slowly along in the shadows, revealed one of the packets ploughing her
steady way to the great marts below. Nearer at hand, just shaving the
long strip of sandy, wooded point that jutted far out into the lake, a
broad raft of timber, pushed by a hard-working, black-funnelled
stern-wheeler, was slowly forging its way to the outlet of the lake, its
shadowy edge sprinkled here and there with little sparks of lurid
red,--the pilot-lights that gave warning of its slow and silent coming.
Far down along the southern shore, under that black bluff-line, close to
the silver water-edge, a glowing meteor seemed whirling through the
night, and the low, distant rumble told of the "Atlantic Express"
thundering on its journey. Here, along with him on the level plateau,
were other roomy cottages, some dark, some still sending forth a guiding
ray; while long lines of white-washed fence gleamed ghostly in the
moonlight and were finally lost in the shadow of the great bluff that
abruptly shut in the entire point and plateau and shut out all further
sight of lake or land in that direction. Far beneath he could hear the
soft plash upon the sandy shore of the little wavelets that came
sweeping in the wake of the raft-boat and spending their tiny strength
upon the strand; far down on the hotel point he could still hear the
soft melody of the waltz; he remembered how the band used to play that
same air, and wondered why it was he used to like it; it jarred him now.
Presently the distant crack of a whip and the low rumble of wheels were
heard: the omnibus coming back from the station with passengers from the
night train. He was in no mood to see any one. He turned away and walked
northward along the edge of the bench, towards the deep shadow of the
great shoulder of the bluff, and presently he came to a long flight of
wooden stairs, leading from the plateau down to the hotel, and here he
stopped and seated himself awhile. He did not want to go home yet. He
wanted to be by himself,--to think and brood over his trouble. He saw
the omnibus go round the bend and roll up to the hotel door-way with its
load of pleasure-seekers, and heard the joyous welcome with which some
of their number were received by waiting friends, but life had little of
joy to him this night. He longed to go away,--anywhere, anywhere, could
he only leave this haunting misery behind. He was so proud of his
regiment; he had been so happy in bringing home to it his accomplished
and