The Life Everlasting: A Reality of Romance

l have been quite alone on the 'Diana' as with Morton Harland and his daughter, though they were always uniformly kind to me and thoughtful of my comfort. But between us th

served up to us whenever we called at a port for the mails,-of the fish that frequented such and such waters, of sport, of this and that millionaire whose highland castle or shooting-box was crammed with the 'elite' whose delight is to kill innocent birds and animals,-of the latest fool-flyers in aeroplanes,-in short, no fashionable jabberer of social inanities could have beaten me in what average persons call 'common-sense talk,'-talk which resulted after a while in the usual vagueness of attention accompanied by smothered yawning. I was resolved not to lift the line of thought 'up in the air' in the manner whereof I had often been accused, but to keep it level with the ground. So that when we left Tobermory, where we had anchored for a couple of days, the limits of the yacht were becoming rather cramped and narrow for our differing minds, and a monotony was beginning to set in that threatened to be dangerous, if not unbearable. As the 'Diana' steamed along through the drowsy misty light of the summer afternoon, past the jagged coast of the mainland, I sat quite by myse

passed since I first wore it, it showed no signs of withering. As a rule the delicate waxen bells of this plant turn yellow a few hours after they are plucked,-but my little bunch was as brilliantly fresh as ever. I kept it in a glass without water on the table in my sitting-room and it looked always the same. I was questioning myself as to what I should rea

his voice sounded rather weak and dispirited-"Th

above, the sky was pure turquoise blue, melting into pale opal and emerald near the line of the grey sea which showed little flecks of white foam under the freshening breeze. Bringing my ga

d springing up in haste I offe

difficulty drew another chair up beside mine, an

in pain-horrible pain! Brayle did what he could for me-it was not mu

I laid my

d, gently-"I wish I coul

e with a curio

you do,"-he replied, and then was silen

am rather disap

d I smiled a

bled musings. When he resumed, it was in a low, medit

vitality. I repeat the words-an abounding exhaustless vitality. This interested me, because I know that our modern men and women are mostly only half alive. I heard of you that it did people good to be in your company,-that your influence upon

ot believe it,

ay that?" he

believe it,"-I answered-"It

re flashed in h

here! I did not believ

rself 'singular,' adopts a 'singular' pose, and is altogether removed from ordinary huma

are not life. But that secret which you are reported to possess-the secret of wonderful abounding exhaustless vitality-how does it happen that you have

s si

u. But one can see in you a worker-you evidently enjoy the exercise of the accomplishments you possess-and nothing comes amiss to you. I wonder how you manage it? When you joined us on this tr

with it. Just remember that when we have talked on any subject above the line of the general and

d you?" he interrupte

e told of me, you would have known I must have se

urprise and annoyance, and I met his gaze fully and

ble curiosity," he said

rsist in denying what is true? You are afraid of death-yet you invite it by ignoring the source of life! T

passion, and he

esearches of Larmor and Thomson of Cambridge. From them and other scientists we learn that electricity exists in small particles which we can in a manner see in the 'cathode' rays,-and these particles are called 'electrons.' These compose 'atoms of matter.' Well!-there are a trillion of atoms in each granule of dust,-while electrons are so much smaller, that a hundred thousand of them can lie in the diameter of an atom. I know all this,-but I do not know why the atoms or electrons should

to the Cause more than the Effect. For even I am a part of the whole,-I belong to the source of the stream as much as to the stream itself. An abstract, lifeless principle without

s eyes stea

mitting the obvious,-"And I suppose I am to presume that 'Itself' is the

you blind yourself to the open and visible fact of a Divine Intelligence working in and through all things. If you could but acknowledge it and set yourself in tune with

e answered, with a touch of scorn,-"I begin to t

d my

he demanded-"Don't you

experience of the world, has it never occurred to you t

id, somewhat testily, "And you

uickly-"Why do you want to find out that something

ens. The waves were roughening slightly and a swell from the Atlantic lifted the 'Diana' curtsying over

ds. I want you to enjoy this trip if possible,-but I fear that we are proving rather dull company for you. We are making for Skye at good speed and shall prob

to make the best of it and to try and steer clear of any possibilities or incidents which might tend to draw the line of demarcation too strongly between us. Some instinct told me that present conditions were not to remain as they were, so I answered my host gently and assured him of my entire willingness to fall in with any of

should all go after dinner into the deck saloon, where there was a piano, and that I should sing for them. I was rather surprised at this suggestion, as she was not fond of music. Nevertheless, there had been suc

