Guy Newell Boothby

“ Just as I did so my eyes detected a faint glimmer of light low down on the floor ahead of us. From its position it evidently emanated from the doorway of a room.
"Oh! if only we had a match," I whispered.
"It's no good wishing," said Beckenham. "What do you advise?"
"It's difficult to say; but I should think we'd better listen at that door and try to discover if there is anyone inside. If there is, and he is alone, we must steal in upon him, let him see that we are desperate, and, willy nilly, force him to show us a way out. ”

“ Once we had left her side and turned our boat's nose shoreward, the yacht lay behind us, a black mass half absorbed in the general shadow. Not a light showed itself, and everything was as still as the grave; the only noise to be heard was the steady dip, dip of the oars in the smooth water and the chirp of the rowlocks. For nearly an hour we pulled on, pausing at intervals to listen. But nothing of an alarming nature met our ears. Every moment the island was growing larger, the beach more plain to the eye, and the hill more clearly outlined. ”

“ No, no, sir! It won't do! If you think so, who has schooled him so cleverly? Who has pulled the strings so wonderfully?"
"Why, Nikola to be sure!"
Had I clapped a revolver to the old gentleman's head, or had the walls opened and Nikola himself stepped into the room, a greater effect of terror and consternation could not have been produced in the old gentleman's face than did those five simple words. He fell back in his chair gasping for breath, his complexion became ashen in its pallor, and for a moment his whole nervous system seemed unstrung. ”

“ Why, what more do you want? Do you hanker after a cruise aboard a stinking bêche-de-mer boat inside the Barrier Reef, or a run with the sandal-wood cutters or tortoiseshell gatherers to New Guinea; or do you want to go ashore again and try an overlanding trip half across the continent, riding behind your cattle all day long, and standing your watch at night under dripping boughs, your teeth chattering in your head, waiting for the bulls to break, while every moment you expect to hear the Bunyip calling in that lonely water-hole beyond the fringe of Mulga scrub? ”

“ I will marry no one but Mr. Hatteras, and so I warn you."
"Silence, Miss! How dare you adopt that tone with me! You will do as I wish in this and all other matters, and so we'll have no more talk about it. Now Mr. Hatteras, you have heard what I have to say, and I warn you that, if you persist in this conduct, I'll see if something can't be found in the law to put a stop to it. Meanwhile, if you as much as show your nose in my grounds again I'll have my servants throw you out into the street! Good-day." ”

“ All the same, not knowing a soul in the place, I must confess there were moments when I did think regretfully of the tight little island hidden away up north under the wing of New Guinea, of the luggers dancing to the breeze in the harbour, and the warm welcome that always awaited me among my friends in the saloons. Take my word for it there's even something in being a leader on a small island. Anyway it's better than being a deadbeat in a big city like Sydney, where nobody knows you, and your next-door neighbour wouldn't miss you if he never saw or heard of you again. ”

“ And why had he warned me against sailing in the Saratoga? The better to think it out I set myself for a vigorous tramp round the hurricane deck, and was still revolving the matter in my mind, when, on turning the corner by the smoking-room entrance, I found myself face to face with Baxter himself. As soon as he saw me, he came smiling towards me, holding out his hand.
"Good morning, Mr. Hatteras," he said briskly; "what a delightful morning it is, to be sure. You cannot tell how much I am enjoying it. The sea air seems to have made a new man of me already." ”

“ Your conduct towards my daughter on board this ship has been very distasteful to me. I have the honour to wish you a very good evening."
"Stay, Mr. Wetherell," I said as he turned to go. "You have been kind enough to favour me with your views. Now I will give you mine. Your daughter loves me. I am an honest and an industrious man, and I love her with my whole heart and soul. I tell you now, and though you decline to treat me with proper fairness, I give you warning, I intend to marry her if she will still have me—with your consent or without it!" ”

“ Ten thousand pounds! Dear me, dear me!"
He shuffled up and down the dingy room, all the time looking at me out of the corner of his eyes, as if to make sure that I was telling him the truth.
"Come, come, uncle," I said, resolving to bring him to his bearings without further waste of time. "This is not a very genial welcome to the son of a long lost brother!"
"Well, well, you mustn't expect too much, my boy! You see for yourself the position I'm in. The old place shut up, going to rack and ruin. Poverty staring me in the face; cheated by everybody. ”

“ THE LILAC SUNBONNET. A Love Story.
"A love story pure and simole, one of the old-fashioned, wholesome, sunshiny kind, with a pure-minded, sound-hearted hero, and a heroine who is merely a good and beautiful woman; and if any other love story half so sweet has been written this year, it has escaped our notice."—New York Times.
"A solid novel with an old time flavor, as refreshing when compared to the average modern story as is a whiff of air from the hills to one just come from a hothouse."—Boston Beacon. ”

“ To those who have had no experience of the South Pacific the constantly recurring beauties of our voyage would have seemed like a foretaste of Heaven itself. From Sydney, until the Loyalty Group lay behind us, we had one long spell of exquisite weather. By night, under the winking stars, and by day, in the sweet sun light, our smart little craft ploughed her way across smooth seas, and our only occupation was to promenade or loaf about the decks and to speculate as to the result of the expedition upon which we had embarked. ”

“ There is only one sport that is of any interest to me in life, and that is the opportunity of making capital out of my fellow humans. You see, I am candid with you, Mr. Hatteras!"
"Pray excuse me. But you know my name! As I have never, to my knowledge, set eyes on you before, would you mind telling me how you became acquainted with it?"
"With every pleasure. But before I do so I think it only fair to tell you that you will not believe my explanation. And yet it should convince you. At any rate, we'll try. In your right hand top waistcoat pocket you have three cards." ”

