The Unknown Sea

ll the tide go dow

escue, urged again: 'Wait till the tide go down,' pulling back the two women from insane wading. But Giles was forward, staggering in the tide, floundering impotent against it; and his Reverence turned upon them as intolerable a c

rene face and still pronounce him worthy of death, worthy the burial of a dog? They did, even those whom kindness to the parents had constrained far, for among themselves they said: 'Persuade them away, and his Reverence. Best to serve the body with its grave quick and meet, in the sea, lest they want it laid in holy ground.' But Lois, who woul

effort to provoke breath despair hovered, hour-long, till response came in a faintest flutter of life at lips and heart; and chafed with cordials and wrapped about with warmth, the shadow of pain drew over his face and weak spasms flexed his hands as tyrannous vitality

n of the far sea spoke continually, and covered to dull and fin

iltering in on wan faces brightened to fearful hope, for Christian assuredly lived and would live: consciousness held, and his eyes waked and asked. The

had he done, his anguish cried up to heaven, that his God should withhold an honest due? For death and its blessed ease and safety had he renounc

s skin was hot with the heat of men's eyes; the stroke of his blood w

d bled hot and fresh, and even under the pitying eyes of love quivered and shrank. A sound from t

hasty barring of shutter and door, hinting t

nife into his own secret keeping. Out of sight it lay bare for a fond hand t

s eyes, his ears, with the circumstances of a bloody despatch from life of him, and him, and him, each witness of his torture and shame, beneath whose remembered eye

engeance, retribution, redress, asking after the law of the

powers to avenge his wrongs. On his hand her tears fell like rain; she bowed her head at his knees, with

drove it at the planks on his level in one instant of exuberant capacity. In and out again it went; he sobbed a great laugh for the cost and its sufficiency, and with spent force fell back a-sweat

red and plucked away his naked paramour. Dumb-struck she stood in accomplished dismay. Into the impotent wretch defiance entered; with ins

on drew brea

. 'You have borne that name of Christ all

sang to him ou

he face of my son, my dear son given me by th

strokes; heaviest to reach him were prayers to her God. He would not answer nor sa

ist a faithful follower and servant; he never complained, nor cherished an evil hate; he forgave, and asked that none should avenge him. Who then, among mothers, could rejoice as I, and so glory in her son? Ah! ah! like a serpent tongue it flickered in the sunlight! Christian, the wretchedest of mothers asks you to have mercy upon her. Ah, you will-must. I will not rise from my k

rden now: a sign she asked, one little sign that her poor effort at atonement was not rejected of Heaven. He would not give it; no, he could not. Yet he dreaded t

se for one error. Her God did not answer. Himself was weary of her importunity, weary of t

yes were full of tears, as he said, 'Kiss

God!' she said; and he repeated, 'Del

and then he broke down utterly and wept

o her he shut up his heart the faster. His misery never spoke, but silent t

ieve; but he could not with a right heart pray because, though he h

illed his sky. All his waking hours his heart gazed and ga

following her, reaching to her, close to her, yet never quite winning the perfect pressure of her lips, nor her gracious surre

the hard bond of his promise. The youth and vigour of his body set him on his feet oversoon, while all the

shall

aid Lois, 'whe

ssed over him unregarded; he had lost the k

best fisher for his years, the best at sail and oar, the strongest pr

rstood, for he brok

not to be known as beaten for

nseen; she drew it softly agai

d Lois, 'what

do you bi

e satisfying coolness and peace and splendid

bid m

?' she said, '

t sort-of killing?' h

r the manner of his kin

his is over, his Reverence will tell you that. Not twic

bid m

usly; 'but sin and shame were to keep

y: 'You are looking f

u to face stranger folk, and hard though it be to let you g

nor courage to stand upright under a disgraced life; he need b

Lois. She had gone with his Reverence up towards the church. He asked afte

of his own boat, that like a living creature he h

ment; passing out to the li

wice with uncertain fingers, drew sharp breath

hands against an unknown trouble, for in through his eyes into his br

under his feet walked the path, the road, the street,

ce was of a whiteness astonishing in the south. But some harder men cursed at the stubborn devil in the boy, that kept him alive out of all reckoning, and unsubdued. Face to

ed birds and black flew in and sounded shrill, and beak and claw tore at a little nook where a promise

ows gleamed and glared, and behind him lay a lifetime of steep street. But strong salt gusts spoke to him from the bless

beside him panting and trembling,

was pottering afar, and did not see, and could not hear. The weak pair made

ill, loyal, reckless, and wild to parade before one and all her high regard for the victim of their brutal outrage: her esteem, her honour, her love. From the quay above she called to Chr

d then she saw into his

g off, and the boat began to rock away. In desperation she leapt across the widening interspace, and fell headlong and bruised beside him.

tood up and answered with imploring hands, and with useless cries too. Christian never heeded. Then she even tried her stre

he fishing shoals. The old boat went eagerly over the waves under a large allowance of sail; the swift furrow of her keel vanished under charging crests. Low sank

ld note. Christian looked up and laughed aloud. In an instant t

screamed for help. She thought that the wind carried her cry, for both boats put about and headed towards them. Hope rose: two well-manned boats were in pursuit. Terror rose: in an instan

, her soul should stand at its seemliest in her Maker's sight. But the horrible lurches abating, again she looked. Pursuit wa

lling to overtake him before he could touch the edge of the worl

ked up and laughed again. Wild and eager, his glance turned ever to the westward sea, and never looked he to

ace that had overshadowed Christian's life. The Isle Sinister rose

Rhoda's courage broke for the going down of her last sun; she wept and prayed in miserable despair for the life, fresh and young, and good to live, tha

abreast of the

le and ravenous looks fixed intently. A terror of worse than death swept upo

nly time with definite regard, he

oat lurched aslant, belaboured by wave on wave, too suddenly headed for the

red the great peril of the sail? had she fastened the rudder for drifting, and baled? she whose knowledge and strength

but hold him in her arms, giving her body for a pillow, till so

a light showed, a single murky star in a great cave of blackness, that leaned across the zenith to clos

e tried to steer, but it was only by mercy of a flaw of wind that she held off and went blindly reeling away from the fatal surf. As night came on fully the light and the voice of the

usts of rain came scourging. Through the great loneliness of the dark they went, helpless, driving on to the heart of the night, the strength of the waves