lying lost among the cavernous slopes of the hills were broken at intervals by strange rifts of light arising as it were from the palpitating water, which now and again showed gleams of pale emerald and gold phosphorescence,-the stars looked large and white like straying bits of the moon, and the mysterious 'swishing' of slow ripples heaving against the sides of the yacht suggested the whisperings of uncanny spirits. We stood in a silent group, entranced by the grandeur of the night and by our own loneliness in the midst of it, for there was no sign of a fisherman's hut or boat moored to the shore, or anythi

er we live or die, work or are idle? These tragic hills, this cold lake, this white moon, were the same when Caesar lived, and would still be the same when we who gazed upon them now were all gone into the Unknown. It seemed difficult to try and realise this obvious fact-so difficult as to be almost unnatural. Supposing that any towns or villages had ever existed on this desolate shore, they had proved useless against the devouring forces of Nature,-just as the splendid buried cities of South America had proved useless in all their magnifi

-"But Miss Harland has gone into the deck sal

ed up

ight,"-I replied, rather tremulously-

y eyes were w

ies of health and vitality are not infallible!

ittle?" I

concerned! The sanest and most comfortable people on earth are those who eat well and nev

id, with a slight gest

"And I have had a wide experience. Now d

herine were seated there, with all the lights turned full on, so that the radiance of the moon through the

he exclaimed-"One would th

aug

t of ghosts. It's such a lonely place,"-and a slight tremor ran t

,"-said Mr. Harland-"Don't you know

low rippling accompaniment I sang

ld I sit

cken, pu'i

ld I sit

ill-side

e the plo

curlew

ow my mor

me is

e day w

k adown t

und hear

eart a-th

ld I sit

cken, pu'i

ld I sit

one an

re is somet

I am

rue and te

hills to

ld I sit

cken, pu'i

ld I sit

ne and

aptain Derrick suddenly appeared at the door

" he almost shouted-"Co

t strange y

ark and lonely waters of Loch Scavaig was poised, rather than anchored, the fairy vessel of my dreams, with all sails spread,-sails that were white as milk and seemingly drenched with a sparkling dewy radiance, for they scintillated like hoar-frost in the sun and glittered against the sombre background of the mountainous sh

what do you

all events and circumstances he seemed startled for once and a littl

is a REAL yacht

, coming as it did from a wom

ered-"Don't you see peopl

schooner appeared to be fully manned. Several of the crew were busy

Brayle, who had been watching her attentively-"But how it is done an

the point, and then without a sound of any kind, there she was, safe anchored before y

mpatiently wondering what would be the

anchored near each other in a lonely lake,-why should we not know each

g his silence at last-"But isn't it rat

-answered Dr. Brayle,

s Catherine, pleadingly-"What's the g

ve the chance to-morrow!"-said Captain Derrick, bluntly-"That

hting a cigarette as he spoke and beginning to smoke it with a careless

e saloon and wrote a note which he enclosed in a sealed

ey this order, he turned to his secretary:-"Mr. Swinton, I want you to take this note to the owne

and uncomfortable, took the not

mmered-"And-er-if the

the devil! You can say to him that the ladies of our party are very much interested in the beautiful illumination of his yacht

an illusion?" faltered Mr. Swinton, uneasily, glancing at the glistening sail

a laugh-the heartiest I

ver have thought you capable of nerves! Come, come

ystery there was,-and we all, by one instinct, pressed to the gangway as he descended the companion ladder and entered the boat, which glided away immediately with a low and rhythmical plash of oars. We could watch it as it drew nearer and nearer the illuminated vessel, and our excitement grew more and more intense. For once Mr. Harland and his daughter had forgotten all about themselves,-and Catherine's customary miserable expression of face had altogether disappeared in the keenness

e fellows are lowering the companion ladder-there's nothing sup

achting flannels, who, standing near one of the shining sails, caught some of the light on his own figure with undeniably becoming effect. I was the first to perceive him, and as I looked, the impression came upon me that he was no stranger,

must be the owner of the yacht

drops of water, and before we could quite realise it there was darkness where all had lately been so bright; and the canvas was hauled down. With the quenching of that intense brilliancy we lost sight of the human figures on deck and could not imagin

g back,"-he said,-

beating with painful quickness,-I could not understand the strange feeling that overpowered me. I felt as if my very soul were going out of my body to meet that oncoming boat which was cleaving its way through the darkness. Another brief interval and then we saw it shoot out into a patch of moonlight-we

ated Mr. Harland,-and he hurried to the gangway just

ice in the cheeriest of accents-"It's strange