“ Leaving the dusty high road of Business, they wandered in the shady bridle-paths of Love—to the end that when the chief bookkeeper returned to her own department, she had forgotten the strange dinner party about to take place upstairs, and was busily engaged upon a calculation as to how she would look in white satin and orange blossoms, and whether it was true, as Miss Joyce, a subordinate, had been heard to declare, that the manager had once shown himself partial to a certain widow with reputed savings and a share in an extensive egg and dairy business. ”

“ Nikola took the basket before mentioned on his knee, and opened it. When he had done so, the same enormous black cat, whose acquaintance I had made in the East India Dock Road, stepped proudly forth. In the daylight the brute looked even larger and certainly fiercer than before. I felt I should have liked nothing better than to have taken it by the tail and hurled it out of the window. Nikola, on the other hand, seemed to entertain for it the most extraordinary affection. ”

“ So, shaking me warmly by the hand, the old gentleman accompanied me downstairs to his carriage and departed.
Again I had cause to ponder on the strangeness of the fate that had led me to Hampshire—first to the village where my father was born, and then to Bournemouth, where by saving this young man's life I had made a firm friend of a man who again had known my father. By such small coincidences are the currents of our lives diverted.
That same afternoon, while tacking slowly down the bay, I met the Marquis again. ”

“ Was this witchcraft or only some clever conjuring trick? I asked myself the question, but could give it no satisfactory answer. At any rate you may be sure it did not lessen my respect for my singular companion.
"Ah! I am right then!" he cried exultingly. "Isn't it strange how the love of being right remains with us, when we think we have safely combated every other self-conceit? Well, Mr. Hatteras, I am very pleased to have made your acquaintance. ”

“ About eight o'clock that night, just as we were giving up hope, I detected a faint noise near my feet; for all the world as if someone were forcing a stick through a hole in a brick wall. I informed Beckenham of the fact in a whisper, and then put my head down to listen. Yes, there was the sound again. Oh, if only I had a match! But it was no use wishing for what was impossible, so I put my hand down to the pipe. ”

“ Anything so supremely devilish as the dried-up mirth of this old fellow it would be impossible to imagine. His very laugh seemed as if it had to crack in his throat before it could pass his lips. What could his daughter be like, living in such a house, with such companions? While I was wondering I heard footsteps in the corridor, and then an old woman entered and curtseyed respectfully. My host rose and went over to the fireplace, where he stood with his hands behind his back and the same devilish grin upon his face. ”

“ But do you think it is quite wise to keep a youth so ignorant of the world? I am an Australian and perhaps rather presumptuous, but I cannot help feeling that such a fine young fellow would be all the better for a few companions."
"You hit me on rather a tender spot, Mr. Hatteras. But, as you have been frank with me, I will be frank with you. I am one of those strange beings who govern their lives by theories. I was brought up by my father, I must tell you, in a fashion totally different to that I am employing with my son. ”

“ I said, taking care to whisper lest anyone might be listening at the door. "We must manage by hook or crook to catch a mouse and let him carry our appeal for help to the outside world."
" A magnificent idea. I do believe you've saved us!"
But to catch a mouse was easier said than done. Though the room was alive with them they were so nimble and so cunning that, try how we would, we could not lay hold of one. ”

“ Then occurred one of the most curious and weird circumstances connected with this meeting. Hardly had he laid himself back in his chair before I heard a faint scratching against the table leg, and next moment an enormous cat, black as the Pit of Tophet, sprang with a bound upon the table and stood there steadfastly regarding me, its eyes flashing and its back arched. I have seen cats without number, Chinese, Persian, Manx, the Australian wild cat, and the English tabby, but never in the whole course of my existence have I met with such another as the cat owned by Dr. Nikola. ”

“ I replied cautiously, trying to remove my eyes from his.
"Well, my warning to you is this—you intend to sail in the Saratoga for Australia on Friday next, don't you? Well, then, don't go; as you love your life, don't go."
"Good gracious! and why on earth not?" I cried.
He stared fixedly at me for more than half a minute before he answered. There was no escaping those dreadful eyes, and the regular sweep of those long white fingers on the cat's black fur seemed to send a cold shiver right down my spine. Bit by bit I began to feel a curious sensation of dizziness creeping over me. ”

“ You have seen my home, you have seen my poverty, and you have seen my daughter. What do you think of it all?"
"I don't know what to think!"
"Well, then I'll tell you. That child wants doctors; that child wants proper attendance. She can get neither here. I am too poor to help her in any way. You're rich by your own telling. I have to-day taken you into the bosom of my family, recognised you without doubting your assertions. Will you help me? Will you give one thousand pounds towards settling that child in life? With two thousand it could be managed?" ”

“ She seemed at a loss to understand our errand, but bade us be seated, and then asked in what way she could be of service to us.
"In the first place, madam," said the inspector, "let me tell you that I am an Officer of Police. A serious crime has been perpetrated, and I have reason to believe that it may be in your power to give us a clue to the persons who committed it."
"You frighten me, sir," replied the lady. "I cannot at all see how I can help you. I lead a life of the greatest quietness. How, therefore, can I know anything of such people?" ”

“ The mob outside was growing every moment noisier, and from the clang of steel-shod rifle butts on the stone steps we came to the conclusion that the services of a force of soldiery had been called in. The situation was critical, and twice imperious demands were made upon us to open the door. But, as may be supposed, this we did not feel inclined to do.
"Now, for your way out," I said, taking our trembling guide, whose face seemed to blanch whiter and whiter with every knock upon the door, by the shoulders, and giving him a preliminary shake. ”