THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 a
 
 THE 
 
 MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 WRITTEN BY 
 
 Q. 
 
 METHUEN c^ CO. 
 
 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. 
 
 LONDON
 
 First Published in 1906
 
 1 "^ .' 
 
 \ 
 
 1 •■ t ^ 1 
 
 TO MY FRIEND 
 
 KENNETH GRAHAME 
 
 AND 
 THE REST OF THE CREW 
 
 OF THE 
 
 "RICHARD AND EMILY " 
 
 AND WITH APOLOGIES TO 
 
 THE MAYOR OF 
 
 LOSTWITHIEL 
 
 A BOROUGH 
 
 FOR WHICH I HAVE (wiTH CAUSE) 
 
 MUCH AFFECTION AND 
 
 A VERY HIGH ESTEEM 

 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 Prologue ... ■ i 
 
 I. Our Major .... 6 
 
 II. Our Mayor ...... 17 
 
 III. The Millennium ..... 27 
 
 IV. How THE Troy Gallants Challenged 
 
 the Looe Diehards ... 42 
 
 V. Interference of a Guernsey Merchant 49 
 
 VI. Malbrouck S'en Va . . . .69 
 
 VII. The Battle of Talland Cove . . 86 
 
 VIII. "Come, my Corinna, Come!" . . 105 
 
 IX. By Lerryn Water . . . .119 
 
 X. Gunner Sobey turns loose the Mil- 
 lennium .... 
 
 XI. The Major leaves us . 
 
 XII. A Cold Douche on a Hot Fit 
 
 XIII. A Very Hot Press 
 
 XIV. The "Vesuvius" Bomb 
 
 vii 
 
 130 
 
 145 
 156 
 171 
 181
 
 vin 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 XV. Up-Channel . 
 
 XVI, Farewell to Albion! 
 
 XVII. Missing I 
 
 XVIII. Apotheosis . 
 
 XIX. The Return 
 
 XX. In which the Major 
 Man is Necessary 
 
 learns that no 
 
 XXI. Faces in Water . 
 XXII. Winds up with a Merry-go-round 
 
 PA<.K 
 196 
 
 207 
 
 248 
 262 
 
 27: 
 28c
 
 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 PROLOGUE 
 
 GOOD wine needs no bush ; but this story has to 
 begin with an apology. 
 Years ago I promised myself to write a treatise on 
 the lost Mayors of Cornwall — dignitaries whose 
 pleasant fame is now night, recalled only by some 
 neat byword or proverb current in the Delectable (or 
 as a public speaker pronounced it the other day, the 
 Dialectable) Duchy. Thus you may hear of " the 
 Mayor of Falmouth, who thanked God when the town 
 gaol was enlarged ; " "the Mayor of Market Jew, 
 sitting in his own light ; " " the Mayor of Tregoney, 
 who could read print upside-down, but wasn't above 
 being spoken to ; " "the Mayor of Calenick, who 
 walked two miles to ride one ; " " the Mayor of East 
 Looe, who called the King of England ' Brother.' " 
 Everyone remembers the stately prose in which 
 Gibbon records when and how he determined on his 
 great masterpiece, when and how he completed it. 
 " It was at Rome : on the 15th of October, 1764, as 
 I sat musing amidst the ruins of the Capitol, while 
 the bare-footed friars were singing vespers in the 
 Temple of Jupiter, that the idea of writing the De- 
 cline and Fall of the City first started in my mind."
 
 2 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 So I could tell with circumstance when, where and 
 how I first proposed my treatise ; and will, perhaps, 
 when I have concluded it. But life is short ; and 
 for the while my readers may be amused with an 
 instalment. 
 
 Now of all the Mayors of Comw^all the one who 
 most engaged my speculation, yet for a long while 
 baffled all research, was " the Mayor of Troy, so 
 popular that the town made him Ex-Mayor the 
 year following." 
 
 Of course, if you don't know Troy, you will miss 
 half the reason of my eagerness. Simple, egregious, 
 adorable town ! Shall I go on here to sing its 
 praises ? No ; not yet. 
 
 The reason why I could learn nothing concerning 
 him is that, soon after 1832, when the Reform Bill 
 did away with Troy's Mayor and Corporation, as well 
 as with its two Members of Parliament, someone 
 made a bonfire of all the Borough records. O Alex- 
 andria ! And the man said at the time that he did 
 it for fun ! 
 
 This brings me to yet another Mayor — the Mayor 
 of Lestiddle, who is a jolly good fellow. 
 
 Nothing could be handsomer than my calling the 
 Mayor of Lestiddle a jolly good fellow ; for in fact 
 we live at daggers drawn. You must know that 
 Troy, a town of small population (two thousand or 
 so) but of great character and importance, stands at 
 the mouth of a river where it widens into a harbour 
 singularly beautiful and frequented by ships of all 
 nations ; and that seven miles up this river, by a
 
 PROLOGUE 3 
 
 bridge where the salt tides cease, stands Lestiddle, 
 a town of fewer inhabitants and of no character or 
 importance at all. Now why the Reform Bill, which 
 sheared Troy of its ancient dignities, should have left 
 Lestiddle's untouched, is a question no man can 
 answer me ; but this I know, that its Mayor goes 
 flourishing about with a silver mace shaped like an 
 oar, as a symbol of jurisdiction over our river from 
 its mouth (forsooth) so far inland as a pair of oxen 
 yoked together can be driven in its bed. 
 
 He has, in fact, no such jurisdiction. Above 
 bridge he may, an it please him, drive his oxen up the 
 river bed, and welcome. I leave him to the anglers 
 he will discommodate by it. But his jurisdiction 
 below bridge was very properly taken from him by 
 order of our late Queen (whose memory be blessed !) 
 in Council, and vested in the Troy Harbour Com- 
 mission. Now / am Chairman of that Commission, 
 and yet the fellow declines to yield up his silver oar ! 
 We in Troy feel strongly about it. It is not for 
 nothing (we hold) that when he or his burgesses come 
 down the river for a day's fishing the weather invari- 
 ably turns dirty. We mislike them even worse than 
 a German band — which brings us no worse, as a rule, 
 than a spell of east wind. 
 
 Nevertheless, the Mayor of Lestiddle is a jolly 
 good fellow, and I am glad that his townsmen (such 
 as they are) have re-elected him. One day this last 
 summer he came down to fish for mackerel at the har- 
 bour's mouth, which can be done at anchor since our 
 sardine factory has taken to infringing the by-laws 
 and discharging its offal on the wrong side of the
 
 4 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 prescribed limit. (We Harbour Commissioners have 
 set our faces against this practice, but meanwhile it 
 attracts the fish.) It was raining, of course. Rowing 
 close up to me, the Mayor of Lestiddle asked — for we 
 observe the ordinary courtesies — what bait I was 
 using. I answered, fresh pilchard bait ; and offered 
 him some, delicately forbearing to return the ques- 
 tion, since it is an article of faith with us that the 
 burgesses of Lestiddle bait with earthworms which 
 they dig out of their back gardens. Well, he ac- 
 cepted my pilchard bait, and pulled up two score of 
 mackerel within as many minutes, which doubtless 
 gave him something to boast about on his return. 
 
 He was not ungrateful. Next week I received 
 from him a parcel of MS. with a letter saying that he 
 had come across it, " a fly in amber," in turning over 
 a pile of old Stannary records. How it had found its 
 way among them he could not guess. 
 
 A fly in amber, quotha ! A jewel in a midden, 
 rather ! How it came among his trumpery archives 
 I know as little as he, but can guess. Some Lestiddle 
 man must have stolen it, and chosen them as a safe 
 hiding-place. 
 
 It gave me the clue, and more than the clue. I 
 know now the history of that Mayor of Troy, who 
 was so popular that the town made him Ex-Mayor 
 the year following. 
 
 Listen ! Stretch out both hands ; open your 
 mouth and shut your eyes ! It is a draught of 
 Troy's own vintage tliat I offer you ; racy, fragrant 
 of the soil, from a cask these hundred years sunk, so 
 that it carries a smack, too, of the submerging brine.
 
 PROLOGUE 5 
 
 You know the old recipe for Wine of Cos, that full- 
 bodied, seignorial, superlative, translunary wine 
 Yet I know not how to begin. 
 
 •' Fortunam Priarni cantabo et nobile bellum." 
 
 " I will sing you Troy and its Mayor and a war of 
 high renown," that is how I want to begin ; but 
 Horace in his Ars Poetica — confound him ! — has 
 chosen this very example as a model to avoid, and 
 the critics would be down on me in a pack. 
 
 Very well, then, let us try a more reputable way.
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 OUR MAJOR 
 
 ARMS and the Man I sing ! 
 When, on the i6th of May, 1803, King George 
 III. told his faithful subjects that the Treaty of Amiens 
 was no better than waste paper, Troy neither felt nor 
 affected to feel surprise. King, Consul, Emperor — 
 it knew these French rulers of old, under whatever 
 title they might disguise themselves. More than 
 four centuries ago an English King had sent his pour- 
 suivants down to us with a message that " the Gal- 
 lants of Troy must abstain from attacking, plunder- 
 ing, and sinking the ships of our brother of France, be- 
 cause we, Edward of England, are at peace with our 
 brother of France : " and the Gallants of Troy had 
 returned an answer at once humble and firm : 
 " Your Majesty best knows your Majesty's business, 
 but we are at war with your brother of France." 
 Yes, we knew these Frenchmen. Once before, in 
 1456, they had thought to surprise us, choosing a night 
 when our Squire was away at market, and landing a 
 force to burn and sack us : and our Squire's wife had 
 met them with boiling lead. His Majesty's Ministers 
 might be taken at unawares, not we. We slept 
 Bristol fashion, with one eye open. 
 
 6
 
 OUR MAJOR 7 
 
 But when, as summer drew on, news came that the 
 infamous usurper was collecting troops at Boulogne, 
 and flat-bottomed boats, to invade us ; when the 
 spirit of the British people armed for the support of 
 their ancient glory and independence against the 
 unprincipled ambition of the French Govern- 
 ment ; when, in the Duchy alone, no less than 
 85 1 1 men and boys enrolled themselves in twenty- 
 nine companies of foot, horse- and artillery, as 
 well out of enthusiasm as to escape the general 
 levy threatened by Government (so mixed are all 
 human motives) ; then, you may be sure, Troy did 
 not lag behind. 
 
 Ah ! but we had some brave corps among the 
 Duchy Volunteers ! 
 
 There was the St Germans Subscription Troop, for 
 instance, which consisted of forty men and eleven 
 uniforms, and hunted the fox thrice a week during 
 the winter months under Lord Eliot, Captain and 
 M.F.H. There was the Royal Redruth Infantry, the 
 famous " Royal Reds," of 103 men and five uniforms. 
 These had heard, at second hand, of Bonaparte's vow 
 to give them no quarter, and wore a conspicuous 
 patch of red in the seat of their pantaloons that he 
 might have no excuse for mistaking them. There 
 was the even more famous Mevagissey Battery, of 
 no men and 121 uniforms. In Mevagissey, as you 
 may be aware, the bees fly tail-foremost ; and there- 
 fore, to prevent bickerings, it was wisely resolved at 
 the first drill to make every unit of this corps an 
 officer. 
 
 But the most famous of all (and sworn rivals) were
 
 8 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 two companies of coast artillery — the Looe Dieliards 
 and the Troy Gallants. 
 
 The Looe Diehards (seventy men and two uni- 
 forms) wore dark blue coats and pantaloons, with red 
 facings, yellow wings and tassels, and white waist- 
 coats. Would you know by what feat they earned 
 their name ? Listen. I quote the very words of 
 their commander, Captain Bond, who survived to 
 write a History of Looe — and a sound book it is. 
 " The East and West Looe Volunteer Artillery was 
 established in 1803, and kept in pay from Govern- 
 ment for six years. Not a single man of the com- 
 pany died during the six years, which is certainly 
 very remarkable." 
 
 But, when you come to think of it, what an even 
 more remarkable boast for a body of warriors ! 
 
 We of Troy (180 men and two uniforms) laughed 
 at this claim. Say what you will, there is no dash 
 about longevity, or very little. For uniform we 
 wore dark blue coats and pantaloons, with white 
 wings and facings, edged and tasselled with gilt, and 
 scarlet waistcoats, also braided with gilt. We 
 wanted no new name, we ! Ours was an inherited 
 one, derived from days when, under Warwick the 
 King-maker, Lord High Admiral of England, we had 
 swept the Channel, summoned the men of Rye and 
 Winchelsea to vail their bonnets — to take in sail, 
 mark you : no trumpery dipping of a flag would 
 satisfy us — and when they stiff-neckedly refused, 
 had silenced the one town and carried off the other's 
 chain to hang across our harbour from blockhouse to 
 blockhouse. Also, was it not a gallant of Troy that
 
 OUR MAJOR 9 
 
 assailed and carried the great French pirate, Jean 
 Doree, and clapped him under his own hatches ? 
 
 " The roaring cannons then were phed, 
 And dub-a-dub went the drum-a ; 
 The braying trumpets loud they cried 
 To courage both all and some-a. 
 
 The grappUng-hooks were brought at length, 
 
 The brown bill and the sword-a ; 
 John Dory at length, for all his strength. 
 
 Was clapt fast under board-a." 
 
 That was why we wore our uniforms embroidered 
 with gold (dores). The Frenchmen, if they came, 
 would understand the taunt. 
 
 But most of all we were proud of Solomon Hymen, 
 our Major and our Mayor of Troy. 
 
 I can see him now as he addressed us on the even- 
 ing of our first drill, standing beside the two long 
 nineteen-pounders on the Old Fort ; erect, with a 
 hand upon his ivory sword-hilt, his knops and epau- 
 lettes flashing against the level sun. I can see his 
 very gesture as he enjoined silence on the band ; for 
 we had a band, and it was playing " Come, Cheer Up, 
 My Lads ! " As though we weren't cheerful enough 
 already ! 
 
 [But " Come, come ! " the reader will object. 
 " All this happened a hundred years ago. Yet here 
 are you talking as if you had been present." Very 
 true : it is a way we have in Troy. Call it a foible — 
 but forgive it ! The other day, for instance, happen- 
 ing on the Town Quay, I found our gasman, Mr 
 Rabling, an earnest Methodist, discussing to a small
 
 10 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 crowd on the subject of the Golden Calf, and in this 
 fashion : " Well, friends, in the midst of all this 
 pillaloo, hands-across and down-the-middle, with 
 old Aaron as bad as any and flinging his legs about 
 more boldacious with every caper, I happens to 
 glance up the hill, and with that I gives a whistle ; 
 for what do I see but a man aloft there picking his 
 way down on his heels with a parcel under his arm ! 
 Every now and then he pulls up, shading his eyes, so, 
 like as if he'd a lost his bearin's. I glances across 
 to Aaron, and thinks I, 'Look out for squalls! Here's 
 big brother coming, and a nice credit this'll be to the 
 family !'..." The historic present, as my Latin 
 grammar used to call it, is our favourite tense : and 
 if you insist that, not being a hundred years old, I 
 cannot speak as an eye-witness of this historic scene, 
 my answer must be Browning's, — 
 
 " All I can say is — I saw it ! "] 
 
 • ••■■•• 
 
 " Gentlemen ! " began the Major. 
 
 We might not all be officers, like the Mevagissey 
 Artillery, but in the Troy Gallants we were all gentle- 
 men. 
 
 " Gentlemen ! " — the Major waved an arm sea- 
 ward — " yonder lies your enemy. Behind you " — 
 he pointed up the harbour to the town — " England 
 relies on your protection. Shall the Corsican tyrant 
 lay his lascivious hands upon her ancient liberties, 
 her reformed and Protestant religion, her respectable 
 Sovereign and his Consort, her mansions, her humble 
 cottages, and those members of the opposite sex 
 whose charms reward, and, in rewarding, rehne us ?
 
 OUR MAJOR 11 
 
 Or shall we meet his flat-bottomed boats with a 
 united front, a stern ' Thus far and no farther,' and 
 send them home with their tails between their legs ? 
 That, gentlemen, is the alternative. Which will you 
 choose ? " 
 
 Here the Major paused, and finding that he ex- 
 pected an answer, we turned our eyes with one con- 
 sent upon Gunner Sobey, the readiest man in the 
 company. 
 
 " The latter ! " said Gunner Sobey, with precision ; 
 whereat we gave three cheers. We dined, that after- 
 noon, in the Long Room of the Ship Inn, and after- 
 wards danced the night through in the Town Hall. 
 
 The Major danced famously. Above all things, he 
 prided himself on being a ladies' man, and the fair 
 sex (as he always called them) admired him without 
 disguise. His manner towards them was gallant yet 
 deferential, tender yet manly. He conceded every- 
 thing to their weakness ; yet no man in Troy could 
 treat a woman with greater plainness of speech. The 
 confirmed spinsters (high and low, rich and poor, we 
 counted seventy-three of them in Troy) seemed to 
 like him none the less because he lost no occasion, 
 public or private, of commending wedlock. For 
 the doctrine of Mr Malthus (recently promoted to a 
 Professorship at the East India College) he had a 
 robust contempt. He openly regretted that, owing 
 to the negligence of our forefathers, the outbreak of 
 war found Great Britain with but fifteen million in- 
 habitants to match against twenty-five million 
 Frenchmen. They threatened to invade us, whereas 
 we should rather have been in a position to march on
 
 12 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Paris. He asked nothing better. He quoted with 
 sardonic emphasis the remark of a poHtician that 
 " 'twas hardly worth while to go to war merely to 
 prove that we could put ourselves in a good posture 
 for defence." 
 
 " H I had my way," announced Major Hymen, 
 " every woman in England should have a dozen 
 children at least." 
 
 " What a man ! " said Miss Pescod afterw^ards to 
 Miss Sally Tregentil, who had dropped in for a cup of 
 tea. 
 
 And yet the Major was a bachelor. They could 
 not help wondering a little. 
 
 " With two such names, too ! " mused Miss Sally. 
 " ' Solomon ' and ' Hymen ' ; they certainly suggest 
 — they would almost seem to give promise of, at 
 least, a dual destiny." 
 
 *' You mark my words," said Miss Pescod. " That 
 man has been crossed in love." 
 
 " But who ? " asked Miss Sally, her eyes widening 
 in speculation. " Who could have done such a 
 thing ? " 
 
 " My dear, I understand there are women in Lon- 
 don capable of anything." 
 
 The Major, you must know, had spent the greater 
 part of his life in the capital as a silk-mercer and 
 linendraper — I believe, in the Old Jewry ; at any 
 rate, not far from Cheapside. He had left us at tlie 
 age of sixteen to repair the fortunes of his family, 
 once opulent and respected, but brought low by his 
 great-grandfather's rash operations in South Sea 
 stock. In London, thanks to an ingratiating manner
 
 OUR MAJOR 13 
 
 with the sex on which a hnendraper rehes for patron- 
 age, he had prospered, had amassed a competence, 
 and had sold his business to retire to his native town, 
 as Shakespeare retired to Stratford-on-Avon, and at 
 about the same period of hfe. 
 
 Had the Major in London been crossed in love ? 
 No ; I incline to believe that Miss Pescod was mis- 
 taken. That hearts, up there, fluttered for a man of 
 his presence is probable, nay certain. In port and 
 even in features he bore a singular likeness to the 
 Prince Regent. He himself could not but be aware 
 of this, having heard it so often remarked upon by 
 persons acquainted with his Royal Highness as well 
 as by others who had never set eyes on him. In 
 short, our excellent Major may have dallied in his 
 time with the darts of love ; there is no evidence that 
 he ever took a wound. 
 
 Within a year after his return he bought back the 
 ancestral home of the Hymens, a fine house dating 
 from the reign of Queen Anne. (His great-grand- 
 father had built it on the site of a humbler abode, on 
 the eve of the South Sea collapse.) It stood at the 
 foot of Custom House Hill and looked down the 
 length of Fore Street — a perspective view of which 
 the Major never wearied — no, not even on hot after- 
 noons when the population took its siesta within 
 doors and, in the words of Cai Tamblyn, " you 
 might shot a cannon down the streets of Troy, and 
 no person would be shoot." This Cai (or Caius) 
 Tamblyn, an eccentric little man of uncertain age, 
 with a black servant Scipio, who wore a livery of 
 green and scarlet and slept under the stairs, made
 
 14 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 up the Major's male retinue. Between them they 
 carried his sedan chair ; and because Cai (who 
 walked in front) measured but an inch above five 
 feet, whereas Scipio stood six feet three in his socks, 
 the Major had a seat contrived with a sharp back- 
 ward slope, and two wooden buffers against which he 
 thrust his feet when going down hill. Besides these, 
 whom he was wont to call, somewhat illogically, his 
 two factotums, his household comprised Miss Marty 
 and a girl Lavinia who, as Miss Marty put it, did 
 odds and ends. Miss Marty was a poor relation, a 
 third or fourth cousin on the maternal side, whom 
 the Major had discovered somewhere on the other 
 side of the Duchy, and promoted. Socially she did 
 not count. She asked no more than to be allowed to 
 feed and array the Major, and gaze after him as he 
 walked down the street. 
 
 And what a progress it was ! 
 
 Again I can see him as he made ready for it, stand- 
 ing in his doorway at the head of a flight of steps, 
 which led down from it to the small wrought-iron gate 
 opening on the street. The house has since been con- 
 verted into bank premises and its threshold lowered 
 for the convenience of customers. Gone are the 
 plants — the myrtle on the right of the porch, the jas- 
 mine on the left — with the balusters over which they 
 rambled, and the steps which the balusters protected 
 — ah, how eloquently the Major's sword clanked upon 
 these as he descended ! But the high-pitched roof 
 remains, with its three dormer windows still leaning 
 awry, and the plaster porch where a grotesque, half- 
 human face grins at you from the middle of a fluted
 
 OUR MAJOR 15 
 
 sea-shell. Standing before it with half-closed eyes, 
 I behold the steps again, and our great man at the 
 head of them receiving his hat from the obsequious 
 Scipio, drawing on his gloves, looping his malacca 
 cane to his wrist by its tasselled cord of silk. The 
 descent might be military or might be civil : he was 
 always Olympian. 
 
 " The handsome he is ! " Miss Marty would sigh, 
 gazing after him. 
 
 " A fine figure of a man, our Major ! " commented 
 Butcher Oke, following him from the shop-door with 
 a long stare, after the day's joint had been discussed 
 and chosen. 
 
 The children, to whom he was ever affable, stopped 
 their play to take and return his smile. Some even 
 grinned and saluted. They reserved their awe for 
 Scipio. Indeed, there is a legend that when Scipio 
 made his first appearance in Fore Street — he being so 
 tall and the roadway so narrow — he left in his wake 
 two rows of supine children who, parting before him, 
 had gradually tilted back as their gaze climbed up 
 his magnificent and hveried person until the sight of 
 his ebon face toppled them over, flat. 
 
 Miss J ex, the postmistress, would hand him his 
 letters or his copy of the Sherborne Mercury with a 
 troubled blush. No exception surely could be taken 
 if she, a Government official, chose to hang a coloured 
 engraving of the Prince Regent on the wall behind 
 her counter. And yet— the resemblance ! She had 
 heard of irregular alliances. Court scandals ; she had 
 even looked out " Morganatic " in the dictionary, 
 blushing for the deed while pretending (fie. Miss
 
 16 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Jex !) that " Moravian " was the word she 
 sought. 
 
 In Admirals' Row — its real name was Admiral's 
 Row, and had been given to it in 1758, after the cap- 
 ture of Louisbourg and in honour of Admiral Bos- 
 cawen ; but we in Troy preferred to write the apos- 
 trophe after the s — Miss Sally Tregentil would over- 
 peer her blind and draw back in a flutter lest the 
 Major had observed her. 
 
 " Georgiana Pescod is positive that he was wild in 
 his youth. But how," Miss Sally asked herself, 
 " can Georgiana possibly know ? And if he were — " 
 
 I leave you, my reader, as you know the female 
 heart, to continue Miss Sally's broken musings.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 OUR MAYOR 
 
 /^EDANT arma togae. It is time we turned from 
 the Major to the Mayor, from the man of 
 gallantry to the magistrate. 
 
 You know, I dare say, the story of the King of 
 England and the King of Portugal. The King of 
 Portugal paid the King of England a visit. " My 
 brother," said the King of England, after some days, 
 " I wish to ask you a question." " Say on," said the 
 King of Portugal. " I am curious to know what in 
 these realms of mine has most impressed you ? " 
 The King of Portugal considered a while. " Your 
 roast beef is excellent," said he. " And after our 
 roast beef, what next ? " The King of Portugal con- 
 sidered a while longer. " Your boiled beef very 
 nearly approaches it." So, if you had asked us on 
 what first of aU we prided ourselves in Troy, we 
 had pointed to our Major. If you had asked 
 " What next ? " we had pointed to our Mayor. 
 
 And these, our Dioscuri, were one and the same 
 man ! In truth, I suppose we ought to have been 
 proudest of him as Mayor ; since as Mayor he repre- 
 sented the King himself among us — nay, to all intent 
 and purposes was the King. More than once in his 
 public speeches he reminded us of this : and we were 
 glad to remember it when — as sometimes happened 
 
 B 17
 
 18 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 — we ran a cargo from Roscoff or Guernsey and left a 
 cask or two privily behind the Mayor's quay door. 
 We felt then that his Majesty had been paid 
 duty, and could have no legitimate grievance 
 against us. 
 
 Was there any mental confusion in this ? You 
 would pardon it had you ever been privileged to wit- 
 ness his Sunday procession to church, in scarlet robe 
 trimmed with sable, in cocked hat and chain of office ; 
 the mace-bearers marching before in scarlet with 
 puce-coloured capes, the aldermen following after in 
 tasselled gowns of black ; the band ahead playing 
 " The Girl I left behind Me " (for, although organised 
 for home defence, our corps had chosen this to be its 
 regimental tune). " Some talk of Alexander and 
 some of Hercules " — and some of Solomon, who never 
 saw our Solomon on the bench of justice ! 
 
 Let me tell you of his famous decision on Sabbath- 
 breaking. One Sunday afternoon our Mayor's 
 slumbers were interrupted by J ago the constable, 
 who haled before him a man, a horse, and two pan- 
 nier-loads of vegetables, and charged the first 
 named with this heinous offence. The fellow — a 
 small tenant-farmer from the outskirts of the parish 
 — could not deny that he had driven his cart down 
 to the Town Quay, unharnessed, and started in a 
 loud voice to cry his wares. There, almost on the 
 instant, Jago had taken him in flagrante delicto, and, 
 having an impediment in his speech, had used no 
 words but collared him. 
 
 " What have you to say for yourself ? " the 
 Mayor demanded,
 
 OUR MAYOR 19 
 
 " Dam me if I know what's amiss with the town 
 to-day ! " the culprit made answer. "Be it a 
 funeral ? " 
 
 " You are charged with trading, or attempting to 
 trade, on the Sabbath ; and sad hearing this will be 
 for your old parents, John Polkinghorne." 
 
 John Polkinghorne scratched his head. " You 
 ben't going to tell me that this be Sunday ! " (You 
 see, the poor fellow, living so far in the country, had 
 somehow miscounted the week, and ridden in to 
 market a day late.) 
 
 " Sunday ? " cried the Mayor. " Look at my 
 Bible, there, 'pon the table ! Look at my clean 
 bandanna ! " — this was his handkerchief, that he 
 had been wearing over his face while he dozed, to 
 keep off the flies. 
 
 " Good Lord ! And me all this morning in the 
 home-field scoading* dung ! " 
 
 " You go home this instant, and take every bit of 
 that dung off again before sunset," commanded the 
 Mayor, " and if the Lord says no more about it, we'll 
 overlook the case." 
 
 Maybe you have never heard either of his famous 
 examination of Sarah Mennear, of the Three Pil- 
 chards Inn (commonly known as the " Kettle of 
 Fish"), who applied for a separation, alleging that 
 her husband had kissed her by mistake for another 
 woman. 
 
 " What other woman ? " demanded his Worship. 
 
 " Sorra wan o' me knows," answered Sarah, who 
 came of Irish extraction. 
 
 * Scattering.
 
 20 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Her tale went that the previous evening, a little 
 after twilight, she was walking up the street and had 
 gone by the door of tlie Ship Inn, when a man stag- 
 gered out into the roadway and followed her. By 
 the sound of his footsteps she took him for some 
 drunken sailor, and was hurrying on (but not fast, 
 by reason of her clogs), when the man overtook her, 
 flung an arm around her neck, and forcibly kissed 
 her. Breaking away from him, she discovered it 
 was her own husband. 
 
 " Then where's the harm ? " asked the Mayor. 
 
 " But, please your Worship, he took me for another 
 woman." 
 
 " Then you must cite the other woman." 
 
 " Arrah now, and how the divvle, saving your 
 Worship's presence, will I cite the hussy, seein' I 
 never clapt eyes on her ? " 
 
 " No difficulty at all. To begin with, she was 
 wearing clogs." 
 
 " And so would nine women out of ten be wearin' 
 clogs in last night's weather." 
 
 " And next, she was lifting the skirt of her gown 
 high, to let the folks admire her ankles." 
 
 " Your Worship saw the woman, then ? If I'd 
 known your Worship to be within hail — " 
 
 " I think I know the woman. And so do you, Mrs 
 Mennear, if you can think of one in this town that's 
 vain as yourself of her foot and ankle, and with as 
 good a right." 
 
 " There's not one," said Mrs Mennear positively. 
 
 " Oh, yes, there is. Go back home, like a sensible 
 soul, and maybe you'll find her there."
 
 OUR MAYOR 21 
 
 " The villain ! Ye'll not be tellin' me he's 
 dared — " Mrs Mennear came near to choke. 
 
 " And small blame to him," said the Mayor with a 
 twinkle. " Will you go home, Sarah Mennear, and 
 be humble, and ask her pardon ? " 
 
 " Will I sclum * her eyes out, ye mane ! " cried 
 Sarah, fairly dancing. 
 
 " Go home, foolish wife ! " The Mayor was not 
 smiling now, and his voice took on a terrible stern- 
 ness. " The woman I mean is the woman John 
 Mennear married, or thought he married ; the 
 woman that aforetime had kept her own counsel 
 though he caught and kissed her in a dimmety corner 
 of the street ; the woman that swore to love, honour 
 and obey him, not she that tongue-drove him to the 
 King of Prussia, with his own good liquor to keep 
 him easy at home. Drunk he must have been to 
 mistake the one for t'other ; and I'm willing to fine 
 him for drunkenness. But cite that other woman 
 here before you ask me for a separation order, and 
 I'll grant it ; and I'll warrant when John sees you 
 side by side, he won't oppose it." 
 
 Here and there our Mayor had his detractors, no 
 doubt. What public man has not ? He incurred 
 the reproach of pride, for instance, when he ap- 
 peared, one wet day, carrying an umbrella, the first 
 ever seen in Troy. A Guernsey merchant had pre- 
 sented him with this novelty (I may whisper here 
 that our Mayor did something more than connive at 
 the free trade) and patently it kept off the rain. But 
 
 * Scratch.
 
 22 TilE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 would it not attract tlic lightning ? Many, even 
 among his well-wishers, shook their heads. For 
 their part they would have accepted the gift, but it 
 should never have seen the light : they would have 
 locked it away in their chests. 
 
 Oddly enough the Mayor nourished his severest 
 censor in his own household. The rest of us might 
 quote his wit, his wisdom, might defer to hun as a 
 being, if not superhuman, at least superlative among 
 men ; but Cai Tamblyn would have none of it. He 
 had found one formula to answer all our praises. 
 
 " Him ? Why, I knawed him when he was so 
 high ! " 
 
 Nor would he hesitate, in the Mayor's presence, 
 from translating it into the second person. 
 
 " Yoii ? Why, I knawed you when you was so 
 high ! " 
 
 Yet the j\layor retained him in his service, which 
 sufficiently proves his magnanimity. 
 
 He could allord to be magnanimous, being adored. 
 
 Who but he could have called a public meeting and 
 persuaded the ladies of the town to enroll themselves 
 in a brigade and patrol the cliffs in red cloaks during 
 harvest, that the French, if perchance they ap- 
 proached our shores, lUiight mistake them for soldiery.^ 
 It was pretty, I tell you, to walk the coast-track on a 
 warm afternoon and pass these sentinels two hundred 
 yards apart, each busy with her knitting. 
 
 Of all the marks left on our town by Major 
 Hymen's genius, the Port Hospital, or the idea of it, 
 proved (as it deserved) to be the most enduring. The 
 Looe Volunteers might pride themselves on their
 
 OUR MAYOR 23 
 
 longevity — at the best a dodging of the common lot. 
 We, characteristically, thought first of death and 
 wounds. 
 
 As the Major put it, at another public meeting : 
 " There are risks even in handling the explosives 
 generously supplied to us by Government. But 
 suppose — and the supposition is surely not extrava- 
 gant — that history should repeat itself ; that our 
 ancient enemy should once again, as in 1456, thunder 
 at this gate of England. He will thunder in vain, 
 gentlemen ! (Loud applause.) As a wave from the 
 cliff he will draw back, hissing, from the iron mouths 
 of our guns. But, gentlemen " — here the Mayor 
 sank his voice impressively — " we cannot have 
 omelets without the breaking of eggs, nor victories 
 without effusion of blood. He may leave prisoners 
 in our hands : he will assuredly leave us with dead 
 to bury, with wounded to care for. As masters of the 
 field, we shall discharge these offices of common 
 humanity, not discriminating between friend and 
 foe. But in what position are we to fulfil them ? " 
 
 The fact was (when we came to consider it) our 
 prevision had extended no further than the actual 
 combat : for its most ordinary results we had made 
 no preparation at all. 
 
 But in Troy we are nothing if not thorough. The 
 meeting appointed an Emergency Committee then 
 and there ; and the Committee, having retired to re- 
 assemble ten minutes later at the General Wolfe, 
 within an hour sketched out the following pro- 
 posals : — 
 
 I. — An Ambulance Corps to be formed of youths
 
 24 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 under sixteen (not being bandsmen) and 
 adults variously unfit for military service. 
 2. — A Corps of Female Nurses. Miss Pescod to be 
 
 asked to organise. 
 3. — The TowTi lock-up to be enlarged by taking 
 doN\'n the partition between it and a chamber 
 formerly used by the Constable as a potato 
 store. It was also resolved to strengthen the 
 door and provide it with two new bolts and 
 padlocks. 
 4. — The question of enlarging the Churchyard was 
 
 deferred to the next (Easter) vestry. 
 5. — Subscriptions to be invited for providing a 
 War Hospital. The Ma^'or, with La\vyer 
 Chinn (Town Clerk) and Alderman Hansom- 
 body, to seek for suitable premises, and report. 
 Of Dr Hansombody I shall have more to tell anon. 
 For the present let it suffice that before entering 
 public life he had earned our confidence as an apothe- 
 cary, and especially by his skill and delicacy in 
 maternity cases. 
 
 These proposals were duly announced : and onl}' 
 if you know Troy can you conceive with what spirit 
 the towTi flung itself into the task of making them 
 effective. " Task," did I say ? WTien I tell you 
 that at our next drill a parade of thirty-two 
 stretchers followed us up to the Old Fort (still to the 
 tune of " Come, Cheer Up, My Lads ! ") you may 
 guess how far duty and pleasure had made accord. 
 
 The project of a hospital went forward more 
 slowly ; but at length the Mayor and his Committee 
 were able to announce that premises had been taken
 
 OUR MAYOR 25 
 
 on a lease of seven years (by which time an end to the 
 war might reasonably be predicted) in Passage 
 Street, as you go towards the ferry ; the exterior 
 whitewashed and fitted with green jalousie shutters ; 
 the interior also cleaned and whitewashed, and a 
 ward opened with two beds. Though few enough to 
 meet the contingencies of invasion, and a deal too 
 few (especially while they remained unoccupied) to 
 satisfy the zeal of Miss Pescod's corps of nurses 
 (which by the end of the second week numbered 
 forty-three, with sixteen probationary members), 
 these two beds exhausted our subscriptions for the 
 time. A Ladies' Thursday Evening Working Party 
 supplied them with sheets, pillows and pillow-cases, 
 blankets and coverlets (twenty-two coverlets). 
 
 The Institution, as we have seen, was intended for 
 a War Hospital ; but pending invasion, and to get 
 our nurses accustomed to the work, there seemed no 
 harm in admitting as our first patient a sailor from 
 Plymouth Dock who, having paid a lengthy call at 
 the King of Prussia and drunk there exorbitantly, on 
 the way to his ship had walked over the edge 
 of the Town Quay. The tide being low, he had 
 escaped drowning, but at the price of three broken 
 ribs. 
 
 It is related of this man that early in his convales- 
 cence he sat up and demanded of the Visiting Com- 
 mittee (the Mayor and Miss Pescod) a translation of 
 two texts which hung framed on the wall facing his 
 bed. They had been illuminated by Miss SaUy Tre- 
 gentil at the instance of the Vicar (a Master of Arts 
 of the University of Oxford) — the one, " Parcere
 
 26 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Suhjcctis,'" the other, " Duke et Decorum est Pro 
 P atria Mori.'' 
 
 " Ah," said the Mayor, with a rallying glance at 
 Miss Pescod, " that's more than any of us know. 
 That's Latin ! " 
 
 " Excuse me," put in Dr Hansombody, who had 
 been measuring out a draught at the little table by 
 the window, " I don't pretend to be a scholar ; but 
 I have made out the gist of them ; and I understand 
 them to recommend a gentle aperient in cases which 
 at first baffle diagnosis." 
 
 " Ah ! " was the Mayor's only comment. 
 
 " I don't profess mine to be more than a free 
 rendering," went on the Uttle apothecary. " The 
 Latin, as you would suppose, puts it more poetically." 
 
 " Talking of texts," said the patient, leaning back 
 wearily on his pillow, " there was a woman some- 
 where in the Bible who put her head out of window 
 and recommended for every man a damsel or two 
 and a specified amount of needlework. I ain't com- 
 plainin', mind you ; but there's reason in all things." 
 
 You have heard how our movement was launched. 
 Where it would have ended none can tell, had not the 
 Millennium interfered.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE MILLENNIUM 
 
 ARISTOTLE has laid it down that the highest 
 drama concerns itself with reversal of fortune 
 befalling a man highly renowned and prosperous, of 
 better character rather than worse ; and brought about 
 less by vice than by some great error or frailty. After 
 all that has been said, you wiU wonder how I can 
 admit a frailty in Major Hymen. But he had one. 
 
 You will wonder yet more when you hear it de- 
 fined. Te teU the truth, he — our foremost citizen — 
 yet missed being a perfect Trojan. We were far 
 indeed from suspecting it : he was our fine flower, 
 our representative man. Yet in the light of later 
 events I can see now, and plainly enough, where he 
 fell short. 
 
 A University Extension Lecturer who descended 
 upon us the other day and, encouraged by the crowds 
 that flocked to hear him discourse on English Miracle 
 Plays, advertised a second series of lectures, this 
 time on English Moralities, but only to find his 
 audience diminished to one young lady (whom he 
 promptly married) — this lecturer, I say, whose text- 
 books indeed indicated several points of difference 
 between the Miracle Play and the Morality, but 
 
 nothing to account for so marked a subsidence in the 
 
 27
 
 28 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 register, departed in a huff, using tart language and 
 likening us to a pack of children blowing bubbles. 
 
 There is something in the fellow's simile. When 
 an idea gets hold of us in Troy, we puff at it, we blow 
 it out and distend it to a globe, pausing and calling 
 on one another to mark the prismatic tints, the fugi- 
 tive images, symbols, meanings of the wide world 
 glassed upon our pretty toy. We launch it. We 
 follow it with our eyes as it floats from us — an irre- 
 coverable delight. We watch until the microcosm 
 goes pop ! Then we laugh and blow another. 
 
 That is where the fellow's simile breaks down. 
 While the game lasts we are profoundly in earnest, 
 serious as children : but each bubble as it bursts re- 
 leases a shower of innocent laughter, flinging it like 
 spray upon the sky. There in a chime it hangs for a 
 moment, and so comes dropping — dropping — back 
 to us until 
 
 " Quite through our streets, with silver sound " 
 
 the flood of laughter flows, and for weeks the narrow 
 roadways, the quays, and alleys catch and hold its 
 refluent echoes. Your true Trojan, in short, will 
 don and doff his folly as a garment. Do you meet 
 him, grave as a judge, with compressed lip and cor- 
 rugated brow ? Stand aside, I warn you : his fit is 
 on him, and he may catch you up with him to heights 
 where the ridiculous and the sublime are one and all 
 the Olympians as drunk as Chloe. Better, if you 
 have no head for heights, wait and listen for the 
 moment — it will surely come — when the bubble 
 cracks, and with a laugh he is sane, hilariously sane.
 
 THE MILLENNIUM 29 
 
 Just here it was that our Mayor fell out with our 
 genius loci. He could smile — paternally, magisteri- 
 ally, benignantly, gallantly, with patronage, in de- 
 precation, compassionately, disdainfully (as when he 
 happened to mention Napoleon Bonaparte) ; subtly 
 and with intention ; or frankly, in mere bonhomie ; 
 as a Man, as a IMajor, as a Mayor. But he was never 
 known to laugh. 
 
 Through this weakness he fell. But he was a great 
 man, and it took the Millennium — nothing less — to 
 undo him. 
 
 Here let me say, once for all, that the Millennium 
 was no invention of ours. It started with the 
 Vicar of Helleston, and we may wash our hands 
 of it. 
 
 On the first Sunday of January 1800, the Vicar of 
 Helleston, (an unimportant town in the extreme 
 south-west of Cornwall, near the Lizard) preached a 
 sermon which, at the request of a few parishioners, 
 he afterwards published under the title of Reflections 
 on the New Century. In delight, no doubt, at find- 
 ing himself in print, he sent complimentary copies to 
 a number of his fellow-clergy, and, among others, to 
 the Vicar of Troy. 
 
 Our Vicar, being a scholar and a gentleman, but a 
 determined foe to loose thinking (especially in Cam- 
 bridge men), courteously acknowledged the gift, but 
 took occasion to remind his brother of Helleston that 
 Reflection was a retrospective process ; that Man, 
 as a finite creature, could but anticipate events 
 before they happened ; and that if the parishioners 
 of Helleston wished to reflect on the New Century
 
 30 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 they would have to vait until January 1901, or 
 something more than a hundred years. 
 
 The Vicar of Helleston replied, tacitly admitting 
 his misuse of language, but demanding to know if in 
 the Vicar of Troy's opinion the new century would 
 begin on January ist, 1801 : for his own part he had 
 supposed, and was prepared to maintain, that it had 
 begun on January ist, 1800. 
 
 To this the Vicar of Troy retorted that undoubt- 
 edly the new century would begin on the first day of 
 January 1801, and that anyone who held another 
 opinion must suffer from confusion of mind. 
 
 The Vicar of Helleston stuck to his contention, 
 and a terrific correspondence ensued. With the 
 arguments exchanged — which tended more and more 
 to appeal from common-sense to metaphysics — we 
 need not concern ourselves. The most of them re- 
 appeared the other day (1900-1901) in the public 
 press, and will doubtless reappear at the alleged be- 
 ginning of every century to come. But in his sixth 
 letter the Vicar of Helleston opened what I may call 
 a masked battery. 
 
 He said — and I believe the fellow had been leading 
 up to this from the start — that he desired to thresh 
 the question out not only on general grounds, but 
 officially as Vicar of Helleston ; since he had reason 
 to believe that a certain day in the opening year of 
 the new century would bring a term to the Millen- 
 nium ; that the Millennium had begun in Helleston 
 close on a thousand years ago ; and that (as he cal- 
 culated, on the 8th of May next approaching) Satan 
 might reasonably be expected to regain his liberty
 
 THE MILLENNIUM 31 
 
 (see Revelatron xx.). For evidence lie adduced a 
 local tradition that in his parish the Archangel 
 Michael (whose Mount stands at no- great distance) 
 had met and defeated the Prince of Darkness, had 
 cast him into a pit, and had sealed the pit with a great 
 stone ; which stone might be seen by any visitor on 
 application to the landlord of the Angel Inn and 
 payment of a trifling fee. Moreover, the stone was 
 black as your hat (unless you were a free-thinking 
 Radical and wore a white one ; in which case it was 
 blacker). He pointed out that the name of Helleston 
 — i.q., HeU's Stone — corroborated this tradition. 
 He went on to say that annually, on the 8th of May, 
 from time immemorial his parishioners had met in 
 the streets and engaged in a public dance which 
 either commemorated mankind's deliverance from 
 the Spirit of Evil, or had no meaning at aU. 
 
 The Vicar of Troy, warming to this new conten- 
 tion, riposted in masterly style. He answered Hel- 
 leston's claim to a monopoly, or even a predominant 
 interest, in the Devil by pelting his opponent with 
 Devil's Quoits, Devil's Punch - bowls, Walking- 
 sticks, Frying-pans, Pudding-dishes, Ploughshares ; 
 Devil's Strides, Jumps, Footprints, Fingerprints ; 
 Devil's Hedges, Ditches, Ridges, Furrows ; Devil's 
 Cairns, Cromlechs, Wells, Monoliths, Caves, Castles, 
 Cliffs, Chasms ; Devil's Heaths, Moors, Downs, 
 Commons, Copses, Furzes, Marshes, Bogs, Streams, 
 Sands, Quicksands, Estuaries, ; Devil's High-roads, 
 By-roads, Lanes, Footpaths, Stiles, Gates, Smithies, 
 Cross-roads ; from every comer of the Duchy. He 
 matched Helleston's May-dance wdth at least a score
 
 32 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 of similar May-day observances in different towns 
 and villages of Cornwall. He quoted the Padstow 
 Hobby-horse, the Towedneck Cuckoo-feast, the 
 Madron Dipping Day, the Troy May-dragon, and 
 proved that the custom of ushering in the summer 
 with song and dance and some symbolical rite of 
 purgation was well-nigh universal throughout Corn- 
 wall. He followed the custom overseas, to Brittany, 
 Hungary, the Black Forest, Moldavia, Lithuania, 
 Poland, Finland, the Caucasus. . . . He wound up 
 by sardonically congratulating the worthy folk of 
 Helleston : if the events of the past thousand years 
 satisfied their notion of a Millennium, they were 
 easily pleased. 
 
 And then — 
 
 Well, the next thing to happen was that the 
 Vicar of Helleston published a pamphlet of 76 pages 
 8vo, entitled Considerations Proper to the New Cen- 
 tury, with some Reflections on the Millennium. Note, 
 pray, the artfulness of the title, and, having noted it, 
 let us pass on. Our Vicar did not trouble to reply, 
 being off by this time on a scent of his own. 
 
 The dispute had served its purpose. On the 
 morning of March 25th, 1804, he knocked at the 
 Major's door, and, pushing past Scipio, rushed into 
 the breakfast-parlour unannounced. 
 
 " My dear Vicar ! What has happened ? Surely 
 the French — " The Major bounced up from his 
 chair, napkin in hand. 
 
 " The Millennium, Major ! I have it, I tell you ! " 
 
 Miss Marty sat down the tea-pot with a trembling 
 hand. She was always timid of infectious disease.
 
 THE MILLENNIUM 33 
 
 " O — oh ! " The Major's tone expressed his rehef. 
 " I thought for the moment — and you not shaved 
 this morning — " 
 
 " The fellow had hold of the stick all the while. 
 I'll do him that credit. He had hold of the stick, 
 but at the wrong end. I've been working it out, and 
 'tis plain (excuse me) as the nose on your face. The 
 moment you see ' Napoleon ' with the numbers 
 under him — " 
 
 " Eh ? Then it is the French ! " Again the 
 Major bounced up from his chair. 
 
 " The French ? Yes, of course — but, excuse 
 me—" 
 
 " What numbers ? " The Major's voice shook, 
 though he bravely tried to control it. 
 
 " Six hundred—" 
 
 " Good Lord ! Where ? " 
 
 " — and sixty and six. In Revelation thirteen, 
 eighteen — I thought you knew," went on the Vicar 
 reproachfully, as his friend dropped back upon his 
 chair, and, resting an elbow on the table, shaded his 
 eyes and their emotion. " As I can now prove to 
 you in ten minutes, the Corsican's name spells accur- 
 ately the Number of the Beast. But that's only the 
 beginning. Power, you remember, was given to the 
 Beast to continue forty and two months. Add forty 
 and two months to the first day of the century, 
 which I have shown to be January ist, 1801, and you 
 come to May ist, 1804 : that is to say, next May-day. 
 You perceive the significance of the date ? " 
 
 " Not entirely," confessed the Major, still a trifle 
 pale.
 
 34 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Why, my dear sir, all these rites and customs 
 over which the Vicar of Helleston and I have been 
 disputing — these May-day observances, in them- 
 selves apparently so puerile but so obviously sym- 
 bolical to one who looks below the surface — turn out 
 to be not retrospective, not reminiscent, not comme- 
 morative at all, but anticipatory. On every ist of 
 May our small urchins form a dragon or devil out of 
 old pots and saucepans, and flog it through the 
 streets. Ex ore infantium — on the ist of May next 
 (mark my words) we shall see Satan laid hold upon 
 and bound for a thousand years." 
 
 " Good Lord ! " exclaimed the Major once again. 
 
 " In the middle of spring - cleaning, too ! " 
 quavered Miss Marty. 
 
 " You'll find it as clear as daylight," the Vicar 
 assured them, pulling out a pocket Testament and 
 tapping the open page. 
 
 " Will it," the Major began tiuiorously, " will it 
 make an appreciable difference ? " 
 
 " To what ? " 
 
 " To — to our daily life — our routine ? Call it 
 humdrum, if you will — " 
 
 " My good friend, the Millennium ! " 
 
 " I know, I know. Still, at my age a man has 
 formed habits. Of course " — the Major pulled him- 
 self together — " if it's a question of Satan's being 
 bound for a thousand years, on general grounds one 
 can only approve. Yes, decidedly, on principle one 
 welcomes it. Nevertheless, coming so suddenly — " 
 
 The Vicar tapped his Testament again. "It has 
 been here all the time."
 
 THE MILLENNIUM 35 
 
 " Yes, yes," the Major sighed impatiently. " Still 
 it's upsetting, you'll admit." 
 
 " The end of the world ! " Miss Marty gripped 
 her apron, as if to cast it over her head. 
 
 " The Millennium, Miss Marty, is not the end of 
 the world." 
 
 " Oh, isn't it ? " 
 
 " It merely means that Satan will be bound for a 
 thousand years to come." 
 
 " If that's all "—Miss Marty walked to the bell- 
 rope — " there's no harm in ringing for Scipio to 
 bring in the omelet." 
 
 " I beg your pardon ? " The Vicar, not for the 
 first time, found it difficult to follow Miss Marty's 
 train of thought. 
 
 " Scipio never repeats what he hears at table : I'll 
 say that for him. And I believe in feeding people up." 
 
 The Vicar turned to Major Hymen, who had 
 pushed back his chair and was staring at the table- 
 cloth from under a puckered brow. 
 
 " I fear this has come upon you somewhat sud- 
 denly, but my first thought, as soon as I had con- 
 vinced myself — " 
 
 " Thank you, Vicar. I appreciate that, of 
 course." 
 
 " And, after all — when you come to think of it — 
 an event of this magnitude, happening in your 
 mayoralty — " 
 
 " Will they knight him, do you think ? " asked 
 Miss Marty. 
 
 While the Vicar considered his answer, on top of 
 this interruption came another — Scipio entering
 
 36 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 with the omelet. Now the entrance of the Major's 
 omelet was a daily ritual. It came on a silver dish, 
 heated by a small silver spirit-lamp, on a tray 
 covered by a spotless linen cloth. Scipio, its cook 
 and compounder, bore it with professional pride, 
 supporting the dish on one palm bent backwards, 
 and held accurately level with his shoulder ; whence, 
 by a curious and quite indescribable turn of the 
 wrist (Scipio was double-jointed), during which for 
 one fearful tenth of a second they seemed to hang 
 upside down, he would bring tray, lamp, dish and 
 omelet down with a sweep, and deposit them accu- 
 rately in front of the Major's pl^^te, at the same in- 
 stant bringing his heels together and standing at 
 attention for his master's approval. 
 
 " Well done, Scipio ! " the Major would say, nine 
 days out of ten. 
 
 But to-day he pushed the tray from him pettishly, 
 ignoring Scipio. 
 
 " You'll excuse me " — he turned to the Vicar — 
 " but if what you say is correct (you may go, Scipio) 
 it puts me in a position of some responsibility." 
 
 " I felt sure you would see it in that light. It's a 
 responsibility for me, too." 
 
 " To-day is the twenty-fifth. We have little 
 more than a month." 
 
 " What am I to say in church next Sunday ? " 
 
 " Why, as for that, you must say nothing. Good 
 Heavens ! is this a time for adding to the dis- 
 quietude of men's minds ? " 
 
 " I had thought," the Vicar confessed, " of 
 memorialising the Government."
 
 THE MILLENNIUM 37 
 
 " Addington ! " The Major's tone whenever he 
 had occasion to mention Mr Addington was a study 
 in scornful expression. He himself had once memo- 
 riaHsed the Prime Minister for a couple of nineteen- 
 pounders which, with the two on the Old Fort, would 
 have made our harbour impregnable. " Addington I 
 It's hard on you, I know," he went on sympathetic- 
 ally, " to keep a discovery like this to yourself. But 
 we might tell Hansombody." 
 
 " Why Hansombody ? " For the second time a 
 suspicion crossed the Vicar's mind that his hearers 
 were confusing the Millennium with some infectious 
 ailment. 
 
 " It is bound to affect his practice," suggested 
 Miss Marty. 
 
 " To be sure," the Major chimed in. As a matter 
 of fact, he attached great importance to the apothe- 
 cary's judgment, and was wont to lean on it, though 
 not too ostentatiously. " It can hardly fail to affect 
 his practice. I think, in common justice, Hansom- 
 body ought to be told ; that is, if you are quite sure 
 of your ground." 
 
 " Sure ? " The Vicar opened his Testament afresh 
 and plunged into an explanation. " And forty-two 
 months," he wound up, " are forty-two months, un- 
 less you prefer to fly in the face of Revelation." 
 
 His demonstration fairly staggered the Major. 
 " My good sir, where did you say ? Patmos ? Now, 
 if anyone had come to me a week ago and told me — 
 Martha, ring for Scipio, please, and tell him to fetch 
 me my hat." 
 
 Although the Major and the Vicar had as good as
 
 38 THE MAYOR OF 1 ROY 
 
 made solemn agreement to impart their discovery to 
 no one but Mr Hansombody ; and, although Miss 
 Marty admittedly (and because, as she explained, no 
 one had forbidden her) imparted it to Scipio and 
 again to Cai Tamblyn in the course of the morning, 
 yet, knowing Troy, I hesitate to blame her that be- 
 fore noon the whole town was discussing the Mil- 
 lennium, notice of which (it appeared) had come 
 down to the Mayor by a private advice and in 
 Government cipher. 
 
 " But what is a Millennium ? " asked someone of 
 Gunner Sobey (our readiest man). 
 
 " It means a thousand years," answered Gunner 
 Sobey ; " and then, if you're lucky, you get's a pen- 
 sion accordin'." 
 
 Miss Marty confessed later that she had confided 
 the secret to Scipio. Now Scipio, a sentimental soul, 
 cherished a passion. In church every Sunday he sat 
 behind his master and in full view of a board on the 
 wall of the south aisle whereon in scarlet letters on a 
 buff ground were emblazoned certain bequests and 
 charities left to the parish by the pious dead. The 
 churchwardens who had set up this list, with the 
 date, September 1757, and attested it with tlicir 
 names, had prudently left a fair blank space there- 
 under for additions. Often, during the Vicar's ser- 
 mons, poor Scipio's gaze had dwelt on this blank 
 space. Maybe the scarlet lettering above it fas- 
 cinated him. Negroes are notoriously fond of 
 scarlet. But out upon me for so mean a guess at his 
 motives ! Scipio, regarding this board Sunday by 
 Sunday, saw in imagination his own name added to
 
 THE MILLENNIUM 39 
 
 that glorious roll. He had a few pounds laid by. 
 He owned neither wife nor child. Why should it not 
 be ? He was black : but a black man's money 
 passed current as well as a white man's. Might not 
 his name, Scipio Johnson, stand some day and be 
 remembered as well as that of Joshua Milliton, A.M. 
 (whatever A.M. might mean), who in 1714 had be- 
 queathed moneys to provide, every Whit-Sunday 
 and Christmas, " twelve white loaves of half a peck 
 to as many virtuous poor widows " ? 
 
 So when Miss Marty confided the news to him in 
 the pantry where, as always at ten in the morning, 
 he was engaged in cleaning the plate, Scipio's hand 
 shook so violently that the silver sugar-basin slipped 
 from his hold and, crashing down upon the breakfast- 
 tray, broke two cups and the slop-basin into small 
 fragments. 
 
 " Oh, Scipio ! " Miss Marty's two hands went up 
 in horrified dismay. " How could you be so care- 
 less ! " 
 
 " The Millennium, miss ! " 
 
 " We can never replace it — never ! " 
 
 Scipio gazed at the tray : but what he saw was a 
 shattered dream — a cracked board strewn with frag- 
 mentary scarlet letters and flourishes " brief flour- 
 ishes." " Ole man Satan is among us sho 'nuff, 
 Miss Marty : among us and kickin' up Saint's De- 
 light, because his time is short. I was jes' thinkin' 
 of the widows, miss." 
 
 " You have spoilt the set ... eh ? what widows ? 
 You don't mean to tell me that Satan — ? " 
 
 Miss Marty broke off and gazed at Scipio with
 
 40 THE MAYOR OF TllOY 
 
 dawning suspicion, distrust, apprehension. She had 
 never completely reconciled herself with the poor 
 fellow's colour. The Major, in moments of irritation, 
 would address him as " You black limb of Satan." 
 He came from the Gold Coast, and she had heard 
 strange stories of that happily distant, undesirable 
 shore ; stories of devil-worship, and — was it there 
 they practised suttee ? What did he mean by that 
 allusion to widows ? And why had he turned pale — 
 yes, pale — when she announced the Evil One's ap- 
 proaching overthrow ? 
 
 jMiss Marty left him to pick up the pieces, and 
 withdrew in some haste to the kitchen. Then, half 
 an hour later, while rolling out the paste for a pie- 
 crust, she imparted the news to Lavinia. 
 
 "It's to happen on May-day, Lavinia. The 
 Major had w^ord of it this morning, and — only think ! 
 — Satan is to be bound for a thousand years." 
 
 " Law, miss ! " said Lavinia. " Apprentice ? " 
 
 Cai Tamblyn heard of it in the garden, which was 
 really a small flagged courtj-ard leading to the terrace, 
 which again was really a small, raised platform with 
 a table and a couple of chairs, where the Major some- 
 times smoked his pipe and overlooked the harbour 
 and the shipping. Along each side of the courtyard 
 ran a flower-bed, and in these Cai Tamblyn grew 
 tulips and verbenas, according to the season, and 
 kept them scrupulously weeded. He was stooping 
 over his tulips when Miss Marty told him of the 
 Millennium. 
 
 " What's that ? " he asked, picking up a slug and 
 jerking it across the harbour wall.
 
 THE MILLENNIUM 41 
 
 " It's a totally different thing from the end of the 
 world. To begin with, Satan is to be taken and 
 bound for a thousand years." 
 
 " Oh ! " said Cai Tamblyn with fine contempt. 
 " Him ! "
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 HOW THE TROY GALLANTS CHALLENGED 
 THE LOOE DIEHARDS 
 
 THAT it was the Major's idea goes without say- 
 ing. At Looe they had neither the origin- 
 ahty for it nor the enterprise. 
 
 I have already told you with what sardonic em- 
 phasis he quoted the saying that 'twas hardly worth 
 while for Great Britain to go to war merely to prove 
 that she could put herself in a good posture for de- 
 fence. The main secret of strategy, he would add, 
 is to impose your idea of the campaign on your 
 enemy ; to take the initiative out of his hands ; to 
 throw him on the defensive and keep him nervously 
 speculating what move of yours may be a feint and 
 what a real attack. If the Ministry had given the 
 Major his head, so to speak, Agincourt at least might 
 have been repeated. 
 
 But since it enforced him to wait on the enemy's 
 movements, at least (said he) let us be sure that our 
 defence is secure. Concerning the Troy battery he 
 had not a doubt ; but over the defences of Looe he 
 could not but feel perturbed. To be sure, Looe's 
 main battery stood out of reach of harm, but with 
 the compensating disadvantage of being able to in- 
 flict none. This seemed to him a grave engineering 
 blunder : but to impart his misgivings to an officer 
 
 42
 
 THE TROY GALLANTS 43 
 
 so sensitive as Captain iEneas Pond of the East and 
 West Looe Volunteer Artillery was a delicate matter, 
 and cost him much anxious thought. 
 
 At length he hit on a plan at once tactful and so 
 bold that it concealed his tact. Between Looe and 
 Troy, but much nearer to Looe, lies Talland Cove, a 
 pretty recess of the coast much favoured in those 
 days by smugglers as being lonely and well sheltered, 
 with a nicely shelving beach on which, at almost any 
 state of the tide, an ordinary small boat could be run 
 and her cargo discharged with the greatest ease. A 
 shelving ridge on the eastern side of the cove had 
 only to be known to be avoided, and the run of sea 
 upon the beach could be disregarded in any but a 
 strong southerly wind. 
 
 Now, where the free-traders could so easily land a 
 cargo, it s.ood to reason that Bonaparte (were he so 
 minded) could land an invading force. Nay, once 
 on a time the French had actually forced this very 
 spot. A short way up the valley behind the cove 
 stood a mill ; and of that mill this story was told. 
 About the time of the Wars of the Roses, the miller 
 there gave entertainment to a fellow-miller from the 
 Breton coast opposite, who had crossed over — or so 
 he pretended — to learn by what art the English 
 ground finer corn than the French. Coming by 
 hazard to this mill above Talland, he was well enter- 
 tained for a month or more and dismissed with a 
 blessing ; but only to return to his own country, 
 collect a band of men and cross to Talland Cove, 
 where on a Christmas Eve he surprised his late host 
 at supper, bound him, haled him down to the shore,
 
 44 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 carried him off to Brittany, and there held him at 
 ransom. The ransom was paid, and our Cornish 
 miller, returning, built himself a secret cupboard 
 behind the chimney for a hiding-place against an- 
 other such mishap. That hiding-place yet existed, 
 and formed (as the Major well knew) a capital store- 
 chamber for the free-traders. 
 
 The Major, then, having carefully studied Talland 
 Cove, with its approachv^s, and the lie of the land to 
 the east and west and immediately behind it, sat 
 down and indited the following letter : — 
 
 " Dear Pond, — I have been thinking over the 
 military situation, and am of opinion that if the 
 enemy once effected a lodgment in Looe, we in Troy 
 might have difficulty in dislodging him. Have you 
 considered the danger of Talland Cove and Ihe acces- 
 sibility of your town from that quarter ? And 
 would you and your corps entertain the idea of a de- 
 scent of my corps upon Talland one of these nights as 
 a friendly test ? — Believe me, yours truly, 
 
 " Sol. Hymen (Major). 
 
 " To Captain /Eneas Pond, Commanding the East 
 and West Looe Volunteer Artillery." 
 
 To this Captain Pond made answer : — 
 
 " Dear Hymen, — The mihtary situation here is 
 practically unchanged. We have had some bron- 
 chial trouble among the older members of the corps 
 in consequence of the severe east winds which pre- 
 vailed up to last week ; but on the whole we have 
 weathered the winter beyond expectation. A slight
 
 THE TROY GALLANTS 45 
 
 outbreak of whooping-cough towards the end of 
 February was confined to the juveniles of the town, 
 and left us unaffected. 
 
 " Seeing that I make a practice of walking over to 
 Talland to bathe at least twice a week during the 
 summer months, I ought to be acquainted with the 
 dangers of the Cove, as well as its accessibility. 
 The temperature of the water is of extraordinarily 
 low range, and will compare in the mean (I am 
 told) with the Bay of Naples. My informant was 
 speaking of ordinary years. Vesuvius in eruption 
 would no doubt send the figures up. 
 
 " By all means march your men over to Talland ; 
 and if the weather be tolerable we will await you 
 there and have a dinner ready at the Sloop. Our 
 Assurance Fund has a surplus this year, which, in 
 my opinion, would be well expended in entertaining 
 our brothers-in-arms. But do not make the hour 
 too late, or I shall have trouble with the Doctor. 
 What do you say to 3.30 p.m., any day after this 
 week ? — Yours truly, ^En. Pond. 
 
 " To the Worshipful the Mayor of Troy (Major S. 
 Hymen), Commanding the Troy Volunteer Artillery." 
 
 The Major replied : — 
 
 " Dear Pond, — In speaking of the enemy, I re- 
 ferred to the Corsican and his minions rather than to 
 the whooping-cough or any similar epidemic. It 
 struck me that the former (being fiat-bottomed) 
 might with great ease effect a landing in Talland 
 Cove and fall on your flank in the small hours of the 
 morning, creating a situation with which, single-
 
 46 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 handed, yon might find it difficult to cope. My sug- 
 gestion then would be that, as a test, we arranged a 
 night together for a surprise attack, our corps here 
 acting as a friendly foe. 
 
 " With so gallant an enemy I feel a diffidence in dis- 
 cussing the bare contingency of our success. But 
 it may reassure the non-combatant portion of your 
 population in East and West Looe if I add that 72 
 per centum of my corps are married m^n, and that 
 I accept no recruit without careful inquiry into 
 character. 
 
 " By direct assault I know you to be impregnable. 
 The reef off your harbour would infallibly wreck any 
 ship that tried to approach within the range of your 
 battery (270 point-blank, I believe) ; and my ex- 
 perience with a picnic party last summer convinced 
 me that to discharge the complement of even half 
 a dozen boats by daylight on your quay requires 
 a degree of method which in a night attack would 
 almost certainly be lacking. Our boats would not 
 be flat-bottomed, but only partiall}^ so : enough for 
 practical purposes. 
 
 " I do not apprehend any casualties. With a 
 little forethought we may surely avoid the confusion 
 incident to a night surprise, while carrying it out in 
 all essentials. But I may mention that we have a 
 well-found hospital in Troy, that we should bring our 
 own stretcher-party, and that our honorary surgeon, 
 Mr Hansombody, is a licentiate of the Apothecaries' 
 Hall, in London. — I am, my dear Pond, yours truly, 
 
 " Sol. Hymen {Major).'" 
 
 " Confound this fire-eater ! " sighed Captain Pond.
 
 THE TROY GALLANTS 47 
 
 " I knew, when they told me he had founded a 
 hospital, he wouldn't be satisfied till he'd filled it." 
 Yet he could scarcely decline the challenge. 
 
 " My dear Major, — In these critical times, when 
 Great Britain calls upon her sons to consolidate their 
 ranks in face of the Invader, I should have thought 
 it wiser to keep as many as possible in health and 
 fighting condition than to incur the uncertain risks 
 of such a nocturnal adventure as you propose. I 
 think it due to myself to make this clear, and you 
 will credit me that I have, or had, no other reason 
 for demurring. It does not become me, however, to 
 argue with my superior in military rank ; and again 
 the tone of your last communication makes it im- 
 possible for me to decline without bringing the spirit 
 of my Corps under suspicion. I cannot do them 
 this injustice. His Majesty, I dare to say, has no 
 braver, no more gallant subjects, than the inhabit- 
 ants of East and West Looe ; and if, or when, you 
 choose to invade us you may count on a determined 
 resistance and, at its conclusion, on a hearty invita- 
 tion to supper, or breakfast, as the length of the 
 operations may dictate. — I am, yours truly, 
 
 " ^N. Pond {Capt. E. and W.L.V.A.) 
 
 " P.S. — If you will accept a suggestion, it is that 
 on the night of the 30th of April, or in the early hours 
 of May morning, large numbers of our inhabitants 
 fare out to the neighbouring farmhouse to eat 
 cream and observe other unwholesome but primitive 
 and interesting ceremonies before day-break. A 
 similar custom, I hear, prevails at Troy. Now it
 
 48 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 occurs to me that if we agreed upon that date for 
 our surprise attack, we should, so to speak, be killing 
 two birds with one stone, and at a season when the 
 night air in some degree loses its insalubrity, 
 
 " P.P.S. — You will, of course, take care — it is the 
 essence of our agreement — that all ammunition shall 
 be strictly blank. And pray bring your full band. 
 Though superfluous before and during the surprise, 
 their strains will greatly enhance the subsequent 
 festivities." 
 
 Thus did Captain Pond accept our challenge. The 
 Major acknowledged its acceptance in the following 
 brief note : — 
 
 " My dear Pond, — Your letter has highly grati- 
 fied me. Between this and April 30th I will make 
 occasion to meet you and arrange details. Mean- 
 while, could you discover and send the correct words 
 and tune of an old song I remember hearing sung, 
 when I was a boy, in honour of your town ? It was 
 called, I think, ' The George of Looe ' ; and if be- 
 tween this and then our musicians learnt to play it, 
 I daresay your men would appreciate the compli- 
 ment from their (temporary) foes. — Yours truly, 
 
 " Sol. Hymen (Major).'" 
 
 But this was before our Vicar's announcement of 
 the Millennium. 
 
 Captain Pond promised to obtain, if possible, the 
 words and music of the old song. " Courtesies such 
 as yours," he wrote, " refine the spirit, while they 
 mitigate the ferocity, of warfare."
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 INTERFERENCE OF A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 
 
 A SMALLER man than Major Hymen — I allude 
 to character rather than to stature — had un- 
 doubtedly postponed a military manoeuvre on finding 
 it likely to clash with the Millennium, an event so 
 incalculable and conceivably so disconcerting to the 
 best-laid plans : and, indeed, for something like forty- 
 eight hours the Major was in two minds about 
 writing to Captain Pond and hinting at a postpone- 
 ment. 
 
 But in the end he characteristically chose the 
 stronger line. I believe the handsome language of 
 Captain Pond's last letter decided him. His was no 
 cheap imitation of the grand manner. Magnifi- 
 cently, spaciously — too spaciously, perhaps, con- 
 sidering the width of our streets — it enshrined a real 
 conception of Man's proper dignity. Here was an 
 obligation in which honour met and competed with 
 politeness : and he must fulfil it though the heavens 
 fell. Moreover, he could not but be aware, during 
 the month of April, that the town had its eye on 
 him, hoping for a sign. He and the Vicar and Mr 
 Hansombody had bound each other to secrecy ; 
 nevertheless some inkling of the secret had leaked 
 out. The daily current of gossip in the streets no 
 
 longer kept its cheerful, equable flow. Citizens 
 D 49
 
 50 THE MAYOR OF TKOY 
 
 avoided each other's eyes, and talked either in 
 hushed voices or with an almost febrile vehemence 
 on any subject but that which lay closest to their 
 thoughts. 
 
 But never did our Mayor display such strength, 
 such unmistakable greatness, as during this, tlie last 
 month — alas ! — fate granted us to possess him. Men 
 eyed him on his daily walk, but he for his part eyed 
 the weather : and the weather continued remarkably 
 fine for the time of year. 
 
 So warm, so still, indeed, were the evenings, that 
 in the third week of April he began to take his 
 dessert, after dinner, out of doors on the terrace over- 
 looking the harbour ; and would sit and smoke there, 
 alone with a book, until the shadows gathered and 
 it grew too dark to read print. 
 
 " And you may tell Scipio to bring me out a bottle 
 of the green-sealed Madeira," he commanded, on the 
 evening of the twentieth. 
 
 " The green-sealed Madeira ? " echoed Miss Marty. 
 " You know, of course, that there is but a dozen or 
 so left ? " 
 
 " A dozen precisely ; and to-day is the twentieth. 
 That leaves " — the Major drummed with his fingers 
 on the mahogany — " a bottle a night and one over. 
 That last one I reserve to drink on the evening of 
 May-day if all goes well. One must risk something." 
 
 " Solomon ! " 
 
 " Eh ? " The Major looked up in surprise. Al- 
 though a kinswoman, Miss Marty had never before 
 dared to address him by his Christian name. " One 
 must risk something ; or rather, I should say, one
 
 A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 51 
 
 must leave a margin. If Hansombody calls, you 
 may send oul; the brown sherry." 
 
 " Forgive me, cousin. I see you going about your 
 daily business, calm and collected, as though no 
 shadow hung over us — " 
 
 " A man in my position has certain responsibihties, 
 my dear Martha." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; I admire you for it. Do not think 
 that for one moment I have failed in paying you that 
 tribute. I often wish," pursued Miss Marty, some- 
 what incoherently, " that I had been born a man. 
 I trust the aspiration is not unwomanly. I see you 
 going about as if nothing were happening or likely 
 to happen, and me all the while half dead in my bed, 
 and hearing the clock strike and expecting it every 
 moment. As if the French weren't bad enough ! 
 And the Vicar may say what he likes, but when I 
 hear you ordering up the green-sealed Madeira I 
 know you're like me, and in your heart of hearts 
 can't see much difference between it and the end of 
 the world, for all the brave face you put on it. Oh, 
 I daresay it's different when one happens to be a 
 man," wound up Miss Marty, " but what I want to 
 know is why couldn't we be let alone and go on 
 comfortably ? " 
 
 The Major rose and flicked a crumb or two from 
 
 the knees of his pantaloons. For the moment he 
 
 seemed about to answer her, but thought better of 
 
 it and left the room without speech, taking his 
 
 napkin with him. 
 
 To tell the truth, he had been near to giving way. 
 In his heart he echoed Miss Marty's protest ; and
 
 52 THE MAYOK OF TROY 
 
 it touched him with an accent of reproach — faint 
 indeed ; an accent and no more — which yet he had 
 detected and understood. Was he not in some sort 
 responsible ? Would the Millennium be imminent 
 to-day — or, if imminent, would it be wearing so mo- 
 mentous an'aspect ? — if at the last Mayor-choosing he 
 had modestly declined to be re-elected (for the fifth 
 successive year), and had stood aside in favour of 
 some worthy but less eminent citizen ? Hansom- 
 body, for instance ? Hansombody admired him, 
 idolised him, with a devotion almost canine. Yet 
 Hansombody might be expected to cherish hopes 
 of the mayoral succession sooner or later, for one 
 brief year at any rate ; and for a few moments after 
 acceding for the sixth time to the unanimous request 
 of the burgesses, the Major had almost fancied that 
 Hansombody's feelings were hurt. Hansombody 
 would have made a competent mayor ; provoking 
 comparison, of course, but certainly not provoking 
 the jealousy of the gods. It is notoriously the 
 mountain top, the monarch oak that attracts the 
 lightning. Impossible to think of Hansombody 
 attracting the lightning, with his bedside manner ! 
 
 The Major seated himself in his favourite chair on 
 the terrace, spread his napkin over his knees and 
 mused, while Scipio set out the decanters and glasses. 
 
 His gaze, travelling over the low parapet of the 
 quay-wall, rested on the quiet harbour, the ships 
 swinging slowly with the tide, the farther shore 
 touched with the sunset glory. Evensong, the close 
 of day, the end of deeds, the twilit passing of man — 
 all these the scene, the hour suggested. And yet
 
 A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 53 
 
 (the Major poured out a glass of the green-sealed 
 Madeira) this life was good and desirable. " i| 
 
 The Major's garden (as I have said) was a narrow 
 one, in width about half the depth of his house, 
 terminating in the " Terrace " and a narrow quay- 
 door, whence a ladder led down to the water. Along- 
 side this garden ran the rear wall of the Custom 
 House, which abutted over the water, also with a 
 ladder reaching down to the foreshore, and not five 
 yards from the Mayor's. On the street side one 
 window of the Custom House raked the Mayor's 
 porch ; in the rear another and smaller window 
 overlooked his garden, and this might have been a 
 nuisance had the Collector of Customs, Mr Penne- 
 father, been a less considerate neighbour. But no 
 one minded Mr Pennefather, a little, round, self- 
 deprecating official who, before coming to Troy, had 
 served as clerk in the Custom House at Penzance, 
 and so, as you might say, had learnt his business 
 in a capital school : for the good feeling between the 
 Customs' officials and the free-traders of Mount's 
 Bay, and the etiquette observed in their encounters, 
 were a by-word throughout the Duchy. 
 
 The Major, glancing up as he sipped his Madeira 
 and catching sight of Mr Pennefather at his window, 
 nodded affably. 
 
 " Ah ! Good-evening, Mr Collector ! " 
 
 " Good-evening, Major ! You'll excuse my seeming 
 rudeness in overlooking you. To tell the truth, I had 
 just closed my books, and the sight of your tulips — " 
 
 " A fair show this year — eh ? " The Major took 
 pride in his tulips.
 
 54 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Magnificent ! I was wondering how you will 
 manage when the bulbs deteriorate ; for, of course, 
 there's no renewing them from Holland, nor any 
 prospect of it while this war lasts." 
 
 The Major sipped his Mine. " Between ourselves, 
 Mr Collector, I have heard that forbidden goods find 
 their way into this country somehow. Eh ? " 
 
 The Collector laughed. " But the price, Major ? 
 That is w^here it hits us, even in the matter of tuhps. 
 War is a terrible business." 
 
 " It has been called the sport of kings," answered 
 the Major, crossing his legs wdth an air of careless 
 greatness, and looking more like the Prince Regent 
 than ever. 
 
 " I have sometimes w^ondcred, being of a reflective 
 turn, on the — cr — far-reaching consequences of 
 events which, to the casual eye, might appear in- 
 significant. An infant is born in the remote island 
 of Corsica. Years roll on, and we find our gardens 
 denuded of a bulb, the favourite habitat of which 
 must lie at least eight hundred miles from Corsica 
 as the crow flies. How unlikely was it, sir, that you 
 or I, considering these tulips with what I may per- 
 haps call our finite intelligence — " 
 
 " Step around, Mr Collector, and have a look at 
 them. You can unfold your argument over a glass 
 of wine, if you wiU do me that pleasure." The 
 Major had a high opinion of Mr Pcnnefather's con- 
 versation ; he was accustomed to say that it made 
 you think. 
 
 " If you are sure, sir, it will not incommode you ? " 
 
 " Not in the least. I expect Hansombody will
 
 A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 55 
 
 join us presently. Scipio, bring out the brown 
 sherry." 
 
 Now the Major had not invited Dr Hansombody ; 
 yet that he expected him is no less certain than that, 
 while he spoke, Dr Hansombody was actually lifting 
 the knocker of the front door. 
 
 How did this happen ? The Major — so used was 
 he to the phenomenon — accepted it as a matter of 
 course. Hansombody (good soul !) had a wonderful 
 knack of turning up when wanted. But what at- 
 tracted him ? Was it perchance that magnetic force 
 of will which our Major, and all truly great men, 
 unconsciously exert ? No ; the explanation was a 
 simpler one, though the Major would have been 
 inexpressibly shocked had he suspected it. 
 
 Miss Marty and Dr Hansombody were mutually 
 enamoured. 
 
 They never told their love. To acknowledge it 
 nakedly to one another — nay, even to themselves — 
 had been treason. What ? Could Miss Marty dis- 
 turb the comfort, could her swain destroy the con- 
 fidence, could they together forfeit the esteem, of 
 their common hero ? In converse they would hymn 
 antiphonally his virtues, his graces of mind and 
 person ; even as certain heathen fanatics, wounding 
 themselves in honour of their idol, will drown the 
 pain by loud clashings of cymbals. 
 
 They never told their love, and yet, as the old 
 song says, — 
 
 " But if ne'er so close ye wall him, 
 Do the best that ye may, 
 Blind Love, if so ye call him. 
 He will find out his way."
 
 56 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Miss Marty had found out a way. 
 
 The Major's house, as you have been told, looked 
 down the length of Fore Street ; arftl on the left hand 
 (the harbour side) of Fore Street, at some seventy 
 yards' distance, Dr Hansorabody resided over his 
 dispensary, or, as he preferred to call it, his " Medical 
 Hall." The house stood aligned with its neighbours 
 but overtopped them by an attic storey ; and in the 
 north side of this attic a single window looked up the 
 street to the Major's windows — Miss Marty's among 
 the rest — and was visible from them. 
 
 Behind this attic window the Doctor, when re- 
 leased from professional labours, would sit and read 
 or busy himself in arranging his cases of butterflies, 
 of which he had a famous collection ; and somehow 
 — I cannot tell you when or how, except that it 
 began in merest innocence — Miss Marty had learnt 
 to signal with her window-blind and the Doctor to 
 reply with his. This evening, for instance, by 
 lowering her blind to the foot of the second pane 
 from the top, Miss Marty had telegraphed, — 
 
 " The Major requests you to call and take wine 
 with him." 
 
