The Marriage of Esther

s edge as he left the bay; his ruddy glare lit up the sea, the islands, and the cloudless heavens, and the effect grew even more weird and wonderful the further he sank into his crimson bed.

ng to him now in the white light of his new and greater anxiety. If anything disastrous should befall his wife in his absence, if she should die before he could get back to her, what would happen to him then? In that case the sooner he himself died the

tole out to meet him. The evening star trembled in its place, and one by one her sisters came to watch with her. Sometimes a big fish rose near the boat, and disappeared again with a sullen splash, awed perhaps by the silence and solemnity of the world upon the surface. Far away

moon. Little by little this indistinctness spread across the sky, and one by one the stars fell under its subtle influence and went back to their coffers in the treasure house of night. Then, with a beauty indescribable, a rim of gold looked up above the edge of the world, and grew every moment larger. It was the moon-the great round glorious tropic moon, and with her coming a broad track of s

ssion of the world's dead troop forth upon the silent waters like men walking on a silver road. There was no sound with them, not a footfall, neither a voice nor a rustle of garments. They came out of the east a mighty army, such as no man could number. They passed him where he sat and marched on again, still without a sound, towards the west. Every age and every nationality-semi-humans from the prehistoric ages, Israelites, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Medes, Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Goths, Greeks, Romans, Huns, and Norsemen; every race and every colour from the world's first death to the tiniest child giving up its little life at the moment that he looked was represented there. There were old men bowed down with the weight of years, young men in all the pride of manly strength, aged women, gentle matrons and young girls, children, a

he sea and under the sea paraded before him, and still the march went on. From every quarter of the globe the army was recruited, and everyone paused to look at this distracted man. In sheer weariness of movement he called upon them to stop-to stop if only for a minute. His voice rang out across the deep, again and again. But there was no change; there could be no halting in that march of death. As fast as the last ranks appeared thousands more came from all quarters to carry it on again. At first he had been all dumb, senseless wonderment. Then suddenly his ears were opened, and a second awful terror seized and held him spell-bound. He tried to shut his eyes to them, but th

us he could not tell. He looked at his watch, but it had stopped at half-past eight-the moment of his fall. A smart breeze was blowing, and, in a frenzy of recollection, he turned the boat's head for home, resolved to know the worst. In a moment he was tearing through the water like a thing possessed. This sense of rapid

e station. With a rush his fear gripped hold of him again, not to leave him till he knew the best or worst. Like a drunken man he drove his boat ashore, leaped out on the sands, and commenced to haul her up. It was only when he had done this that he became aware of something lying on the sand just above high-water mark. It was the body of a man stretched out at full length. Wondering whether he could be still under the influence of the nightmare that had held him so at sea, he approached it. T

the bed, he retraced his steps and went across to know his fate. As he approached the house he became conscious of a figure sitting in the veranda. When it rose, and came so

u. You ought to be a happy man. Your w

as if he had

ged to gasp. "Oh, my God,

ness, a little cry that went straight and plump to the very centre of the

k God! th

again Ellison's nature was stirred to its lowest de

ercy's sake tell me candidly. You don't kn

n who is with her is an excellent nurse, and I shall come across first thing

ng in the dark without anyone to look after you. You must

et refreshment before the doctor. He w

. "In the state I'm in I should be dead drunk if I drank a thimblef

ncing at the haggard face before him. "What on earth have you been doing with

at's what I have been doing. I've seen the d

e your

unconsciously Ellison extended one arm.

, and I prophesy you'll be as fit as a fiddle to-morrow. I shouldn't be at all surprised

a mirthless laugh. He had not recovered yet from

ay I se

abide strictly by what she says for a week or two. Above all you must not frighten your wife wit

f you did. And I'm pre

ertion on trust. No

ou down to

back to the house. He was bathing in a sea of happiness. His fondest dream was realised. He went into the sitting room and threw himself upon the sofa. He had h

e towards him. "He's the noblest boy I've seen these

hrined the treasure, and Ellison

rms, sir. It's a proud

d seemed to him then. In spite of everything that had gone before he would not have changed place

e asked, as he laid the bab

ou when she

s thunder of the surf upon the reef. He contrasted this night with that when, after the fight at the Hotel of All Nations, he had waited on the side of

door, and once more Mrs.

to see her for a moment, you can do so.

hair straggled across the pillow, and her great eyes looked into his with a love that nothing could ever quench. One hand lay on the coverlet; he took it softly

me the

his arms. Then stooping, with all the tenderness his nature was capable of, he laid the sleep

and softly hurried from the room, his he