The Portland daily press., 1897-12-17
Chapter III.
WHO is THE STRANGER?

Chapter III.
WHO is THE STRANGER?
Ten days had passed since the incident
described in the last chapter took place.
1t was fine, calm morning, the ship
floating quietly through the gently heav-
Ing swell under wide white cloud of
canvas the bowsprit now pointing nearly
true east for the long straight slant across
the Southern Ocean, and the towering
land of Agulihas Point not many leagues
hidden below the horizon on the port
quarter. The Strathnairn was carrying
out an unusually full complement of pas
sengers, and the bright warm weather
brought them all up on deck; SO that,
upon this particular morning, the poop
presented quite an animated picture, full
of life and colour, with the couples prone
nading it, the studiously inclined Ioung-
ing in wicker work easy chairs, with
books upon their knees-although their
reading went into nothing more serious
than the contents of q yellow backed
novel, save in the case of one young
gentleman, who was listlessly turning
over the pages of a voluminous treatise on
Australian 1rrigation-and the old stagers
collected in little knots, discussing the
prospects of the passage, the probable
state of the wool market, the possible
fluctuations of gold shares and the like.
Liz Sdp0 IOnA0O0y oyuuoJ Stouieu bO W
speak within measurable distance, al
though it was a wearisome eonugh specu-
lation to those who were already tired of
tho voyage to look ahead, and reflect how
many thousand leagues yet remained to
be traversed in order to span the monoto-
nous watery waste which was still to be
covered ere the blue shadow of Sydney
Heads should loom up into view beyond
the bows.
BY and by DIR. Collins came up cut of
the companion hatch, followed by the
steward bearing a folding deck chair, of
such shape that the occupant could re-
cline at full length in it. H stood for a
moment or two looking about him, then
selected a quiet nook over against where
the quarter-boat hung, and the warm
sunshine streamed on to the planks past
the roped edge of the awning The doc
tor pointed to the spot, and the steward
opened out the chair there. Then very
shortly afterwards Miss Marston, without
her hat or jacket, came out of the cabin
carrying large travelling rug. which
she spread upon the seat with business
like cir.
Thes preparations caused small f1ut-
ter of curiosity and expectation amongst
the passengers. 1t was whispered that
the invalid stranger, who had been res
cued from the open boat fortnight ago
was about to make his first appearance on
deck this morning. The doctor and Miss
Marston, after a brief consultation. re-
turned below, and the people halted in
their walk, or broke off in their CONVEX
sation to look towards the companion
hatch, by means OF which access to the
poop deck was gained from the saloon
beneath.
They had not been very long watching
before there uprose again through the
rounded mahogany cover the doctor and
the girl, supporting betwiAt them the tall
figure of the stranger, who walked with
toftering steps. He was dressed In the
clothes he wore when picked up. He had
managed to shave himself before quitting
his cabin, and although his cheeks vera
still pale and hollow he looked we'll
man compared with his appearance as he
lay in his bunk on first recovering con-
sciousness after his rescue.
Dr. Collins and the fair self-constituted
nurse assisted the sick man across to the
chair that had been placed I'm readiness to
receive him. He sank languidly back into
1t, rolling his eyes round upon the pas
sengers, most of whom let fall their gaze,
or turned away, lest they should appear
rudely Intrusive. Miss Marston drew the
folds of the rug about him, a saperduous
attention one would have Imagined, with
the high sun striking down upon tho
deck at temperature Of about so degrees,
but women have a curious weakness for
swathing invalids with wraps quite re-
gardless of climate. She then ran below
to put on her hat, saying she would re-
turn shortly and sit with him. The doc
tor fingered near, chatting lightly, but
keeping a keen professional eye furtively
bent upon the face Of the patient to OBJ
serve the effect of this scene of ship and
sky and ocean upon his mind. He gazed,
however, as a child might. seeming 10
find novelty in everything upon which
his sight rested. DR.. Collins pointed to
one or two objects and asked whether he
could tell him the names of them? He
replied promptly enough, giving the
things their correct designations. This
provsd the existence of curious phase
in the poor fellows brain-a capacity sfor
realizing familiar objects when they pre-
sented themselves to his gaze, attended
by an utter inability to connect the reool-
lection OF past events by the laws of asso-
citation with anything that he saw. DR..
Collins regarded him with the utmost
interest. He promised himself an excep
tionally complex psychological study:
ever met with before during the whole
course Of his career. His sympathies
went rather with the cease than with
the sufferer
Miss Marston returned after brief abb
sence, bringing little basket Oh needle
work with her. The doctor placed a chair
for her close beside that of the patient,
then raised his cap and sauntered off to
another part Of the deck.
''Does the sight of this ship and the
scene of sky and ocean recall any shadow
of memory" asked the girl, looking away
across the bright sparkling waves, and
then up at the sails.
"None,' he answered. 81 can under
stand every thing l look at, but it all con-
veys nothing to my mind In the way of
helping me to remember the past"
What assingular and at the same time
trying position, 10 find ones self placed
in," said Miss Marston, redeotively "To
have forgotten even ones very name! l
have read of such things. but never could
have realized the existence of really
memoryless condition. DR.. Collins says
that he has several times met with cases
of sudden lapses of the mind, owing to
what he calls failure of the cerebral Or
gans, through disease; but the patients
have always recovered again, and been as
well able TO reHollect everything that hap
pened before they were attacked like this
as if nothing had occurred. -
As she spoke, Captain Sturgess came