 The Doctor drew his blind down rapidly and as 
 rapidly raised it again. This said, " I come at 
 once," and Miss Marty knew that it added, " On 
 the wings of love ! " 
 
 A slight agitation of the lower left-hand corner of 
 her blind supplemented the message thus, — 
 
 " There will be brown sherry." 
 
 " Then will I also call to-morrow," said the 
 Doctor's blind, roguishly, meaning that if the Major
 
 A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 57 
 
 indulged in brown sherry (which never agreed with 
 him) this convivial visit would almost certainly be 
 followed by a professional one. Miss Marty, having 
 no signal for the green-sealed Madeira, postponed 
 explanation, and drew her blind midway down the 
 window. The Doctor did the same \\'ith his. This 
 signal and its answer invariably closed their corre- 
 spondence ; but what it meant, what tender message 
 it conveyed, remained an uncommunicated secret. 
 By it Miss Marty — but shall I reveal the arcana of 
 that virgin breast ? Let us be content to know that 
 whatever it conveyed was, on her part, womanly ; 
 on his, gallant and even dashing. 
 
 The Doctor lost no time in fetching his hat and 
 gold-topped cane. He knew the Major's bro\\Ti 
 sherry ; it had twice made a voyage to the West 
 Indies. He hied him up the street with alacrity. 
 
 The Collector, though he had the worse of the 
 start, was not slow. He also had tasted the Major's 
 brown sherry. He closed his ledgers, locked his 
 desk, caught up his hat, and was closing the Custom 
 House door behind him when, from the top of the 
 Custom House steps, he saw the Major's door open 
 to admit Dr Hansombody. 
 
 Ye who listen with credulity to the whispers of 
 fancy and pursue in imagination the pleasures of 
 hope, attend to the story of Dr Hansombody, Mr 
 Pennefather, and the brown sherry ! 
 
 " Dr Hansombody ? " With her own hand Miss 
 Marty opened the door, and her start of surprise was 
 admirably affected. (Ah, Miss Marty ! Who was 
 it rated Lavinia this morning for a verbal fib, until
 
 68 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 the poor child dropped her head upon the kitchen 
 table and with sobs confessed herself the chief of 
 sinners ?) But even as she welcomed the apothe- 
 cary, her gaze fell past him upon the form of a 
 stranger who, sauntering up the street, had paused 
 at the gate to scan the Major's house-front. 
 
 " I ask your pardon." The stranger, a long, lean, 
 lantern-jawed man, raised his hat and addressed her 
 with a strong French accent. " But does Mr Hymen 
 inhabit here ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir ; Major Hymen — that is to say the 
 Mayor — lives here." 
 
 " Ah ! he is also the Maire ? So much the better." 
 He drew out a card. " Will it please you, made- 
 moiselle, to convey this to him ? " 
 
 Standing on the third step he held up the card. 
 Miss Marty took it and read, " M. Cesar Dupin." 
 
 " Of Guernsey," added M. Dupin, rubbing his long 
 unshaven chin while he stole a long look at the 
 Doctor. " It is understood that I come only to lodge 
 a complaint." 
 
 " To be sure — to be sure," agreed the Doctor, 
 hurriedly. " A Guernsey merchant," he whispered. 
 ..." You will convey my excuses to the Major ; 
 an unexpected visitor — I quite understand." 
 
 Htt made a motion to retire. At the same moment 
 the Collector, after scanning the stranger from the 
 Custom House porch, himself unseen, unlocked his 
 door again without noise, re-entered his office and 
 delicately drew down the blind of the little window 
 overlooking the Major's garden. 
 
 " There is the parlour," Miss Marty made answer
 
 A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 59 
 
 in an undertone. " This gentleman may not detain 
 the Major long." She turned to the stranger. 
 " Your business, sir, is doubtless private ? " 
 
 " I should prefer." 
 
 " Quite so." She raised her voice and called, 
 " Scipio ! Scipio ! Ah, there j^ou are ! Take this 
 gentleman's card out to the terrace and inform the 
 Major that he desires an interview." 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 " Why, hullo ! " exclaimed the Major, glancing up 
 at the sound of a blind being drawn above, in the 
 Custom House window. " What the deuce is delay- 
 ing Pennefather ? " 
 
 While he speculated, Scipio emerged from the 
 house, bearing in one hand a decanter of brown 
 sherry, and in the other a visitor's card. 
 
 " Eh— what ? M. Cesar Dupin ? " The Major, 
 holding the card ahnost at arm's length, conned it 
 with a puzzled frown. 
 
 " From Guernsey, Major." 
 
 " Good Lord ! And I've just invited Penne- 
 father ! " The Major rose half-way from his chair 
 with a face of dismay. 
 
 Scipio glanced up at the Custom House window. 
 He, too, had caught the sound of the drawn blind. 
 
 " Mas' Pennefather, Major, if you'll excuse me, he 
 see a hole t'ro' a ladder, but not t'ro' a brick wall. 
 Shall I show the genelman in ? " 
 
 ....••■ 
 
 " I fear," began Miss Marty, as the Doctor took 
 a seat in the parlour, " I greatly fear that Scipio has 
 carried the brown sherry out to the terrace."
 
 GO THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Dr Hansombody smiled as a lover but sighed as a 
 connoisseur. 
 
 " There is the Fra Angehco, however." She 
 stepped to a panelled cupboard on the right of the 
 chimney-piece. " Made from my own recipe," she 
 added archly. 
 
 The Doctor lifted a hand in faint protest ; but 
 already she had set a glass before him. He knew 
 the Fra Angelico of old. It was a specific against 
 catarrh, and he had more than once prescribed it for 
 Scipio. 
 
 " Wine is wine," continued Miss Marty, reaching 
 down the bottle. " And, after all, when one knows 
 what it is made of, as in this case — that seems to me 
 the great point." 
 
 " You mustn't think — " began the Doctor. 
 
 " I must plead guilty " — Miss Marty poured out 
 a glassful — " if its name suggests a foreign origin. 
 You men, I know, profess a preference for foreign 
 wines ; and so, humorously, I hit on the name of 
 Fra Angelico, from the herb angelica, which is its 
 main ingredient. In reality, as I can attest, it is 
 English to the core." 
 
 The Doctor lifted his glass and set it down again. 
 
 " You will join me ? " he asked, pointing to the 
 decanter and temporising. 
 
 " Pardon me. I indulge but occasionally : when 
 I have a cold." 
 
 " And the>Iajor ? " 
 
 " He pleads habit. He says he is wedded to the_ 
 vintages of France and Spain. ' What ? ' I rally 
 him, ' when those two nations are at war with us ?
 
 A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 61 
 
 And you call yourself a patriot ? ' He permits these 
 railleries." 
 
 " He is a man in a thousand ! " 
 
 " There is no man like him ! " 
 
 " If we exclude a certain resemblance — " 
 
 " You refer to the Prince Regent ? But I was 
 thinking only of moral grandeur." 
 
 " True. All else, if one may say so without dis- 
 loyalty, is but skin-deep." 
 
 " Superficial." 
 
 " Thank you, the expression is preferable, and I 
 ask your leave to substitute it." 
 
 " Solomon, my kinsman, is the noblest of men." 
 
 " And you, Miss Marty, the best of women ! " 
 cried the Doctor, taking fire and a sip of the Fra 
 Angehco together, and gulping the latter down 
 heroically. " I drink to you ; nay, if I dared, I 
 would go even further — " 
 
 " No, no, I beg of you ! " Her eyes, downcast 
 before this sudden assault, let fall two happy tears, 
 but a feeble gesture of the hand besought his mercy. 
 " Let us talk of him,'' she went on breathlessly. 
 " His elevation of character — " 
 
 " If he were to marry, now ? " the Doctor sug- 
 gested. " Have you thought of that ? " 
 
 " Sometimes," she admitted, with a flutter of the 
 breath, which sounded almost like a sigh. 
 
 " It would serve to perpetuate — " 
 
 " But where to find one worthy of him ? She 
 must be capable of rising to his level ; nay, of con- 
 tinuing there." 
 
 " You are sure that is necessary ? Now, in my
 
 62 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 experience," the Doctor inclined his head to one side 
 and rubbed his chin softly between thumb and fore- 
 finger — a favourite trick of his when diagnosing a 
 case — " in my observation, rather, some disparity 
 of temper, taste, character, may almost be postulated 
 of a completely happy alliance ; as in chemistry you 
 bring together an acid and an alkali, and, always 
 provided they don't explode — " 
 
 " He would never be satisfied with that. Believe 
 me, the woman he condescends upon must, in return 
 for that happy privilege, surrender her whole fate 
 into his hands. Beneath his deference to our sex he 
 carries an imperious will, and would demand no less." 
 
 " There is a little bit of that about him, now you 
 mention it," assented the Doctor. 
 
 " But let us not cheat — " Miss Marty checked 
 herself suddenly. " Let us not vex ourselves with 
 any such apprehensions. He will never marry, I am 
 convinced. I cannot imagine him in the light of a 
 parent — with offspring, for instance. Rather, when 
 I see him in his regimentals, or, again, in his mayoral 
 robe and chain — you have noticed how they become 
 him ?— " 
 
 The Doctor admitted, with a faint sigh, that he 
 had. 
 
 " Well, then, he puts me in mind of that — what 
 d'you call it, which the poets tell us is reproduced but 
 once in several hundred years ? " 
 
 " The blossoming aloe ? " suggested the Doctor. 
 
 Miss Marty shook her head. " It's not a plant — 
 it's a kind of bird. It begins with ' P,h,' — and you 
 think of Dublin."
 
 A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 63 
 
 " Let me see — Phelim ? No, I have it ! Phoenix." 
 
 " That's it — Phoenix. And when it's going to die 
 it hghts a fire and sits down upon it and another 
 springs up from the ashes." 
 
 " But I don't see how that apphes to the Major." 
 
 " No-o ? " queried Miss Marty, dubiously. " Well 
 not in every particular ; but the point is, there's only 
 one at a time." 
 
 " The same might be said," urged the Doctor, 
 delicately, " of other individual members of the 
 Town Council ; with qualifications, of course." 
 
 " And somehow I feel — I can't help a foreboding — 
 that if ever we lose him it will be in some such way." 
 
 " Miss Marty ! " The Doctor stood up, with 
 horror-stricken face. 
 
 " There, now ! You may call me fanciful, but I 
 can't help it. And you've spilled the Fra Angelico ! 
 Let me pour you out another glassful." 
 
 " We must all die," answered the Doctor inconse- 
 quently, not yet master of himself. 
 
 " Except a few Bible characters," said Miss Marty, 
 filling his glass. " But what the town would do 
 without him I can't think. In a sense he is the 
 town." 
 
 A moment before the Doctor had all but denied it ; 
 but now, overcome by the thought of a world without 
 the Major, he hid his face. For a moment, if but in 
 thought, he had been disloyal to his friend, his hero ! 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 Miss Marty said afterwards that, although not 
 accustomed to prophesy and humbly aware that it 
 was out of her line, she must have spoken under
 
 64 THE MAYOU OF TllOY 
 
 inspiration. She was wont also, when she recalled 
 her forebodings and the events that followed and so 
 signally fulfilled them, to regret that when the 
 Guernsey merchant took his leave, an hour later, she 
 omitted to take note of his boots ; it being an article 
 of faith with her that, in his traffic with mortals, the 
 Prince of Darkness could not help betraying himself 
 by his cloven hoof. 
 
 In the garden meanwhile the Major and his guest 
 were making very good weather of it, as we say in 
 Troy ; the one with his Madeira, the other with the 
 brown sherry. I leave the reader to discern the gist 
 of their talk from its technicalities. 
 
 " Three gross of ankers, you say ? " queried the 
 Major. 
 
 " At four gallons the anker, and six francs the 
 gallon." 
 
 " It is a large venture." 
 
 " And, for that reason, dirt cheap. To my know- 
 ledge there is not a firm in Guernsey at this moment 
 doing trade at less than seven francs the gallon in 
 parcels under five hundred gallons." 
 
 " Yes, yes." The INIajor lit his pipe and puffed 
 meditatively. " I am not denying that. Only, you 
 see, on our side these large operations rather 
 heighten the expense than diminish it, while they 
 heighten the risk enormously." 
 
 " I do not see." M. Dupin crossed his legs and 
 awaited an explanation. 
 
 " It is simple. So many more tubs, so many more 
 carriers ; so many more carriers, so much the more 
 risk of including an informer. One hundred carriers,
 
 A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 65 
 
 say, I can lay hands on, knowing them all for tried 
 men. Beyond that number I rely on recommenda- 
 tions, often carelessly given. The risk is more than 
 trebled. And then, the fact of my being Mayor — " 
 
 " I should have thought it lessened the risk." 
 
 " In a way, yes. But in case of miscarriage, the 
 consequences must be more severe. I will own that 
 you tempt me. The tubs, you say, would be ready 
 slung." 
 
 " Ready slung for carriage, man or horse, which- 
 ever you prefer, with ropes, stones and six anchors 
 for sinking in case of emergency. We will allow for 
 these if they are returned." 
 
 " To tell the truth, since becoming chief magis- 
 trate of this borough, I have rather set my face 
 against these operations. It has seemed to me 
 more consonant. . . . And an operation on the 
 scale you propose could not be conducted without 
 some degree of — er — audacity." 
 
 " It means a forced run," assented M. Dupin. 
 
 " If, on reflection — " the Major hesitated. 
 
 " Excuse me, but there is no time. For reasons of 
 our own, my firm must clear the stuff before the end 
 of April ; that is why we offer it at the price. Three 
 gross, with six ankers of the colouring stuff gratis — 
 and the tubs ready slung. It must be ' yes ' or ' no ' ; 
 if you decline, then I have another customer on the 
 string." 
 
 " The end of April, you say ? " The Major re- 
 filled his glass and mused, holding it up against the 
 last gleam of daylight. 
 
 " We could ship it on the 27th or 28th. The moon 
 
 £
 
 66 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 serves then. Say that you run it on the night of the 
 30th ? " 
 
 " Of the 30th ? " echoed the Major. " But on 
 that night, of all others, my hands are full. To be- 
 gin with, we are half-expecting the Millennium." 
 
 " The Millennium, hcin ? " echoed M. Dupin in his 
 turn. " I do not know her." 
 
 " It's not a boat," the Major explained. " It's a 
 — well, in fact, we are not altogether sure what it 
 may turn out to be. But, setting this aside, I am 
 engaged to conduct a military operation on the night 
 of the 30th." 
 
 " Hein ? " M. Dupin eyed his host with interest. 
 " A counter-stroke to the First Consul — is that 
 
 SO .'' 
 
 " Well, not exactly a downright counter-stroke ; 
 although, if I had my way . . . but in fact (and I 
 mention it in confidence, of course) our Artillery here 
 is planning a surprise upon our neighbours of Looe, 
 the descent to be made upon Talland Cove." 
 
 M. Dupin set down his glass. " But I am in luck 
 to-night ! " said he. " You — I — we are all in 
 luck ! " 
 
 " Forgive me, I do not see — " 
 
 " Oh, decidedly, I am in very great luck ! If only 
 your neighbours of Looe — they, too, have a corps of 
 Artillery, I suppose ? " M. Dupin felt in his breast 
 pocket and drew out a paper. " Quick ! their 
 officer's name ? " 
 
 " A Captain Pond commands them : Captain 
 iEneas Pond." 
 
 " Pond ? Pond ? See now, and I have an intro-
 
 A GUERNSEY MERCHANT 67 
 
 duction to him ! And you have arranged to sur- 
 prise him on the night of April 30th — and at Talland 
 Cove — when there will be no moon ! Oh, damgood ! " 
 
 *' But even yet I do not see," the Major protested. 
 
 " Not quite. For the moment you do not see, 
 quite ; but in a little while." M. Dupin leaned for- 
 ward and tapped the Major's knee. " Your Artil- 
 lery ? You can count on them ? " 
 
 " To the death." 
 
 " How many ? " 
 
 " Nine score, without reckoning uniforms or 
 stretcher-bearers." 
 
 " Stretcher-bearers ? " 
 
 " For the wounded. And, of course — during the 
 operation you propose — we expect our corps to be 
 depleted." 
 
 " By the crews ? But they will be there ! It is of 
 the essence of your surprise that they, too, will re- 
 turn from Guernsey and join you in time. Next, of 
 the Looe Artillery, how many ? " 
 
 " You may put them down at seventy, all told." 
 
 " One hundred and eighty, and seventj? — that 
 makes two hundred and fifty ; and the cognac at six 
 francs a gallon ; and this Captain Pond commended 
 to me for the deepest man in Looe ! It is you — it is 
 he — it is I — it is all of us together that are in luck's 
 way ! " M. Dupin leapt up, snapped his bony 
 fingers triumphantly ; then, thrusting his hands 
 beneath his coat-tail and clasping them, strode to and 
 fro in front of the Major, for aU the world like a long- 
 legged chanticleer. 
 
 Ah, but wait a moment ! Vainglorious bird of
 
 68 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Gaul, or of the island contiguous, wait a moment ere 
 you crow before the Mayor of Troy ! 
 
 For a moment the Major lay back in his chair, to 
 all appearance stupefied, confounded. Then he too 
 rose, his lips working, his hand shaking for one in- 
 stant only as with his pipe-stem he traced a magni- 
 ficent curve upon the evening sky. 
 
 " Sit down ! " he commanded. " Your plan is 
 clever enough ; but I have another worth ten of it." 
 
 And, laying down his pipe, this extraordinary man 
 lifted the decanter and refilled his glass to the brim 
 without spilling a drop. 
 
 What was the Major's plan ? Wait again, and you 
 shall see it evolved in operation.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 MALBROUCK S'EN VA 
 
 ii 
 
 THERE is mischief of some sort brewing," said 
 Mr Smellie, the Riding Officer, 
 
 " You think so ? " queried Mr Pennefather, trim- 
 ming a quill. 
 
 " I'd stake my last shilling on it," said Mr Smellie, 
 slapping his right boot with his riding-whip. " You, 
 a family man, now — " 
 
 " Eleven." 
 
 " Quite so. Then you must know how it is with 
 children ; when they look at you as though there 
 was no such thing as original sin, it's time to keep 
 your eye lifting. Ten to one they're getting round 
 you with some new devilry. Well, that's the way 
 with your Cornish." 
 
 Mr Smellie came from Glasgow — he and his col- 
 league, Mr Lomax, the Riding Officer of the Meva- 
 gissey district which la}' next to ours. The Govern- 
 ment, it was understood, had chosen and sent them 
 do\vn to us on the strength of their sense of humour 
 — so different from any to be found in the 
 Duchy. 
 
 It certainly was different. To Mr Smellie, we of 
 Troy had been at first but as children at play by the 
 
 69
 
 70 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 sea ; in earnest over games so infantile as to excite 
 his wondering disdain. He wondered yet ; but in- 
 sensibly — as might happen to a man astray in fairy- 
 land — his disdain had taken a tinge of fear. Behind 
 " the children sporting on the shore," his ear had 
 begun to catch the voice of unknown waters rolling. 
 They came, so to speak, along the sands, these chil- 
 dren ; innocent seeming, hilariously intent on their 
 make-believe ; and then, on a sudden, not once but a 
 dozen times, he had found himself tricked, duped, 
 tripped up and cast on his back ; to rise unhurt, 
 indeed, but clutching at impalpable air while the 
 empty beach rang with teasing laughter. 
 
 It baffled him the more because, of his own sort, 
 he had a strong sense of humour. It was told of Mr 
 Pennefather, for instance, that during his clerkship 
 at Penzance the Custom House there had been 
 openly defied by John Carter, the famous smuggler 
 of Prussia Cove ; that once, when Carter was absent 
 on an expedition, the Excise officers had plucked up 
 heart, ransacked the Cove, carried off a cargo of 
 illicit goods and locked it up in the Custom House ; 
 that John Carter on his return, furious at the news of 
 his loss, had marched over to Penzance under cover 
 of darkness, broken in the Custom House and carried 
 off his goods again ; and that Mr Pennefather next 
 morning, examining the rilled stores, had declared 
 the nocturnal visitor to be John Carter beyond a 
 doubt, because Carter was an honest man and 
 wouldn't take anything that didn't belong to him. 
 The Riding Officer thought this a highly amusing 
 story, and would often twit Mr Pennefather with it.
 
 MALBROUCK SEN VA 71 
 
 But Mr Pennefather could never see the joke, and 
 would plead, — 
 
 " Well, but he was an honest man, wasn't he ? " 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 " That's the way with you Cornish," repeated Mr 
 Smellie ; " and after a time one learns to feel it in 
 the air, so to speak." 
 
 The little Collector looked up from his ledger, 
 pushing his spectacles high on his brow, and glanced 
 vaguely around the office. 
 
 " Now, for my part, I detect nothing unusual," 
 said he. 
 
 " Furthermore," the Riding Officer went on, still 
 tapping his boot, " I met a suspicious-looking fellow 
 yesterday on the Falmouth Road ; a deucedly sus- 
 picious-looking fellow ; a fellow that answered me 
 with a strong French accent when I spoke to him, as 
 I made it my business to do. He had Guernsey 
 merchant written all over him." 
 
 " Tattooed ? " asked Mr Pennefather, without 
 looking up from the ledger in which he had buried 
 himself anew. " I had no idea they went to such 
 lengths ... in Guernsey . . . and fourteen is 
 twenty-seven, and five is thirty-two, and thirty-two 
 is two-and-eight. ... I beg your pardon ? You 
 identified him, then ? " 
 
 Mr Smellie frowned. " I shall send up a private 
 note to the Barracks ; and meanwhile, I advise you 
 to keep an eye lifting." 
 
 " And ten is three-and-six. . . . An eye lifting, 
 certainly," assented Mr Pennefather, without, how- 
 ever, immediately acting on this advice.
 
 72 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " There's that fellow Hymen, now, next door. 
 He's not altogether the ass he looks, or my name's 
 not Smellie." 
 
 " But it is, surely ? " Mr Pennefather looked up 
 in innocent surprise. " And you really think it 
 justifies calling in the Dragoons ? " 
 
 " On the face of it, no ; I've no evidence. And 
 yet, I repeat, there's some mischief afoot. This new 
 game of Hymen's, for instance — Before coming down 
 to these parts " — Mr Smellie threw a fine condescen- 
 sion into this phrase — " I should have thought it 
 impossible that anyone in the shape of a man, let 
 alone of a Major of Artillery, could solemnly propose 
 to test a neighbouring corps by a night attack, and 
 then as solemnly give warning on what night he 
 meant to deliver it." 
 
 Mr Pennefather took off his spectacles and polished 
 them with his silk handkerchief. " But without 
 that precaution he would find nobody to 
 attack." 
 
 " I tell you, it's absurd ! And yet," the Riding 
 Officer went on irritably, " if one could count on its 
 being absurd, I wouldn't mind. But there's just a 
 chance that, with all this foolery. Hymen and Pond 
 are covering up a little game. Why have they 
 chosen Talland Cove, now ? " 
 
 " I suppose because, for a night attack on Looe, 
 there's no better spot." 
 
 " Nor for running a cargo. I tell you, I shall keep 
 the Dragoons on the alert." 
 
 " You don't suggest that you suspect — " 
 
 " Suspect ? I suspect everybody. It's the rule
 
 MALBROUCK SEN VA 73 
 
 of the service ; and by following it I've reached the 
 position I hold to-day." 
 
 " True." The Collector readjusted his spectacles 
 and returned to his figures. There may have been 
 just a hint of condolence in his assent, for the Riding 
 Officer looked up sharply. 
 
 " If you lived in the north, Pennefather, do you 
 know what we should say about you ? We should 
 say that you were no very gleg in the uptake." 
 
 " I once," answered the Collector, gently, without 
 lifting his head from the ledger, " began to read 
 Burns, but had to give him up on account of the 
 dialect." 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 Meanwhile, aU unaware of these dark suspicions, 
 the Major and his Gallants were perfecting their pre- 
 parations for the great surprise. 
 
 And what preparations ! In the heat of them we 
 had almost forgotten the Millennium itself ! 
 
 For weeks the band had been practising a selec- 
 tion of tunes appropriate (i) to invasions in general 
 and (2) to this particular invasion. There was 
 " Britons, Strike Home ! " for instance, and " The 
 Padstow Hobby-horse," and " The Rout it is out for 
 the Blues," slightly amended for the occasion : — 
 
 " As I was a-walking on Downderry sands, 
 Some dainty fine sport for to view, 
 The maidens were wailing and wringing their hands — 
 Oh, the Rout it is out for the Looes, 
 
 For the Looes, 
 Oh, the Rout it is out for the Looes." 
 
 The very urchins whistled and sang it about the
 
 74 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 streets. On the other hand, the Major's chivalrous 
 proposal to hymn The George of Looe came to 
 nothing, since Captain Pond could supply him with 
 neither the words nor the air. 
 
 " Notwithstanding all my researches," he wrote, 
 " the utmost I can discover is the following stanza 
 which Gunner Israel Spettigew — vulgarly termed 
 Uncle Issy — one of my halest veterans, remembers 
 to have heard sung in his youth : — 
 
 " ' Oh, the George of Looe sank Number One ; 
 She then sank Number Two ; 
 She finished up with Number Three ; 
 And hooray for the George of Looe ! ' " 
 
 " Dammy ! " said the Major, " and I dare say that 
 passes for invention over at Looe." 
 
 We in Troy were no paupers of invention, at any 
 rate. Take, for example, the Major's plan of cam- 
 paign. First of all you must figure to yourself a 
 terrain shaped like a triangle — almost an equilateral 
 triangle — with its base resting on the sea. At the 
 western extremity of this base stands Troy ; at the 
 eastern, Looe, with Talland Cove a little to this side 
 of it. For western side of the triangle we have the 
 Troy River ; and for apex the peaceful village of 
 Lerryn, set in apple-orchards, where the tidal waters 
 end by a narrow bridge. For the eastern side we 
 take, not the Looe River (which doesn't count), but 
 an ancient earthwork, known as the Devil's Hedge, 
 which stretches across country from Looe up to 
 Lerryn. Who built this earthwork, or when he did 
 it, or for what purpose, no one can tell ; but the 
 Looe folk will quote you the following distich, —
 
 MALBROUCK S'EN VA 75 
 
 " One day the Devil, having nothing to do, 
 Built a great hedge from Lerryn to Looe." 
 
 (Invention again !) 
 
 Of these things, then (as Herodotus puts it), let so 
 much be said. But thus we get our triangle : the 
 sea coast (base), the Troy River and the Devil's 
 Hedge (sides), meeting at the village of Lerryn (apex) 
 among the orchards. 
 
 Now these orchards, you must know, on May 
 mornings when the tide served, were the favourite 
 rendezvous for the lads and maidens of Troy, and 
 even for the middle-aged and married ; who would 
 company thither by water, to wash their faces in the 
 dew, and eat cream, and see the sun rise, and after- 
 wards return chorussing, their boats draped with 
 green boughs. 
 
 This year the tide, indeed, served for Lerryn : but 
 this year the maidens of Troy, if they would fare 
 thither to pay their vows, must fare alone. Their 
 swains would be bent upon a sterner errand. 
 
 So their Commander by secret orders had dictated, 
 and all the town knew of it ; also that the landing 
 was to be effected in Talland Cove, and that, if suc- 
 cess waited on their arms, supper would be provided 
 at the Sloop Inn, Looe. One hundred and fifty 
 fighting men would go to the assault, in fourteen 
 row-boats, with muffled oars. This number in- 
 cluded the band. The residue of thirty men, 
 making up the full strength of the corps, had disap- 
 peared from Troy some ten days before, on an errand 
 which will appear hereafter. 
 
 But the fair were inconsolable. Almost, for some
 
 76 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 forty-eight hours— that is to say, after the news 
 leaked out — our Major was the most unpopular man 
 in Troy with them who had ever been his warmest 
 supporters. War was war, no doubt ; and women 
 must mourn at home while men imbrued themselves 
 in the gallant strife. But May-day, too, was May- 
 day ; and the tides served ; and, further, there was 
 this talk about a Millennium, and whatever the Mil- 
 lennium might be (and nobody but the Mayor and 
 the Vicar, unless it was Dr Hansombody, seemed to 
 know), it was certainly not an occasion on which 
 women ought to be left without their natural pro- 
 tectors. Even the Ambulance Corps was bound for 
 Looe, in eight additional boats. There would be 
 scarce a row-boat left in the harbour, or the ladies 
 might have pulled up to Lerryn on their own account. 
 The Major suspected these murmurings, yet he 
 kept an unruffled brow : yes, even though harassed 
 with vexations which these ladies could not guess — 
 the possible defection of Hansombody, for instance. 
 
 It was not Hansombody's fault : but Sir Felix 
 Felix-Williams, who owned the estate as well as the 
 village of Lerryn, had reason to expect an addition 
 to his family. Dr Hansombody could not guarantee 
 that he might not be summoned to Pentethy, Sir 
 Felix's mansion, at any moment. 
 
 Now, for excellent reasons — which, again, will 
 appear— the Major could not afford to make Sir 
 Felix an enemy at this moment. Besides, these 
 domestic events were the little apothecary's bread 
 and butter. 
 
 On the other hand, the absence of a professional
 
 MALBROUCK SEN VA 77 
 
 man must seriously discredit the role assigned to the 
 Ambulance Corps in any engagement, however 
 bloodless. 
 
 " You might," the Major suggested, " nominate 
 half a dozen as deputy or assistant surgeons. You 
 could easily pick out those who have shown most 
 intelligence at your lectures." 
 
 " True," agreed the Doctor ; " but as yet we have 
 not, in my lectures, advanced so far as flesh-wounds. 
 They would know what to do, I hope, if confronted 
 with frost-bite, snake-bite, sunstroke or incipient 
 croup — from all of which our little expedition will be 
 (under Providence) immune, and I have as yet con- 
 fined myself to directing them, in all cases which 
 apparently differ from these, to run to the nearest 
 medical man." 
 
 " Well, well ! " sighed the Major. " Then, if the 
 worst come to the worst and you cannot accompany 
 us, we must rely on the good offices of the enemy. 
 They have no qualified surgeon, I believe : but the 
 second lieutenant, young Couch of Polperro, is 
 almost out of his articles and ready to proceed to 
 Guy's. A clever fellow, too, they tell me." 
 
 " You understand that if I fail you, it will be 
 through no want of zeal ? " 
 
 " My friend " — the Major turned on him with a 
 smile at once magnanimous and tender — " I believe 
 you ask nothing better than to accompany me." 
 
 " To the death ! " said the Doctor, in a low voice 
 and fervently. Then, after a pause full of emotion, 
 " Your dispositions are all taken ? " 
 
 " All, I beheve. Chinn has drawn up a new will
 
 78 THE MAVOR OF TROY 
 
 for me, which I have signed, and it hes at this 
 moment in my deed-box. I took the hberty to 
 appoint you an executor." 
 
 " You would not ask me to survive you ! " (O 
 Friendship ! O exemplars of a sterner age ! O 
 Rome ! O Cato !) " Not to mention," went on the 
 Doctor, " that I must be by five or six years your 
 senior, and in the ordinary course of events — " 
 
 Major Hymen dismissed the ordinary course of 
 events with a wave of the hand. 
 
 " I ask it as a personal favour." 
 
 " It is an honour then, and I accede." 
 
 " For the rest, I am keeping that fellow Smellie on 
 the qui vive. For three days past he has been 
 promenading the cliffs with his spy-glass. I would 
 not lightly depreciate any man, but Smellie has one 
 serious fault — he is ambitious." 
 
 " Such men are to be found in every walk of life." 
 
 " I fear so. Ambition is like to be Smellie's bane. 
 He is jealous of sharing any credit with the Preven- 
 tive crews, and is keeping them without information. 
 On the other hand he delights in ordering about a 
 military force ; which, in a civilian, is preposterous." 
 
 " Quite preposterous." 
 
 " The Dragoons, of course, hate working under his 
 orders : but I shall be surprised if he resist the 
 temptation to call them in and dress himself in a 
 little brief authority. Further, I have word from 
 Polperro that he is getting together a company of 
 the Sea Fencibles. In short, he is playing into our 
 hands." 
 
 " But the boats ? "
 
 MALBROUCK S'EN VA 79 
 
 " They are here." 
 
 " Here ? " The Doctor's eyes grew round with 
 wonder. 
 
 Tlie Major swept a hand towards the horizon. 
 
 " For two days we have been enjoying a steady 
 southerly breeze. They are yonder, you may be 
 sure — the three of them : and that is where SmelHe 
 makes a mistake in not employing the cutter." 
 
 " And the long boats ? " 
 
 " The long boats are lying, as they have lain for 
 three weeks past, in Runnells' yard, awaiting repairs. 
 Runnells is a dilatory fellow and has gone no farther 
 than to fill them with water up to the thwarts, to 
 test their stanchness." Here the Major allowed him- 
 self to smile. " But Runnells, though dilatory, will 
 launch them after dusk, while the tide suits." 
 
 " The tide makes until five o'clock." 
 
 " Until five-twenty, to be correct. Before seven 
 o'clock they will be launched." 
 
 " You play a bold game, dear friend. Suppose, 
 now, that Smellie had kept the cutter cruising off 
 the coast ? " 
 
 The Major smiled again, this time with finesse. 
 " The man is ambitious, I tell you. By employing 
 the cutter he might indeed have intercepted the 
 cargo. But he flies at higher game." Here the 
 Major lightly tapped his chest to indicate 
 the quarry. " In generalship, my dear doctor, to 
 achieve anything like the highest success, you must 
 fight with two heads — your own and your adver- 
 sary's. By putting myself in Smellie's place ; by 
 descending (if I may so say) into the depths of his
 
 80 THE .MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 animal intelligence, by interpreting his hopes, his 
 ambitions . . . well, in short, I believe we have 
 weathered the risk. The Mevagissey fleet puts out 
 to the grounds to-night, to anchor and drop nets as 
 usual. With them our friends from Guernsey — 
 shall we say ? — will mingle as soon as night is fallen, 
 hang out their riding-lights, lower their nets, and 
 generally behave in a fashion indistinguishable from 
 that of other harvesters of the sea, until the hour 
 when, with lightened hulls and, I trust, in full 
 regimentals (for they carry their uniforms on board) 
 they join us for the Grand Assault." 
 
 " But — excuse me — how much does the town 
 know of this programme ? " 
 
 The Major shrugged his shoulders. " As little as 
 I could manage. I have incurred some brief un- 
 popularity, no doubt, among the fairer portion of 
 our community, who deem that I am denying them 
 their annual May-day jaunt. But never fear. I 
 will explain all to-night, before embarkation." 
 
 " They may murmur," answered Dr Hansombody, 
 " but in their hearts they trust you." 
 
 The Major's eyes filled with tears. 
 
 " The path of duty is strewn with more than roses 
 at times. I thank you for that assurance, my 
 friend." 
 
 They grasped hands in silence. 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 Troy remembered later — it had reason to remember 
 — through what halcyon weather April passed, that 
 year, into May. For three days a gentle breeze had 
 blown from the south ; for three more days it con-
 
 MALBROUCK SEN VA 81 
 
 tinued, dying down at nightfall and waking again at 
 dawn. Stolen days they seemed : cloudless, gradual, 
 golden ; a theft of Spring from Harvest-tide. Un- 
 natural weather, many called it : for the air held the 
 warmth of full summer before the first swallow ap- 
 peared, and while as yet the cuckoo, across the 
 harbour, had been heard by few. 
 
 The after-glow of sunset had lingered, but had 
 faded at length, taking the new moon with it, leaving 
 a night so pale, so clear, so visibly domed overhead, 
 that almost the eye might trace its curve and assign 
 to each separate star its degree of magnitude. Beyond 
 the harbour's mouth the riding-lights of the Meva- 
 gissey fishing fleet ran like a carcanet of faint jewels, 
 marking the unseen horizon of the Channel. The 
 full spring tide, soundless or scarcely lapping along 
 shore, fell back on its ebb, not rapidly as yet, but 
 imperceptibly gathering speed. Below the Town 
 Quay in the dark shadow lay the boats — themselves 
 a shadowy crowd, ghostly, with a glimmer of white 
 paint here and there on gunwales, thwarts, stern- 
 sheets. Their thole-pins had been wrapped with 
 oakum and their crews sat whispering, ready, with 
 muffled oars. On the Quay, lantern in hand, the 
 Major moved up and down between his silent ranks, 
 watched by a shadowy crowd. 
 
 In that crowd, as I am credibly informed, were 
 gathered — but none could distinguish them — gentle 
 and simple, maiden ladies with their servants or 
 housekeepers, side by side with longshoremen, 
 hovellers, giglet maids, and urchins ; all alike 
 magnetised and drawn thither by the Man and the
 
 82 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Hour. But the Major recognised none of them. 
 His dispositions had been made and perfected a full 
 week before ; how thoroughly they had been per- 
 fected might be read in the mute alacrity with which 
 man after man, squad after squad, without spoken 
 command yet in unbroken order, dissolved out of 
 the ranks and passed down to the boats. You could 
 not see that Gunner Tippet, being an asthmatical 
 man, wore a comforter and a respirating shield ; 
 nor that Sergeant Sullivan, as notoriously susceptible 
 to the night air, carried a case-bottle and a small 
 basket of boiled sausages. Yet these and a hundred 
 other separate and characteristic necessities had been 
 foreseen and provided for. 
 
 Van, mainguard, rearguard, band, ambulance, 
 forlorn hope, all were embarked at length. Lieu- 
 tenant Chinn saluted, reported the entire flotilla 
 ready, saluted again, and descended the steps with 
 the Doctor (Sir Felix had sent no word, after all). 
 Only the Major remained on the Quay's edge. Over- 
 head rode the stars ; around him in the penumbra 
 of the lantern's rays the crowd pressed forward 
 timidly. He turned. 
 
 " Fellow-citizens," he said, and his voice trembled 
 on the words, but in an instant was steady again, 
 " you surmise, no doubt, the purpose of this ex- 
 pedition. An invader menaces these shores, the 
 defence of which has been committed to us. Of the 
 ultimate invincibility of that defence I have no doubt 
 whatever ; nevertheless, it may expose here and 
 there a vulnerable point. It is to test the alertness 
 of our neighbours of Looe that we abstract ourselves
 
 MALBROUCK S'EN VA 83 
 
 for a few hours from the comforts of home, the 
 society of the fair, in some instances the embraces of 
 our loved ones, and embark upon an element which, 
 to-night propitious, might in other moods have en- 
 gulfed, if it did not actually force us to postpone, 
 our temerity — " (Here a voice said " Well done. 
 Major ; give 'em Troy ! ") 
 
 " Methinks," continued the Major, elevating his 
 lantern and turning to that part of the crowd 
 whence the interruption had proceeded, " methinks 
 I hear some fair one sigh,' But why to-night ? Why 
 on the eve of May-day, when we are wont to seek one 
 or other of those rural spots, vales, hamlets, remote 
 among our river's lovelier reaches, where annually the 
 tides have mirrored at sunrise our gala companies 
 and the green woods responded to our innocent 
 mirth ? Why on this consecrated eve distract our 
 hitherto faithful swains and lead their steps divergent 
 at an angle of something like thirty degrees ? ' I 
 have reason to believe that some such tender com- 
 plaints have made themselves audible, and it is 
 painful to me to suffer the imputation of lack of 
 feeling, even from an ^olian harp. Yet I have 
 suffered it, awaiting the moment to reassure you. 
 
 " Yes, ladies, be reassured ! We depart indeed 
 for Looe ; but w^e hope, ere dawn, to meet you at 
 Lerryn and be rewarded with your approving smiles. 
 At nine-thirty precisely the three long boats. Naiad, 
 Nautilus, and Corona, which have lain for some 
 weeks under repair in Mr Runnells' yard, will pass 
 this Quay and proceed seaward, each manned by an 
 able, if veteran, crew. After a brief trip outside the
 
 84 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 harbour — to test their stanchness — they will return 
 to the Quay to embark passengers, and start at 
 2 a.m. on the excursion up the river to our rendezvous 
 at Lerryn. Nay ! " the Major turned at the head of 
 the steps and lifted a hand — " I will accept of you 
 no thanks but this, that during the few arduous hours 
 ahead of us we carry your wishes, ladies, as a prosper- 
 ous breeze behind our banners ! " 
 
 " Now isn't he a perfect duck ? " demanded Miss 
 Sally Tregentil, turning in the darkness and address- 
 ing Miss Pescod, whose strongly-marked and aquiline 
 features she had recognised in the last far-flung ray 
 of the Major's lantern. 
 
 " My good Sarah ! You here ? " answered Miss 
 Pescod, divided between surprise, disapproval and 
 embarrassment. 
 
 " At such a period — a crisis, one might almost 
 say — when the fate of Europe . . . and after all, 
 if it comes to that, so are you." 
 
 " For my part — " began Miss Pescod, and ended 
 with a sigh. 
 
 " For my part," declared Miss Sally, hardily, " I 
 shall go to Lerryn." 
 
 " Sally ! " 
 
 " It used to be great fun. In later years mamma 
 disapproved, but there is (may I confess it ?) this 
 to be said for war, that beneath its awful frown — 
 under cover of what I may venture to call the shak- 
 ing of its gory locks — you can do a heap of things you 
 wouldn't dream of under ordinary circumstances. 
 Life, though more precarious, becomes distinctly 
 less artificial. Two years ago, for instance, lulled in
 
 MALBROUCK SEN VA 85 
 
 a false security by the so-called Peace of Amiens, I 
 should as soon have thought of flying through the 
 air." 
 
 " Has it occurred to you," Miss Pescod suggested, 
 " what might happen if the Corsican, taking advan- 
 tage to-night of our dear Major's temporary ab- 
 sence — " 
 
 " Don't ! " Miss Sally interrupted with a shiver. 
 " Oh, decidedly I shall go to Lerryn to-night ! On 
 second thoughts it would be only proper." 
 
 On the dark waters below them, beyond the Quay, 
 a hoarse military voice gave the command to " Give 
 way ! " One by one on the fast-dropping tide the 
 boats, keeping good order, headed for the harbour's 
 mouth. The Major led. navis, referent. . . . 
 
 Think, I pray you, of Wolfe dropping down the 
 dark St Lawrence ; of Wolfe and, ahead of him, the 
 Heights of Abraham !
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE BATTLE OF TALLAND COVE 
 
 " Now entertain conjecture of a time 
 When creeping murmur and the poring dark 
 Fills the wide vessel of the universe. . . ." 
 
 THE avant-garde of the Looe Diehards occupied, 
 and had been occupying for two dark hours — 
 in a sitting posture — the ridge of rock which, on its 
 eastern side, sheltered Talland Cove. One may say, 
 considering the heavy dew and the nature of the ridge 
 — of slate formation and sharply serrated — they had 
 clung to it obstinately. Above them the clear and 
 constellated dome of night turned almost perceptibly 
 around its pole. At their feet the tide lapped the 
 beach, phosphorescent, at the last draught of ebb. 
 
 Somewhere in the darkness at the head of the 
 beach — either by the footbridge where the stream 
 ran down, or in the meadow behind it — lay the main 
 body. A few outposts had been flung wide to the 
 westward, and Captain Pond for the second time had 
 walked off to test their alertness and give and receive 
 the password — " Death to the Invader.^' 
 
 " And a more cold-running act of defiance I don't 
 
 remember to have heard — no, not in all my years 
 
 of service," said Gunner Israel Spettigew, a cheerful 
 
 sexagenarian, commonly known as 
 
 86 Uncle Issy, dis-
 
 BATTLE OF TALLAND COVE 87 
 
 cussing it with his comrades on the ridge, " There's 
 a terrible downrightness about that word ' death.' 
 Speaking for myself, and except in the way of 
 business, I wouldn' fling it at a cat." 
 
 " 'Tis what we must all come to," said Gunner 
 Oke, a young married man, gloomily shifting his 
 seat. 
 
 " True, lad, true. Then why cast it up against 
 any man in particular, be he French or English ? 
 Folks in glass houses, simmin' to me, shouldn' throw 
 stones." 
 
 " I reckon you fellows might find something more 
 cheerful to talk about." Gunner Oke shifted his 
 seat again, and threw a nervous glance seaward. 
 
 " William Oke, William Oke, you'll never make a 
 sojer ! Now I mind back in 'seventy-nine when the 
 fleets of France an' Spain assembled and come 
 together agen us — sixty-six sail of the line, my 
 Billies, besides frigates an' corvettes an' such-like 
 small trade ; an' the folks at Plymouth blowing off 
 their alarm-guns, an' the signals flying from Maker 
 Tower — a bloody flag at the masthead an' two blue 
 uns at the outriggers. Four days they laid to, in 
 sight of the assembled multitude of Looe, an' Squire 
 Buller rode down to form us up to oppose 'em. 
 ' Hullo ! ' says the Squire catching sight of me. 
 ' Where's your gun ? Don't begin for to tell me that 
 a han'some, well-set-up, intelligent chap like Israel 
 Spettigew is for hangin' back at his country's call ! ' 
 ' Squire,' says I, ' you've a pictered me to a hair. 
 But there's one thing you've left out. I've been 
 tumin' it over, an' I don't see that I'm fit to die.'
 
 88 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 ' Why not ? ' says he, ' I'm not a saved man Hke 
 them other chaps,' says I. 'I've had a few convic- 
 tions of sin, but that's as far as it's gone.' ' Tut,' 
 says he, ' have you ever broken the Command- 
 ments ? ' ' What's that ? ' I asks. ' Why, the 
 things up at the end of the church, inside the 
 rails.' ' I never married my gran'mother, if that's 
 what you mean,' I says. ' That's the Afhni-ety 
 Table,' says he, ' but have 'ee ever made to yourself 
 a graven image ? ' ' Lord, no,' I says, ' I leaves 
 that nigglin' work to the I-talians.' ' Have 'ee 
 honoured your father an' your mother ? ' ' They 
 took damgood care about that,' says I. ' Well, 
 then, have 'ee ever coveted your neighbour's wife ? ' 
 ' No,' I says, ' I never could abide the woman.' 
 ' Come, come,' says he, ' did 'ee ever commit murder 
 upon a man ? ' ' That's a leadin' question from a 
 magistrate,' I says ; ' but I don't mind ownin', as 
 man to man, that I never did.' ' Then,' says he, 
 ' the sooner you pitch-to and lam the better.' " 
 
 " The blood-thirsty old termigant ! " 
 
 " 'Twas the way of us all in the year 'seventy- 
 nine," the old man admitted modestly. " A few 
 throats up or down — Lord bless 'ee ! — we talked of 
 it as calm as William Oke might talk of killin' a pig ! 
 And, after all, what's our trade here to-night but 
 battery and murder ? " 
 
 " But 'tisn' the French we'm expectin'," urged 
 Oke, whose mind moved slowly. 
 
 " 'Tis the same argyment with these billies from 
 Troy. Troy an' Looe — what's between mun in an 
 ordinary way ? A few miles ; which to a thoughtful
 
 BATTLE OF TALLAND COVE 89 
 
 mind is but mud and stones, with two-three churches 
 and a turnpike to keep us in mind of Adam's fall. 
 Why, my own brother married a maid from there ! " 
 
 " 'Tis the Almighty's doin'," said Uncle Issy ; 
 " He's hand-in-glove with King George, and, while 
 that lasts, us poor subject fellows have got to hate 
 Bonyparty with all our heart and with all our mind 
 and with all our soul and with all our strength, for 
 richer for poorer, till death us do part, and not to be 
 afraid with any amazement. To my mind, that's 
 half the fun of being a sojer ; the pay's small and 
 the life's hard, and you keep ungodly hours ; but 
 'tis a consolation to sit out here 'pon a rock and 
 know you'm a man of blood and breaking every 
 mother's son of the Ten Commandments wi' the 
 Lord's leave." 
 
 " What's that ! " Gunner Oke gripped the 
 Sergeant's arm of a sudden and leaned forward, 
 straining his ears. 
 
 Someone was crossing the track towards them 
 with wary footsteps, picking his way upon the light 
 shingle by the water's edge. Presently a voice, 
 hoarse and low, spoke up to them out of the darkness. 
 
 " Hist, there ! Silence in the ranks ! " The 
 speaker was Captain Pond himself. " A man can 
 hear that old fool Spettigew's cackle half-way across 
 the Cove. They're coming, I tell you ! " 
 
 " Where, Cap'n ? Where ? " 
 
 " Bare half-a-mile t'other side of Downend Point. 
 Is the first rocket ready ? " 
 
 " Ay, ay, Cap'n." 
 
 " And the flint and steel ? "
 
 90 THE MAYOR OF TEOY 
 
 " Here, between my knees : and Oke beside me, 
 ready with the fuse. Got the fuse, Oke ? " 
 
 " If — if you p-please, sir — " 
 
 " What's wrong ? " 
 
 " If you p-please, sir, I've chewed up the fuse by 
 mistake ! " 
 
 " What's he saying ? " 
 
 " I got it m-mixed up, sir, here in the d-dead 
 darkness with my quid o' baccy — and I th-think I'm 
 goin' to be sick." 
 
 " 'Tis the very right hand o' Providence, then, 
 that I brought a spare one," spoke up Pengelly. 
 " Here, Un' Issy— yoM take hold—" 
 
 " Everything must follow in order, mind," 
 Captain Pond commanded. " As soon as the first 
 boat takes ground, you challenge : then count five, 
 and up goes the rocket. Eh ? " The Captain 
 swung round at the sound of another footstep on the 
 shingle. " Is that you, Clogg ? Man, but you made 
 me jump ! " 
 
 " Captain Pond ! Oh, Captain Pond ! " stam- 
 mered the newcomer, who was indeed no other than 
 Mr Clogg, senior lieutenant of the Dichards. 
 
 " Why have you left your post, sir ? Don't stand 
 there clinky-clanking your sword on the pebbles — 
 catch it up under your arm, sir : you're making noise 
 enough to scare the dead ! Now, then, what have 
 you to report ? Nothing wrong with the main body, 
 I hope ? " 
 
 " A man might call it ghosts " — Mr Clogg in the 
 darkness passed a sleeve across his clammy brow — 
 " A man might call it ghosts. Captain Pond, and
 
 BATTLE OF TAI.LAND COVE 91 
 
 another might set it down to drink. But you know 
 my habits." 
 
 " Be quick, man ! You've seen something ? 
 What is it ? " 
 
 " Ah, what indeed ? You may well ask it, sir : 
 though not if you was to put the Book into my hands 
 at this moment and ask me to kiss it — " 
 
 " Clogg," interrupted the Captain, stepping close 
 and gripping him by the upper arm, " will you swear 
 to me you have not been drinking ? " 
 
 " Yes and no, Captain. That is, it began with 
 my stepping up the valley to the farm for a dollop 
 of hot water — I'd a thimbleful of schnapps in my 
 flask here — and the night turning chilly, and me 
 remembering that Mrs Nankivel up to the farm was 
 keeping the kettle on the boil, because she promised 
 as much only last night, knowing my stomach to be 
 susceptible. Well, sir, not meaning to be away 
 more'n a moment — as I was going up the meadow, 
 but keeping along the withy-bed, you understand ? — 
 and if I hadn't taken that road, more by instinct 
 than anything else — " 
 
 " Oh, for Heaven's sake, if you've anything im- 
 portant to say, say it ! In another five minutes the 
 boats will be here ! " 
 
 " I don't know what you'd call ' important,' " 
 answered the Lieutenant, in an aggrieved tone. 
 " As I was telling, I got to where the withy-bed ends 
 at the foot of the orchard below the house. The 
 orchard, as you know, runs down on one side of the 
 stream, and t'other side there's the grass meadow 
 they call Little Pare. Just at that moment, if you'll
 
 92 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 believe me, I heard a man sneeze, and 'pon top of 
 that a noise Hke a horse's bit shaken — a sort of jingly 
 sound, not ten paces off, t'other side of the withies. 
 'Tis a curious liabit of mine — and you may or may 
 not have noticed it — but I never can hear another 
 person sneeze without wanting to sneeze too. How- 
 s'ever, there's a way of stopping it by putting your 
 thumb on your top hp and pressing hard, and that's 
 what I did, and managed to make very httle noise ; 
 so that it surprised me when somebody said, ' Be 
 quiet, you fool there ! ' But he must have meant it 
 for the other man. Well, ducking down behind the 
 withies and peeking athurt the darkness, by degrees 
 I made out a picter that raised the very hairs on the 
 back of my neck. Yonder, on the turf under the 
 knap of Little Pare, what do I see but a troop of 
 horsemen drawn up, all ghostly to behold ! And 
 yet not ghostly neither ; for now and then, plain to 
 these fleshly ears, one o' the horses would paw the 
 ground or another jingle his curb-chain on the bit. 
 I tell you. Captain, I crope away from that sight a 
 good fifty yards 'pon my belly before making a 
 break for the Cove ; and when I got back close to 
 the mainguard I ducked my head and skirted round 
 to the track here in search of you : for I wouldn' be 
 one to raise false alarms, not I ! But, if you ask 
 my private opinion, 'tis either Old Boney hisself or 
 the Devil, and we'm lost to a man." 
 
 " Good Lord ! " muttered Captain Pond, half to 
 himself. " Horsemen, you say ? " 
 
 " Horsemen, Captain— great horsemen as tall as 
 statues. But statues, as I told myself, at this time
 
 BATTLE OF TALLAND COVE 93 
 
 o' night ! 'Tis out of the question, an' we may put 
 it aside once for all." 
 
 " Horsemen ? " repeated Captain Pond. " There's 
 only one explanation, and Hymen must be warned. 
 But I do think he might have trusted me ! " 
 
 He turned for a swift glance seaward, and at the 
 same instant one or two voices on the ridge above 
 called alarm. Under the western cliff his eye de- 
 tected a line of dark shadows stealing towards the 
 shore. 
 
 " Until gaining the entrance of the Cove " — so ran 
 the Major's order — " the boats will preserve single file. 
 At Dowend Point the leading boat will halt and lie on 
 her oars, close inshore, while each successor pivots and 
 spreads in echelon to starboard, keeping, as nearly as 
 may be, two fathoms' distance from her consort to port ; 
 all gradually, as the shore is approached, rounding up 
 for a simultaneous attack in line. The crews, on leap- 
 ing ashore, will spread and find touch with one another 
 in two lines, to sweep the beach. A bugle-call will 
 announce the arrival of each boat." 
 
 The Major, erect in the bows of the leading boat, 
 glanced over his right shoulder and beheld his line of 
 followers, all in perfect order, extend themselves and 
 close the mouth of the Cove. Ahead of him — ahead 
 but a few yards only — he heard the slack tide run 
 faintly on the shingle. From the dark beach came 
 no sound. Overhead quivered the expectant stars. 
 He lifted his sword-arm, and from point to hilt ran a 
 swift steely glitter. 
 
 " Give way, lads ! And Saint Fimbar for Troy ! "
 
 94 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 A stroke of the oars, defiant now, muffled no 
 longer ! Two — three strokes, and with a jolt the 
 boat's nose took the beach. The shock flung the 
 Major forward over the bows ; and on all fours, with 
 a splash — like Julius Caesar — he saluted the soil he 
 came to conquer. But in an instant he stood erect 
 again, waving his blade. 
 
 " Forward ! Fortvard, Troy ! " 
 
 " I beg your pardon. Hymen," intemipted Cap- 
 tain Pond, quietly but seriously, stepping forth from 
 the darkness. " Yes, yes ; that's understood — but 
 see here now — " 
 
 " Back, or you are my prisoner ! " The Major 
 had scrambled to his feet, and stood waving his 
 sword. 
 
 "Hymen ! " Captain Pond ran past the Major's 
 guard and caught him by the elbow. 
 
 " Hands off, I say ! Forward, Troy ! " The 
 Major struggled to disengage his sword-arm. 
 
 " Hymen, don't be a fool ! As a friend now — 
 though you might have taken me into your con- 
 fidence — " 
 
 " Unhand me. Pond ! Though you are doing 
 your best to spoil the whole business — " 
 
 " Listen to me, I say. The Dragoons — " 
 
 But Captain Pond shouted in vain. Bugle after 
 bugle drowned his voice, rending the darkness. 
 From the rocks to the eastward voices answered 
 them, challenging wildly. 
 
 " Death to the invader ! " 
 
 With a whoosh a rocket leapt into the air and 
 burst, flooding the beach with light, showing up
 
 BATTLE OF TALL AND COVE 95 
 
 every furze bush, every stone wall, every sheep- 
 track, on the surrounding cliffs. As if they had 
 caught fire from it, a score of torches broke into 
 flame on the eastward rocks, and in the sudden blaze, 
 under the detonating fire of musketry, the men of 
 Troy could be seen tumbling out of their boats and 
 splashing ankle-deep to the shore. 
 
 It was a splendid, a gallant sight. Each man, as 
 he reached terra firma, dropped on one knee, fired 
 deliberately, reloaded, and advanced a dozen paces. 
 Still from the boats behind fresh reinforcements 
 splashed ashore and crowded into the firing-line : 
 while from the eastward rock the vanguard of the 
 Diehards kept up its deadly flanking fire, heedless of 
 the torches that exposed them each and all at plain 
 target-shot to the oncoming host. 
 
 Still, amid the pealing notes of the bugles, the 
 Major waved his men forward. Captain Pond, 
 breaking loose from him and facing swiftly towards 
 the Cove-head, with a flourish of his blade called 
 upon his mainguard. 
 
 Under the volley that thereupon swept the beach, 
 the invaders did indeed waver for a moment — so 
 closely it resembled the real thing. As the smoke 
 lifted, however, by the murky glare of the torches 
 they were seen to be less demoralised than infuriated. 
 And now, upon the volley's echo, a drum banged 
 thrice, and from a boat just beyond the water's edge 
 the Troy bandsmen crashed out with, — 
 
 " The Rout'it is out for the Looes, 
 For the Looes ; 
 Oh, the Rout it is out for the Looes ! "
 
 96 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Forward ! Forward, Troy ! " 
 
 " Steady, the Two Looes ! Steady, the Die- 
 hards ! " 
 
 " Form up — form up, there, to the left ! Hurray, 
 boys ! give 'em the bagginet ! " 
 
 " Death to Invader ! Reload, men ! Oh, for your 
 lives, reload ! Make ready, all ! Prepare ! Fire ! " 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 " Mr Spettigew ! Mr Spettigew ! " 
 
 "Eh ? " Uncle Issy turned as William Oke 
 plucked him by the sleeve. " What's the matter 
 now ? Reload, I tell 'ee ! " 
 
 " I — I can't, Mr Spettigew. I've a-fired off my 
 ramrod ! " 
 
 " Then you'm a lost man." 
 
 " Will it — will it have killed any person, d'ee 
 think ? " Oke's teeth rattled hke a box of dice as he 
 peered out over the dark and agitated crowd of boats. 
 
 " Shouldn' wonder at all." 
 
 " I didn' mean to kill any person, Mr Spettigew ! " 
 
 " 'Tis the sort of accident, Oke, that might happen 
 to anyone in war. At the worst they'll recommend 
 'ee to mercy. The mistake was your tellin' me." 
 
 " You won't inform upon me, Mr Spettigew ? 
 Don't say you'll inform upon me ! " 
 
 " No, I won't ; not if I can help it. But dang it ! 
 first of all you swaller the fuse, and next you fire off 
 your ramrod." 
 
 " E-everything must have a beginning, • Mr 
 Spettigew," 
 
 Uncle Issy shook his head. " I doubt you'll never 
 make a sojer, William Oke. You'm too frolicsome
 
 BATTLE OF TALLAND COVE 97 
 
 wi' the materials. Listen, there's Pengelly shoutin' 
 for another volley ! Right you be, sergeant ! Make 
 ready — prepare — Eh ? Hullo ! " 
 
 ^\'^ly was it that suddenly, at the height of the 
 hubbub, a panic fell upon the bandsmen of Troy ? 
 Why did the " Rout for the Looes " cease midway in 
 a bar ? What was it that hushed on an instant the 
 shouts, the rallying cries upon the beach, the bugle- 
 calls and challenges, the furious uproar of musketry ? 
 
 Why, within twenty yards of the Cove-head, in the 
 act of charging upon the serried ranks of Looe's 
 main guard, did Major Hymen face about and with 
 sword still uplifted stare behind him, and continue 
 to stare as one petrified ? 
 
 What meant that strange light, out yonder by the 
 Cove's mouth, in the rear of his boats ? 
 
 The light grew and spread until it illuminated 
 every pebble on the beach. The men of Troy, 
 dazzled by the glare of it, blinked in the faces of the 
 men of Looe. 
 
 The French ! 
 
 " A trap ! A trap ! " yelled someone far to the 
 right, and the cry w^as echoed on the instant by a 
 sound in the rear of the Diehards — a sound yet more 
 terrible — the pounding of hoofs upon hard turf. 
 
 Again Captain Pond rushed forward and caught 
 the Major by the elbow. 
 
 " The Dragoons ! " he whispered. " Run for 
 your life, man ! " 
 
 But already the ranks of the Diehards had begun 
 to waver ; and now, as the oncoming hoofs thun- 
 
 G
 
 98 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 dered louder, close upon their rear, they broke. 
 Trojans and men of Looe turned tail and were swept 
 in one commingled crowd down the beach. 
 
 " To the water, there ! Down to the water, every 
 man of you ! " 
 
 A voice loud as a bull's roared out the command 
 from the darkness. The Major, still waving his 
 sword, was lifted by the crowd's pressure and swept 
 along like a chip in a tideway. His feet fought for 
 solid earth. Glancing back as he struggled, he saw, 
 high above his shoulder, lit up by the flares from sea- 
 ward, a line of flashing swords, helmets, cuirasses. 
 
 " To the boats ! " yelled the crowd. 
 
 " To the water ! Drive 'em to the water ! " 
 answered the stentorian voice, now recognisable as 
 Mr Smellie's. 
 
 The Dragoons, using the flat of their sabres, drove 
 the fugitives down to the tide's edge, nor drew rein 
 until their chargers stood fetlock-deep in water, still 
 pressing the huddled throng around the boats. 
 
 " Bring a lantern, there ! " shouted the Riding 
 Officer. " And call Hymen ! Where is Hymen ? " 
 
 " I am here ! " 
 
 The Major had picked himself up out of two feet of 
 water, into which he had been iiung on all-fours. 
 He was dripping wet, but he still clutched his naked 
 blade and, advancing into the light of the lantern's 
 rays, brought it up to salute with a fine cold dignity. 
 
 " I am here," he repeated quietly. 
 
 " Well, then, I'm sorry for you. Hymen ; but the 
 game's up," said Mr Smellie. 
 
 The Major glanced at him, for a moment only.
 
 BATTLE OF TALLAND COVE 90 
 
 " Will someone inform me who commands this 
 troop ? " he asked, looking first to right, then to left, 
 along the line of the Dragoons. 
 
 " At your service, sir," answered a young officer, 
 pressing his horse forvvard alongside Mr Smellie's. 
 
 The Major reached out a hand for the lantern. 
 Someone passed it to him obediently ; and holding 
 it he scanned the officer up and down amid the dead 
 silence of the crowd, 
 
 " Your name, sir ? " 
 
 " Arbuthnot, sir — Captain Arbuthnot, of the 5th 
 Dragoons." 
 
 " Then allow me to ask. Captain Arbuthnot, by 
 what right have you and your troopers assaulted my 
 men ? " 
 
 " Excuse me," the Captain answered. " I am act- 
 ing on trustworthy information. The Riding Officer 
 here, Mr Smellie— " 
 
 But here Mr Smellie himself interposed brusquely. 
 
 " You can stow this bluster, Hymen. I've 
 cornered you, and you know it. The flares in the 
 offing yonder came from two preventive boats. 
 Back-door and front I have you, as neat as a rat in a 
 drain ; so you may just turn that lantern of yours on 
 the cargo, own up, and sing small." 
 
 "To resume our conversation. Captain Arbuthnot," 
 the Major went on. " Upon what information are 
 you and your men taking a part, uninvited, in this 
 evening's — er — proceedings ? You must under- 
 stand, sir, that I put this question as a magistrate." 
 
 " To be frank, sir, I am warned that under cover 
 of a feigned attack between your two corps an illicit
 
 100 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 cargo was to be run here to-night. The Riding 
 Officer's information is precise, and he tells me he is 
 acquainted with the three boats in which the goods 
 have been brought over." 
 
 " And more by token, there they are ! " exclaimed 
 Mr Smellie, pointing to three small lugger-rigged 
 craft that lay moored some six or eight fathoms out- 
 side the longboats, with mainmasts unstepped, sails 
 left to lie loose about deck with an artful show of 
 carelessness, and hulls suspiciously deep in the water. 
 He dismounted, caught up a lantern, and scanned 
 them, chuckling in his glee. " See here, captain, the 
 rogues had their gang-planks out and ready. Now, 
 wait till I've whistled in the preventive crews, and 
 inside of ten minutes you shall see what game these 
 pretty innocents were playing." 
 
 He blew his whistle, and a whistle answered from 
 the offing, where the flares continued to blaze. 
 
 " Excuse me again," said the Major, ignoring the 
 interruption and still addressing himself to Captain 
 Arbuthnot, " but this is a very serious accusation, 
 sir. If, as you surmise — or rather as your informant 
 surmises — these boats should prove to be laden with 
 contraband goods, the men undoubtedly deserve 
 punishment ; and I am the less likely to deprecate 
 it since they have compromised me by their folly. 
 For me, holding as I do the King's commission of the 
 peace, to be involved, however innocently, however 
 unconsciously — " 
 
 " Ay," struck in Mr SmeUie again, " it's a devilish 
 awkward business for you. Hymen. But you won't 
 improve it by turning cat-in-the-pan at the last
 
 BATTLE OF TALLAND COVE 101 
 
 moment, and so I warn you. Come along, lads ! " 
 he called to the preventive crews, " We have 'em 
 right and tight this trip. See the three luggers, 
 there, to port of ye ? " 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " 
 
 " Tumble aboard, then, and fetch us out a sample 
 of their cargo." 
 
 There was a pause. Save for the jingling of the 
 chargers' bits and now and again the clink of scab- 
 bard on boot, silence — dead silence — held the beach. 
 Aboard the boats the preventive men could be heard 
 rummaging. 
 
 " Found anything ? " called out Mr Smellie. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 " Casks ! " 
 
 " What did I promise you ? " Mr Smellie turned 
 to Captain Arbuthnot in triumph. " Luxmore ! " 
 he called aloud. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " came the Chief Boatman's voice 
 in answer. 
 
 " There's a plank handy. Roll us a sample or two 
 ashore here, and fetch along chisel and auger." 
 
 "If you think it necessary, sir — " 
 
 " Do as you're told, man ! . . . Ah, here we 
 are ! " — as a couple of preventive men splashed 
 ashore, trundling a cask along the plank between 
 them, and up-ended it close by the water's 
 edge. 
 
 Captain Arbuthnot had dismounted and, advanc- 
 ing with his arm through his charger's bridle, bent 
 over the cask.
 
 102 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Devilish queer-smelling brandy ! " he observed, 
 drawing back a pace and sniffing. 
 
 " It has been standing in the bilge. These fellows 
 never clean out their boats from one year's end to 
 another," said Mr Smellie, positively. Yet he, too, 
 eyed the cask with momentary suspicion. In shape, 
 in colour, it resembled the tubs in which Guernsey 
 ordinarily exported its eau-de-vie. It was slung, too, 
 ready for carriage, and with French left-handed rope, 
 and yet. ... It seemed unusually large for a 
 Guernsey tub . . . and unusually light in scant- 
 ling. . . . 
 
 " Shall I spile en, maister ? " asked one of the 
 preventive men, producing a large auger. 
 
 " No, stave its head in. And fetch a pannikin, 
 somebody. There's good water at the beach-head ; 
 and I daresay your men, Captain, won't despise a tot 
 of French liquor after their ride." 
 
 The preventive man set his chisel against the inner 
 rim of the cask, and dealt it a short sharp blow with 
 his hammer, a sort of trial tap, to guide his aim. 
 " French liquor ? " He sniffed. " Furrin fruit, 
 more like. Phew ! Keep back there, and stand by 
 for lavender ! " 
 
 Crash ! . . . 
 
 " Pf— f ! " 
 
 " Ar-r-r-ugh ! Oh, merciful Heaven ! " Captain 
 Arbutlmot staggered back, clapping thumb and fore- 
 finger to his nose. 
 
 " Pilchards ! " 
 
 " Salt pilchards ! " 
 
 " Rotten pilchards ! '*
 
 BATTLE OF TALLAND COVE 103 
 
 Mr Smellie opened his mouth, but collapsed in a fit 
 of retching, as from right and left, and from the dark- 
 ness all around him, a roar of Homeric laughter woke 
 the echoes of the Cove. Men rolled about laughing. 
 Men leaned against one another to laugh. 
 
 Already the preventive men on board the luggers 
 — having been rash enough to prise open some half- 
 a-dozen casks — had dropped overboard and were 
 wading ashore, coughing and spitting as they came. 
 Amid the uproar Major Hymen kept a perfectly 
 grave face. 
 
 " You see, sir," he explained to Captain Arbuth- 
 not, " Mr Smellie is fond of hunting where there is no 
 fox. So some of my youngsters hit on the idea of 
 providing him with a drag. They have spent a week 
 at least in painting these casks to look like the real 
 thing. ... I am sorry, sir, that you and your gal- 
 lant fellov/s should have been misled by an officious 
 civilian ; but if I might suggest your marching on to 
 Looe, where a good supper awaits us, to take this 
 taste out of our mouths — and good liquor too, not 
 contraband, to drown resentment — " 
 
 The Captain may surely be pardoned if for the 
 moment even this gentle speech failed to placate 
 him. He turned in dudgeon amid the grinning 
 crowd and was in the act of remounting, but missed 
 the stirrup as his charger reared and backed before 
 the noise of yet another diversion. No one knows 
 who dipped into the cask and flung the first handful 
 over unhappy Mr Smellie. No one knows who 
 led the charge down upon the boats, or gave the 
 cry to stave in the barrels on board. But in a trice
 
 104 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 the preventive men were driven overboard and, as 
 they leapt into the shallow water, were caught and 
 held and drenched in the noisome mess ; while the 
 Riding Officer, plastered ere he could gain his saddle, 
 ducked his head and galloped up the beach under a 
 torrential shower of deliquescent pilchards. 
 
 The Dragoons did not interfere. 
 
 ■■' Shall it be for Looe, Captain ? " challenged 
 Major Hymen, waving his blade and calling on the 
 Gallants to re-form. And as he challenged, by the 
 liappiest of inspirations the band, catching up their 
 instruments, crashed out with, — 
 
 " Oh, the De'il's awa'— 
 The De'il's awa' — 
 The De'il's awa' wi' th' exciseman ! "
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 " COME, MY CORINNA, COME ! " 
 
 MISS MARTY drew aside her window curtain to 
 watch the rising moon. She could not 
 sleep. Knowing that she would not be able to sleep, 
 she had not undressed. 
 
 She gazed out upon the street, dark now and de- 
 serted. No light signalled to her from the attic 
 window behind which Dr Hansombody so often sat 
 late over his books and butterfly cases. He had 
 gone with the others. 
 
 She listened. The house was silent save for the 
 muffled snoring of Scipio in his cupboard-bedroom 
 under the stairs. She raised the window-sash gently, 
 leaned out upon the soft spring night, and listened 
 again. 
 
 Far down the street, from the purlieus of the Town 
 Quay, her ear caught a murmur of voices — of voices 
 and happy subdued laughter. The maidens of Troy 
 were embarking ; and to-morrow would be May 
 morning. 
 
 Miss Marty sighed. How long was it since she had 
 observed May morning and its rites ? The morrow, 
 too, if the Vicar and the Major were right in their 
 calculations, would usher in the Millennium. But 
 again, what was the Millennium to her ? Could it 
 bring back her youth ? 
 
 105
 
 106 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 She heard tlie boats draw near and go by. The 
 houses to tlie left hid them from her : but she leaned 
 out, hearkening to the soft plash of oars, the creak of 
 thole-pins, the girls' voices in hushed chorus practis- 
 ing the simple native harmonies they would lift aloud 
 as they returned after sun-rise. She recognised the 
 tune, too ; the old tune of " The Padstow Hobby- 
 horse," — 
 
 " Unite and unite, and let us all unite, 
 For summer is a-come in to-day — 
 And whither \vc are going we \vill all go in white 
 In the merry merry morning of May. 
 
 " Rise up. Master , and joy you betide, 
 
 For summer is a-come in to-day — 
 And blithe is the bride lays her down by your side 
 In the merry merry morning of May." 
 
 Hushed though the voices were, each word fell dis- 
 tinct on her ear as the boats drew near and passed up 
 the tideway. 
 
 " Rise up. Mistress , all in your smock of silk, 
 
 For summer is a-come in to-day — 
 And all your body under as white as any milk 
 In the merry merry morning of May." 
 
 The voices faded away up the river. Only the lilt 
 of the song came back to her now, but memory sup- 
 plied the words. Had they not been sung under her 
 window years ago ? 
 
 " Rise up. Mistress Marty, all out of your bed, 
 For summer is a-come in to-day — 
 Your chamber shall be sjircad with the white rose and red 
 lu the merry merry morning of 2^1ay.
 
 " COME, MY CORINNA, COME ! " 107 
 
 " O where be the maidens that here now should sing ? 
 For summer is a-come in to-day — 
 They be all in the meadows the flowers gathering, 
 In the merry merry morning of May." 
 
 What magic was there in this artless ditty that 
 kept Miss Marty hngering awhile with moist eyes ere 
 she closed the window sash ? 
 
 " Wh'st ! Miss Mar-ty ! " 
 
 Heavens ! Whose voice was that, calling up 
 hoarsely from the shadows ? She peered out, but 
 could see nobody. Suddenly her maiden modesty 
 took alarm. What possessed her to be standing here 
 exposed, and exposing the interior of her lighted bed- 
 chamber to view from the street ? She ran back in 
 a flurry and blew out the candles ; then, returning, 
 put up a hand to draw down the window-sash. 
 
 " Wh'st ! Miss Mar-ty ! " 
 
 " Gracious goodness ! " After a moment's 
 hesitation she craned out timorously, " Cai Tam- 
 blyn . . . ? " 
 
 " Miss Marty ! " 
 
 " What on earth are you doing there at this time 
 of night ? " 
 
 " Sentry-go." 
 
 " Nonsense. What do I want of a sentry ? " 
 
 " You never can tell." 
 
 " Are you here by the Major's order ? " 
 
 " Ch't ! " answered Cai Tamblyn. " Him ! " 
 
 " Then go away, please, and let me beg you to 
 speak more respectfully of your master." 
 
 " I reckon," said Cai, slowly, " you don't know 
 that, barrin' the nigger under the stairs, this here
 
 108 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 town's as empty as my hat. Well, a man can but 
 die once, and if the French come, let 'em ; that's all 
 I say. Good-night, miss." 
 
 " The town empty ? " 
 
 " Males, females and otherwise, down to Miss Jex 
 at the post-office." (Cai Tamblyn nursed an inveter- 
 ate antipathy for the post-mistress. He alleged no 
 reason for it, save that she wore moustaches, which 
 was no reason at all, and a monstrous exaggeration.) 
 " There's Miss Pescod gone, and Miss Tregentil with 
 her maid." 
 
 " But where ? Why ? " 
 
 " Up the river. Gallivantin'. That's what I 
 spoke ye for, just now. Mind you, I don't propose 
 no gallivantin' ; but there's safety in numbers, and 
 if you've a mind for it, I've the boat ready by the 
 Broad Slip." 
 
 " But what foolishness ! " 
 
 " Ay," Mr Tamblyn assented. " That's what I 
 said to the Doctor when he first mentioned it. 
 ' What foolishness,' I said, ' at her time o' life ! ' 
 But then we never reckoned on the whole town goin' 
 crazed." 
 
 " The Doctor ? " queried Miss Marty, with a 
 glance down the dark street. " He thinks of every- 
 thing," she murmured. 
 
 There was a pause, during which Mr Tamblyn 
 somewhat ostentatiously tested the lock of his 
 musket. 
 
 " You are not going to frighten me, Cai." 
 
 " No, miss." 
 
 " I — I think an expedition up the river would be
 
 "COME, MY CORINNA, COME!' 109 
 
 very pleasant. If, as you say, Miss Pescod has 
 gone—" 
 
 " Yes, miss." 
 
 " I must bring Scipio." 
 
 " Very well, miss. If the French come, they 
 might think o' looking under the stairs." 
 
 Twenty minutes later Miss Marty — escorted by 
 Scipio, who bore a lantern — tip-toed down the street 
 to the Broad Slip, fearful even of her own light foot- 
 step on the cobbles. 
 
 The Broad Slip — it has since been filled in — was 
 in those days a sort of dock, inset between the water- 
 side houses and running up so close to the street that 
 the vessels it berthed were forced to take in their 
 bowsprits to allow the pack-horse traffic to pass. On 
 its south side a flight of granite steps led down to the 
 water : and at the foot of these (the tide being low; 
 Cai Tamblyn waited with his boat. 
 
 " I declare my heart's in my mouth," Miss Marty 
 panted, as she took her seat. Cai directed Scipio to 
 sit amidships, pushed off in silence, and taking the 
 forward thwart, began to pull. 
 
 " Now there's a thing," he said after a few strokes 
 with a jerk of his head towards the dark longshore 
 houses, " you don't often see nor hear about outside 
 o' the Bible ; a deserted city. Fine pickings for 
 Boney if he only knew." 
 
 Miss Marty's thoughts flew back at once to a 
 comer cupboard in the parlour, inlaid with tuhps in 
 Dutch marqueterie, and containing the Major's 
 priceless egg-shell china. To be sure, if the French
 
 110 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 landed, she — weak woman that she was — could not 
 defend this treasure. But might not the Major 
 blame her for having abandoned it ? 
 
 " I — I trust," she hazarded, " that our brave 
 fellows have succeeded in their enterprise. It 
 seemed to me that I heard the sound of distant 
 firing just now." 
 
 " If they hadn't, miss, they'd ha' been back afore 
 now. I had my own doubts about 'em, for they're 
 a hair-triggered lot, the Troy Gallants. No fear of 
 their goin' off ; but 'tis a matter o' doubt in what 
 direction." 
 
 " Your master," said Miss Marty, severely, ad- 
 dressing Cai across Scipio (who for some reason 
 seldom or never spoke in Cai's company) — " your 
 master has the heart of a lion. He would die rather 
 than acknowledge defeat." 
 
 " A heart of a lion, miss, if you'll excuse my saying 
 it, is an uncomfortable thing in a man's stomach ; 
 an' more especially when 'tis fed up on the wind o' 
 vanity. I've a-read my Bible plumb down to the 
 forbidden books thereof, and there's a story in it 
 called Bel and the Dragon, which I mind keeping 
 to the last, tliinkin' 'twas the name of a public-house. 
 'Tis a terrible warnin' against swollen vittles." 
 
 " You are a dreadful cynic, Cai." 
 
 " Nothin' of the sort, miss," said Cai, stoutly. " I 
 thinks badly o' most men — that's all." 
 
 His talk was always cross-grained, but its volume 
 betrayed a quite unwonted geniality to-night. And 
 half a mile further, where the dark river bent around 
 Wiseman's Stone, he so far relaxed as to rest on his
 
 "COME, MY CORINNA, COME!" Ill 
 
 oars and challenge the famous echo from the wooded 
 cliffs. Somewhat to Miss Marty's astonishment it 
 responded. 
 
 " And by night, too ! I had no idea ! " 
 
 " Night ? " repeated Mr Tamblyn, after rowing on 
 for another fifty strokes. He paused as if he had 
 that moment heard, and glanced upward. " 'Tis 
 much as ever. The sky's palin' already, and we'U 
 not reach Lerryn by sunrise. I think, miss, if you'll 
 step ashore, this here's as good a place as any. 
 Scipio and me'U keep the boat and turn our backs." 
 
 Miss Marty understood. The boat's nose having 
 been brought alongside a ridge of rock, she landed in 
 silence, climbed the foreshore, up by a hazel-choked 
 path to a meadow above, and there, solemnly thrust- 
 ing her hands into the lush grass, turned to the east 
 and bathed her face in the dew. It is a rite which 
 must be performed alone, in silence ; and the morn- 
 ing sun must not surprise it. 
 
 " You've been terrible quick," remarked Cai, as 
 she stepped down to the foreshore again in the 
 ghostly light. " You can't have stayed to dabble 
 your feet. Didn't think it wise, I s'pose ? And I 
 daresay you're right." 
 
