The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dark Tower, by Phyllis Bottome

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Title: The Dark Tower

Author: Phyllis Bottome

Illustrator: J. H. Gardner Soper

Release Date: June 18, 2008 [EBook #25829]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE DARK TOWER

BY PHYLLIS BOTTOME

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
J. H. GARDNER SOPER

NEW YORK
THE CENTURY CO.
1916

Copyright, 1916, by
THE CENTURY CO.

Published, September, 1916

Dauntless the slughorn to my lips I set,
and blew "Child Roland to the dark tower came."
--Robert Browning

TO
W. W. D. H.

"God forbid that I should do this thing.

If our time be come, let us die manfully for our brethren
And let us not stain our honour."

_I Maccabees, ix, 10._

[Illustration: "I shall never be dangerous for you, Miss Rivers," he
said gently]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"I shall never be dangerous for you, Miss Rivers," he said gently

"You may have to take her as a daughter-in-law, though," Winn remarked
without turning round from the sideboard.

In his heart there was nothing left to which he could compare her

"I don't want a chance," whispered Claire

"You've got to live," said Winn, bending grimly over him; "You've got to
live!"

THE DARK TOWER

PART I

CHAPTER I

Winn Staines respected God, the royal family, and his regiment; but even
his respect for these three things was in many ways academic: he
respected nothing else.

His father, Admiral Sir Peter Staines, had never respected anything; he
went to church, however, because his wife didn't. They were that kind of
family.

Lady Staines had had twelve children. Seven of them died as promptly as
their constitutions allowed; the five survivors, shouted at, quarreled
over, and soundly thrashed, tore themselves through a violen