The Sleeper Awakes

amine the caves there. Halfway down the precipitous path to the Pentargen beach he came suddenly upon a man sitting in an attitude of profound distress ben

more so, and, to override the awkwardness of his involuntary pause, he remarked,

ly, hesitated a second, and added i

" was all he said, but his bear

s to Isbister's face and emphasizing his words with a languid h

adv

.... They are all very well for the run of people. It's hard

t difficult,"

under the circumstances, prompted him to keep the conversation going. "I've never suffered from sleeplessness mysel

ake no ex

esture of rejection, and for

with a glance from his interlocutor's face o

ay after day--from New Quay. It has only added muscular fatigue to the men

bbed his forehead with a lean hand. He res

childless--who is it speaks of the childless as the dead twigs on the tree of life? I am wifeless, ch

! Live! We only live in patches. We have to eat, and then comes the dull digestive complacencies--or irritations. We have to take the air or else our thoughts grow sluggish, stupid, run into gulfs and blind alleys. A thousand distractions arise from within and wi

" said

the sleepless man with

s is the

es

e the two remaine

nce my work was done, my mind has been a whirlpool, swift, unprogressive and incessant, a torren

ively, and with an air of a remedy di

never clearer. But I know I am dra

es

y? Out of the light of the day, out

postulate

yself. If in no other way--at the foot of yonder dark precipice there, where the waves are green, and the

tartled at the man's hysterical gust of

leep," repeated the str

here's a cliff like that at Lulworth Cove--as high, anyhow--and a li

se rocks

h a cold night, broken bones grating as one s

l-may-careish brilliance. "But a suicide over that cliff (or any cliff for the m

ss man irritably, "the other thing. No

walking along t

es

o cure for brain fag. Who told you to? No wonder; walking! And the sun on your head, heat,

rt and looked at the

e for ever! See the white spume rush into darkness under that great cliff. And this blue vault, with the blinding sun pouring

s and bloodless lips. He spoke almost in a whisper. "It is the gar

e sunlit cliffs about them and back to that

on. "You get a night's sleep," he said, "and you wo

t the bare thought of which, was righteous self-applause. He took possession forthwith. The first need of this exhausted being was compani

nly in answer to Isbister's direct questions--and not to all of those.

wards Boscastle, alleging the view into Blackapit, he submitted quietly. Halfway up he began talking to himself, and abruptly turned a ghastly face on his helper. "Wh

ith his ha

ister with the air of an old friend.

ng his whirling brain. At the headland they stood by the seat that looks into the dark mysteries of Blackapit, and then he sat down. Isbister had resumed his talk whenever the path had widened suf

weight. No--not drowsiness, would God it were! It is like a shadow, a deep shadow falling suddenly and swiftly across something busy. Spin, spin into t

pped f

I can understand. At any rate, it don't matter ve

awhile while this rubbing continued, and then he had a fresh idea. "Come down to my room,

iently and followed

ments were slow and hesitating. "Come in with me," said Isbister, "and t

. "I don't drink," he said slowly, coming up the garden path, and after a moment's

d entered the room with the be

ll into it. He leant forward with his brows on his hands and be

t, making little remarks that scarcely required answering. He crossed the

and--his mind troubled with ideas of a furtive administration of chloral. "Only cold mutton, you

wer. Isbister stopped, mat

the portfolio, opened it, put it down, hesitated, seemed about to speak. "Perhaps," he whispered doubtfully. Presently he glanced

ch, and stood where the monkshood rose at the corner of the garden bed. From this point he could

lities with him. He felt that possibly his circumspect attitude and position looked peculiar and unaccountabl

complacency. "At any rate one must give him a chance." He str

f his sitting-room. He had some difficulty in explaining the situation in whispers, for she did not know he had a visitor. She retreated again wit

itude, dark against the window. Save for the singing of some sailors aboard one of the little slate-carrying ships in the harbour the evening was very still. Outside, the spikes of monkshood and delphinium stood erect and motionl

thing came from

ce to listen. At last he could lay his hand on the back of t

tor's face. He started violently and uttered an

the lids. He was afraid. He took the man by the shoulder and shook him. "Ar

dead. He became active and noisy, strode across the room, b

he said in the passage. "There i

ow glare as his landlady entered with the light. His face was white as he turned blinking towards her. "I must fetch