 From far ahead of them as they started again, the 
 voices of the singers came borne down the river ; 
 and again Miss Marty's memory supplied the words 
 of the song, — 
 
 " The young men of our town, they might if they wo'ld — 
 For summer is a-comin' in to-day — 
 They might have built a ship and have gilded her with gold 
 In the merry merry morning of May."
 
 112 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " The young men . . . the young men . . . they 
 might if they wo'ld." Ah, Miss Marty, was it only 
 the edge of the morning that heightened the rose on 
 your cheek by a httle — a very httle — as the sky 
 paled ? And now the kingfishers were awake, and 
 the woodlands nigh, and the tide began to gather 
 force as it neared the narrower winding channel. 
 To enter this they skirted a mud-flat, where the day, 
 breaking over the tree-tops and through the river 
 mists, shone on scores upon scores of birds gathered 
 to await it — curlews, sandpipers, gulls in rows like 
 strings of jewels, here -and there a heron standing 
 sentry. The assembly paid no heed to the passing 
 boat. 
 
 Miss Marty gazed up at the last star fading in the 
 blue. How clear the morning was ! How freshly 
 scented beneath the shadow of the woods ! Her 
 gaze descended upon the incongruous top-hat and 
 gold-laced livery of Scipio, touched with the morning 
 sunshine. She glanced around her and motioned 
 to Cai Tamblyn to bring the boat to shore by a 
 grassy spit whence (as she knew) a cart - track led 
 alongshore through the young oak coppices to the 
 village. 
 
 " And Scipio," she said, turning as she stepped 
 out on the turf, " will like a run in the woods." 
 
 She had walked on, maybe a hundred paces, before 
 the absurdity of it struck her. She had been think- 
 ing of Mr Pope's line, — 
 
 " When wild in woods the noble savage ran," 
 
 and at the notion of Scipio, in gilt-laced hat and
 
 « COME, MY COTMNNA, COME ! ' 113 
 
 livery, tearing wildly through the undergrowth in 
 the joy of liberty, she halted and laughed aloud. 
 
 She was smiling yet when, at a turning of the leafy 
 lane, she came upon the prettiest innocent sight. 
 On a cushion of moss beside the path, two small 
 children — a boy and a girl — lay fast asleep. The 
 boy's arm was flung around his sister's shoulders, 
 and across his thighs rested a wand or thin pole 
 topped with a May-garland of wild hyacinths, red- 
 robin and painted birds' eggs. A tin cup, brought to 
 collect pence for the garland, glittered in the cart-rut 
 at their feet. It had rolled down the mossy bank as 
 the girl's fingers relaxed in sleep. 
 
 They were two httle ones of Troy, strayed hither 
 from the merry-making ; and at first Miss Marty had 
 a mind to wake them, seeing how near they lay to the 
 river's brink. But noting that a fallen log safe- 
 guarded them from this peril, she fumbled for the 
 pocket beneath her skirt, dropped a sixpence with 
 as little noise as might be into the tin cup, and tip- 
 toed upon her way. 
 
 About three hundred yards from the village she 
 met another pair of children ; and, soon after, a score 
 or so in a cluster, who took toll of her in pence ; for 
 almost everyone carried a garland. And then the 
 trees opened, and she saw before her the village with 
 its cottages, grey and whitewashed, its gardens and 
 orchards, mirrored in the brimming tide, all tremb- 
 ling in the morning light and yet exquisitely still. 
 Far up the river, beyond the village and the bridge, 
 a level green meadow ran out, narrowing the channel ; 
 and here beneath the apple-trees — for the meadow 
 
 H
 
 114 THE MAYOR OF TUOY 
 
 was half an orchard — had been set out many lines 
 of white-covered tables, at which the Mayers made 
 innocently merry. 
 
 Innocently, did I say ? Well, I have known up- 
 country folk before now to be scandalised by some 
 things which we in the Duchy think innocent enough. 
 So let me admit that the three longboats conveyed 
 something more than the youth and beauty of Troy 
 to that morning's Maying ; that when launched from 
 Mr Runnells' yard they were not entirely what they 
 seemed : that from their trial spin across the bay 
 they returned some inches deeper in the water, and 
 yet they did not leak. Had you perchance been 
 standing by the shore in the half-light as they came 
 up over the shallows, you might have wondered at 
 the number of times they took ground, and at the 
 slowness of the tide to lift and float them. You 
 might have wondered again why, after they emerged 
 from the deep shadow of Sir Felix Felix-Williams' 
 woods upon the southern shore, albeit in shallow 
 water, they seemed to feel their hindrances no 
 longer. 
 
 Have you ever, my reader, caught hold of a lizard 
 and been left with his tail in your hands ? 
 
 Even so easily did these three longboats shed their 
 false keels, which half an hour later were but harm- 
 less-looking stacks of timber among Sir Felix's 
 undergrowth. Half an hour later, had your unwary 
 feet led you to a certain corner of Sir Felix's well- 
 timbered demesne, you might have scratched your 
 head and wondered what magic carpet had trans- 
 ported you into the heart of the Cognac District.
 
 "COME, MY CORINNA, COME!" 115 
 
 And all this was the work of the men of Troy (not 
 being volunteers) who had come either in the long- 
 boats or in the many boats escorting these. 
 
 But the women of Troy, being deft with the oar 
 one and all, took the places of the men left behind in 
 the woods, and, singing yet, brought both the 
 longboats and these other boats safely to Lerryn 
 on the full flood of the tide, and disembarking upon 
 the meadow there, gathered around the tables under 
 the apple trees to eat bread and cream in honour of 
 May-day, looking all the while as if butter would not 
 melt in their mouths. Between their feasting they 
 laughed a great deal ; but either they laughed 
 demurely, being constrained by the unwonted 
 presence of Miss Pescod and other ladies of Troy's 
 acknowledged elite, or Miss Marty as yet stood too 
 far off to hear their voices. 
 
 Let us return to Scipio, who, on receiving Miss 
 Marty's permission to wander, had made his way up 
 through the woods in search of the Devil's Hedge, 
 along which, as he knew, his master would be leading 
 back the triumphant Gallants. 
 
 Fidelity was ever the first spring of Scipio's con- 
 duct. He adored the Major with a canine devotion, 
 and by an instinct almost canine he found his way 
 up to the earthwork and chose a position which 
 commanded the farthest prospect in the direction 
 of Looe. From where he sat the broad hedge dipped 
 to a narrow valley, climbed the steep slope opposite, 
 and vanished, to reappear upon a second and farther 
 ridge two miles away. As yet he could discern no
 
 116 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 sign of the returning heroes ; but his ear caught the 
 throb of a drum beaten afar to the eastward. 
 
 Of tlie Major's two body-servants it might be said 
 that the one spoke seldom and the other never ; and 
 again that Cai, who spoke seldom, was taciturn, 
 while Scipio, who spoke never, was almost affable. 
 In truth, the negro's was the habitual silence of one 
 who, loving his fellows, spends all his unoccupied 
 time in an inward brooding, a continual haze of 
 day-dreams. 
 
 Scipio's day-dreams were of a piece with his 
 loyalty, a reflection in some sort of his master's glory. 
 He could never — he with his black skin — be such a 
 man ; but he passionately desired to be honoured, 
 respected, though but posthumously. And the 
 emblazoned board in the church, appealing as it did 
 to his negro sense of colour, had suggested a way. 
 Tt is not too much to say that a great part of Scipio's 
 time was lived by him in a future when, released 
 from this present livery, his spirit should take on 
 a more gorgeous one, as " Scipio Johnson, Esquire, 
 late of this Parish," in scarlet twiddles on a buff 
 ground. 
 
 He seated himself on the earthwork and, the better 
 to commune with this vision, tilted his gold-laced hat 
 forward over his eyes, shutting out the dazzle of the 
 morning sun. Once or twice he shook himself, being 
 heavy with broken sleep, and gazed across the ridges, 
 then drew up his knees, clasped them, and let his 
 heavy, woolly head drop forward, nodding. 
 
 Let us not pursue those stages of conviviality
 
 « COME, MY CORINNA, COME ! " 117 
 
 through which the Looe Diehards, having been seen 
 home by the Troy Gallants, arrived at an obligation 
 to return the compliment. Suffice it to say that 
 Major Hymen and Captain Pond, within five minutes 
 of bidding one another a public tearful farewell, 
 found themselves climbing the first hill towards 
 Lerryn with linked arms. But the Devil's Hedge is 
 a wide one and luckily could not be mistaken, even 
 in the uncertain light of dawn. 
 
 And, to pass over the minor incidents of that march, 
 I will maintain in fairness (though the men of Troy 
 choose to laugh) that the sudden apparition of a 
 black man seated in the morning light upon the 
 Devil's Hedge was enough to daunt even the tried 
 valour of the Looe Diehards. 
 
 " The De'il's awa', the De'il's awa'. 
 The De'il's awa' \vi' th' Exciseman." 
 
 The eye notoriously magnifies an object seen upon 
 a high ridge against the skyline ; and when Scipio 
 stood erect in all his gigantic proportions and w^aved 
 both arms to welcome his beloved master, the 
 Diehards turned with a yell and fled. Vainly their 
 comrades of Troy called after them. Back and down 
 the hill they streamed pell-mell, one on another's 
 heels ; down to the marshy bottom known as Trebant 
 Water, nor paused to catch breath until they had 
 placed a running brook between them and the Power 
 of Darkness. 
 
 For the second time that night the Gallants rolled 
 about and clung one to another in throes of Homeric 
 laughter ; laughter which, reverberating, shout on
 
 118 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 shout, along the ridge and down among the tree tops, 
 reached even to the meadow far below, where in the 
 sudden hush of the lark's singing the merrymakers 
 paused and looked up to listen. 
 
 But wait awhile ! They laugli best who laugh 
 last.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 BY LERRYN WATER 
 
 " O will you accept of the mus-e-lin so blue, 
 To wear in the morning and to dabble in the dew ? " 
 
 Old Song. 
 
 MISS MARTY had duly visited the meadow 
 and eaten and paid for her breakfast of 
 bread and cream. But she had eaten it in some 
 constraint, sitting alone. She had never asserted 
 her position as the Major's kinswoman in the eyes 
 of Miss Pescod and the ladies of Miss Pescod's clan, 
 who were inclined to regard her as a poor relation, 
 a mere housekeeper, and to treat her as a person of 
 no great account. On the other hand, the majority 
 of the merrymakers deemed her, no doubt, a stiff 
 stuck-up thing ; whereas she would in fact have 
 given much to break through her shyness and accost 
 them. For these reasons, the meal over, she was 
 glad to pay her sixpence and escape from the throng 
 back to the woodland paths and solitude. 
 
 The children by this time had grown tired of stray- 
 ing, and were trooping back to the village. Fewer 
 and fewer met her as she followed the shore ; the 
 two slumberers were gone from the mossy bank ; 
 by-and-by the procession dried up, so to speak, 
 
 altogether. She understood the reason when a drum 
 
 119
 
 120 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 began to bang overhead behind the woods and passed 
 along the ridge, still banging. The Gallants were 
 returning ; and apparently flushed with victory, 
 since between the strokes she could hear their distant 
 shouts of laughter. 
 
 At one moment she fancied they must be descend- 
 ing through the woods : for a crackling of the under- 
 growth, some way up the slope, startled and brought 
 her to a halt. But no ; the noise passed along the 
 ridge towards the village. The crackling sound 
 must have come from some woodland beast disturbed 
 in his night's lair. 
 
 She retraced her way slowly to the spot where she 
 had disembarked ; but when she reached it, Cai and 
 the boat had vanished. No matter ; Cai was a 
 trustworthy fellow, and doubtless would be back 
 ere long. Likely enough he had pulled across to 
 the farther shore to bear a hand in what Troy euphe- 
 mistically called the " salvage " of the long-boats' 
 cargoes. Happy in her solitude, rejoicing in her 
 extended liberty. Miss Marty strolled on, now gazing 
 up into the green dappled shadows, now pausing on 
 the brink to watch the water as it swirled by her feet, 
 smooth and deep and flawed in its depths with 
 arrow-lights of sunshine. 
 
 She came by-and-by to a point where the cart- 
 track turned inland to climb the woods and a foot- 
 path branched off from it, skirting a small recess in 
 the shore. A streamlet of clear water, hurrying 
 down from the upland by the Devil's Hedge, here 
 leapt the low cliff and fell on a pebbly beach, driving 
 the pebbles before it and by their attrition wearing
 
 BY LERRYN WATER 121 
 
 out for itself a natural basin. Encountering a 
 low ridge of rock on the edge of the tideway, the 
 stones heaped themselves along it and formed a bar, 
 with one tiny outlet through which the pool trickled 
 continually, except at high spring tides when the 
 river overflowed it. 
 
 Now Miss Marty, fetching a compass around this 
 miniature creek, came in due course to the stream 
 and seated herself on a fallen log, to consider. For 
 the ground on the farther side appeared green and 
 plashy, and she disliked wetting her shoes. 
 
 Overhead a finch piped. Below her, hidden by a 
 screen of hazel, chattered the fall. Why should she 
 wend farther ? She must be greedy of solitude 
 indeed if this sylvan corner did not content her. 
 
 And yet. . . . High on the opposite bank there 
 grew a cluster of columbine, purple and rosy pink, 
 blown thither and seeded perhaps from some near 
 garden, though she had heard that the flower grew 
 wild in these woods. ]\Iiss Marty gazed at the 
 flowers, which seem to nod and beckon ; then at the 
 stream ; then at the plashy shore ; lastly at her 
 shoes. Her hand went down to her right foot. 
 
 She drew off her shoes. Then she drew off her 
 stockings. 
 
 By this time she was in a nervous flurry. Almost 
 you may say that she raced across the stream and 
 clutched at a handful of the columbines. In less 
 than a minute she was back again, gazing timorously 
 about her. 
 
 No one had seen ; nobody, that is to say, except 
 the finch, and he piped on cavalierly. Miss Marty
 
 122 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 glanced up at him, then at a clearing of green turf 
 
 underneath his bough, a little to her left. Why not ? 
 
 Why should she omit any of May morning's rites ? 
 
 Miss Marty picked up her skirts again, stepped on 
 
 to the green turf, and began to dabble her feet in the 
 
 dew. 
 
 " The morn that May began. 
 T dabbled in the dew ; 
 And I wished for me a proper young man 
 In coat-tails of the blue. . . ." 
 
 " Whoop ! Whoo-oop ! " 
 
 The cry came from afar ; indeed, from the woods 
 across the river. Yet as the hare pricks up her ears 
 at the sound of a distant horn and darts away to the 
 covert, so did Miss Marty pause, and, after listening 
 for a second or two, hurry back to the log to resume 
 her shoes and stockings. 
 
 Her shoes she found where she had left them, and 
 one stocking on the rank grass close beside them. 
 But lohcre was the other P 
 
 She looked to right, to left, and all around her in 
 a panic. Could she have dropped it into the stream 
 in her hurry ? And had the stream carried it down 
 the fall ? 
 
 She drew on one stocking and shoe, and catcliing 
 up the other shoe in her hand, crept down to explore. 
 The stream leapt out of sight through a screen of 
 hazels. Parting these, she peered through them, to 
 judge the distance between her and the pool and see 
 if any track led down to it. A something flashed 
 in her eyes, and she drew back. Then, peering 
 forward again, she let a faint cry escape her.
 
 BY LERRYN WATER 123 
 
 On the pebbly bank beside the pool stood a man — 
 Dr Hansombod}' — in regimentals. In one hand he 
 held a razor (this it was that had flashed so brightly 
 in the sunlight), in the other her lost stocking. 
 Apparently he had been shaving, kneeling beside 
 the pool and using it for a mirror ; for one half of 
 his face was yet lathered, and his haversack lay open 
 on the stones by the water's edge beside his shako 
 and a tin cup under which he had lit a small spirit- 
 lamp ; and doubtless, while he knelt, the stream had 
 swept Miss Marty's stocking down, to him. He was 
 studying it in bewilderment ; which changed to glad 
 surprise as he caught sight of her, aloft between the 
 hazels. 
 
 " Hullo ! " he challenged. " A happy month to 
 you ! " 
 
 " Oh, please ! " Miss Marty covered her face. 
 
 " I'll spread it out to dry on the stones here." 
 
 " Please give it back to me. Yes, please, I beg of 
 you ! " 
 
 " I don't see the sense of that," answered the 
 Doctor. " You can't possibly wear it until it's dry, 
 you know." 
 
 " But I'd rather.'' 
 
 " Are you anchored up there ? Very well ; then 
 rU bring it up to you in a minute or so. But just 
 wait a little ; for you wouldn't ask me to come with 
 half my face unshaven, would you ? " 
 
 " I can go back. . . . No, I can't. The bank is 
 too slippery. . . . But I can look the other way," 
 added Miss Marty, heroically. 
 
 " I really don't see why you should," answered the
 
 124 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Doctor, as he resumed his kneehng posture. " Now, 
 to my mind," he went on in the intervals of finishing 
 his toilet, " there's no harm in it, and, speaking as a 
 man, it gives one a pleasant sociable feeling." 
 
 " I — have often wondered how it was done," con- 
 fessed Miss Marty. " It looks horribly dangerous." 
 " The fact is," said the Doctor, wiping his blade, 
 " I cannot endure to feel unshaven, even when cam- 
 paigning." 
 
 He restored the razor to his haversack, blew out 
 the spirit-lamp, emptied the tin cup on the stones, 
 packed up, resumed his shako, and stood erect. 
 " My stocking, please ! " Miss Marty pleaded. 
 " It is by no means dry yet," he answered, stoop- 
 ing and examining it. " Let me help you down, that 
 you may see for yourself." 
 " Oh, I cotildn't ! " 
 
 " Meaning your foot and ankle ? Believe me you 
 have no cause to be ashamed of them, Miss Marty," 
 the Doctor assured her gallantly, climbing the slope 
 and extending an arm for her to lean upon. 
 
 " Those people — across the water," she protested, 
 with a slight blush and a nod in the direction of the 
 shouting, which for some minutes had been growing 
 louder. 
 
 " Our brave fellows — if, as I imagine, the uproar 
 proceeds from them — are pardonably flushed with 
 their victory. They are certainly incapable, at this 
 distance, of the nice observation with which your 
 modesty credits them. Good Lord ! — now you 
 mention it — what a racket ! I sincerely trust they 
 will not arouse Sir Felix, whose temper — expcrto
 
 BY LERRYN WATER 125 
 
 crede — is seldom at its best in the small hours. There, 
 if you will lean your weight on me and advance your 
 foot — the uncovered one — to this ledge — Nay, 
 now ! " 
 
 " But it hurts," said Miss Marty, wincing, with a 
 catch of her breath. " I fear I must have run a 
 thorn into it." 
 
 " A thorn ? " The Doctor seized the professional 
 opportunity, lifted her bodily off the slope, and 
 lowered her to the beach. " There, now, if you will 
 sit absolutely still ... for one minute. I command 
 you ! Yes, as I suspected — a gorse-prickle ! " 
 
 He ran to his haversack, and, returning with a 
 pair of tweezers, took the hurt foot between both 
 hands. 
 
 " Pray remain still ... for one moment. There 
 — it is out ! " He held up the prickle triumphantly 
 between the tweezers. " You have heard. Miss 
 Marty, of the slave Andrew Something-or-other and 
 the lion ? Though it couldn't have been Andrew 
 really, because there are no lions in Scotland — ex- 
 cept, I believe, on their shield. He was hiding for 
 some reason in a cave, and a lion came along, and — 
 well, it doesn't seem complimentary even if you turn 
 a lion into a lioness, but it came into my head and 
 seemed all right to start with." 
 
 " When I was a governess," said Miss Marty, " I 
 used often to set it for dictation. I had, I remember, 
 the same difficulty you experience with the name of 
 the hero." 
 
 " Did you ? " the Doctor exclaimed, delightedly. 
 " That is a coincidence, isn't it ? I sometimes
 
 126 THE MAYOK OF TROY 
 
 think that when two minds are, as one might say, 
 attuned — " 
 
 " They are making a most dreadful noise," said 
 Miss Marty, with a glance across the river. " Did I 
 hear you say that you were victorious to-night ? " 
 
 " Completely." 
 
 " The Major is a wonderful man." 
 
 " Wonderful ! As I was saying, when two minds 
 are, as one might say, attuned — " 
 
 " He succeeds in everything he touches." 
 
 " It is a rare talent." 
 
 " I sometimes wonder how, with his greatness — 
 for he cannot but be conscious of it — he endures the 
 restrictions of our narrow sphere. I mean," Miss 
 Marty went on, as the Doctor lifted his eyebrows 
 in some surprise, " the petty business of a country 
 town such as ours." 
 
 "Oh," said the Doctor. " Ali, to be sure ! ... I 
 supposed for a moment that you were referring to 
 the — er — terrestrial globe." 
 
 He sighed. Miss Marty sighed likewise. Across 
 in the covert of the woods someone had begun to beat 
 a tattoo on the drum. Presently a cornet joined in, 
 shattering the echoes with wild ululations. 
 
 " Those fellows will be sorry if Sir Felix catches 
 them," observed the Doctor, anxiously. " I can't 
 think w^hat Hymen's about, to allow it. The noise 
 comes from right under the home-park, too." 
 
 " You depreciate the Major ! " Miss Marty 
 tapped her bare foot impatiently on the pebbles ; 
 but, recollecting herself, drew it back with a blush. 
 
 " I do not," answered the Doctor, hotly. " I
 
 BY LERRYN WATER 127 
 
 merely say that he is allowing his men yonder to get 
 out of hand." 
 
 " Perhaps you had better go, and, as the poet puts 
 it, ' ride on the whirlwind and direct the storm,' " 
 she suggested, with gentle sarcasm. 
 
 The Doctor rose stiffly. " Perhaps, on the whole, 
 I had. Your stocking " — he lifted and felt it care- 
 fully — " will be dry in five minutes or so. Shall I 
 direct Cai Tamblyn to bring the boat hither if I 
 pass him on my way ? " 
 
 She glanced up with a quivering lip. 
 
 " Isn't — isn't that a Sulphur Yellow ? " she asked, 
 pointing to a butterfly which wavered past them and 
 poised itself for an instant on a pebble by the brink 
 of the pool. 
 
 " Eh ? By George ! so it is." The Doctor caught 
 up his shako and raced off in pursuit. " Steady 
 now ! . . . Is he gone ? . . . Yes. . . . No, I 
 have him ! " he called, as with a swift wave of his 
 arm he brought the shako down smartly on the 
 pebbles and, kneeling, held it down with both hands. 
 
 " Where ? " panted Miss Marty. 
 
 " Here ... if you will stoop while I lift the 
 brim. . . . CarefuUy, please. Now ! " 
 
 Miss Marty stooped, but could not reach low 
 enough to peer under the shako. She dropped on 
 her knees. The Doctor was kneeling already. He 
 showed her how to look, and this brought their 
 cheeks close together. . . . 
 
 " Oh ! " cried Miss Marty, suddenly. 
 
 " I couldn't help it," said the Doctor. 
 
 " And — and you have let him escape ! " She
 
 128 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 buried her face in both hands, and broke into a fit of 
 weeping. 
 
 " I don't care. . . . Yes, I do ! " He caught 
 her hands away from her face and, their hiding being 
 denied lier, she leant her brow against his shoulder. 
 With that, his arm crept around her waist. 
 
 For a while he let her sob out her emotion. Then, 
 taking her firmly by both wrists, he looked once into 
 her eyes, led her to a seat upon the pebble ridge, 
 and sat himself down beside her. 
 
 For a long while they rested there in silence, hand 
 clasped in hand. The uproar across the river had 
 ceased. They heard only the splash of the small 
 waterfall and, in its pauses, the call of bird to bird 
 mating amid the hazels and the oaks. 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 They drew apart suddenly, warned by the sound 
 of dipping oars, the creak of thole-pins ; and in a few 
 seconds the rower hove into view, puDing up-stream 
 as if for dear life. It was Cai Tamblyn. Catching 
 sight of them, with a sharp exclamation he ceased 
 rowing, held water, and bringing the boat's nose 
 round, headed in for shore. 
 
 " You're wanted, quick ! " he called to the Doctor. 
 " They sent me off in search of you." 
 
 " Hey ? What ? Has there been an accident ? " 
 
 Cai brought his boat alongside, glanced at Miss 
 Marty, and lowered his voice. 
 
 " 'Tis Lady Felix- Williams. These here con- 
 querin' 'eroes of the Major's have swarmed down 
 through the woods an' ran foul of the liquor. The 
 Band in partiklcr's as drunk as Chloe, an' what with
 
 BY LERRYN WATER 129 
 
 horning and banging under her ladyship's window, 
 they've a-scared her before her time. She's crying 
 out at this moment, and old Sir Felix around in his 
 dressing-gown like Satan let loose. Talk about 
 Millenniums ! " 
 
 " Good Lord ! " Dr Hansombody caught up his 
 haversack. " The Millennium ? I'd clean forgot 
 about it ! " 
 
 Miss Marty gazed at him with innocent inquiring 
 eyes. 
 
 " But— but isn't this the Millennium ? " she 
 asked.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 GUNNER SOBEY TURNS LOOSE THE MILLENNIUM 
 
 LET US return for a while to Talland Cove, and 
 to the moment when Captain Arbutlmot's 
 Dragoons broke ambush and charged down upon the 
 Gallants. 
 
 Of all our company you will remember that Gunner 
 Sobey passed for the readiest man. This reputation 
 he now and instantly vindicated. For happening to 
 be posted on the extreme left in the shadow of the 
 western cliff, and hearing a sudden cry, " The French ! 
 The French ! " he neither fell back with the rest of 
 the crowd nor foolhardily resisted an enemy whose 
 strength could not yet be measured : but leaping 
 aside, and by great good luck finding foothold on the 
 rocks to his left, he wriggled over the low ledge of the 
 cliff and thence — now clutching at the grass bents or 
 clusters of the sea-pink, now digging his fingers into 
 the turf, but always flat, or nearly flat, on his belly — 
 he wormed his way at incredible speed up the slope, 
 found covert behind a tall furze bush, and surveyed 
 for a few seconds the scene below him. 
 
 The outcries which yet continued, the splashing 
 
 as of men in desperate struggle at the water's edge, 
 
 the hoarse words of command, the scurrying lanterns, 
 
 130
 
 GUNNER SOBEY 131 
 
 the gleam of a hundred tossing sabres — all these told 
 their own tale to Gunner Sobey. He arose and ran 
 again ; nor drew breath until he had gained the top 
 of the rough brake and flung himself over a stone 
 wall into the dry ditch of a vast pasture field that 
 domed itself far above him against the starry 
 heavens. 
 
 Now let it be understood that what lent wings to 
 Gunner Sobey's heels was not cowardice, but an over- 
 mastering desire to reach home with all speed. Let 
 no reader mistake for panic what was in truth ex- 
 ceptional presence of mind. 
 
 The Major, you must know, had drawn up, some 
 months before, and issued in a General Order, certain 
 Instructions in Case of Invasion — in case, that is to 
 say, the enemy should momentarily break through 
 our coast defence and effect an actual footing. The 
 main body of the Gallants would then, converting 
 itself into a rearguard, cover the town and keep the 
 foe in check, while separate detachments fell back 
 swiftly, each to execute its assigned duty. For 
 example : — 
 
 Detachments A and B would round up and drive 
 off the cattle. 
 
 Detachment C would assist the escape of the 
 women and children. 
 
 Detachment D would collect and carry off provi- 
 sions, and destroy what was left. 
 
 Detachment E would set fire to the corn and the 
 hayricks. 
 
 Detachment F would horse themselves and ride 
 inland to warn the towns and villages, and make all
 
 132 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 possible preparations for blowing up the bridges and 
 otherwise impeding the enemy's advance after the 
 rearguard's passage. And so on. 
 
 Gunner Sobey, though but a volunteer, possessed 
 that simplicity of intellect which we have come to 
 prize as the first essential in a British soldier. It 
 was not his to reason why ; not his to ask how the 
 French had gained a footing in Talland Cove, or how, 
 having gained it, they were to be dislodged. Once 
 satisfied of their arrival, he left them, as his soldierly 
 training enjoined, severely alone. Deplorable as he 
 might deem the occurrence it had happened ; and 
 ipso facto, it consigned him, in accordance with 
 general orders, to Detachment D, with the duties 
 and responsibilities of that detachment. On these 
 then — and at first on these, and these only — he bent 
 his practical, resolute mind. It will be seen if he 
 stopped short with them. 
 
 Picking himself up from the dry ditch, intent only 
 on heading for home, he was aware of a dark object 
 on the brink above him ; which at first he took for 
 a bramble bush, and next, seeing it move, for a 
 man. 
 
 It is no discredit to Gunner Sobey that, taken 
 suddenly in the darkness, and at so hopeless a dis- 
 advantage, he felt his knees shake under him for a 
 moment. 
 
 " Parley-voo ? " he ventured. 
 
 The proverb says that a Polpcrro jackass is 
 surprised at nothing, and this one, which had 
 been browsing on the edge of the ditch, merely 
 gazed.
 
 GUNNER SOBEY 133 
 
 " I — I ax your pardon," went on Gunner Sobey, 
 still slightly unhinged. " The fact is, I mistook you 
 for another person." 
 
 The jackass drew back a little. It seemed to 
 Gunner Sobey to be breathing hard, but otherwise 
 it betrayed no emotion. 
 
 " Soh, then ! Soh, my beauty ! " said Gunner 
 Sobey, and having clambered the ditch, reached out 
 a caressing hand. 
 
 The donkey retreated, backing, step by step : and 
 as Gunner Sobey stared a white blaze on the animal's 
 face grew more and more distinct to him. 
 
 " Eh ? Why, surely — soh, then ! — you're Jowter 
 Puckey's naggur ? And if so — and I'll be sworn to 
 you, seein' you close — what's become of th' old mare 
 I sold him last Marti'mas ? " 
 
 The beast still retreated. But Gunner Sobey's 
 wits were now working rapidly. If Jowter Puckey 
 pastured his jackass here, why here then (it was 
 reasonable to surmise) he also pastured the old mare, 
 Pleasant : and if Pleasant browsed anywhere within 
 earshot, why the chances were she would remember 
 and respond to her former master's call. 
 
 I repeat that Gunner Sobey was a ready man and 
 a brave. Without pausing to reflect that the French 
 might hear him, he put two fingers in his mouth and 
 whistled into the night. 
 
 For a while there came no reply. He had his two 
 fingers in his mouth to repeat the caU when, happen- 
 ing to glance at the jackass, he perceived the beast's 
 ears go up and its head slew round towards the ridge. 
 Doubtless it had caught the distant echo of hoofs ;
 
 134 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 for half a minute later a low whinny sounded from 
 the summit of the dark slope, and a grey form came 
 lumbering down at a trot, halted, and thrust forward 
 its muzzle to be caressed. 
 
 " Pleasant ! Oh, my dear Pleasant ! " stammered 
 Gunner Sobey, reaching out a hand and fondling first 
 her nose, then her ears. He could have thrown both 
 arms around her ewe neck and hugged her. " How 
 did I come to sell 'ee ? " 
 
 To be sure, if he had not, this good fortune had 
 never befallen him. 
 
 Neither Gunner Sobey nor the mare — nor, for that 
 matter, the jackass — had ever read the eighteenth 
 book of Homer's Iliad ; and this must be their excuse 
 for letting pass the encounter with less eloquence 
 than I, its narrator, might have made a fortune by 
 reporting. For once Gunner Sobey's readiness failed 
 him, under emotion too deep for words. He laid a 
 hand on the mare's withers and heaved himself 
 astride, choosing a seat well back towards the 
 haunches, and so avoiding the more pronounced 
 angles in her framework. Then leaning forward and 
 patting her neck he called to her. 
 
 " Home, my beauty ! I'll stick on, my dear, if 
 you'll but do the rest. Cl'k ! " 
 
 She gathered up her infirm hmbs and headed for 
 home at a canter. 
 
 For a while the jackass trotted beside them ; but 
 coming to the gate and dismounting to open it, 
 Gunner Sobey turned him back. Possibly the mare 
 had a notion she was being stolen, for no sooner had 
 her rider remounted than she struck oft into a lane on
 
 GUNNER SOBEY 135 
 
 the right hand, avoiding the road to Polperro where 
 her present owner dwelt ; and so, fetching a circuit 
 by a second lane — this time to the left — clattered 
 downhill past the sleeping hamlet of Crumplehorn, 
 and breasted the steep coombe and the road that 
 winds up beside it past the two Kellows to Mabel 
 Burrow. Here on the upland she pulled herself to- 
 gether, and reaching out into a gallant stride, started 
 on the long descent towards Troy at a pace that sent 
 the night air whizzing by Gunner Sobey's ears. Past 
 Carneggan she thundered, past Tredudwell ; and 
 thence, swinging off into the road for the Little 
 Ferry, still do^^^lhill by Lauteglos Vicarage, by Ring 
 of Bells, to the ford of Watergate in the valley bottom, 
 where now a bridge stands ; but in those days the 
 foot-passengers crossed by a plank and a hand-rail. 
 Splashing through the ford and choosing unguided 
 the road which bore away to the right from the silent 
 smithy, and steeply uphill to Whiddycross Common, 
 she took it gamely though with fast failing breath. 
 She had been foaled in Troy parish, and marvellously 
 she was proving, after thirty years (her age was no 
 less), the mettle of her ancient pasture. While he 
 owned her. Gunner Sobey — who in extra-military 
 hours traded as a carrier and haulier between Troy 
 and the market-towns to the westward — had worked 
 her late and fed her lean ; but the most of us behold 
 our receding youth through a mist of romance, and it 
 may be that old worn-out Pleasant conceived herself 
 to be cantering back to fields where the grass grew 
 perennially sweet and old age was unknown. At 
 any rate, she earned her place this night among the
 
 136 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 great steeds of romance — Xanthus, Bucephalus, 
 Harpagus, Black Auster, Sleipnir and Ilderim, Bay- 
 ardo and Brigliadoro, the Cid's Babieca, Dick Tur- 
 pin's Black Bess ; not to mention the two chargers, 
 Copenhagen and Marengo, whom Waterloo was yet 
 to make famous. As she mounted the last rise by 
 Whiddycross Green her ribs were heaving sorely, her 
 breath came in short quick coughs, her head lagged 
 almost between her bony knees ; but none the less 
 she held on dowTi the steep hill, all strewn with loose 
 stones, to the ferry slip ; and there, dropping her 
 haunches, slid, checked herself almost at the water's 
 edge, and stood quivering. 
 
 Billy Bates, the ferryman at Little Ferry, had 
 heard the clatter of hoofs, and tumbled out to un- 
 chain his boat ; a trifling matter for him, since he 
 habitually slept in his clothes. 
 
 " Hullo ! " said he, holding his lantern high and 
 taking stock of the gunner's regimentals. " I 
 allowed you'd be a messenger from Sir Felix. They 
 tell me her leddyship is expectin'." 
 
 " I pity her then," gasped Gunner Sobey, and 
 waved an arm. "Man, the French be landed, an' 
 the country's ablaze ! " 
 
 Billy Bates set down his lantern on the slip 
 and ran two trembling hands through his scanty 
 locks. 
 
 " If that's so," he answered, " you don't get no 
 boat of mine. There's Hosken's blue boat ; you'll 
 find her moored off by a shoreline. Take she if you 
 will ; he's a single man." 
 
 " Dam your old carcass ! " swore Gunner Sobey.
 
 GUNNER SOBEY 137 
 
 " I wish now I'd waited to cross over before tellin' 
 'ee ! " 
 
 " I daresay you do. Well, good-night, soce. I'm 
 off to tell the old woman." 
 
 Man is a selfish animal. As Gunner Sobey hauled 
 Hosken's blue boat to shore, poor Pleasant came 
 down the slip-way and rubbed her muzzle against his 
 sleeve, dumbly beseeching him to fetch the horse- 
 boat that she too might cross. He struck her 
 sharply across the nose, and, jumping aboard, thrust 
 off from the shore. 
 
 In telling Miss Marty that the town was deserted, 
 Cai Tamblyn had forgotten the Vicar. 
 
 That good man, it is perhaps superfluous to say, 
 had not sought his bed. He was a widower, and 
 had no one to dissuade him from keeping vigil until 
 daybreak. At ten o'clock, therefore, having seen 
 to the trimming of his lamp and dismissed the 
 servants to rest, he lit his study hre, set the kettle 
 upon it, and having mixed himself a bowl of brandy- 
 punch (in the concoction of which all Troy acknow- 
 ledged him to be an expert), drew his armchair close 
 to the genial blaze, and sat alternately sipping his 
 brew and conning for the thousandth time the anno- 
 tated pamphlet in which he had demonstrated 
 exhaustively, redundantly, irrefutably, beyond pos- 
 sibility of disbelief or doubt, that with the morrow 
 the world's great age must be renewed and the 
 Millennium dawn upon earth. 
 
 For an hour and a half, or maybe three-quarters,
 
 138 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 he sat reading and reassuring himself that the 
 armour of his proof was indeed proof-armour and 
 exposed no chink to assault ; and then — 
 
 The Vicar was a man of clean conscience and 
 regular habits. He closed his eyes to review the 
 argument. By-and-by his chin dropped forward on 
 his chest. He slept. He dreamt. His dreams 
 were formless, uneasy ; such as one might expect 
 who deserts his bed and his course of habit to sleep 
 upright in an armchair. A vague trouble haunted 
 them ; or, rather, a presentiment of trouble. It 
 grew and grew ; and almost as it became intolerable, 
 a bell seemed to clang in his ears, and he started up, 
 awake, gripping his chair, his brow clammy with a 
 sudden sweat. He glanced Ground him. The fire 
 was cold, his lamp burned low, his book had fallen 
 to the floor. Was it this that had aroused him ? 
 No ; surely a bell had clanged in his ears. His 
 brain kept the echo of it yet. 
 
 He listened. The clang was not repeated ; but 
 gradually his ears became aware of a low murmuring, 
 irregular yet continuous ; a sound, it seemed, of 
 voices, yet not of human voices ; a moaning, and 
 yet not quite a moaning, but rather what the French 
 would call a mugisscment. Yes, it resembled rather 
 the confused lowing of cattle than any other sound 
 known to him. But that was inconceivable. . . . 
 
 He stepped to the window curtains through which 
 the pale dawn filtered ; pulled them aside and 
 started back with a cry of something more than 
 dismay. The Vicarage faced upon the churchyard ;
 
 GUNNER SOBEY 139 
 
 and the churchyard was filled — packed — with cattle ! 
 Oxen and cows, steers, heifers, and young calves ; at 
 least thirty score were gathered there, a few hardier 
 phlegmatic beasts cropping the herbage on the 
 graves ; but the mass huddled together, rubbing 
 flanks, swaying this way and that in the pressure of 
 panic as com is swayed by flukes of summer wind. 
 
 The Vicar was no coward. Recovering himself, 
 he ran to the passage, caught his hat down from the 
 peg, and flung wide the front door. 
 
 A little beyond his gate a lime-tree walk led down 
 through the churchyard to the town. But gazing 
 over the chines of the herd beyond his garden railing, 
 he saw that through this avenue he could not hope 
 to force a passage ; it was crowded so densely that 
 dozen upon dozen of the poor brutes stood with 
 horns interlocked, unable to lift or low^er their 
 heads. 
 
 To the right a line of cottages bounded the church- 
 yard and overlooked it ; and between them and the 
 churchyard wall there ran a narrow cobbled lane 
 known as Pease Alley {i.e., pis aller, the Vicar was 
 wont to explain humorously). Through this he 
 might hope to reach the Lower Town and discover 
 some interpretation of the portent. He opened the 
 gate boldly. 
 
 It was obvious, whatever might be the reason, 
 that terror possessed the cattle. At the creaking 
 of the gate the nearest brutes retreated, pressing back 
 against their fellows, lowering their heads ; and yet 
 not viciously, but as though to meet an unknown 
 danger.
 
 140 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Soh ! " caUed the Vicar. " Soh, then ! . . . 
 upon my word," he went on whimsically, answering 
 the appeal in their frightened, liquid eyes, " it's no 
 use your asking me. You can't possibly be worse 
 puzzled than I am ! " 
 
 He thrust a passage between them and hurried 
 down Pease Alley. Twice he paused, each time 
 beneath the windows of a sleeping cottage, and 
 hailed its occupants by name. No one answered. 
 Only, on the other side of the alley, a few of the 
 beasts ceased their lowing for a while, and, thrusting 
 their faces over the wall, gazed at him with patient 
 wonder. 
 
 At the lower end of the alley, where it makes an 
 abrupt bend around the hinder premises of the Ship 
 Inn before giving egress upon the street, the Vicar 
 lifted his head and sniffed the morning air. Surely 
 liis nose detected a trace of smoke in it — not the reek 
 of chimneys, but a smoke at once more fragrant and 
 more pungent. . . . 
 
 Yes, smoke was drifting high among the elms 
 above the church. The rooks, too, up there, were 
 cawing loudly and wheeling in circles. 
 
 He dropped his gaze to his feet, and once more 
 started back in alarm. A gutter crossed the alley 
 here, and along it rushed and foamed a dark copper- 
 coloured flood which, in an instant, his eye had 
 traced up to the back doorstep of the Ship, over 
 which it poured in a cascade. 
 
 Beer ? Yes ; patently, to sight and smell alike, 
 it was beer. With a cry, the Vicar ran towards the 
 doorway, wading ankle-deep in beer as he crossed
 
 GUNNER SOBEY 141 
 
 the threshold and broke in to the kitchen. The 
 whole house swam with beer, but not with beer only ; 
 for when, no inmate answering his call, he followed 
 the torrent up through yet another doorway and 
 found himself in the inn cellar, in the dim light of its 
 iron-barred window he halted to gaze before one, 
 two, three, a dozen casks of ale, port, sherry, brandy, 
 all pouring their contents in a general flood upon 
 the brick-paved floor. 
 
 Here, as he afterwards confessed, his presence of 
 mind failed him ; and small blame to him, I say ! 
 Without a thought of turning off the taps, he waded 
 back to the doorway and leaned there awhile to 
 recover his wits with his breath. 
 
 While he leaned, gasping, with a hand against the 
 door-jamb, the clock in the church tower above him 
 chimed and struck the hour of five. He gazed up at 
 it stupidly, saw the smoke drifting through the elm- 
 tops beyond, heard the rooks cawing over them, and 
 then suddenly bethought himself of the bell which 
 had clanged amid his dreams. 
 
 Yes, it had been the clang of a real bell, and from 
 his own belfry. But how could anyone have gained 
 entrance into the church, of which he alone kept the 
 keys ? How ? Why, by the little door at the east 
 end of the south aisle, which stood ajar. Across the 
 alley he could see it, and that it stood ajar ; and 
 more by token a heifer had planted her forefoot on 
 the step and was nosing it wider. Someone had 
 forced the lock. Someone was at this moment 
 within the church ! 
 
 The Vicar collected his wits and ran for it ; thrust
 
 142 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 his way once more through the crowd of cattle, and 
 through the doorway into the aisle, shouting a 
 challenge. A groan from the belfry answered him, 
 and there, in the dim light, he almost stumbled 
 over a man seated on the cold flags of the pave- 
 ment and feebly rubbing the lower part of his 
 spine. 
 
 It is notoriously dangerous to ring a church bell 
 without knowing the trick of it. Gunner Sobey 
 having broken into the belfry and laid hands on 
 the first bell-rope (which happened to be that of 
 the tenor), had pulled it vigorously, let go too late, 
 and dropped a good ten feet plumb in a sitting 
 posture. 
 
 " Good Lord ! " The Vicar peered at him, stoop- 
 ing. " Is that Sobey ? " 
 
 " It was,'" groaned Sobey. " I'll never be the 
 same man again." 
 
 " But what has happened ? " 
 
 " Happened ? Why, I tumbled off the bell-rope. 
 You might ha' guessed ihaty 
 
 " Yes, yes ; but why ? " 
 
 " Because I didn' know how it worked." Gunner 
 Sobey turned his face away wearily and continued 
 to rub his hurt. " I didn't know till now, either, 
 that a man could be stunned at this end," he 
 added. 
 
 " Man, I see you're suffering, but answer me for 
 goodness' sake ! What's the meaning of aU these 
 cattle outside, and the taps running, and the smoke 
 up yonder on tlie hill ? And why — " 
 
 " I done my best," murmured Gunner Sobey
 
 GUNNER SOBEY 143 
 
 drowsily. " Single-handed I done it, but I done my 
 best." 
 
 " Are you telling me that all this has been your 
 doing ? " 
 
 " A man can't very well be ten detachments at 
 once, can he ? " demanded the Gunner, sitting 
 erect of a sudden and speaking with an air of great 
 lucidity. " At least not in the Artillery. The 
 liquor, now — I've run it out of every public-house 
 in the town ; that was Detachment D's work. And 
 the hayricks ; properly speakin', they belonged to 
 Detachment E, and I hadn' time to fire more than 
 Farmer Goad's on my way down wi' the cattle. 
 And the alarm bell, you may argue, wasn' any busi- 
 ness of mine ; an' I wish with all my heart I'd never 
 touched the dam thing ! But with the French at 
 your doors, so to speak — " 
 
 " The French ? " 
 
 " Didn' I tell you ? Then I must have overlooked 
 it. Iss, iss, the French be landed at Talland Gove, 
 and murderin' as they come ! And the Troy lads 
 be cut down like a swathe o' grass ; and I, only I, 
 escaped to carry the news. And you call this a 
 millenyum, I suppose ? " he wound up with sudden 
 inconsequent bitterness. 
 
 But the Vicar apparently did not hear. " The 
 French ? The French ? " he kept repeating. " Oh, 
 Heaven, what's to be done ? " 
 
 " If you was something more than a pulpit 
 Ghristian," suggested Gunner Sobey, " you'd hoist 
 me pickaback an' carry me over to hospital ; for 
 I can't walk with any degree of comfort, an' that's a
 
 144 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 fact. And next you'd turn to an' drive off the 
 cattle inland, an' give warning as you go. 'Tis a 
 question if I live out this night, an' 'tis another 
 question if I want to ; but, dead or alive, it sha'n't 
 be said of me that I hadn' presence of mind."
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE MAJOR LEAVES US 
 
 TWO minutes later the Vicar, staggering up to 
 the hospital door with Gunner Sobey on his 
 back, came to a terrified halt as his ears caught the 
 tramp, tramp of a body of men approaching from the 
 direction of Passage Slip, which is the landing-place 
 of the Little Ferry. He had scarce time to lower his 
 burden upon the doorstep before the head of the 
 company swung into view around the street corner. 
 With a gasp he recognised them. 
 
 They were the Troy Gallants, and Major Hymen 
 marched beside them. But they came with no 
 banners waving, without tuck of drum — a sadly 
 depleted corps, and by their countenances a sadly 
 dejected one. 
 
 For the moment, however, in the revulsion of his 
 feelings, the Vicar failed to observe this. He ran 
 forward with both arms extended to greet the Major. 
 
 " My friend ! " he cried tremulously. " You are 
 alive ! " 
 
 " Certainly," the Major answered. " Why not ? " 
 He was dishevelled, unshaven, travel-stained, hag- 
 gard, and at the same time flushed of face. Also 
 he appeared a trifle sulky 
 
 " What has happened ? " 
 K 145
 
 140 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Well " — the Major turned on him almost vici- 
 ously — " you may call it the Millennium." 
 
 " But the French— ? " 
 
 " Eh ? Excuse me — I don't take your meaning. 
 What French ? " 
 
 " I was given to understand — we have been taking 
 certain precautions," stammered the Vicar, and 
 gazed around, seeking Gunner Sobey (but Gunner 
 Sobey had dived into the hospital and was putting 
 himself to bed). " You don't tell me the alarm was 
 false ! " 
 
 " My good Vicar, I haven't a notion at what you're 
 driving ; and excuse me again if in this hour of 
 disgrace I find myself in no humour to halt here and 
 bandy explanations." 
 
 " Disgrace ? " 
 
 " Disgrace," repeated the Major, gazing sternly 
 back on his abashed ranks. His breast swelled ; he 
 seemed on the point to say more ; but, indignation 
 mastering him, mutely with a wave of the hand he 
 bade the Gallants resume their march. Mutely, 
 contritely, with bowed heads, they obeyed and 
 followed him down the street, leaving the Vicar at 
 gaze. 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 What had happened ? Why, this. — 
 After the fiasco in Talland Cove Captain Arbuthnot 
 had formed up his Dragoons and given the word to 
 ride back to Bodmin Barracks, their temporary 
 quarters, whence Mr Smellie had summoned them. 
 
 He was in the devil of a rage. From the Barracks 
 to Talland Cove is a good fourteen miles as the crow
 
 THE MAJOR LEAVES US 147 
 
 flies, and you may allow another two miles for the 
 windings of the road (which, by the way, was a pesti- 
 lently bad one). To ride sixteen miles by night, chafing 
 all the while under the orders of a civilian, and to 
 return another sixteen, smarting, from a fool's 
 errand, is (one must admit) excusably trying to the 
 military temper. Smellie, to be sure, and Smellie 
 alone, had been discomfited. Smellie's discomfiture 
 had been so signally personal as to divert all ridicule 
 from the Dragoons. Smellie, moreover, had made 
 himself confoundedly obnoxious. 
 
 Smellie had given himself airs during the ride 
 from Bodmin ; and Captain Arbuthnot had with an 
 ill grace submitted to them, because the fellow knew 
 the country. They were quit of him now ; but how 
 to find the way home Captain Arbuthnot did not 
 very well know. He rode forward boldly, however, 
 keeping his eyes upon the stars, and steering, so far 
 as the circuitous lanes would allow him, north by 
 west. 
 
 Bearing away too far to the right, as men are apt 
 to do in the darkness, he missed the cross-ways by 
 Ashencross, whence his true line ran straight through 
 Pelynt ; and after an hour or so of blind-man's-buff 
 in a maze of cornfields, the gates of which seemed 
 to hide in the unlikeliest corners, emerged upon a 
 fairly good high road, which at first deceived him 
 by running west-by-north and then appeared to 
 change its mind and, receding through west, took a 
 determined southerly curve back towards the coast. 
 In short, Captain Arbuthnot had entirely lost his 
 bearings.
 
 148 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Deciding once more to trust the stars, he left the 
 high road, struck due north across country again and 
 by-and-by found hin^.sclf entangled in a valley 
 bottom beside the upper waters of the same stream 
 which Gunner Sobey had forded two hours before 
 and some miles below. The ground hereabouts 
 was marshy, and above the swamp an almost im- 
 penetrable furze-brake clothed both sides of the 
 valley. The Dragoons fought their way through, 
 however, and were rewarded, a little before dawn, 
 by reaching a good turf slope and, at the head of it, 
 a lane which led them to the small village of Lan- 
 reath. 
 
 The inhabitants of Lanreath, aroused from their 
 beds by the tramp of hoofs and with difficulty per- 
 suaded that their visitors were not the French, at 
 length directed Captain Arbuthnot to the village 
 inn, the Punchbowl, where he wisely determined to 
 bait and rest his horses, which by this time were 
 nearly foundered. Being heavy brutes they had 
 fared ill in the morass, and the most of them were 
 plastered with mud to their girths. 
 
 The troopers, having refreshed themselves with 
 beer, flung themselves down to rest, some on the 
 settles of the inn-kitchen, others on the benches 
 about the door, and others again in the churchyard 
 across the road, where they snored until high day 
 under the curious gaze of the villagers. 
 
 So they slept for two hours and more ; and then, 
 being summoned by trumpet, mounted and took the 
 road again, the most of them yet heavy with slumber 
 and not a few yawning in their saddles and only kept
 
 THE MAJOR LEAVES US 149 
 
 from nodding off by the discomfort of their tall 
 leathern stocks. 
 
 In this condition they had proceeded for maybe 
 two miles, when from a by-lane on their left a horse- 
 man dashed out upon the road ahead, reined up, and, 
 wheeling his horse in face of them, stood high in his 
 stirrups and waved an arm towards the lane by 
 which he had come. 
 
 It took Captain Arbuthnot some seconds to recog- 
 nise this apparition for Mr Smellie. But it was 
 indeed that unfortunate man. 
 
 He had lost both hat and wig ; his coat he had 
 discarded, no doubt to be rid of its noisome odour : 
 and altogether he cut the strangest figure as he 
 gesticulated there in the early sunshine. But the 
 man was in earnest — so much in earnest that he 
 either failed to note, or noting, disregarded the 
 wrathful frown with which Captain Arbuthnot, 
 having halted his troop, rode forward at a walk to 
 meet him. 
 
 " Back, Captain, back ! " shouted Mr Smellie, 
 pointing down the lane. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, sir " — the Captain reined up 
 and addressed him with cold, incisive politeness — 
 " but may I suggest that you have played the fool 
 with us sufficiently for one night, and that my men's 
 tempers are short ? " 
 
 ■ " Havers ! " exclaimed the indomitable Smellie, 
 rising yet higher in his stirrups and lifting a hand 
 for silence. " I ask ye to listen to the racket down 
 yonder. The drum, now ! " (Sure enough Captain 
 Arbuthnot, pricking his ears, heard the funding of
 
 150 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 a drum far away in the woods to the southward.) 
 " jMan, they've diddled us ! While they put that 
 trick on us at Talland Cove, their haill womankind 
 was rafting the true cargo up the river. I've ridden 
 down, I tell you, and the clue of their game I hold 
 in my two hands here from start to iinish. The 
 brandy's yonder in Sir Felix's woods, and the men 
 are lying around it fou-drunk as the Israelites among 
 the pots. Man, if ye would turn to-night's laugh, 
 turn your troop and follow, and ye shall cull them 
 like go wans ! " 
 
 "It is throwing the haft after the hatchet," hesi- 
 tated Captain Arbuthnot, impressed against his will 
 by the earnestness of the appeal. " You have 
 misled us once to-night, I must remind you ; and 
 I give you fair warning that my troopers will not 
 bear fooling twice." 
 
 With aJl his faults the Riding Officer did not lack 
 courage. Disdaining the threat he waved his hand 
 to the Dragoons to follow and put his horse at a 
 canter down the leafy lane. 
 
 It is recorded in the High History of the Grail, of 
 Sir Lohot, son of King Arthur, that he had a marvel- 
 lous weakness ; which was, that no sooner had he 
 slain a man than he fell across his body. So it 
 happened this night to the valiant men of Troy. 
 
 The Dragoons, emerging from tlie woods of 
 Pentethy into close view of the house and its terrace 
 and slope that falls from the terrace to the river, 
 found themselves intruders upon the queerest of 
 domestic dramas. 
 
 On the terrace among the leaden gods danced a little
 
 THE MAJOR LEAVES US 151 
 
 man, wigless, in an orange-coloured dressing-gown 
 and a fury of choler. At the head of the green slope 
 immediately under the balustrade Major Hymen, 
 surrounded by a moderately sober staff, faced the 
 storm in an attitude at once dignified and patient. 
 
 " An idea has occurred to me," he put in at length 
 with stately deliberation as Sir Felix paused panting 
 for fresh words of opprobrium. " It is, sir, that 
 overlooking the few minutes by which our salvoes 
 were — er — antedated, you allow us to acclaim your 
 latest-born as Honorary-Colonel of our corps." 
 
 " But," almost shrieked Sir Felix, " d — n your 
 eyes, it's twins — and both girls ! '" 
 
 The Major winced. A rosy flush of indignation 
 mantled his cheeks, and only his habitual respect for 
 the landed gentry (whom he was accustomed to call 
 the backbone of England) checked him on the verge 
 of a severe retort. As it was, he answered with fine 
 suavity. 
 
 " There is no true patriot, Sir Felix, but desires an 
 accelerated increase in our population just now, 
 whether male or female. I trust your good lady's 
 zeal may be rewarded by a speedy recovery." 
 
 " Sir Felix fairly capered. Accelerated ! Ace " 
 
 he began, and, choking over the word, turned and 
 caught sight of the Dragoons as they emerged from 
 the woods, the sunlight flashing on their cuirasses. 
 
 He fell back against the pedestal of a leaden effigy 
 of Julius Caesar and plucked his dressing-gown about 
 him with fumbling bewildered hands. Was the 
 whole British Army pouring into his peaceful park ? 
 What had he done to bring down on his head
 
 152 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 the sportive mockery of heaven, and at such a 
 moment ? 
 
 But in the act of collapsing he looked across the 
 balustrade and saw the Major's face suddenly lose its 
 colour. Then in an instant he understood and pulled 
 himself together. 
 
 " Hey ? A hunt breakfast, is it ? " he inquired 
 sardonically, and turned to welcome the approaching 
 troop. " Good-morning, gentlemen ! You have 
 come to draw my covers ? Then let me suggest your 
 beginning with the plantation yonder to the right, 
 where I can promise you good sport." 
 
 It was unneighbourly ; an action remembered 
 against Sir Felix to the close of his life, as it deserved 
 to be. He himself admitted later that he had given 
 way to momentary choler, and made what amends he 
 could by largess to the victims and their families. 
 But it was long before he recovered his place in our 
 esteem. Indeed, he never wholly recovered it : since 
 of many dire consequences there was one, unforeseen 
 at the time, which proved to be irreparable. Over 
 the immediate consequences let me drop the curtain. 
 Male, male feriati Troes ! . . . As a man at day- 
 break takes a bag and, going into the woods, gathers 
 mushrooms, so the Dragoons gathered the men of 
 Troy. . . . Mercifully the most of them were un- 
 conscious. 
 
 Even less heart have I to dwell on tne return of the 
 merrymakers : — 
 
 " But now, ye shepherd lasses, who shall lead 
 Your wandering troops, or sing your virelays ? " 
 
 Sure no forlorner procession ever passed down Troy
 
 THE MAJOR LEAVES US 153 
 
 river than this, awhile so jocund, mute now, irre- 
 sponsive to the morning's smile, the cuckoo's blithe 
 challenge from the cliff. To the Major, seated in the 
 stern sheets of the leading boat, no one dared to 
 speak. They supposed his pecuniary loss to be 
 heavier than it actually was — since the Dragoons had 
 after all surprised but a portion of the cargo, and the 
 leafy woods of Pentethy yet concealed many scores 
 of tubs of eau-de-vie ; but they knew that he brooded 
 over no pecuniary loss. He had been outraged, be- 
 trayed as a neighbour, as a military commander, and 
 again as a father of his people ; wounded in the 
 house of his friends ; scourged with ridicule in the 
 very seat of his dignity. Maidens, inconsolable for 
 lovers snatched from them and now bound for Bodmin 
 Gaol, hushed their sorrow and wiped their tears by 
 stealth, abashed before those tragic eyes which, fixed 
 on the river reach ahead, travelled beyond all petty 
 private woe to meet the end of all things with a tear- 
 less stare. 
 
 So they returned, drew to the quays, and disem- 
 barked, unwitting yet of worse discoveries awaiting 
 them. 
 
 In the hospital Gunner Sobey, having dived into 
 bed, with great presence of mind fell asleep. The 
 Vicar had fled the town by the North, or Passage, 
 Gate, and was by this time devouring a country walk 
 in long strides, heedless whither they led him, vainly 
 endeavouring to compose his thoughts and readjust 
 his prophecies in the light of the morning's events — a 
 process which from time to time compelled him to 
 halt and hold his head between both hands.
 
 154 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 The Major had slammed his front door, locked 
 himself in his room, and would give audience to no 
 one. 
 
 It was in vain that tlic inliabitants besieged his 
 porch, demanding to know if the town were be- 
 witched. Who had guttered their shops ? Why 
 the causeways swam with strong liquor ? How the 
 churchyard came to be full of cattle ? What hand 
 had fired Farmer Elford's ricks ? In short, what in 
 the world had happened, and what was to be done ? 
 They came contritely, conscious of their undeserving; 
 but to each and all Scipio, from the head of the steps, 
 returned the same answer. His master was indis- 
 posed. 
 
 Troy, ordinarily a busy town, did no business at all 
 that day. Tradesmen and workmen in small groups 
 at every street-corner discussed a mystery — or ratlier 
 a series of mysteries — with which, as they well knew, 
 one man alone was competent to grapple. To his 
 good offices they had forfeited aU right. Neverthe- 
 less, a crowd hung about all day in front of the 
 Mayor's house, nor dispersed until long after night- 
 fall. At eight o'clock next morning they reas- 
 sembled, word having flown through the to\vn that 
 Dr Hansombody and Lawyer Chinn had been sum- 
 moned soon after daybreak to a private conference. 
 At eight-thirty the Vicar arrived and entered the 
 house, Scipio admitting him with ceremony and at 
 once shutting the door behind him with an elaborate 
 show of caution. 
 
 But at a quarter to ten precisely the door opened 
 again and tlic great man himself stood on the tlires-
 
 THE MAJOR LEAVES US 155 
 
 hold. He wore civilian dress, and carried a three- 
 caped travelling cloak on his left arm. His right 
 hand grasped a valise. The sight of the crowd for a 
 moment seemed to discompose him. He drew back 
 a pace and then, advancing, cleared his throat. 
 
 " My friends," said he, " I am bound on a journey. 
 Your consciences will tell you if I deserved yester- 
 dciy's indignity, and how far you might have obviated 
 it. But I have communed with myself and decided 
 to overlook all personal offence. It is enough that 
 certain of our fellow-to\\Tismen are in durance, and I 
 go to release them. In short, I travel to-day to 
 Plymouth to seek the best legal advice for their de- 
 fence. In my absence I commit the good behaviour 
 of Troy to your keeping, one and all." 
 
 You, who have read how, when Nelson left Ports- 
 mouth for death and victory, the throng pressed after 
 him down the beach in tears, and ran into the water 
 for a last grasp of his hand, conceive with what emo- 
 tion we lined up and escorted our hero to the ferry ; 
 through what tears we watched him from the Passage 
 Slip as he waved back from the boat tiding him over 
 to the farther shore, where at length Boutigo's Van 
 — " The Eclipse," Troy to Torpoint, No Smoking 
 Inside — received and bore him from our straining 
 eyes.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 A COLD DOUCHE ON A HOT FIT 
 
 THERE lived at Plymouth, in a neat house at the 
 back of the Hoe, and not far from the Citadel, 
 a certain Mr Basket, a retired haberdasher of Cheap- 
 side, upon whom the Major could count for a hos- 
 pitable welcome. The two had been friends — cronies 
 almost — in their London days ; dining together 
 daily at the same cook-shop, and as regularly sharing 
 after dinner a bottle of port to the health of King 
 George and Mr Pitt Nor, since their almost simul- 
 taneous retreat from the capital, had they allowed 
 distance to diminish their mutual regard. They 
 frequently corresponded, and their letters included 
 many a playful challenge to test one another's rural 
 hospitality. 
 
 Now while the Major had (to put it mildly) but 
 exchanged one sphere of activity for another, Mr 
 Basket, a married man, embraced the repose of a 
 contemplative life ; cultivating a small garden and 
 taking his wife twice a week to the theatre, of which 
 he was a devotee. These punctual jaunts, very sen- 
 sibly practised as a purge against dulness, together 
 with the stir and hubbub of a garrison town in 
 which his walled garden stood isolated, as it were, all 
 day long, amid marchings, countermarchings, bugle- 
 calls, and the rumble of waggons filled witJi material 
 
 156
 
 A COLD DOUCHE ON A HOT FIT 157 
 
 of war, gave him a sense of being in the swim — of 
 close participation in the world's affairs ; failing 
 which a great many folk seem to miss half the enjoy- 
 ment of doing nothing in particular. 
 
 Mr Basket welcomed the Major cordially, with a 
 dozen rallying comments on his healthy rural com- 
 plexion, and carried him off to admire the garden 
 while Mrs Basket enlarged her preparations for 
 dinner at five o'clock. 
 
 The garden was indeed calculated to excite admira- 
 tion, less for its flowers — for Mr Basket confessed 
 ruefully that very few flowers would grow with him 
 — than for a hundred ingenuities by which this de- 
 fect was concealed. 
 
 " And the beauty of it is," announced Mr Basket, 
 with a wave of his hand towards a black and white 
 edging compound of marrow bones and the inverted 
 bases of wine bottles, disposed alternately, " it har- 
 bours no slugs. It saves labour, too ; you would be 
 surprised at the sum it used to cost me weekly in 
 labour alone. But," he went on, " I pin my faith 
 to oyster shells. They are, if in a nautical town one 
 may be permitted to speak breezily, my sheet 
 anchor." He indicated a grotto at the end of the 
 walk. " Maria and me did the whole of that." 
 
 " Mrs Basket is fond of gardening ? " hazarded 
 the Major. 
 
 " She's extraordinary partial to oysters," Mr 
 Basket corrected him. " We made it a principle 
 from the first to use nothing but what we consumed 
 in the house. That don't apply to the statuary, of 
 course, which I have purchased at one time and
 
 158 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 another from an Italian dealer who frequents the 
 Hoe. The material is less durable than one might 
 wish ; but I could not afford marble. The orig- 
 inals of these objects, so the dealer informs me, are 
 sold for very considerable sums of money : in addi- 
 tion to which," went on Mr Basket, lucidly, " he 
 carries them in a tray on his head, which, in the case 
 of marble, would be out of the question ; and, as it 
 is, how he contrives to keep 'em balanced passes my 
 understanding. But he is an intelligent fellow, and 
 becomes very communicative as soon as he finds out 
 you have leanings for Art. Here's a group, for 
 instance — Cupid and Fisky — in the nude." 
 
 " But, excuse me — " The Major stepped back 
 aud rubbed his chin dubiously, for some careful hand 
 had adorned the lovers with kilts of pink wool in 
 crochet work, and Psyche, in addition, wore a neat 
 pink turnover. 
 
 " The artist designed 'em in the nude, but Maria 
 worked the petticoats, having very decided views, for 
 which I don't blame her. It keeps off the birds, too : 
 not that the birds could do the same damage here as 
 in an ordinary garden." 
 
 " I can well believe that." 
 
 " But we were talking of oyster shells. They are, 
 as I say, our stand-by. To be sure, you can't pro- 
 cure 'em all the year round, like marrow bones for 
 instance ; but, as I tell Maria, from a gardening 
 point of view that's almost a convenience. You can 
 work at your beds whenever there's an ' r ' in the 
 month, and then, during the summer, take a spell, 
 look about, and enjoy the results. Besides, it leaves
 
 A COLD DOUCHE ON A HOT FIT 159 
 
 you free to plan out new improvements. Now, 
 here " — Mr Basket caught his friend's arm, and lead- 
 ing him past a bust of Socrates (" an Athenian," he 
 explained in passing ; " considered one of the wisest 
 men of antiquity, though not good-looking in our 
 sense of the word "), paused on the brink of a small 
 basin, cunningly sunk in centre of a round, pebble- 
 paved area guarded by statuary — " I consider this 
 my masterpiece." 
 
 " A fish-pond ! " 
 
 " Yes, and containing real fish ; goldfish, you 
 perceive. I keep it supplied from a rain-water cis- 
 tern at the top of the house, and feed 'em on bread- 
 crumbs. Never tell me,'' said Mr Basket, " that 
 animals don't reason." 
 
 " You certainly have made yourself a charming 
 retreat," the Major admitted, gazing about him. 
 
 Mr Basket beamed. " You remember the lines 
 I was wont to declaim to you, my friend, over our 
 bottle in Cheapside ? — 
 
 " ' May I govern my passion with an absolute sway, 
 
 And grow wiser and better as my strength wears away. 
 Without gout or stone, by a gentle decay. . . . ' 
 
 For the last, it must be as Heaven pleases ; but to 
 some extent, you see, I have come to enjoy my 
 modest aspirations. Only until to-day one thing 
 was lacking. As poor Bannister used to quote it in 
 the play — you remember him ? — 
 
 " ' I've often wished that I had clear 
 For hfe six hundred pounds a year, 
 A something-or-other house to lodge a friend. ..." 
 
 Ay, my dear Hymen," Mr Basket wrung the Major's
 
 100 THE MAYOl? OF TROY 
 
 liand with genuine feeling, " you have been a long 
 time putting off this visit ; but, now we have you, I 
 promise we don't let you go in a hurry. We will 
 toast old days ; we will go visit the play together as 
 of old — yes, this very night. For, as luck will have 
 it, the stock company at the Theatre Royal makes 
 way to-night for — whom think you ? No less a man 
 than Orlando B. Sturge, and in his great part of 
 Tom Taffrail in Love Between Decks ; or, The 
 Triumph of Constancy ; a week's special engage- 
 ment with his own London company in honour of the 
 Duke of Clarence, who is paying us a visit just now 
 at Admiralty House." 
 
 " Sturge ? " echoed the Major, doubtfully. 
 
 " Good heavens, my dear fellow, don't tell me you 
 haven't heard of him ! Really, now, really, you 
 bury yourself — believe me, you do. Why, for 
 nautical parts, the stage hasn't his equal ; and a 
 voice, they tell me, like Incledon's in his prime ! Mrs 
 Basket and I have reserved seats, and, now I come to 
 think of it, we had best step down to the theatre 
 before dining, book yours, and arrange it so that we 
 sit in a row. The house will be crowded, if 'tis only 
 for a view of his Royal Highness, who will certainly 
 attend if — hem ! — equal to the effort." 
 
 " I had not heard of his being indisposed." 
 
 " Nor is he, at this hour. But now and then . . . 
 after his fourth bottle. . . . However, as I say, the 
 house will certainly be crowded." 
 
 " You'll excuse me, my friend, if I beg that you 
 and your good wife will trot off to the theatre to- 
 night without troubling about me. The — er — fact
 
 A COLD DOUCHE ON A HOT FIT 161 
 
 is, I have come up to Plymouth primarily to consult 
 a lawyer on a somewhat delicate business, and shall 
 be glad of a few hours' solitude this evening to pre- 
 pare my case. Do you happen, by the way, to know 
 of a good lawyer ? I wish for the very best advice 
 procurable." 
 
 " Eh — eh ? Delicate business, you say ? My 
 dear fellow, no entanglement, I hope ? You always 
 were, you know. . . . But I've said it a thousand 
 times — you ought to get married ; and Maria agrees 
 with me ... a man of your presence, carrying his 
 years as you do. Eh ? You're blushing, man. 
 Then maybe 'tis the real thing, and you've come up 
 to talk over settlements ? " 
 
 " Tut-tut ! " interposed the Major, who indeed 
 had coloured up, and apparently not with annoy- 
 ance. " There's no woman at all in the case I'm re- 
 ferring to." But here he checked himself. " Nay, 
 I forgot ; I'm wrong there," he admitted ; " and if 
 she hadn't had twins, I don't believe 'twould have 
 happened." 
 
 " Curious circumstance to forget," murmured Mr 
 Basket ; but, perceiving that the Major was indis- 
 posed to be communicative, pressed him no further. 
 
 At dinner Mrs Basket, whose welcome had at first 
 been qualified by the prospect of having to give to 
 the unexpected guest her seat at Love Between Decks 
 (on which, good soul, she had set her heart), showed 
 herself in her most amiable light. She was full of 
 apologies for deserting him. " If he had only given 
 them warning. Not but that she was delighted ; 
 and even now, if the Major would make use of her
 
 162 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 ticket . . . And to leave him alone in the house — 
 for the ' maid ' lived two streets away, and slept at 
 home — it sounded so inhospitable, did it not ? But 
 she hoped the Major would find his room comfortable ; 
 there was a table for writing ; and supper would be 
 laid in the parlour, if he should feel tired after his 
 journey and wish to retire to bed before their return. 
 Would he be good enough to forbear standing upon 
 ceremony, and remember the case-bottles in the 
 cellaret on the right-hand of the sideboard ? Also, 
 by the way, he must take temporary possession of the 
 duplicate latchkey ; and then," added Mrs Basket, 
 " we shall feel you are quite one of us." 
 
 The Major, on his part, could only trust that his 
 unexpected visit would not be allowed to mar for 
 one moment Mrs Basket's enjoyment of Love Be- 
 tween Decks. On that condition only could he feel 
 that he had not unwarrantably intruded ; on those 
 terms only that he was being treated in sincerity as 
 an old friend. " I am an old campaigner, madam. 
 Permit me, using an old friend's hberty, to con- 
 gratulate you on the flavour of this boiled 
 mutton." ^ 
 
 In short, the Major showed himself the most com- 
 plaisant of guests. At dessert, observing that Mr 
 Basket's eye began to wander towards the clock on 
 the mantelpiece, he leapt up, protesting that he 
 sliould never forgive himself if, through him, his 
 friends missed a single line of Love Between Decks. 
 
 Mr Basket rose to his feet, with a half-regretful 
 glance at the undepleted decanter. 
 
 " To-morrow night," said he, " we will treat old
 
 A COLD DOUCHE ON A HOT FIT 163 
 
 friendship more piously. Believe me, Hymen, if it 
 weren't for the seats being reserved — " 
 
 " My dear fellow," the Major assured him, with a 
 challenging smile for Mrs Basket, " if you don't 
 come back and tell me you've forgotten for three 
 hours my very existence, I shall pack my valise and 
 tramp off to an inn." 
 
 Having dismissed the worthy couple to the theatre 
 — but a couple of streets distant — the Major retired 
 with glass and decanter to his room, drank his 
 quantum, smoked two pipes of tobacco very leisurely, 
 and then, with a long sigh, drew up his chair to the 
 table (which j\Irs Basket had set out with writing 
 materials) and penned, with many pauses for con- 
 sideration, the following letter ; which, when the 
 reader has perused it, will sufficiently explain why 
 our hero had blushed a while ago under Mr Basket's 
 interrogatory. 
 
 " My dear Martha,—' Sweet,' says our premier 
 poet, ' are the uses of adversity.' The indignity (I 
 will call it no less) to which m}^ fellow-townsmen by 
 their folly, and Sir Felix by his perfidy, have re- 
 cently subjected me, is not without its compensa- 
 tions. On the one hand it has disillusioned me ; on 
 the other it has removed the scales from my eyes. It 
 has, indeed, inspired me with a disgust of public hfe ; 
 it has taught me to think more meanly of mankind 
 as a whole. But while v/eaning my ambitions — 
 perhaps too abruptly — from a wider sphere, it has 
 directed me upon a happiness which has — dare I say 
 it ? — awaited me all the while beside the hearth.
 
 164 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Let me avow, dear cousin, that when first this 
 happy inspiration seized me, I had much ado — you 
 know my promptitude of old — to refrain from seek- 
 ing you at once and pressing my suit with that 
 ardour which the warmth of my purpose dictated. 
 On second thoughts, however, I decided to spare 
 your emotions that sudden assault, and to make my 
 demand in writing — in military phrase, to summon 
 the garrison in form. 
 
 " Your tender consideration of my comfort over a 
 period of years induces me to believe that a stronger 
 claim on that consideration for the future may not 
 be a matter of indifference to you. In short, I have 
 the honour to offer you my hand, with every assur- 
 ance of a lifelong fidelity and esteem. The station I 
 ask you to adorn will be a private one. I am here to 
 consult a lawyer how best I may release from the 
 consequences of their folly the unfortunate men who 
 betrayed me. This done, I lay down my chain of 
 office and resign my commission. I will not deny 
 that there are wounds ; I look to domestic felicity to 
 provide a balm for them. Hansombody, no doubt, 
 will succeed me ; and on the whole I am satisfied 
 that he will passably fill an office which, between 
 ourselves, he has for some time expected. I hope to 
 return the day after to-morrow, and to receive the 
 blushing answer on which I have set my heart. — 
 Believe me, dear Coz, your affectionate 
 
 " Sol. Hymen.' 
 
 >) 
 
 Cynics tell us that one half of the proposals of 
 marriage made by men are the direct result of pique.
 
 A COLD DOUCHE ON A HOT FIT 165 
 
 How closely this proposal of the Major's coincided 
 with the recoil of his public humiliation I do not 
 pretend to determine. Certain it is that he had no 
 sooner written and sealed his letter than the shadow 
 of a doubt began to creep over his hot fit. 
 
 He started up, lit his long pipe, and fell to pacing 
 the room with agitated strides. Was he doing 
 wisely ? Matrimony, he had sometimes told his 
 friends, is like a dip in the sea ; the wise man takes it 
 at a plunge, head first. Yes, yes ; but had he given 
 it quite sufficient reflection ? Could he promise him- 
 self he would never regret ? He was not doubting 
 that Miss Marty would make him an excellent wife. 
 Admirable creature, she bore every test he could 
 apply. She was gentle, companionable, intelligent 
 in converse, yet never forward in giving an opinion ; 
 too studious, rather, to efface herself ; in household 
 management economical without being penurious ; 
 a notable cook and needlewoman ; in person by no 
 means uncomely, and in mind as well as person so 
 scrupulously neat that her unobtrusive presence, her 
 noiseless circumspect flittings from room to room, 
 exhaled an atmosphere of daintiness in which it was 
 good to dwell. No, he had no anxiety about Miss 
 Marty. But could he be sure of himself ? Had he 
 really and truly and for ever put the ambitions of 
 public life behind him ? Might they not some day 
 re-awaken as this present wound healed and ceased 
 to smart ? 
 
 n he sent this letter, he had burnt his boats. He 
 halted before the table and stood for a while consider- 
 ing ; stood there so long that his pipe went out un-
 
 166 THE MAYOK OF TROY 
 
 heeded. Ought lie not to re-write his proposal and 
 word it so as to leave himself a loophole ? As he 
 conned the name on the address, by some trick of 
 memory he found himself repeating Miss Marty's 
 own protest against the Millennium : " Why couldn't 
 we be let alone, to go on comfortably ? " 
 
 Confound the Millennium ! Was it at the bottom 
 of this too ? The plaguey thing had a knack of in- 
 truding itself, just now, into all he undertook, and 
 always mischievously. It was unsettling — Miss 
 Marty's word again — infernally unsettling. He had 
 begun to lose confidence in himself. 
 
 The room was hot. He stepped to the window, 
 flung it open, and drank in the cool air of the summer 
 night. Below him lay the garden, wherein Mr 
 Basket's statuary showed here and there a glimmer 
 in the velvet darkness. The Major turned back to 
 the room and began to undress slowly ; removing 
 his wig, his coat, his waistcoat, and laying them on a 
 chair. Next he turned out his breeches pockets and 
 tossed his purse, with a handful of loose silver, upon 
 the bed. With it there jingled the spare latchkey 
 with which Mrs Basket had entrusted him. 
 
 He picked it up. . . . Yes, why should he not 
 take a turn in the garden to compose his mind ? In 
 his present agitation he was not likely to woo slum- 
 ber with success. ... He slipped on his coat again 
 and descended the stairs, latchkey in hand. A 
 lamp burned in the hall, and by the light of it he read 
 the hour on the dial of a grandfather's clock that 
 stood sentry beside the dining-room door — five-and- 
 twenty minutes past ten. The Baskets would not be
 
 A COLD DOUCHE ON A HOT FIT 167 
 
 returning for another hour at least. He unlatched 
 the front door, stepped out, and closed it softly 
 behind him. 
 
 Now mark how simply — how, with a short 
 laugh — by the crook of a little finger, as it were — 
 the envious gods topple down the tallest human 
 pride. 
 
 The Major descended the front steps, halted for a 
 moment to peer at a statuette of Hercules resting on 
 his club, and passed on down the central path of the 
 garden with a smile for his worthy friend's foible. A 
 dozen paces, and his toe encountered the rim of Mr 
 Basket's fish-pond. . . . 
 
 The Major went into Mr Basket's fish-pond souse ! 
 — on all fours, precipitately, with hands wildly claw- 
 ing the water amid the astonished goldfish. 
 
 The echo of the splash had hardly lost itself in the 
 dark garden-alleys before he scrambled up, coughing 
 and sputtering, and struggling to shore rubbed the 
 water from his eyes. Now the basin had not been 
 cleaned out for some months, and beneath the water, 
 which did not exceed a foot and a half in depth, there 
 lay a good two inches of slime and weed, some portion 
 of which his knuckles were effectively transferring to 
 his face. He had lost a shoe. Worse than this, as 
 he stood up, shook the water out of his breeches and 
 turned to escape back to the house, it dawned on him 
 that he had lost the latchkey ! 
 
 He had been carrying it in his hand at the moment 
 of the catastrophe. ... He sat down on the 
 pebbled path beside the basin, flung himself upon his 
 stomach and, leaning over the brink as far as he
 
 168 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 dared, began to grope in the mud. After some 
 minutes he recovered his shoe, but by-and-by 
 was forced to abandon the search for the key as 
 hopeless. He had no lantern. . . . 
 
 He cast an appealing glance up at the light in his 
 bedroom window. His gaze travelled down to the 
 fanlight over the front door. And with that the 
 dreadful truth broke on him. Without the latchkey 
 he could not possibly re-enter the house. 
 
