Produced by Al Haines
Author of "The Odd One," "Not for Profit," "Bubbles," "Joyce'sInvestments," "Sara a Princess," etc., etc.
"Our Faith, a star, shone o'er a rocky height;
The billows rose, and she was quenched in night."
By A. I. BRADLEY & CO
I. Debby has a Caller
II. The Leave-taking
III. New Surroundings
IV. Introductions
V. "On the Bay of Biscay, O!"
VI. Portuguese Towns and Heroes
VII. Kite-flying and Gibraltar
VIII. Nightmare and Gossip
IX. A Game of Gromets
X. Mrs. Windemere's Dinner
XI. A Sunday at Sea
XII. The Story of a Wreck
XIII. Algiers and Andy
XIV. Guesswork
XV. Tropical Evenings
XVI. Danger
XVII. Lady Moreham Speaks
XVIII. Last Days Together
XIX. Old Ties and New
XX. In Old Bombay
XXI. Friends Ashore
XXII. In Elephanta's Caves
"And they're twins, you say?"
"Yes'm, two of 'em, and as putty as twin blooms on a stalk, 'm."
The second speaker was a large, corpulent woman, with a voluminouswhite apron tied about her voluminous waist. She stood deferentiallybefore the prospective roomer who had asked the question, to whom shewas showing the accommodations of her house, with interpolations of aprivate nature, on a subject too near her heart, to-day, to be ignoredeven with strangers. As she stood nodding her head with an emphasisthat threatened to dislodge the smart cap with purple ribbons, whichshe had rather hastily assumed when summoned to the door, the callermentally decided that here was a good soul, indeed, but ratherloquacious to be the sole guardian of two girls "putty as twin blooms."
She, herself, was tall and slender, and wore her rich street costumewith an easy elegance, as if fine clothing were too much a matter ofcourse to excite her interest. But upon her face were lines whichshowed that, at some time, she had looked long and deeply into thehollow eyes of trouble, possibly despair. Even the smile now curvingher well-turned lips lacked the joyousness of youth, though in yearsshe seemed well on the sunny side of early middle age. She wasevidently in no hurry this morning, and finding her possible landladyso ready to talk, bent an attentive ear that was most flattering to thegood creature.
"I knew," she said, sinking into a rattan chair tied up with blueribbons, like an over-dressed baby, "that these rooms had an air whichsuggested youth and beauty. I don't wonder your heart is sore to losethem."
"Ah, it's broke it is, 'm!" the voice breaking in s