had been the first to solicit the party, and wa

rn, the Queenslander said, "Amshar, the other fellow

s of the head, I noticed that his hand trembled as he handed me

fe with these cut-thro

ow, who have had to deal

hink no more of

s of dispersing a mob of aborigi

p briskly. "I don't know wh

kangaroo battue

, slaughtering kanga

d the novelist. "That is the aristocratic meth

f adjectives!-of native races. But we fellows, who have lost some of the best friends we ever had-chums with whom we've shared blanket and tucker-by the crack of a nulla-nulla in the dark, or a spear from the scrub, can't find a place for Exeter Hall and its 'poor native' in

town out of existence with Hotchkiss guns-leaves it naked and dead. That is dispersion too; I have seen it, and

he said, "I need no further evidence to pro

, he turned towards Mrs. Falchion, and continued: "I drink to the health of the best teacher." And every one laughingly responded. This impromptu toast would have been drunk with more wa

andered outside the gardens, passing the rejected guide as w

You've always got a fine

as we were entering the garden again, we heard loud cries.

was crouching behind Mrs. Falchion, and clinging to her skirts in abject fear. The Arab threatened with a knife. He could not ge

this narrow and precipitous wall,-he had suddenly rushed after them. As he did so, Miss Trehern

ne mus

as well as Amshar's. They swayed. They hung on the edge of the rocky chasm. Then we lost the gleam of the knife, and the Arab shivered, and toppled over. Mrs. Falchion would have gone with him, but Amshar caught her about the waist, and saved her from the fall which wou

y turning aside, began to arrange her hair. As I approached her, she glanced down at the Arab. "Horrible! horri

wn-her courage, her cool daring. In her face now there was a look of annoyance, and possibly disgust, as well as of triumph-so natural in cases of physical prowess. Everybody offer

into a heroine, around whom a halo of romance would settle whenever her name should be mentioned. Now, men, eligible and i

After the occurrence with the Arab, the other event was certainly much less prominent, and here, after many years, I can see that the act was less in he

so womanly and feminine her manner. Mrs. Callendar was loud in her exclamations of delight and wonder at Mrs. Falchion's coolness; and th

at Clovelly thought he understood her perfectly. Colonel Ryder, who was loyal at all times, said she had the nerve of a woman from Kentucky. Moreover, he had presence of mind, for he had immediately sent off a native to inform the authorities of what had occurred; so that before we had got

cup awaited us, we were received by the governor, who was full of admiration of Mrs. Falchion.

edingly," said the gove

gical interruption; but

privilege of meeting a

er had introduced us a

overnor, as it certainl

ear the natives if we ha

llency c

ed gallantly that the Government of Aden would always remain Mrs. Falchion's debtor. She replied that it was a debt she would be glad to preserve unse

ted that it might fall to his lot to visit Australia some day. Thereupon the bookmaker insisted on the aide-de-camp accepting the cigar-case, and gave him his visiting-card. The aide-de-camp lost nothing by his good-humoured acceptance, if he smoked, because, as I knew, the cigars were very good indeed. Bookmakers, gamblers and Jews are good ju

me, and was handed over to me. I recognised the handwriting. It was that of Boyd Madras. He had come ashore by Hungerford's aid in t