 He unlaced and drew on his sodden shoe, and sat 
 for a while considering. Should he wait here in this 
 dreadful plight until his hosts returned ? Or might 
 he not run down to the theatre (which lay but two 
 short streets away), explain the accident to a door- 
 keeper, and get a message conveyed to Mr Basket ? 
 Yes, this was clearly the wiser course. The streets — 
 thank Heaven ! — were dark. 
 
 He crept to the front gate and peered forth. The 
 roadway was deserted. Taking his courage in both 
 hands, he stepped out upon the pavement and walked 
 briskly downhill to the theatre. The distance was a 
 matter of five or six hundred yards only, and he met 
 nobody. Coming in sight of the brightly-lit portico, 
 he made a dash for it and up the steps, where he 
 blundered full tilt into the arms of a tall doorkeeper 
 at the gallery entrance. 
 
 " Hello ! " exclaimed the man, falling back. 
 " Get out of this ! " 
 
 " One moment, my friend — " 
 
 " Damme ! " The doorkeeper, blocking the en- 
 trance, surveyed him and whistled. " Hi, Charley ! " 
 he called ; " come and take a look at this ! "
 
 A COLD DOUCHE ON A HOT FIT 169 
 
 A scrag-necked youth thrust his face forward from 
 the aperture of the ticket-ofhce. 
 
 " Well, I'm jiggered," was his comment. " Drunk, 
 eh ? Throw him out ! " 
 
 " If you'll listen for a moment," pleaded the Major, 
 with dignity, and began to search in the pockets of 
 his sodden breeches, " I wish a message taken . . . 
 but dear me, now I remember, I left my money up- 
 stairs ! " 
 
 " On the gilded dressing-table beside the diamond 
 tiyara," suggested the doorkeeper. " Or maybe you 
 cast it down, careless, on the moonlit shore afore 
 taking your dip ! " 
 
 " My good man, I assure you that I am the victim 
 of an accident. It so happens that, by a singular 
 chain of mischance, I have not at this moment a 
 penny about me. But if you will go to the reserved 
 row of the pit and fetch out my friend Mr Basket — " 
 
 At this point the Major felt a hand clapped on his 
 shoulder, and turning, was aware of two sailors, 
 belted and wearing cutlasses, who, having lurched up 
 the steps arm-in-arm, stood to gaze, surveying him 
 with a frank interest. 
 
 " What's wrong, eh ? " demanded the one who 
 had saluted him, and turned to his comrade, a sallow- 
 faced man with a Newgate fringe of a beard. " Good 
 Lord, Bill, what is it like ? " 
 
 " It looks like a wreck ashore," answered the 
 saUow-faced sailor after a slow inspection. 
 
 " Talk about bein' fond of the theayter ! He 
 must have swum for it," said the other, and stared at 
 the Major round-eyed. " You'll excuse me ; Ben
 
 170 THE ISIAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Jope, my name is, bos'n of the Vesuvius bomb ; and 
 lliis here's my friend Bill Adams, bos'n's mate. As 
 I was sayin', you'll excuse me, but you must be fond 
 of it — a man of your age — by the little you make of 
 appearances." 
 
 " I was just explaining," stammered the Major, 
 " that although, most unfortunately, I have left my 
 purse at home — " 
 
 But here he paused as Mr Jope looked at Mr Adams, 
 and Mr Adams answered with a slow and thoughtful 
 wink. 
 
 " Go where you will," said Mr Jope cheerfully, 
 stepping to the ticket-office ; " go where you will, 
 and sail the high seas over, 'tis wonderful how you 
 run across that excuse. Three tickets for the gallery, 
 please ; and you, Bill, fall alongside ! " He linked 
 an arm in the Major's, who feebly resisted. 
 
 " Lord love ye ! " said Mr Jope, " the he's an old 
 one ; but a man that played up to it better in ap- 
 pearances I never see'd nor smelt ! "
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 A VERY HOT PRESS 
 
 THE performance of Love Between Decks had 
 reached its famous fourth act, in which Tom 
 Taffrail, to protect his sweetheart (who has followed 
 him to sea in man's attire), strikes the infamous First 
 Lieutenant and is marched off between two marines 
 for punishment. This scene, as everyone knows, is laid 
 on the upper deck of his Majesty's ship Poseidon (of 
 seventy-four guns), and the management, as a con- 
 dition of engaging Mr Orlando B. Sturge (who was 
 exacting in details), had mounted it, at great expense, 
 with a couple of lifelike guns, R. and L., and for back- 
 ground the overhang of the quarter-deck, with rails 
 and a mizzen-mast of real timber against a painted 
 cloth representing the rise of the poop. 
 
 At the moment when our Major entered the gallery, 
 the heated atmosphere of which well-nigh robbed 
 him of breath, Tom Taffrail had taken up his 
 position on the prompt side, close down by the foot- 
 hghts, and thrown himself into attitude to de- 
 liver the speech of manly defiance which provokes 
 the Wicked Lieutenant to descend into the waist of 
 the ship and receive the well-merited weight of the 
 hero's fist. The hero, with one foot planted on a coil of 
 real rope and one arm supporting the half-inanimate 
 
 171
 
 172 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 form of ]iis Susan, in deference to stage convention 
 faced the audience, wliile with his other arm up- 
 lifted he invoked vengeance upon the oppressor, who 
 scowled down from the quarter-deck rail. 
 
 " Hear me, kyind Heaven ! " declaimed Tom 
 Taffrail, " for Heaven at least is my witness, that 
 beneath the tar-stained shirt of a British sailor there 
 may beat the heart of a Man ! " 
 
 As a matter of fact, Mr Sturge was clothed in a 
 clean blue and white striped shirt, with socks to 
 match, white duck trousers no less immaculate, with 
 a huge glittering brass buckle on the front of his belt, 
 two buckles of smaller size but similar pattern on 
 his polished dancing shoes, and wore his hair in a 
 natty pigtail tied with cherry-coloured ribbon. 
 
 — " Hear and judge betwixt me and yonder tyrant ! 
 Let the storm off Pernambuco declare who first 
 sprang to the foretop and thence aloft to strike 
 t 'gallant yards while the good ship Poseidon careened 
 before its hurricane rage ! Ay, and when the main 
 topm'st went smack-smooth by the board, who was 
 it slid like lightning to the deck and, with hands yet 
 glowing from the halliards, plucked forth axe and 
 hewed the wreckage clear ? But a truce to these 
 reminders ! 'Twas my duty, and, as a seaman, I 
 did it ! " 
 
 Here, having laid his tender burden so that her 
 back rested against the coil of real rope, Mr Sturge 
 executed the opening steps of a hornpipe, and ad- 
 vancing to the footlights, stood swaying with crossed 
 arms while the orchestra performed the prelude to 
 his most celebrated song.
 
 A VERY HOT PRESS 173 
 
 At this point Mr J ope, who for some seconds had 
 been breathing hard at the back of the Major's neck, 
 clutched his comrade by the arm. 
 
 " You 'card that. Bill ? " he asked in a hoarse 
 whisper. 
 
 " Ay," answered Bill Adams. " He slipped down 
 from the t'gallant yards by the halliards." 
 
 " Would ye mind pinchin' me ? " 
 
 " Where ? " 
 
 " Anywhere ; in the fleshy part of the ham for 
 choice ; not too vigorous, but just to make 
 sure. He come down by the halliards. Which 
 halliards ? " 
 
 " Signal halliards, belike. Damme, why not ? 
 Aboard a vessel with the decks laid ath'artships — " 
 
 " An' the maintopm'st went smack-smooth — you 
 ^eard him ? What sort o' spar — " 
 
 " Dunno " — Bill paused and audibly shifted his 
 quid — " unless 'twas a parsnip. The mizz'n-m'st 
 seems to have stood it, though her stays do lead 
 to a brass-headed nail in the scuppers." 
 
 " In a gale off Pernambuco . . . 'twas his duty, 
 and as a seaman he did it," quoted Mr J ope in a low 
 voice thrilled with awe. " Bill, we must 'ave him. 
 If he did but 'alf of it, we must 'ave him. In 
 them togs, aboard the Vesuvius now . . . Lord love 
 me, he's dancin' ! " 
 
 " Ay, and he's going to sing." 
 
 " Sing ! " 
 
 " Mark my word, he's going to sing," repeated 
 BUI Adams with confidence ; and, sure enough, 
 Mr Sturge stepped forward and with a reproach-
 
 174 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 ful glance at the empty Royal box uplifted his 
 voice : 
 
 " When honest Jack across the foam 
 Puts forth to meet the Gallic foe, 
 His tributary tear for home 
 
 He wipes away with a Yow-hcavc-ho ! 
 Man the braces, 
 Take you places. 
 Fill the tot and push the can ; 
 He's a lubber 
 That would blubber 
 When Britannia needs a Man ! " 
 
 " S'lielp us, Bill, what are they doing noiv ? " 
 gasped Ben J ope, as two groups of seamen, one at 
 either wing, took up the chorus ; tailing on to a cable 
 and heaving while they sang. 
 
 " Fishin' the anchor," said Bill pensively ; " thafs 
 what they're doin'. She carries her catheads amid- 
 ships. The ship's all right, once you get the hang of 
 her." 
 
 " Bill, we must 'ave him ! " 
 
 " Hush it, you swab ! He's beginning again." 
 
 ' ' But when among the heaving clouds, 
 Aloft, alone, with folded arms, 
 He hangs her portrait in the shrouds 
 And feeds on Susan's glowing charms. 
 To th' horizon 
 Soft liis sighs on 
 Angel wings the zephyrs fan. 
 While his feeUngs, 
 Deep revealings. 
 Prove that Jack remains a Man ! " 
 
 " 'Ear that, Bill ? "
 
 A VERY HOT PRESS 175 
 
 " O' course I 'ears it. Why not ? I knew there 
 was something funny wi' them shrouds. They 
 carries the family portraits on 'em — it's all right, I 
 tell you." 
 
 " But ' feeds,' he said." 
 
 " Meanin' the picter ; though maybe they sling 
 the meat-safe there as well. They ought to." 
 
 " They couldn't ! " 
 
 " Why not ? Well, then, p'raps they strikes now 
 and then in a gale — off Pernambuco — along wi' the 
 t'gallant yards. Stow yer talk, Ben J ope, and let a 
 man listen." 
 
 The audience encored Mr Sturge's song vocifer- 
 ously ; and twice he had to repeat it before they 
 would suffer him to turn again and defy the still 
 scowling Lieutenant. 
 
 "Ay, sir ; the British seaman, before whose col- 
 lective valour the crowned tyrants of Yurope shrink 
 with diminished heads, dares to proclaim himself a 
 Man, and in despite of any petty tyrant of the 
 quarter-deck. Humble his lot, his station, may be. 
 Callous he himself may be to the thund'ring of the 
 elements or the guns of his country's foemen ; but 
 never will he be found irresponsive to female distress 
 in any shape or form. Leftenant Vandeloor, you 
 have upraised your hand against A Woman ; you 
 have struck her a Blow. In your teeth I defy you ! " 
 (Frantic applause.) 
 
 " My word, Bill, the Duke ought to been here 
 to 'ear that ! " 
 
 " But why isn't he here ? " asked the Major,
 
 176 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Well," answered Ben Jope slowly, with a glance 
 along the crowded gallery and a wink at Bill Adams 
 (but the Major saw neither the glance nor the wink), 
 " to-night, d'ye see, 'twouldn't ha' been altogether 
 the thing. He's not like you and me, the Duke isn't. 
 He has to study appearances." 
 
 " I should have thought that, if his Royal Highness 
 studied popularity, he could scarcely have found a 
 better occasion." 
 
 " Look here," put in Mr Jope sharply, " if the 
 Duke chooses to be drunk to-night, you may lay to it 
 he knows his business. And look here again ; I took 
 you for a victim o' misfortun', but if so be as you're 
 startin' to teach the R'yal family tact, w'y, I changes 
 my opinion." 
 
 " If I could only find my friend Basket, or get a 
 message taken to him," ingeminated the Major, 
 whose teeth were chattering despite the tropical 
 atmosphere of the gallery. 
 
 " Eh ? What's that you're sayin' ? " the seaman 
 demanded in a sudden sharp tone of suspicion. " If 
 there's a friend o' your'n in the gallery, you keep by 
 me and point him out when the time comes. I ain't 
 a-makin' no promise, mind ; no more than to say it 
 may be the better for him ; but contrariwise I don't 
 allow no messages, and you may belay to that ! " 
 
 " But my friend is not in the gallery. He has a 
 reserved seat somewhere." 
 
 " Then you may take it he don't require no message, 
 bein' toler'bly safe. As for yourself, you stick to 
 me. Understand ? Whatever happens, you stick to 
 me."
 
 A VERY HOT PRESS 177 
 
 The Major did not understand in the least ; but 
 their conversation at this moment was interrupted 
 by a roar of applause from all quarters of the house 
 as Tom Taffrail, with a realistic blow from the 
 shoulder, laid his persecutor prostrate on the 
 deck. 
 
 " Brayvo ! " grunted Bill Adams. " The lad's 
 nimble enough with his fives, I will say, for all his sea- 
 lawyerin'." 
 
 " We must 'ave him, Bill ; if I take him myself we 
 must 'ave him ! " cried Ben J ope, dancing with ad- 
 miration. " 'Tis no more than a mercy, neither, 
 after the trouble he's been and laid up for 
 hisself." 
 
 Into what precise degree of mental confusion Mr 
 J ope had worked himself the Major could never 
 afterwards determine ; though he soon had every 
 opportunity to think it out at leisure. 
 
 For the moment, as a boatswain's whistle shrilled 
 close behind his ear, he was merely bewildered. He 
 did not even know that the mouth sounding the 
 signal was Mr Ben Jope's. 
 
 As the crowd to right and left of him surged to its 
 feet, he saw at intervals along the gallery, sailor after 
 sailor leap up with drawn cutlass. He saw some 
 forcing their way to the exits ; and as the packed 
 throng, swaying backwards, bore him to the giddy 
 edge of the gallery rails, he saw the whole audience 
 rise from their seats with white upturned faces. 
 
 " The Press ! " called someone. Half a dozen, 
 then twenty, then a hundred voices took up the 
 cry : 
 
 M
 
 178 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 "The Tress! The Press! ' 
 
 He turned. What had become of Mr J ope ? 
 
 What, indeed ? Cutlass between teeth, Mr Jope 
 had heaved himself over the gallery rail, caught a 
 pillar between his dangling feet, and slid down it to 
 the Upper Circle ; from the Upper Circle to the Dress 
 Circle ; from the Dress Circle to the Pit. A dozen 
 seamen hurrahed and followed him. To the audience 
 screaming, scattering before them, they paid no heed 
 at all. Their eyes were on their leader, and in silence, 
 breathing hard, each man's teeth clenched upon his 
 cutlass, they hounded after him and across the Pit at 
 his heels. 
 
 It may be that this vivid reproduction of his alleged 
 exploit off Pernambuco for the moment held Mr 
 Orlando B. Sturge paralysed. At any rate, he stood 
 by the footlights staring, with a face on which re- 
 sentment faded into amaze, amaze into stupefaction. 
 
 It is improbable that he dreamed of any personal 
 danger until the moment when Mr Jope, leaping the 
 orchestra and crashing, on his way, through an aban- 
 doned violoncello, landed across the footlights and 
 clapped him on the shoulder. 
 
 " Never you mind, lad ! " cried Mr Jope cheerfully, 
 taking the cutlass from between his teeth and waving 
 it. " You'll get better treatment along o' we." 
 
 " What mean you ? Unhand me — Off, I say, 
 minion ! " 
 
 " It'll blow over, lad ; it'll blow over. You take 
 my advice and come quiet — O, but we want you ! — 
 an' if you hear another word about this evening's 
 work I'll forfeit my mess."
 
 A VERY HOT PRESS 179 
 
 " Hands off, ruffian ! Help, I say, there — Help ! " 
 
 " Shame ! Shame ! " cried a dozen voices. But 
 nine-tenths of the audience were already pressing 
 around the doors to escape. 
 
 At a nod from Mr J ope, two seamen ran and cut 
 the cords supporting the drop-scene. 
 
 " Heads, there ! Heads ! " 
 
 The great roller fell upon the stage with a resound- 
 ing bang. 
 
 With the thud of it, a hand descended and smote 
 upon the Major's shoulder. 
 
 " Come along o' me. You'll give no trouble, 
 anyAvay." 
 
 " Eh ? " said the Major. " My good man, I 
 assure you that I have not the slightest disposition 
 to interfere. These scenes are regrettable, of course. 
 I have heard of them, but never actually assisted at 
 one before ; still, I quite see the necessity of the 
 realm demands it, and the realm's necessity is — or 
 should be — the supreme law with all of us." 
 
 " And you can swim. You'd be surprised, now, 
 how few of 'em could take a stroke to save their 
 lives. Leastways," Mr Adams confessed, " that's 
 my experience." 
 
 " I beg your pardon." 
 
 " Ben's impulsive. I over'eard him tellin' you to 
 stick fast to him ; but, all things considered, that's 
 pretty difficult, ain't it ? Never you mind ; 77/ see 
 you aboard the tender." 
 
 " Aboard the tender ? " 
 
 The Major stepped back a pace as the fellow's
 
 180 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 absurd mistake dawned on him. " Why, you im- 
 pudent scoundrel, I'm a Justice of the Peace ! " 
 
 But here a rush of the driven crowd hfted and 
 bore him against the gallery rail. A hand close by 
 shattered the nearest lamp into darkness, and the flat 
 of a cutlass (not Bill Adams') descending upon our 
 hero's head, put an end for the while to speech and 
 consciousness.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE " VESUVIUS " BOMB 
 
 HE awoke with a racking headache in pitchy 
 darkness ; and with the twiHght of returning 
 consciousness there grew in him an awful fear that he 
 had been coffined and buried ahve. For he lay at 
 full length in a bed which yet was unlike any bed of 
 his acquaintance, being so narrow that he could 
 neither turn his body nor put out an arm to lift him- 
 self into a sitting posture ; and again, when he tried 
 to move his legs, to his horror they were compressed 
 as if between bandages. In his ear there sounded, 
 not six inches away, a low lugubrious moaning. It 
 could not come from a bed-fellow, for he had no bed- 
 fellow. . . . No, it could be no earthly sound. 
 
 With a strangled cry he flung a hand upwards, 
 fending off the horrible darkness. It struck against 
 a board, and at the same instant his cry was echoed 
 by a sharp scream close beside him. 
 
 " Angels and ministers of Gerrace defend us ! " 
 The scream sank to a hoarse whisper and was accom- 
 panied by a clank of chains. " Not dead ? You — 
 you are not dead ? " 
 
 The Major lay back in a cold sweat. " I — I 
 
 thought I was," he quavered at length. But at this 
 
 point his mysterious bed seemed to sway for a 
 
 i8i
 
 182 THE MAYOR OF TROV 
 
 moment beneath liim, and he caught his breath. 
 " Where am I ? " he gasped. 
 
 " At sea," answered the voice in a hollow tone. 
 
 " At sea ! " In a sudden spasmodic attempt to 
 sit upright, the Major almost rolled himself out of his 
 hammock. 
 
 " Ay, poor comrade — if you are indeed he whom I 
 saw hfted aboard unconscious from the tender — 'tis 
 the dismal truth. 
 
 " Beneath the Orlop's darksome shade 
 Unknown to Sol's bright ray, 
 Where no kind chink's assistant aid 
 Admits the cheerful day. 
 
 I am not, in the practical sense, seaman enough to 
 determine if this noisome den be the precise part of 
 the ship alluded to by the poet under the name of 
 Orlop. But the circumstances correspond ; and my 
 stomach informs me that the vessel is in motion." 
 
 " The vessel ? " echoed the Major, incredulous yet. 
 " What vessel ? " 
 
 " As if to omit no detail of horror, she is called, I 
 believe, the Vesuvius bomb. Phoebus, what a 
 name ! " 
 
 It drummed for some seconds in the Major's ear 
 like^an echo. 
 
 " Yes, yes ... the theatre," he murmured. 
 
 " The theatre ? You were in the theatre ? The'n 
 you saw me ? " 
 
 " 1 beg your i)ardon." 
 
 " Me — Orlando B. Sturge. Yes, sir, if it be any 
 consolation to you, know that I, Orlando B. Sturge, 
 of tlie Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, am your tern-
 
 THE "VESUVIUS ' BOMB 183 
 
 porary partner in adversity, your co-mate and 
 brother in exile, with the added indignity of hand- 
 cuffs ; and all by an error which would be absurd if 
 it weren't so infernally serious." 
 
 " There has been some horrible mistake." 
 
 " A mistake, sir, for which these caitiffs shall pay 
 dearly," Mr Sturge promised in his deepest tragedy 
 voice. 
 
 " A Justice of the Peace ! " 
 
 " Eh ? " 
 
 " With a Major's commission ! " 
 
 " Pardon, I think you must be confusing me with 
 some other person. Orlando B. Sturge is my name, 
 sir, and familiar — as I may say without vanity — 
 wherever the Thespian art is honoured. But yester- 
 day the darling of the public ; and now, in the words 
 of our national bard : — 
 
 " ' Now lies he here 
 And none so poor to do him reverence.' 
 
 You are familiar with the works of Shakespeare, sir ? 
 Your speech, if you will allow me to say so, suggests 
 a respectable education." 
 
 " I have dipped into them," answered the Major 
 inattentively, absorbed in his own woes. 
 
 " My consolation is, this will get into the news- 
 papers ; and then let these ignorant ruffians be- 
 ware ! " 
 
 " The newspapers ! God forbid ! " The Major 
 shuddered. 
 
 " Ha ? " Mr Sturge drew back in dark surprise. 
 " 'Tis the language of delirium. He raves. What 
 ho, without there ! " he called aloud.
 
 184 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " What the devil's up ? " responded a voice from 
 the darkness behind the Major's head. It belonged 
 to a marine standing sentry outside a spare sail 
 which shut off the Vesuvius's sick bay from the 
 rest of the lower deck. 
 
 " A surgeon, quick ! Here's a man awake and 
 delirious." 
 
 " All right. You needn't kick up such a row, 
 need you ? " growled the marine. 
 
 " Like Nero, I am an angler in a lake of darkness. 
 You have handcuffed me, moreover, so that even if 
 this accursed sty contains a bell-rope — which is im- 
 probable — I am debarred from using it. A light, 
 there, and a surgeon, I say ! " 
 
 The marine let fall the sail flap and withdrew, 
 grumbling. But apparently Mr Sturge's mode of 
 giving an order, being unlike anything in his experi- 
 ence, had impressed him ; for by-and-by a faint ray 
 illumined the dirty whitewashed beams over the 
 Major's hammock, and four persons squeezed them- 
 selves into the sick bay — the marine holding a lantern 
 and guiding the ship's surgeon, who was followed in 
 turn by our friends Mr Jope and Mr Bill Adams. 
 
 The Vesuvius bomb, measuring but a little more 
 than ninety feet over all, with a beam of some 
 twenty-seven feet, and carrying seventy odd men and 
 boys, with six long six-pounder guns and a couple of 
 heavy mortars, could spare but scanty room for 
 hospital accommodation. At a pinch, a dozen ham- 
 mocks could be slung in the den which the marine's 
 lantern revealed ; but how a dozen sick men could 
 recover there, and how the surgeon could move
 
 THE "VESUVIUS" BOMB 185 
 
 between the hammocks to perform his ministrations, 
 were mysteries happily left unsolved. As it was, the 
 two invalids and their visitors crowded the place to 
 suffocation. 
 
 " Delirious, you say ? " hemmed the surgeon, a 
 bald little man with a twinkling eye, an unshaven 
 chin and a very greasy shirt frUl. " Well, well, give 
 me your pulse, my friend. Better a blister on the 
 neck than a round shot at your feet, hey ? I near 
 upon gave you up when they brought you aboard — 
 upon my word I did." 
 
 The Major groaned. " You seemed a humane 
 man, sir," he answered feebly. " Spare me your 
 blisters and get me put ashore, for pity's sake ! " 
 
 The doctor shook his head. " My good fellow, we 
 weighed an hour ago with a fresh northerly breeze. 
 I haven't been on deck, but by the cant of her we 
 must be clear of the Sound already and hauling up 
 for Portsmouth." 
 
 " On your peril you detain me, sir ! I'll have your 
 fool of a captain broken for this — cashiered, sir — 
 kicked out of the service, by heaven ! I am a 
 Justice of the Peace, I tell you ! " 
 
 " And coram," put in Mr Sturge, " and custal- 
 orum. He'll make a Star-Chamber matter of it. . . . 
 The poor fellow's raving, I tell you. A curse on 
 your inhumanity ! But I can wait for my revenge 
 at Portsmouth. Approach, fellows, and knock off 
 those gyves." 
 
 " Justice of the Peace ! " echoed Ben Jope, paying 
 no attention whatever to Mr Sturge, but turning on 
 Bill Adams with round, wondering eyes. " I told
 
 186 THE MAYOH OF TROY 
 
 you he was something out o' the common. And 
 you ain't had no more sense than to knock him over 
 the head with a cutlass ! " 
 
 " I did not," protested Bill Adams. " He took 
 it accidental, you being otherwise engaged ; an' I 
 stuck to the creatur', thinkin' as how you wanted 
 him." 
 
 " But why should I want him ? " 
 
 " Damned if I know. If it comes to that "—Bill 
 Adams jerked a thumb towards the hammock 
 containing Mr Sturge — " what d'ye want him 
 for ? " 
 
 " Oh, him ? " answered Mr J ope with a grin. " In 
 a gale off Pernambuco — " 
 
 " What on earth are you two talking about ? " 
 asked the surgeon, who had seated himself on the deck 
 and, with the lantern between his feet, was busily 
 preparing a blister. 
 
 " Beggin' your pardon, sir, but you haven't been 
 on deck yet ? You haven't seen the ducks we 
 brought aboard last night ? " 
 
 " My good man, can I be in two places at once ? 
 I have been up all night with Mr Wapshott, and the 
 devil of a time he's given me. When they brought 
 me this poor fellow, I hadn't time to do more than 
 order him into hammock — indeed I hadn't. Now, 
 then " — he stood on his feet again and addressed the 
 marine — " fetch me a basin of water and Til bathe 
 his head." 
 
 " Is Mr Wapshott bad, sir ? " asked Ben Jope. 
 
 " H'm," the surgeon hesitated. " Well, I don't 
 mind admitting to you that he was very bad indeed ;
 
 THE "VESUVIUS" BOMB 187 
 
 but about six bells I got a draught to take effect, and 
 he has been sleeping ever since." 
 
 " And you didn't see the Captain brought aboard, 
 sir ? " 
 
 " I did not. ' Brought,' you say ? " 
 
 Ben Jope nodded his head, and for a moment or 
 two watched in silence the sponging of our Major's 
 scalp. " I've known this here ship in the variousest 
 kinds o' weathers," he announced at length, with 
 quiet conviction, " but they was fool's-play one and 
 all compared with what's ahead of us." 
 
 " If it comes to that again," put in Bill Adams, " I 
 don't see but this here Justice o' the Peace is the 
 plum o' the whole bunch. Maybe " — he turned to 
 his friend — " you ain't never seen a Justice o' the 
 Peace ? I 'ave." 
 
 " W'y," asked Ben Jope, " what's there peculiar 
 about 'em ? " 
 
 " I got committed by one some years ago," Mr 
 Adams answered, with a grave effort of memory. 
 " At a place called Farnham, it was, a way inland up 
 the Portsmouth Road. Me and the landlord of a 
 public there came to words, by reason he called his 
 house The Admiral Howe, but on his signboard was 
 the face of a different man altogether. Whereby 
 I asked him why he done so. Whereby he said 
 the painter didn't know How. Whereby I knocked 
 him down, and he called in the constables and swore 
 he'd meant it for a joke ; and they took me afore a 
 Justice ; and the Justice said he wouldn't yield to 
 nobody in his respect for our Navy, but here was a 
 case he must put his foot down, and if necessary
 
 188 THE MAYOll OF TROY 
 
 with an iron hand ; and gave me seven days. Which 
 I mention because I couldn't pay the fine, having no 
 more than a few coppers besides what I stood up in, 
 and was then on my way home from the wreck of the 
 Duck Sammy* brig, which went ashore on the back 
 of the Wight. But if you ask me what was pecuhar 
 about the man, he was called Bart. — Sir Samuel 
 Brooks, Bart. — and lived in a fine house as big as 
 Greenwich Hospital, with a gold watch-chain across 
 his belly you could have moored a pinnace by, and 
 gold in his pockets correspondin'. Whereby I lamed 
 ever since to know my betters when ashore, and be- 
 have myself lowly and give 'em a wide berth. But 
 this isn't one, nor the beginnings of one, for I took 
 the liberty to s'arch his pockets." 
 
 " Indeed, sir," our hero appealed to the surgeon, 
 " my name is Hymen — Major Solomon Hymen — of 
 Troy, in Cornwall. On inquiry you will find that I 
 am actually Chief Magistrate of that borough. Nay, 
 1 implore you — " 
 
 The surgeon, having bathed the wound and bound 
 it with three strips of plaster, took up the blister, 
 and was on the point of applying it, using persuasions 
 indeed, but with the air of one who would take no 
 denial, when a terrible outcry at once arrested him 
 and drowned the Major's protestations. 
 
 The cry — it sounded like the roar of a wounded bull 
 — came from the deck overhead. Its echoes sounded 
 the very bowels of the ship ; but at the first note of 
 it Ben Jope had clutched Bill Adams by the arm. 
 
 * Deux Amis. A gun-brig of that name was wrecked on 
 the Isle of Wight on May 23rd, 1799.
 
 THE " VESUVIUS " BOMB 189 
 
 " He's seen 'em ! " he gasped. " Run, doctor, 
 run — there's a dear soul — or he'll be doin' murder ! " 
 
 " Seen what ? " 
 
 " Run, I tell you ! Come ! " Suiting the action to 
 the word, Mr Jope, still gripping his comrade's arm, 
 rushed him out of the sick bay, the doctor and the 
 marine at their heels. In the excitement, the Major 
 tumbled out of his hammock, tore aside the sail-flap, 
 and staggered after them along the dim and empty 
 lower-deck to a ladder which led up to daylight. 
 
 How to describe the spectacle which met his 
 dazzled eyes as he thrust his head above the hatch- 
 way ? Aloft the Vesuvius spread her full sails in 
 cloud upon cloud of dove-coloured grey (for, in fact, 
 she carried very dingy canvas) against the blue of 
 heaven, and reached along with the northerly breeze 
 on her larboard quarter, heeling gently, yet just low 
 enough for the Major to blink as his gaze, travelling 
 beyond the lee bulwarks, caught the dazzle of foam 
 knocked up and spreading off her blunt bows. But 
 not long did he gaze on this ; for in the scuppers 
 under the bulwarks, in every attitude of complete 
 woe, some prostrate, some supine, all depicted with 
 the liveliest yellows and greens of sea-sickness be- 
 neath their theatrical paint, lay the crew of H.M.S 
 Poseidon. Yes, even the wicked Lieutenant reclined 
 there with the rest, with one hand upraised and 
 grasping a ring-bolt, while the soft sway of the ship 
 now lifted his garish tinselled epaulettes into the 
 sunlight, now sank and drew across them, as upon a 
 dial, the edge of the bulwarks' shadow. 
 
 Right above this disconsolate group, and almost
 
 190 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 right above the Major's head as he thrust it through 
 the hatchway — or, to be more precise, at the head of 
 the ladder leading to the Vesuvius's poop — clung a 
 little wry-necked, red-eyed, white-faced man in dis- 
 hevelled uniform, and capered in impotent fury. 
 But as when a child is chastised he yells once and 
 there follows a pause of many seconds while he 
 gathers up lung and thorax for the prolonged outcry, 
 so after his first bull-roar Captain Crang, of the 
 Vesuvius bomb, clung to the rail of the poop-ladder 
 and wrestled for speech, while a little forward of the 
 waist his crew huddled before the storm, yet (al- 
 though the Major failed to perceive this) not without 
 exchanging winks. 
 
 " Wha — what ? In the name of ten thousand 
 
 devils, what the is that ? " yelled the Captain, 
 
 and choked again. 
 
 " In a gale — off Pernambuco," murmured Mr 
 Jope. " Steady, Bill ; steady does it, mind ! " 
 Advancing to the foot of the ladder, he touched his 
 forelock and stood at attention. " Pressed men, 
 sir. Found in the theayter and brought aboard, as 
 per special order." 
 
 The Captain's throat could be seen working within 
 his disordered cravat. " Them ! But — Oh, help 
 me — look at 'em, Bos'n ! " 
 
 " Sir ! " 
 
 " Look at 'em ! " 
 
 " It's not for me to object, sir. As you was sayin' 
 they don't look it ; but bein' ear-marked, so to 
 speak — " 
 
 " Where is Mr Wapshott ? "
 
 THE "VESUVIUS" BOMB 191 
 
 " Below, sir, as I understand," answered Mr Jope 
 demurely, 
 
 " You mean to tell me, you , that Mr 
 
 Wapshott allowed — " 
 
 But just then, from a hatchway immediately be- 
 hind Captain Crang, there slowly emerged — there 
 uprose — a vision whereat our Major was not the only 
 spectator to hold his breath. A shock of dishevelled 
 red hair, a lean lantem-jawed face, desperately 
 pallid ; these were followed by a long crane-neck, 
 and this again was continued by a pair of shoulders 
 of such endless declivity as surely was never seen but 
 in dreams. And still, as the genie from the fisher- 
 man's bottle, the apparition evolved itself and 
 ascended, nor ceased growing until it overlooked 
 the Captain's shoulder by a good three-fourths of a 
 yard, when it put out two hands as if seeking support 
 and stood swaying, with a vague, uneasy smile. 
 
 " D'ye hear me ? " thundered the Captain, leaning 
 forward over the ladder. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," Ben Jope answered cheerfully. 
 
 " Then what the are ye staring at, you son of 
 
 a ? Like a stuck pig, you ! Like a clock- 
 face ! Like a glass-eyed cat in a thunder- 
 storm ! Like a — " 
 
 Here, as Captain Crang drew breath to reload, so 
 to speak, a slight yawing of the ship (for which the 
 helmsman might be forgiven) brought the tall 
 shadow of the apparition athwart his shoulder, and 
 fetched him about w^th an oath. 
 
 " Eh ? So there you are ! " 
 
 Mr Wapshott, still with his vague smile, titubated
 
 192 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 a moment, advanced with a sort of circumspect danc- 
 ing motion to the rail of the poop, laid two shaking 
 hands upon it, heaved a long sigh, and nodded 
 affably. 
 
 " Tha's all riglit. Where else ? " 
 
 " Look there, sir ! " Captain Crang wagged a 
 forefinger at the crowd in the scuppers. " I want 
 your explanation of that ! " 
 
 Mr Wapshott brought his gaze to bear on the point 
 indicated ; but not until he had scanned successively 
 the deck gratings, the rise of the forecastle and the 
 main shrouds. 
 
 " Re-markable," he answered slowly. " Mos' 
 remarkable. One funniest things ever sawinmy 
 life. Wha's yours ? " 
 
 " My what, sir ? " 
 
 " Eggs. Eggs-planation. Mus' ask you, sir, be 
 so good hear me out." 
 
 " Good Lord ! " With a sudden look of horror 
 Captain Crang let go his hold of the poop-ladder and 
 staggered back against the bulwarks. " You don't 
 mean — you're not telling me — that I brought that 
 menagerie aboard last night ! " His gaze wandered 
 helplessly from the first officer to the crew forward. 
 
 " Now then. Bill, steady does it," whispered Mr 
 Jope, and saluted again. " You'll excuse me, sir, 
 but Mr Wapshott was below last night when we 
 brought you aboard from dinin' with his R'yal 
 Highness." 
 
 " I remember nothing," groaned Captain Crang. 
 " I never do remember when — and before the Duke 
 too ! "
 
 THE "VESUVIUS" BOMB 193 
 
 Mr J ope coughed. " His R'yal Highness, sir — if 
 you'll let me say so — was a bit like what you might 
 call everyone else last night. He shook hands very 
 affectionate, sir, at parting, an' hoped to have your 
 company again before long." 
 
 " Did he so ? Did he so ? " said Captain Crang. 
 " And — er — could you at the same time call to mind 
 what I answered ? " 
 
 Mr Jope looked down modestly. " Well, sir, 
 having my hands full at the time wi' this here little 
 lot, I dunno as I can remember precisely. Was it 
 something about the theayter. Bill ? " he demanded, 
 turning to Mr Adams. 
 
 " It wor," answered Mr Adams sturdily. 
 
 " And as how you'd never shipped a crew o' play- 
 actors afore, but you'd do your best ? " 
 
 " Either them very words or to that effect," con- 
 firmed Mr Adams, breathing hard and staring de- 
 fiantly at the horizon. 
 
 " The theatre ? . . . I was at the theatre ? " 
 Captain Crang passed a shaking hand over his brow. 
 " No, damme ! . . . and yet I remember now at 
 dinner I heard the Duke say — " 
 
 Here it was Captain Crang's turn to stare dumb- 
 founded at an apparition, as a pair of handcuffed 
 wrists thrust themselves up through the main 
 hatchway and were painfully followed by the rest of 
 Mr Orlando B. Sturge. 
 
 " Oh, good Lord ! Look ! Is the ship full of 
 'em ? " shouted the Captain. 
 
 " They ain't real," murmured Mr Wapshott 
 soothingly. " You'll get accustomed. They began 
 
 N
 
 194 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 by being frogs," he explained, with the initiatory 
 air of an elder brother, and waved a feeble hand. 
 " Eggs — if you'll 'low me, sir, to conclude — egg- 
 sisting in the 'magination only. Go 'way — 
 shoo ! " 
 
 But Mr Sturge was not to be disembodied so easily. 
 On the contrary as the vessel lurched, he sat down 
 suddenly with a material thud and clash of hand- 
 cuffs upon the poultry-coop, nor was sooner haled to 
 his feet by the strong arm of Mr Adams than he 
 struck an attitude and opened on the Captain in his 
 finest baritone. 
 
 " ' Look,' say'st thou ? Ay, then, look ! Nay, 
 gloat if thou wilt, tyrant, miscreant — shall I say ? 
 — in human form ! Yielding, if I may quote my 
 friend here " — Mr Sturge laid both handcuffed hands 
 on the shoulder of Bill Adams — " yielding to none, I 
 say, in my admiration of Britain's Navy, I hold my- 
 self free to protest against the lawlessness of its 
 minions. I say deliberately, sir, its minions. My 
 name, sir, is Orlando B. Sturge. If that conveys 
 aught to such an intelligence as yours, you will at once 
 turn this vessel round and convey us back to Ply- 
 mouth with even more expedition than you brought 
 us hither." 
 
 Captain Crang fell back and caught at the mizzen 
 slirouds. 
 
 " Was I so bad as all that ? " he stammered, as 
 Ben Jope, believing him attacked by apoplexy, 
 rushed up the poop-ladder and bent over him. 
 
 " Lor' bless you, sir," said Mr Jope, " the best of 
 us may be mistaken at times. But as I've al'ays
 
 THE "VESUVIUS" BOMB 195 
 
 said, and will maintain, gentlemen will be gentle- 
 
 men." 
 
 But Captain Crang, letting slip his grasp of the 
 shrouds, plumped down on deck in a sitting posture 
 and with a sound like the echo of his own name.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 UP-CHANNEL 
 
 " A wet shed and a flowing sea," 
 
 (sings Allan Cunningham), 
 
 " A wind that follows fast, 
 And fills the white and rusthng sail 
 
 And bends the gallant mast ; 
 And bends th< gallant mast, my boys, 
 
 When, like an eagle free. 
 Away the good ship flies, and leaves 
 
 Old England on the lee." 
 
 I QUOTE these famous lines for their spirit rather 
 than their accuracy. It is not every ship that 
 can so defy the laws of nature as to run off a lee shore 
 with a following wind ; and the Vesuvius bomb, 
 reaching up Channel with a rare nor'-nor'-westerly 
 breeze, kept old England well to windward all the 
 time. But as Mr Sturge explained to the Major, 
 later in the day, " Without being a practical seaman, 
 an artist can yet catch the spirit of these things and 
 impart it to his fellow-men." 
 
 Mr Sturge was not criticising Allan Cunningham's 
 lines, but talking, as usual, about himself. Many 
 circumstances combined to induce a cheerful mood 
 in him. To begin with, his manacles had been re- 
 moved. Also he had overcome the morning's 
 
 1*^6
 
 UP-CHANNEI. 197 
 
 nausea. The Vesuvius — a deep vessel for her size, 
 like all bombships — was by no means speedy off the 
 wind, and travelled indeed like a slug ; but her 
 frame, built for the heavy mortars, was extraordin- 
 arily stout in comparison with her masts, and this 
 gave her stability. She was steering a course, too, 
 which kept her fairly close in shore and in smooth 
 water. 
 
 Indeed, so far as physical conditions went, Mr 
 Sturge was enjoying a pleasure trip. His bold ex- 
 postulations, moreover (for he did not lack courage), 
 had considerably impressed Captain Crang, who, 
 though not easily cowed as a rule, met them at a 
 double disadvantage, being at once unable to recall 
 the events of overnight, and firmly convinced that 
 the whole misadventure was a trick of his Royal 
 Highness. In this state of mind the Captain, shaken 
 by his debauch, had almost collapsed before Mr 
 Sturge's demand that the ship should be put about 
 — or, as he expressed it, turned round — and navi- 
 gated to the nearest point of shore. 
 
 " If," said Mr Sturge, with a comprehensive wave 
 of the hand, " if along yon coast, in cove or bay or 
 any natural recess — call it how you will — there lurk 
 a bench of magistrates insensate enough, as you 
 believe, to uphold this violation of a British subject's 
 liberty, steer for them, sir ! I challenge you to steer 
 for them ! I can say no fairer than that. Select 
 what tribunal you please, sir, and I wiU demonstrate 
 before it that I and my companions, in spite of ap- 
 pearances, are no seamen. You are to understand 
 that by this disclaimer I cast no reflection upon even
 
 198 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 the humblest toiler of the deep. Nay, while myself 
 inept either to trim the sail or net the finny tribes, I 
 respect those hardy callings — no man more so. Only 
 I claim that my own profession exempts me from 
 this respectable but uncongenial service ; and that 
 in short, sir, by forcibly trepanning me, you have 
 rendered yourself liable to swingeing damages, be- 
 sides inviting public attention to the fact that you 
 were senselessly intoxicated last night." 
 
 This harangue, admirably delivered, took Captain 
 Crang between wind and water. It was in vain 
 he looked to his first officer for help. Mr Wapshott, 
 still swaying by the poop rail, lifted and wagged an 
 admonitory forefinger. 
 
 " No use y'rasking me," said Mr Wapshott. " / 
 didn't dine with the Duke." He paused and asked 
 with sudden inconsequent heartiness, " Well, and 
 how did you get along, you two ? " 
 
 " If only I could tell ! " murmured Captain Crang, 
 passing a hand over his brow. 
 
 " Not stuck-up, I hope ? Affable ? I'll bet any 
 man sixpence he was affable. Mind you, I don't 
 speak from 'xperience," went on Mr Wapshott, 
 more in sorrow than in anger. " / don't dine out 
 with Admirals of the Fleet. The Blood Royal don't 
 invite James Wapshott to take a cup of kindness yet 
 for auld lang syne, for auld lang syne, my dear, for 
 auld . . . You'll excuse me, sir, some little emotion ; 
 Robert Burns — Rabbie — affecting beggar, mor' 
 specially in his homelier passages. A ploughman, sir ; 
 and from Ayrshire, damme ! 
 
 " • Wee sleekit crimson-tippit beastie — ' "
 
 UP-CHANNEL 199 
 
 " Are you addressing me, sir ? " roared Captain 
 Crang. 
 
 " Norratall. Field-mouse. That "—Mr Wapshott 
 drew himself up — " thafs the 'stonishing thing about 
 it." 
 
 " Go to your cabin, sir," the Captain commanded ; 
 " and you, Mr What's-your-name, come below and 
 explain yourself." 
 
 Thus, not without dignity, he withdrew from the 
 field. But he was beaten ; and in his cabin a few 
 minutes later he capitulated. Mr Sturge having 
 been convinced that the ship could not be turned 
 around and headed back for Plymouth without 
 grave inconvenience, and perhaps detriment to his 
 Majesty's service, it was agreed that he and his com- 
 pany should be packed ashore immediately on reach- 
 ing Portsmouth. The question of compensation was 
 waived by consent ; though Captain Crang shrewdly 
 expressed his hope that, whatever steps Mr Sturge 
 might take after consulting a solicitor, his Royal 
 Highness would not be dragged into the affair. 
 
 In short, Mr Sturge reappeared on deck in high 
 spirits. He had bearded a British officer — and a 
 formidable one — in his den and had come off victori- 
 ous. He had secured his own liberty and his com- 
 rades', and (as reflection told him) a first-class adver- 
 tisement to boot. Altogether, he had done very 
 well indeed ; and Mr J ope, chastened by his own 
 narrow escape from a situation which at one moment 
 had promised to be serious, wisely left him all the 
 credit of this lucky turn of affairs. Mr J ope, who 
 ranked next to the Captain and First Officer on the
 
 200 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 ship's executive, and actually ruled her during their 
 indisposition, exacted no work from his prisoners ; 
 but was content to admire them from a distance — as, 
 indeed, did the rest of the crew — retiring from time 
 to time behind convenient shelters to hide their 
 indecorous mirth. During the afternoon it may be 
 said that Mr Sturge's troupe had the deck aft of the 
 forecastle to themselves. Being unacquainted with 
 naval usage, they roamed the poop indifferently 
 with the main deck, no man forbidding thom, while 
 Captain Crang and Mr Wapshott slumbered below ; 
 the one of set purpose, in the hope of recapturing 
 through the gates of horn, if not the complete data 
 of last night's imbroglio, at least sufficient for a 
 plausible defence ; the other under the influence of 
 sedatives administered by the Doctor. 
 
 " I should soon get used to this life, d'ye know ? " 
 announced Mr Sturge, approaching the Major with a 
 jaunty, almost extra-nautical step, and clapping him, 
 seaman fashion, on the shoulder. 
 
 It was the hour of sunset. The Vesuvius, bowling 
 along merrily, a bare three miles off Berry Head, had 
 opened the warm red-sandstone cliffs of Torbay ; 
 and the Major, leaning over the larboard bulwark, 
 gazed on the slowly-moving shore in gloomy abstrac- 
 tion. He had been less fortunate than Mr Sturge in 
 his encounter with the Captain, whom he had inter- 
 rupted in the act of retiring to slumber. 
 
 " One moment, sir," he had begun, confidently 
 enough. " The accomplished artiste to whose repre- 
 sentations you have been good enough to listen, has 
 told you — so far as he is concerned — the simple
 
 UP-CHANNEL 201 
 
 truth. To a certain extent I can corroborate him. 
 But I beg you to understand that he and I — if I may 
 employ a nautical phrase — are not in the same 
 boat." 
 
 " Who the devil may you be ? " Captain Crang 
 interposed. 
 
 " That, sir," answered the Major with dignity, " is 
 precisely what I propose to explain. By an accident 
 I find myself without a visiting card ; but my name, 
 sir, is Hymen — Major Hymen, sir — of the Troy 
 Volunteer Artillery (better known to you, perhaps, 
 as the Gallants), and Chief Magistrate of that ancient 
 and picturesque little borough." 
 
 Captain Crang stared at him for a moment with 
 lowered brows and jaw working as if it chewed the 
 cud of his wrath. 
 
 " Look here," he replied. " You're the funny 
 man of the troupe, I suppose ? Comic Irishman and 
 that sort of thing, hey ? " 
 
 " I assure you, sir — " 
 
 " And I assure yon, sir, that if you come the funny 
 dog over me, I'll have you up to the gratings in two 
 shakes of a duck's tail, and tickle your funny ribs 
 with three dozen of the best. Understand ? " The 
 Captain paused, trembling with rage. " Under- 
 stand, hey, you little barnstorming son of a 
 
 ? Made a mistake, have I ? Cut your capers 
 
 at my expense, would you, you little baldheaded 
 
 runt ! By if you puU another face at me, sir, 
 
 you shall caper off the yardarm, sir ; on a string, 
 sir ; high as Haman, sir ! I hope, sir," wound up 
 Captain Crang, recovering his calm, " that on this
 
 202 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 point, at any rate, I have left no room for misunder- 
 standing." 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 It will excite no wonder that Mr Sturge found the 
 Major somewhat irresponsive to his own jubilant 
 mood. 
 
 " I should soon get used to this life," he repeated. 
 " There's a spirit in it — a breeziness, I may call it — 
 
 which is positively infectious. You don't find it 
 
 „« ^ " 
 so : 
 
 " I do not," the Major confessed. 
 
 Mr Sturge pointed his toe and seemed about to 
 execute the first steps of a hornpipe, but checked 
 himself. 
 
 " Rough tongue, the Captain's ? " he queried. 
 
 The Major swallowed a lump in his throat but did 
 not answer. 
 
 " Hasty temper. Under the circumstances, we 
 may make some little excuse, perhaps." 
 
 " I prefer not to discuss it. The man has in- 
 sulted me." 
 
 " His bark is worse than his bite, I find," said Mr 
 Sturge complacently. " And, after all, the moment 
 you chose was not precisely opportune — was it, 
 now ? " 
 
 " I am not used, sir, to have my word doubted by 
 any man." 
 
 " Well, but — appearances considered — you pitched 
 it pretty strong, eh ? Local magnate, and that sort 
 of thing ... it did seem like taking advantage of 
 his condition."
 
 UP-CHANNEL 203 
 
 " Advantage ? Appearances ? What do you 
 mean, sir ? " 
 
 The Major turned resentfully, and at the same in- 
 stant recollected that he wore no wig. He blushed. 
 His hand went up to his scalp. 
 
 " Makes a difference," said Mr Sturge. " Allow 
 me." He drew from the breast of his shirt a small 
 pocket mirror. " I carry it always. Useful — tit- 
 tivate myself — in the wings." 
 
 " The wings ? " echoed the Major dully, taking 
 the glass. He gazed into it and started back with a 
 cr5\ 
 
 What an image was there confronting him ! Was 
 this the face of Troy's Chief Magistrate ? (forgive the 
 blank verse). Were these the features — was this the 
 aspect — from which virtue had so often derived its 
 encouragement and wrongdoing its reproof ? Was 
 this the figure the ladies of Troy had been wont 
 to follow with all but idolatrous gaze ? Nay, who 
 was this man — unshaven, unkempt, unbewigged, 
 smeared with mud from head to foot, and from scalp 
 to jaw with commingling bloodstains ? The Major 
 groaned incredulous, horrified ; gazed, shuddere^, 
 and groaned again. 
 
 " Mind you," said Mr Sturge reassuringly, " I'm 
 not calling the truth of your story into question for a 
 moment. But under the circumstances you'll allow 
 it was a trifle stiff." 
 
 " It is true to the last particular," insisted the 
 Major, recovering his dignity. 
 
 " But come, now ! Without a penny in your 
 pocket, or so much as a scrap of paper to identify
 
 204 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 you, you'll admit it was stiff ? Look here," he went 
 on with a change of tone, slipping his arm amicably 
 within the Major's, " I've an idea. Comrades in 
 adversity, you know, and all that sort of thing. I've 
 taken a liking to you, and can do you a good turn. 
 Drop that yarn of yours — ' yarn,' seafaring expres- 
 sion ; odd how one catches the colour, so to speak. 
 Drop that yarn of yours. You're one of us, under- 
 stand ? The Captain'U believe that ; indeed, he 
 believes it already — called you a damned low-comedy 
 man in my hearing. Very well ; soon as we anchor 
 off Spithead, he outs with a boat and lands us ashore. 
 I have his solemn promise. Leave me to square that 
 bos'n fellow — J ope, or whatever he calls himself — 
 and the job's as good as done." 
 
 " And do you seriously propose," interrupted the 
 Major, folding his arms, " that I should pass myself 
 off for a play-actor ? Never, sir ; never ! " 
 
 " Why not ? " asked Mr Sturge easily. 
 
 " I forbear, sir, to wound your feelings by explain- 
 ing why your suggestion is repugnant to me. Let it 
 suffice that I detest deceit, subterfuge, equivocation ; 
 or, if that suffice not, let me ask if you do not propose, 
 on reaching shore, to institute legal proceedings 
 against this petty tyrant ? " 
 
 " Probably." 
 
 " Why, then, and how much more reparation does 
 he not owe me, a Justice of the Peace ? Nay, sir, he 
 shall pay me damages for this kidnapping ; but he 
 has not stopped short there. He has used language 
 to me which can only be wiped out in blood. My 
 first business on stepping ashore will be to seek some-
 
 UP-CHANNEL 205 
 
 one through whom I can convey my demand for 
 satisfaction. With what face, think you, could I 
 present this cartel if my own behaviour had been 
 other than correct ? " 
 
 " You're not telling me you mean to fight him ? " 
 asked Mr Sturge, convinced by this time that he had 
 to deal with a lunatic. 
 
 " Pardon me." The Major bowed with grave 
 irony. " This conversation, sir, was of your seeking. 
 I have paid you, it appears, too high a compliment 
 in assuming that you would understand what follows 
 when a gentleman is called the son of a ! " 
 
 Mr Sturge shrugged his shoulders and walked for- 
 ward to seek Ben J ope, whom he found by the fore- 
 castle hatchway engaged in slicing a quid of black 
 tobacco. 
 
 " You'll excuse me," he asked, " but that rum 
 little man who calls himself Hymen — where did he 
 escape from ? " 
 
 " Escape ! " Ben J ope sprang to his feet, but 
 catching sight of the Major, who had resumed his 
 pensive attitude by the bulwarks, sat down again 
 heavily. " Lord, but you frightened me ! That 
 Hymen don't escape ; not if I know it. He's the 
 apple of my eye, or becoming so. Now I tell you," 
 said Mr J ope, beginning to slice again at his tobacco, 
 then pausing to look up with engaging frankness ; 
 " you took my fancy terrible for a few minutes ; 
 but, come to see you by daylight, you're too 
 pink." 
 
 Mr Sturge might have pressed for an explanation ; 
 but at this juncture the first lieutenant of H.M.S.
 
 206 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Poseidon came forward, still with his painted scowl, 
 and demanded to know, since the Vesuvius could not 
 reach Portsmouth for many hours, when supper 
 would be served, and what bedroom accommodation 
 she provided.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 FAREWELL TO ALBION ! 
 
 SHORTLY after noon next day, the v 'nd still 
 holding from the N.N.W., though gradually 
 falling light, the Vesuvius dropped anchor off Spit- 
 head, and Captain Crang at once ordered a boat's 
 crew to convey the captives ashore. 
 
 The Major waved farewell to them from the deck. 
 Though once again approached by Mr Sturge, he had 
 repelled all persuasions. In his breast there welled 
 up an increasing bitterness against his fate, but on 
 the point of dignity he could not be shaken. He 
 would, on the first fit occasion, have Captain Crang's 
 blood ; but he was obdurate, though it cost him 
 liberty for a while and compelled him to disgusting 
 hardship, to stand on the strictest terms of quarrel. 
 
 He turned to find the boatswain at his elbow, eye- 
 ing him with sympathy and even a touch of respect. 
 
 " You done well," said Mr Jope. " You don't 
 look it, but you done well, and I'll see you don't get 
 put upon." 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 The Vesuvius' s destination, as the Major learnt, 
 was to join a squadron watching the Gallo-Batavian 
 flotilla off the ports of Boulogne, Ambleteuse and 
 Calais ; and the occasion of her dropping anchor off 
 
 207
 
 208 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Portsmouth on the way was a special and somewhat 
 singular one ; yet no more singular than the crisis 
 with which Great Britain had then to cope. 
 
 Behind the sandhills from Ostcnd around to 
 Etaples lay a French army of 130,000 men, ready to 
 invade us if for a few hours it could catch our fleets 
 napping. To transport them Napoleon had col- 
 lected in the ports of Ostend, Dunkirk, Calais, Amble- 
 teuse, ^''imereux, Boulogne and Etaples, 954 trans- 
 ports and 1339 armed vessels — gun-brigs, schooners, 
 luggers, schuyts and prames ; and all these light 
 vessels lay snug in their harbours, protected by 
 shoals and sandbanks which our heavier ships of war, 
 by reason of their draught, could not approach. 
 
 In particular, a double tier of vessels — one hundred 
 and fifty in all — which were moored outside the pier 
 of Boulogne, and protected by heavy shore bat- 
 teries, excited while it baulked the rage of our gallant 
 seamen manoeuvring in the deep waters of the 
 Channel. 
 
 Strange diseases suggest strange remedies. Our 
 Admiralty, in the spring of the year, had been ap- 
 proached by an ingenious gentleman with the model 
 of an invention by which he professed himself able 
 to reach these hundred and fifty ships in Boulogne 
 and blow them in air without loss or even danger to 
 our fleet. This machine consisted of a box, about 
 twenty feet long by three feet wide, lined with lead, 
 caulked, tarred, ballasted and laden almost to the 
 water's edge with barrels of powder and other com- 
 bustibles. In the midst of the inflammable matter 
 was placed a clockwork mechanism which, on the
 
 FAREWELL TO ALBION! 209 
 
 withdrawal of a peg, would in a fixed time (within 
 some ten minutes or thereabouts) ignite and explode 
 the vessel. 
 
 A dozen of these engines, claimed the inventor, if 
 towed within range and released, to be swept down 
 upon Boulogne pier by the tide, would within a few 
 minutes shatter and dispel the nightmare of invasion. 
 
 The Admiralty sanctioned the experiment, news 
 of which had awakened some interest not unmixed 
 with derision throughout the British Fleet ; and the 
 business which called the Vesuvhis to Portsmouth 
 was to take on board the first of these catamarans 
 (as our sailors called them) and convey it across to 
 the squadron watching Boulogne. 
 
 On the morning after the Vesuvius' s arrival, two 
 dockyard boats arrived with the hull of the machine 
 in tow — it resembled nothing so much as a mahogany 
 coifin — and attached her to the Vesuvius's stem by a 
 kind of shoreline. This done, the ofiicer in charge 
 presented himself on board with the clockwork under 
 his arm, and in his hand a letter for Captain Crang, 
 the first result of which was an order to dress ship. 
 Within half an hour the Vesuvius'' s crew had adorned 
 her from bowsprit to trucks and from trucks to stern 
 with bunting, as if for a Birthday ; though, as Mr 
 Jope observed, with aglance at the catamaran astern, 
 the preparations pointed rather to a funeral. Mr 
 Jope, as third ofiicer of the ship, betrayed some sore- 
 ness that his two superiors had not taken him into 
 their confidence. 
 
 At eleven o'clock Captain Crang and Mr Wapshott 
 appeared on the poop in full uniform, and a further
 
 210 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 order was issued to load the guns blank for a 
 salute. 
 
 Hitherto the Major had been but an idler about 
 deck ; but finding the crew of a gun short-handed, he 
 volunteered his services, and was immersed in the 
 business of loading when a hand clapped him on the 
 shoulder. Turning, he confronted the boatswain. 
 
 " And you go for to pretend for to tell me," said 
 Mr J ope reproachfully, " that you're a amachoor ! " 
 
 The Major was about to explain that as an officer 
 of artillery he understood the working of a gun, when 
 a loud banging from the town drew all eyes shore- 
 ward ; and presently Captain Crang, who had been 
 gazing in that direction through his glass, called to 
 Mr Wapshott, who in turn shouted an order to man 
 the yards. 
 
 As this w^as an order which the Major neither 
 understood nor, had he understood it, could comply 
 with, he remained on deck while the sailors swarmed 
 aloft and disposed themselves in attitudes the mere 
 sight of which turned him giddy, so wantonly pre- 
 carious they seemed. 
 
 The strains of the National Anthem from a distant 
 key-bugle drew his eyes shoreward again, and be- 
 tween the moored ships he descried a white-painted 
 gig approaching, manned by twenty oars and carry- 
 ing an enormous flag on a staff astern — the Royal 
 Standard of England. 
 
 Not until the gig, fetching a long sweep, had made 
 a half-circuit of the Vcsuviiis and fallen alongside her 
 accommodation-ladder did the Major comprehend. 
 Captain Crang, with Mr Wapshott behind him, had
 
 FAREWELL TO ALBION! 211 
 
 stepped down the ladder and stood at the foot of it 
 reverently lifting his cocked hat. 
 
 That rotund, star-bedecked figure in the stern 
 sheet, beside the Port Admiral — that classic but full- 
 blooded face crouTied with a chestnut wig. . . . 
 Who could it be if not his Royal Highness the Prince 
 Regent ? 
 
 Yes, it was he. Had not our Major scanned those 
 features often enough — in his own mirror ? 
 
 The Port Admiral was inviting Captain Crang to 
 step into the gig. The Prince nodded a careless, 
 haughty assent, shrinking a little, however, as Mr 
 Wapshott passed down the clockwork of the cata- 
 maran for his royal inspection. Recovering him- 
 self, he glanced at it perfunctorily and nodded to the 
 sailors to give way and pull towards the hull of the 
 infernal machine. 
 
 The curiosity which had brought him down to 
 Portsmouth to inspect it seemed, however, to have 
 evaporated. The gig fell alongside the coffin-like 
 log, and the Port Admiral, having taken the clock- 
 work out of Captain Crang's hand, had launched into 
 an explanation of its working when the Prince signi- 
 fied hurriedly that he had seen as much as he desired. 
 Back to the ship the gig drifted on the tide, and 
 Captain Crang, dismissed with a curt nod, stepped 
 on to the ladder again, turned, and saluted pro- 
 foundly. 
 
 As he did so. the Major, erect above the bulwarks, 
 found speech. 
 
 " Your Royal Highness ! " he cried. " Nay, but 
 pardon me, your Royal Highness ! If I may crave
 
 212 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 the favour — explanation — a prisoner, unjustly de- 
 tained — " 
 
 The Prince Regent lifted his eyes lazily as the bow- 
 man thrust off. 
 
 " What a dam funny-looking little man ! " said 
 he, nudging the Port Admiral, who had risen and was 
 calling out the order to give way for shore. 
 
 " But, your Royal Highness ! — " 
 
 The Major raised himself on tiptoe with arms out- 
 stretched after the receding boat. On the instant 
 the ship shook under him as with an earthquake, and 
 drowned his voice in the thunders of a royal salute. 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 " The Emperor Jovinian, Mr Jope — " 
 
 " Who was '^ ? " Mr Jope interrupted. 
 
 Two days had passed, and the better part of a 
 third. They seemed as many years to our hero as, 
 seated on the carriage of one of the Vesuvius's star- 
 board guns in company with the boatswain and Bill 
 Adams, he watched tlirough its open port the many 
 twinkling smiles of the sea, and, scarce two leagues 
 away, the coast of France golden against the sunset. 
 
 " I am not precisely aware when he flourished," 
 said the Major, " but will make a point of inquiring 
 when I return home. To tell you the truth, I heard 
 the story in church, in a sermon of our worthy Vicar's, 
 little dreaming under what circumstances I should 
 recall it as applicable to my own lot." 
 
 " If it's out of a sermon," said Mr Jope, " you may 
 fire ahead. But if, as you say, the man was taken 
 for someone else, I thought it would be clearer to 
 start by knowing who he was.''
 
 FAREWELL TO ALBION! 213 
 
 " It happened in this way. The Emperor Jovinian 
 one sultry afternoon was hunting — " 
 
 " What— foxes ? " 
 
 " Keep quiet," put in Mr Adams. " When he's 
 telling you it happened in a sermon ! " 
 
 " In the ardour of the chase he had left his retinue 
 far behind ; and finding himself by the shore of a 
 lake, he alighted and refreshed himself with a swim 
 in its cool waters. While he thus disported himself, 
 a beggar stole his horse and his clothes." 
 
 Mr J ope smote his leg. " Now I call that a thunder- 
 ing good yarn ! Short, sharp, and to the point." 
 
 " But you haven't heard the end." 
 
 " Eh ? Is there more of it ? " 
 
 " Certainly. The Emperor, discovering the theft, 
 was forced to creep naked and ashamed to the nearest 
 castle." 
 
 " What was he ashamed of ? " 
 
 " Why, of being naked." 
 
 " I see. Damme, it fits in like a puzzle ! " 
 
 " But at the castle, sad to say, no one recognised 
 the proud Jovinian. ' Avaunt ! ' said the porter, 
 and threatened to have him whipped for his im- 
 pudence. This distressing experience caused the 
 Emperor to reflect on the vanity of human pre- 
 tensions, seeing that he, of whom the world stood in 
 awe, had, with the loss of a few clothes, forfeited the 
 respect of a slave." 
 
 " I see," repeated Mr Jope, as the narrator paused. 
 " What became of the beggar ? " 
 
 " I knew a worse case than that, even," said Bill 
 Adams, turning his quid meditatively. " It hap-
 
 214 THE MAYOR OF TJU)V 
 
 pened to a Bristol man, once a shipmate of mine ; by 
 name Zekiel Philips, and not at all incUned to stout- 
 ness when I knew him." 
 " Why should he be ? " 
 
 " You wait. His wife kept a slop-shop at Bristol, 
 near the foot of Christmas Stairs — if you know where 
 that is ? " 
 
 The Major, thus challenged, shook his head. 
 "Ah, well ; you'll have heard of 0-why-hee, any- 
 way — where they barbecued Captain Cook ? And 
 likewise of Captain Bligh of the Bounty — Breadfruit 
 Bligh, as they call him to this day ? Well, Bligh, as 
 you know, took the Bounty out to the Islands under 
 Government orders to collect breadfruit, the notion 
 being that it could be planted in the West Indies and 
 grown at a profit. When he came to grief and 
 Government looked like dropping the job, a party of 
 Bristol merchants took the matter up, having in- 
 terests of their own in the West Indies, and fitted out 
 a vessel — a brig she was, as I remember — called the 
 Perseverance. Whereby this here friend o' mine, 
 Zekiel Philips by name, shipped aboard of her. 
 Whereby they made a good passage and anchored off 
 one of the islands — Otaheety or not, I won't say — 
 and took aboard a cargo, being, as they supposed, 
 ord'nary breadfruit ; and stood away east-by-south 
 for the Horn, meaning to work uj) to Kingston, 
 Jamaica. But this particular breadfruit was of a 
 fattening natur', whether eaten or, as you may say, 
 ab-sorbed into the system through a part of it getting 
 down to the bilge and fermenting, and the gas of it 
 working up through the vessel. Whereby, the
 
 FAREWELL TO ALBIO]\ ! 215 
 
 breeze holding steady and no sail to trim for some 
 days, the crew took it easy below, with naught to 
 warn 'em, unless, maybe, 'twas a tight'ning o' the 
 buttons. Whereby on the fifth day they ran a-foul 
 of a cyclone ; and the cry being for all hands on deck, 
 half a dozen stuck in the hatchway and had to be 
 sawed loose. Whereby, in the meantime, she carried 
 away her mainm'st, and the wreckage knocked a 
 hole in her starboard quarter. Likewise, her stern- 
 post being rotten, she lost a pintle, and the helm 
 began to look fifty ways for Sunday. All o' which 
 caused the skipper to lay to, fix up a jury rudder and 
 run up for the nearest island to caulk and repair. 
 But meantime, and before he sighted land, this un- 
 fortunate crew kept puttin' on flesh — and the cause 
 of it hid from them all the time — till there wasn't on 
 the ship a pair of small-clothes but had refused duty. 
 Whereby, coming to the island in question, they 
 went ashore, every man Jack in loin-cloths cut out 
 o' the stun-s'le, and the rest of 'em as bare as the 
 back of my hand. Whereby their appearance ex- 
 cited the natives to such a degree, being superstitious, 
 they was set upon and eaten to a man. The moral 
 bein'," concluded Mr Adams, " that a man may be 
 brought low by bein' puffed out." 
 
 " Ay," said Mr Jope after a pause. " I never had 
 no great acquaintance with poetry, but I bought a 
 a pocket-handkercher once with a verse on it : 
 
 " ' Ri fal de ral diddle, ri fal de ral dee, 
 
 What ups and downs in the world there be ! ' 
 
 And I don't believe you could blow your nose, how- 
 ever well eddicated, in a truer."
 
 216 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 The Major sighed. He was a high-spirited man, 
 as the reader knows, and I beheve that, but for one 
 cruel memory, he might have found a real enjoyment 
 in the humour of the situation. Thanks to Mr J ope 
 and Mr Adams„ who had taken a genuine fancy to 
 him, he found life on board the Vestwtus cheerful if 
 not comfortable. The fare was Spartan, indeed, but, 
 for a short holiday, tolerable. The prospect of see- 
 ing some real fighting excited him pleasurably, for he 
 was no coward. Here, before his eyes, lay the coast 
 of France ; the actual forts and guns with which his 
 imagination had so often played. What a tale he 
 would have to tell on his return ! And, by the way, 
 how his poor Trojans must be suffering in his absence, 
 without news of him ! He pictured that return. . . . 
 Yes, indeed, it was at the expense of Troy that 
 Fortune had conceived this practical joke. He 
 could even smile, as yet, at the thought of the 
 Baskets' dismay as they searched the house for him. 
 He wondered if Mr Basket had forwarded his letter 
 to Miss Marty, at the same time announcing his 
 disappearance. Well, well, he would dry her 
 tears. . . . 
 
 But upon this came the recollection of those cruel 
 words : 
 
 " What a dam funny-looking little man ! " 
 
 He might — he assuredly would — keep them a 
 secret in his own breast. But they echoed there. 
 
 His vanity was robust. Again and again it as- 
 serted its health in his day-dreams, expelling, or all 
 but expelling, that poisonous memory. Only at 
 night, in his hammock, it awoke again — sinister.
 
 FAREWELL TO ALBION ! 217 
 
 premonitory. But as yet the man continued cheer- 
 fully incredulous. Fate was playing, less on him 
 than through him, a rare practical joke — no 
 more. 
 
 On the eighth of June, at about nine o'clock in the 
 evening, it occurred to Admiral Lord Keith that the 
 wind and weather afforded an excellent opportunity 
 of testing the Vesuvius' s far-famed catamaran against 
 the shipping moored off Boulogne pier. He sig- 
 nalled accordingly ; and at nine-thirty, under the 
 eyes of the squadron, a boat from the bomb-ship 
 started to tow the infernal machine towards the 
 harbour. By leave of Bill Adams, commanding, 
 our Major made one of the crew of twelve. 
 
 In less than a quarter of an hour their approach 
 was signalled by the enemy's vedettes to the forts 
 ashore, which promptly opened fire. Mr Adams, hav- 
 ing towed the catamaran within its proper range, with 
 his own hand pulled the plug releasing the clockwork, 
 and gave the order to cast off, leaving wind and tide 
 to do the rest ; which they doubtless would have 
 done had not a gun from one of the French batteries 
 plumped a shot accurately into the catamaran. 
 
 The catamaran exploded \\dth a terrific report, 
 and the wave of the explosion caught the retreating 
 boat, lifted her seven feet, capsized, and brought her 
 accurately down, bottom upwards. 
 
 A score of boats put out to the rescue, picked up 
 the exhausted swimmers, and attempted to right and 
 recover the boat, but abandoned this attempt on the 
 approach of an overwhelming force of French.
 
 218 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 These, coming up, seized on the boat and gallantly, 
 under a short-dropping fire from our squadron, pro- 
 ceeded to right their prize ; and, righting her, dis- 
 covered Major Hymen, clinging to a thwart, trapped 
 as an earwig is trapped beneath an inverted flower- 
 pot.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 MISSING ! 
 
 MISS MARTY had just finished watering her 
 sweet peas and mignonette ; had inspected 
 each of the four standard roses beside the front gate 
 in search of green-fly ; had caught a snail sallying 
 forth to dine late upon her larkspurs, and called to 
 Cai Tamblyn to destroy it ; had, in short, performed 
 all her ritual for the cool of the day ; and was re- 
 moving her gardening gloves when a vehement 
 knocking agitated the front door, and Scipio hurried 
 to announce that a caUer — a Mr Basket — desired to 
 see her on important business. 
 
 " Mr Basket ? " she echoed apprehensively, and 
 made at once for the parlour, where she found her 
 visitor mopping his brow. Despite the heat, he was 
 pale. In his left hand he held a letter. 
 
 " You will pardon me," he began in a flutter. " Am 
 I addressing Miss Martha Hymen ? " 
 
 " You are, sir." Miss Marty clasped her hands in 
 alarm at his demeanour. "Oh, tell me what has 
 happened ! " 
 
 " All the way from Plymouth on purpose," an- 
 swered Mr Basket. " Most mysterious occurrence 
 
 . . . ate a good dinner and retired to his room ap- 
 
 219
 
 220 THE MAYOR OF TEOY 
 
 parently in the best of health and spirits On our 
 return from the theatre he was gone." 
 
 " Gone ? " 
 
 " Disappeared, vanished ! We searched the 
 house. His watch and pocket-book lay on the bed, 
 together with a certain amount of loose change. His 
 wig, too . . . you were aware ? " 
 
 " I have gone so far as to suspect it. But what 
 dreadful news is this ? Disappeared ? Leaving no 
 clue ? " 
 
 " We are in hopes, my wife and I, that this may 
 afford a clue. A letter, and addressed to you ; it lay 
 upon his writing-table. We did not feel ourselves at 
 liberty to break the seal. I trust — I sincerely trust 
 — it may put a period to our suspense." 
 
 Miss Marty took the letter, glanced at the address 
 and tore the paper open with trembling hands. She 
 perused the first few sentences with a puckered, 
 puzzled brow ; then of a sudden her eyes grew wide 
 and round. Despite herself she uttered a little gasp- 
 ing cry. 
 
 " It contains a clue at least ? " asked Mr Basket, 
 who had been watching her face an.xiously. " Dear 
 lady, what does he say ? " 
 
 " Nun— nothing," Miss Marty caught at the back 
 of a Chippendale chair for support. 
 
 " Nothing ? " echoed Mr Basket blankly. 
 
 " Nothing— That is to say I can't tell you. Oh, 
 this is horrible ! " 
 
 " But pardon me," Mr Basket insisted. " After 
 travelling all the way from Plymouth ! " 
 
 " I can't possibly tell you," she repeated.
 
 MISSING ! 221 
 
 " But, madam, consider my responsibility ! I 
 must really ask you to consider my responsibility." 
 
 " If I could only realise it ! Oh, give me time, sir ! " 
 
 " Certainly, certainly ; by all means take your 
 time. Nevertheless, when you consider my distress 
 of mind, I appeal to you, madam, to be merciful and 
 relieve it. After travelling all this distance in the 
 dark—" 
 
 " In the dark ? " queried Miss Marty, with a 
 glance at the window. 
 
 " Tormented by a thousand speculations. In my 
 house, too ! In good health, and apparently the 
 best of spirits ; and then without a word, like the 
 snuff of a candle ! " 
 
 " His brain must be affected," Miss Marty mur- 
 mured, gazing at the letter again. The handwriting 
 swam before her. " Excuse me, sir, I will not de- 
 tain you a minute." 
 
 She ran from the room and upstairs to her room, 
 her knees shaking beneath her. Heaven grant that 
 the Doctor was at home ! She agitated her window- 
 blind violently and drew it down to the third pane. 
 " You are wanted — urgent," was the message it 
 conveyed. 
 
 Yes, he was at home. " I come, instantly," an- 
 swered her lover's window ; and in less than a 
 minute, to her infinite relief, the Doctor emerged 
 from his front doorway and came bustling up the 
 street almost at a trot. 
 
 She ran down and admitted him. In her face he 
 read instantly that something serious had happened ; 
 something serious if not catastrophical : but with
 
 222 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 finger on lip she enjoined silence and led the way to 
 the parlour. 
 
 " This gentleman has just arrived from Plymouth, 
 with serious news of the Major." 
 " Serious ? He is not ill, I trust ? " 
 " Worse," said Mr Basket. 
 
 *' But first," interposed Miss Marty, " you must 
 read this letter. Yes, yes ! "—blushing hotly, she 
 thrust it into the Doctor's unresisting hands — " you 
 have the right. Forgive me if I seem indecorous : 
 but in such a situation you only can help me." 
 
 " Eh ? Oh, certainly— h'm, h'm !— " The doctor 
 adjusted his glasses and began to read in a low mumbl- 
 ing voice. By-and-by he paused, then slowly looked 
 up with pained, incredulous eyes. 
 
 " This is some horrible dream ! " he groaned and, 
 feeling his way to the Major's arm-chair, sank into it 
 heavily. 
 
 " He swoons ! " exclaimed Miss Marty. " One 
 moment — a glassful of the Fra Angelico ! " 
 
 She ran to the cupboard, fouhd decanter and 
 glasses, poured out a dose and came hurrying back 
 with it. He declined it, waving Iier off with a feeble 
 motion of the hand. 
 She appealed to Mr Basket. " Will you, sir ? " 
 Mr Basket confessed afterwards that for the 
 moment, excusably perhaps, he lost his presence of 
 mind. She had motioned to him to administer the 
 dose. He misunderstood. Taking the glass dis- 
 tractedly, he drained it to the dregs, clapped a hand 
 to his windpipe, and collapsed, sputtering, in a chair 
 facing the Doctor.
 
 MISSING! 223 
 
 " Oh, what have I done ? " wailed Miss Marty. 
 
 " He deserved it ! " 
 
 The Doctor pulled himself together, stood erect, 
 and, lurching forward, gripped Mr Basket by the 
 shoulder. 
 
 " Sir, this lady is my affianced wife ! " 
 
 " Would you — mind — tapping me in the back ? " 
 pleaded Mr Basket, between the catches of his breath. 
 
 " Not at all, sir." The Doctor complied. " As I 
 was saying, this lady is my afhanced wife. Though 
 Major Hymen were ten thousand times my friend — 
 by placing both hands on your stomach and bending 
 forward a little you will find yourself relieved — 
 though Major Hymen were ten thousand times my 
 friend, it should be over my prostrate body, sir ; and 
 so you may go back and tell him ! " 
 
 " But I can't find him ! " almost screamed Mr 
 Basket. 
 
 " He has disappeared ! " quavered Miss Marty. 
 
 " It's the best thing he could do ! " Dr Hansom- 
 body folded his arms and looked at Mr Basket with 
 fierce decision. " Disappeared ? Where ? " 
 
 They answered him in agitated duetto. " Where 
 indeed ? " The Major had vanished, dissolved out 
 of mortal ken, melted (one might say) into thin air. 
 " If one may quote the Bard, sir, in this connection " 
 — Mr Basket wound up his recital — " like an insub- 
 stantial pageant faded he has left not a rack behind ; 
 that is to say, unless the letter in your hands may be 
 considered as answering that description." 
 
 " There's only one explanation," the Doctor de- 
 clared. " The man must be mad."
 
 224 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Mr Basket considered this for a moment and shook 
 his head. " We left him, sir, in the completest pos- 
 session of his faculties. In all my long acquaintance 
 with him I never detected the smallest symptom of 
 mental aberration ; and last night — good God ! to 
 think that this happened no longer ago than last 
 night ! " — Mr Basket passed a hand over his brow — 
 " Last night, sir, I recognised with delight the same 
 shrewd judgment, the same masculine intellect, the 
 same large outlook on men and affairs, the same self- 
 confidence and self-respect — in short, sir, all the 
 qualities for which I ever admired my old friend." 
 
 " Nevertheless," the Doctor insisted, " he must 
 have been mad when he penned this letter." 
 
 " Of the contents of which, let me remind you, I 
 am still ignorant." 
 
 The Doctor glanced at Miss Marty, then handed 
 the letter to Mr Basket with a bow. " You have a 
 right to peruse it, sir. You will see, however, that 
 its contents are of a strictly private nature, and will 
 respect this lady's confidence." 
 
 " Certainly, certainly." Mr Basket drew out his 
 spectacles, and, receiving Miss Marty's permission, 
 seated himself at the table, spread out the letter and 
 slowly read it through. " Most extraordinary ! 
 Most extraordinary ! But you'll excuse my saying 
 that while, rnfortunately, it affords no clue, this 
 seems to me as far as possible removed from the com- 
 position of a madman." He gazed almost gallantly 
 over his spectacles at Miss Marty, who coloured. " In 
 any case," he went on, folding up the letter and re- 
 turning it, " the man must be found. I understand,
 
 MISSING ! 225 
 
 madam, that you are a relative of his ? Has he any 
 others with whom we can communicate ? " 
 
 " So far as I know, sir, none." 
 
