Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-03-13
this arrangement she would arrive in
England about month before me.

and on one of the happiest days of
my life l set foot on board the good
ship Mirzapore, which was to convey
me to Alexandria, on my way home
via Brindisi. ] had written to Mrs.
Selby, begging her to bring Clara to
meet me in Paris. Her doing so
would but shorten our period of sepa-
ration by some ten or twelve hours,
but | knew that those hours were
golden to her as well rs to me, and /
was selfish for both of us. After a
stormy voyage | reached Brindisi in
due course; | hurried to the post
restante, for had asked her to reply
me there, but there was nothing for
me. 1t was evident that my letter
had not reached her; perhapsshe had
delayed few days in Paris on her
way home. She had Il trOusseau to
prepare, and it is a strange article of
faith among women that this can be
done more efiectually in Paris than
elsewhere; consequently, nothing
was more probable than that she was
there at thatmoment, my letter would
probably be forwarded to her, and if
so, she would surely be at the station
on the arrival Of the train from Italy.
AS | rushed across Europe | had
but one thought in my mind-would
Clara be at the Paris terminus to meet
me? The towns flew by me when |
thought of her, and yet at times the
intervals between them seemed in
terminable. Every stoppage irrita-
ted me, yet the two days were not te-
dious. | could always lose all count
oftime by allowing my mind to dwell
upon the incidents Of our voyage to-
gether, and especially on the crown
ing incident that was yet to come.
But when the neutrality-suspicious. arose
whether or not we should meet in
Paris, the train seemed to dawdle as
train never dawdled before. Atlength
we reached the terminus. / eagerly
scanned the few people on the plat
form as we entered the station, and
my heart sunk when / saw that she
was not there. Then | remembered
that on French railways friends OF
passengers are not, as a rule, allowed
on the platforms, and my hopes rose
again. They were soon dashed, fol
there was no Clara for me in the
waiting-rooms or at the entrance.
A dim sense of calamity-unknown
and the more terrible for being un,
known-took possession of me. / hur
ried across Paris to the "Nord,'
reached Calais in due course, crossed
to Dover and made my way to Lon
don, which i reached late at night
The next day, at ninein the morning
/ hurried to Mrs. Selby's house ir
Oxford Square. rang the bell, anC
it was answered by a maid-servan
in deep black. / asked for Mrs. Sci
ny, but so inarticulate that the cir
did not understand me. / pulled my
self together and repeated the ques
ton. The girl stammered awkward
ly. Had not heard? No, heart
nothing; was anything wrong? Th'
French ship in which Mrs. Selby anC
Clara had sailed from Bombay haC
been lost-as it was supposed-in ;
hurricaneb between Bombay and Alden
, and all souls were drowned.
| staggered as from strong man.
blow. l remembered nothing unit
: | found myself lying on the sofa il
the dining-room, tended by an elder
ly gentleman, Mrs. Selby's brothe
, and administrator. He, of course
: did not know me; still less did h
know Of relation toward his dea,
: niece. | told him all and he treate,
= me with the greatest kindness. H
could give me no hope; the ship wa
then six weeks overdue, and the in
surance on her had been duly paid.
Desolate and broken-hearted, | LEI
him and went to my mothers hous
in Devonshire. After three weeks {
e fever ! began to recover strenth, bu
f the life of my light was extinct, an
an indefinable sense of night was a
that remained to me. AS soon as
D was strong enough to stand, | though
e of the photographs | had taken 6
: Singapore. They were all that. ws
0 left to me Of my dead love, and wit
a feeling Of unspeakable awe, | pre-
: ceeded to raise her preSentment, as
e were, from the grave. In the closet!
e darkened room, illuminated only b
e the dim red light Of my develOpin
S lamp, and prepared the necessar
+ chemicals with a trembling and III
d certain hand. ] took the plate frol