as is to be found at its best only in
lovely Devon, when, having remained on board for the rest of the night,
and taken breakfast ere leaving the ship, the whole party walked up to
Chudleigh Hall, and announced their return to the astonished staff of
servants. So unexpected an arrival was naturally productive of some
little confusion in the household; but matters very quickly arranged
themselves, and by the evening of that same day, with the assistance of
the farm-waggons belonging to the estate, all the spoils and valuables
of every description had been transferred from the ship to the house.
And when the following morning dawned the _Flying Fish_ had disappeared
from the glade in which she had been lying as mysteriously as she had
dropped into it only twenty-four hours previously.

The professor and Mildmay had likewise vanished in an equally mysterious
manner; but they calmly and smilingly turned up again by a late train,
that same evening, to learn the gratifying news that Lady Elphinstone's
return to the safety of her beautiful home had already produced a most
beneficial effect upon her health, and that there was now every prospect
of an early recovery from the bad effects of the shock that she had so
recently sustained.

Meanwhile, the Sziszkinskis, delighted with the beauty of the county and
the healthfulness of its climate, had spent a busy day prosecuting
inquiries in the neighbourhood for a suitable residence, and had already
found one very greatly to their liking, the purchase of which they
satisfactorily concluded within the week.

And thus ends the story of a very memorable cruise--a cruise which was
destined to have far-reaching results upon the fortunes and the
happiness of some at least of those who participated in it, as well as
to many who never heard a word about it. For the worthy professor's
share of the rubies and pearls that the party brought home with them
provided him with the wealth that was necessary to enable him to
initiate his great philanthropic enterprise; while it is undeniable that
Mildmay spends an unconscionable amount of his time with the
Sziszkinskis. Whether these visits have anything to do with the
whispered rumour that Mlle. Feodorovna is about to exchange her Russian
patronymic for an English name, time perhaps will show.

End of Project Gutenberg's With Airship and Submarine, by Harry Collingwood

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH AIRSHIP AND SUBMARI