 " I have a chaise awaiting me on the other side of 
 the ferry. With all respect, dear madam, I suggest 
 it ; I am sorry indeed to put you to inconvenience — " 
 
 " You propose that Miss Marty, here, should ac- 
 company you back to Plymouth ? " 
 
 " That was the suggestion in my mind. And you, 
 too, sir — that is, if you can make it square with your 
 engagements. Mrs Basket will be happy to extend 
 her hospitality. . . . Two heads are better than 
 one, sir. We will prosecute our investigations to- 
 gether . . . with the help of the constabulary, of 
 course. We should communicate with the con- 
 stabulary, or our position may eventually prove an 
 awkward one." 
 
 " Yes, 3^es ; the man having disappeared from 
 your house." 
 
 " Quite so. Apart from that, I see no immediate 
 necessity for making the matter public ; but am 
 willing to defer to your judgment." 
 
 " That is a question we had better leave until we 
 have seen the Chief Constable at Plymouth. To 
 publish the news here and now in Troy would cause 
 an infinite alarm, possibly an idle one. By the time 
 we reach Plymouth our friend may have reappeared, 
 or at least disclosed his whereabouts." 
 
 Alas ! at Plymouth, where they arrived late that 
 night, no news of the missing one awaited them. 
 Mrs Basket, her face white as a sheet, her ample body
 
 226 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 swathed in a red flannel dressing-gown, herself opened 
 the door to the travellers as soon as the chaise drew 
 up. For hours she had been expecting it, listening 
 for the sound of wheels. Almost before the intro- 
 ductions were over she announced with tears that 
 she had nothing to tell. 
 
 For a while she turned her thoughts perforce from 
 the disaster to the business of making ready the bed- 
 rooms for her guests and preparing a light supper. 
 But the meal had not been in progress five minutes, 
 before, in the act of loading Miss Marty's plate, she 
 sat back with a gasp. 
 
 " Oh, and I was forgetting ! Misfortunes, they 
 say, never come singly, and — would you believe it, 
 my dear ? — as I was walking in the garden this 
 afternoon, thinking to calm my poor brain, I hap- 
 pened to look at the fish-pond and what do I see 
 there but two of the gold-fish floating with their 
 chests uppermost ! " 
 
 " Chests, madam ? " queried Dr Hansombody. 
 
 But sharp as his query was came a cry from Mr 
 Basket. " The fish-pond ? " He thrust back his 
 chair, a terrible surmise dawning in his eyes. " And 
 the fish, you say, floating — " 
 
 " Chest uppermost," repeated Mrs Basket, " and 
 dead as dead." 
 
 " She means, on their backs," her husband ex- 
 plained parenthetically ; " a fashion de parlour, as 
 the French would say. Did you examine the pond ? 
 Heavens, Maria ! did you examine the pond ? " 
 
 " Elihu, you make my flesh creep ! Why should 
 I examine the pond ? You don't mean to tell me — "
 
 MISSING ! 227 
 
 " My shrimping-net ! Don't sit shivering there, 
 Maria, but bring me my shrimping-net ! And a 
 lantern ! " Mr Basket caught up a Sheffield-plated 
 candle-sconce from the table, motioned the Doctor 
 to fetch along its fellow, and led the way out to the 
 front garden. 
 
 The night outside was windless, but dark as the 
 inside of a hat. 
 
 Their candles drew a dewy glimmer from the con- 
 gregated statuary : apparitions so ghostly that the 
 Doctor scarcely repressed a cry of terror. Mr 
 Basket advanced to the pond and set down his light 
 on the brink. 
 
 " A foot deep . . . only a foot deep," he mur- 
 mured. " It could not possibly cover him." 
 
 The two goldfish floated as Mrs Basket had de- 
 scribed them. Mr Basket, taking the shrimping-net 
 from his wiie, who shrank back at once into darkness, 
 plunged it beneath the water, deep into the mud. 
 Dr Hansombody held a sconce aloft to guide him. 
 The two ladies cowered behind a pedestal supporting 
 the Famese Hercules. 
 
 For a while nothing was heard in the garden but 
 the splash of water as Mr Basket plunged his net 
 again and again and drew it forth dripping. Each 
 time as he drew it to shore, he emptied the mud on 
 the brink and bent over it, the Doctor holding a 
 candle close to assist the inspection. 
 
 As he emptied his net for maybe the twentieth 
 time, something jingled on the pebbles. Mr Basket 
 stooped swiftly, plunged his hand in the slime, and 
 held it up to the light.
 
 228 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Eh ? " said the Doctor, peering close. " What ? 
 A latchkey ? " 
 
 " My duplicate latchkey ! " In spite of the 
 heat engendered by his efforts, Mr Basket's teeth 
 chattered. " My wife gave it to him the last 
 thing." 
 
 He turned and drove his net beneath the dark 
 water with redoubled energy. The very next haul 
 brought to shore an even more convincing piece of 
 evidence — a silver snuff-box. 
 
 It was the Major's. Mr Basket had seen his 
 friend use it a thousand times ; and called Miss 
 Marty forward to identify it. Yes, undeniably it 
 was the Major's snuff-box, engraved with " S.H.," his 
 initials, in entwined italics. 
 
 The two male searchers, regardless of their small- 
 clothes, now plunged knee-deep into the pond. For 
 an hour they searched it ; searched it from end to 
 end ; searched it twice over. 
 
 No further discovery rewarded them. 
 
 Here was evidence — tangible evidence. Yet of 
 what ? The Major had visited the pond during his 
 hosts' absence at the theatre, and had dropped these 
 two articles into it. How, if accidentally ? If pur- 
 posely, why ? The mystery had become a deeper 
 mystery. 
 
 A little after midnight the search was abandoned. 
 Mrs Basket administered hot brandy-and-water to 
 the two gentlemen, and the household retired to rest 
 — but not to sleep. 
 
 At breakfast next morning, before seeking the 
 Chief Constable, Mr Basket and the Doctor com-
 
 MISSING ! 229 
 
 pared notes. Each owned himself more puzzled 
 than ever. 
 
 As it turned out, their discoveries led them straight 
 away from the true explanation. The Chief Con- 
 stable, when they interviewed him, was disposed for 
 a brief while to suspect the press-gang. There had, 
 in fact, on the night before last, been a " hot press," 
 as it was called. At least a score of bodies of the 
 Royal Marines, in parties of twelve and fourteen, each 
 accompanied by a marine and a naval officer, had 
 boarded the colliers off the new quay, the ships in 
 Cattewater and the Pool, and had swept the streets 
 and gin-shops. A gang of seamen, too, had entered 
 the theatre and cleared the whole gallery except the 
 women ; had even descended upon the stage and 
 carried off practically the whole company of actors, 
 including the famous Mr Sturge. (This Mr Basket 
 could confirm.) The whole town was in a ferment. 
 He had already received at least seventy visits from 
 inquirers after missing relatives. 
 
 But the discoveries in the fish-pond led him clean 
 off the scent. No press-gang would enter a private 
 house or a private garden such as Mr Basket's. Even 
 supposing that their friend had fallen a victim to the 
 press while walking the streets, they must admit it to 
 be inconceivable that he should return and cast a 
 latchkey and a snuff-box into Mr Basket's fish-pond. 
 
 " Cui bono ? " asked the Chief Constable. 
 
 " I beg your pardon ? " said Mr Basket. 
 
 " Well, in other words, what do you suggest he 
 did it for ? It's an expression we use in these 
 cases."
 
 230 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 The Doctor granted the force of the Chief Con- 
 stable's reasoning, but suggested that there could be 
 no harm in rowing round the Fleet and making in- 
 quiries. 
 
 j. The Chief Constable^ answered again that tlie 
 squadron — it was no more than a squadron — had 
 taken precious good care to time the press for the eve 
 of sailing ; had in fact weighed anchor in the small 
 hours of the morning, and by this time had probably 
 joined Admiral Cornwallis's fleet off Brest. 
 
 What was to be done ? 
 
 " In my belief," said the Chief Constable, " it's a 
 case of foul play. Mind, I'm not accusing anyone," 
 he went on ; " but this person disappeared from 
 your house, Mr Basket, and in your place I'd put 
 myself right with the public by getting out a hand- 
 bill at once." 
 
 This dreadful possibility of coming under public 
 suspicion had never occurred to Mr Basket. He 
 begged to be supplied at once with pen, ink and 
 paper. 
 
 " ' Lost, stolen or strayed ' — is that how you 
 begin ? " 
 
 " If you ask me," said the Chief Constable, " I'd 
 put him down as ' Missing.' It's more usual." 
 
 •' ' Missing,' then. ' On the night of May 2nd—' " 
 
 " From your house." 
 
 " Must that go in ? " Mr Basket pleaded. 
 
 " If you want to put yourself right with the 
 public." 
 
 " Yes, yes — ' from The Retreat, East Hoe, the 
 residence of E. Basket, Esq., on the night of May 2nd,
 
 MISSING ! 231 
 
 between the hours of 7 and 11 p.m., a Gentleman — ' " 
 Mr Basket paused. 
 
 " We must describe him," said the Doctor. 
 
 " I am coming to that. ' A Gentleman, answering 
 to the name of Hymen — ' " 
 
 " Why ' answering ' ? " 
 
 Mr Basket ran his pen through the word. " The 
 fact is," he explained, " I've only written out a thing 
 of this sort once before in my life ; and that was 
 when Mrs Basket missed a black-and-tan terrier. 
 H'm, let me see. . . . Between the hours of 7 and 
 II p.m., Solomon Hymen, Esquire, and Justice of the 
 Peace, Major of the Troy Volunteer Artillery. The 
 missing gentleman- was of imposing exterior — " 
 
 " Height five feet, three inches," said the Doctor. 
 
 " Eh ? Are you sure ? " 
 
 " As medical officer of the Troy Artillery, I keep 
 account of every man in the corps ; height, chest 
 measurement, waist measurement, any peculiarity 
 of structure, any mole, cicatrix, birth-mark and so on. 
 I began to take these notes at the Major's own in- 
 stance, for purposes of identification on the field of 
 battle. Little did I dream, as I passed the tape 
 around my admired friend, that his proportions 
 would ever be the subject of this melancholy 
 curiosity ! " 
 
 " It reminds me," said Mr Basket, " of a group in 
 my garden entitled Finding the body of Harold. Five 
 feet three, you say ? I had better scratch out ' im- 
 posing exterior ' ; or, stay ! — we'U alter it to ' car- 
 riage.' " 
 
 " Chest, thirty-six inches ; waist, forty-three
 
 232 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 inches ; complexion — does that come next ? " 
 Doctor Hansombody appealed to the Chief Con- 
 stable, who nodded. 
 
 *' Complexion, features, colour of hair, of eyes . . . 
 any order you please." 
 
 " We must leave out all allusion to his hair, I 
 think," said Mr Basket ; " and, by the way, I sup- 
 pose the — er — authorities will desire to take posses- 
 sion of any other little odds-and-ends our friend left 
 behind him ? Complexion, clear and sanguine ; 
 strongly-marked features. His eye, sir, was like 
 Mars, to threaten and command ; but I forget the 
 precise colour at this moment. We might, perhaps, 
 content ourselves with ' piercing.' If I allow myself 
 to be betrayed into a description of his moral 
 qualities — " 
 
 " Unnecessary," put in the Chief Constable. 
 
 " And yet, sir, it was by his moral qualities that 
 
 my friend ever impressed himself most distinctly on 
 
 all who met him. Alas ! that I should be speaking 
 
 of him in the past tense ! He was a man, sir, as 
 
 Shakespeare puts it : 
 
 • " Take him for all in all, 
 
 We shall not look upon his like again." 
 
 " A most happy description, Mr Basket," the 
 Doctor agreed. " Would you mind saying it over 
 again, that I may commit it to memory ? " 
 
 Mr Basket obligingly repeated it. 
 
 " Most happy ! Shakespeare, you say ? Thank 
 you." The Doctor copied it into his pocket-book 
 among the prescriptions. 
 
 " One might add, perhaps," Mr Basket submitted
 
 MISSING! 233 
 
 respectfully, " that a mere physical description, 
 ho^^'ever animated, cannot do justice to my friend's 
 moral grandeur, which, indeed, would require the 
 brush of a Michael Angelo." 
 
 The Chief Constable inquired what reward they 
 proposed to offer. 
 
 " Ah, yes ; to be sure ! " Taken somewhat un- 
 expectedly, Mr Basket and the Doctor exchanged 
 glances. 
 
 " On behalf of the relatives, now—" began Mr 
 Basket. 
 
 " So far as I know, Miss Martha was the one rela- 
 tive he had in the world," answered the Doctor. 
 
 " So much the better, my friend, seeing that you 
 have (as I understand) her entire confidence." 
 
 " I was about to suggest that — circumstances 
 having forced you into prominence — to take the 
 lead, so to speak, in this unhappy affair — " 
 
 " But why do we talk of price ? " interposed Mr 
 Basket briskly, " seeing that the loss, if loss it be, is 
 nothing short of irreparable ? To my mind there is 
 something — er — " 
 
 " Desecrating," suggested the Doctor. 
 
 " Quite so — desecrating — in this reduction of our 
 poor friend to pounds, shillings, and pence." 
 
 " Nevertheless it is usual to name a sum," the 
 Chief Constable assured them. " Shall we say fifty 
 pounds ? " Mr Basket took off his spectacles and 
 wiped them with a trembling hand. Dr Hansom- 
 body stood considering, pulling thoughtfully at his 
 lower lip. 
 
 " I think I can undertake," he suggested, " that
 
 234 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 the Town Council will contribute a moiety of that 
 sum. Something can be done by private subscrip- 
 tion." 
 
 Mr Basket brightened visibly. " Put it at fifty 
 pounds, then," he commanded, with a wave of the 
 hand. " Should Providence see fit to restore him 
 to us, our friend, as a reasonable man, will doubtless 
 discharge some part of the expenses." 
 
 Accordingly the bill was drafted, and the Chief 
 Constable, after running his blue pencil through 
 some of its more monumental periods, engaged to 
 have it printed and distributed. 
 
 " Do you know," confessed Mr Basket, as he and 
 the Doctor walked homewards, " I felt all the while 
 as if we were composing our friend's epitaph. I have 
 a presentiment — " 
 
 " Do not utter it, my dear sir ! " the Doctor en- 
 treated. 
 
 *' He was a man — " 
 
 " Yes, yes ; ' taking one thing with another, it is 
 more than likely we shall never see him again.' The 
 words, sir, struck upon my spirit like the tolling of a 
 bell. But for heaven's sake let us not despair ! " 
 
 " Life is precarious, Dr Hansombody ; as your 
 profession, if any, should teach. We are here to- 
 day ; we are gone — in the more sudden cases — to- 
 morrow. What do you say, sir, to a glass of wine at 
 the Angel ? To my thinking, we should both be the 
 better for it."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 APOTHEOSIS 
 
 AT this point my pen falters. The order of 
 events would require us now to travel back to 
 Troy with Miss Marty and the Doctor and break the 
 news to the town. But have you the heart for it ? 
 Not I. 
 
 I tell you that I never now pass the ferry slip on the 
 shore facing Troy, on a summer's evening when the 
 sun slants over the hill and the smoke of the town 
 rises through shadow into the bright air through 
 which the rooks are winging homeward — I never rest 
 on my oars to watch the horse-boat unmooring, the 
 women up the street filling their pitchers at the 
 water-shute, the strawberry-gatherers at work in 
 their cliff gardens ; but I see again Boutigo's van 
 descend the hill and two passengers in black alight 
 from it upon the shore — Miss Marty and the Doctor, 
 charged with their terrible message. I see them 
 stand on the slip and shade their eyes as they look 
 across to the town glassed in the evening tide, I see 
 beneath the shade of her palm Miss Marty's lips 
 tremble with the words that are to shatter that 
 happy picture of repose, brutally, violently, as a 
 
 stone crashing into a mirror. In the ferry-boat she 
 
 235
 
 236 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 trembles from head to foot, between fear and a fever 
 to speak and have it over. . . . 
 
 But the town would not believe. Nay, even when 
 Town Crier Bonaday, dropping tears into his paste- 
 pot, afftxed the placard to the door of the Town Hall, 
 the towTi would not believe. Men and women 
 gathered at his back, read the words stupidly, looked 
 into each other's faces and shook their heads. Two 
 or three gazed skyward. 
 
 " The Major gone ? No, no . . . there must be 
 some mistake. He would come back — to-morrow, 
 perhaps — and bring light and laughter back with 
 him. It was long since the town had enjoyed a good 
 laugh, and here were all the makings of a rare 
 one." 
 
 But the days passed and brought no tidings. 
 
 Miss Marty had drawn down the blinds in the 
 Major's house, in token of mourning and to shut out 
 prying eyes : for during the first day or two small 
 crowds had collected in front and hung about the 
 garden gate to stare pathetically up at the windows. 
 They meant no harm : always when Cai Tamblyn or 
 Scipio stepped out to remonstrate, they moved 
 away quietly. 
 
 They were stunned. They could not believe. 
 
 On the third day the Town Council met and 
 elected Dr Hansombody Deputy-Mayor, " During 
 the temporary absence of one whose permanent loss 
 this Council for the present declines to contemplate." 
 That same evening the Doctor called a public meet- 
 ing, and in a careful speech, interrupted here and 
 there by emotion, told the burgesses all there was to
 
 APOTHEOSIS 237 
 
 tell. " My friends," he conc'iK'sd, " With a sad and 
 sorry heart I lay these few facts, these poor shreds 
 of evidence, before you. Oppressed as I am by 
 the shadow of calamity, I refuse to consider it as 
 more than a shadow, soon under Providence to be 
 lifted from us. You, the witnesses of our daily in- 
 timacy, will understand with what emotion I take 
 up the sceptre which has fallen from my friend's 
 hand, with what diffidence I shall wield it, with 
 what impatience I shall expect the hour which re- 
 stores it to his strong grasp. In the words of Shake- 
 speare " — here the Doctor consulted his note-book — 
 " he was indeed a man, 
 
 " ' take him for all in all 
 We shall not look upon his Uke again.' 
 
 Of my own instance, ladies and gentlemen, I made 
 bold to bid iifty pounds for his recovery, feeling con- 
 fident that Troy would endorse the offer. Nor did 
 I mistake. This morning the Corporation by unani- 
 mous vote has guaranteed the sum. I have now 
 the melancholy privilege of proposing from this chair 
 that a house-to-house canvass be made throughout 
 the town with the object of doubling this guarantee." 
 (Murmurs of approval from all parts of the 
 hall.) 
 
 The Vicar seconded. He would remind his 
 audience that in the thirteenth century Richard, 
 Earl of Cornwall, afterwards King of the Romans, 
 had the misfortune to fall into the hands of the Sara- 
 cens who held him at ransom : and that by the 
 promptness with ivhich the Cornishmen of those
 
 238 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 days, rich and poor to:jether, made voluntary con- 
 tribution and discliargcd the price, they earned their 
 coat-of-arms of fifteen gold coins upon a sable 
 ground, as well as their proud motto " One and All." 
 It had been said, and in his hearing, that the days of 
 chivalry were past. Here was an opportunity to 
 disprove it and declare that the spirit of their an- 
 cestors survived and animated the Cornishmen of 
 to-day. (A Voice — " How about the Millennium ? ") 
 He would pass over that interruption with the con- 
 tempt it deserved. They were not met to bandy 
 personalities, but as citizens united in the face of 
 calamity by affection for their common borough. 
 As stars upon the night, as the gold coins on their 
 Duchy's sable shield, so might their free-will offer- 
 ings spell hope upon the dark ground of present 
 desolation. He, for his part, was ready to subscribe 
 one guinea — yes, and more if necessary. 
 
 Although the Chairman had deprecated cheering, 
 the audience broke into loud applause as the Vicar 
 resumed his seat. The town had taken fire. Re- 
 solving itself into Committee, the meeting then and 
 there nominated fifty collectors, all volunteers. Nor 
 did the movement end here. Under the leadership 
 of Miss Pescod the ladies of Troy devoted each a 
 favourite article of personal adornment to be coined 
 at need into money for the Major's redemption. (I 
 myself possess a brooch which, left by my great- 
 grandmother to her daughter upon this condition, to 
 this day is known in the family as the Major's 
 Cameo.) In six days the guarantee fund ran up to 
 eleven hundred pounds, of which at least one third
 
 APOTHEOSIS 239 
 
 might be accounted good money. In Troy we allow, 
 by habit, some margin for enthusiasm. 
 
 A new placard was issued at once, and the reward 
 increased to one hundred and fifty pounds. 
 
 For ten days this handsome offer evoked no more 
 response than the previous one. For ten days yet 
 all trace of the Major vanished at the edge of Mr 
 Basket's fish-pond. 
 
 " It would almost seem," said Miss Sally Tre- 
 gentil, discussing the mystery for the hundredth 
 time with Miss Pescod, "as if from that fatal 
 brink he had soared into the regions of the un- 
 known and scaled, as the expression goes, the 
 empyrean." 
 
 " If that's the case," remarked Miss Pescod 
 practically, " twice the money won't bring him 
 back." 
 
 On the 2nd of July the Chief Constable wrote to 
 Dr Hansombody that he had discovered a clue. A 
 doorkeeper of the Theatre Royal reported (and was 
 corroborated by the man in charge of the ticket- 
 office) that on the night of May 2nd, at about 10.30, 
 a rough-looking fellow had presented himself, drip- 
 ping-wet at the doors and demanded, in a state of 
 agitation, apparently the result of drink, to see Mr 
 Basket, who occupied a reserved seat in the house ; 
 further, that falling in with two sailors, who bought 
 a ticket for him, the man had mounted the gallery 
 stairs in their company, and this was the last seen of 
 him by either of the deponents. 
 
 The Doctor posted to Plymouth, carrying with him 
 the only extant portrait of the Major — a miniature
 
 240 THE xMAYOR OF TKOY 
 
 taken at the age of twenty-five ; called on Mr Basket, 
 haled him off to the Chief Constable's ofhce, and there 
 by appointment examined the two witnesses. The 
 men stuck to their story, but swore positively that 
 the fellow they had seen bore no resemblance to the 
 portrait. 
 
 " If you ask me," added the doorkeeper with con- 
 viction, " he was a dam sight more likely to have 
 been his murderer. He looked it, anyhow." 
 
 The Doctor and Mr Basket returned to the latter's 
 house in deeper perplexity than ever. 
 
 " The evidence," began Mr Basket, lighting his 
 pipe after dinner, " vague as it is, points more de- 
 cidedly than before to foul play. We have been as- 
 suming that our poor friend, whether by accident or 
 design, found himself in my fish-pond." 
 
 " He would hardly have walked into it on purpose," 
 said the Doctor. 
 
 " It is at least highly improbable. Well, here we 
 have another man who comes running to the theatre 
 wet through — also, we will assume, from an im- 
 mersion in the fish-pond. We will suppose that he 
 plunged into it to the rescue and having brought his 
 burden safe to shore, ran to the theatre to inform me 
 of the accident. At once we are confronted with 
 half a dozen serious difficulties. To begin with, why, 
 having asked for me, did he disappear ? " 
 
 " Press-gang," the Doctor suggested. 
 
 " Granted. But why, having an urgent message 
 to deliver, did he proceed to take a ticket for the 
 gallery in company with two sailors, apparently 
 strangers to him ? Again, this explanation does not
 
 APOTHEOSIS 241 
 
 even touch the crucial question, which is — How 
 came our friend to disappear ? " 
 
 The Doctor shook his head. 
 
 " On the other hand," Mr Basket continued, " if 
 we take the darker view, that this man had entered 
 the fish-pond not for purposes of rescue, but — dread- 
 ful thought — to hold the victim under water, why 
 should he have exposed himself to detection by 
 coming to the theatre ? Why, in fine, should he 
 desire to communicate at all with me ? " 
 
 " Perhaps," suggested Mrs Basket, who had been 
 listening while she knitted, " his conscience pricked 
 him." 
 
 " My dear Maria ! " began her husband testily. 
 But at this moment the house rang with an alarm 
 upon the front door bell. 
 
 The poor lady stood up fluttering, white in the 
 face. 
 
 " You must answer it, Elihu ! I couldn't, not if 
 you was to offer me twice the reward at this moment 
 — and him standing there, perhaps, or his ghost, like 
 Peter out of prison ! " 
 
 But their visitor proved to be the Chief Constable 
 himself. He, too, was pale with excitement, and 
 he held in his hand a copy of the Sherborne 
 Mercury. 
 
 " Your friend — " he began. 
 
 " Well ? " 
 
 " He is dead. The mystery is not, indeed, ex- 
 plained, but the issue of it appears too certain. I 
 was walking along old Town Street when the Sher- 
 borne Rider came along. He gave me my copy, 
 Q
 
 242 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 and see here ! " — The Chief Constable spread 
 the paper under the lamp and pointed to this 
 paragraph — 
 
 " operations off Boulogne. By advices re- 
 ceived from Admiral Lord Keith, the first ex- 
 periment made with the new engines of destruc- 
 tion (of which so much was hoped) against the 
 vessels moored off Boulogne pier, has not 
 resulted in an unqualified success. On the 15th 
 ult. one of these catamarans, as they are called, 
 was launched against the foe from the Vesuvius 
 bomb. The machinery had been set in motion, 
 and the bomb's boat, having towed it into range, 
 was preparing to return to the ship, when a shot 
 from the shore batteries, falling close, precipi- 
 tated our gallant fellows into the water. We 
 are happy to add that they were all picked up 
 by the boats of the squadron with the exception 
 of one seaman, recently shipped at Plymouth. 
 His name is given as Hymen ; and the Captain 
 of the Vesuvius reports that he joined as a 
 volunteer. 
 
 " We need hardly remind our readers that the 
 name of Hymen has figured prominently for a 
 fortnight past in our advertisement columns. 
 If this gallant but unfortunate man should prove 
 to be none other than Solomon Hymen, Esquire, 
 Chief Magistrate of Troy, Cornwall, whose recent 
 mysterious disappearance has cast a gloom over 
 the small borough, we commiserate our friends 
 in the West while envying them this exemplar of
 
 APOTHEOSIS 243 
 
 an unselfish patriotism. Dulce et decorum est 
 pro patria mori.'" 
 
 Troy required no further evidence. To those of us 
 indeed who had known the man — who, to borrow the 
 words of a later poet, had lived in his mild and mag- 
 nificent eye — the news carried its own verification. 
 Precisely how — in what circumstances — he had volun- 
 teered, we might never elucidate : but the act itself, 
 when we came to consider it, was of a piece with his 
 character. He had left us in chagrin, betrayed by 
 our unworthiness, nursing a wound deeper than any 
 personal spite. Summarily, by a stroke, in the sim- 
 plicity of his greatness, he had at once rebuked us 
 and restored our pride. Perishing, he had left us an 
 imperishable boast ; an example to which, though 
 our own conscience might accuse us, we could point, 
 and saying " This was a Son of Troy," silence de- 
 traction for ever. 
 
 Need I add that we made the most of it ? 
 
 Mayor-choosing Day came round, and Dr Hansom- 
 body, elected by the unanimous vote of his fellow- 
 councillors, attained to one of the twin summits of 
 his ambition and was indued as Chief Magistrate with 
 robe and chain. Six weeks later the town heard, at 
 first incredulously, that he and Miss Marty were 
 betrothed. The nuptials, it was announced, would 
 be celebrated next June, on the decent expiry of a 
 year of mourning. 
 
 Miss Sally Tregentil, on hearing the news, 
 opined the Doctor's conduct to be quixotic — a
 
 244 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 self-immolation, almost, upon the altar of friend- 
 ship. 
 
 Miss Pescod, for her part, believed that he was after 
 the woman's money. This unworthy suspicion the 
 Doctor was fortunately able to rebut, and in the most 
 public manner. After the wedding (a quiet one) he 
 and his bride spent a short honeymoon at Sidmouth 
 and returned but to announce their departure on a 
 more distant journey. The Major's death being by 
 this time, in legal phrase, " presumed," the Court of 
 Canterbury had allowed Miss Marty to take out 
 letters of administration. It behoved her now to 
 travel up to London, interview proctors, and prove 
 the will, executed (as the reader will remember) on 
 the eve of that fatal First of May and confided to 
 Lawyer Chinn's keeping. The town having sub- 
 scribed for and purchased a pair of silver candelabra 
 as a home-coming gift, the Mayor and Mayoress had 
 no sooner returned and been welcomed with firing off 
 cannon and pealing of bells than a day was fixed and 
 a public meeting called for the presentation — a cere- 
 mony performed by the Vicar in brief but felicitous 
 terms. The Doctor made a suitable speech of ac- 
 knowledgment, and then, after waiting until the 
 applause had subsided, lifted a hand. 
 
 " My friends," he said, " before we disperse I am 
 charged to tell you that my wife and I contemplate 
 another journey, and almost immediately. You may 
 think how sad that errand is for us when I tell you 
 that we go to prove the late Major Hymen's will. 
 But I dare to hope you will understand that our 
 feelings are not wholly tinged with gloom when you
 
 APOTHEOSIS 245 
 
 hear the provisions of that document, which I will 
 now ask my friend Mr Chinn to read aloud to 
 
 )> 
 
 you. 
 
 And this is the substance of what Lawyer Chinn 
 read : — 
 
 " To his kinswoman Miss Martha Hymen, the 
 Major left a life interest in the sum of five 
 thousand pounds, invested in Government 
 stock. 
 
 To his faithful servant Scipio Johnston the sum 
 of one hundred and fifty pounds. 
 
 To his servant Caius Tamblyn, fifty pounds. 
 
 To each member of the Corporation of the 
 Borough of Troy holding office at the time of 
 his death, five pounds to buy a mourning ring. 
 
 To the Town Clerk the same, and to Mr Jago, 
 Town Constable, the same. 
 
 To the Honourable and Gallant Corps of the 
 Troy Volunteer Artillery, nineteen guineas, to 
 purchase two standards, to be borne by them 
 on all occasions of ceremony. 
 
 To the Vicar and Churchwardens, two hundred 
 pounds, the interest to be distributed annually 
 among the poor of the Parish, on Easter 
 Day. 
 
 To the Feoffees and Governors of the Free 
 Grammar School, a like sum to be spent in 
 renovating the building, and a further sum of 
 one thousand pounds to be invested for the
 
 246 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 maintenance, clothing and education of ten 
 poor boys of the Borough. 
 
 To the Vicar and Dr Hansombody, his executors, 
 fifty pounds apiece. 
 
 And lastly, the residue of his estate (some four 
 thousand pounds), together with the five 
 thousand pounds reverting on his kinswoman's 
 death, to the Mayor and Corporation, to build 
 and endow a Hospital for the relief of the sick ; 
 the same to be known as the Hymen Hospital, 
 ' in the hope that the name of one who left no 
 heirs may yet be preserved a while by the 
 continuity of human suffering.' " 
 
 At the conclusion of Lawyer Chinn's reading it is 
 not too much to say that all his audience caught their 
 breaths. They had known the Major to be a great 
 man : but not till now — not perhaps until that last 
 solemn sentence fell on their ears — had they under- 
 stood his greatness. 
 
 I have heard that the silence which followed was 
 broken by a sob. Certainly the meeting dispersed in 
 choking silence. 
 
 At length Troy realised its loss. 
 
 From that moment the figure, hitherto remembered 
 in the clear outhnes of affection, begun to grow, loom, 
 expand, in the mists of awe. It ceased to be familiar, 
 having put on greatness. Men began to tell how, on 
 that last fatal expedition, the Major had turned 
 single-handed and held a whole squadron of Dragoons 
 at bay. 
 
 In his garden, by the brink of the fish-pond, Mr
 
 APOTHEOSIS 247 
 
 Basket reared a stone with the following in- 
 scription : — 
 
 ATTEND 
 
 O PASSER BY 1 
 
 ON THIS 
 
 SPOT 
 
 AS NEARLY AS CAN BE ASCERTAINED 
 
 SOLOMON HYMEN, ESQUIRE 
 
 SEVEN TIMES MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 IN CORNWALL 
 
 RELINQUISHED HIS HONOURS 
 
 FOR HIS country's NEED 
 
 AND RESOLUTELY SACRIFICED 
 
 EASE, FRIENDSHIP, FAME 
 
 TO EMBARK HIS SOLE MANHOOD 
 
 IN HER DEFENCE 
 
 AMID THE SURROUNDING MEMORIALS 
 
 OF GREECE AND ROME 
 
 CHALLENGING 
 
 THE SEVEREST VIRTUES OF ANTIQUITY 
 
 WITH A BRITON's RESOLUTION
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE RETURN 
 
 THERE lies before me a copy of The Plymoiith 
 and Dock Telegraph, dated Saturday, July 2nd, 
 1814, much tattered and broken along the creases into 
 which my great-grandmother (the same that left us 
 the Major's Cameo) folded it these many years ago, 
 to be laid away for a memorial. 
 
 The advertisements need not detain us long. Two 
 husbands will not be responsible for their wives' 
 debts, and one of them alleges that his lady " has be- 
 haved herself improperly during my absence at sea." 
 A solicitor will lend :^iooo on good security. A 
 medical man, yielding to the persuasions of numerous 
 friends, will remain another fortnight in the town ; 
 and may be consulted as usual at Mr Kitt's, Grocer, 
 King Street, Dock, every Tuesday and Saturday 
 from ten to six. M. La Barre (whom I guess to liave 
 been a Royalist refugee) will reopen instruction for 
 young ladies and gentlemen in the French language on 
 the 12th inst. The tolls and profits of the Saltash and 
 the Ashburton turnpikes will be bidden for by public 
 auction. The schooner Brothers and the fast-sailing 
 cutter Gamhier are for sale, together with the model 
 
 of a frigate, " about six feet two inches long, copper- 
 
 248
 
 THE RETURN 249 
 
 bottomed, and mounted with thirty-two guns." 
 The Royal Auxihary Mail will start from Congdon's 
 Commercial Inn every afternoon at a quarter before 
 five, reaching the Bell and Crown, Holbom, in thirty- 
 six hours : passengers for London have a further 
 choice of the " Devonshire " (running through Bristol) 
 or the " Royal Clarence " (through Salisbury). Two 
 rival light coaches compete for passengers to Ports- 
 mouth. The "Self-Defence," Plymouth to Falmouth, 
 four insides, will keep the same time as His Majesty's 
 Mail. The Unitarian Association advertises a meet- 
 ing at which Dr Toulmin of Birmingham will preach. 
 The Friends of the Abolition of the Slave Trade print 
 a long manifesto. The Phoenix, Eagle, and Atlas 
 Companies invite insurers. Sufferers from various 
 disorders will find relief in Spilsbury's Patent Anti- 
 scorbutic, Dr Bateman's Pectoral, and Wessel's 
 Jesuit's Drops. 
 
 Turning to the news columns, we find the whole 
 country aflame with joy at the restoration of Peace. 
 Once again (it is ten years since we last saw him there) 
 the Prince Regent is at Portsmouth, feasting, speech- 
 making, dancing, reviewing the fleet and the troops. 
 With him are the Emperor of Russia ; the Emperor's 
 sister, the Duchess of Oldenburg ; the King of 
 Prussia ; the Royal Dukes of Clarence, York, Cam- 
 bridge ; the Duke of Wellington and Field-Marshal 
 Bliicher. We read that on first catching sight of 
 Wellington the Prince Regent " seized his hand and 
 appeared lost in sensibility for the moment." As for 
 Bliicher, a party of sailors, defying his escort of 
 dragoons, boarded and " took possession of the
 
 260 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 quarter-deck, or, in other words, the top of the 
 carriage." 
 
 " Some were capsized ; but two of them swore 
 to defend the brave, and, as the carriage drew 
 on, to the dehght of all the tars commenced reels 
 a la Saunders on the top, all the way to Govern- 
 ment House, where the General was received 
 with open hands and hearts, amid a group of as 
 brave warriors as ever graced a festive table or 
 bled in defence of their country's wrongs (sjc)." 
 
 At the subsequent Ball, — 
 
 " The Duke did not dance : and the gallant 
 Bliicher was so overcome by the heat of the ball- 
 room as to oblige him to retire for a short time. 
 . . . The two gallant Generals rode from the 
 Government House in the same carriage ; and 
 it was observed that the Emperor of Russia 
 shook hands with the illustrious Wellington 
 every time he was near him." 
 
 From Portsmouth next day the Duke posts up to 
 Westminster, to be introduced by the Dukes of 
 Richmond and Beaufort and take his seat in the 
 Lords under his new patents of nobility. Simul- 
 taneously in the Commons, Lord Castlereagh moves 
 a Vote of Thanks, which is carried by a unanimous 
 House. For the rest, Imperial Parliament is mainly 
 occupied with Lord Cochrane's case and the sorrows 
 of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, especi- 
 ally " the inadequacy of her income to support the 
 ordinary dignities of her rank, and afford her those
 
 THE RETURN 251 
 
 consolations which the unfortunate state of her 
 domestic feeh'ngs require." Mr Wilberforce dehvers 
 a most animated speech against the Slave Trade. 
 It is rumoured that Princess Charlotte of Wales has 
 definitely refused the hand of the Prince of Orange, 
 and that the rejected lover has left London, full of 
 grief, in his carriage-and-four. 
 
 In short, our Major has been lost to us for ten full 
 years, and still the world goes on : nay, for the 
 moment it is going on excitedly. The procession 
 with which the officers and artificers of Plymouth 
 Dockyard yesterday celebrated the establishment of 
 Peace alone occupies five columns of the paper. 
 
 What, then, of Troy ? Ah, my friends, never 
 doubt that Troy did its part, and, what is more, was 
 beforehand as usual ! 
 
 REJOICINGS AT TROY 
 
 " In consequence of the re-establishment of 
 Peace, the inhabitants of Troy were at an early 
 hour on Monday, June 13th, busily employed 
 in decorating their houses with laurel, etc., and 
 forming arches in the streets, variegated with 
 flowers and emblematical representations ; and 
 thirty-eight well-formed arches soon graced the 
 joyful town. ..." 
 
 Thirty-eight arches ! Consider it, you provincial 
 towns of twice, thrice, ten times Troy's size, who 
 erected a beggarly five or six on Queen Victoria's last 
 Jubilee, and doubtless plumed yourselves on, your 
 exuberant loyalty !
 
 252 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 "... To regale the poor, a bullock, two 
 sheep (each weighing a hundred pounds), eight 
 hundred twopenny loaves, with a great quantity 
 of beer and porter, the gift of Sir Felix Felix- 
 Williams, were distributed in the Market House 
 and Town Hall by the Mayor (Dr Hansombody) 
 and gentlemen. Every individual appeared 
 happy : indeed it was highly gratifying to see 
 so many people with joy painted on their coun- 
 tenances showing forth the delight of their 
 hearts. To crown the day, a number of re- 
 spectable citizensMrank tea with the Mayoress, 
 after which they adjourned to the Town Hall 
 and commenced dancing, which was kept up for 
 a long time with great spirit and regularity. 
 
 " Tuesday morning was ushered in with ringing 
 of bells, etc., and a great number of people as- 
 sembled before the Ship Inn to dance, during 
 which the ladies were engaged in ornamenting, 
 with flowers, flags and emblems, two boats 
 placed on wheel sledges drawn by the populace. 
 In fitting them up with such taste and elegance, 
 
 MissP d and Miss S. T 1 were particularly 
 
 active and deserve every praise. At three 
 o'clock the Mayor and a respectable company 
 sat down to an excellent dinner at the Ship Inn, 
 the band playing many grand national tunes in 
 an adjoining room. After the repast signals 
 were given from the Town Quay for the Battery 
 guns to fire, and they accordingly fired three 
 royal salutes in compliment to the Allied 
 Sovereigns. The boats before mentioned were
 
 THE RETURN 253 
 
 soon ready to start, the former filled by ladies 
 with garlands and other emblems of Peace in 
 their hands, and the latter with musicians ; out 
 previous to their removal Lord Wellington and 
 some Cossacks appeared on horseback in search 
 of Bonaparte, who according to his late practice 
 had taken flight. However, he was soon driven 
 back and taken, being met by a miller, who 
 jumped up behind him and, observing his de- 
 jected and mournful countenance, embraced him 
 with all the seeming fondness of a parent, desir- 
 ing him to rouse up his spirits, if possible, to 
 preserve his life. The grand procession of boats 
 now began by a slow but graceful movement of 
 the first, in the bow of which was a dove with 
 outspread wings, holding an olive branch in her 
 mouth. The boats were followed by a great 
 concourse of people through the streets, and on 
 their return were met by many gentlemen with 
 wine, etc. This day, like the preceding, ended 
 with a merry dance in the Town Hall. 
 
 " Wednesday's rejoicings opened at noon with 
 a dinner at the King of Prussia, attended by the 
 survivors of the disbanded Troy Volunteer 
 Artillery, attired in the uniforms of that ever- 
 famous corps. The sight of the old regimentals 
 evoked the tears of sensibility from more than 
 one eye which had never flinched before the 
 prospect of actual warfare. After the meal, 
 at which many a veteran ' told his battles o'er 
 again,' a number of toasts were proposed by the 
 Mayor, including The Allied Sovereigns,' ' The
 
 254 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Prince Regent,' ' The Duke of Wellington ' (with 
 three times three), ' The Troy Gallants,' ' The 
 Memory of their first beloved Commander, 
 Major Hymen ' — this last being drunk in silence. 
 The company then dispersed, to resemble below 
 the Town Quay, where the boats which had 
 adorned"Monday's festivities were again launched, 
 this time upon their native element, and pro- 
 ceeded, amid the clanging of joy-bells from the 
 church tower, to cross the harbour, on the 
 farther shores of which a large and enthusiastic 
 crowd awaited them. In the first boat were the 
 musicians ; in the second a number of ladies and 
 gentlemen in fancy costumes. A score of boats 
 followed, filled with spectators ; and were wel- 
 comed, as they reached the shore, with loud 
 expressions of joy. Lord Wellington was again 
 mounted on horseback, with General Platoff and 
 some Cossacks. Bonaparte and his followers 
 were also mounted, and some skirmishes took 
 place of so life-like a character as to evoke uni- 
 versal plaudits. ..." 
 
 A wooden-legged man, who had been stumping it 
 for many hours along the high road from Plymouth, 
 paused on the knap of the hill, mopped his dusty 
 brow, and gazed down upon the harbour, shading his 
 eyes. He wore a short blue jacket with tattered 
 white facings, a pair of white linen trousers patched 
 at the knees, a round tarpaulin hat, a burst shoe upon 
 his hale foot, and carried a japanned knapsack — all 
 powdered with white dust of the road in which his
 
 THE RETURN 255 
 
 wooden leg had been prodding small round holes for 
 mile after mile. 
 
 He had halted first as his ear caught the merry 
 chime of bells from the opposite shore. Having 
 mopped his brow, he moved forward and halted 
 again by a granite cross and drinking-trough whence 
 the road led steeply downhill between the first houses 
 of the village. He was visibly agitated. His hand 
 trembled on his stick : his face flushed hotly be- 
 neath its mask of dust and sweat, and upon the flush 
 a cicatrix — the mark of a healed bullet-wound — 
 showed up for the moment on his left cheek, white as 
 if branded there. 
 
 The people were shouting below, cheering vocifer- 
 ously. Yes, and along the harbour every vessel, 
 down to the smallest sailing-boat, was bedecked with 
 bunting from bowsprit-end to taffrail. The bells rang 
 on like mad. The bells. . . . He dropped the hand 
 which had been shading his eyes, let dip his frayed 
 cuff in the water of the fountain and, removing his 
 hat, dabbed his bald head. This — had he known it 
 — worsened the smears of dust. But he was not 
 thinking of his appearance. 
 
 He was thinking — had been thinking all the way 
 from Plymouth — only of the harbour at his feet, and 
 the town beyond. His eyes rested on them again, 
 after ten years. All the way his heart had pro- 
 mised him nothing but this. He had forgotten self ; 
 having in ten years, and painfully, learnt that lesson. 
 
 But the music of the bells, the distant sounds of 
 cheering, recalled that forgotten self ; or perhaps it 
 leapt into assertiveness again unwittingly, by as-
 
 256 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 sociation of ideas with the old famihar scene. He 
 had left the people cheering. . . . Was it ten years 
 ago ? They were cheering still. . . . 
 
 The road within view was deserted. But from 
 below the dip of the hill the cheers ascended, louder 
 and louder yet, deepening in volume. 
 
 He had intended to walk down the hill — as he 
 hoped, unrecognised — cross the ferry, and traverse 
 the streets of Troy to his own front door ; then, or 
 later, to announce himself. A thousand times in 
 his far prison in Briangon among the high Alps he 
 had pictured it. He had discounted all possibilities 
 of change. In ten years, to be sure, much may 
 happen. . . . 
 
 But here below him lay the harbour and the town, 
 save for these evidences of j oy surprisingly unchanged. 
 
 Why were the church bells ringing ; the people 
 shouting ? Could word have been carried to them ? 
 He could not conceive how the news had managed to 
 outstrip him. 
 
 He had left the people cheering ; they were 
 cheering still. . . . Were these ten years, then, but 
 a grotesque and hideous dream ? He gazed down 
 upon his wooden leg, stiffly protruding before him 
 and pointing, as it were ironically, at the scene of 
 which it shared no memories. 
 
 A moment later he lifted his head at the sound of 
 hoofs galloping up the road towards him. Round 
 the corner, on a shaggy yellow horse almost vcntre-a- 
 terre, came a little man in a cocked hat, who rose in 
 his stirrups drunkenly and blew a kiss to a dozen 
 armed pursuers pounding at his heels.
 
 THE RETURN 257 
 
 Between wonder and alarm, the Major (you have 
 guessed it was he) sprang up from his seat by the foun- 
 tain. Fatal movement ! At the sudden apparition 
 the yellow horse shied violently, swerving more than 
 half-way across the road ; and its rider, looking back- 
 wards and taken at unawares, was shot out of his 
 stirrups and flung shoulders-over-head in the dust, 
 where he rolled sideways and lay still. His pur- 
 suers reined up with loud outcries of dismay. The 
 Major advanced to the body, knelt beside it and 
 turned it over. The man was bleeding from a cut in 
 the head ; but this and a slight concussion of the brain 
 appeared to be the extent of his injuries. His neck- 
 cloth being loosened, he groaned heavily. The 
 Major looked up. 
 
 " A nasty shock ! For the moment I was half 
 afraid — " 
 
 The words died away on his lips. One or two of 
 the riders had alighted and all stood, or sat their 
 horses, around him in a ring. He knew their faces, 
 their names ; yes, one and all he knew them ; and 
 they wore the uniform of the Troy Volunteer 
 Artillery ! 
 
 With a tightly beating heart he waited for their 
 recognition. ... No sign of recognition came. 
 They eyed him curiously. It seemed to them that 
 he spoke with something of a foreign accent. To be 
 sure he articulated oddly — owing to his wound, of 
 which his cheek bore the visible scar. 
 
 He knew them all. Had they not, each one of 
 them, aforetime saluted him their commander, rais- 
 ing their hand to the peaks of these very shakoes ? 
 
 R
 
 258 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Had they not marclied, doubled, halted, presented 
 arms, stood at attention, all as he bade them ? He 
 recognised the victim of the accident, too — a little 
 tailor, Tadd by name, who in old days had borne a 
 reputation for hard drinking. 
 
 " I reckon they must ha' stationed you here for a 
 relay," suggested Gunner Sobey (ever the readiest 
 man, no matter in what company he found himself) 
 after eyeing the Major for a while. 
 
 " I beg your pardon ? " 
 
 " I beg yours. Seemin' to me I've seen your 
 features before, somewhere, though I can't call up 
 your name." It is a point of honour with the men of 
 Troy (I may here observe) to profess an ignorance of 
 their less-favoured neighbours across the harbour. 
 " I can't call up your name for the moment, dressed 
 as you be — but 'twas thoughtful of 'em, knowing 
 Tadd's habit, to post up a second figger for a relay. 
 The man seems to be shaken considerable," he went 
 on. " 'Twould be a cruelty, as you might say, to ask 
 him to go on playin' Boney, with a wife and family 
 dependent and his heart not in it." 
 
 " He certainly isn't fit to mount again, if that is 
 what you mean," said the Major, and glanced up the 
 road where one of the troop (Bugler Opie) had ridden 
 in pursuit of the yellow horse and now reappeared 
 leading back the captive by the bridle. 
 
 " That's just what I'm saying," agreed Gunner 
 Sobey ; " and you'll do very well if you change hats." 
 He stooped and picked Tadd-Bonaparte's income 
 out of the dust and brushed it with the sleeve of his 
 tunic. " Here, let's see how you look in it." He
 
 THE RETURN 259 
 
 flipped off the Major's tarpaulin hat, clapped on the 
 substitute, and fell back admiringly. " The Ogre 
 to the life," he exclaimed ; " and with a wooden leg ! 
 Hurroo, boys ! " 
 
 Before the Major could expostulate a dozen hands 
 had lifted him into the saddle astride the yellow 
 horse. 
 
 " But — but I don't know in the least, my friends, 
 what you intend ! I cannot ride ; indeed I cannot ! " 
 
 " With a wooden leg ! The idea ! " answered 
 Gunner Sobey, cheerfully. " Never you mind, but 
 catch hold o' the pommel. We'll see to the rest." 
 
 The riders closed in and walked him forward down 
 the hill. Gunner Sobey pressing close and supporting 
 him, holding his wooden leg tight against the saddle- 
 flap. The Major cast a wild look about him and saw 
 Bugler Opie and another Gallant (Gunner Warboys — 
 he knew all their names) lifting the half-unconscious 
 Tadd and bearing him towards the fountain, to re- 
 vive him. What was happening ? Should he de- 
 clare himself, here and now ? 
 
 The company broke into cheers as they set their 
 horses in motion. Had they indeed recognised him ? 
 The procession was assuredly a triumph, of some sort 
 or another. But what did they intend ? 
 
 From across the harbour the bells of Troy were 
 ringing madly. 
 
 The Major shut his teeth. If this were indeed the 
 town's fashion of welcoming him, well and good ! If 
 it were a mistake — a practical joke (but why should 
 it be either ?) he had not long to wait for his re- 
 venge. . . .
 
 260 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Let The PlymoiitJi and Dock Telegraph narrate, in 
 its own succinct language, what followed : — 
 
 " The Corsican tyrant coming to grief in an 
 attempt to elude the righteous wrath of his pur- 
 suers, another impersonator was speedily found, 
 with the additional touch of a wooden leg, 
 which was generally voted to be artistic. This 
 new Boney on being conveyed down to the 
 water's edge was driven into a boat, his counten- 
 ance eliciting laughter by its almost comic dis- 
 play of the remorse of fallen ambition. A pair 
 of his soi-disant supporters leapt in and affected 
 to aid his escape, and were followed by pursuing 
 boats in every direction, which had a most 
 pleasing effect. At length, being hemmed in 
 and made captive, he was taken to an island 
 near the shore, supported by two officers of the 
 Troy Volunteers, who affixed a board over him, 
 upon which was printed, in large letters, 'ELBA.' 
 We regret to say that in his vivacious efforts to 
 reproduce the feelings of the fallen tyrant, the 
 impersonator — who by latest accounts is a sea- 
 man recently paid off and impressed, almost at a 
 moment's notice, for the role he sustained with 
 such impromptu spirit — slipped on the wet sea- 
 weed and sustained a somewhat serious injury of 
 the liip. Being with all expedition rescued, he 
 was convej-ed ashore to the Infirmary, which, 
 founded by the late Major Hymen as a War Hos- 
 pital, henceforward will open its doors to those 
 diseases and casualties from which even Peace
 
 THE RETURN 261 
 
 cannot exempt our poor humanity. By latest 
 advices the invahd is well on his way to recovery. 
 In the evening there was a grand display of fire- 
 works on the Town Quay, conducted by the 
 Magistrates, to whom every praise is due for 
 their efforts to promote conviviality and order."
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 IN WHICH THE MAJOR LEARNS THAT NO 
 MAN IS NECESSARY 
 
 FOR six days Troy continued to rejoice, winding 
 up each day with a dance. We will content 
 ourselves, however, with one last extract from The 
 Plymouth and Dock Telegraph : — 
 
 " At noon on Thursday the town assembled 
 
 again and escorted its Mayor and Mayoress to 
 
 the Hymen Hospital, where, in the presence of 
 
 a distinguished company, Mrs Hansombody {nie 
 
 Miss Martha Hymen) unveiled a bust of her 
 
 gallant kinsman, whose premature heroic death 
 
 Troy has never ceased to lament. Sir Felix 
 
 Felix-Williams made eulogistic reference to the 
 
 departed hero, remarking on the number of 
 
 instances by which the late war had confirmed 
 
 the truth of the Roman poet's observation that 
 
 it is pleasant and seemly to die for one's country. 
 
 The Mayor responded on behalf of his amiable 
 
 lady, whom Sir Felix's tribute had visibly 
 
 affected. The sculpture was pronounced to be 
 
 a lifelike image of the deceased, reflecting great 
 
 credit on the artist, Mr Tipping, R.A. The 
 
 262
 
 NO MAN IS NECESSARY 263 
 
 pedestal, five feet in height, is of pohshed black 
 Luxulyan granite, and bears name and date with 
 the words ' Take Him for All in All We shall 
 not Look upon his Like again.' The bust, exe- 
 cuted in plaster of Paris, will be replaced by 
 marble when funds allow. The crowd dis- 
 persed in silence after the ceremony. Dancing 
 in the street followed at 6 p.m., and was kept up 
 with spirit for some hours, during which a large 
 quantity of beer was given away." 
 
 The Major lay in the next room — the casualty 
 ward — and stared up at the whitewashed ceiling. 
 
 His whole being ached as though, mind and body, 
 he had been set upon and beaten senseless with 
 bladders. And this was the second time ! Yes — 
 good heavens, how had he deserved it ? — the second 
 time ! He remembered, after the disaster off Bou- 
 logne—many days after — awaking to consciousness 
 in his prison bed in the fortress of Givet. Then, as 
 now, he had lain staring, his whole soul sickened by 
 the cruel jar of the jest. Hand of fate, was it ? 
 Nay, a jocose and blundering finger, rather, that had 
 flipped him, as a man might flip a beetle, into the 
 night. Then, as now, his soul had welled up in 
 sullen indignation. He blamed no one ; in all the 
 stupid chapter of accidents there was no one to 
 blame. But when the Protestant chaplain in Givet 
 came to his bed he turned his face to the wall. 
 
 He refused to give his name. He did not under- 
 stand this blind malevolence of fate, but he would 
 make no terms with it. He — Solomon Hymen —
 
 264 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 had a will of his o\vn and a proper pride. If the 
 world chose to use him so, after all his services to 
 mankind, let it go and be damned to it. I tell you, 
 the man had courage. 
 
 If his friends at home valued him, let them seek 
 him out. He had given them cause enough for 
 gratitude. If not, he asked nothing of them. In 
 the prison he gave his name as Mr Solomon. 
 
 Yet he had made two attempts to escape. In the 
 first he ran away with two comrades as far as 
 Mezieres. Being pursued by the gcns-d'' armes there, 
 and called upon to surrender, his companions had 
 given themselves up. Not so our hero ; nor was he 
 secured until he lay unconscious with a bullet-hole 
 in the cheek. It was this which ever afterwards 
 affected his speech, the bullet having cut or parti- 
 ally paralysed some string of the tongue. 
 
 It had been touch-and-go with him ; but he re- 
 covered, and, passing henceforward as a desperate 
 character, was drafted south with a dozen other 
 desperate characters to the gloomy fortress of 
 Brian^on. There, in a second attempt for liberty, a 
 fall from the ramparts had cost him his leg. 
 
 But worse than all his incarceration had been the 
 final tramp through France — right away north to 
 Valenciennes ; then left-about-turn, three hundred 
 and fifty miles to Tours ; then south-east to Riou ; 
 and from Riou south-west to Bordeaux, where the 
 transport took him off — one of six transports for 
 about fifteen hundred released prisoners. All the 
 way, too, on a wooden leg ! Heaven knows how 
 bitterly he had come to hate that leg.
 
 NO MAN IS NECESSARY 265 
 
 Yet his heart, hardened though it was by all this 
 long adversity, had melted as the Romney transport 
 beat up closer and closer for England, and at sight of 
 Plymouth heights he had broken into tears. 
 
 Troy ! Troy ! After all, Troy would remember 
 him. Though he knew it brought him nearer to 
 freedom, all that marching through France had been 
 a weariness eating into his soul. Now a free man, 
 along the road from Plymouth to Troy he had 
 almost skipped. 
 
 And this had been his home-coming ! 
 
 They remembered him. Beyond all his hopes 
 they remembered him. In their memory he had 
 grown into a Homeric man, a demi-god. He had 
 only to declare himself. . . . 
 
 The Major lay on his hospital bed and stared at the 
 ceiling. It was all very well, but ten years had 
 made a difference — a mighty difference ; a differ- 
 ence which beat all his calculations. It was a 
 double difference, too ; for aU the while that he had 
 been shrinking in self-knowledge, his reputation at 
 home had been expanding Hke a cucumber. 
 
 Good Lord ! How could he live up to it now ? 
 To obey his impulses and declare himself was simple 
 enough, perhaps ; but afterwards — 
 
 He had nearly betrayed himself when Cai Tam- 
 blyn — in a queer straight-cut frock-coat of livery, 
 blue with brass buttons^ but otherwise looking m-iich 
 the same as ever — thrust his head in at the door. 
 
 In the first shock of astonishment the Major had 
 almost cried out on him by name.
 
 266 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Why — eh ? — what are you doing here ? " he 
 stammered. Hitherto he had been waited on by a 
 strange doctor (Hansombody's new partner) and a 
 nurse whom he had assisted twelve years ago, when 
 she was left a widow, to set up as a midwife. 
 
 " Might ask the same question of you," said Cai 
 Tamblyn. " I'm the kew-rater, havin' been Hy- 
 men's servant in the old days, and shows around the 
 visitors, besides dustin' the mementoes — locks of 
 his bloomin' 'air and the rest of the trash. I looked 
 in to see how you was a-gettin' on after the palaver. 
 If I'm not wanted I'll go." 
 
 " Don't go." 
 
 " Very well, then, I won't." Mr Tamblyn took a 
 seat on the edge of an unoccupied bed, drew from his 
 pocket a knife and a screw of pig-tail tobacco, sliced 
 off a portion and rubbed it meditatively between his 
 hands. " I done you a good turn just now," he con- 
 tinued. " Some o' the company — the womenkind 
 especially — wanted to come in and make a fuss over 
 you before leavin'." 
 
 " Why should they want to make a fuss over 
 me? " 
 
 " Well you may ask," said Mr Tamblyn, candidly. 
 " 'Tain't a question of looks, though. There's a 
 kind of female — an' 'tis the commonest kind, too — 
 can't hear of a man bein' hurt an' put to bed but she 
 wants to see for herself. 'Tis like the game a female 
 child plays with a dollies' house. Here they've got 
 a nice little orspital to amuse 'em, with nice clean 
 blankets an' sheets, an' texteses 'pon the walls, an' 
 a cupboard full o' real medecines an' splints, and
 
 NO MAN IS NECESSARY 267 
 
 along comes a real live patient to be put to bed, an' 
 the thing's complete. Hows'ever, they didn' get no 
 fun out of 'ee to-day, for I told 'em you was sleepin' 
 peaceful an' not to be disturbed." 
 
 " Thank you." Under pretence of settling down 
 more comfortably against the pillow, the Major 
 turned his head aside. " Then it seems you knew 
 this— this— " 
 
 " Hymen ? Knew him intimate." 
 
 " What — what sort of man was he ? " 
 
 Cai Tamblyn transferred the shreds of tobacco to 
 a pouch made of pig's bladder, pocketed it, and 
 rubbed his two palms together, chuckling softly. 
 
 " Look here, I'll show you the bust of en if you 
 like ; that is " — he checked himself and added 
 dubiously — "if you're sure it won't excite 
 you." 
 
 " Excite me ? " 
 
 " Sure it won't give you a relapse or something o' 
 the sort ? The woman Snell has stepped down to the 
 Mayor's to wash up after the light refreshments, and 
 I'm in charge. Prettily she'll blow me up if she 
 comes back an' finds I've been an' gone an' excited 
 you." He cleared a space on the wash-stand. 
 "I've no business to be in here at all, really, talkin' 
 wi' the pashent ; but damme, you can't think what 
 'tis like, sittin' by yourself in a museum. I wish 
 sometimes they'd take an' stuff me ! " 
 
 He hobbled out and returned grunting under the 
 weight of the bust, which he set down upon the wash- 
 stand, turning it so that the Major might have a full 
 view of its features.
 
 268 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " There ! " he exclaimed, drawing back and pant- 
 ing a httle. 
 
 " Good heavens ! " The Major drew the bed- 
 clothes hurriedly up to his chin. " Was he — was he 
 like that?'' 
 
 " I thank the Lord he was not," Mr Tamblyn 
 answered, slowly and piously. " Leavin' out the 
 question o' colour and the material, which is plaster 
 pallis and terrible crips, and the shortage, which is 
 no more than the head an' henge of 'em, so to 
 speak, 'tis no more like the man than yon be. And I 
 say again that I thank the Lord for it. For to have 
 the old feller stuck up in the corner an' glazin' at me 
 nat'rel as life every time I turned my head would be 
 more than nerves could stand." 
 
 " You wouldn't wish him back, then, in the 
 flesh ? " 
 
 Cai Tamblyn turned around smartly and gazed at 
 the patient, whose face, however, rested in shadow. 
 
 " Look 'ee here. You've a-been in a French war 
 prison, I hear, but that's no excuse for talkin' irre- 
 ligious. The man was blowed to pieces, I tell you, 
 by a thing called a catamaran, off the coast o' France ; 
 not so much left of en as would cover a half-crown 
 piece. And you ask me if I want en back in the 
 flesh ! " 
 
 " But suppose that should turn out to be a mis- 
 take ? " muttered the Major. 
 
 " Hey ? " Cai Tamblyn gave a start. " Oh, I 
 see ; you're just puttin' it so for the sake of argy- 
 ment. " Well, then," — the old man turned his quid 
 deliberately — " did you ever hear tell what old
 
 NO MAN IS NECESSARY 269 
 
 Sammy Mennear said when his wife died an' left him 
 a widowman ? ' I wouldn' ha' lost my dear Sarah 
 for a hundred pound,' said he ; ' an' I dunno as I'd 
 have her back for five hundred.' That's about the 
 size o't with Hymen, I reckon — though, mind you, I 
 bear en no grudge. He left me fifty pound by will, 
 and a hundred an' fifty to a heathen nigger ; and 
 how that can be reconciled with Christian principle I 
 leave you to answer. But I bear en no grudge." 
 
 " What ? They proved his will ? " The Major 
 stared at his portrait and shivered. 
 
 " In course they did. The man was blowed to 
 pieces, I tell you. 'Tis written up on the pedestal. 
 ' Take en for all in all ' — or piece by piece, they 
 might ha' said, for that matter — ' we shall not look 
 upon his like agen.' No, nor they don't want to, 
 for all their speechifyin'. I ain't what the parson 
 calls a pessimist ; I thinks poorly o' most things, 
 that's all ; and folks ; and I say they don't want to. 
 Why, one way and another, he left close on twelve 
 thousand pound ! " 
 
 The Major drew the bed-clothes maybe an inch 
 further over his chin and so lay still, answering 
 nothing, his eyes fastened on the bust. Beneath its 
 hyacinthine curls it beamed on him with a fixed bene- 
 volent smile. 
 
 " Not that Hymen hadn't decent qualities, mind 
 you," Cai Tamblyn continued. " The fellow was 
 plucky, and well-meanin', too, in his way ; and a 
 better master you wouldn't find in a day's march. 
 What he suffered from was wind in his stomach. 
 With all the women settin' their caps at him he
 
 270 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 couldn't help it : but so 'twas. And the men were 
 a'most as bad. Just you hearken to this — " 
 
 Cai seated himself on the edge of the bed again, 
 felt in his breast-pocket and drew out a spectacle- 
 case and a folded pocket-book ; adjusted the spec- 
 tacles on his nose, slapped the pocket-book viciously, 
 spread it on his knee, cleared his throat, and began 
 to read, — 
 
 " ' As a boy he was studious in his habits, shy in 
 company, unflinchingly truthful, and fond of animals. 
 For obvious reasons these pets of his childhood are 
 unrepresented among the memorials so piously pre- 
 served in the Hymen Museum ; but through the 
 kindness of our esteemed townswoman, Mrs (or, as 
 she is commonly called, " Mother") Hancock, aged 
 ninety-one, we are able to include in our collection a 
 marble of the kind known as "glass-alley," with 
 which she avers that, at the age of ten or thereabouts, 
 our future hero disported himself. It must have 
 been by some premonition that the venerable lady 
 cherished it, having received it originally, as she re- 
 members, in barter for a pennyworth of saffron cake, 
 a species of delicacy to which the youthful Solomon 
 was pardonably addicted. . . .' 
 
 " I got to show that damned glass-alley," inter- 
 jected Mr Tamblyn. " Why ? Because a man past 
 work can't stay his belly on the interest o' fifty 
 pound. Oh, but there's more about it, — 
 
 " ' The cobble-stones with which the streets of 
 Troy are paved do not lend themselves readily to ex- 
 pertness in shooting with marbles. But the subject 
 of this memoir was ever one who, adapting himself
 
 NO MAN IS NECESSARY 271 
 
 to difficulties, rose superior to them. The glass 
 material of which the relic is composed shows 
 numerous minute indentations in its spherical out- 
 line, eloquent testimony to the character which 
 had already begun to learn the lesson of greatness 
 and by perseverance to bend circumstances to its 
 will. In the case containing this relic, and beside it, 
 reposes a horn-book, used for many generations in 
 the Troy Infant School, conducted a.d. 1739-1782 
 by Miss Sleeman, schoolmistress. Although we 
 have no positive evidence, there is every reason to 
 believe that the youthful Solomon — ' 
 
 " Ain't it enough to make a man sick ? " demanded 
 Cai Tamblyn, looking up. " And I got to speak 
 this truck, day in an' day out." 
 
 " Who wrote it ? " 
 
 " Hansombody. Oh, I ain't denyin' he was weU 
 paid. But when I see'd Miss Marty this very after- 
 noon, unwrappin' the bust with tears in her eyes, an' 
 her husband standin' by as modest as Moll at a 
 christenin', and him the richer by thousands — " 
 
 " WHAT ? " 
 
 The Major, despite his hurt, had risen on his elbow. 
 Cai Tamblyn, too, bounced up. 
 
 " The Mayor, I'm talkin' of — Dr Hansombody," 
 he stammered, gazing into the invalid's face in dis- 
 may. 
 
 So, for ten slow seconds or so, they eyed one an- 
 other. Speech began to work in Cai Tamblyn's 
 throat, but none came. He cast one bewildered, 
 incredulous, horror-stricken glance back from the face 
 on the bed to the fatuously smiling face on the
 
 272 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 washhand stand, and with that — for the Major 
 had picked up his pillow and was poising to hurl 
 it — flung his person between them, cast both arms 
 about the bust, hfted it, and tottered from the 
 room.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 FACES IN WATER 
 
 EH ? Wants to get up, does he ? " 
 Dr Hansombody during the last year or two 
 had gradually withdrawn himself from professional 
 cares, relinquishing them to his young and energetic 
 assistant, Mr Olver. Magisterial and other public 
 business claimed more and more of the time he more 
 and more grudgingly spared from domestic felicity 
 and the business of rearranging his entomological 
 cabinet. He had found himself, early in his third 
 term of mayoral office, the father of a bouncing boy. 
 A silver cradle, the gift of the borough, decorated his 
 sideboard. As for the moths and butterflies, he de- 
 signed to bequeath them, under the title of " The 
 Hansombody Collection," to the town. They would 
 find a last resting-place in the Hymen Museum, and 
 so his name would go down to posterity linked with 
 that of his distinguished friend. This was the 
 first visit he had paid to the stranger's bedside ; 
 and even now he had only stepped in, at his 
 , assistant's request, from the next room, where 
 for half an hour he had been engaged with Cai 
 Tamblyn in choosing a position for the first case 
 of butterflies. 
 
 s 273
 
 274 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " Wants to get up, does he ? " asked the Doctor 
 absently, after a perfunctory look at the patient. 
 " Restless, eh ? " He still carried in his hand 
 the two-foot rule with which he had been taking 
 measurements. " You've tried a change of 
 diet ? " 
 
 " I fancy," Mr Olver suggested, " he is worried by 
 the number of visitors — ladies especially." 
 
 " Georgiana Pescod has been worrying ? " 
 
 The patient lifted his right hand from the bed and 
 spread out all its fingers ; lifted his left, and spread 
 out three more. 
 
 " What ? Eight visits ? " 
 
 " And that's not the worst of it," put in the Nurse, 
 Mrs Snell, sympathetically, smoothing the coverlet. 
 " First and last there's been forty-two in these six 
 days. It can't be for his looks, as I tell en ; and his 
 name bein' Solomon won't account for the whole of 
 it." 
 
 " I sometimes think," said the Doctor pensively 
 and with entire gravity, turning to his assistant, 
 " we shall have to diminish the numbers of the Visit- 
 ing Committee. My dear friend Hymen planned it, 
 in years gone by, on a war footing ; and even so I re- 
 member suggesting to him at the time that the scale 
 was somewhat — er — grandiose. But it was char- 
 acteristic of him, and we have clung to it for that 
 reason in a spirit perhaps too piously conservative. 
 Forty-two ladies ! My good fellow " — he turned to 
 the patient — " I really think — if your leg is equal to 
 it — a short stroll in the fresh air may be permitted. 
 Pray do not think we desire to hurry your cure.
 
 FACES IN WATER 275 
 
 Even setting aside the dictates of charity, and our 
 natural tenderness towards one who, as I under- 
 stand, has bled for our common country, we owe you 
 something " — the Major's fingers plucked nervously 
 at the bed-clothes — " some reparation," the Doctor 
 went on, " for the — er — character of your reception. 
 In short, I hope, on your complete recovery, to find 
 you some steady employment, such as too many of 
 our returning heroes are at this moment seeking in 
 vain. In the meanwhile our town has some lions 
 which may amuse your convalescence — a figurative 
 term, meaning objects of interest." 
 
 Once or twice, in the course of his first stroll, the 
 Major's eyes came near to brimming with tears. The 
 town itself had suffered surprisingly little change. 
 The Collector — he seemed scarcely a day older — stood 
 as of old at the head of the Custom House stairs, and 
 surveyed the world benignly with his thumbs in the 
 arm-holes of his waistcoat. Before the Major's own 
 doorway the myrtles were in bloom, and a few China 
 roses on the well-trimmed standards. By the 
 Broad Ship as of old his nostrils caught the odours 
 of tar and hemp with a whiff of smoke from a 
 schooner's galley (the Ranting Blade, with her figure- 
 head repainted, but otherwise much the same as ever). 
 Miss J ex, the postmistress, still peered over her 
 blind. She studied the Major's wooden leg with in- 
 terest. He, on his part, seemed to detect that the 
 down on her upper lip had sensibly lightened in 
 colour. En revanche, from the corner of his eye, as 
 he passed the open door, he saw that the portrait 
 over the counter (supposed of yore to represent the
 
 276 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Prince Regent) wore a frame of black ribbon. The 
 black, alas ! was rusty. 
 
 The manners of the children had not improved. 
 Half a dozen urchins, running into him here by the 
 corner of the post-office on their way from school, 
 fell back in a ring and began to call " Boney ! " 
 derisively. He escaped from them into the church- 
 yard, and passing up between the graves, rested for 
 a while, panting in the cool of the porch. 
 
 The door stood ajar. Pushing it open, he stepped 
 within and paused again, half-terrified by the un- 
 familiar tap-tap of his wooden leg on the pavement. 
 The sunshine lay in soft panels of light across the 
 floor, and ran in sharper lines along the tops of the 
 pews, worn to a polish by generations of hands that 
 had opened and shut their doors. Aloft, where the 
 rays filtered through the clerestory windows, their 
 innumerable motes swam like gold-dust held in 
 solution. 
 
 The Major found his own pew, dropped into the 
 familiar seat, and strove to collect his thoughts. A 
 week ago, on his way from Plymouth, it had seemed 
 the easiest thing in the world to reveal himself and 
 step back into his own. The only question had been 
 how to select the most impressive moment. 
 
 His eyes, travelling along the wall on his right, en- 
 countered an unfamiliar monument among the 
 many familiar ones ; an oval slab of black marble 
 enclosed in a gilt wreath and inscribed with gilt 
 lettering. He leaned forward, peering closer, blink- 
 ing against the sunlight that poured through the 
 window.
 
 FACES IN WATER 277 
 
 SACRED 
 TO THE MEMORY OF 
 
 SOLOMON HYMEN, ESQUIRE 
 
 SEVEN TIMES MAYOR OF THIS BOROUGH 
 
 AND 
 
 MAJOR COMMANDING THE TROY VOLUNTEER ARTILLERY 
 
 UNFORTUNATELY AND UNTIMELY 
 
 SLAIN IN ACTION ; 
 
 OFF THE COAST OF FRANCE NEAR BOULOGNE 
 
 ON MAY 15TH, MDCCCIV. 
 
 THIS TABLET WAS ERECTED BY SUBSCRIPTION 
 
 AMONG HIS SORROWING FRIENDS AND FELLOW CITIZENS 
 
 OF THE BOROUGH HE, LIVING, ADORNED WITH HIS WISDOM 
 
 AND DYING, ENDOWED WITH HIS WEALTH 
 
 AS WITH HIS EXAMPLE. 
 
 FORTIBUS ET COELUM PATRIA. 
 
 He spelled out the inscription slowly, and, turning 
 at the sound of a footstep in the porch, was aware of a 
 tall figure in the doorway — his own faithful Scipio. 
 
 Least of all was Scipio changed. Ten years appar- 
 ently had not even tarnished his livery. It shone in 
 its accustomed scarlet and green and gold in the rays 
 which, falling through the windows of the south aisle, 
 lit up his white teeth and his habitual gentle 
 grin. 
 
 " Mistah will be studyin' de board — berry fine 
 board. Not so fine board in Cornwall, dey tell me." 
 
 The Major turned his face, avoiding recognition. 
 
 "No, not dat ; dat's modern trash," went on 
 Scipio, affably, following his gaze. " Good man, all 
 same, Massa Hymen ; lef plenty money. One 
 hundred fifty pound. Lef Cai Tamblyn fifty. 
 Every person say remarkable difference. But doan'
 
 278 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 you look at him ; he's modern trash. Massa Hymen 
 lef me one hundred fifty pound. Dat all go to 
 board up yonder, you see ; ' Scipio Johnson, Es- 
 quire, of this Parish ' in red letters an' gilt twirls. I 
 doan' mind tellin' you. De hull parish an' Lawyer 
 Chinn has it drafted — Vicar he promises me it shall 
 go in — ' Scipio Johnson, Esquire, of this Parish,' an' 
 twiddles round de capital letters. Man, I served 
 Mas' H3'men han' an' foot, wet an' dry, an' look like 
 he las' anudder twenty year." 
 
 " You mean to say that I — that you, I mean — " 
 " Dat's so," put in Scipio, nodding cheerfully, 
 while the stained glass windows flung flecks of red 
 and blue on his honest ebony features. " An' Cai 
 Tamblyn all de while no better 'n a fool. ' Him,'' 
 he'd sneer, not playin' up, but pullin' his cross face. 
 Dat's a lesson if ebber dere was one. Cai Tamblyn 
 left with fifty, an' me with three time fifty. ' To my 
 faithful servant, Scipio Johnson. . . .' And so 
 Miss Marty, when it came to choose, took me on — 
 Scipio Johnson, Esquire, of this Parish — and Cai 
 Tamblyn no more than ' Mister,' nor ebber a hope of 
 it." 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 The Major found himself in the churchyard, star- 
 ing at a headstone. He did not remember the stone, 
 yet it seemed by no means a new one. Weather- 
 stains ran down the lettering and lichen spotted it. 
 
 He read the name. It was the name of a man whom 
 he had left hale and young — a promising corporal. 
 
 He made his way back slowly to the hospital, lean- 
 ing heavily on his stick. Strange shrill noises
 
 FACES IN WATER 279 
 
 brought him to a halt on the threshold. They came 
 from the back of the house. 
 
 At the sound of his wooden leg in the brick passage, 
 Cai Tamblyn thrust his head out from the kitchen 
 doorway. 
 
 " You come in," said he. " Please the Lord, the 
 worst is over ; but I had to tell her." 
 
 " Her ? " echoed the Major in bewilderment. 
 " Who ? " 
 
 " Why, you see, fixed up as we were here — the 
 woman with six empty beds to nurse, and me on 
 t'other side with a roomful o' momentoes, an' no end 
 to it but the grave — there seemed no way out but 
 matterimony. What with my fifty an' her little 
 savin's we might ha' managed it, too, comfertable 
 enough. But when along comes you an' upsets the 
 apple-cart, w'y, in justice, the woman had to be told. 
 Which it took her like a slap in the wind, an' I'm sur- 
 prised the way she'd set her heart on it. But never 
 you mind ; she's sensible enough when she comes 
 round," 
 
 " Cai," said the Major, solemnly, " I thought we 
 had agreed that no one was to be told ? " 
 
 " So we did, sir," answered Mr Tamblyn, setting 
 his jaw. " But, come to think it over, 'twasn't fair 
 to the v/oman. Not bein' a married man yourself, 
 sir, or as good as such — " 
 
 " Excuse me," said the Major, lifting a hand. " I 
 quite well understand. But suppose that I have not 
 come back after all ! "
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 WINDS UP WITH A MERRY-GO-ROUND 
 
 '"P'ROY on a Regatta Day differs astonishingly 
 A from Troy on any other day in the year, and 
 yet until you have seen us on a Regatta Day you 
 have not seen Troy. 
 
 Once every August, on a Monday afternoon, the 
 frenzy descends upon us ; and then for three days 
 we dress our town in bunting and bang starting guns 
 and finishing guns, and put on fancy dresses, and 
 march in procession with Japanese lanterns, and 
 dance, and stare at pyrotechnical displays. But the 
 centre, the pivot, the axis of our revelry is always the 
 merry-go-round on the Town Quay. 
 
 " The merry-go-round, the merry-go-round, the merry-go- 
 round at Troy, 
 They whirl around, they gallop around, man, woman, and 
 maid and boy 1 " 
 
 Yachtsmen, visitors, farmers and country wives, 
 
 sober citizens and mothers of families, all meet 
 
 centripetally and mount and are whirled to the mad 
 
 strains of the barrel-organ under the flaming naphtha, 
 
 around the revolving pillar where the mirrored 
 
 images chase one another too quickly for thought to 
 
 answer their reflections. We make no toil of our 
 
 pleasure ; yet, if you will mark the distinction, it 
 
 280
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 281 
 
 keeps us hard at work, and reflection must wait 
 until Thursday morning. Then we dismiss the 
 yachts on their Channel race westward. We fire the 
 last gun, pull down the blue Peter, and off they go. 
 We draw a long breath, stow away our remaining 
 blank cartridges, pocket the stop-watch, heap the 
 recall numbers together, and, having redded up the 
 jolly-boat, light our pipes and sit and gaze awhile 
 after our retreating visitors. They go from us 
 silent as great white moths ; but, silent themselves, 
 they take, as they brought, all the noise and racket 
 with them. Our revel is over ; behind us the har- 
 bour lies almost deserted, and we row back to our 
 diurnal peace. 
 
 To be sure, in the days of which I write, there were 
 no yachts to visit us. But three of his Majesty's 
 training-brigs had arrived, bringing their gigs and 
 long-boats, and sailing cutters, with the racing-shells 
 in which the oarsmen of Dock were to do battle with 
 our champions of Troy, and a couple of crews of the 
 famous Saltash fishwomen who annually gave us an 
 exhibition race for a purse of gold and in the even- 
 ing danced quadrilles and country reels on the 
 quarter-deck with His Majesty's officers. 
 
 The town, on its part, had made all due and zealous 
 preparation ; and at eight o'clock in the morning, 
 when the Major stepped out of the hospital for a 
 look at the weather (which was hazy but warm, with 
 promise of a cloudless noon), already the streets 
 breathed festival. Sir Felix's coppices had been 
 thinned as usual for the occasion, and scores of small 
 saplings, larch and beech and hazel, hned the narrow
 
 282 THE MAYOR OP^ TROY 
 
 streets, their sharpened stems planted between the 
 cobbles, their leafy tops braced back against the 
 house-fronts and stayed with ropes which, leading 
 through the upper windows, were made fast within 
 to bars of grates, table-legs and bed-posts. Over 
 them, from house to house, strings of flags waved in 
 the light morning breeze, and over these again the 
 air was jocund with the distant funding of a drum 
 and the voices of flute and clarionet calling men to 
 mirth in the Town Square. 
 
