Stella Fregelius: A Tale of Three Destinies

tremulous fire; below, to the shadowy horizon, stretched the plain of the soft grey s

ea beneath and sky above. Then he contemplated the horizon, and murmured s

the stars would be as silent and as far away, and the sea quite as restless and as salt. Yet there must be a place where they do

hy should it stop travelling? Give it time enough, a few seconds, or a few minutes or a few years, and why should it not reach that star? Very likely it does, only there it wastes itself. What would be needed to make it serviceable?

athered that Morris Monk was that rather common yet

ern our history: that by means of a certain machine which he had conceived, but not as yet perfected, it would be possible to complete all existing systems of aerial communication, and enormously to simplify their action and enlarge their scope. His instruments, which were wireless telephones-aerophones he cal

n able to repeat the exact conditions; or, rather, to discover precisely what they were. On that occasion he had entrusted one of his machines to his first cousin, Mary Porson, a big girl with her hair still down her back, rather idle in disposition, but very intelligent,

the appointed hour, as Morris had often done before, he tried to effect communication, but without result. On the following day, at the same hour, he tried

as a matter of form-of very common form-and well-

n telegraphed for to go to Bea

with her?" he aske

must stop; I can't speak any more

e was brought back to him in a dog-cart, and three day

kest part of their intimacy seemed to have vanished. There was a veil between them. Mary thought of little, and at this time seemed to care for no one except her mother, who was dead. And Morris, who had loved the child, recoiled somewhat from the new-bo

mbling with excitement,

far away. "Why shouldn't you? There are so many odd things of

try again?

e I shall hear anything now. Somehow-since that

ou have nothing to do with the

t, then, why couldn't you mak

nothing. He, t

hough some were partially successful. Thus, at times Mary could hear what he said. But except for a word or two, and now a

, dashing his fist upon the table in impo

he ceiling, and reflectively rubbed her

it was the oracles themselves that were so vague. Well, I suppose because 'was' is a

s patent receive

hat's why you can't hear me. Take my advice, Morris"-and she looked at him sharply-"when you find a woman whom you can h

ent sympathy between the operators of its divided halves. If that were so, what was the use of his wonderful discovery, for who could ensure a sympathetic correspondent? And yet the fact remained that when, in their playmate days, he understood his cousin Mary, and when her quiet, indolent nature had been deeply moved by the shock of the n

temper; then grew

d have tumbled across one of them. If you think of it, nobody understands anything. They know that certain things happen, and

I have given all my strength and all my brain to make, and if it fails in the end-why, then I fail too, once and forever. And I have made it talk. It talked

find some substance which is less exquisitely sensitive, something a little grosser, more in key with the materi

don't unless I die,"

So, although you don't think anything of me, I will do my honest best to get into sympathy with you again; y

urse, it isn't true. Besides, you are my cousin, and we ha

ortunate sex that is to blame; while I was a mere tom-boy it was different. No one can serve two masters, can they? You have chosen to serve a machine that won't g