At Large

wung near enough to the quay for recognitions to begin; and by then the dingy line of dock loafers and watermen was enhanced by a second rank of silk hats and a slight leaven of bonnets.

presently, as his eye glanced rapidly up and down the line, he became conscious of one gaze fixed steadily upon him; twice he overlooked

ic

uri

ed to gasp in

e known you!" "No

k, and fell to asking about the voyage, and the weather, and the passengers, and had the cabin been comfortable? and what a stunning ship! To all of which Dick replied co

first delicious fact to be realised. After that, words flew with marvellous rapidity; the brothers were soon like two competitive human looms, turning them out one against the other. Fortunately the pace was too qui

ck in old England at last, and testified

n the four-wheeler across to Waterloo he revelled in the rattle and roar of the traffic; along th

the Edmonstones had never attempted to discover the putative point of the appellation. They were satisfied to dub the house "The Pill Box," with malicious candour, among themselves. For the Edmonstones did not take kindly (much less at first) to road or house. And naturally, since five years ago, before Mr. Edmonstone's death, they had lived in a great, square, charming villa, with a garden-wall running a quarter of a mile along the towing-path, within sight

was raining (that June was not an ideal month), and the vehicle was the detestable kind of victoria so much affected by the honest cabmen of the Thames valley; still, Dick insisted on having the hood down to sni

before, with a few tears and fewer words and melting looks and warm emb

to himself he had never seen so pretty a woman over five-and-thirty-and his mother was fifty, and looking every year of it. And Fanny-well, she, perhaps, was as far from beauty as ever; but her wavy chestnut hair was matchless still, and as for expression, had there ever been one so sweet and gentle in the world before? It was Maurice who had all the good looks, though. But Maurice was pale and slim and rather round-shouldered; and instantly the image of the lad bending all day ov

-Ship Hesper signalled Start Point t

it cur

"Do you mean to say you have been staring at that

a subtle something brought back her tears. "I half thin

," said Maurice. "I was in Bone's o

ed his surve

Fanny, I've got a thing or two for you to arrange in your high-art fas

said

ugh; and some of 'em

lly?-the

hem now-if that brute of a Customs functionary has lef

been through all kinds of fearful adventures; and sailed round the world, and been away four years

onstone

y boy, my boy!" She burst fairly into sobs. Her joy had been too great to bear before she was reminded of

ird, the skin of an immense carpet-snake, a deadly collection of boomerangs and spears, and a necklace of quandong stones mounted with silver. Mrs. Edmonstone beheld in silent wonder. As for Fanny, she was in ecstas

been in the family as long as he had), and Dick's health was drunk with unspeakable enthusiasm. Dick blushed; for it mad

r an hour or two? Mother, will you? You know what I have stil

ones; and Mrs. Edmonstone simply pr

and see them, you know. You k

as a rather awkward pause, wh

d tentatively, "they

and clearly was not listening. They rose from the table, and almost directl

vidence of his nostrils with the relish of a man who has smelt nothing but brine for four months, nothing like this for four years. Nevertheless, he walked on briskly, down into the London road, that here lies parallel with the river, then down a curve to the left, as the highroad bends away from the river to form the High Street of Teddington; then to a full stop at a corner opposite the old churchyard. He had intended to walk along the lower road towards Kingston, straight to the gates of Graysbrooke, which fronted

narrow reach beyond the lock. He paddled slowly along, bestowing friendly glances on the banks. The cottages on the left, close to the lock, he remembered just as he saw them; but the poplars on the island, inverted in the glassy water-he felt convinced they had g

ped between them; yet the stone was mellowed by time; and altogether there was nothing either offensively new or unwholesomely ancient in the appearance of the house. Dick saw it all in his mind even before he stopped rowing to satisfy the cravings of his hungry eyes. Still twilight, and the ri

re he sculled and moored his boat. Then he sprang

the singer possessed feeling; it hastened here and lingered there, and abused none of these tricks, for she sang with what is rarer than feeling-taste. Dick trembled violently; he wanted to rush into the room then and there, but he was thrilled, and rooted to the ground; and after a bar or two the voice soothed him and set his spirit at rest, like the

forward, meaning to boldly enter. Two yards from the window, however, he silently halted; it was so dark that he could see into the r

r he had won her heart. And now he had made his way through toil and privation to a small fortune, and had come back to woo her hand. She was here-this girl for whom he had given his early manhood's strength, his brain's essence, the best drops of his life's blood; this girl whose image had beckoned him o

rs. The lamplight, from under its crimson shade, fell upon her hair and face and neck with marvellous results, for it made her beautiful. She was not at all beautiful. She had a peerless complexion, a good nose, matchless teeth; otherwise her features were of no account. But sh

ike Dick's, to the colour of brick-dust, it was framed in dark curly hair, with beard and whiskers of a fairer hue, while the mouth was hidden by a still fairer, almost golden, moustache. The effect was leonine. Dick caught his profile, and saw that the steady, downward gaze was bent upon the dainty little head that glowed in the lamplight. From his vantage-post outside th

n a big armchair. Somehow or other, the sight of the men-but particularly of the stranger-acted on his heart like a shower-bath on a man's head; his pulse slacke

girl. The man by the fireplace dropped hi

rd and grasped an

nel B

red voice repeated a dozen times. "We knew you were

ick's salute was over and his back turned; he was already clasping the hand

say "Alice," but the sound wa

tall man's heel had come down

you both come from the same country: Mr. Edmonstone, from Australia; Mr. Miles, from Australia! Mr. Miles

ed at each other