 The Major gave a glance up and down the street 
 and retired indoors to prepare his breakfast, for he 
 was alone. Cai Tamblyn and the widow Snell 
 had the day before departed — on their honeymoon. 
 
 To arrange that his honeymoon should take him 
 from Troy on the day of all days to which every other 
 soul in the town looked forward, was quite of a piece 
 with Cai Tamblyn's sardonic humour. But he 
 surely excelled himself when, the day before his 
 marriage, he called on the Mayor and begged leave 
 to appoint the patient in the hospital as his locum 
 tenens for the week. 
 
 " The man's well enough to look after the place," 
 he urged ; " and you won't find him neglectin' it to 
 go gaddin' round the shows. A wooden leg's a 
 wonderful steadier at fair-times." And the Doctor 
 assented. 
 
 It were too much to say that his appointment, 
 when Cai Tamblyn reported it, touched our hero's 
 sense of humour, for he had none ; but he winced 
 under the dreadful irony of it. 
 
 " Do you know what you're asking ? " he cried.
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 283 
 
 " Suppose that visitors call — as they will. Would 
 you have me show them round and point out my own 
 rehcs ? " 
 
 " Damme, and I thought I was givin' you a bit o' 
 fun ! " said Cai, scratching his head. " It can't be 
 often a man finds hisself in your position ; and in the 
 old days when you got hold of a rarity you liked to 
 make the most of it." 
 
 "Fun! " echoed the Major. "And you'd have 
 me reel off all those reminiscences — all the sickening 
 praise, yard by yard, out of that infernal hand-book ! " 
 
 Cai Tamblyn eyed him gravely. 
 
 " You don't like that neither ? " he asked. 
 
 " Like it ! " the poor man echoed again, sank into 
 a chair, and, shuddering, covered his face. " It 
 makes my soul creep with shame." 
 
 Silence foUowed for a dozen long seconds. 
 
 " Master ! " 
 
 The Major shuddered again, but looked up a 
 moment later with tears in his eyes as Cai laid a hand 
 kindly yet respectfully on his shoulder, 
 
 " Master, I ax your pardon." He stepped back 
 and paused, seeming to swallow some words in his 
 throat before he spoke again. " You're a long way 
 more of a man than ever I gave 'ee credit to be. 
 Twelve year I passed in your service, too ; an' I take 
 ye to witness that 'twas Cai Tamblyn an' not Scipio 
 Johnson that knawed 'ee agen, for all the change in 
 your faytures. Whereby you misjudged us, sir, 
 when you left me fifty pound and that nigger a 
 hundred an' fifty. Whereby I misjudged ye in turn, 
 an' I ax your pardon."
 
 284 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 " No, Cai ; you judged me truly enough, if 
 severely. There was a time when I'd have fed my- 
 self on those praises that now sicken me." 
 
 " An' you was happy in them days." 
 
 " Yes, happy enough." 
 
 " Would you have 'em back, master ? " 
 
 " Would I have them back ? " The Major 
 straightened himself up and stood for a moment 
 staring out of the window. " No, Cai," he said re- 
 solutely, squaring his chin ; " not for worlds." 
 
 " There's one little bit of it, sir, you got to 
 have back," said Cai ; " an' that's my fifty 
 pound." 
 
 " Nonsense, man. I sha'n't hear of it." 
 
 "I've a-talked it over wi' the woman, an' she's 
 agreeable. She says 'tis the only right an' proper 
 thing to be done." 
 
 " She may be as agreeable as — as you deserve, 
 Cai ; but I tell you I don't touch a penny of it. And 
 you may have formed your own opinion of me during 
 twelve years of service, but in all that time I 
 don't think you ever knew me go back on my 
 word." 
 
 " That's truth, sir," Cai admitted, scratching his 
 head again ; " and more by token, 'tis about the 
 only thing the book has forgot to praise 'ee for." 
 
 " Perhaps," said the Major, in his bitterness almost 
 achieving a witticism, " the author felt 'twould be 
 out of place." 
 
 " But all this apart, sir, I don't see how you'll get 
 along without money." 
 
 " Make your mind easy on that score, my friend.
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 285 
 
 I rather fancy that I'm provided for ; but if that 
 should prove to be a mistake, I may come to you for 
 advice." 
 
 " Marryin' ? " queried Cai. " But no ; with a 
 wooden leg — you'll excuse me — " 
 
 " Devil take the man ! You can't argue that 
 womenkind are squeamish." 
 
 Cai grinned. " You'll take on this little job, any- 
 way, sir ? I can't very well go to his Worship an' 
 beg you off ; it might set him suspectin'." 
 " I'll take the job," said the Major, hastily. 
 " Brayvo ! But what I'd hke to do "—Cai rubbed 
 his chin reflectively — " is to get that cussed book 
 written over agen, an' written different." 
 
 " Give it time," his master answered sadly. " May- 
 be even that is a job that will get itself done one of 
 these days." 
 
 Cai and his bride had departed, and the Major 
 faced the ordeal of Regatta Day with much trepida- 
 tion. Heaven help him to play his part like a 
 man ! 
 
 But it appeared that the sightseers, who, as ever, 
 began to pour into the town at nine in the morning 
 and passed the door in one steady, continuous stream 
 until long past noon-day, had either seen the Hymen 
 Hospital before or were intent first on culling the 
 more evanescent pleasures of the day. In fact, no 
 visitor troubled him until one o'clock, when, in the lull 
 between the starts of the sailing and the rowing races, 
 and while the Regatta Committee lunched ashore to 
 the strains of a brass band, a farm labourer in his 
 Sunday best, crowned with a sugar-loaf hat, entered.
 
 286 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 flung himself into a chair, and demanded to have a 
 tooth extracted. 
 
 " You needn' mind which," he added encourag- 
 ingly ; " they all aches at times. Only don't let it be 
 more than one, for I can't afford it. I been countin' 
 up how to lay out my money, an' I got sixpence over ; 
 an' it can't be in beer, because I promised the missus." 
 The Major assured him that the extraction of a 
 tooth or teeth did not fall within the sphere of the 
 hospital's prevision. 
 
 " W'y not ? " asked the countryman, and added 
 coaxingly, " Just to pass the time, now ! " 
 
 " Not even to pass the time," the Major answered 
 with firmness. 
 
 " Very well," said the man resignedly. " If you 
 won't, you won't ; but let's while it away somehow. 
 Give me a black draught." 
 
 At rare intervals from three o'clock till five other 
 country folk dropped in, two or three (once even half 
 a dozen) at a time. As a show the Hymen Hospital 
 and Museum appeared to have outlived its vogue. 
 The male visitors, one and all, removed their hats on 
 entering, and spoke in constrained tones as if in 
 church. To the Major's relief, no one asked him to 
 recite from the book, and the questions put to him 
 were of the simplest. A farm maiden from the 
 country requested that the bust might be wound 
 up. 
 
 " I beg your pardon ? " 
 
 " You don't tell me there isn' no music inside ! " 
 the maiden exclaimed. " What's it for, then ? " 
 .^With difficulty the Major explained the purpose
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 287 
 
 and also the limits of statuary. The girl turned to 
 her swain with a moue of disgust, 
 
 " It's my belief," she reproached him, " you 
 brought me here out of stinginess, pretending not to 
 notice when we passed the waxworks, which is only 
 tuppence, and real murderers with their chests a- 
 rising an' fallin', as Maria's young man treated her to 
 it last Regatta ; an' a Sleepin' Beauty with a clock- 
 work song inside like distant angels." 
 
 But at five o'clock or thereabouts, arrived no less a 
 personage than Sir Felix Felix-Williams himself, 
 gallantly escorting a couple of ladies whom he had 
 piloted through the various rustic sights of the fair. 
 " O — oof ! " panted Sir Felix, gaining the cool 
 passage and mopping his brow. " A veritable haven 
 of rest after the dust and din ! Hullo, my good man, 
 are you the caretaker for the day ? I don't seem to 
 recollect your face. ... Eh ? No ? Well, show 
 us round, please. These ladies are curious to know 
 something of our local hero." 
 
 The Major, his wooden leg trembling, opened the 
 door of the Museum. The ladies put up their eye- 
 glasses and gazed around, while Sir Felix dusted his 
 coat. 
 
 " Hymen, his name was. That's his bust yonder," 
 Sir Felix explained, flicking at his collar with his 
 handkerchief. " A very decent body ; a retired 
 linen-draper, if I remember, from somewhere in the 
 City, where he put together quite a tidy sum of 
 money. Came home and spent it in his native town, 
 where for years he was quite a big-wig. But our 
 friend here has a book about him, written up by the
 
 288 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 apothecary of the place. " Isn't that so ? " he ap- 
 pealed to the Major, who drew the document from 
 his pocket with shaking fingers. 
 
 " Eh ? I thought so," went on Sir Felix. " But 
 spare us the long-winded passages, my friend. Just 
 a few particulars to satisfy the ladies, who, on this 
 their first visit to Cornwall, are good enough to be in- 
 quisitive a folic about us — about Troy especially." 
 
 *' But it is ravishing — quite ravishing ! " declared 
 one of the ladies. 
 
 " A duck of a place ! " cried the other, inspecting 
 the bust. " And see, Sophronia, what a duck of a 
 man ! And you say he was only a linen-draper ? " 
 She turned to Sir Felix. 
 
 " But all the Cornish are gentlemen — didn't Queen 
 Elizabeth or somebody say something of the sort ? " 
 chimed in the first. " And the place kept as neat as 
 a pin, I protest ! " 
 
 " Gentlemen in their own conceit, I fear," Sir Felix 
 answered. " But this fellow was, on the whole, a 
 very decent fellow. Success, or what passes for it in 
 a small country town, never turned his head. He 
 had a foible, I'm told, on the strength of a likeness 
 (you'll be amused) to the Prince Regent. But, so 
 far as I observed, he knew how to conduct himself 
 towards his — er — superiors. I had quite a respect 
 for him. Yes, begad, quite a respect." 
 
 " I think, sir," said the Major, controlling his 
 voice, " since you ask me to select a passage, this may 
 interest the ladies : 
 
 *' ' But perhaps the most remarkable trait in the 
 subject of our memoir was his invariable magnan-
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 289 
 
 imity, which alone persuaded all who met him that 
 they had to deal with no ordinary man. It is related 
 of him that once in childhood, having been pecked in 
 the leg by a gander, he was found weeping rather at 
 the aggressive insolence of the fowl (with which he 
 had good-naturedly endeavoured to make friends) 
 than at the trivial hurt received by his own boyish 
 calves.' " 
 
 The ladies laughed, and Sir Felix joined in up- 
 roariously. 
 
 " How deliciously quaint ! " exclaimed the one 
 her friend had addressed as Sophronia. " What rural 
 detail ! " 
 
 " The very word. Quaint — devilish quaint ! " 
 Sir Fehx agreed. " We are devihsh quaint in these 
 parts." 
 
 The Major turned a page : 
 
 " ' So far as inquiry lifts the curtain over the clos- 
 ing scene, it was marked by a similar calm forgetful- 
 ness of self in the higher interests of his Sovereign, 
 his Country, the British Race. If enemies he had, he 
 forgave them. Attending only to his country's call 
 for volunteers to defend her shores, he followed it in 
 the least conspicuous manner, and fell ; leaving at 
 once an example and a reproach to those who, living 
 at home in ease, enjoyed the protection of spirits 
 better conscious of the destinies and duties of 
 Englishmen,' " 
 
 " Gad, and so he did ! " Sir Felix exclaimed. " I 
 remember thinking something of the sort at the 
 time and doubling my subscription." He yawned. 
 " Shall we go, ladies ? " he asked. " I assure you 
 
 T
 
 :^90 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 there is no time to be lost if you wish to see the 
 menagerie." 
 
 But when the ladies were in the passage, the 
 Major half-closed the door, shutting Sir Felix 
 off. 
 
 " May I have just one word with you, sir ? I will 
 not detain you more than a moment." 
 
 " Eh ? " said Sir Felix, and pulled out a shilling. 
 " Is that what you're after ? Well, I'm glad you had 
 the delicacy to let the ladies pass out first. They 
 think us an unsophisticated folk." 
 
 The Major waved the coin aside. He planted him- 
 self on his wooden leg, with his back to the door, and 
 faced the baronet. 
 
 " I just want to tell you," he said quietly, " that 
 the whole of what I read was a lie." 
 
 " Naturally, my good fellow. One allows for that 
 in those memoirs." 
 
 " The man, except in parable, was never bitten by 
 a gander in his life," persisted the Major. *' Nor did 
 he enlist and fall — if he fell — through any magnani- 
 mous motive. He just left Troy on finding himself 
 betrayed by a neighbour — a dirty, little, mean- 
 spirited, pompous gander of a neighbour — and what- 
 ever example he may have unwittingly — yes, and 
 unwillingly — set, the lesson does not appear to have 
 been learnt — at least, until this moment. But," 
 concluded the Major, throwing wide the door, " we 
 keep the ladies waiting. Sir Felix." 
 
 Sir Felix, ordinarily the most irascible of men, 
 gasped once and passed out, cowed, beaten, utterly 
 and hopelessly bewildered. The Major stood by the
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 291 
 
 door with chest inflated as it had not been inflated 
 for ten years and more. 
 
 Perhaps this inflation of the chest, reviving old 
 recollections, prompted him to do what next he did. 
 Otherwise I confess I cannot account for it. He 
 stepped back from the door and looked around the 
 room, emitting a long breath. Outside the window 
 the dusk was already descending on the street. 
 Within a glass-fronted cupboard in the corner, hung 
 his old uniform, sword, epaulettes and cocked hat ; 
 above the mantelpiece a looking-glass. 
 
 He stepped to the cupboard, opened it, and took 
 down the time-rotten regimentals. Slowly, very 
 slowly, he divested himself of his clothes, and, piece 
 by piece, indued himself in the old finery. 
 
 At the breeches he paused ; then drew them on 
 hastily over his wooden leg, and left them unbuttoned 
 at the knees while he thrust his arms into coat and 
 waistcoat. Prison fare had reduced his waist, and 
 the garments hung limply about him. But the 
 breeches were worst. Around his wooden leg the 
 buttons would not meet at all. And what to do 
 with the gaiter ? 
 
 Methodically he unstrapped the leg and regarded 
 it. Heavens ! how for these three years past he had 
 hated it ! He looked up. From the far side of the 
 room the bust watched him, still with its fatuous 
 smile. 
 
 He rose in a sudden access of passion, gripping the 
 leg, taking aim. ... A slight noise in the passage 
 arrested him, and, leaning against the door-jamb, he 
 peered out. It was the woman with the evening's
 
 292 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 milk, and she had set down the jug in the 
 passage. 
 
 He closed the door, swayed a moment, and with a 
 spring off his sound leg, leapt on the still grinning 
 bust and smote at it, crashing it into pieces. 
 
 Mrs Tiddy, the milk woman, ran home declaring 
 that, in the act of delivering the usual two penny- 
 worth at the hospital, she had seen the ghost 
 of the Major himself, in full regimentals, in the act of 
 assaulting his own statue ; which, sure enough, was 
 found next morning scattered all over the floor. 
 
 • ••■••• 
 
 The crash of it recalled the Major to his senses. 
 He stared down on the fragments at his feet. He 
 had burnt his boats now. 
 
 As methodically as he had indued them he 
 divested himself of his regimentals, and so, having 
 slipped into his old clothes again and strapped on his 
 leg, stumped resolutely forth into the street. 
 
 Cai Tamblyn, like every other Trojan, kept a boat 
 of his own ; and on the eve of departing he had 
 placed her at the Major's disposal. She lay moored 
 by a frape off a semi-public quay door, approached 
 from the Fore Street by a narrow alley knowTi as 
 Cherry's (or Charity's) Court. 
 
 The Major stumped down to the waterside in the 
 fast gathering dusk and hauled in the boat. Luckily 
 the tide was high, and reached within four feet of the 
 sill of the doorway ; luckily, I say, because few con- 
 trivances in this world are less compatible than a 
 ladder and a wooden leg. The tide being high, how-
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 293 
 
 ever, he managed to scramble down and on board 
 without much difficulty ; unmoored, shipped a 
 paddle in the scuUing-notch over the boat's stern, 
 and very quietly worked her up and alongshore, in 
 the shadow of the waterside houses. 
 
 Arrived at the quay-ladder leading up to Dr Han- 
 sombody's garden — once, alas ! his own — and to 
 the terrace consecrated by memories of the green- 
 sealed Madeira, he checked the boat's way and 
 looked up for a moment, listening. Hearing no 
 sound, he slipped the painter around a rung, made 
 fast with a hitch, and cautiously, very cautiously, 
 pulled himself up the ladder, bringing his eyes level 
 with the sill of the open door. 
 
 Heaven be praised ! the little garden was empty. 
 A moment later he had heaved himself on to the sill 
 and was crawling along the terrace. 
 
 At the end of the terrace, in a dark corner by the 
 wall, grew a stunted fig tree, its roots set among the 
 flagstones, its boughs overhanging the tide ; and by 
 the roots, between the bole of the trees and the wall, 
 one of the flagstones had a notch in its edge, a notch 
 in old days cunningly concealed, the trick of it 
 known only to the Major. 
 
 He drew out a small marlingspike which he carried 
 in a sheath at his hip, and, bending over the flag- 
 stone, felt for the notch ; found it, inserted the point, 
 and began to prise, glancing, as he worked, over 
 his shoulder at the windows of the house. A lamp 
 shone in one ... So much the better. If the room 
 had an inmate, the lamp would make it harder for 
 him or her to see what went on in the dim garden.
 
 294 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 Ten years. . . . Could his hoard have lain all that 
 time undisturbed ? He had hidden it in the old days 
 of the invasion-scare, as many a citizen had made 
 secret deposit against emergencies. Banks were 
 novelties in those days. Who knew what might 
 happen to a bank, if Boney landed ? 
 
 But ten years ... a long time . . . and yet to 
 all appearances the stone had not been tampered 
 with. He levered it up and thrust it aside. 
 
 No ! There the bags lay amid the earth ! Two 
 bags, and a hundred guineas in each ! He clutched 
 and felt their full round sides. Yes, yes, they were 
 full, as he had left them ! 
 
 WHO-OOSH ! 
 
 Heavens ! What was that ? 
 
 The Major gripped his bags and was preparing to 
 run ; but, an instant later, cowered low, and backed 
 into the fig tree's shadow as the whole sky leapt 
 into flame and shook with a terrific detonation. 
 
 The Regatta fireworks had begun. 
 
 Across the little garden a window went up. 
 
 " My dear," said a voice (the Doctor's), " bring 
 the child to look, if he won't be frightened." 
 
 In the window they stood, all three — the Doctor, 
 ' Miss Marty,' the child — a happy domestic group, 
 framed there with the lamp behind them. Deep as 
 he could squeeze himself back into the shadow, the 
 Major cowered and watched them. 
 
 The child crowed and leapt with delight. His 
 father and mother looked down at him, then at one 
 another, and laughed happily. Alas ! poor Major ! 
 
 They had no eyes to search the garden. What
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 295 
 
 should they suspect, those two, there in the warm 
 circle of the lamp, wrapped in their own security ? 
 
 The rockets ceased to blaze and bang. At length 
 the heavens resumed their dark peace, and the dis- 
 tant barrel-organ reasserted itself from the Town 
 Quay. The child's voice demanded more, but his 
 father closed the window and drew the curtain close. 
 Panting hard, his brow clammy with sweat, the 
 Major stole forth and down to the boat with his poor 
 spoils. 
 
 Half an hour later he found himself in the crowd, 
 his pockets weighted with guineas. Whither should 
 he go ? In what direction set his face ? Eastward 
 for Plymouth, or westward for Falmouth ? He 
 roamed the streets, letting the throng of merry- 
 makers carry him for the while as it willed ; and it 
 ended, of course (you may make the experiment for 
 yourself on a regatta night), in carrying him to the 
 merry-go-round on the Town Quay. 
 
 He stared at it stupidly, his hands in his bulging 
 pockets. He feared no thieves. To begin with, his 
 appearance was not calculated to invite the attention 
 of pickpockets, and moreover, there are none in Troy. 
 He stared at the whirling horses, the blazing naphtha 
 jets, the revolving mirrors, the laughing, irrespon- 
 sible faces as they swept by and away again, and re- 
 appeared and once again passed laughing thither 
 where, on the farther side of the circle, brooded (as 
 it seemed to him) a great shadow of darkness. 
 
 Suddenly his heart stood still, and his few hairs 
 stiffened under his tarpaulin hat. That sailor, 
 riding with a happy grin on his face, and his face
 
 296 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 towards his horse's tail ! Surely not — surely it 
 could not be. ... ? But as the sailor whirled 
 round into view again, it surely was Ben Jope ! 
 
 The music and the merry-go-round slowed down 
 together and came to a standstill. A score of riders 
 clambered off, and a score of onlookers surged up and 
 took their places. The Major ran with them, push- 
 ing his way to the far side of the circle where Mr 
 Jope's horse had come to a stop. He arrived, but 
 too late. Mr Jope had disappeared. 
 
 A moment later, however, the Major caught sight 
 of him, elbowing his way through the gut of a narrow 
 lane leading off the Quay by the fish market, and 
 gave chase. But the weight in his pockets handi- 
 capped him, and the crowd seemed to take a mali- 
 cious delight in blocking his way. 
 
 Nevertheless he kept his quarry in sight. A 
 dozen times at least Mr Jope halted before a shop or a 
 booth and dallied, staring, but ever on the point of 
 capture he would start off again, threading the 
 throng with extreme nimbleness. With a dexterity 
 as marvellous as it was unconscious, he dodged his 
 pursuer past the Broad Ship, up Custom House Hill, 
 along Passage Street, out through the Tollway Arch 
 and among the greater shows — the menagerie, the 
 marionettes, the travelling theatre — all in full blast, 
 almost to the extreme edge of the fair, where it 
 melted into the darkness of the woods and the high- 
 road winding up between them into open country. 
 Here, hanging on his heel for a moment, he appeared 
 to make a final choice between these many attrac- 
 tions, and dived into a booth over which a flaming
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 297 
 
 board announced a conjuring entertainment by 
 Professor Boscoboglio, — " Prestidigitateur to the 
 Allied Sovereigns." 
 
 The Major spied Mr Jope's broad back as he dipped 
 and entered beneath the flap of the tent ; and fol- 
 lowed, elate at having run his quarry to earth. A 
 stout woman, seated at the entrance beside a drum on 
 which she counted her change, thrust out an arm of 
 no mean proportions to block his entrance, and 
 demanded twopence, fee for admission. 
 
 The Major, who had forgotten this formality, 
 dipped his hand into his breeches pocket and ten- 
 dered her a guinea. She eyed it suspiciously, took 
 it, rang it on the lid of her money-box, and, recognis- 
 ing it for a genuine coin, at once transferred her sus- 
 picions to him. 
 
 " Tuppence out of a guinea ? " she sniffed. " Not 
 likely, with a man of your looks." 
 
 " It's genuine, ma'am." 
 
 " I ain't a fool," answered the lady. " I was 
 wondering how you came by it. Well, anyway, I 
 can't give you change ; so take yourself off, 
 please." 
 
 He argued, but she was obdurate. She hadn't the 
 change about her, she affirmed, with a jerk of her 
 thumb towards the interior of the tent. Their 
 takings to-day hadn't amounted to five shillings, as 
 she was a Christian woman. 
 
 The Major, glancing beneath the tent-cloth, spied 
 a melancholy man extracting ribbons from his mouth 
 before an audience of three men, a child and a woman. 
 He heard Ben Jope's voice raised in approval. He
 
 298 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 announced that he would wait outside until the per- 
 formance concluded. 
 
 " Twenty minutes," said the stout woman non- 
 chalantly, 
 
 " Good-evening, ma'am," said he, and stepping 
 back, began to pace to and fro in front of the tent. 
 
 Why had he followed this man who, if you looked 
 at it in one way, had been the prime cause of all his 
 calamity ? He smiled grimly at the thought that, as 
 justice went in this world, he should be tracking 
 Ben J ope down in a cold passion of revenge ; 
 whereas, in fact, he was hungry to grip the honest 
 fellow's hand. From the panorama of these ten 
 mischanced years the face of Ben J ope shone out as 
 in a halo, wreathed with good-natured smiles. Ben 
 Jope— 
 
 Here the Major flung up both hands and tottered 
 back as, with a lift of the earth beneath his feet, a 
 flame ripped the roof off the tent, and roaring, hurled 
 it right and left into the night. 
 
 Under the shock of the explosion he dropped on 
 hands and knees, and, still on hands and knees, 
 crawled forward to a ditch, a full ten yards to the left 
 of the spot where the tent had stood. In the dark- 
 ness one of the victims lay groaning. 
 
 " Are — are you hurt ? " The Major's teeth chat- 
 tered as he crawled near and stretched out a hand 
 towards the sufferer. 
 
 " Damn the fellow ! " swore Ben Jope cheerfully, 
 sitting up. " What'll be his next trick, I wonder ? " 
 
 " You — you are not hurt ? " 
 
 " Hurt ? No, I reckon. Who are you ? "
 
 A MERRY-GO-ROUND 299 
 
 " Hymen, Ben Solomon Hymen. You re- 
 member — in the Plymouth Theatre, ten years back. 
 Oh, hush, man, hush ! " for Ben, casting both hands 
 up to his face, had let out a squeal like a rabbit's. 
 
 " An' I saw you die ! Oh, take him away some- 
 one I With these very eyes ! No, damn it ! " Mr 
 J ope pulled himself together and scrambled to his 
 feet. " I paid for two pennyworth, but if this goes 
 on I gets my money back ! " 
 
 By this time showmen and merry-makers, startled 
 out of the neighbouring tents by the explosion, as 
 bees from their hives, were running to and fro with 
 lanterns and naphtha flares, seeking for the victims. 
 A ring of the searchers came to a halt around the 
 Major and Ben Jope, and Ben, catching sight of his 
 companion's face, let out another yell. 
 
 " It's all right." The Major clutched him by the 
 arm and turned. " It's all right, my good people. 
 He can walk, you see. I'll take him along to the 
 hospital." 
 
 He managed to reassure them, and they passed on. 
 He slipped an arm under Ben's and led him away 
 into the darkness. 
 
 " But I seen you blowed into air, ten years ago, 
 with these very eyes," persisted Ben. 
 
 " And with these very eyes I saw you blown into 
 air ten minutes ago ; and yet we're both alive," the 
 Major assured him. 
 
 "An' I come here o' purpose to look up yourha'nts, 
 havin' been always pretty curious about that tale o' 
 your'n, but kep' moderate busy all these vears." 
 
 " And Bill Adams ? "
 
 300 THE MAYOR OF TROY 
 
 (( 
 
 Wot ? " Mr Jope halted. " Haven't you 
 'eard ? Bill's dead. Drink done it — coinin' upon it too 
 'asty. Simmons's boarding-house, Plymouth, that's 
 where it was. Quite a decent house, an' the pro- 
 prietor behaved very well about it, T will say. But 
 where on earth have you been hidin' all these years, 
 that you never heard about Bill ? " 
 
 " In a French war prison, Ben. And, Ben, you 
 found me a berth once, you remember. I wonder if 
 you could get me into another ? " 
 
 " O' course I can," Mr Jope answered cheerily. 
 " You come along o' me to Plymouth an' I'll put you 
 into the very job. A cook's galley, it is, and so 
 narra' that with a wooden leg in dirty weather you 
 can prop yourself tight when she rolls, an' stir the 
 soup with it between-times ! " 
 
 They entered the hospital, and the Major packed 
 his knapsack with hasty, eager hands. 
 
 " What's this mess on the floor ? " asked Ben 
 Jope, pointing to the fragments of plaster-of-Paris. 
 
 " That ? " The Major looked up from his pack- 
 ing. " That's a sort of image I broke. Come along ; 
 we haven't time to pick up the pieces." 
 
 • ••■•• a 
 
 They crossed the harbour in Cai Tamblyn's boat, 
 and moored her safely at the ferry slip. On the 
 knap of the hill the Major turned for a last look. 
 
 From the Town Quay, far below and across the 
 water, the lights of the merry-go-round winked at 
 him gaily, knowingly. 
 
 COLSTON AND COY., LIMITED, PRINTKKS, EDINBURGH
 
 A CATALOGUE OF BOOKS 
 
 PUBLISHED BY METHUEN 
 
 AND COMPANY: LONDON 
 
 36 ESSEX STREET 
 
 W.C. 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 General Literature, . 
 
 . 2-19 
 
 Ancient Cities, 
 
 19 
 
 Antiquary's Books, 
 
 20 
 
 Beginner's Books, . 
 
 20 
 
 Business Books, . 
 
 20 
 
 Byzantine Texts, . 
 
 21 
 
 Churchman's Bible, 
 
 21 
 
 Churchman's Library, . 
 
 21 
 
 Classical Translations, 
 
 21 
 
 Commercial Series, 
 
 22 
 
 Connoisseur's Library, 
 
 22 
 
 Library of Devotion, 
 
 23 
 
 Standard Library, 
 
 23 
 
 Half-Crown Library, . 
 
 24 
 
 Illustrated Pocket Library o 
 
 f 
 
 Plain and Coloured Books 
 
 24 
 
 Junior Examination Series, 
 
 26 
 
 Junior School-Books, . 
 
 26 
 
 Leaders of Religion, 
 
 27 
 
 Little Blue Books, 
 Little Books on Art, 
 Little Galleries, 
 Little Guides, . 
 Little Library, 
 Miniature Library, 
 Oxford Biographies, 
 School Examination Series 
 Social Questions of To-day 
 Textbooks of Science, . 
 Textbooks of Technology 
 Handbooks of Theology, 
 Westminster Commentaries 
 
 Fiction, .... 
 The Strand Novels, 
 Books for Boys and Girls, 
 Novels of Alexandre Dumas 
 Methuen's Sixpenny Books 
 
 PAGE 
 
 27 
 27 
 28 
 28 
 28 
 30 
 30 
 30 
 31 
 31 
 31 
 31 
 32 
 
 32-36 
 37 
 38 
 38 
 39 
 
 FEBRUARY 1906
 
 A CATALOGUE OF 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's 
 
 PUBLICATIONS 
 
 Colonial Editions are published of all Messrs. Methuen's Novels issued 
 at a price above aj. 6d., and similar editions are published of some works of 
 General Literature. These are marked in the Catalogue. Colonial editions 
 are only for circulation in the British Colonies and India. 
 
 .^.n asterisk denotes that a book is in the Press. 
 
 I.P.L. represents Illustrated Pocket Library. 
 
 .S.Q.S. represents Social Questions Series. 
 
 Part I. — General Literature 
 
 Abbot (Jacob). See Little Blue Books. 
 
 Abbott (J. H. M.). Author of 'Tommy 
 Cornstalk.' AN OUTLANDKR IN 
 ENGLAND: Being some I.mpkessionsof 
 AN Australian Abroad. Second Edition. 
 Cr. Sz'O. 6s. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Acatos (M. J.). See Junior School Books. 
 
 Adams (Frank). JACKSPRATT. With 34 
 Coloured Picuires Sufer Royal i6t>io. ^s. 
 
 Adeney (W. F.), M.A. See Bennett and 
 Adency. 
 
 i^schylus. See Classical Translations. 
 
 /Esop. See I.P.L. 
 
 Alnsworth (W. Harrison). See I.P.L. 
 
 Alderson (J. P.). MR. ASQUITH. With 
 Portr.-iits and Illustrations. Dony ivo. 
 js. td. net. 
 \ Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Aldis (Janet). MADAME GEOFFRIN, 
 
 HER S.ALON, AND HER TIMES. 
 
 With many Portiaits and lllustration.s. 
 
 Second Edition. Veiny Zvo, \os. 6d. net. 
 
 A Coloni.il Edition ii al.so published. 
 
 Alexander (William), D.D., Archbishop 
 of Armafih. THOUGHTS AND 
 COUNSELS OF MANY YEARS. 
 Demy i6mo. ■2s. 6d. 
 
 Aiken (Henry). THE NATIONAL 
 .SPORTS OF GREAT BRITAIN. With 
 descriptions in English and French. With 
 51 Coloured Plates. Royal folio. Five 
 Guineas net. The Plates can be had 
 separately in a Portfolio. £1, y. net. 
 See also I.P.L. 
 
 Allen (Jessie). See Little Books on Art. 
 
 Allen (J. RomiUy), F.S.A. See Antiquary's 
 liooki. 
 
 Almack (E.). See Little Books on Art. 
 
 Amherst (Lady). A SKETCH OF 
 EGYPTIAN HISTORY FROM THE 
 EARLIEST TIMES TO THE PRE- 
 SENT DAY. With mauy lUvtstrations. 
 Dtmy 8f«. iM. f>d. ntU 
 
 Anderson (F.M.). THE STORY OF THE 
 BRITISH EMPIRE FOR CHILDREN. 
 With many Illustrations. Cr. 8vo. as. 
 
 Anderson (J. Q.), B..A., P:xaminer to London 
 Univer-sity, NOUVELLE GRAMMAIRE 
 FRANCAISE. Cr. Sto. -zs. 
 
 EXERCICES DE GRAMMAIRE FRAN- 
 CAISE. Cr. Zvo. IS. 6d. 
 
 Andrewes (Bishop). PRECES PR I. 
 VAT.AE. Edited, with Notes, by F. E. 
 Bric;ht.\jan, M.A.,ofPusey House, Oxford. 
 Cr. ivo. 6s. 
 
 Anjtlo- Australian. AFTER-GLOW ME- 
 MORIES. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Aristophanes. THE FROGS. Translated 
 into English by E. W. Hunti.ncford, 
 M..\. Cr.Svo. as. 6d. 
 
 Aristotle. THE NICOMACHEAN 
 ETHICS. Edited, with an Introduction 
 and Notes, by John Burnet, M.A., Pro- 
 fessor of Greek at St. Andrews. Cluaper 
 issue. DemyZvo. 10s. 6d. net. 
 
 Ashton (R.). See Little Blue Books. 
 
 Atkins (H. G.). See Oxford Biographies. 
 Atkinson (C. M.). JEREMY BENTHAM. 
 
 Demy Zvo. ss. net. 
 Atkinson (T. D.). A SHORT HISTORY 
 
 OF ENGLISH ARCHITECTURE. 
 
 With over 200 Illustrations. Fcap. 8vo. 
 
 y. 6d. net. 
 •A GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN 
 
 ENGLISH ARCHITECTURE. Illus- 
 
 trated. Fcap. Zvo. y. 6d. net. 
 Auden (T.), M.A., F.S.A. See Ancient Cities. 
 Aurellus (Marcus). See Standard Library 
 
 and W. H. D. Rouse. 
 Austen (Jane). See Little Library and 
 
 Standard Library. 
 Aves (Ernest). See Books on Business. 
 Bacon (Francis). See Little Library and 
 
 Iblandard Library.
 
 General Literature 
 
 Baden-Powell (R. S. S.), Major-General. 
 THE DOWNFALL OF PREMPEH. A 
 Diary of Life in Ashanti, 1895. Illustrated. 
 Third Edition, Large Cr. 8vo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 THE MATABELE CAMPAIGN, i8g6. 
 With nearly 100 Illustrations. Fourth 
 Edition. Large Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published, 
 
 *Bagot (Richard). THE LAKE OF 
 CO MO. Cr. Scio. 3s. 6d. net. 
 
 Bailey (J. C), M.A. See Cowjjer. 
 
 Baker (W. Q.), M.A. See Junior Examina- 
 tion Series. 
 
 Baker(JuIian L.), F.I.C., F.C.S. See Books 
 on Business. 
 
 Balfour (Graham). THE LIFE OF 
 ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON. Second 
 Edition. Two Volumes. Demy Zvo. 255-. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Bally (S. E.). .See Commercial Series. 
 
 Banks (Elizabeth L.). THE AUTO- 
 BIOGRAPHY OF A 'NEWSPAPER 
 GIRL.' Second Edition. Cr.Zvo. f,s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Barham (R. H.). See Little Library. 
 
 Baring (The Hon. Maurice). WITH 
 THE RUSSIANS IN MANCHURIA. 
 Third Edition. Demy Zvo, ys. 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Baring-Gould (S.). THE LIFE OF 
 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. With over 
 430 Illustrations in the Text, and 12 Photo- 
 gravure Plates. Gi/i top. Large quarto. 
 36s. 
 
 THE TRAGEDY OF THE C^SARS. 
 With numerous Illustrations from Busts, 
 Gems, Cameos, etc. Ei/th Edition. Royal 
 Zvo. 10s. 6d. net. 
 
 A BOOK OF FAIRY TALES. With 
 numerous Illustrations by A. J. Gaskin. 
 Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. Buckram. 6s. 
 
 OLD ENGLISH FAIRY TALES. With 
 numerous Illustrations by F. D. Bedford. 
 Second Edition, Cr. Zvo. Buckram. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 THE VICAR OF MORWENSTOW. Re- 
 vised Edition. With a Portrait. Cr. Zvo. 
 3s. 6d. 
 
 DARTMOOR: A Descriptive and Historical 
 Sketch. With Plans and numerous Illus- 
 trations. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE WEST. Illustrated. 
 Twovolumes. Vol. i. Devon. Second Edition. 
 Vol.11. Cornwall. Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. 
 6s. each. 
 
 A BOOK OF NORTH WALES. Illus- 
 trated. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 A BOOK OF SOUTH WALES. Illustrated. 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 A BOOK OF BRITTANY. Illustrated. Cr. 
 Zvo. 6s. 
 
 A BOOK OF THE RIVIERA. lUustratsd. 
 Cr, iv«, 6s. 
 A Colo&ul Etlition is alsopubli;>hed. 
 
 »THE RHINE. Illustrated, Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 A BOOK OF GHOSTS. With 8 Illustra- 
 tions by D. Murray Smith. Second Edi- 
 tion, Cr, Zvo, 6s, 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 OLD COUNTRY LIFE. With 67 Illustra- 
 tions. Fifth Edition, Large Cr, Zvo. 6s. 
 
 A GARLAND OF COUNTRY SpNG : 
 English Folk Songs with their Traditional 
 Melodies. Collected and arranged by S. 
 Baring-Gould and H. F. Sheppard. 
 Demy i,io. 6s. 
 
 SONGS OF THE WEST: Folk Songs of 
 Devon and Cornwall. Collected from the 
 Mouths of the People. By S. Baring-Gould, 
 M.A.,andH. Fleetwood Sheppard, M.A. 
 Newand Revised Edition, under the musical 
 editorship of Cecil J. Sharp, Principal of 
 the Hampstead Conservatoire. Large Im- 
 perial Zvo. 5J. net. 
 
 See also Little Guides and Half-Crown 
 Library. 
 
 Barker (Aldred F.). See Textbooks of 
 Technology. 
 
 Barnes (W. E.), D.D. See Churchman's 
 Bible. 
 
 Barnett (Mrs. P. A.). See Little Library. 
 
 Baron(R. R. N.), M.A. FRENCH PROSE 
 COMPOSITION. Second Edition, Cr,Zvo, 
 zs, 6d. Key, 3s, net. See also Junior School 
 Books. 
 
 Barron (H. M.), M.A.. Wadham College, 
 Oxford. TEXTS FOR SERMONS. With 
 a Preface by Canon Scott Holland. 
 Cr, Zvo, 3s, 6d, 
 
 Bartholomew (J. O.), F.R.S.E. See C. G. 
 Robertson. 
 
 Bastable(C.F.), M.A. SeeS.Q.S. 
 
 Batson (Mrs. Stephen). A BOOK OF 
 THE COUNTRY AND THE GARDEN. 
 Illustrated by F. Carruthers Gould and 
 A. C. Gould. Demy Zvo, 10s. 6d. 
 
 A CONCISE HANDBOOK OF GARDEN 
 FLOWERS. Fcap. Zvo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Batten (LoringW.), Ph.D., S.T.D. THE 
 HEBREW PROPHET. Cr. Zvo. 3s. 6d. 
 net. 
 
 Beaman(A. Hulme). PONS ASINORUM ; 
 OR, A GUIDE TO BRIDGE. Second 
 Edition. Fcap. Zvo. zs. 
 
 Beard (W. S.). See Junior Examination 
 Series and Beginner's Books. 
 
 Beckford (Peter). THOUGHTS ON 
 HUNTING. Edited by J. Otho Paget, 
 and Illustrated by G. H. Jalland. Second 
 Edition. Demy Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Beckford (William). See Little Library. 
 
 Beecbing (H. :C.), M.A., Canon of West- 
 minster. See Library of Devotion. 
 
 Begble (Harold). MASTER WORKERS. 
 Illustrated. Demy Zvo. js. 6d. net. 
 
 Behmen (Jacob). DIALOGUES ON THE 
 SUPERSENSUAL LIFE. Edited by 
 BsKNAKU Holland. Fcap. Zve. 3s. 6d.
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Belloc (Hlllaire). PARIS. With Maps and 
 
 Illustration-s. Cr. St>o. 6s. 
 
 •MARIE ANTOINETTE. With m.ii.y 
 Portraits and Illustrations. Demy 8-o. 
 125. td. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Bellot(H.H. L.), M.A. THKINNKRAND 
 MIDDLE TEMPLE. With numerous 
 Illustrations. Crown ivo. 6s. net. 
 Sec also L. A. A. Jones. 
 
 Bennett (W. H.), M.A. A PRIMER OF 
 THE BIBLE. Second Edition. Cr. ivo. 
 2S. 6d. 
 
 Bennett (W. H.) and Adeney (W. F.). A 
 BIBLICAL INTRODUCTION. Third 
 Edition. Cr. Zvo. ys. 6d. 
 
 Benson (Archbishop) GODS BOARD: 
 Communion Addresses. Fcap. %vo. y. 6d. 
 net. 
 
 Benson (A. C), M.A. See O.vford Bio- 
 graphies. 
 
 Benson (R. iVl.). THE WAY OF HOLI- 
 NESS: a Devotional Commentary on the 
 119th Psalm. Cr. Zvo. 5^. 
 
 Bernard (E. R.), M.A., Canon of Salisburj-. 
 THE ENGLISH SUNDAY. Ecafi.Zvo. 
 IS. 6d. 
 
 Bertouch (Baroness de). THE LIFE 
 OF FATHER IGNATIUS. Illustrated. 
 Demy Zvo. 10s. 6d. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Betham.Edward8(M.), HOME LIFE IN 
 FR.'VNCE. Illustrated. Fourth Edition. 
 Demy %vo. ys. 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Betbune-Haker (J. F.), M.A. See Hand- 
 books of Theology. 
 
 BIdez (M.). See Byzantine Texts. 
 
 Blgrgs (C. R. D.), D.D. See Churchman's 
 Lriile. 
 
 Bindley (T. Herbert), B.D. THE OECU- 
 MENICAL DOCUMENTS OF THE 
 FAITH. With Introductions and Notes. 
 
 BInns (H. BO. THE LIFE OF WALT 
 
 WHITMAN. Illustrated. Demy Svo. 
 
 los. 6d. net- 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 Binyon (Laurence). THE DEATH OF 
 
 ADAM, AND OTHER POEMS Cr. Svo. 
 
 r^s. 6d. net. 
 •WILLI.\M BLAKE. In = volumes. 
 
 Quarto. £1, IS. each. 
 Vol. I.— The Book ok Jon. 
 Blrnstlnf 1 (Ethel). See Little Books en Art. 
 Blackmantle (Bernard). Scel.P.L. 
 Blair (Robert). See LP. L. 
 Blake (William). See I.P.L. and Little 
 
 Library. 
 Blaxland (B.), M.A. See Library of 
 
 Devotion. 
 Bloom (T. Harvey), M.A. S H A K t- 
 
 SPEARE'S GARDEN. Illustrated. 
 
 Fcap. Svo. -js. 6d. ; leather, ^s. 6d. net. 
 See also Antiquary's Books. 
 
 Blouet (Henri). See Beginner's Boolcs. 
 Boardman (T. H.), M.A. See Textbooks 
 
 of Science. 
 Bodley (J. E. C), Author of France. THE 
 
 CORONATION OF EDWARD VII. 
 
 Demy Zvo. 21J. net. By Command of the 
 
 King. 
 Body (Qeorjfe), D.D. THE SOUL'S 
 
 PILGRIMAGE : Devotional Readings 
 
 from his writings. Selected by J. H. Bi;rn, 
 
 B.D., F.R.S.E. Pott Svo. ^s.6d. 
 Bona (Cardinal). See Library of Devotion. 
 Boon (F. C). See Commercial Series. 
 Borrow (George). See Little Library. 
 Bos (J. Rltzema). AGRICULTURAL 
 
 ZOOLOGY. Translated by J. R. Ains- 
 
 WORTH Davis, M.A. With 155 Illustrations. 
 
 Cr. Sz'O. Third Edition. 3J. 6d. 
 Botting (C. 0.), B.A. EASY GREEK 
 
 EXERCISES. Cr. S7'o. is. See also 
 
 Junior Examination Series. 
 Boulton (E. S.), M..A. GEOMETRY ON 
 
 MODERN LINES. Cr. Svo. -2$. 
 Boulton (William B.). THOMAS 
 
 (GAINSBOROUGH With 40 Illustra- 
 
 tions. Second Ed. Demy Svo. •js.6d.net. 
 SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS, P.R.A. With 
 
 49 Illustrations. Demy Svo. js. 6d. net. 
 Bowden(E. M.). THE IMI-TATION OF 
 
 BUDDHA: Being Quotations from 
 
 Buddhist Literature for each Day in the 
 
 Year. Fifth Edition. Cr, i6mo. ss. 6d. 
 Boyle (W.). CHRISTMAS AT THE ZOO. 
 
 With Verses by W. Boyle and 24 Coloured 
 
 Pictures by H. B. Neilson. Super Royal 
 
 \6mc. IS. 
 Brabant (F. 0.). M.A. See Little Guides. 
 Bradley (J. W.). See Little Books on Art. 
 •Brailsford (H. N.). MACEDONIA. 
 
 Illustr.itcd. Demy Svo. 12s.6d.net. 
 Brodrick (Mary) anil Morton (Anderson). 
 
 A CONCISE HANDBOOK OF EGYP- 
 
 TIAN ARCH/EOLOGY. Illustrated. Cr, 
 
 Svo. 3^. 6d. 
 Brooke (A. S.), M.A. SLINGSBY AND 
 
 SLINGSRY CASTLE. Illustrated. Cr. 
 
 Svo. Ts. 6d. 
 Brooks (E. W.). See Byzantine Texts. 
 Brown (P. H.), LL.D., Fraser Professor of 
 
 Ancient (Scottish) Hi>toryat the University 
 
 of Edinburgh. SCOTLAND IN THE 
 
 TIME OF QUEEN MARY. Demy Svo, 
 
 •]s. 6d. net. 
 Browne (Sir Thomas). See Standard 
 
 Library. 
 Brownell (C. L.). THE HEART OF 
 
 JAPAN. Illustrated. Third Edition, 
 
 Cr. Svo, 6s. ; also Demy Svo, 6d. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 Browning (Robert). See Little Library. 
 Buckland (Francis T.). CURIOSITIES 
 
 OF NATURAL HISTORY. Illustrated 
 
 by H. B. Neileo.n. Cr, Szo, 3s, 6d.
 
 General Literature 
 
 Buckton (A. M.) THE BURDEN OF 
 ENGELA : a Ballad-Epic. Second Edition. 
 Cr. Zvo. 3 J. 6d. net. 
 
 EAGER HEART : A Mystery Play. Fourth 
 Edition, Cr, Zvo. is. net. 
 
 Budge (E. A. Wallis). THE GODS OF 
 THE EGYPTIANS. With over _ loo 
 Coloured Plates and many Illustrations. 
 Two Volumes. Royal Zvo. ;£3, ^s. net. 
 
 Bull (Paul), Army Chaplain. GOD AND 
 OUR SOLDIERS. Second Edition. 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Bulley (Miss). See S.Q.S. 
 
 Bunyan (John), THE PILGRIM'S PRO- 
 GRESS. Edited, with an Introduction, 
 by C. H. Firth, M.A. With 39 lUustra- 
 tions by R. Anning Bell. Cr. Zvo, 6s. 
 .See also Library of Devotion and Standard 
 Library. 
 
 Burch (Q. J.), M.A., F.R.S. A MANUAL 
 OF ELECTRICAL SCIENCE. Illus- 
 trated. Cr. Zvo, 3J. 
 
 Burgess (Gelett). GOOPS AND HOW TO 
 BE THEM. Illustrated. Small ^to. 6s. 
 
 Burke (Edmund). See Standard Library. 
 
 Burn (A. E.), D.D., Prebendary of Lichfield. 
 See Handbooks of Theology. 
 
 Burn (J. H.), B.D. See Library of Devotion. 
 
 Burnand (Sir F. C). RECORDS AND 
 REMINISCENCES. With a Portrait by 
 H. V. Herkomer. Cr, Zvo, Fourth and 
 Cheaper Edition. 6s. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Burns (Robert), THE POEMS OF. Edited 
 byANDREwLANGand W. A. Craigie. With 
 Portrait. Third Edition, Detny Zvo, gilt 
 top, 6s. 
 
 Burnside (W. F.), M.A. OLD TESTA- 
 MENT HISTORY FOR USE IN 
 SCHOOLS. Cr. Zvo. ^s. 6d. 
 
 Burton (Alfred). See I.P.L. 
 
 Butler (Joseph). See Standard Library. 
 
 Caldecott (Alfred), D.D. See Handbooks 
 of Theology. 
 
 Calderwood (D. S.), Headmaster of the Nor- 
 mal School, Edinburgh. TEST CARDS 
 IN EUCLID AND ALGEBRA. In three 
 packets of 40, vi-ith Answers. t.s. each. Or 
 in three Books, price 7.d., 2d., and 2d, 
 
 Cambridge (Ada) [Mrs. Cross]. THIRTY 
 YEARS IN AUSTRALIA. Demy Zvo, 
 js, 6d. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Canning (George). See Little Library. 
 
 Capey (E. F. H.). See Oxford Biographies. 
 
 Careless (John). See I.P.L. 
 
 Carlyle (Thomas). THE FRENCH 
 REVOLUTION. Edited by C. R. L. 
 Fletcher, Fellow of Magdalen College, 
 Oxford. Three Volumes. Cr. Zvo, iZs, 
 
 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF OLIVER 
 CROMWELL. With an Introduction 
 by C. H. Firth, M.A., and Notes and 
 Appendices by Mrs. S. C. LoMAS. Three 
 Volumes. Demy Zvo. \Zs. net, 
 
 Carlyle (R. M. and A. J.), M.A. See Leaders 
 of Religion. 
 
 'Carpenter (Margaret). THE CHILD 
 IN ART. Illustrated. Cr, Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Chamberlin (Wilbur B.). ORDERED 
 TO CHINA. Cr. Zvo, 6s, 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Channer (C. C.) and Roberts (M. E.). 
 LACEMAKING IN THE MIDLANDS, 
 PAST AND PRESENT. With 16 full- 
 page Illustrations. Cr. Zvo. zs. 6d. 
 
 Chapman (S. J.). See Books on Business. 
 
 Chatterton (Thomas). See Standard 
 Library. 
 
 Chesterfield (Lord), THE LETTERS OF, 
 TO HIS SON. Edited, with an Introduc- 
 tion by C. Strachey, and Notes by A. 
 Calthrop. Two Volumes. Cr. Zvo. 12s, 
 
 ♦Chesterton (G. K.). DICKENS. With 
 Portraits and Illustrations. Demy Zvo. 
 ■js. 6d. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Christian (F. W.). THE CAROLINE 
 ISLANDS. With many Illustrations and 
 Maps. Demy Zvo. \2S. 6d.net, 
 
 Cicero. See Classical Translations. 
 
 Clarke(F. A.), M.A. See Leaders of Religion. 
 
 Cleather (A. L.) and Crump (B.). 
 RICHARD WAGNER'S MUSIC 
 DRAMAS : Interpretations, embodying 
 Wagner's own explanations. In Four 
 Volumes. Fcap Zvo, 2s. 6d. each. 
 Vol. 1. — The Ring of the Nibelung. 
 Vol. ir. — Parsifal, Lohengrin, and 
 
 The Holy Grail. 
 Vol. hi. — Tristan and Isolde. 
 
 Clinch (G.). See Little Guides. 
 
 Clougb (W. T.). See Junior School Books. 
 
 Coast (W. G.), B.A. EXAMINATION 
 PAPERS IN VERGIL. Cr. Zvo, 2s. 
 
 Cobb (T.). See Little Blue Books. 
 
 Cobb (W. F.), M.A. THE BOOK OF 
 PSALMS : with a Commentary. DevtyZvo, 
 10s. 6d. net. 
 
 Coleridge (S. T.), SELECTIONS FROM. 
 Edited by Arthur Symons. Fcap. Zvo, 
 2S. 6d, net. 
 
 CoUingwood (W. Q.). See Half-Crown 
 Library. 
 
 Collins (W. E.), M.A. See Churchman's 
 Library. 
 
 Colonna. HYPNEROTOMACHIA POLI- 
 PHILI UBI HUMANA OMNIA NON 
 NISI SOMNIUM ESSE DOCET 
 ATQUE OBITER PLURIMA SCITU 
 SANE QUAM DIGNA COMMEMO- 
 RAT. An edition limited to 350 copies on 
 handmade paper. Folio. Three Guineas net. 
 
 Combe (William). See LP. L. 
 
 Cook (A. M.), M.A. See E. C. Marchant.'
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Cooke-Taylor (R. W.). See S.Q.S. 
 
 Corelll (Marie). THt PASSING OF THK 
 GRKAT OUEEN : Fcap. Ate. is. 
 
 \ CHRISTMAS GRKETING. Cr.^to. u. 
 
 Corkran (Alice). See Little Rooks on Art. 
 
 Cote* (Rosemary). DANTKS GARDEN. 
 With a Frontispiece. Second hdition. 
 Fcap. Zvo. IS. tii.; leather, 31. M. net. 
 
 RIBLE FLOWERS. With a Frontispiece 
 and Plan. Fcaf>. %vo. 2i. M. net. 
 
 Cowley (Abraham). See Little Library. 
 
 Cowper (William), THE POKMS OF. 
 Ecfited with an Introduction and Notes liy 
 J. C. Bailey, M.A. Illustrated, including 
 two unpublished designs by William 
 Bi.AKE. DemyZvo. ios.6d.net. 
 
 Cox (J. Charles'), LL.D., F.S.A. See Little 
 Guides, The Antiquary's Books, and Ancient 
 
 Cox'(Harold). B.A. See S.Q.S. 
 Crabbe (Qeorire). See Little Library. 
 Craigie(W. A.). A PRIMER OF BURNS. 
 
 Cr. Zro. 2S. 6J. 
 Cralk(Mrs.). See Little Libr.-iry. 
 Crashaw (Richard). See Little Library. 
 Crawford (F. G.). See Mary C. Danson. 
 "Cross (J. A.). A LITTLE ROOK OF 
 
 RELIGION. Fcap. Zt'O. 2J. 6d. net. 
 Crouch (W.). BRYAN KING. With a 
 
 Portrait. Cr. Bzio. y. 6d. net. 
 Cruik8hank(G.). THE LOVING BAL- 
 LAD OF LORD B.\TEMAN. Wiih 11 
 Plates. Cr. i6mo. is. 6d. net. 
 Crump (B.). See A. L. Cleather. 
 Cunliffe (Sir F. H. E.). Fellow of All Souls' 
 College, Oxford. THE HISTORY OF 
 THE BOER W.\R. With many Illus- 
 trations, Plans, and Portraits. In 2 vo/s. 
 Quarto. 15^. each. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 Cunynghame(H.), C.B., See Connoisseur's 
 
 Library. 
 Cutts(B. L.), D.D. See Leaders of Relision. 
 Danlell (Q. W.), M.A. See Leaders of 
 
 Rclision. 
 Danson (Mary C.) and Crawford (F. Q.). 
 FATHERS IN THE FAITH. Fca/. 
 FjT'O. is. 6d. 
 Dante. LA COMMEDIA DI DANTE. 
 The Italian Text edited by PAGBTToYNUtii, 
 M.A.,D.Litt. Cr.5va. 6s. 
 THE P U R G A T O R I O O F D A N T E. 
 Translated into Spenserian Prose by C. 
 Gordon Wright. With the Italian text. 
 Fcap. Zvo. ss. 6d. ttet. 
 
 See also Paget Toynbee, Little Library and 
 Standard Library. 
 Darley (George). See Little Library. 
 D'Ar6'(R. F.). M.A. A NEW TRIGON- 
 OMETRY FOR BEGINNERS. Cr. ie>o. 
 21. td. 
 Davenport (Cyril). See Connoisseur's 
 Library and Little Books on Art. 
 
 •Davcy (Richard). THE PAGEANT OF 
 LO.VDON With 40 Illustrations m 
 Colour by John Fulleylove, R. L /« 
 T1V0 I'ofumes. Demy ivo. 7s. 6d. net. 
 Each volume may be purchased separately. 
 Vol. I. — To a. i). 1500. 
 Vol. II. — A. i>. 1500 TO 1900. 
 
 Davis (H. W. C), M.A., Fellow an.I Tutor 
 of Balliol College, Author of 'Charlemagne.' 
 ENGLAND UNDER THE NORMANS 
 AND ANGEVINS : 1066-1272. With 
 Maps and illustrations. Deniyivo. ios.6d.- 
 net. 
 
 Dawson (A. J.). MOROCCO. Illustrated 
 Demy "ivo. 10s. 6d. net. 
 
 Deane (A. C). See Little Library. 
 
 Delbos (Leon). THE METRIC SYSTEM. 
 
 Cr. %vo. IS. 
 Demosthenes, THE OLYNTHI.\CS AND 
 
 PHILIPPICS. Translated by Otho 
 
 Holland. Cr. Zvo. is. 6d. 
 Demosthenes. AGAINST CONON AND 
 
 CALLICLKS. Edited by F. Darwin 
 
 SwiKT, M..\. Fcap. Zvo. 2s. 
 Dickens (Charles). See Little Library and 
 
 I.P.L. 
 Dickinson (Emily). POEMS. Cr. 37'o. 
 
 us. 6d. net. , 
 
 Dickinson (G. L.). M.A., Fellow of King s 
 
 College, Cambridge. THE GREEK 
 
 VIEW OF LIFE. Fourth Edition. Cr. 
 
 St'o. 2s. 6d. 
 Dickson (H. N.). F.R.Met. Soc. 
 
 METEOROLOGY. Illustrated. Cr. Svo. 
 
 2S. 6d. 
 Dilke(Lady). See S.Q.S. 
 Dillon (Edward). See Connoisseur sLibrary 
 
 and Little Rooks on Art. 
 Ditchfield (P. H.), M.A.. F.S.A. 
 THE STORY OF OUR ENGLISH 
 
 TOWNS. With an Introduction by 
 
 Augustu.sJessoi'p, D.D. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Zto. 6s. 
 OLD ENGLISH CUSTOMS: Extant at 
 
 the Present Time. Cr. Svo. 61. 
 
 See also Half-crown Library. 
 Dixon (W. M.), M.A. A PRIMER OF 
 
 TENNYSON. Second Edition. Cr. Siro. 
 
 3S. 6d. _ 
 
 ENGLISH POETRY FROM BLAKE TO 
 BROWNING. Second Edition. Cr. Svo. 
 •2S. 6d. _ 
 
 Dole (N. H.). FAMOUS COMPOSERS. 
 With Portraits. Two Volumes. Demy 
 %vo. I2J. net. _ _. 
 
 Doney (May). SONGS OF THE REAL. 
 Cr. Zvo. y. 6d. net. 
 
 A volume of poems. „.,., 
 
 Douglas (James). THE MAN IN THE 
 PULPIT. Cr. %vo. 7S. 6d. net. 
 
 Dowden (J.), D.D., Lord Bishop of Edin- 
 burgh. See Churchman's Library. 
 
 Drage (G.). See Books on Business.
 
 General Literature 
 
 Drhrer(S. R.), D.D., D.C.L., Canon ofChrist 
 Church, Regius Professor of Hebrew in the 
 University of Oxford. SERMONS ON 
 SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH THE 
 OLD TESTAMENT. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 See also Westminster Commentaries. 
 
 Dry (Wakeling). See Little Guides. 
 
 Dryhurst (A. R.). See Little Books on Art. 
 
 Duguid (Charles). See Books on Business. 
 
 Dunn (J. T)., D. Sc. . and Mundella (V. A.). 
 GENERAL ELEMENTARY SCIENCE. 
 With 114 Illustrations, Second Edition. 
 Cr. Zvo. 35. 6d. 
 
 Dunstan(A. E.). R.Sc. See Junior School 
 Books and Textbooks of Science. 
 
 Durham (The Earl of). A REPORT ON 
 CANADA. With an Introductory Note. 
 Demy %vo. as. 6d. net. 
 
 Dutt(W. A.). A POPULAR GUIDE TO 
 NORFOLK. Medium Svo. 6d. net. 
 
 THE NORFOLK BROADS. With 
 coloured Illustrations by Frank South- 
 gate. Cr. Zvo. 6s. See also Little Guides. 
 
 Earle(John), Bishop of Salisbury. MICRO- 
 COSMOGRAPHIE, or A PIECE OF 
 THE WORLD DISCOVERED. Post 
 ■t6tno. 2S net. 
 
 Edmonds (Major J. E.), R.E.; D.A.Q.- 
 M.G. See W. Birkbeck Wood. 
 
 Edwards (Clement). See S.Q. S. 
 
 Edwards (W. Douglas). See Commercial 
 Series. 
 
 Egan (Pierce). See I.P.L. 
 
 *Egerton H. E., M.A. A HISTORY OF 
 BRITISH COLONIAL POLICY. New 
 and Cheaper Issue. Derny Zvo. 7s. 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Ellaby (C. Q.). See The Little Guides. 
 
 EUerton (F. Q.). See S. J. Stone. 
 
 EUwood (Thomas), THE HISTORY OF 
 THE LIFE OF. Edited by C. G. Cri;mp, 
 M.A. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Epictetus. See W. H. D. Rouse. 
 
 Erasmus. A Book called in Latin EN- 
 CHIRIDION MILITIS CHRISTIANI, 
 and in English the Manual of the Christian 
 Knight. 
 
 From the edition printed by Wynken de 
 Worde, 1533. Fcap. %vo y. 6d. net. 
 
 Fairbrother(W. H.), M.A. THE PHILO- 
 SOPHY OF T. H. GREEN. Second 
 Edition. Cr. %zio, 31. 6d. 
 
 Farrer (Reginald). THE GARDEN OF 
 
 ASIA. Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 *Fea (Allan). BEAUTIES OF THE 
 SEVENTEENEH CENTURY. With 
 100 Illustrations. Demy Zvo. 1 2^. 6d. net. 
 
 FELISSA; OR, THE LIFE AND 
 OPINIONS OF A KITTEN OF SENTI- 
 MENT. With 12 Coloured Plates, Post 
 i6mo. 2J. 6d. net. 
 
 Ferrler (Susan). See Little Library. 
 
 Hdler (T. Claxton), M.Inst. C.E. See 
 Books on Business. 
 
 Fielding (Henry). See Standard Library. 
 
 Finn (S. W.), M.A. See Junior Examination 
 Series. 
 
 Firth (C. H.), M.A. CROMWELL'S 
 ARMY: A History of the English Soldier 
 during the Civil Wars, the Commonwealth, 
 and the Protectorate. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Fisher (G. W.), M.A. ANNALS OF 
 SHREWSBURY SCHOOL. Illustrated. 
 Demy Zvo. 10s. 6d. 
 
 FitzGerald (Edward). THE RUBAIYAT 
 OF OMAR KHAYYAM. Printed from 
 the Fifth and last Edition. With a Com- 
 mentary by Mrs. Stephen Batson, and a 
 Biography of Omar by E. D. Ross. Cr. 
 Svo. 6s. See also Miniature Library. 
 
 *FitzGeraId(H. P.). A CONCISE HAND- 
 BOOK OF CLIMBERS, TWINERS, 
 AND WALL SHRUBS. Illustrated. 
 Fcap. Zvo. 3^. 6d. net. 
 
 Flecker (W. H.), M. A., D.C.L., Headmaster 
 of the Dean Close School, Cheltenham. 
 THE STUDENT'S PR.\YER BOOK. 
 The Text of Morning and Evening 
 Prayer and Litany. With an Introduc- 
 tion and Notes. Cr. Zvo. ■zs. 6d. 
 
 Flux (A. W.), M.A., William Dow Professor 
 of Political Economy in M'Gill University, 
 Montreal. ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES. 
 Demy Zvo. ys. 6d. net. 
 
 Fortescue (Mrs. Q.). See Little Books on Art. 
 
 Fraser (David). A MODERN CAM- 
 PAIGN; OR, WAR AND WIRELESS 
 TELEGRAPHY IN THE FAR EAST. 
 Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Fraser (J. P.). ROUND THE WORLD 
 ON A WHEEL. With 100 Illustrations. 
 Fourth Edition Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 French (W.), M.A. See Textbooks of 
 Science. 
 
 Freudenreich (Ed. von). DAIRY BAC- 
 TERIOLOGY. A Short Manual for the 
 Use of Students. Translated by J. R. 
 AiNSWORTH Davis, M.A. Second Edition. 
 Realised. Cr. Zvo. is. 6d. 
 
 Fulford (H. \V.), M.A. See Churchman's 
 Bible. 
 
 C. G., and F. C. Q. JOHN BULLS .■^D- 
 VENTURES IN THE FISCAL WON- 
 DERLAND. By Charles Geake. W~ith 
 46 Illustrations by F. Carrothers Gould. 
 Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. \s. net. 
 
 •Gallaher (D.) and Stead (D. W.). THE 
 COMPLETE RUGBY FOOTBALLER. 
 With an Account of ths Tour of the New 
 Zealanders in England. With Illustra- 
 tions. Demy Zvo. laj. 6d. net. 
 
 Gallicban (W. M.). See Little Guides. 
 
 Gambado (Geoffrey, Esq.). See I.P.L. 
 
 Gaskell (Mrs.). See Little Librar;- and 
 Standard Librarj'. 
 
 Gasquet, the Right Rev. Abbot, O.S.B. Sae 
 Antiquary's Books.
 
 8 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Georire(H. B.). M.A., FclIowofNewCollege, 
 Oxtord. BATTLES OF ENGLISH HIS- 
 TORY. With numerous Pl.ins. Fourth 
 Edition. Revised, with a new Chapter 
 including the South African War. Cr. Zvo. 
 y.td. 
 A HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE 
 BRITISH EMPIRE. Second Edition. 
 Cr. %vo. 3J. dd. 
 Qibblns (H. de B.), Litt.D., M.A. IN- 
 DUSTRY IN ENGLAND : HISTORI- 
 CAL OUTLINES. With s Maps. Fourth 
 Edition. Detny 8vo. los. 6d. 
 A COMPANION GERMAN GRAMMAR. 
 Cr. Svo. IS. td. 
 
 THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF 
 ENGLAND. Tenth Edition. Revised. 
 With Maps and Plans. Cr. Zvo. 31. 
 
 ENGLISH SOCIAL REFORMERS. 
 Second Edition. Cr. Sr'o. 2s. td. 
 See also Commercial Series and S.Q S. 
 
 Gibbon (Edward). THE DECLINE AND 
 FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 
 A New Edition, edited with Notes, Appen- 
 dices, and Maps, by J. B. Bury, M.A., 
 Litt.D., Regius Professor of Greek at Cam- 
 bridge. In Seven V'oiumes. Dcniy Zvo. 
 Gilt top, 8i. bd. each. Also, Cr, Zvo. ts. 
 each. 
 
 MEMOIRS OF MY LIFE AND WRIT- 
 INGS. Edited by G. Birkbeck Hill, 
 LL.D. DentyZvo, Gilt top. Zs. td. Also 
 Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 See also Standard Library. 
 
 Gibson (E. C. S.), D.D., Lord Bishop of 
 Gloucester. See Westminster Commentaries, 
 Handbooks of Theology, and Oxford Bio- 
 graphies. 
 
 Gilbert (A. R.). See Little Books on Art. 
 
 G1oag(M.). See K. Wyatt. 
 
 Godfrey (Elizabeth). A BOOK OF RE- 
 MEMBRANCE. Edited by. Fcap. Sz'o. 
 3s. td. net. 
 
 Godley (A. D.), M.A., Fellow of M.icdalen 
 College, Oxford. LYRA FRIVOLA. 
 Third Edition. Fcap. Zvo. ■is. td. 
 
 VERSES TO ORDER. Second Edition. 
 Fcap. Zvo. ^s. td. 
 
 SECOND STRINGS. Fcap. Svo. is. td. 
 
 Goldsmith (Oliver). THE VICAR OF 
 WAKEFIELD. Fcap. ^imo. With 10 
 PI. lies in Photogravure by Tony Johannot. 
 Leather, 2s. td. net. See also I.P.L. and 
 Standard Library. 
 
 Goodrich- Freer (A.). IN A SYRIAN 
 SADDLE. DemyZvo. -js. td.net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Goudge(H. L.), M.A., Principal of Wells 
 'J'heoloeical College. See Westminster Com- 
 mentaries. 
 
 Graham (P. Anderson). See S.Q.S. 
 
 Grnnjfer (F. S.), M.A., Litt.D. PSYCH- 
 OLOGY. .Second Edition. Cr.Z-j0.2s.td. 
 
 THE SOUL OF A CHRISTIAN. Cr. Zvo. 
 ts. ' 
 
 Gray (E. M'Queen). GERMAN PASSAGES 
 FOR UNSEEN TRANSLATION. Cr. 
 
 Zto. is. td. 
 Gray (P. L.), B..Sc. THE PRINCIPLES OF 
 
 MAGNETISM AND ELECTRICITY: 
 
 an Elementary Text-Book. With 181 
 
 Diagrams. Cr. Zrio. y. td. 
 Green (G. Buckland), M.A., Lite Fellow 
 
 of St. John's College, Oxon. NOTES ON 
 
 GREEK AND LATIN SYNTAX. Cr. 
 
 Zz'o. 3s. td. 
 Green (E. T.), M.A. See Churchman's 
 
 Greenidge (A. H. J.), M.A. A HISTORY 
 OF ROME: During the Later Republic 
 and the Early Principate. /« Six Voluntes. 
 DemyZvo. Vol. 1.(133-1048.0.). loj. td. 
 net. 
 
 Greenwell (Dora). See Miniature Library. 
 
 Gregory (R. A.). THE VAULT OF 
 HEAVEN. .\ Popular Introduction to 
 Astronomy. Illustrated. Cr. Evo. 3S. td. 
 
 Gregory (Miss E. C). See Library of 
 Devotion. 
 
 Greville Minor. A MODERN JOURNAL. 
 Edited by J. A. Spender. Cr. Zvo. 
 3J. td. net. 
 
 Grubb (H. C). See Textbooks of Technology. 
 
 Guiney (Louisa I.). HURRELL 
 FROUDE : Memoranda and Comments. 
 Illustrated. J)e»iy Zvo. 10s. td. net. 
 
 Gwynn(M. L.). A BIRTHDAY BOOK. 
 New and cheaper issue. KoyalZi'O. $s.net. 
 
 Hackett (John), B.D. A HISTORY OF 
 THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF 
 CYPRUS. With Maps and Illustrations. 
 Demy Zz'O. 1 ss. net. 
 
 Haddon (A. C.), Sc.D., F.R.S. HEAD- 
 HUNTERS BLACK, WHITE, AND 
 BROWN. With many Illustrations and a 
 Map. Demy Zvo. 15?. 
 
 Hadfield(R. A.). SeeS.Q..S. 
 
 Hall (R. N.) and Neal (W. G.). THE 
 ANCIENT RUINS OF RHODESIA. 
 Illustrated Second Edition, revised. 
 
 Demy Z"io. tos. td. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Hall (R. N.). GREAT ZIMBABWE. 
 With numerous Plans and Illustrations. 
 .Sfcnnd Edition, /^oyal Zvo. 21s.net. 
 
 Hamilton (F. J.), D.D. See Byzantine Text.s. 
 
 Hammond (J. L.). CHARLES JAMES 
 FOX. DemyZvo. jos. td. 
 
 Hannay (D.). A SHORT HISTORY OF 
 THE ROYAL NAVY, Illustrated. Tii-o 
 Volumes. DemyZvo. ys.td.each. Vol.1. 
 1200-16S8. 
 
 Hannay (James O.), M.A. THE SPIRIT 
 AND ORIGIN OF CHRISTIAN 
 MONASTICISM. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 THE WISDOM OF THE DESERT. Fcap. 
 Zvo. 3i. td. net. 
 
 Hare (A. T.), M.A. THE CONSTRUC- 
 TION OF LARGEINDUCTION COILS 
 With numerous Diagrams. Demy Zz'o. 6s,
 
 General Literature 
 
 Harrison (Clifford). READING AND 
 
 READERS. Fcap. %vo. is. td. 
 Hawthorne(Natbaniel). See Little Library. 
 HEALTH, WEALTH AND WISDOM. 
 
 Cr. &V0. IS. net. 
 Heath (Prank R,). See Little Guides. 
 Heatb (Dudley). See Connoisseur's Library. 
 Hello (Ernest). STUDIES IN SAINT- 
 SHIP. Translated from the French by 
 
 V. M. Crawford. Fcap Zvo. 3^. 6d. 
 Henderson (B. W.), Fellow of Exeter 
 
 College, Oxford. THE LIFE AND 
 
 PRINCIPATE OF THE EMPEROR 
 
 NERO. Illustrated. Ne^ti and cheaper 
 
 issue. Demy Svo. ys. 6d. net. 
 AT INTERVALS. FcapZvo. ■zs. 6d. net. 
 Henderson (T. F.). See Little Library and 
 
 Oxford Biographies. 
 Henley (W. E.). See Half-Crown Library. 
 Hen8on(H. H.), B.D., Canon of Westminster. 
 
 APOSTOLICCHRISTIANITY: Aslllus. 
 
 trated by the Epistles of St, Paul to the 
 
 Corinthians. Cr. 8t;o. 6^. 
 LIGHT AND LE.WEN : Historical and 
 
 Social Sermons. Cr. Zvo. (>s, 
 DISCIPLINE AND LAW. Fcap. %vo. 
 
 ■2S. 6d. 
 Herbert (George). See Library of Devotion. 
 Herbert of Cherbury (Lord). See Minia- 
 ture Library. 
 Hewins (W. A. S.), B.A. ENGLISH 
 
 TRADE AND FINANCE IN THE 
 
 SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. Cr. %vo. 
 
 IS. 6d. 
 Hewitt (Ethel M.) A GOLDEN DIAL. 
 
 A Day Book of Prose and Verse. Fcap. 
 
 %vo. as-, td. net. 
 Heywood (W,). PALIO AND PONTE : 
 
 A Book of Tuscan Games. Illustrated. 
 
 RoyalZvo. lis. net. 
 Hnbert(T.). See Little Blue Books. 
 Hill (Clare). See Textbooks of Technology. 
 Hill (Henry), B.A., Headmaster of the Boy's 
 
 High School, Worcester, Cape Colony. A 
 
 SOUTH AFRICAN ARITHMETIC. 
 
 Cr. St/o. js. 6d. 
 Hillegas (Howard C). WITH THE 
 
 BOER FORCES. With 24 Illustrations. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 Hirst (F. W.) See Books on Business. 
 Hobhouse (Emily). THE BRUNT OF 
 
 THE WAR. With Map and Illustrations. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 Hobhouse(L. T.), Fellow of C.C.C, Oxford. 
 
 THE THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE. 
 
 Demy Svo. 10s. 6d. net. 
 Hobson(J. A.), M.A. INTERNATIONAL 
 
 TRADE : A Study of Economic Principles. 
 
 Cr, Zvo. 2j. 6d. net. 
 PROBLEMS OF POVERTY. Fi/tk Edition. 
 
 Cr. Zva. 2s. 6d. 
 Hodg;kin (T.), D.C.L. See Leaders of 
 
 Religion. 
 
 Hodgson (Mrs. W.) HOW TO IDENTIFY 
 OLD CHINESE PORCELAIN. Second 
 Edition. Post Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Hogg (Thomas Jefferson). SHELLEY 
 AT OXFORD. With an Introduction by 
 R. A. Streatfeild. Fcap. Svo. 2s. net. 
 
 Holden~Stone (G. de). See Books on 
 Business. 
 
 Holdich (Sir T. H.), K.C.I.E. THE 
 INDIAN BORDERLAND: being a 
 Personal Record of Twenty Years. Illus- 
 trated. Demy%vo. ios.6d.net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Holdsworth (W. S.), M.A. A HISTORY 
 OF ENGLISH LAW. In Two Vo.'umes. 
 Vol. I, Demy Svo. 10s. 6d. net. 
 
 Holland (Canon Scott). See Library of 
 Devotion. 
 
 Holt (Emily). THE SECRET OF POPU- 
 LARITY : How to Achieve Social Success. 
 Cr. Svo. -^s. 6d. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 HoIyoake(a. J.). THE CO-OPERATIVE 
 MOVEMENT TO-DAY. Fourth Edition. 
 Cr, Svo, IS. 6d. 
 
 Hone (Nathaniel J.), See Antiquary's Books. 
 
 Hoppner. See Little Galleries. 
 
 Horace. See Classical Translations. 
 
 Horsburgh (E. L. S.), M.A. WATERLOO : 
 A Narrative and Criticism. With Plans. 
 Second Edition. Cr. Svo. 5*. See also 
 Oxford Biographies. 
 
 Horth (A. C). See Textbooks of Technology. 
 
 Horton(R, F.),D.D. See Leadersof Religion. 
 
 Hosie (Alexander). MANCHURIA. With 
 Illustrations and a Map. Second Edition. 
 Demy Svo, js. 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 How (F. D.). SIX GREAT SCHOOL- 
 MASTERS. With Portraits and Illustra- 
 tions Second Edition. Demy Svo. js. 6d. 
 
 Howell (Q.). SeeS. Q. S. 
 
 Hudson (Robert). MEMORIALS OF A 
 WARWICKSHIRE PARISH. Illustrated. 
 DeniySz'O. iss.net. 
 
 Hughes (C. E.). THE PRAISE OF 
 SHAKESPEARE. An English Anthol- 
 ogy. With a Preface by Sidney Lee. 
 Demy Svo. js. 6d. net. 
 
 Hughes (Thomas). TOM BROWN'S 
 SCHOOLDAYS. With an Introduction 
 and Notes by Vernon Rkndall. Leather, 
 Royal ■>,-2mo. is. 6d. net. 
 
 Hutchinson (Horace G.) THE NEW 
 FOREST. Illustrated in colour with 
 50 Pictures by Walter Tyndale and 4 
 by Miss Lucy Kemp Welch. Large 
 Demy Svo. 2\s. net. 
 
 Hutton (A. W.), M.A. See Leaders of 
 Religion and Library of Devotion. 
 
 Hutton (Edward). THE CITIES OF 
 UMBRIA. _ With many Illustrations, of 
 which 20 are in Colour, by A. Pisa. Second 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 2
 
 10 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 ENGLISH LOVE POEMS. Edited with 
 
 an Introduction. Fcap. Zvo. y. td. net. 
 Mutton (R. H.). See Leaders of Religion. 
 Mutton (W. H.). M.A. THE LIFE OF 
 
 SIR THOM.AS MORE. With Portraits. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. 51. See also 
 
 Leaders of Religion. 
 Myett (F. A.). A SHORT HISTORY OF 
 
 FLORENCE. Demy %vo. 7s. 6d. net. 
 
 Ibsen (Henrik). BRAND. A Drama. 
 Translated by William Wilson. Third 
 Edition. Cr. Zto. y. 6d. 
 
 Inire (W. R.), M.A., Fellow and Tutor of 
 Hertford College, Oxford. CHRISTIAN 
 MYSTICISM. The Bampton Lectures for 
 iSgg. Demy Zvo. iii. 6d. net. See also 
 Library of Devotion. 
 
 InnesCA. D.), M.A. A HISTORY OFTHE 
 BRITISH IN INDIA. With Maps and 
 Plans. Cr. ivo. 6s. 
 
 ENGLAND UNDER THE TUDORS. 
 With Maps. Demy Zvo. jos. 6d. net. 
 
 Jackson (C, E.), B.A. See Textbooks of 
 Science. 
 
 Jackson (S.), M.A. See Commercial Series. 
 
 Jackson (F. Mamllton). See Little Guides. 
 
 Jacob (F.), M.A. Sec Junior Examination 
 Series. 
 
 Jeans (J. Stephen). See S. Q. S. and Busi- 
 ness Books. 
 
 Jeffreys (D. Qwyn). DOLLY'S THEATRI- 
 CALS. Described and Illustrated with 24 
 Coloured Pictures. Super Royal \(>mo. ■2s.6d. 
 
 Jenks (E.), M.A., Reader of Law in the 
 University of Oxford. ENGLISH LOCAL 
 GOVERNMENT. Cr.Zvo. -is.dd. 
 
 Jenner (Mrs. H.). See Little Books on Art. 
 
 Jessopp (Augustus), D.D. See Leaders of 
 Religion. 
 
 *Jevon8(F. B.), M.A., Litt.D., Principal of 
 Hatfield Hall, Durham. RELIGION IN 
 EVOLUTION. Cr. %vo. 3J. (>d. net. 
 
 .See also Churchman's Library and Hand- 
 books of Theology. 
 
 Johnson (Mrs. Barham). WILLIAM BOD- 
 HAM DONNE AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 Illustrated. Demyivo. ios.6d.net. 
 
 Johnston (Sir H. M.). K.C.B. BRITISH 
 CENTRAL AFRICA. With nearly 200 
 Illustrations and Six Maps. Third Edition. 
 Cr. ^to. i8j. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Jones (R. Crompton), M.A. POEMS 
 OF THE INNER LIFE. Selected by. 
 Eleventh Edition, heap. ivo. ■iS. bd. net. 
 
 Jones (H.). See Commercial Series. 
 
 Jones (L. A. Atherley), K.C., M.P., and 
 Bellot (Mugh H. L.). THE MINERS' 
 GUIDE TO THE COAL MINES 
 REGULATION ACTS. Cr.2,vo. us. 6d. net. 
 
 •COMMERCE IN WAR. DemyZvo. 21J. 
 ntt. . 
 
 Jonson (Ben). See Standard Library. | 
 
 Julian (Lady) of Norwich, REVELA- 
 TIONS OF DIVINE LOVE. Edited by 
 Grace Wakrack. Cr. Svo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Juvenal. See Classical Translations. 
 
 'Kappa.' LET YOUTH BUT KNOW: 
 A Plea for Reason in Education. Cr. Svo. 
 3i. 6d. net. 
 
 Kauf mann (M.). See S. Q. S. 
 
 Keating (J. F.), D.D. THE AGAPE AND 
 THE EUCHARIST. Cr. Svo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Keats (John). THE POEMS OF. Edited 
 with Introduction and Notes by E. de Selin- 
 court, M./V. Demy Svo. ys. 6d. net. See 
 also Little Library, Standard Library, and 
 E. de Sclincourt. 
 
 Kebie(John). THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. 
 With an Introduction and Notes by W. Lock, 
 D. D. , Warden of K.eble College. I llustrated 
 by R. Anning Bell. Third Edition. Fcap. 
 Svo. 3i. 6d. ; padded morocco., ^s. See also 
 Library of Devotion. 
 
 Kempls (Thomas h). THE IMITATION 
 OF CHRIST. With an Introduction by 
 Dean Farrar. Illustrated by C. M. Gere. 
 Third Edition. Fcap. Svo. is. 6d.; padded 
 tnorocco. sr. See also Library of Devotion 
 and Standard Library. 
 
 Also Translated by C. BiGC, D.D. Cf. 
 Svo. ■>,$. 6d 
 
 Kennedy (Bart.). THE GREEN 
 SPHINX. Cr. Svo. 3J. 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Kennedy (James Houghton), D.D., Assist- 
 ant Lecturer in Divinity in the University of 
 Dublin. ST. PAUL'S SECOND AND 
 THIRD EPISTLES TO THE CORIN- 
 THI ANS. With Introduction, DisscrUtions 
 and Notes. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 Kesteil (J. D.). THROUGH SHOT AND 
 FL.'\^IE : Being the Adventures and Ex- 
 periences of J. D. Kestell, Chaplain to 
 General Christian de Wet. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Kimmins (C. W.), M.A. THE CHEMIS- 
 TRY OF LIFE AND HEALTH. Illus- 
 trated. Cr. Svo. us. 6d. 
 
 Kinglake (A. W.). Sec Littic Library. 
 
 Kipling (Rudyard). BARRACKROOaI 
 BALL.\DS. j^rd Thousand. Twenty- 
 /irst Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 THE SEVEN SEAS. 62nd T/iousand, Tenth 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 THE FIVE NATION.S. ^ist Thousand. 
 Second Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 DEPARTMENTAL DITTIES. Sixteenth 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 •Knight (Albert E.). THE COMPLETE 
 CRICKETER. Illustrated. Demy %vo. 
 •js. 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published.
 
 General Literature 
 
 II 
 
 Knowiins: (R- JOi M-A., Professor of New 
 Testament Exegesis^ at King's College, 
 London. See Westminster Commentaries. 
 
 Lamb (Charles and Mary). THE WORKS 
 OF. Edited by E. V. Lucas. Illustrated. 
 In SeDen Volumes. DemyZvo. ts. id. each. 
 
 THE LIFE OF. See E. V. Lucas. 
 See also Little Library. 
 
 Lambert (P. A. H.). See Little Guides. 
 
 Lambros ''Professor). See Byzantine Texts. 
 
 Lane= Poole rStanley). A HISTORY OF 
 EGYPT IN THE MIDDLE AGES. Fully 
 Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Langbridge(F.),M.A. BALLADSOF THE 
 BRAVE : Poems of Chivalry, Enterprise, 
 Courage, and Constancy. Second Edition. 
 Cr. iivo. zs. 6d. 
 
 Law (William). See Library of Devotion 
 and Standard Library. 
 
 Leach (Henry). THE DUKE OF DEVON- 
 SHIRE. A Biography. With 12 Illustra- 
 tions. UemySvo. i-2S, 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 *Le Braz (Anatole). THE LAND OF 
 PARDONS. Translated by Frances M. 
 GosTLiNG. Illustrated in colour. Crown 
 Svo. 6s. 
 
 Lee (Captain L. Melville). A HISTORY 
 OF POLICE IN ENGLAND. Cr. Svo. 
 3s. 6d. net. 
 
 Leigh (Percival). THE COMIC ENGLISH 
 GRAMMAR. Embellished with upwards 
 of 50 characteristic Illustrations by John 
 Leech. Post \6mo. is. 6d. net. 
 
 Lewes (V. B.), M.A. AIR AND WATER. 
 Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. is. 6d. 
 
 *Lewi8 (Mrs. Gwynn). A CONCISE 
 HANDBOOK OF GARDEN SHRUBS. 
 Illustrated. Fcap. Svo. y. 6d. net. 
 
 Lisle (Fortun^ede). See Little Bookson Art. 
 
 LittlehaIes(H.). See Antiquary's Books. 
 
 Lock (Walter), D.D., Warden of Keble 
 College. ST. PAUL, THE MASTER- 
 BUILDER. Second Edition. Cr. Svo. 
 3J. 6d. 
 
 THE BIBLE AND CHRISTIAN LIFE. 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 See also Leaders of Religion and Library 
 of Devotion. 
 
 Locker (P.). See Little Library. 
 
 Longfellow (H. W.). See Little Library. 
 
 Lorimer (George Horace). LETTERS 
 FROM A SELF-MADE MERCHANT 
 TO HIS SON. Fourteenth Edition. O. 
 Svo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 OLD GORGON GRAHAM. Second Edition. 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Lover (Samuel). Seel. P. L. 
 
 E. V. L. and C. L.IQ. ENGLAND DAY BY 
 DAY : Or, The Englishman's Handbook to 
 Efficiency. Ilhistratcd by Gborgk Morrow. 
 Fevrth Edition. Fcap, ^to. is. net. 
 
 Lucas (E. v.). THE LIFE OF CHARLES 
 LAMB. With numerous Portraits and 
 Illustrations. Third Edition. Two Vols. 
 Demy Svo. 21s.net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition Is also published. 
 
 A WANDERER IN HOLLAND. With 
 many Illustrations, of which 20 are in Colour 
 by Herbert Marshall. Fiytk Edition. 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 THE OPEN ROAD : a Little Book for Way- 
 farers. Ninth Edition. Fcap, Svo. ^s. ; 
 India Paper, -js. 6d. 
 
 THE FRIENDLY TOWN : a Little Book 
 for the Urbane. Second Edition. Fcap. 
 Svo. 5^. ; India Paper, yj. 6d. 
 
 Lucian. .See Classical Translations. 
 
 Lyde(L. W.), M.A. See Commercial Series. 
 
 Lydon(Noel S.). See Junior School Books. 
 
 Lyttelton(Hon. Mrs. A.). WOMEN AND 
 THEIR WORK. Cr. Svo. is. 6d. 
 
 M. M. HOW TO DRESS AND WHAT TO 
 WEAR. Cr. Svo. is. net. 
 
 Macaulay (Lord). CRITICAL AND HIS- 
 TORICAL ESSAYS. Edited by F. C. Mon- 
 tague, M.A. Three Volumes. Cr. Svo. iSs. 
 The only edition of this book completely 
 annotated. 
 
 M' Allen (J. E. B.;, M.A. See Commercial 
 Series. 
 
 MacCuUoch (J. A.). See Churchman's 
 Library. 
 
 MacCunn (Florence A.). MARY STUART. 
 With over 60 Illustrations, including a 
 Frontispiece in Photogravure. Demy Svo. 
 loi. 6d. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. See 
 also Leaders of Religion. 
 
 McDermott(E. R.). See^Books on Business. 
 
 M'Dowall(A. S.). See Oxford Biographies. 
 
 Mackay (A. M.). See Churchman's Library. 
 
 Magnus (Laurie), M.A. A PRIMER OF 
 WORDSWORTH. Cr. Svo. is. 6d. 
 
 Mahaffy(J. P.), Lift.D. A HISTORY OF 
 THE EGYPT OF THE PTOLEMIES. 
 Fully Illustrated. Cr. 8z'0. 6^. 
 
 Maitland(P.W.). LL.D., Downing Professor 
 of the Laws of England in the University of 
 Cambridge. CANON LAW IN ENG- 
 LAND. RoyalSvo. js. 6d. 
 
 Maiden (H. E.), M.A. ENGLISH RE- 
 CORDS. A Companion to the History of 
 England. Cr, Svo. 3J. 6d. 
 
 THE ENGLISH CITIZEN : HIS RIGHTS 
 AND DUTIES. Third Edition. Cr.Svo. 
 IS. 6d. 
 
 A SCHOOL HISTORY OF SURREY. 
 Illustrated. Cr. Svo. is. 6d. 
 
 Marchant (E. C), M.A., Fellow of Peter- 
 house, Cambridge. A GREEK ANTHO- 
 LOGY Second Edition. Cr.Svo. -is.id. 
 
 Marchant (C. E.)), M.A., and Cook(A. M.), 
 M.A. PASSAGES FOR UNSEEN 
 TRANSLATION. Third Edition. Cr. 
 Svo. 3s. 6d.
 
 12 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Marlowe (Christopher). Sec Standard 
 
 Library. 
 Marr(J. E.), F.R.S., Fellow ofSt John's Col- 
 
 lece. CamtriJce. THE SCIENTIFIC 
 
 STUDY OF SCENERY. Second Edition. 
 
 Illustrated. Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 AGRICULTURAL GEOLOGY. Illustrated. 
 
 Cr. ^vo. 6s. 
 Marvell (Andrew). See Little Library. 
 Masefield (John). SEA LIFE IN NEL- 
 SON'S TIME. Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. 
 
 ^s. 6d. net. 
 •ON THE SPANISH MAIN. With Por- 
 traits and Illustrations. Demy Zvo. ios.6d. 
 
 net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 Maske41 (A.). Sec Connoisseur's Library. 
 Mason (A. J.), D.D. See Leadersof Religion. 
 Massee(Qeorfre). THE EVOLUTION OF 
 
 PL.\NT LIFE: Lower Forms. Illustrated. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. 2S. 6d. 
 Massinger (P.). See Standard Library. 
 Masterman(C. F. Q.), M.A. TENNYSON 
 
 AS A RELIGIOUS TE.\CHER. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. 6s. 
 ''Mathe8on(Hon. E. P.). COUNSELS OF 
 
 LIFE. J^ca/i. Sr-o. 35. 6d. net. 
 May (Phil). THE PHILiMAY ALBUM. 
 
 Second Edition, ^to. is. net. 
 Mellows (Emma S.). A SHORT STORY 
 
 OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. 3s. 6d. 
 Methuen (A. M. S.). THE TRAGEDY 
 
 OF SOUTH AFRICA. Cr. Zvo. 2s.net. 
 
 AlsoCr. Zt!0. yd. net. 
 
 A revised and enlarged edition of tlic 
 author's ' Peace or ^Var in South 
 Africa." 
 ENGLAND'S RUIN : Discu.>;sf.d i.v Six- 
 
 TEEN LeTTHKS TO THE RiGHT HoN. 
 
 JosBPH Chamberlain', M.P. Seventh Edi- 
 tion. Cr. Zvo. -id. net. 
 
 Mlckell(E. B.). THE ART AND PRAC- 
 TICE OF HA\VKING. NVith 3 Photo- 
 gravures by G. E. Lodge, and other Illus- 
 trations. Demy Z~'0. loi. 6d. 
 
 Millals (J. G.). THE LIFE AND LET- 
 TERS OF SIR JOHN EVERETT 
 MILLAIS, President of the Royal Academy. 
 With many Illustrations, of which 2 are in 
 PhotograTure. Neiu Edition. Demy Zvo. 
 TS. id. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 *Mniln(a. P.). PICTORIAL GARDEN- 
 ING. Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. 31.6d.net. 
 
 Milli5 (C. T.), M.I.M.E. See Textbooks of 
 Technology. 
 
 Milne (J. G.). M.A. A HISTORY OF 
 ROMAN EGYPT. Fully Illustrated. 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 Milton (John). THE POEMS OF, BOTH 
 ENGLISH AND LATIN, Composd at 
 several times. Printed by his true Copies. 
 
 The Songs were set in Musick by Mr. 
 Henrv Lawes, Gentleman of the Kings 
 Chappel, and one of His Majesties Private 
 Musick. 
 
 Printed and publish'd according to Order. 
 
 Printed by Ruth Raworth for Hum- 
 phrey MosELEY, and are to be sold at the 
 signeof the Princes Armesin Pauls Church- 
 yard, 1645, J T -L 
 
 See also Little Library Standard Library-, 
 
 and R. F. Towndrow. 
 Mlnchin(H. C.),M.A. See R. Peel. 
 MitchelKP. Chalmers), M.A. OUTLINES 
 
 OF BIOLOGY. Illustrated. Second Edi- 
 tion. Cr. Zr'o. 6s. 
 Mitton (0. E.). JANE AUSTEN AND 
 
 HER TIMES. With many Portraits and 
 
 Illustrations. Second Edition. Demy Zvo. 
 
 los. 6d. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 ' Moll (A.).' See Books on Business. 
 Moir(D. M.). See Little Library. 
 Money (L. G. Chlozza). RICHES AND 
 
 POVERTY Second Edition Demy Zvo. 
 
 $s. net. 
 Montaigne. See C F. Pond. 
 Moore (H. E.). See S. Q. S. 
 Aloran (Clarence Q.). Sec Bookson Business. 
 More (Sir Thomas). See Standard Library. 
 Morfill (W. R.), Oriel College, Oxford. A 
 
 HISTORY OF RUSSIA FROM PETER 
 
 THE GRE.\T TO ALEXANDER II. 
 
 With Mapsand Plans. Cr. Zvo. 3s. 6d. 
 Morlch (R. J.), late of Clifton College. See 
 
 School I'^xamin.-ition Series. 
 •Morri8(J.). THE MAKERSOF JAPAN. 
 
 With many portraits and Illustrations. 
 
 Demy Zvo. 12J. 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 Morris (J. E.). See Little Guides. 
 Morton (Miss Anderson). See Miss Brod- 
 
 rick. 
 THE MOTOR YEAR-BOOK. FOR 1906. 
 
 With many Illustrations and Diagrams. 
 
 Demy Zvo. 7S. 6d. net. 
 Moule(H. C. O.). D.I)., Ix)rd Bishop of Dor- 
 
 ham. See Leaders of Religion. 
 Muir (M. M. Pattlson), M.A. THE 
 
 CHE.MISTRY OF FIRE. Illustrated. 
 
 Cr. 2:'o. 2i. 6d. 
 Mundella (V. A.), M.A. See J. T. Dunn. 
 Munro(R.), LI..D. See Antiquary's Books. 
 Naval Officer (A). See I. P. L. 
 Neal (W. G.). See R. N. Hall. 
 Newman (J. H.) and others. See Library 
 
 of Devotion. 
 Nichols (J. B. B.). See Little Library. 
 Nicklln (T.), M.A. EXAMINATION 
 
 PAPERS IN THUCYDIDES. Cr. Zvo. 21. 
 NImrod. Sec I. P. L 
 •NorMte (Q. Le O.). SIR WALTER 
 
 SCOTT. Illustrated. Demy 800. js. 6d. net.
 
 General Literature 
 
 13 
 
 Norre^aard (B. W.). THE GREAT 
 
 SIEGE : The Investment and Fall of Port 
 Arthur. Illustrated. DetnyZvo. zos.6d.net. 
 
 Northcote (James), R.A. THE CONVER- 
 SATIONS OF JAMES NORTHCOTE, 
 R. A., AND JAMES WARD. Edited by 
 Ernest Fletcher. With many Portraits. 
 Demy 8vo. 10s. iid. 
 
 Norway (A. H.). NAPLES. With 25 Col- 
 oured Illustrations by Maurice Greiffen- 
 HAGEN. A New Edition. Cr. %vo^ ts. 
 
 Novalis. THE DISCIPLES AT SAIS AND 
 OTHER FRAGMENTS. Edited by Miss 
 Una Birch. Fcap. Zvo. z^. dd. 
 
 ^Oldfield (W. J.), Canon of Lincoln. 
 PRIMER OF RELIGION. Fcap Zvo. 
 •2S. 6d. 
 
 Olipbant (Mrs.). See Leaders of Religion. 
 
 Oman(C. W. C), M. A., Fellow of All Souls', 
 Oxford. A HISTORY OF THE ART OF 
 WAR. Vol. II.: The Middle Ages, from 
 the Fourth to the Fourteenth Century. Illus- 
 trated. Demy Zvo. 10s. td. net. 
 
 Ottley (R. L.), D.D. See Handbooks of 
 Theology 'and Leaders of Religion. 
 
 Overton (J. H.). See Leaders of Religion. 
 
 Owen (Douglas). See Books on Business. 
 
 Oxford (M. N. ), of Guy's Hospital. A HAND- 
 BOOK OF NURSING. Third Edition. 
 Cr. Zvo. y. td. 
 
 Pakes (W. C. C). THE SCIENCE OF 
 HYGIENE. Illustrated. Demy Zvo. is^- 
 
 Palmer(Frederick). WITH KUROKI IN 
 MANCHURIA. Illustrated. Third 
 Edition. Demy Zvo. ys. 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Parker (Gilbert). A LOVER'S DIARY. 
 Fcap. Zvo. ^s. 
 
 *Parkes (A. K.). SMALL LESSONS ON 
 GREAT TRUTHS. Fcap. Zvo. \s. 6d. 
 
 Parkinson (John). PARADISI IN SOLE 
 PARADISUS TERRESTRIS, OR A 
 GARDEN OF ALL SORTS OF PLEA- 
 SANT FLOWERS. Folio. £^, 4^. net. 
 
 Parmenter (John). HELIO-TROPES, OR 
 NEW POSIES FOR SUNDIALS, 1623. 
 Edited by Percival Landon. Quarto. 
 2s- 6d. net. 
 
 Parmentier (Prof. Leon). See Byzantine 
 Texts. 
 
 Pascal. See Library of Devotion. 
 
 Paston (George). SOCIAL CARICA- 
 TURES IN THE EIGHTEENTH 
 CENTURY. Imperial Quarto. £2, 12s. 6d. 
 net. See also Little Books on Art and I. P. L. 
 
 Pater80n(W. R.)(Benjamin Swift). LIFE'S 
 QUESTIONINGS. Cr. Zvo. ^s. 6d. net. 
 
 Patterson (A. H.). NOTES OF AN EAST 
 COAST NATURALIST. Illustrated in 
 Colour by F. Southgatk. Second Edition. 
 Cr. Siv. ii. 
 
 NATURE IN EASTERN NORFOLK. 
 A series of observations on the Birds, 
 Fishes, Mammals, Reptiles, and stalk- 
 eyed Crustaceans found in that neigh- 
 bourhood, with a list of the species. With 
 12 Illustrations in colour, by Frank 
 SqOthgate. Second Edition. Cr. Zv«. 6*. 
 
 Peacock (N.). See Little Books on Art. 
 
 Pearce (E. H.), M.A. ANNALS OF 
 CHRIST'S HOSPIT.A.L. Illustrated. 
 Demy Zvo. js. 6d. 
 
 Peel (Robert), and Mlnchin (H. C), M.A. 
 OXFORD. With 100 Illustrations in 
 Colour. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Peel (Sidney), late Fellow of Trinity College, 
 Oxford, and Secretary to the Royal Com- 
 mission on the Licensing Laws. PRACTI- 
 CAL LICENSING REFORM. Second 
 Edition. Cr. Zvo. is. 6d. 
 
 Peters (J. P.), D.D. See Churchman's 
 Library. 
 
 Petrle(W.M.Flinder8),D.C.L.,LL.D., Pro- 
 fessor of Egyptology at University College. 
 A HISTORY OF EGYPT, from the 
 Earliest Times to the Present Day. 
 Fully Illustrated. /» six volumes. Cr. 
 Zvo. 6s. each. 
 
 Vol. 1. Prehistoric Times to XVIth 
 Dynasty. Fifth Edition. 
 
 Vol. II. The XVIIth and XVIIIth 
 Dynasties. Fourth Edition. 
 
 Vol. III. XIXth to XXXth Dynasties. 
 
 Vol. IV. The Egyit of the Ptolemies. 
 J. P. Mahaffy, Litt.D. 
 
 Vol. v. Roman Egypt. J. G. Milne, M.A. 
 
 Vol. VI. Egypt in the Middle Ages. 
 Stanley Lane-Poole, M.A. 
 
 RELIGION AND CONSCIENCE IN 
 ANCIENT EGYPT. Illustrated. Cr 
 Zvo. ^s. 6d, 
 
 SYRIA AND EGYPT, FROM THE TELL 
 EL AMARNA TABLETS. Cr.Zvo. ■2s. 6d. 
 
 EGYPTIAN TALES. Illustrated by Tris- 
 tram Ellis. In Two Volumes. Cr. Sz/o. 
 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 EGYPTIAN DECORATIVE ART. With 
 120 Illustrations. Cr. Zvo. 35. td. 
 
 Phillips (W. A.). See Oxford Biographies. 
 
 Phillpotts (Eden). MY DEVON YEAR. 
 With 38 Illustrations by J. Ley Pethv- 
 BRIDGE. Second and CJuaper Edition. 
 Large Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 UP ALONG AND DOWN ALONG. 
 Illustrated by Claude Shkpperson. 
 Cr. ^to. $s. net. 
 A volume of poems. 
 
 Plenaar (Philip). WITH STEYN AND 
 DE WET. Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. 
 3^. 6d. 
 A Colonial Edition is also publi^ed. 
 
 Plarr (Victor G.) and Walton (F. W.J. A 
 SCHOOL HISTORY OF MIDDLE- 
 SEX. Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. if. 6d. 
 
 Plato. See Standard Library.
 
 14 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's'Catalogue 
 
 naotus. THE CAPTIVI. Edited, with 
 an Introduction, Textual Notes, and a Com- 
 mentary, by W. M. Lindsay, Fellow of 
 Jetus College, Oxford. Demy Zvo. los. 6J. 
 net. 
 
 Plowden-Wardlaw (J. T.), B.A., King's 
 College, Cambridge. See School Examina- 
 tion Series. 
 
 Pocock (Roger). A FRONTIERSMAN. 
 Third Edition. Cr. ^vo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Podmore (Frank). MODERN SPIRI- 
 TUALISM. 77va Volumes. Demy 8vo. 
 21S. net. 
 A History and a Criticism. 
 
 Poer (J. Patrick Le). A MODERN 
 LEGIONARY. Cr. 3w. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Pollard (Alice). See Little Books on Art. 
 
 Pollard(A. W.). OLD PICTURE BOOKS. 
 Illustrated. DetnySzio. •js.6d.net. 
 
 PollardCEHzaF.). See Little Books on Art. 
 
 Pollock (David), M.I.N.A. See Books on 
 Business. 
 
 Pond (C. F.). A DAY BOOK OF MON- 
 T.-VIGNE. Edited by. Fcap. Zvo. 3^. 6d. 
 net. 
 
 Potter (M. C), M.A., F.L.S. A TEXT- 
 BOOK OF AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 
 Illustrated. Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. 
 4r. 6d. 
 
 Power (J. O'Connor). THE MAKING 
 OF AN ORATOR. Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 
 Pradeau (Q.). A KEY TO THE TIME 
 ALLUSIONS IN THE DIVINE 
 COMEDY. With a Dial. SmaUguario. 
 35. 6d. 
 
 Prance (Q.). See Half-Crown Library. 
 
 Prescott (O. L.). ABOUT MUSIC, AND 
 WHAT IT IS MADE OF. Cr. 8vo. 
 3X. 6d. net. 
 
 Price (L. L.), M. A., Fellow of Oriel College. 
 Oxon. A HISTORY OF ENGLISH 
 POLITICAL ECONO.MY. Fourth Edi- 
 Hon. Cr. Z710. 3S. 6d. 
 
 Primrose (Deborah). A MODERN 
 BCEOTIA. Cr. Zr/a. 6s. 
 
 Puein and Rowlandson. THE MICRO- 
 COS.M OF LON'DON, or London in 
 Miniature. With 104 Illustrations in 
 colour. /« Three Volumes. Stnall ^to. 
 
 ' Q '.(A. T. Qulller Couch). See Half-Crown 
 
 Library. 
 
 Quevedo Vlllegas. See Miniature Library. 
 
 tJ.R. and E.S. THE WOODHOUSE COR- 
 RESPONDENCE. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Rackham (R. B.), M.A. See Westminster 
 Commentaries. 
 
 Randolph (B. W.), D.D. See Library of 
 Devotion. 
 
 Kannle (D. W.). M.A. A STUDENTS 
 HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. Cr. ivo. 
 y. 6d. 
 
 Rashdall (Hastings). M.A., Fellow wd 
 Tutor of New College, Oxford. DOC- 
 TRINE; AND DEVELOPMENT. Cr. 
 Sz'o. 6s. 
 
 Rawstome (Lawrence, Esq.). See I.P.L. 
 
 •Raymond (Walter). A SCHOOL 
 HISTORY OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
 Illustrated. Cr. Svo. is. 6d. 
 
 A Real Paddy. See I. PL. 
 
 Reason (W.), M.A. See S.Q..S. 
 
 Redfern (W. B.), Author of Ancient Wood 
 and Iron Work in Cambridge,' etc. 
 ROYAL AND HISTORIC GLOVES 
 AND ANCIENT SHOES. Profusely 
 Illustrated in colour and half-tone. Quarto, 
 /^2, 2s. net. 
 
 Reynolds. See Little Galleries. 
 
 • Rhodes (W. E.). A SCHOOL HISTORY 
 or LANCASHIRE. Illustrated. Cr. 8ro. 
 IS. 6d. 
 
 Roberts (M. E.). See C. C. Channer. 
 
 Robertson (A.), D.D., Lord Bishop of 
 Exeter. REGNUM DEI. The Bampton 
 Lectures of 1901. Demy ivo. 12s. 6d. net. 
 
 Robertson (C. Grant). M.A., Fellow of All 
 Souls' College, Oxford, Examiner in the 
 Honours School of Modem History, Oxford, 
 1901-1004. SELECT .STATUTES, CASES, 
 AND CONSTITUTIONAL DOCU- 
 MENTS, 1660-1832. Demy Svo. los. 6d. 
 net. 
 
 Robertson (C. Grant) and Bartholomew 
 (J. a.), F.R.S.E., F.R.G.S. A HIS- 
 TORICAL AND MODERN ATLAS OF 
 THE BRITISH EMPIRE. Quarto. 
 4i. 6d. net. 
 
 Robertson (Sir O. S.), K.C.S.I. See 
 Half-Crown Library. 
 
 Robinsou (A. W.), M.A. See Churchman's 
 Bible. 
 
 Robinson (Cecilia). THE MINISTRY 
 OF DEACONESSES. With an Introduc. 
 tion by the late Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 Cr. Bt'O. js. 6d. 
 
 Robinson (F. S.). See Connoisseur's Library. 
 
 Rochefoucauld (L.a). See Little Library. 
 
 Rodwell (G.), B.A. NEW TESTAMENT 
 GREEK. A Course for Beginners. With 
 a Preface by Walter Lock, D.D., Warden 
 of Keble College. Ecafi. Bvo. 3J. 6d. 
 
 Roe (Fred). ANCIENT COFFERS AND 
 CUPliO.\RDS: Their History and De- 
 scription. Illustrated. Quarto. £3, 3*. net. 
 
 OLD OAK FURNITURE. With many 
 Illustrations by the .Author, including a 
 frontispiece in colour. DemyZvo. 10s, 6d. 
 net. 
 
 Rogers (A. G. L.), M.A. See Books on 
 Business. 
 
 Roscoe (E. S.). ROBERT HARLEY, 
 EARL OF OXFORD. Illustrated. Demy 
 Svo. IS. 6d. 
 This is the only life of Harley in existence. 
 See aUo Little Guides.
 
 General Literature 
 
 15 
 
 Rose (Edward). THE ROSE READER. 
 
 Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. is. 6d. Also in 4 
 
 Parts. Parts I. and II. 6d. each ; Part 
 
 ///. %d. ; Part IV. T.c,d. 
 •Rouse (W. H. D.). WORDS OF THE 
 
 ANCIENT WISE: Thoughts from Eplc- 
 
 tetus and Marcus 'Aurelius. Edited by. 
 
 Fcai>. 8vo. 3s. 6d. net. 
 Rowntree (Joshua). THE IMPERIAL 
 
 DRUG TRADE. Second Edition. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. 5^. net. 
 Rubie (A. E.), D.D. See Junior School 
 
 ooks. 
 Russell (W. Clark). THE LIFE OF 
 
 ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 
 
 With Illustrations by F. Brangwyn. 
 
 Fourth Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 St. Anslem. See Library of Devotion. _ 
 St. Augustine. See Library of Devotion._ 
 St. Cyres (Viscount). See Oxford Bio- 
 graphies. 
 St. Francis of Assisl. See Standard 
 
 Library. 
 •Saki' (H. Munro). REGINALD. Second 
 
 Edition. Fcap. '&vo. is. td. net. 
 Sales (St. Francis de). See Library of 
 
 Devotion. 
 Salmon (A. L.). A POPULAR GUIDE 
 
 TO DEVON. Medium Zvo. dd. net. See 
 
 also Little Guides. 
 Sargeant (J.), M.A. ANNALS OF 
 
 WESTMINSTER SCHOOL. Illustrated. 
 
 Demy ^vo. ts. 6d. 
 Satbas(C.). See Byzantine Texts. 
 Schmitt (John). See Byzantine Texts. 
 Scott (A. M.). WINSTON SPENCER 
 
 CHURCHILL. With Portraits and Illus- 
 trations. Cr. 8ro. ^s. 6d. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 SeeIey(H.a.), F.R.S. DRAGONS OF THE 
 
 AIR. Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 *Selincourt (E. de). A DAY BOOK OF 
 
 KEATS. Edited by. Fcap. Svo. ^s. 6d. 
 
 net. 
 Sells (V. P.), M.A. THE MECHANICS 
 
 OF DAILY LIFE. Illustrated. Cr. Svo. 
 
 2s. 6d. 
 Selous (Edmund). TOMMY SMITH'S 
 
 ANIMALS. Illustrated by G. W. Ord. 
 
 Fourth Edition. Fcap. Svo. is. 6d. 
 Settle (J. H.). ANECDOTES OF 
 
 SOLDIERS, in Peace and War. Cr. Svo . 
 
 js. 6d. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published, 
 Shakespeare (William). 
 THE FOUR FOLIOS, 1623; 1632; 1664; 
 
 1685. Each Four Guitteas net, or a com- 
 plete set, Tivelve Guineas net. 
 The Arden Shakespeare. 
 
 Demy Svo. is. 6d. net each volume. 
 
 General Editor, W. J. Craig. An Edition 
 
 of Shakespeare in single Plays. Edited 
 
 with a full Introduction, Textual Notes, 
 
 and a Commentary at the foot of the page. 
 
 HAMLET. Edited by Edward Dowden, 
 
 Litt.D. 
 ROMEO AND JULIET. Edited by Edward 
 
 Dowden, Litt.D. 
 KING LEAR. Edited by W. J. Craig. 
 JULIUS CAESAR. Edited by M. Mac- 
 
 MILLAN, M.A. 
 
 THE TEMPEST. Edited by Moreton 
 
 Luce. 
 OTHELLO. Edited by H. C. Hart. 
 TITUS ANDRONICUS. Edited by H. B. 
 
 Baildon. 
 CYMBELINE. Editedby Edward Dowden. 
 THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. 
 
 Edited by H. C. Hart. 
 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. 
 
 Edited by H. Cuningham. 
 KING HENRY V. Edited by H. A. Evans. 
 ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 
 
 Edited by W. O. Brigstocke. 
 THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. 
 
 Edited by R. Warwick Bond. 
 TIMON OF ATHENS. Edited by K. 
 
 Deighton. 
 MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Edited by 
 
 H. C. Hart. 
 *TWELFTH NIGHT. Edited by Moreton 
 
 Luce. 
 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Edited 
 
 by C. Knox Pooler. 
 ^TROILUS AND CRESSIDA. Edited by 
 
 K. Deighton. 
 The Little Quarto Shakespeare. Edited 
 
 by W. J. Craig. With Introductions and 
 
 Notes. Pott \6mo. In 40 Volumes. 
 
 Leatlitr, price is. net each volume. 
 
 Mahogany Revolving Book Case. \os. net. 
 See also Standard Library. 
 Sharp (A.). VICTORIAN POETS. Cr. 
 
 Svo. IS. 6d. 
 Sharp (CecU). See S. Baring-Gould. 
 Sharp (Mrs. E. A.). See Little Books on 
 
 Art. 
 Shedlock (J. S.) THE PIANOFORTE 
 
 SONATA. Cr. Svo. 5^. 
 Shelley (Percy B.). ADONAIS ; an Elegy 
 
 on the death of John Keats, Author of 
 
 ' Endymion,' etc. Pisa. From the types of 
 
 Didot, 1821. 2^-. net. 
 Sheppard (H. F.), M.A. See S. Baring- 
 Gould. 
 Sherwell (Arthur), M.A. See S.Q.S. 
 Shipley (Mary E.). AN ENGLISH 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY FOR CHILD- 
 REN. With a Preface by the Bishop of 
 
 Gibraltar. With Maps and Illustrations. 
 
 Part I. Cr. Svo. is. 6d. net. 
 Sichel (Walter). DISRAELI : A Study 
 
 in Personality and Ideas. With 3 Portraits. 
 
 Detny Svo. ns. 6d. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 See also Oxford Biographies. 
 Sime(J.). See Little Books on Art.
 
 i6 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Slmonson (0. A.). IRA.NCKSCO 
 
 GUAKDl. With 41 Plates. Imperial 
 
 ^te. ^1, a.i-. net. 
 Sketchley (R. E. D.). See Little Books on 
 
 Art. 
 Skipton (H. P. K.). See Little Books on 
 
 Art. 
 Sladen (Douglas). SICILY: The New 
 
 Winter Resort. With over 200 Illustrations. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. 55-. net. 
 Small (Evan), M.A. THE EARTH. An 
 
 Introduction to Physiography. Illustrated. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. ^s. (>d. 
 Smallwood (M. Q.). See Little Books on 
 
 Art. 
 Sinedley(F. E.). See I.P.L. 
 Smith (Adam). THE WEALTH OF 
 
 NATIONS. Edited with an Introduction 
 
 and numerous Notes by Edwin Cannan, 
 
 M.A. Two volumes. Demy %vo. 21J. 
 
 net. 
 
 See also English Libmry. 
 Smith (Horace and James). See Little 
 
 Library. 
 Smith (H. Bompas). M.A. ANEW 
 
 JUNIOR ARITH.METIC. Crown Svo. 
 
 3S. 6d. 
 
 Smith (R. Mudle). THOUGHTS FOR 
 
 THE DAY. Edited by. Fca^. Svo. 
 
 2S. 6J. net. 
 Smith (Newell C). See W. Wordsworth. 
 Smith (John Thomas). A BOOK FOR 
 
 A R.A.INY DAY : Or Recollections of the 
 
 Events of the Years 1766-1833. Edited by 
 
 Wilfred Whitten. Illustrated. Demy 
 
 Zvo. 121. 6d. net. 
 Snell (F. J.). A BOOK OF EXMOOR. 
 
 Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 Snowden(C. E.). A HANDY DIGEST OF 
 
 BRITISH HISTORY. Demy ivo. ^s. dd. 
 Sophocles. See Classical Translations. 
 Sornct(L. A.). Sec Junior School Books. 
 South (Wilton E.), ^^. A. See Junior School 
 
 Books. 
 Southey (R.). ENGLISH SEAMEN. 
 
 Edited by David Hannav. 
 Vol. I. (How,-ird, Clifford, Hawkins, 
 
 Drake, Cavendish). Second Edition. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Vol. II. (Richard Hawkins, Grenville, 
 
 Essex, and Raleigh). Cr. 6z'0. 6s. 
 See also Standard Library. 
 Spence(C. H.), M.A. See School Examina- 
 tion Series. 
 Spooner (W. A.), M.A. See Leaders of 
 
 kelicion. 
 •Staley (Edjrcumbe). THE GUILDS OF 
 
 FLORK.NCK Illustrated. Royal Zvo. 
 
 Stanbrldge (J. W.), B.D. See Library of 
 
 Davotion. 
 'Stancliffe.* GOLF DOS AND DONT'S. 
 
 .Second Edition. Ecap. SfO. is. 
 St»ad (O. W.). Se« D. Gallater. 
 
 Stedman(A. M. M.), M.A. 
 INITIA LAIINA : Easy Lessons on Elemen- 
 tary Accidence. Eighth Edition. Fcap. 
 
 FIRST LATIN LESSONS. Ninth Edi- 
 tion. Cr. Svo. 21. 
 
 FIRST LATIN READER. With Notes 
 adapted to the Shorter Latin Primer and 
 Vocabulary. SLvth Edition revised, limo. 
 js. 6d. 
 
 EASY SELECTIONS FROM CAESAR. 
 The Helvetian War. Second Edition 
 litno. JS. 
 
 EASY SELECTIONS FROM LIVY. The 
 Kings of Rome. iS>na. Second Edition. 
 is.6d. 
 
 EASY LATIN PASSAGES FOR UNSEEN 
 TRANSLATION. Tenth Edition Fcap. 
 Sz'o. IS. 6d. 
 
 EXEMPLA LATINA First Exercises 
 in Latin Accidence. With Vocabulary. 
 Third Edition. Cr. Zvo. is. 
 
 EASY LATIN EXERCISES ON THE 
 SYNTAX OF THE SHORTER AND 
 REVISED LATIN PRIMER. With 
 Vocabulary. Tenth and Cheaper Edition, 
 re-written. Cr. Zvo. is. 6d. Original 
 Edition. 21. 6d. Kev, 35. net. 
 
 THE LATIN COMPOUND SENTENCE : 
 Rules and Exercises. Second Edition. 
 Cr. Z710, IS. 6d. With Vocabulary. 2X. 
 
 NOTANDA QUAEDAM : Miscellaneous 
 Latin Exercises on Common Rules and 
 Idioms. Fourth Edition. Fcap. Zvo. 
 IS. 6d. With Vocabulary. 2X. Key, ax. 
 net. 
 
 LATIN VOCABULARIES FOR REPE- 
 TITION : Arranged according to Subjects. 
 Thirteenth Edition. Fcap. Zvo. is. 6d. 
 
 A VOCABULARY OF LATIN IDIOMS. 
 iZmo. Second Edition, is. 
 
 STEPS TO GREEK. Second Edition, re- 
 vised. iZmo. IS, 
 
 A SHORTER GREEK PRIMER. Cr. 
 Zvo. IS. 6d. 
 
 EASY GREEK PASSAGES FOR UNSEEN 
 TRANSLATION. Third Edition, re- 
 vised. Fcap. Zvo. IS. 6d. 
 
 GREEK VOCABULARIES FOR RE. 
 PETITION. Arranged according to Sub- 
 jects. Fourth Edition. Fcap. Zvo. is. td. 
 
 GREEK TESTAMENT SELECTIONS. 
 For the use of Schools. With Introduc- 
 tion, Notes, and Vocabulary. Fourth 
 Edition. Fcap. Zvo. ss. 6d. 
 
 STEPS TO FRENCH. Seventh Edition. 
 1 Zmo. Zd. 
 
 FIRST FRENCH LESSONS. Seventh Edi. 
 Hon, revised. Cr. Zvo. is. 
 
 EASY FRENCH PASSAGES FOR UN- 
 SEEN TRANSLATION. Fi/th Edi- 
 tion, mised. Fcap. Zvo. \s. id.
 
 General Literature 
 
 17 
 
 EASY FRENCH EXERCISES ON ELE- 
 MENTARY SYNTAX. With Vocabu- 
 lary. Fourth Edition. Cr, Zvo. zs, 6ii. 
 Key. y. net. 
 
 FRENCH VOCABULARIES FOR RE- 
 PETITION : Arranged according to Sub- 
 jects. Twelfth Edition, Fcap. i>vo. is. 
 See also School Examination Series. 
 
 Steel (R. EUiott), M.A., F.C.S. THE 
 WORLD OF SCIENCE. With 147 
 Illustrations. SecondEdition. Cr. Svo. 2s. 6d. 
 See also School Examination Series. 
 
 Stepbenson (C), of the Technical College, 
 Bradford, and Suddards (F.) of the 
 Yorkshire College, Leeds. ORNAMEN- 
 TAL DESIGN FOR WOVEN FABRICS. 
 Illustrated. Demy %vo. Third Edition. 
 7S. 6d. 
 
 Stephenson (J.), M.A. THE CHIEF 
 TRUTHS OF THE CHRISTIAN 
 FAITH. Crmun Zvo. y. 6d. 
 
 Sterne (Laurence). See Little Library. 
 
 Sterry (W.). M.A. ANNALS OF ETON 
 COLLEGE. Illustrated, DemyZvo. js.6d. 
 
 Steuart (Katherine). BY ALLAN 
 WATER. Second Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 Stevenson (R. L.) THE LETTERS OF 
 ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON TO 
 HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. 
 Selected and Edited by Sidney Colvin. 
 Sixth Edition. Cr. Zvo. 1 21. 
 
 Library Edition. Demy %vo. 2 vols. 255. 
 7tet. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 VAILIMA LETTERS. With an Etched 
 Portrait by William Strang. Fifth 
 Edition. Cr. ivo. Buckram. 6s 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 THE LIFE OF R. L. STEVENSON. See 
 G. Balfour. 
 
 Stevenson (M. I.). FROM SARANAC 
 TO THE MARQUESAS. Being Letters 
 wTitten by Mrs. 5l. I. Stevenson during 
 1887-8. Cr. Svo. 6s. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 LETTERS FROM SAMOA. Edited and 
 arranged by M. C. Balfour. With many 
 Illustrations. Cr. 87/(7. 6s. net. 
 
 Stoddart (Anna M.). See Oxford Bio- 
 graphies. 
 
 Stokes (F. G.), B.A. HOURS WITH 
 RABELAIS. From the translation of Sir 
 T. Urquhart and P. A. Motteux. With 
 a Portrait in Photogravure. Cr. Svo. y. 6d. 
 net. 
 
 Stone (S. J.). POEMS AND HYMNS. 
 With a Alemoir by F. G. Ellerton, 
 M.A. With Portrait, Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 *Storr (Vernon P.), M.A., Lecturer in 
 the Philosophy of Religion in Cambridge 
 University ; Examining Chaplain to the 
 Archbishop of Canterbury ; formerly Fellow 
 of University College, Oxford. DEVELOP- 
 MENT AND DIVINE PURPOSE Cr. 
 Svo. 51-. net. 
 
 Straker (F.). See Books on Business. 
 Streane (A. W.), D.D. See Churchman's 
 
 Bible. 
 Stroud (H.), D,Sc, M.A. See Textbooks of 
 
 Science. 
 Strutt (Joseph). THE SPORTS AND 
 PASTIMES OF THE PEOPLE OF 
 ENGLAND. Illustrated by many engrav- 
 ings. Revised by J. Charles Cox, LL.D., 
 F.S.A. Quarto. 3zs. net. 
 Stuart(Capt. Donald). THE STRUGGLE 
 FOR PERSIA. With a Map. Cr.Zvo. 6s. 
 *Sturch (F,), StaflF Instructor to the Surrey 
 County Council. SOLUTIONS TO THE 
 CITY AND GUILDS QUESTIONS 
 IN MANUAL INSTRUCTION DRAW- 
 ING. Imt. i,to. 5x. net. 
 Suckling: (Sir John). FRAGMENTA 
 AUREA: a Collection of all the Incom- 
 parable Peeces, written by. And published 
 by a friend to perpetuate his memory. 
 Printed by his own copies. 
 
 Printed for Humphrey Moselky, and 
 are to be sold at his shop, at the sign of the 
 Princes Arms in St. Paul's Churchyard, 
 1646. 
 Suddards (F.). See C. Stephenson. 
 Surtees (R. S,). See I.P.L. 
 Swift (Jonathan). THE JOURNAL TO 
 STELLA. Edited by G. A. Aitken. Cr. 
 Zvo. 6s. 
 Symes (J. E.), M.A. THE FRENCH 
 REVOLUTION. SecondEdition. Cr. Zvo. 
 ■is. 6d. 
 Synip80n(E. M.), M.A., M.D. SeeAncient 
 
 Cities. 
 Syrett (Netta). See Little Blue Books. 
 Tacitus. AGRICOLA. With Introduction 
 Notes, Map, etc. By R. F. Davis, M.A., 
 Fcai>. Zvo. 2s. 
 GERMANIA. By the same Editor. Fca^. 
 
 Svo. 2S. See also Classical Translations. 
 Tallack (W.). HOWARD LETTERS 
 AND MEMORIES. Demy Svo. 10s. 6d. 
 net. 
 Tauler (J.). See Library of Devotion. 
 Taunton (E. L.). A HISTORY OF THE 
 JESUITS IN ENGLAND. Illustrated. 
 Demy Svo. 21s. net. 
 Taylor (A. E.). THE ELEMENTS OF 
 METAPHYSICS. Demy Svo. ios.6d.net. 
 Taylor (F. Q.), M..\. See Commercial Series, 
 Taylor (1. A,), See Oxford Biographies. 
 Taylor (T. M.), M.A., Fellow of GonviUe 
 and Caius College, Cambridge. A CON- 
 STITUTIONAL AND POLITICAL 
 HISTORY OF ROME. Cr. Svo. ys. 6d. 
 Tennyson (Alfred, Lord). THE EARLY 
 POEMS OF. Edited, with Notes and 
 an Introduction, by J. Churton Collins, 
 M.A. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 IN MEMORIAM, MAUD, AND THE 
 PRINCESS. Edited by J. Churton 
 Collins, M.A. Cr. Svo. 6s. See also 
 Little Library. 
 
 A3
 
 iS 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Terry (C. S.). See Oxford BioRraphies. 
 Terton (Alice). LIGHTS AND SHADOWS 
 
 IN A HOSPITAL. Cr. Svo. -xs. (>d. 
 Thackeray (W. M.). See Little Library. 
 Theobald (F. v.). M.A. INSECT LIFE. 
 
 Illustrated. Second Ed. Revised. Cr. Zvo. 
 
 ■;s. bd. 
 Thompson (A. H.). See Little Guides. 
 TlIeston(MaryW.). DAILY STRENGTH 
 
 FOR D.\II,Y NEEDS. Twelfth Edition. 
 
 MediutH i6mo. 2s. 6d. net. Also an edition 
 
 in superior binding, 6.c. 
 Tompkins (H. W.). F.R.H.S. See Little 
 
 Towndrow (R. F.). A DAY BOOK OF 
 MILTON. Edited by. Fcap. %vo. ^s.dd. 
 net. 
 
 Townley (Lady Susan). MY CHINESE 
 
 NOTE-BOOK. With i6 Illustrations and 
 2 Maps. Third Edition. DemyZvo. los. 
 6d. net. 
 
 A Colonial F.dition is also published. 
 •Toynbee (Paget), M.A. , D.Litt. DANTE 
 IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. Demy 
 8vo. I2J. 6d. net. 
 
 See also Oxford Bioeraphies. 
 Trench (Herbert). DEIRDRE WED and 
 
 Other Poems. Cr. Zz>fl. 5s. 
 Trevelyan (Q. M.), Fellow of Trinity College, 
 Cambridge. ENfOLAND UNDER THE 
 STUARTS. With Maps and Plans. Second 
 Kdi'im. r>emy Zvo. 10s. 6d. net. 
 Troutbeck (0. E.). See Little Guides. 
 Tyler (E. A.), B.A., F.C.S. See Junior 
 
 School Books. 
 Tyrell-Qlll (Frances). See Little Books on 
 
 Art. 
 Vardon (Harry). THE COMPLETE 
 GOLFLR. Illustrated. Sixth Edition. 
 Demy ivo. zos. 6d. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 Vaughan (Henry). See Little Library. 
 Voegelin (.\.), M.A. See Junior Examina- 
 tion Series. 
 WaddelKCol. L. A.). LT,.D.,C B. LHASA 
 AND ITS .MYSTERIES. With a Record 
 of the Expedition of 1903-T904. With aooo 
 Illustrations and Maps. Demy Zvo. 21s. 
 net. 
 »Also Third and Cheaper Edition. With 
 155 Illustrations and Maps. Demy 
 87'". io.r. f>(i. net. 
 Wade (O. W.J, D.D. OLD TESTAMENT 
 HISTORY. With Maps. Third Edition. 
 Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 Wagner (Richard). See A. L. Cieather. 
 Wall (J. C). DEVILS. Illustrated by the 
 Author and from photoRraphs. Demy Zvo. 
 4J. 6</. nrt. See also Antiquary's Books. 
 Walters (H. B.). See Little Books on Art. 
 Walton (F. W.). See Victor G. Plarr. 
 Walton (Izaac) and Cotton (Charles). 
 Sec I.P.L., English Librarj', and Little 
 Library. 
 
 Warmelo(D. S. Van). ON COMMANDO. 
 With Portrait. Cr. Zvo. 31. Od. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Warren-Vernon (Hon. William), M.A. 
 READINGS ON THE INFERNO OF 
 DANTE, chiefly ba.sed on the Commentary 
 of Benvenuto BA I.M'iLA. With an intro- 
 duction by the Rev. Dr. Moore. In Two 
 Volumes. Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. isj. 
 net. 
 
 Waterhouse (Mrs. Alfred). WITH THE 
 SIMPLE-HEARTKD: Little Homilies to 
 Women in Country Places. Second Edition. 
 Small Pott Svo. is. net. See also Little 
 Library. 
 
 Weatherhead (T. C), M.A. EXAMINA. 
 TION PAPERS IN HORACE. Cr. Svo. 
 See also Junior Examination Series. 
 
 See Little Blue Books. 
 See Textbooks of Techno- 
 
 Webb (W. T.). 
 Webber (F. C). 
 
 locy. 
 
 Wells (Sidney H.). See Textbooks of 
 .Science. 
 
 Wells(J.),M.A.,FellowandTutorofWadham 
 College. OXFORD AND OXFORD 
 LIFE. Third Edition. Cr.%vo. 31. 6(/. 
 
 A SHORT HISTORY OF RO.ME. Sixth 
 Edition. With 3 Maps. Cr. 8t/<7. y. dd. 
 See also Little Guides. 
 
 'Westminster Gazette' Office Boy 
 (Francis Brown). THE DOINGS OF 
 ARTHUR. Cr. ^to. 2S. 6d. net. 
 
 Wetmore (Helen C). THE LAST OF 
 THE GREAT SCOUTS ('Buffalo Bill'). 
 Illustrated. Second Edition. DemyZvo. 6t. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Whlbley (C). See Half-crown Library. 
 
 Whibley (L.), M.A., Fellow of Pembroke 
 CoUcRe, Cambridge. GREEK OLIGAR- 
 CHIES : THEIR ORGANISATION 
 AND CHARACTER. Cr. 6vo. 6s. 
 
 Whltaker (0. H.), M.A. See Churchman's 
 Bible. 
 
 White (Gilbert). THE NATURAL 
 HISTORY OF SELBORNE. Edited by 
 L. C. MiALL, F.R.S., assisted by W. Warde 
 Fowler, M.A. Cr. Svo. 6s. See also 
 Standard Library-. 
 
 Whitfield (E. E.). See Commercial Series. 
 
 Whitehead (A. W.). G A S P A R D D E 
 C O L I G N Y. Illustrated. Demy Zvo. 
 i2s. 6-/. net. 
 
 Whlteley (R. Lloyd), F.I.C., Principal of 
 the Municipal Science School, West Brom- 
 wich. AN ELEMENTARY TEXT- 
 BOOK OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. 
 Cr. &V0. 7S. 6d. 
 
 Whitley (Miss). See S.Q.S. 
 
 Whitten (W.). See John Thomas Smith. 
 
 Wliyte(A. G.), H.Sc. See Books on Business. 
 
 Wiiberforce (Wilfrid). See Little Books 
 on Art. 
 
 Wilde (Oscar). DE PROFUNDIS. Sixth 
 Edition. Cr. Sto. s^f. nfi. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published.
 
 General Literature 
 
 19 
 
 WnklnB(W. H.). B.A. See S.Q.S. 
 
 Wilkinson (J. Frome). See S.Q.S. 
 
 ^Williams (A.).. PETROL PETER: or 
 Mirth for Motorists. Illustrated in Colour 
 by A, W. Mills. Demy ^to. y. td. net. 
 
 Williamson (M. Q.). See Ancient Cities. 
 
 Williamson (W.). THE BRITISH 
 GARDENER. Illustrated. Demy Zvo. 
 xas. 6ti. 
 
 Williamson (W.), B.A. See Junior Ex- 
 amination Series, Junior School Books, and 
 Beginner's Books. 
 
 Wlllson (Beckles). LORD STRATH- 
 CONA : the Story of his Life. Illustrated. 
 Demy Zvo. js. td. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Wilmot-Buxton (E. M,). MAKERS OF 
 EUROPE. Cr. Sva. Fourth Ed. 3J. dd. 
 A Text-book of European History for 
 Middle Forms. 
 
 THE ANCI ENT WORLD. With Maps and 
 Illustrations. Cr. %vo. -iS. td. 
 See also Beginner's Books. 
 
 Wilson (Bishop.)- See Library of Devotion. 
 
 Wilson (A. J.). See Books on Business. 
 
 Wilson (H. A.). See Books on Business. 
 
 Wilton (Richard), M. A. LYRA PAS- 
 TORALIS : Songs of Nature, Church, and 
 Home. Pott Zvo. 2S. td. 
 
 Winbolt (S. E.), M.A. EXERCISES IN 
 LATIN ACCIDENCE. Cr. ivo. is. td. 
 
 LATIN HEXAMETER VERSE: An Aid 
 to Composition. Cr. Zvo. ^s. td. Key, 
 SJ. net. 
 
 Windle (B. C. A.), D.Sc, F.R.S. See Anti- 
 quary's Books, Little Guides and Ancient 
 Cities. 
 
 Winterbotham (Canon), M.A., B.Sc, 
 LL.B. See Churchman's Library. 
 
 Wood (J. A. E.). See Textbooks of 
 Technology. 
 
 Wood (J. Hickory). DAN LENO. Illus- 
 trated. Third Edition. Cr. ?,vo. ts. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Wood (W. Birkbeck), M. A., late Scholar of 
 Worcester College, Oxford, and Edmonds 
 (Major J. E.), R.E., D.A.Q.-M.G. A 
 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR IN 
 THE UNITED STATES. With an 
 Introduction by H. Spenser Wilkinson. 
 With 24 Maps and Plans. Demy &vo. 
 13^. td. net. 
 
 Wordsworth (Christopher). See Anti- 
 quary's Books. 
 
 •Wordsworth (W.). THE POEMS OF. 
 With Introduction and Notes by Nowell 
 C. Smith, Fellow of New College, Oxford. 
 /n Four Volumes. Demy Zvo. ^s. net 
 each. See also Little Library. 
 
 Wordsworth (W.) and Coleridge (S. T.). 
 See Little Library. 
 
 Wright (Arthur), M.A., Fellow of Queen|s 
 College, Cambridge. See Churchman's 
 Library. 
 
 Wright (C. Gordon). See Dante. 
 
 Wright (J. C). TO-DAY. Fcap. itmo. 
 IS. net. 
 
 Wriglit (Sophie). GERMAN VOCABU- 
 LARIES FOR REPETITION. Fcap. &vo. 
 IS. td. 
 
 Wrong (George M.), Professor of History 
 in the University of Toronto. THE 
 EARL OF ELGIN. Illustrated. Demy 
 ivo, js. td. net. 
 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Wyatt(Kate) and Gloag (M.). A BOOK 
 OF ENGLISH GARDENS. With 24 
 Illustrations in Colour. Cr. Zvo. 10s. ts.net. 
 
 Wylde(A. B.). MODERN ABYSSINIA. 
 With a Map and a Portrait. Demy &vo. 
 15 J. net. 
 A Colonial Edition is also published 
 
 Wyndham (George). THE POEMS OF 
 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. With an 
 Introduction and Notes. Demy Svo. Buck- 
 ram, gilt top. 10s. td. 
 
 Wyon(R.). See Half-crown Library. 
 
 Yeats (W. B.). AN ANTHOLOGY OF 
 IRISH VERSE. Revised and Enlarged 
 Edition. Cr. Zvo. 3^. td. 
 
 Young (Filson). THE COMPLETE 
 MOTORIST. With 138 Illustrations. 
 Fifth Edition. Demy Svo. i2i. td. net, 
 A Colonial Edition is also published. 
 
 Young (T. M.). THE AMERICAN 
 COTTON INDUSTRY: A Study of 
 Work and Workers. Cr.Zvo. Cloth, zs.td. ; 
 paper boards, is. td. 
 
 Zimmern (Antonia). WHAT DO WE 
 KNOW CONCERNING ELECTRI- 
 CITY? Fcap.ivo. is.td.net. 
 
 Ancient Cities 
 
 General Editor, B. C. A. WINDLE, D.Sc. F.R.S. 
 Cr. Svo. 4s. 6d. net. 
 
 Chester. By B. C. A. Windle, D.Sc. F.R.S. 
 
 Illustrated by E. H. New. 
 Shrewsbury. By T. Auden, M.A., F.S.A. 
 
 Illustrated. 
 Canterbury. By J. C. Cox, LL.D., F.S.A. 
 
 Illustrated. 
 
 Illus- 
 
 *Edinburgh. By M. G. Williamson. 
 
 trated by Herbert Railton. 
 "Lincoln. By E. Mansel Sympson, M.A., 
 
 M.D. Illustrated by E. H. New.
 
 20 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Antiquary's Books, The 
 
 General Editor. J. CHARLES COX. LL.U., F.S.A. 
 
 A series of volumes dealing with various branches of English Antiquities ; 
 comprehensive and popular, as well as accurate and scholarly. 
 
 Demy Zvo. Ts. dd. net. 
 
 Enolish Mos-astic Life. By the Right 
 Rev. Abbot Gasquet, O.S B. Illustrated. 
 Third Edition. 
 
 Remains of ike Prehistoric Agh in 
 England. By B. C. A. Windle, D.Sc. 
 F.R. S. With numerous Illustrations and 
 Plans. 
 
 Old Service Books ok thk English 
 Church. By Christopher Wordsworth, 
 M.A., and Henry Littlehales. With 
 Coloured and other Illustrations. 
 
 Celtic Art. By ). Romilly Allen, F.S.A. 
 With numerous Illustrations and Plans. 
 
 AKCH>eOLOr,Y AND False Antiquitibs. 
 By R. Munro, LL.D. Illustrated. 
 
 Shrines of British Saints. ByJ.C. Wall. 
 With numerous Illustrations and Plans. 
 
 The Royal Forests op ENcuANn. By J. 
 C. Cox, LL.D., F.S.A. Illustrated. 
 
 •The Manor and Manorial Records. 
 By Nathaniel J. Hone. Illustrated. 
 
 •Seals. By J. Harvey Bloom. Illustrated. 
 
 Beginner's Books, The 
 
 Edited by W. WILLIAMSON, B.A. 
 
 Easy French Rhymes. By Henri Blouet. 
 Illustrated. Fcap. %vo. is. 
 
 Easy Stories FROM English History. By 
 E. M. Wilmot-Buxton, Author of ' Makers 
 of Europe.' Cr. 8va. is. 
 
 Easy Exercises in Arithmetic. Arrangetl 
 by W. S. Beard. J^ca/>. Bva. Without 
 Answers, is. With Answers, is. yi. 
 
 Easy Dictation and Sfelling. By W. 
 Williamson, B.A. Peurtk Edition. Fcaf. 
 %vo. i,t. 
 
 Business, Books on 
 
 Cr, %vo. IS. 6ci. net. 
 
 A series of volumes dealing with all the most important aspects of commercial and 
 financial activity. The volumes are intended to treat separately all the considerable 
 industries and forms of business, and to explain accurately and clearly what they do 
 and how they do it. Some are Illustrated. The first volumes are — 
 
 Ports and Docks. By Douglas Owen. 
 
 Railways. By E. R. McDcrmott. 
 
 The Stock Exchange. By Chas. Duguid. 
 
 Second Edition. 
 The Business of Insurance. By A. J. 
 
 Wilson. 
 The Electrical Industry : Lighting, 
 
 Traction, and Power. By A. G. Whyte, 
 
 B.Sc. 
 The Shipbuilding iNDt'STRv: Its History, 
 
 Science, Practice, and Finance. By Davul 
 
 Pollock, M.I.N. A. 
 The Money Market. By F. Straker. 
 The Business Side op Agriculture. By 
 
 A. G. I,. Rogers, M.A. 
 Law in Business. By H. A. Wilson. 
 Thk Brewing Industry. By Julian I,. 
 
 Baker, F.I.C., F.C.S. 
 
 The Automobile Industry. By G. de H. 
 
 Stone. 
 Mining and Mining Investments. By 
 
 'A. Moil.' 
 The Business of Advertising. ByClaranc« 
 
 G. Moran, Barrister-at-Law. Illustrated. 
 Trade Unions. By G. Dr.ige. 
 Civil Engineering. By T. Claxton Fidler, 
 
 M.Inst. C.E. Illustrated. 
 The Iron 'Trade. By J. Stephen Jeans. Illus- 
 
 tr.ited. 
 Monopolies, Trusts, and Kartells. By 
 
 F. W. Hirst. 
 The Cotton Industry and Trade. By 
 
 Prof. S. J. Chapman, Dean of the Faculty 
 
 ofCommerrc in the University of Man- 
 chester. Illustrated. 
 "The Coal Industry. By Ernest .\ves. 
 
 Illustrated.
 
 General Literature 
 
 21 
 
 Byzantine Texts 
 
 Edited by J. B. BURY, M.A., Litt.D. 
 
 A series of texts of Byzantine Historians 
 2ACHARIAH or MiTYLENE. Translated by F. 
 J. Hamilton, D.D., and E. W. Brooks. 
 Dentyiva. -lis. 6d. net. 
 
 EvAGRius. Edited by Lion Parmentier and 
 M. Bidez. Detiiy Sva. los. td. net. 
 
 edited by English and foreign scholars. 
 
 The History or Psellus. Edited by C. 
 
 Sathas. Demy %vo. i5j._ itei. 
 EcTHESis Chronica. Edited by Professor 
 
 Lambros. Demy %va. ys. 6<f. net. 
 The Chronicle of Morea. Edited by John 
 
 Schmitt. Deiny&vo. 15J. net. 
 
 Churchman's Bible, The 
 
 General Editor. J. H. BURN, B.D., F.R.S.E. 
 
 A series of Expositions on the Books of the Bible, which will be of service to the 
 general reader in the practical and devotional study of the Sacred Text. 
 
 Each Book is provided with a full and clear Introductory Section, in which is 
 stated what is known or conjectured respecting the date and occasion of the com- 
 position of the Book, and any other particulars that may help to elucidate its meaning 
 as a whole. The Exposition is divided into sections of a convenient length, corre- 
 sponding as far as possible with the divisions of the Church Lectionary. The 
 Translation of the Authorised Version is printed in full, such corrections as are 
 deemed necessary being placed in footnotes. 
 
 The Epistle op St. James. Edited by 
 H. W. Fulford, M.A. Fca/>. Sva. is. 6d. 
 net. 
 
 The Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to 
 THE Galatians. Edited by A. W. Robin- 
 son, M.A. Second Edition. Fcap. Zvo. 
 rs. 6d. net. 
 
 Ecclesiastes. Edited by A. \V. Streane, 
 D.D. Fcap. ivo. is. 6d. net. 
 
 The Epistle of St. Pall the Apostle to 
 THE Philippians. Edited by C. R. D. 
 Biggs, D.D. Second Edition. Fcap %vo. 
 \s. f)d. net. 
 
 Churchman's 
 
 General Editor, J. H. 
 
 The Beginnings OP English Christianity. 
 
 ByW. E.Collins, M.A. With Map. Cr.Zvo. 
 
 ■is. td. 
 Some New Testament Problems. By 
 
 Arthur Wright, M.A. Cr.%vo. bs. 
 The Kingdom of Heaven Here and Hekk- 
 
 after. By Canon Winterbotham, M.A. , 
 
 B.Sc, LL.B. Cr. %vo. IS. dd. 
 The WoRKMANSHiPOF the Prayer Book: 
 
 Its Literary and Liturgical Aspects. By J. 
 
 Dowden, D.D, Second Edition. Cr. 87c. 
 
 jr. td. 
 
 Isaiah. Edited by W. E. Barnes, D.D. Twa 
 Volurnes. Fcap. Svo. 2s. net each. With 
 Map. 
 
 The Epistle op St. Paul the Apostle to 
 THE Ephesians. Edited by G. H. Whitaker, 
 M.A. Fcap. 8z)0. is. 6d. net. 
 
 Library, The 
 
 BURN, B.D., F.R.S.E. 
 
 Evolution. By F. B. Jevons, M.A., Litt.D 
 Cr. Bvo. 34-. 6d. 
 
 TheOldTksta;ment AND THE New Scholar- 
 ship. By J. W. Peters, D.D. Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 
 The Churchman's Introduction to the 
 Old Testament. By A. M. Mackay, B. A. 
 Cr. Zvo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 The Church of Christ. By E. T. Green, 
 M.A. Cr. Bz'O. 6s. 
 
 Comparative Theology. By J. A. Mac- 
 Culloch. Cr. Sz'o, 6s. 
 
 Classical Translations 
 
 Edited by H. F. Fox, M.A., Fellow and Tutor of Brasenose College, Oxford. 
 
 Crown 8vo. 
 
 A series of Translations from the Greek and Latin Classics, distinguished by literary 
 excellence as well as by scholarly accuracy. 
 
 iEscHYLUs — Agamemnon, Choephoroe, Eu- 
 menides. Translated by Lewis Campbell, 
 LL.D. sj. 
 
 Cicero— De Oratore I. Translated by E. N. 
 P. Moor, M.A. 35. 6d. 
 
 Cicero— Select Orations (Pro _ Milone, Pro 
 Mureno, Philippic 11., in Catilinam). Trans- 
 lated by H. E. D. Blakiston, M.A. ss- 
 
 Cicero — De Natura Deorum. Translated by 
 F. Brooks, M.A. 3^. 6d. 
 
 [Continued.
 
 22 
 
 Messrs. Mkthuen's Catalogue 
 
 Classical Translations— r^//»w«/. 
 
 Cicero— Dc Ofiiciis. Translated by G. I!. 
 
 Gardiner, M.A. ■ss. td. 
 Horace- The Odes and Epodes. Translated 
 
 by A. D. Godley, M.A. ts. 
 Lucian — Six Dialogues (Nigrinus, Icaro-Me- 
 
 nippus, The Cock, The Ship, The Parasite, 
 
 The Lover of Falsehood) Translated by S. 
 
 T. Irwin, M.A. y. dd. 
 
 Sophocles— Electra and Ajax. Translated by 
 E. D. A. Morshead, M.A. 2J. (id. 
 
 Tacitus — Agricola and Germania. Trans- 
 lated by R. B. Townshend. jj. dd. 
 
 The Satires of Juvenal. Translated by 
 S. G. Owen. ii. 6d. 
 
 Commercial Series 
 
 Edited by H, DE B. GIBBINS, Litt.D., M.A. 
 
 Crown Svo, 
 
 A series intended to assist students and young men preparing for a commercial 
 career, by supplying useful handbooks of a clear and practical character, dealing 
 with those subjects which are absolutely essential in the business life. 
 
 Commercial Education in Theory and 
 
 Practice. By E. E. Whitfield, M.A. ss. 
 An introduction to Methuen's Commercial 
 
 Series treating the question of Commercial 
 
 Education fully from both the point of view 
 
 of the teacher and of the parent. 
 British Commerce and Colonies krom 
 
 Elizabeth to Victoria. By H. de B. 
 
 Gibbins, Litt.D., M.A. Third Edition, os. 
 Commercial Examination Papers. By H. 
 
 de B. Gibbins, Litt.D., M.A. \s. (id. 
 The Economics of Commerce, By H. de 
 
 B. Gibbins, Litt.D., ^^A. Second Edition. 
 IS. td. 
 
 K Gkrman- Commercial Reader. By S. E. 
 
 Bally. With Vocabulary, is. 
 A Commercial Geography av the British 
 
 Empire. By L. W. Lyde, ^LA. Eourth 
 
 Edition, ss. 
 A Commercial Geography of Foreign 
 
 Nations. By F. C. Boon, B.A. as. 
 
 A Primer of Business. 
 
 M.A. Third Edition, 
 Commercial Arithmetic. 
 
 M.A. Fourth Edition. 
 
 By S. Jackson, 
 IS. 6d. 
 
 By F. G. Taylor, 
 js. 6d. 
 
 French Commercial Correspondence. By 
 
 S. E. Bally. With Vocabulary. Third 
 
 Edition, is. 
 German Commercial Correspondence. By 
 
 S. E. Bally. With Vocabulary. Second 
 
 Edition. 2.5. 6d. 
 A French Commercial Reader. By S. E. 
 
 Bally. With Vocabulary. Second Edition. iS. 
 Precis Writing and Okfice Correspond- 
 ence. By E. E. Whitfield, M.A. Second 
 
 Edition. IS. 
 \ Guide to Professions and Business. 
 
 By H. Jones, is. 6d. 
 The Principlesof Book-keeping by Double 
 
 Entry. By J. E. B. M 'Allen, M.A. 2S. 
 Commercial Law. By W. Douglas Edwards. 
 
 Second Edition. 2s. 
 
 Connoisseur's Library, The 
 
 JVt'cie Royal %vo. 25^. net. 
 
 A sumptuous series of 20 books on art, written by experts for collectors, superbly 
 illustrated in photogravure, collotype, and colour. The technical side of the art is 
 duly treated. The first volumes are — 
 
 Mezzotints. By Cyril Davenport. With 40 
 
 Plates in Photogravure. 
 Porcelain. By Edward Dillon. With 19 
 
 Plate* in Colour, 20 in Collotype, and 5 in 
 
 Photogravure. 
 Miniatures. By Dudley Heath. With y 
 
 Plates in Colour, 15 in Collotype, and 15 in 
 
 Photogravure. 
 
 Ivories. By A. Maskell. With 80 Plates in 
 
 Collotype and Photogrjivure. 
 English Furniture. By F. S. Robinson. 
 
 With r6o Plates in Collotj-pe and one in 
 
 Photogravure. Second Edition. 
 •EuKopE.vN Enamels. By H. Cunvnghaml, 
 
 C.B. With many Plate?; in Collotype and a 
 
 Frontispiece in Photogravure.
 
 General Literature 
 
 23 
 
 Devotion, The Library of 
 
 With Introductions and (where necessary) Notes, 
 
 Small Pott %vo, cloth, 2s. ; leather, 2s. 6d. net. 
 
 These masterpieces of devotional literature are furnished with such Introductions 
 and Notes as may be necessary to explain the standpoint of the author and the 
 obvious difficulties of the text, without unnecessary intrusion between the author and 
 the devout mind. 
 
 The Confessions or St. Augustine. Edited 
 
 by C. Bigg, D.D. Fifik Edition. 
 The Christian Year. Edited by Walter 
 
 Lock, D. D. Third Edition. 
 The Imitation of Christ. Edited by C. 
 
 Bigg, D.D. Fourth Edition. 
 A Book of Devoiions. Edited by J. W. 
 
 Stanbridge. B.D. Second Edition. 
 Lyra Innocentium. Edited by Walter 
 
 Lock, D.D. 
 A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy 
 
 Life. Edited by C. Bigg. D.D. Second 
 
 Edition. 
 The Temple. Edited by E. C. S. Gibson, 
 
 D. D. Second Edition. 
 A Guide to Eternity. Edited by J. W. 
 
 Stanbridge, B.D. 
 The Psalms of David. Edited by B. W. 
 
 Randolph, D.D. 
 Lyra Apostolica. By Cardinal Newman 
 
 and others. Edited by Canon Scott Holland 
 
 and Canon H. C. Beeching. M.A. 
 The Inner Way. By J. Tauler. Edited by 
 
 A. W. Hutton, M.A. 
 The Thoughts of Pascal. Edited by C. 
 
 S. Jerram, M.A. 
 
 On the Love of God. By St. Francis de 
 
 Sales. Edited by W. J. Knox-Little, M.A. 
 A Manual of Consolation from the 
 
 Saints and Fathers. Edited by J. H. 
 
 Burn, B.D. 
 The Song of Songs. Edited byB. Blaxland, 
 
 M.A. 
 The Devotions of St. Anselm. Edited by 
 
 C. C. J. Webb, M.A. 
 Grace Abounding. ByJohnBunyan. Edited 
 
 by S. C. Freer, M.A. 
 Bishop Wilson's Sacra Privata. Edited 
 
 by A. E. Burn, B.D. 
 Lyra Sacra : A Book of Sacred Verse. 
 
 Edited by H. C. Beeching, M.A., Canon of 
 
 Westminster. 
 A Day Book from the Saints and Fathers. 
 
 Edited by J. H. Burn, B.D. 
 Heavenly Wisdom. A Selection from the 
 
 English Mystics. Edited by E. C. Gregory. 
 Light, Life, and Love. A Selection from the 
 
 German Mystics. Edited by W. R. Inge, 
 
 M.A. 
 *An Introduction to The Devout Life. 
 
 By St. Francis de Sales. Translated and 
 
 Edited by T. Bamf, M.A. 
 
 Standard Library, The 
 
 In Sixpenny Volumes. 
 
 The Standard Library is a new series of volumes containing the great classics of the 
 world, and particularly the finest works of English literature. All the great masters will be 
 represented, either in complete works or in selections. It is the ambition of the publishers to 
 place the best books of the Anglo-Saxon race within the reach of ever^- reader, so that the 
 series may represent something of the diversity and splendour of our English tongue. The 
 characteristics of The Standard Library are four : — i. Soundness of Text. 2. Cheapness. 
 3. Clearness of Type. 4. Simplicity. The books are well printed on good paper at a 
 price which on the whole is without parallel in the history of publishing. Each volume con- 
 tains from 100 to 250 pages, and is issued in paper covers. Crown 8vo, at Sixpence net, or in 
 cloth gilt at One Shilling net. In a few cases long books are issued as Double Volumes 
 or as Treble Volumes. 
 
 The following books are ready with the exception of those marked with a t, which denotes 
 that the book is nearly ready : — 
 
 The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. 
 The translation is by R. Graves. 
 
 The Novels of Jane Austen. In 5 volumes. 
 Vol. I. — Sense and Sensibility. 
 
 Essays and Counsels and The New 
 Atlantis. By Francis Bacon, Lord 
 Verulam. 
 
 tRELiGio Medici and Urn Burial. By 
 
 Sir Thomas Browne. The text has been 
 
 collated by A. R. Waller. 
 The Pilgrim's Progress. By John Btmyan. 
 Reflections on the French Revolution. 
 
 By Edmund Burke. 
 tTHF. Analogy of Religion, Natural and 
 
 Revealed. By Joseph Butler, D.D. 
 
 {.Continued.
 
 24 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Thk Standard LiBRARV—coniinueti. 
 Tmk Poems of Thomas Chattfrton'. In 2 
 volump<;. 
 tVol. I. — Miscellaneous Poems, 
 tVol. II.— The Rowley Poems. 
 tViTA NuovA. By Dante. Translated into 
 
 Engliih by D G. Rossetti. 
 Tom Jones. I3y Henry Fielding. Treble Vol. 
 ♦ Chanford. By Mrs. Gaskell. 
 The History ok the Decli.ne ano Fall ok 
 THB Roman Empire. By Edward Gibbon. 
 In 7 volumes. 
 Vol. V. is nearly ready. 
 
 The Text ana Notes have been revised by 
 J. B. Bury, Litt. D., but the Appendices of 
 the more expensive edition are not given. 
 fTHH Vicar ok Wakefield. By Oliver 
 Goldsmith. 
 
 The Poems andPlavs OF Oliver Goldsmith. 
 The Works of Ben Jonson. 
 
 tVoL. I.— The Case is Altered. Every Man 
 in His Humour. Every Man out of His 
 Humour. 
 
 The text has been collated by H. C. Hart. 
 Thk Poe.ms of John Keats. Double volume. 
 The Text has been collated by E. de 
 Selincourt. 
 On the Imitation op Christ. By Thomas 
 ^ Kempis. 
 
 The translation is by C. Bigg, DD., Canon 
 of Christ Church. 
 fA Serious Call to a Devout ani> Holy 
 
 Life. By William Law. 
 Thk Plays of Christopher Marlowk. 
 
 tVol. 1. — Tamburlane the Great. 
 Thk Plavs of Philip Massinger. 
 tVol. I.— The Duke of Milan. 
 
 The Poems or John Milton. In » volumen. 
 
 tVol. I. — Paradise Lost. 
 The Prose Works OF John Milton. 
 
 jVoL. I.— Eikonoklastes and The Tenure of 
 KinRs and Magistrates. 
 Select Worksop Sir Thomas Mors. 
 
 tVol. I.— Utopia and Poems. 
 
 tTllE Republic of Plato. Translated by 
 
 Sydenham and Taylor. Double Volume. 
 
 The translation bac been revised bv 
 
 W. H. D. Rouse. 
 
 tTHE Little Flowers of St. FRA^•CIs. 
 
 Translated by W. Heywood. 
 The Works of William Shakbspbare. In 
 10 volumes. 
 Vol. i.— The Tempest; The Two Gentlemen 
 of Verona ; The Merry Wives of Windsor ; 
 Measure for Measure ; The Comedy of 
 Errors. 
 VoL.ii. — Much Ado About Nothing; Love's 
 Labour's Lost; A Midsummer Night's 
 Dream ; The Merchant of Venice ; As You 
 Like It. 
 Vol. hi.— The Taming of the Shrew ; All's 
 Well that Ends Well; Twelfth Night ; The 
 Winter's Tale. 
 Vol. IV.— The Life and Death of King John; 
 The Tragedy of King Richard the Second ; 
 The First Part of King Henry iv. ; The 
 Second Part of King Henry I v. 
 tVol. v.— The Life of King Henry v. ; The 
 First Part of King Henry vi. ; The Second 
 Part of King Henry vi. 
 The Lifk of Nelson. By Robert Southey. 
 tTHE Natural History and ANTiQuiTiBSor 
 Sklborne. Hy Gilbert White. 
 
 Half-Crown Library 
 
 Crown 8vo. 
 RusKiN. By W. G. 
 
 With Portraits. Si.r/A 
 
 Thk Life ok John 
 Collingwood, M.A. 
 Sdition. 
 
 English Lyrics. By W. K. Henley. Second 
 Edition. 
 
 The Golden Pomi-. A Procession of English 
 Lyrics. Arranged by A. T. Quiller Couch. 
 Second Edition. 
 
 Chitral : The Story of a Minor .Siege. By 
 Sir G. S. Robertson. K. C.S.I. Third 
 Edition. Illustrated. 
 
 By 
 
 2j. dd. net. 
 
 Strange Survivals and Superstitions. 
 S. Baring-Gould. Third Edition. 
 
 Yorkshire Oddities and Strange Events. 
 By S. Baring-Gould. Fourth Edition. 
 
 English Villages. By P. H. Ditchfield, 
 M.A., F.S.A. Illustrated. 
 
 A Book of English Prosk. By W. E, 
 Henley and C. Whibley. 
 
 Thk Land ok the Black Mountain. 
 Being a Description of Montenegro. By 
 k. Wyon and G. Prance. With ^o Illustra- 
 tions. 
 
 Illustrated Pocket Library of Plain and Coloured Books, The 
 
 Fcap Svo. 3j. 6d. net each vohtme. 
 A series, in small form, of some of the famous illustrated books of fiction and 
 general literature. These are faithfully reprinted from the first or best editions 
 without introduction or notes. Tlie Illustrations are chiefly in colour. 
 
 COLOURED BOOKS 
 
 Old Coloured Books. By George Paston. 
 
 With 16 Coloured Plates. Fcap. 'ivo. as. net. 
 
 The Life AND Death OF John Mvtton, Esq. 
 
 By Nimrod. With i8 Coloured Plates by 
 Henry Aiken and T. J. Rawlins. Third 
 Edition. 
 
 [Continued.
 
 General Literature 
 
 25 
 
 Illustrated Pocket Library of Plain and Coloured Books — continued. 
 
 Thk Lifb of a Sportsman. By Nimrod. 
 With 35 Coloured Plates by Henry Aiken. 
 
 Handley Cross. By R. S. Surtees. With 
 17 Coloured Plates and 100 Woodcuts in the 
 Text by John Leech. 
 
 Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. By R. S. 
 Surtees. With 13 Coloured Plates and 90 
 Woodcuts in the Text by John Leech. 
 
 JORROCKS' Jaunts and Jollities. By R. S. 
 Surtees. With 15 Coloured Plates by H. 
 Aiken. 
 
 This volume is reprinted from the ex- 
 tremely rare and costly edition of 1843, which 
 contains Aiken's very fine illustrations 
 instead of the usual ones by Phiz. 
 
 Ask Mamma. By R. S. Surtees. With 13 
 Coloured Plates and 70 Woodcuts in the 
 Text by John Leech. 
 
 Thb Analysis of the Hunting Field. By 
 R. S. Surtees. With 7 Coloured Plates by 
 Henry Aiken, and 43 Illustrations on Wood. 
 
 The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Seakch of 
 THE Picturesque. By William Combe. 
 With 30 Colou'-ed Plates by T. Rowlandson. 
 
 The Tour of Doctor Syntax in Search 
 of Consolation. By William Combe. 
 With 24 Coloured Plates by T. Rowlandson. 
 
 The Third Tour of Doctor Syntax in 
 Search of a Wife. By William Combe. 
 With 24 Coloured Plates by T. Rowlandson. 
 
 The History of Johnny Quae Genus : the 
 Little Foundling of the late Dr. Syntax. 
 By the Author of 'The Three Tours.' With 
 24 Coloured Plates by Rowlandson. 
 
 The English Dance of Death, from the 
 Designs of T. Rowlandson, with Metrical 
 Illustrations by the Author of ' Doctor 
 Syntax.' Two Volutnes. 
 This book contains 76 Coloured Plates. 
 
 The Dance of Li fe : A Poem. By the Author 
 of ' Doctor Syntax.' Illustrated with 26 
 Coloured Engravings by T. Rowlandson. 
 
 Life in London : or, the Day and Night 
 Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq., and his 
 Elegant Friend, Corinthian Tom. By 
 Pierce Egan. With 36 Coloured Plates by 
 I. R. and G. Cruikshank. With numerous 
 Designs on Wood. 
 
 Real Life in London : or, the Rambles 
 and Adventures of Bob Tallyho, Esq., and 
 his Cousin, The Hon. Tom Da.shall. By an 
 
 Amateur (Pierce Egan). With 31 Coloured 
 Plates by Aiken and Rowlandson, etc. 
 Two Volumes. 
 
 The Life of an Actor. By Pierce Egan. 
 With 27 Coloured Plates by Theodore Lane, 
 and several Designs on Wood. 
 
 The Vicar of Wakefield. By Oliver Gold- 
 smith. With 24 Coloured Plates by T. Row. 
 landson. 
 
 The Military Adventures of Johnny 
 Newcome. By an Officer. With 15 Coloured 
 Plates by 'T. Rowlandson. 
 
 The National Sports of Great Britain. 
 With Descriptions and 51 Coloured Plates 
 by Henry Aiken. 
 
 This book is completely different from the 
 large folio edition of 'National Sports' by 
 the same artist, and none of the plates are 
 similar. 
 
 The Adventures of a Post Captain. By 
 A Naval Officer. With 24 Coloured Plates 
 by Mr. Williams. 
 
 Gamonia : or, the Art of Preserving Game ; 
 and an Improved Method of making Planta- 
 tions and Covers, explained and illustrated 
 by Lawrence Rawstorne, Esq. With 15 
 Coloured Plates by T. Rawlins. 
 
 An Academy for Grown Horsemen : Ceo- 
 taining the completes! Instructions for 
 Walking, Trotting, Cantering, Galloping, 
 Stumbling, and Tumbling. Illustrated with 
 27 Coloured Plates, and adorned with a 
 Portrait of the Author. By Geoffrey 
 Gambado, Esq. 
 
 Real Life in Ireland, or, the Day and 
 Night Scenes of Brian Boru, Esq., and his 
 Elegant Friend, Sir Shawn O'Dogherty. 
 By a Real Paddy. With 19 Coloured Plates 
 by Heath, Marks, etc. 
 
 The Adventures of Johnny Newcomk in 
 the Navy. By Alfred Burton. With 16 
 Coloured Plates by T. Rowlandson. 
 
 The Old English Squire : A Poem. By 
 John Careless, Esq. With 20 Coloured 
 Plates after the style of T. Rowlandson. 
 
 ♦The English Spy. By Bernard Black- 
 mantle. With 72 Coloured Plates by R. 
 Cruikshank, and many Illustrations on 
 wood. Two Volumes. 
 
 PLAIN BOOKS 
 
 The Grave : A Poem. By Robert Blair. 
 Illustrated by 12 Etchings executed by Louis 
 Schiavonetti from the original Inventions of 
 William Blake. With an Engraved Title Page 
 and a Portrait of Blake by T. Phillips, R.A. 
 The illustrations are reproduced in photo- 
 gravure. 
 
 Illustrations of the Book of Job. In. 
 vented and engraved by William Blake. 
 
 These famous Illustrations — 21 in number 
 — are reproduced in photogravure. 
 
 iEsop's Fables. 
 Thomas Bewick. 
 
 With 380 Woodcuts by 
 [Conl^Aticd
 
 26 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Illustrated Pocket Library op Plain and 
 Windsor Casti.e. ByW. Harrison Ainsworlli. 
 
 With 23 Plates and 87 Woodcuts in the Text 
 
 by George Cruikshaak. 
 The Tower op London. By W. Harrison 
 
 Ainsworth. With 40 Plates and 58 Woodcuts 
 
 in the Text by George Cruikshanit. 
 Frank Fairlegh. By F. E. Smedley. With 
 
 30 Plates by George Cruikshank. 
 Handy Andy. By Samuel Lover. With 24 
 
 Illustrations by the Author. 
 
 Coloured Books — continued. 
 
 The CoMn.EAT Angler. By l/a.ik Walton 
 and Charles Cotton. With 14 Plates and 77 
 Woodcuts in the Text. 
 
 This volume is reproduced from the beauti- 
 ful edition of John Major of 1824. 
 
 The Pickwick Papers. By Charles Dickens. 
 With the 43 Illustrations by Seymour and 
 Phiz, the two Buss Plates, and the 33 Con- 
 temporary Onwhyn Plates. 
 
 Junior Examination Series 
 
 Edited by A. M. M. Stedman, M.A. Fcap. 8vo. is. 
 
 This series is intended to lead up to the School Examination Series, and is intended 
 for the use of teachers and students, to supply mnterial for the former and practice 
 for the latter. The papers are carefully graduated, cover the whole of the subject 
 usually taught, and are intended to form part of the ordinary class work. They 
 may be used vivd voce or as a written examination. 
 
 Junior French Examination Papers. By 
 
 F. Jacob, M.A. 
 
 Junior Latin Examination Papers. By C. 
 
 G. Botting, M.A. Third Edition. 
 Junior English Examination Papers. By 
 
 W. Williamson, B.A. 
 Junior Arithmetic Examination Papers. 
 
 By W. S. Beard. Second Edition. 
 Junior Algebra Examination Papers. By 
 
 S. W. Finn, M.A. 
 
 Junior Greek Examinaticn Papers. By T. 
 
 C. Weatherhead, M.A. 
 
 Junior General Information Examina- 
 tion Papers. By W. S. Beard. 
 
 *A Key to the above. Crown &vo. y. 6d. 
 
 Junior Geography Ex.\mination Papers. 
 By W. G. Baker, M.A. 
 
 Junior German Examination Papers. By 
 A. Voegelin, M.A. 
 
 Junior School-Books 
 
 Edited by O. D. Inskip, LL.D., and W. Williamson, R.A, 
 
 A series of elementary books for pupils in lower forms, simply written 
 by teachers of experience. 
 
 A Class-Book of Dictation Passages. By 
 W. Williamson, B.A. EUz>enth Edition. 
 Cr. 87'<7. \s. td. 
 
 The Gospel According to St. Matthew. 
 Edited by E. Wilton South, M.A. With 
 Three Maps. Cr. Zro. is. td. 
 
 The Gospel Accordinoto St. Mark. Edited 
 by A. E. Ruble, D.D. With Three Maps. 
 Cr. Svo. js. 6d. 
 
 A Junior Enoi.ish Grammar. By W.William- 
 son, B.A. With numerous passa.i»es for i).-\rsin;:; 
 and analysis, and a chapter on Essay Writing. 
 Third Edition. Cr. Bt'O. 2s. 
 
 A Junior Chf.mistry. By E. A.Tyler, B.A., 
 F.C.S. With 78 Illustrations. Second Edi- 
 tion. Cr. 6vo. 21. 6d. 
 
 The Acts of the Apostles. Edited by .\. 
 E. Ruble, D.D. Cr. Bvo. 3S. 
 
 A Junior French Grammar. By I-. A. 
 Sornet and M. J. Acatos. Cr. Sro. 2S. 
 
 Elementary Experimental Science. Phy- 
 sics by W. T. Clough, A.R.C.S. Chemistry 
 by A. E. Dunstan BSc. With 2 Plates and 
 154 Diagrams. 
 2^. 6d. 
 
 A Junior Geometry. 
 With 23' 
 
 Third Edition. Cr. ivo. 
 
 By Noel .S. Lydon. 
 Second Edition. Cr. 
 
 239 Diagrams. 
 
 St'O. 7S. 
 
 •A FuNioK Magnetism AND Electricity. By 
 W. T. Clough. Illustrated. Cr. St'o. 
 as. 6d. 
 
 Elementary Experimental Chemistry, 
 By A. E. Dunstan, B.Sc. With 4 Plates 
 and 109 Diagrams. Cr. Sio. 2s. 
 
 A Junior French Prose Composition. 
 By R. R. N. Baron, M.A. Cr. Svo. 2S. 
 
 •The Gosi'EL Accordin(;toSt. Luke. With 
 an Introduction and Notes by William 
 Williamson, B.A. With Three .Maps. Cr. 
 Sto. VJ-.
 
 General Literature 
 
 2; 
 
 Leaders of Religion 
 
 Edited by H. C. BEECHING, M.A., Canon of Westminster. Wtfh Portraits. 
 
 Cr. 8vo. 2S. net. 
 
 A series of short biographies of the most prominent leaders of religious life 
 and thought of all ages and countries. 
 
 William Laud. By W. H. Hutton, M.A. 
 
 Third Edition. 
 John Knox. ByF.MacCunn. Second Edition. 
 John Howe. By R. F. Horton, D.D. 
 Bishop Ken. By F. A. Clarke, M.A. 
 George Fox, the Quaker. By T. Hodgkin, 
 
 D.C.L. 
 John Donne. By Augustus Jessopp, D.D. 
 Thomas Cranmer. By A. J. Mason, D.D. 
 Bishop Latimer. By R. M. Carlyle and A. 
 
 J. Carlyle, M.A. 
 Bishop Butler. By W. A. Spooner, M.A. 
 
 Cardinal Newman. By R. H. Hutton. 
 John Wesley. By J. H. Overton, M.A. 
 Bishop Wilberforce. By G. W. Daniell, 
 
 M.A. 
 Cardinal Manning. By A. W. Hutton, M.A. 
 Charles Simeon. By H. C. G. Mouie, D. D. 
 John Keble. By Walter Lock, D.D. 
 Thomas Chalmers. By Mrs. Oliphant. 
 Lancelot Andrewes. By R. L. Ottley, 
 
 D. D. Second Edition. 
 Augustine of Canterbury. By E. L. 
 
 Cutts, D.D. 
 
 Little Blue Books, The 
 
 General Editor, E. V. LUCAS. 
 
 Ilhtstrated. Demy i6//io. 2s. 6d. 
 
 A series of books for children. The aim of the editor is to get entertaining or 
 exciting stories about normal children, the moral of which is implied rather than 
 expressed. 
 
 The Castaways of Meadowbank. By 
 
 Thomas Cobb. 
 The Beechnut Book. By Jacob Abbott. 
 
 Edited by E. V. Lucas. 
 The Air Gun. By T. Hilbert. 
 A School Year. By Netta Syrett. 
 The Peeles at the Capital. By Roger 
 
 Ashton. 
 
 6. The Treasure of Princegate Prioky, 
 
 By T. Cobb. 
 
 7. Mrs. Barberry's General Shop. By 
 
 Roger Ashton. 
 3. A Book of Bad Children. By W. T. 
 Webb. 
 
 9. The Lost Ball. By Thomas Cobb. 
 
 Little Books on Art 
 
 Wttk many Illustrations. Demy l6mo. 2s. 6d. net. 
 
 A series of monographs in miniature, containing the complete outline of the 
 subject under treatment and rejecting minute details. These books are produced 
 with the greatest care. Each volume consists of about 200 pages, and contains from 
 30 to 40 illustrations, including a frontispiece in photogravure. 
 
 Greek Art. H. B. Walters. Second Edition. 
 
 Bookplates. E.Almack. 
 
 Reynolds. J. Sime, Second Edition. 
 
 Romney. George Fasten. 
 
 Watts. R. E. D. Sketchley. 
 
 Leighton. Alice Corkran. 
 
 Velasquez. Wilfrid Wilberforce and A. R. 
 
 Gilbert. 
 Greuze and Boucher. Eliza F. PoUarJ. 
 Vandyck. M. G. Small wood. 
 Turner. Frances Tyrell-Gill. 
 DOrer. Jessie Allen. 
 HopPNBR. H. p. K. Skipton. 
 
 Holbein. Mrs. G. Fortescue. 
 Burne-Jones. Fortunie de Lisle. Steond 
 
 Edition. 
 Rembrandt. Mrs. E. A. Sharp 
 CoROT. Alice Pollard and Ethel Birnstingl. 
 Raphael. A. R. Dryhurst. 
 Millet. Netta Peacock. 
 Illuminated MSS. J. W. Bradley. 
 •Christ in Art. Mrs. Henry Jenner. 
 Jewellery. Cyril Davenport. 
 Claude. Edward Dillon. 
 *The Arts of Japan. Edward Dillon.
 
 28 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Little Galleries, The 
 
 Demy i6mo. 2s. 6d. net. 
 
 A serie* of little books containing examples of the best work of the great painters. 
 Each volume contains 20 plates in photogravure, together with a short outline of the 
 life and work of the master to whom the book is devoted. 
 
 A Little Gallery op Reynolds. 
 A Little Gallery of Romnev. 
 A Little Gallekv of Hoppnek. 
 
 A Little Gallery of Millais. 
 
 A Little Gallery ok English Ports. 
 
 Little Guides, The 
 
 Small Pott ^vo, clath^ 2s. bit net.; leather, 31. 60'. net. 
 
 Oxford and its Colleges. By J. Well.s, 
 
 M.A. Illustrated by E. H. New. Sixth 
 
 Edition. 
 Cambriogr and its Colleges. By A. 
 
 Hamilton Thompson. Second Edition. 
 
 Illustrated by p;. H. New. 
 The Malvern Country. By B. C. A. 
 
 Windle, D.Sc, F.R.S. Illustrated by E. 
 
 H. New. 
 Shakespeare's Country. By B. C. A. 
 
 Windle, D.Sc, F.R.S. Illustrated by E. 
 
 H. New. Second Edition. 
 Sussex. By F. G. Brabant, M.A. Illustrated 
 
 by E. H. New. 
 West.minster Abbey. By G. E. Troutbeck. 
 
 Illustrated by F. D. Bedford. 
 Norfolk. By W. A. Dutt. Illustrated by 
 
 B. C. Boulter. 
 Cornwall. By A. L. Salmon. Illustrated 
 
 by B. C Boulter. 
 Brittany. By S. Baring-Gould. Illustr.-tted 
 
 by J. Wylie. 
 Hertfordshire. By H. W. Tompkins, 
 
 F.R.H.S. Illustrated by E. H. New. 
 The English Lakes. By F. G. Brabant, 
 
 M.A. Illustrated by E. H. New. 
 Kent. By G. Clinch. Illustrated by F. D. 
 
 Bedford. 
 
 Illustrated by B. 
 Illus- 
 
 Rome By C. G. Ellaby. 
 
 C. Boulter. 
 The Isle or Wight. By G. Clinch. 
 
 trated by F. D. Bedford. 
 Surrey. By P'. A. H. Lambert. Illustrated 
 
 by E. H. New. 
 Buckinghamshire. By E. S. Roscoe. Illus- 
 trated by F. D. Bedford. 
 Suffolk. ByW. A. Dutt. Illustrated by J. 
 
 Wylie. 
 Derbyshire. By J. C. Cox, LL.D., F.S.A. 
 
 Illustrated by J. C. Wall. 
 The North Riding OF Yorkshire. By J. E. 
 
 Morris. (. Illustrated by R. J. S. Bertram. 
 Hampshire. By J. C. Cox. 
 
 M. E. Purser. 
 Sicily. By F. H. Jackson. 
 
 Illustrations by the Author. 
 Dorset. By Frank R. Heath. 
 Cheshire. By W. M. Gallichan. Illustrated 
 
 by Elizabeth Hartley. 
 'Northamptonshike. By Wakeling Dry. 
 
 Illustrated. 
 •The East Riding of Yorkshire. By J. E. 
 
 Morris. Illustrated. 
 •Oxfordshire. By F. G. Brabant. Illus- 
 trated by E. H. New. 
 •St. Paul's Cathedral. By George Clinch. 
 
 Illustrated by Beatrice Alcock. 
 
 Illustrated by 
 With many 
 Illustrated. 
 
 Little Library, The 
 
 With Introductions, Notes, and Photogravure Frontispieces. 
 Small Pott %vo. Each Volume, cloth, \s. bd. net ; leather, 2s. 6d. rut. 
 
 A series of small books under the above title, containing some of the famous works 
 in English and oiher literatures, in the domains of fiction, poetry, and belles lettres. 
 The series also contains volumes of selections in prose and verse. The books are 
 edited with the most scholarly care. Each one contains an introduction which 
 gives (i) a short biography of the author ; (2) a critical estimate of the book. Where 
 they are necessary, short notes are added at the foot of the page. 
 
 Each volume has a photogravure frontispiece, and the books are produced with 
 great care. 
 
 Anon. ENGLISH LYRICS, A LITTLE 
 BOOK OF. 
 
 Austen (Jane). PRIDE AND PREJU- 
 DICE. Edited by v.. V. Lucas. Two 
 i' flumes. 
 
 NORTHANGER ABBEY. Edited by E. V. 
 
 Lucas. 
 Bacon (Francis). THE ESSAYS OF 
 
 LORD BACON. Edited by Edwaro 
 
 WklojiT.
 
 General Literature 
 
 29 
 
 Barhatn (R. H.). THE INGOLDSBY 
 
 LEGENDS. Edited by J. B. Atlay. 
 
 Two Velutnes. 
 Barnett (Mrs. P. A.). A LITTLE BOOK 
 
 OF ENGLISH PROSE. 
 Beckford (William). THE HISTORY 
 
 OF THE CALIPH VATHEK. Edited 
 
 by E. Denison Ross. 
 
 Blake (William). SELECTIONS FROM 
 WILLIAM BLAKE Edited by M. 
 Perugini. 
 
 Borrow (Georgre). LAVENGRO. Edited 
 by F. HiNDES Groome. Two Volumes. 
 
 THE ROMANY RYE. Edited by John- 
 Sampson. 
 
 Browning (Robert). SELECTIONS 
 FROM THE EARLY POEMS OF 
 ROBERT BROWNING. Edited by W. 
 Hall Griffin, M.A. 
 
 Canning (George). SELECTIONS FROM 
 THE ANTI-JACOBIN: with George 
 Canning's additional Poems. Edited by 
 Lloyd Sanders. 
 
 Cowley (Abraham). THE ESSAYS OF 
 ABRAHAM COWLEY. Edited by H. C. 
 Minchin. 
 
 Crabbe (George). SELECTIONS FROM 
 
 GEORGE CRABBE. Edited by A. C. 
 
 Deane. 
 Cralk (Mrs.). JOHN HALIFAX, 
 
 GENTLEMAN. Edited by Anne 
 
 Matheson. Two Volumes. 
 Crashaw (Richard). THE ENGLISH 
 
 POEMS OF RICHARD CRASHAW. 
 
 Edited bj' Edward Hutton. 
 Dante (Alighieri). THE INFERNO OF 
 
 DANTE. Translated by H. F. Carv. 
 
 Edited by Paget Toynbee, M.A., D.Litt. 
 THE PURGATORIO OF DANTE. Trans- 
 lated by H. F. Cary. Edited by Paget 
 
 Toynbee, M.A., D.Litt. 
 THE PARADISO OF DANTE. Trans- 
 lated by H. F. Cary. Edited by Paget 
 
 Toynbee, M.A., D.Litt. 
 Darley (George). SELECTIONS FROM 
 
 THE POEMS OF GEORGE DARLEY. 
 
 Edited by R. A. Streatfeild. 
 Deane (A. C). A LITTLE BOOK OF 
 
 LIGHT VERSE. 
 Dickens (Charles). CHRISTMAS BOOKS. 
 
 Two Volumes. 
 Ferrier (Susan). MARRIAGE. Edited 
 
 by A. Goodrich - Freer and Lord 
 
 Iddesleigh. Two Volumes. 
 THE INHERITANCE. Two Volumes. 
 GaskelKMrs.). CRANFORD. Edited by 
 
 E. V. Lucas. Second Edition. 
 Hawthorne (Nathaniel). THE SCARLET 
 
 LETTER. Edited by Percy Dearmer. 
 Henderson (T. F.). A LITTLE BOOK 
 
 OF SCOTTISH VERSE. 
 
 Keats (John). POEMS. With an Intro- 
 duction by L. BiNYON, and Notes by J. 
 
 Masefiei.d. 
 Kinglake (A. W.). EOTHEN. With an 
 
 Introduction and Notes. Second Edition. 
 Lamb (Charles). ELIA, AND THE 
 
 LAST ESSAYS OF ELIA. Edited by 
 
 E. V. Lucas. 
 Locker (P.). LONDON LYRICS. Edited 
 
 by A. D. Godley, M.A. A reprint of the 
 
 First Edition. 
 Longfellow (H. W.). SELECTIONS 
 
 FROM LONGFELLOW. Edited by 
 
 L. M. Faithfull. 
 Marvell (Andrew). THE POEMS OF 
 
 ANDREW MARVELL. Edited by E. 
 
 Wright. 
 Milton (John). THE MINOR POEMS 
 
 OF JOHN MILTON. Edited by H. C. 
 
 Bebching, M.A., Canon of Westminster. 
 Moir(D. M.). MANSIEWAUCH. Edited 
 
 by T. F. Henderson. 
 Nichols (J. B. B.). A LITTLE BOOK OF 
 
 ENGLISH SONNETS. 
 Rochefoucauld (La). THE MAXIMS OF 
 
 LA ROCHEFOUCAULD. Translated 
 
 by Dean Stanhope. Edited by G. H. 
 
 Powell. 
 Smith (Horace and James). REJECTED 
 
 ADDRESSES. Edited by A. D. Godley, 
 
 M.A. 
 Sterne (Laurence). A SENTIMENTAL 
 
 JOURNEY. Edited by H. W. Paul. 
 Tennyson (Alfred, Lord). THE EARLY 
 
 POEMS OF ALFRED, LORD TENNY- 
 SON. Edited by J. Churton Collins, 
 
 M.A. 
 IN MEMORIAM. Edited by H. C. 
 
 Bebching, M.A. 
 THE PRINCESS. Edited by Elizabeth 
 
 Wordsworth. 
 MAUD. Edited by Elizabeth Wordsworth. 
 Thackeray (W. M.). VANITY FAIR. 
 
 Edited by S. Gwynn. Three Volumes. 
 P E N D E N N I S. Edited by S. Gwynn. 
 
 Three I'olumes. 
 ESMOND. Edited by S. Gwynn. 
 CHRISTMAS BOOKS. EditedbvS.GwTNN. 
 Vaughan (Henry). THE POEMS OF 
 
 HENRY VAUGHAN. Edited by Edward 
 
 Hutton. 
 Walton (Izaak). THE COMPLEAT 
 
 ANGLER. Edited by J. Buchan. 
 Waterhouse (Mrs. Alfred). A LITTLE 
 
 BOOK OF LIFE AND DEATH. Edited 
 
 by. Eighth Edition. 
 Wordsworth (W.). SELECTIONS FROM 
 
 WORDSWORTH. Edited by Nowell 
 
 C. Smith. 
 Wordsworth (W.) and Coleridge (S. T.). 
 
 LYRICAL BALLADS. Edited by George 
 
 Sampson.
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Miniature Library 
 
 Reprints in miniature of a few interesting books which have qualities of 
 humanity, devotion, or literary genius. 
 
 EurnRANOK : A Dialogue on Youth. By 
 Edward FitzGerald. From the edition pub- 
 lished by W. Pickering in 1851. Demy 
 ■^ztno. Leather, is. net. 
 
 PoLONMUs: or Wibc Saws and Modern In- 
 stances. By Edward Kit/Gerald. From 
 the edition publibhed by W. Pickering in 
 1852. Denty ^imo. Leather, is. net. 
 
 Tub RubAivXt of Omar KhavvAjvi. _ By 
 Edward FitzGerald. From the ist edition 
 ofiS59, Third Edition. Leather, is. mt. 
 
 The Life or Edward, Lord_ Herbert or 
 Cherhukv. Written by himself. From 
 the edition printed at Strawberry Hill in 
 the year 1764. Medium ■^imo. Leather, 
 IS. net. 
 
 Thk Visions of Dom Francisco Queveoo 
 ViLLEGAS, Knight of the Order of Si. 
 James. Made English by R. L. From the 
 edition printed for H. Herrlngman, 1668. 
 Leather, is. net. 
 
 Poems. By Dora Greenwell. From the edi- 
 tion of 1848. Leather, is. net. 
 
 Oxford Biographies 
 
 Fcap. Svo. Each volume, cloth, 2s. dd. net ; leather, 35. bd. net. 
 
 These books are written by scholars of repute, who combine knowledge and 
 literary skill with the power of popular presentation. They are illustrated from 
 authentic material. 
 
 Dante Alighieri. By Paget Toynbee, M.A., I 
 
 D.Litt. With 12 Illustrations. Second' 
 
 Edition. 
 Savonarola. By E. L. S. Horsburgh, M.A. I 
 
 With 12 Illustrations. .Second Edition. 1 
 
 John Howard. By E. C. S. Gibson, D.D., I 
 
 Bishop of Gloucester. With 12 Illustrations. I 
 Tennyson. By A. C. Benson, M.A. With 
 
 g Illustrations. 
 Walter Raleigh. 
 
 12 Illustrations. 
 Erasmus. By E. 
 
 Illustrations. 
 The Young Pretendei;. By C. S. Terry. 
 
 With 12 Illustrations. 
 
 By I. A. Taylor. With 
 F. H. Capey. With 12 
 
 Robert Burns. By T. F. Henderson. 
 
 With 12 Illustrations. 
 Chatham. By A. S. M'Dowall. With 12 
 
 Illustrations. 
 St. Francis of Assisi. By Anna M. Stod- 
 
 dart. With 16 Illustrations. 
 Canning. By W. Alison Phillips. With la 
 
 Illustrations. 
 Beaconsfield. By Waller Sichel. With 12 
 
 Illustrations. 
 Goethe. By H. G. .\lkins. With 12 Illus- 
 trations. 
 *Fenelon. By Viscount St. Cyres. With 
 
 12 Illustrations. 
 
 School Examination Series 
 
 Edited by A. .M. M. STEDMAN. M.A. Cr. Zvo. 2S. 6d. 
 
 French Examination Papers. By .\. M. 
 M. Sledman, M.A. Thirteenth Edition. 
 .\ Key, issued to Tutors and Private 
 Students only to be had on application 
 to the Publishers. Ei/th Edition. 
 Crown Rt'o. 6s. net. 
 Latin Examination Papers. By A. M. M. 
 Stedman, M.A. Thirteenth Edition. 
 Key (Eourth Edition) issued as above. 
 6s. net. 
 Grrbk Examination Papers. By A. M. M. 
 Stedman, M.A. Ei/^hlh Edition, 
 
 Kby {Third Edition) issued as above. 
 (tt. mt. 
 Gkrmam Etamtmatton Papers. By R. F. 
 Morieh. Sixth Editien. 
 
 Key {Third Edition) issued as above. 
 6s. net. 
 
 History and Geography Examination 
 Papers. By C. H. Spence, M..\. .Second 
 Edition. 
 
 Physics Examination Papers. By R. E. 
 Steel, M.A., F.CS. 
 
 General KNowLEt>CE Examination 
 Papers. By A. M. M. Stedman, M.A. 
 Fifth Edition. 
 
 Key {Third Edition) issued as above. 
 TS. net. 
 
 Examination Paprrs in English History. 
 By J. Tail Plowden-Wardlaw, B.A.
 
 General Literature 
 
 31 
 
 Social Questions of To-day 
 
 Edited by H. DE B. GIBBINS, Litt.D., M.A. Crown Svo. 2s. Sd. 
 A series of volumes upon those topics of social, economic, and industrial interest 
 that are foremost in the public mind. 
 
 Trade Unionism — New and Old. By G. 
 
 Howell. Third Edition. 
 The Commerce of Nations. By C. F. 
 
 Bastable, M.A. Third Edition. 
 The Alien Invasion. By W. H. Wilkins,B. A. 
 The Rural Exodus. Bv P. Anderson 
 
 Graham. 
 Land Nationalization. By Harold Cox, 
 
 B.A. Second Edition, 
 A Shorter Working Day, By H. de B. 
 
 Gibbins and R. A. Hadfield. 
 Back to the Land. An Inquiry into Rural 
 
 Depopulation. By H. E. Moore. 
 Trusts, Pools, and Corners. By J. Stephen 
 
 Jeans. 
 
 By R. W. Cooke 
 
 i The Factory System. 
 
 I Taylor. 
 
 i Women's Work. By Lady Dilke, Miss 
 
 I Bulley, and Miss Whitley. 
 
 I Socialism and Modern Thought. By M. 
 
 Kauffmann. 
 The Problem of the Unemployed. By J. 
 A. Hobson, M.A. 
 { Life in West London By Arthur Sherwell, 
 ' M.A. Third Editiotu 
 
 Railway Nationalization. By Clement 
 Edwards. 
 
 University and Social Settlements. 
 W. Reason. M.A. 
 
 By 
 
 Textbooks of Science. 
 
 Practical Mechanics. By Sidney H. Wells. 
 
 Third Edition. Cr. Svo. js. 6d. 
 Practical Physics. By H. Stroud, D.Sc, 
 
 M.A. Cr. Svo. 3^. 6d. 
 Practical Chemistry. Part i. By W. 
 
 French, M.A. Cr.8z'0. Third Ediiiott. is.6d. 
 Practical Chemistry. Part 11. By W. 
 
 French, M.A., and T. H. Boardman, M.A. 
 
 Cr. Svo. js. 6d. 
 
 Examples in Physics. By C. E. Jackson, 
 B.A., Science Master at Bradford Grammar 
 School. Cr. Svo. zs. 6d. 
 
 Elementary Organic Chemistry, By A. E. 
 Dunstan, B.Sc, Head of Chemical Depart- 
 ment, Easi Ham Technical College. Illus- 
 trated. Cr. Svo. 2S. 6d. 
 
 Technology, Textbooks of 
 
 Edited by G. F. GOODCHILD. B.A., B.Sc., and G. R. MILLS, M.A. 
 
 Fully Illustrated. 
 
 How TO Make a Dress. By J. A. E. Wood. 
 
 Third Edition. Cr Svo. \s. 6d. 
 Carpentry and Joinery. By F. C. Webber. 
 
 Fourth Edition. Cr. Svo. 3J. (>d. 
 Millinery, Theoretical and Practical. 
 
 By Clare Hill. Second Edition. Cr.Svo. 21. 
 Xechnical Arithmetic and Geometry. 
 
 By C. T. Minis, M.I.M.E. Cr. Svo. 
 
 3J. 6d. 
 
 An Introduction to the Study of Tex- 
 tile Design. By Aldred F. Barker. Demy 
 Svo. js. 6d. 
 
 Builders' Quantities. By H. C. Grubb. 
 Cr. Svo. 4s. 6d. 
 
 R6pouss6 Metal Work. By A. C. Horth. 
 Cr. Svo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Theology, Handbooks of 
 
 Edited by R. L. Ottley, D.D., Professor ot Pastoral Theology at Oxford, 
 and Canon of Christ Church, O.xford. 
 The series is intended, in part, to furnish the clergy and teachers or students of 
 Theology with trustworthy Textbooks, adequately representing the present position 
 of the questions dealt with ; in part, to make accessible to the reading public an 
 accurate and concise statement of facts and principles in all questions bearing on 
 Theology and Religion. 
 
 The XXXIX. Articles of the Church of 
 England. Edited by E. C. S. Gibson, 
 D.D. Third and Cheaper Edition in one 
 Volume. Demy Svo. zzs. 6d. 
 
 An Introduction to the History of 
 Religion. By F. B. Jevons. M.A., 
 Litt.D. Third Edition. Demy Svo. 10s. 6d. 
 
 The Doctrine of the Incarnation. By R. 
 L. Ottley, D.D. Second and Cheaper 
 Edition. Demy Svo. t2s. 6d. 
 
 An Introduction to the History op the 
 Creeds. By A. E. Burn, B.D. Demy 
 Svo. 10s. 6d. 
 
 The Philosophy of Religion in England 
 and America. By Alfred Caldecott, D.D. 
 Demy Svo. 10s. 6d. 
 
 A History of Early Christian Doctrine. 
 By J. V. Bethune Baker, M.A. Demy Svo. 
 
 10s. 6J.
 
 32 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Westminster Commentaries, The 
 
 General Editor. WALTER LOCK. D.U.. Warden of Keble College, 
 Dean Ireland's Professor of Exegesis in the University of Oxford. 
 The object of each commentary is primarily excgetical, to interpret the author's 
 meaning to the present generation. The editors will not deal, except very subor- 
 dinately, with questions of textual criticism or philology; but, taking the English 
 text in the Revised Version as their basis, they will try to combine a hearty accept- 
 ance of critical principles with loyalty to the Catholic Kaith. 
 
 The Book: oi' Genesis. ?:dite(l with Intro- The First Epistle or Paul the Apostle 
 
 duction and Notes by S. R. Driver, D. D. 
 
 Fourth Edition DeviyZvo. \as. (>d. 
 The Book of Jou. Edited by E. C. .S. Gibson, 
 
 D. D. Second Edition. Demy 8vo. 6s. 
 Thk Acts of the Apostles. Edited by R. 
 
 B. Rackhain, M.A. Demy Svo. Second and 
 
 Cheaper Edition, los. 6d. 
 
 to the Corinthians. Edited by H. L. 
 Goudge, M.A. Demy %vo. 6j. 
 
 The Epistle of St. James. Edited with In- 
 troduction and Notes by R. J. Knowling, 
 M.A. Demy%vo. 6s. 
 
 Part II. — Fiction 
 
 Albanesl (E. Maria). SUSANNAH AND 
 
 ONE OTHER. Fourth Edition. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 THE BLUNDER OF AN INNOCENT. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. 3<'0. 6s. 
 CAPRICIOUS CAROLINE. Second Edi- 
 tion. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 LOVE AND LOUISA. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 PETER, A PARASITE. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE BROWN EVES OF MARV. Third 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Anstey (P.). Author of 'Vice Vers."i.' A 
 
 BAYARD FROM BENGAl,. Illustrated 
 
 by Bkknard Partridge. Third Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. js. 6d. , 
 
 Bacheller (Irving), Authorof'EbenHolden. 
 
 DARREL OF THE BLESSED ISLES. 
 
 Third Edition. Cr. 8w. 6^. 
 Bajrot (Richard). A ROMAN MYSTERY. 
 
 Third Edition. Cr. S-'O. 6s. 
 THP: PASSPORT. Fourth Ed. Cr.Svo.6s. 
 Barlnfj-Qould (S.). ARMINELL. Fi/th 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 URITH. Fifth Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA. Seventh 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 CHEAP JACK ZITA. Fo>trth Edition. 
 
 MARGERY^" OF QUETHER. Third 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE QUEEN OF LOVE. Fi/th Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 J \CQUETTA. Third Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 KITTY ALONE. Fifth Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 N0£MI. Illustrated. Fourth Edition. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 THE BROOM-SQUIRE. Illtistraled. 
 
 Fifth Editi*n. Cr. Svo, 6s. 
 
 DARTMOOR IDYLLS. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 THE PENNYCOMEQUICKS. Third 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 GUAVAS THE TINNER. Illustrated. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 BLADYS. Illustrated. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. S7>o. 6s. 
 PABO THE PRIEST. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 WINEFRED. Illustrated. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 ROYAL GEORGIE. Illustr.ited. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 MISS QUILLET. Illustrated. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 CHRIS OF ALL SORTS. Cr. Sr-o. 6s. 
 IN DEWISLAND. Second Edition. Cr. 
 
 LITTLE TU'PENNY. A New Edition. 6d. 
 See also Strand Novels and Books for 
 
 Boys and Girls. 
 Barlow (Jane). THE LAND OF THK 
 
 SHAMROCK. Cr. Svo. 6s. See also 
 
 Strand Novels. 
 Barr (Robert). IN THE MIDST OF 
 
 ALARMS. Third Edition. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 THE MUTABLE MANY. Third Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE COUNTESS TEKLA. ThirdEdiiion. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE LADY ELECTRA. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE TEMPESTUOUS PP;TTIC0AT. 
 
 Ilkistrated. Third Edition. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 See also Strand Novels and S. Crane. 
 Beirble (Harold). THE ADVENTURES 
 
 OFSIR JOHN SPARROW. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 
 Betloc(HIIalre). EMMANUEL BURDEN, 
 MERCHANT. With 36 Illustrations by 
 G. K. Chesterton. Second EdiiioM. 
 Cr. ivo. 6s.
 
 Fiction 
 
 33 
 
 Benson (E. F.) DODO. Fourth Edition. 
 
 Cr. Zz'O. 6j. See also Strand Novels. 
 Benson (Margaret). SUBJECT TO 
 
 VANITY. Cr. ?,vo. y. 6d. 
 Bourne (Harold C). See V. Langbridge. 
 Burton (J. Bloundelle). THE YEAR 
 
 ONE: A Page of the French Revolution. 
 
 Illustrated. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 THE FATE OF VALSEC. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 A BRANDED NAME. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 Capes (Bernard), Author of 'The Lake of 
 
 Wine.' THE EXTRAORDINARY CON- 
 
 FESSIONSOFDIANAPLEASE. Third 
 
 Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 A JAY OF ITALY. Fourth Ed. Cr.Zvo. 6s. 
 *LOAVES AND FISHES. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Chesney (Weatherby). THE TRAGEDY 
 
 OF THE GREAT EMERALD. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 THE MYSTERY OF A BUNGALOW. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. 3vo. 6s. 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 Clifford (Hugh). A FREE LANCE OF 
 
 TO-DAY. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Clifford (Mrs. W. K.). See Strand Novels 
 
 and Books for Boys and Girls. 
 Cobb (Thomas). A CHANGE OF FACE. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 CorelH (Marie). A ROMANCE OF TWO 
 
 WORLDS. Twenty-Sixth Edition. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 VENDETTA. Twenty-Second Edition. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 THELMA. Thirty.Third Edition. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 ARDATH : THE STORY OF A DEAD 
 
 SELF. Sixteenth Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE SOUL OF LILITH. Thirteenth Edi- 
 6s. 
 Fourteenth Edition. Cr, 
 
 DREAM OF THE 
 Fortieth Edi- 
 
 Fiftieth 
 
 \6ith 
 
 tion. Cr. Szio. 
 WORMWOOD. 
 
 Svo, 6s. 
 BARABBAS: 
 
 WORLDS TRAGEDY, 
 
 tion. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE SORROWS OF SATAN. 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE MASTER CHRISTIAN 
 
 Thousand. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 TEMPORAL POWER: A STUDY IN 
 
 SUPREMACY. 130th Thousand. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 GOD'S GOOD MAN: A SIMPLE LOVE 
 
 STORY. J 34th Thousand. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE MIGHTY ATOM. A New Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 BOY. A New Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 JANE. A New Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Crockett (S. R.), Author of ' The Raiders,' 
 
 etc. LOCHINVAR. Illustrated. Third 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE STANDARD BEARER. Cr. Svo. 6s, 
 Croker (B. M.). THE OLD CANTON- 
 MENT. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 JOHANNA. Second Edition. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 
 THE HAPPY VALLEY. Third Ediiien. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 A NINE DAYS' WONDER. Third 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 PEGGY OF THE BARTONS. Sixth 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 ANGEL. Fourth Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s, 
 A STATE SECRET. Third Edition. Cr, 
 
 Svo. 3S. 6d. 
 Dawson (Francis W.). THE SCAR. Cr. 
 
 Dawson ^"(A. J). DANIEL WHYTE. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 3s. 6d. 
 Doyle (A. Conan), Author of 'Sherlock 
 
 Holmes,' 'The White Company,' etc. 
 
 ROUND THE RED LAMP. Ninth 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Duncan (Sara Jeannette) (Mrs. Everard 
 
 Cotes). THOSE DELIGHTFUL 
 
 AMERICANS. Illustrated. Third Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. See also Strand Novels. 
 FindIater(J. H.). THE GREEN GRAVES 
 
 OF BALGOWRIE. Fiyth Edition, 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 Findlater (Mary). A NARROW WAY. 
 
 Third Edition. Cr. Svo.. 6s. 
 THE ROSE OF JOY. Third Edition. 
 
 Cr, Svo. 6s. 
 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 Fitzpatrick (K.) THE WEANS AT 
 
 ROWALLAN. Illustrated. Second Edi- 
 tion. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Fitzstephen (Gerald). MORE KIN 
 
 TH.\N KIND. Cr, Svo. 6s. 
 Fletcher (J. S.). LUCIAN THE 
 
 DREAMER. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Fraser (Mrs. Hugh), Author of- The Stolen 
 
 Emperor.' THE SLAKING OF THE 
 
 SWORD. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 ''THE SHADOW OF THE LORD. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 *Fuller-Maitland (Mrs.), Author of ' The 
 
 DayBookofBethiaHardacre.' BLANCHE 
 
 ESMEAD. Cr. Svo. 6s, 
 Gerard (Dorothea), Author of ' Lady Baby. 
 
 THE CONQUEST OF LONDON. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 HOLY MATRIMONY. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 MADE OF MONEY. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE BRIDGE OF LIFE. Cr. Svo, 6s. 
 THE IMPROBABLE IDYL. Tiiird 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s, 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 Gerard (Emily). THE HERONS' 
 
 TOWER. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Gissing (George), Author of 'Demos,' 'In 
 
 the Year of Jubilee,' etc. THE TOWN 
 
 TRAVELLER. Second Ed. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE CROWN OF LIFE. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Gleig (Charles). BUNTERS CRUISE. 
 
 Illustrated. Cr. Svo. 3s. 6d. 
 Harraden (Beatrice). IN VARYING 
 
 MOODS. A New Edition. Cr. Svo, 6s.
 
 34 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 •THE SCHOLARS DAUGHTER. Cr. 
 
 8r'0. 6/. 
 Harrod (F.) (Frances Forbes Robertson). 
 THE TAMING OK THK BRUTE. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. (n. 
 Herbertson (A^nes 0.). PATIENCE 
 
 DEAN. Cr. Zvo. (,s. 
 HIchens (Robert), THK PROPHET OF 
 
 BERKELEY SQUARE. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 TONGUES OP' CONSCIENCE. Second 
 
 Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 FELIX. Fi/t/i Edition. Cr. 8vo. 6s. 
 THE WOMAN WITH THE FAN. Sixth 
 
 Edition. Cr. Sr'o. 6s. 
 BYEWAYS. Cr. 8ro. v. 6d. 
 THE GARDEN OF ALLAH. Twelfth 
 
 Edition. Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 THE BLACK SPANIEL. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 Hobbes (John Oliver), Author of ' Robert 
 
 Orange.' THE SERIOUS WOOING. 
 
 Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 Hope (Anthony). THE GOD IN THE 
 
 CAR. Tenth Edition. Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 A CHANGE OF AIR. Sixth Edition. 
 
 Cr. Zv0. 6s. 
 A MAN OF MARK. Fifth Edition. Cr. 
 
 8vo. 6s. 
 THE CHRONICLES OF COUNT AN- 
 TONIO. Sixth Edition. Cr.Zvo. 6s. 
 PHROSO. Illustrated by H. R. Millar. 
 
 Sixth Edition, Cr. 8vo. 6s. 
 SIMON DALE. Illustrated. SixthEdition. 
 
 Cr. 8po. 6s. 
 THE KING'S MIRROR. Fourth Edition. 
 
 Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 QUISANTE. Fourth Edition. Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 THE DOLLY DIALOGUES. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 A SERVANT OF THE PUBLIC. Illus- 
 trated. Fourth Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 Hope (Qraham), Author of ' .A C.irdinal and 
 
 his Conscience,' etc., etc. THE LAI)\' 
 
 OF LYTK. Second Ed. Cr.l-no. 6s. 
 Houjrh (Emerson). THE MISSISSIPPI 
 
 HUBBLE. Illustrated. Cr.%vo. 6s. 
 Housman (Clemence). THE LIFE OF 
 
 SIRACiLOVALEDEGALIS. Cr.tvo. 6s. 
 Hyne (C. J. CutclHfe), Author of 'Captain 
 
 Kettle.' MR. HORROCKS, PURSER. 
 
 Third Edition. Cr. 8vo. 6s. 
 Jacobs (W. W.). MANY CARGOES. 
 
 Twenty-Eif^hth Edition. Cr. Zto. 3^. 6d. 
 SEA URCHINS. Twelfth Edition. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 3s. 6d. 
 A MASTER OF CRAFT. Illustrated. Sixth 
 
 Edition. Cr. %vo. -^s. 6d. 
 LIGHT FREIGHTS. Illustrated. Fifth 
 
 Edition. Cr. Zvo. 31. 6d. 
 James (Henry). THE SOFT SIDE. Second 
 
 Edition. Cr. %vo. 6s. 
 THE BETTER SORT. Cr. %t>o. 6s. 
 THE AMBASSADORS. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. ivo. 6s. 
 THE GOLDEN BOWL. Third Edition. 
 
 Cr. Bvo. 6s, 
 
 Janson (Qustaf). ABRAHAM'S SACRI- 
 FICE. Cr. 8"o. 6s. 
 Keays (H. A. Mitchell). HE THAT 
 
 EATE'lH BREAD WITH ME. Cr. 
 
 8vo. 6s. 
 Langrbrld^e (V.) and Bourne (C. 
 
 Harold.). THE VALLEY OF IN- 
 
 HERITANCK. Cr. Bvo. 6s. 
 Lawless (Hon, Bmily). WITH ESSEX 
 
 IN IRELAND. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 Lawson (Harry), Author of 'When the 
 
 Billy Boils.' CHILDREN OF THE 
 
 BUbH. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 LeQueux(W.). THE HUNCHBACK OF 
 
 WESTMINSTER. Third Edition. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. 6s. 
 THE CLOSED BOOK. Third Edition. 
 
 Cr. 8vo. 6s. 
 THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 
 
 Illustrated. Third Edition. Cr. &vo. 6s. 
 BEHIND THE THRONE. Third Edition. 
 
 Cr. 8z/o. 6s, 
 Levett-Veats (S.). ORRAIN. Second 
 
 Edition. Cr. 8710. 6s. 
 Long (J. Luther), Co-.Author of 'The 
 
 Darling of the Gods.' MADAME 
 
 BUTTERFLY. Cr. Svo. 3s. 6d. 
 SIXTY JANE. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 Lowis (Cecil). THE MACHINATIONS 
 
 OF THE M70-0K. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Lyall (Edna). DERRICK VAUGHAN, 
 
 NOVELIST. 42«rf Thousand. Cr. Svo. 
 
 3s. 6d. 
 M'Carthy (Justin H.), Author of ' If I were 
 
 Kinc.' THE LADY OF LOYALTY 
 
 HOUSE. Illustrated. Third Edition. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 THE DRYAD. Second Edition. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 Macdonald (Ronald). THE SEA MAID. 
 
 Cr. St^o. 6s. 
 Macnauf^htan (S.). THE FORTUNE OF 
 
 CHRISTINA MACNAB. Third Edition. 
 
 Cr. 87'0. 6s. 
 Malet (Lucas). COLONEL ENDERBYS 
 
 WIFE. Fourth Edition. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 A COUNSEL OF PERFECTION. Nev, 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE WAGES OF SIN. Fourteenth Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE CARISSIMA. Fourth Edition. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 THE GATELESS BARRIER. Fourth Edi- 
 
 tion. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE HISTORY OF SIR RICHARD 
 
 CALMADY. Seventh Edition. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 See also Books for Boys and Girls. 
 Mann (Mrs. M. E.). OLIVIAS SUMMER. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr, Svo. 6s. 
 A LOST ESTATE. A New Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE PARISH OF HILBY. A New Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE PARISH NURSE. Fourth Edition, 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s.
 
 Fiction 
 
 35 
 
 GRAN'MA'S JANE. Cr. Spo. 6^. 
 MRS. PETER HOWARD. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 A WINTER'S TALE. A New Edition. 
 
 Cr. 8r'(7. 6i. 
 ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS. A Neiv 
 
 Edition. Cr. %vo. (>s. 
 ROSE AT HONEYPOT. Second Ed. Cr. 
 
 8v0. 6s. See also Books for Boys and Girls. 
 Marriott (Charles), Author of 'The 
 
 Column.' GENEVRA. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 Marsh (Richard). THE TWICKENHAM 
 
 PEERAGE. Second Edition. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 A DUEL. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 THE MARQUIS OF PUTNEY. Second 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 
 Mason (A. E. W.). Author of 'The Four 
 Feathers,' etc. CLEMENTINA. Illus- 
 trated. Second Edition. Cr. S-'o. 6s. 
 
 Mathers (Helen), Author of ' Comin' thro' 
 the Rye.' HONEY. Fourth Edition. 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 GRIFF OF GRIFFITHSCOURT. Cr. Svo. 
 6s. 
 
 THE FERRYMAN. Secotid Edition. Cr. 
 Svo. 6s. 
 
 Maxwell (W. B.), Author of 'The Ragged 
 Messenger." VIVIEN. Seventh Edition. 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 THE RAGGED MESSENGER. Third 
 
 Edition. Cr. S7'0. 6s. 
 FABULOUS FANCIES. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 Meade (L.T.)- DRIFT. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 RESURGAM. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 VICTORY. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 See also Books for Girls and Boys. 
 Meredith (Ellis). HEART OF MY 
 
 HEART. Cr. 8r<o. 6s. 
 'Miss Molly' (The Author oH. THE 
 
 GRE.^T RECONCILER. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Mitford (Bertram). THE SIGN OF THE 
 
 SPIDER. Illustrated, Sixth Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. js. 6d. 
 IN THE WHIRL OF THE RISING. 
 
 Third Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE RED DERELICT. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 Montresor (F. F.), Author of ' Into the 
 
 Highways and Hedges.' THE ALIEN. 
 
 Third Edition, Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Morrison (Arthur). TALES OF MEAN 
 
 STREETS. Sixth Edition. Cr.Svo. 6s. 
 A CHILD OF THE JAGO. Fourth Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 TO LONDON TOWN. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 CUNNING MURRELL. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE HOLE IN THE WALL. Fourth Edi- 
 
 tion. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 DIVERS VANITIES. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 Nesbit (E.). (Mrs. E. Bland). THE RED 
 HOUSE. Illustrated. Fourth Edition. 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 
 Norris (W. E.). THE CREDIT OF THE 
 COUNTY. Illustrated. Second Edition. 
 
 THE EMBARRASSING ORPHAN. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 NIGEL'S VOCATION. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 BARHAM OF BELTANA. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr, Svo. 6s. 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 Ollivant (Alfred). OWD BOB, THE 
 
 GREY DOG OF KENMUIR. Eighth 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Oppenheim (E. Phillips). MASTER OF 
 
 MEN. Third Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 Oxenham (John), Author of ' Barbe of 
 
 Grand Bayou. ' A WEAVER OF WEBS. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE GATE OF THE DESERT. Fourth 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 Pain (Barry). THREE FANTASIES. 
 
 Cr. Svo. js. 
 LINDLEY KAYS. Third Edition. Cr. 
 
 Svo. 6s. 
 
 Parker (Gilbert). PIERRE AND HIS 
 PEOPLE. Sixth Edition. 
 
 MRS. FALCHION. Fifth Edition. Cr.Svo. 
 6s. 
 
 THE TRANSLATION OF A SAVAGE. 
 Second Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 THE TRAIL OF THE SWORD. Illus- 
 trated. Ninth Edition. Cr. Si'O. 6s. 
 
 WHEN V.A.LMOND CAME TO PONTIAC : 
 The Story of a Lost Napoleon. Fifth 
 Edition. Cr. S-jo. 6s. 
 
 AN ADVENTURER OF THE NORTH : 
 The Last Adventures of 'Pretty Pierre.' 
 Third Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 THE SEATS OF THE MIGHTY. Illus- 
 trated. Fourteenth Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE STRONG: a 
 
 Romance of Two Kingdoms. Illustrated. 
 
 Fi/th Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 THE POMP OF THE L.WILETTES. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. Svo. y. 6d. 
 Pemberton (Max). THE FOOTSTEPS 
 
 OF A THRONE. Illustrated. Third 
 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 I CROWN THEE KING. With Illustra. 
 
 tions by Frank Dadd and A. Forrestier. 
 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 Phillpotts (Eden). LYING PROPHETS. 
 Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 CHILDREN OF THE MIST. Fi/ik Edi- 
 tion. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 THE HUMAN BOY. With a Frontispiece. 
 Fourth Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s. 
 
 SONS OF THE MORNING. Second 
 Edition. Cr. Svo. 6s.
 
 36 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 THE RIVER. Third Edition. Cr.%vo. 6s. 
 THE AMERICAN PRISONER. TMird 
 
 Edition. Cr. &vo. 6s. 
 THE SECRET WOMAN. Fourth Edition. 
 
 Cr. Z--0. 6s. 
 KNOCK AT A VENTURE. With a Frontu- 
 
 piece. Third Edition. Cr. 8vo. 6s, 
 •THE PORTREEVE Cr. Svo. 6t. 
 
 See also Strand Novels. 
 Pickthall (Marmaduke). SAID THE 
 
 FISHERMAN. /-lYth Edition. Cr. Svo. 
 
 6s. 
 BRENDLE. Second Edition. Cr.Zvo. 6s. 
 •Q,' Author of 'Dead Man's Rock." THE 
 
 WHITE WOLF. Second Edition. Cr. 
 
 %vo. 6s. 
 THE MAYOR OF TROY. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 Rhys (Grace). THE WOOING OF 
 
 SHEILA. Second Edition. Cr. %vo. ds. 
 
 THE PRINCE OF LISNOVER. Cr. %vo. 
 6s. 
 
 Rhys (Grace) and Another. THE DI- 
 VERTED VILL.\GE. Illustrated by 
 Dorothy Gwyn Jeffreys. Cr. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Ridge (W. Pett). LOST PROPERTY. 
 Second Edition. Cr. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 "ERB. Second Edition. Cr. Zvo, 6s. 
 
 A SON OF THE STATE. A New Edition. 
 Cr. Zvo. 3^. 6d. 
 
 A BREAKER OF L.\WS. A New Edition. 
 Cr. &VO. 3i. 6d. 
 
 MRS. GALER'S BUSINESS. Illustrated. 
 Second Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 SECRETARY TO BAYNE, M.P. Cr. Zvo. 
 3f . 6d. 
 
 Ritchie (Mrs. David G.). THE TRUTH- 
 FUL LIAR. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Roberts (C. G. D.). THE HEART OF 
 
 THE ANCIENT WOOD. Cr. Zvo. 
 
 is. 6d. 
 Russell (W. Clark). MY DANISH 
 
 SWEETHEART. Illustrated. Fifth 
 
 Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 HIS ISLAND PRINCESS. Illustrated. 
 
 Second Edition. Cr. 6vo. 6s. 
 ABANDONED. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 See also Books for Boys and Girls. 
 Sergeant (Adeline). ANTHEA'S WAY. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 THE PROGRESS OF RACHAEL. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. 6s. 
 THE MYSTERY OF THE MOAT. Second 
 
 Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 MRS. LYGON'S HUSBAND. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 THE COMING OF THE RANDOLPHS. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Sec also Strand Novels. 
 Shannon (W. F.). THE MESS DECK 
 
 Cr. Zvo. y. 6d. 
 
 See also Strand NoveU. 
 
 Sonnlschsen (Albert). DEEP-SEA VAGA- 
 
 BONDS. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 Thompson (Vance). SPINNERS OF 
 
 LIFE. Cr.Zvo. 6s. 
 Urquhart (M.), A TRAGEDY IN COM- 
 
 MONl'LACE. Second Ed. Cr.Zvo. 6s. 
 Waineman (Paul). BY A FINNISH 
 
 LAKE. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 THE SONG OF THE FOREST. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. 6s. See also Strand Novels. 
 Waltz (E.C.). THE ANCIENT LAND- 
 
 M.\RK:.\ Kentucky Romance. Cr.Zvo. 
 
 6s. 
 Wataon (H. B. Marriott). ALARUMS 
 
 AND EXCURSION.S. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 CAPTAIN FORTUNE. Third Edition. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 TWISTED EGLANTINE. With 8 Illus- 
 
 trations by Fra.nk Craig. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 *THK HIGH TOBY. With a Frontispiece. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. See also Strand Novels. 
 Wells (H. G.). THE SEA LADY. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. 6s. 
 Weyman (Stanley), Author of ' A Gentleman 
 
 of France.' UNDER THE RED ROBE. 
 
 With Illustrations by R. C. Woodville. 
 
 Nineteenth Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 White (Stewart E.), Author of ' The Blazed 
 Trail.' CONJUROR'S HOUSE. A 
 Romance of the Free Trail. Second Edition. 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 White (Percy). THE SYSTEM. Third 
 Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 THE PATIENT MAN. Second Edition. 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 
 Williamson (Mrs. C. N.), Author of ' The 
 
 Harnstormers.' THE ADVENTURE 
 
 OF PRINCESS SYLVIA. Cr.Zvo. y.6d. 
 THE WOMAN WHO DARED. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 THE SEA COULD TELL. Second Edition. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 THE CASTLE OF THE SHADOWS. 
 
 Third Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 PAPA. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 *LADY BETTY ACROSS THE WATER. 
 
 Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 Williamson (C. N. and A. M.). THE 
 
 LIGHTNING CONDUCTOR: Being the 
 
 Romance of a Motor Car. Illustrated. 
 
 Thirteenth Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 THE PRINCESS PASSES. Illustrated. 
 
 Sixth Edition. Cr. Zvo. 6s. 
 MY FRIEND THE CHAUFFEUR. With 
 
 i6 Illustrations. Sixth Edition. Cr. 
 
 Zvo. 6s. 
 *WyHarde (Dolf), Author of 'Uriah the 
 
 Hittite.' THE PATHWAY OF THE 
 
 PIONEER. Cr.Zvo. 6s.
 
 Fiction 
 
 37 
 
 The Strand Novels 
 
 Cr. Svo. Cloth, 15. net. 
 
 ENCOURAGED by the great and steady sale of their Sixpenny Novels, Messrs. Methuen hare 
 determined to issue a new series of fiction at a low price under the title of 'The Strand 
 Novels." These books are well printed and well bound in cloth, and the excellence of their 
 quality may be gauged from the names of those authors who contribute the early volumes of 
 the series. 
 
 Messrs. Methuen would point out that the books are as good_ andas long as a six shilling 
 novel, that they are bound in cloth and not in paper, and that their price is One Shilling net. 
 They feel sure that the public will appreciate such good and cheap literature, and the books can 
 be seen at all good booksellers. 
 The first volumes are — 
 
 Balfour (Andrew). VENGEANCE IS 
 
 MINE. 
 TO ARMS. 
 Baring-Gould (S.). MRS. CURGENVEN 
 
 OF CURGENVEN. 
 ♦DOMITIA. 
 *THE FROBISHERS. 
 Barlow (Jane), Author of 'Irish Idylls. 
 
 FROM THE EAST UNTO THE 
 
 WEST 
 A CREEL OF IRISH STORIES. 
 *THE FOUNDING OF FORTUNES. 
 Barr (Robert). THE VICTORS. 
 Bartram (George). THIRTEEN EVEN- 
 
 INGS. 
 Benson (E. F.), Author of 'Dodo.' THE 
 
 CAPSINA. 
 Bowles (G. Stewart). A STRETCH OFF 
 
 THE LAND. 
 Brooke (Emma). THE POET'S CHILD. 
 Bullock (Shan F.). THE BARRYS. 
 THE CHARMER. 
 THE SQUIREEN. 
 THE RED LEAGUERS. 
 Burton (J. Bloundelle). ACROSS THE 
 
 SALT SEAS. 
 THE CLASH OF ARMS. 
 DENOUNCED. 
 ♦FORTUNE'S MY FOE. 
 Capes (Bernard). AT A WINTER'S FIRE. 
 Chesney (Weatherby). THE BAPTIST 
 
 RING. 
 THE BRANDED PRINCE. 
 THE FOUNDERED GALLEON. 
 JOHN TOPP. 
 Clifford (Mrs. W. K.). A FLASH OF 
 
 SUMMER. 
 ColUngwood (Harry). THE DOCTOR 
 
 OF THE 'JULIET.' 
 Cornford (L. Cope). SONS OF ADVER- 
 SITY. 
 Crane (Stephen). WOUNDS IN THE 
 
 RAIN. 
 Denny (C. E.). THE ROMANCE OF 
 
 UPFOLD MANOR. 
 Dickson (Harris). THE BLACK WOLF'S 
 
 BREED. 
 Dickinson (Evelyn). THE SIN OF 
 
 ANGELS. 
 
 *Duncan (Sara J.). THE POOL IN THE 
 
 DESERT. 
 *A VOYAGE OF CONSOLATION. 
 Embree (C. F.). A HEART OF FLAME. 
 Fenn (G. Manville). AN ELECTRIC 
 
 SPARIC 
 Flndlater'(Jane H.). THE DAUGHTER 
 
 OF STRIFE. 
 *Findlater(Mary). OVER THE HILLS. 
 Forrest (R. E.). THE SWORD OF 
 
 AZRAEL. 
 Francis (M. E.). MISS ERIN. 
 Gallon (Tom). RICKERBYS FOLLY. 
 Gerard (Dorothea). THINGS THAT 
 
 HAVE HAPPENED. 
 Glanville (Ernest). THE DESPATCH 
 
 RIDER. 
 THE LOST REGIMENT. 
 THE KLOOF BRIDE. 
 THE INCAS TREASURE. 
 Gordon (Julien). MRS. CLYDE. 
 WORLD'S PEOPLE. 
 Goss (C. F.). THE REDEMPTION OF 
 
 DAVID CORSON. 
 ♦Gray (E. M 'Queen). MY STEWARD- 
 
 SHIP. 
 Hales (A. G.). JAIR THE APOSTATE. 
 Hamilton(Lord Ernest). MARY HAMIL. 
 
 TON. 
 Harrison (Mrs. Burton). A PRINCESS 
 
 OF THE HILLS. Illustrated. 
 Hooper (1.). THE SINGER OF MARLY. 
 Hough (Emerson). THE MISSISSIPPI 
 
 BUBBLE. 
 •Iota' (Mrs. Caffyn). ANNE MAULE- 
 
 VERER. 
 *Jepson (Edgar). KEEPERS OF THE 
 
 PEOPLE. 
 Kelly (Florence Finch). WITH HOOPS 
 
 OF STEEL. 
 Lawless (Hon. Emily). MAELCHO. 
 Linden (Annie). A WOMAN OF SENTI- 
 
 MENT. 
 *Lorimer (Norma). JOSIAH'S WIFE. 
 Lush (Charles K.). THE AUTOCRATS. 
 Macdonnell (A.). THE STORY OF 
 
 TERESA. 
 Macgrath (Harold). THE PUPPET 
 
 CROWN.
 
 38 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Mackle (Pauline Bradford). THE VOICE 
 
 IN THE DESERT. 
 Marsh (Richard). THE SEEN AND 
 
 THE UNSEEN. 
 •GARNERED. 
 •A METAMORPHOSIS. 
 MARVELS AND MYSTERIES. 
 BOTH SIDES OF THE VEIL. 
 MayalKJ. W.). THE CYNIC AND THE 
 
 c Y R K TsT 
 
 Monkhouse (Allan), LOVE IN A LIFE. 
 
 Moore (Arthur). THE KNIGHT PUNC- 
 TILIOUS. 
 
 Nesbit (Mrs. Bland). THE LITERARY 
 SENSE. 
 
 Norrls(W. E.). AN OCTAVE. 
 
 Oliphant (Mrs.). THE LADYS WALK. 
 
 SIR ROHERT'S FORTUNE. 
 
 THE TWO MARV'.S. 
 
 Penny (Mrs. F. A.). A MIXED MAR- 
 AGE. 
 
 Phlllpotts (Eden). THE STRIKING 
 HOURS. 
 
 FANCY FREE. 
 
 Randall (J.). AUNT BETHIA'S BUTTON. 
 
 •Raymond (Walter). FORTUNE'S DAR- 
 LING. 
 
 •Rayner (Olive Pratt). ROSALBA. 
 Rhys (Grace). THE DIVERTED VILL. 
 AGE. 
 
 RIckert (Edith). OUT OF THE CYPRESS 
 
 SWA.MP. 
 Roberton(M. H.). AGALLANTQUAKER. 
 Saunders (Marshall). ROSE k CHAR- 
 
 LITTK. 
 Sergeant (Adeline). ACCUSED AND 
 
 ACCUSER. 
 BARBARA'S MONEY. 
 THE ENTHUSIAST. 
 A GREAT LADY. 
 *THE LOVE THAT OVERCAME. 
 THE MASTER OF BEECHWOOD. 
 UNDER SUSPICION. 
 •THE YELLOW DIAMOND. 
 Shannon (W. F.). Jl.M TWELVES. 
 ♦Strain (E. H.). ELMSLIE'S DRAG NET. 
 Stringer (Arthur). THESILVER POPPY. 
 Stuart (Esmfe). CHRISTALLA. 
 Sutherland (Duchess of). ONE HOUR 
 
 AND THE NE.XT. 
 Swan (Annie). LOVE GROWN COLD. 
 Swift (Benjamin). SORDON. 
 Tanqueray (Mrs. B. M.). THE ROYAL 
 QUAKER. 
 
 Trafford-Taunton (Mrs. E.W.). SILENT 
 DOMINION-. 
 
 •Upward (Allen). ATHELSTANE FORD. 
 
 Walneman(Paul). A HEROINE FROM 
 FINLAND. 
 
 Watson (H. B. Marriott). THE SKIRTS 
 OF HAPPY CHANCE. 
 
 Books for Boys and Girls 
 
 Illustrated. Crown Svo. 3^. 6d. 
 
 The Getting Well op Dorothy. By Mrs. 
 W. K. Clifford. Second Edition. 
 
 Thb Icelander's Sword. By S. Baring- 
 Gould. 
 
 Only a Guard-Room Dog. By Edith E. 
 Cutheil. 
 
 The Doctor of the Juliet. By Harry 
 Collingwood. 
 
 Little Peter. By Lucas Malet. Second 
 
 Edititn. 
 Master Rockafellar's Voyage. By ^V. 
 
 Clark RusselL 
 
 The Secret of Madam k de Monluc. By 
 
 the Author of " Mdlle. Mori." 
 SvD Belton : Or, the Boy who would not go 
 
 to Sea. By G. ManviJle Fenn. 
 The Red Grange. By Mrs. Moleswonb. 
 A Girl op the People. By L. T. Meade. 
 
 Second Edition. 
 Hepsy Gipsy. By L. T. Meade, -a. ed. 
 The Ho.nourable Miss. By L. T. Meade. 
 Thkre was o.nck a Pri.nce. By Mrs. M. E. 
 
 Mann. 
 Whpn Arnold comes Home. By Mrs. M. E. 
 
 Mann. 
 
 The Novels of Alexandre Dumas 
 
 Price 6d. Double Volumes, is. 
 
 a lon^ 
 Double 
 
 The Threr Musketeers. With 
 Introduction by Andrew Lang, 
 volume. 
 
 The Prince of Thieves. Sec»nd Rdiiion. 
 
 Robin Hoob. A Sequel to the above. 
 
 The Corsican Brothers. 
 
 Georges. 
 
 Crop-Eared Jacquot; Jane; Etc. 
 
 Twenty Vkars After. Double volume, 
 
 Amaury. 
 
 The Castle of Eppstein. 
 
 The .Snoudall, and Sultanetta. 
 
 Cecile; ok, The Wkuuing Gown. 
 
 Act6.
 
 Fiction 
 
 39 
 
 The Black Tulip. 
 
 The Vicomte de Bragelonne. 
 
 Part I. Louise de la Valliere. Double 
 
 Volume. 
 Part 11. The Man in the Iron Mask. 
 Double Volume. 
 The Convict's Son. 
 The Wolf-Leader. 
 Nanon; or, The Women' War. Double 
 
 volume. 
 Pauline; Murat; and Pascal Bruno. 
 The Adventures of Captain Pamphile. 
 Fernande. 
 Gabriel Lambert. 
 Catherine Blum. 
 The Chevalier D'Harmental. Double 
 
 volume. 
 Sylvandire. 
 The Fencing Master. 
 The Reminiscences of Antony. 
 Conscience. 
 Pere La Ruink. 
 *Thk Great Massacre. The first part of 
 
 Queen Margot. 
 ♦Henri op Navarre. The second part of 
 
 Queen Margot. 
 *The Wild Duck Shooter. 
 
 Qlostrated Edition. 
 Demy Zvo. Cloth. 
 The Three Musketeers. Illustrated in 
 Colour by Frank Adams, zs. 6d. 
 
 The Prince op Tmievks. Illustrated in 
 
 Colour by Frank Adams. 2S. 
 Robin Hood the Outlaw. Illustrated in 
 
 Colour by Frank Adams, zs. 
 The Corsican Brothers. Illustrated in 
 
 Colour by A. M. M'Lellan. js. 6d. 
 The Wolf-Leader. Illustrated in Colour 
 
 by Frank Adams, js. (>d. 
 Georges. Illustrated in Colour by Munro Orr. 
 
 ■2S. 
 
 Twenty Years After. Illustrated in Colour 
 by Frank Adams, jr. 
 
 Amaurv. Illustrated in Colour by Gordon 
 Browne, is. 
 
 The Snowball, and Sultanetta. Illus- 
 trated in Colour by Frank Adams. 2f. 
 
 The Vicomte deBragelonnb. Illustrated in 
 Colour by Frank Adams. 
 
 Part I. Louise de la Vallifere. 3^. 
 
 Part II. The Man in the Iron Mask. 3^. 
 
 *Crop-Eared Jacquot ; Jane ; Etc. Illus. 
 trated in Colour by Gordon Browne, zs. 
 
 The Castle of Eppstein. Illustrated in 
 Colour by Stewart Orr. \s. td. 
 
 Act6. Illustrated in Colour by Gordon 
 Browne, is. td. 
 
 *Cecile ; or, The Wedding Gown. Illus- 
 trated in Colour by D. Murray Smith. 
 \s. i>d. 
 
 *The Adventures of Captain Pamphile. 
 Illustrated in Colour by Frank Adams. 
 ■S.S. td. 
 
 Methuen's Sixpenny Books 
 
 Austen (Jane). PRIDE AND PRE- 
 JUDICE. 
 
 Bagot (Richard). A ROMAN MYSTERY. 
 
 Balfour (Andrew). BY STROKE OF 
 SWORD. 
 
 Baring-Gould (S.). FURZE BLOOM. 
 
 CHEAP JACK ZITA. 
 
 KITTY ALONE. 
 
 URITH. 
 
 THE BROOM SQUIRE. 
 
 IN THE ROAR OF THE SEA. 
 
 NOfiMI. 
 
 A BOOK OF FAIRY TALES. Illustrated. 
 
 LITTLE TU'PENNY. 
 
 THE FROBISHERS. 
 
 Barr (Robert). JENNIE BAXTER. 
 JOURNALIST. 
 
 IN THE MIDST OF ALARMS. 
 
 THE COUNTESS TEKLA. 
 
 THE MUTABLE MANY. 
 
 Benson (E. F.). DODO. 
 
 Bronte (Charlotte). SHIRLEY. 
 
 Brownell (C. L.). THE HEART OF 
 JAPAN. 
 
 Burton (J. Bloundelle). ACROSS THE 
 
 SALT SEAS. 
 Caffyn'(Mrs).,('Iota'). ANNE MAULE- 
 
 VERER. 
 *Capes (Bernard). THE LAKE OF 
 
 WINE. 
 Clifford (Mrs. W, K.). A FLASH OF 
 
 SUMMER. 
 MRS. KEITH'S CRIME. 
 Connell (F. Norreys). THE NIGGER 
 
 KNIGHTS. 
 Corbett (Julian). A BUSINESS IN 
 
 GREAT WATERS. 
 Croker (Mrs. B. M.). PEGGY OF THE 
 
 BARTONS. 
 A STATE SECRET. 
 ANGEL. 
 JOHANNA. 
 Dante (Alighlerl). THE VISION OF 
 
 DANTE (GARY). 
 Doyle (A. Conan). ROUND THE RED 
 
 LAMP. 
 Duncan (Sara Jeannette). A VOYAGE 
 
 OF CONSOLATION 
 THOSE DELIGHTFUL AMERICANS.
 
 40 
 
 Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue 
 
 Eliot (Oeorjre). THE MILL ON THE 
 
 FLOSS. 
 FIndlater (Jane H.). THE GREEN 
 
 GRAVES OF BALGOWRIE. 
 Gallon (Tom). RICKERRYS FOLLY. 
 GaskelKMrs.). CRANFORD. 
 MARY BARTON. 
 NORTH AND SOUTH. 
 Qerard (Dorothea). HOLY MATRI- 
 MONY. 
 THE CONQUEST OF LONDON. 
 MADE OF MONEY. 
 ai8sIn8:(aeorge). THE TOWN TRAVEL- 
 
 LER. 
 THE CROWN OF LIFE. 
 OlanvUle (Ernest). THE INC AS 
 
 TREASURE. 
 THE KLOOF BRIDE. 
 Oleiir (Charles). HUNTER'S CRUISE. 
 Urimm (The Brothers). GRIMM'S 
 
 FAIRY TALES. Illustrated. 
 Hope (Anthony). A MAN OF MARK. 
 A CHANGE OF AIR. 
 THE CHRONICLES OF COUNT 
 
 ANTONIO. 
 PHROSO. 
 
 THE DOLLY DIALOGUES. 
 Hornun? (E. W.). DEAD MEN TELL 
 
 NO TALES. 
 Ineraham (J. H,). THE THRONE OF 
 
 DAVID. 
 LeQueux(W.). THE HUNCHBACK OF 
 
 WESTMINSTER. 
 *Levett.Yeats(S. K.). THETRAITORS 
 
 WAY. 
 Linton (E. Lynn). THE TRUE HIS- 
 TORY OF JOSHUA DAVIDSON. 
 LvaH(Edna). DERRICK VAUGHAN. 
 ^lalet (Lucas). THE CARISSIMA. 
 A COUNSEL OF PERFECTION. 
 Mann (Mrs. M. E.). MRS. PETER 
 
 HOWARD. 
 A LOST ESTATE. 
 THE CEDAR STAR. 
 Marchmont (A W.). MISER HOAD- 
 
 LEYS SECRET. 
 A MOMENT'S ERROR. 
 Marryat (Captain). PETER SIMPLE. 
 JACOB FAITHFUL. 
 
 Marsh (Richard). THE TWICKENHAM 
 
 PEERAGE. 
 THE GODDESS. 
 THE JOSS. 
 
 Mason (A. E. 'W.). CLEMENTINA. 
 Mathers (Helen). HONEY. 
 GRIFF OF GRIl FITHSCOURT. 
 
 SAM'S SWEETHEART 
 
 Meade (Mrs. L. T.). DRIFT. 
 
 MItford (Bertram). THE SIGN OF THE 
 
 SPIDER. 
 Montresor (F. F.). THE ALIEN. 
 Moore(Arthur). THE GAY DECEIVERS. 
 Morrison (Arthur). THE HOLE IN 
 
 THE WALL. 
 Ne8blt(E.). THE RED HOUSE. 
 Norrls(W. E.). HIS GRACE. 
 GILES INGILBY. 
 THE CREDIT OF THE COUNTY. 
 LORD LEONARD. 
 MATTHEW AUSTIN. 
 CLARISSA FURIOSA. 
 Ollphant(Mrs.). THE LADY'S WALK. 
 SIR ROBERT'S FORTUNE. 
 THE PRODIGALS. 
 Oppenheim (E. Phillips). MASTER OF 
 
 MEN. 
 Parker (Gilbert). THE POMP OF THE 
 
 LAVILETTKS. 
 WHEN VALMONDCAMETOPONTIAC. 
 THE TRAIL OF THE SWORD. 
 Pemberton (Max). THE FOOTSTEPS 
 
 OF A THRONE. 
 I CROWN THEE KING. 
 Phillpotts (Eden). THE HUMAN BOY. 
 CHILDREN OF THE MIST. 
 Ridge (W.Pett). A SON OF THE STATE. 
 LOST PROPERTY. 
 GEORGE AND THE GENERAL. 
 Russell (W. Clark). A MARRIAGE AT 
 
 SE.\. 
 ABANDONED. 
 
 MY DANISH SWEETHEART. 
 Sergeant (Adeline). THE MASTER OF 
 
 BEECHWOOD. 
 BARBARA'S MONEY 
 THE YELLOW DIAMOND. 
 Surtees (R. S.). HANDLEY CROSS. 
 
 Illustrated. 
 MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 
 
 Illustrated. 
 ASK MAMMA. Illustrated. 
 Valentine (Major E. S.). VELDT AND 
 
 LAAGER. 
 VValford(Mr8. L. B.). MR. SMITH. 
 THE BABY'S GRANDMOTHER. 
 Wallace (General Lew). BEN-HUR. 
 THE FAIR GOD. 
 
 Watson (H. B. Marriot). THE ADVEN- 
 TURERS. 
 Weekes <A. B.). PRISONERS OF WAR. 
 Wells (H. G.). THESTOLEN BACILLUS. 
 *WhIte (Percy). A PASSIONATE 
 
 PILGRIM
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 Form L9-100m-9,'52(A3105)444
 
 PR 
 
 ^uiller-Couch 
 
 
 The mayor of 
 Troy 
 
 
 i 
 
 UC SOUTHER^J REGIO^JAL LIBRARY 
 
 FACILITY 
 
 AA 000 368 370 
 
 PR 
 
 Ml5