e
subject.

A fortnight or so later we were at Aden, leaving that barren rock about
four o'clock, and entering the Red Sea the same evening. The Suez Canal
passed through, and Port Said behind us, we were in the Mediterranean,
and for the first time in my life I stood in Europe.

At Naples the Wetherells were to say good-bye to the boat, and continue
the rest of their journey home across the Continent. As the hour of
separation approached, I must confess I began to dread it more and more.
And somehow, I fancy, _she_ was not quite as happy as she used to be.
You will probably ask what grounds I had for believing that a girl like
Miss Wetherell would take any interest in a man like myself; and it is a
question I can no more answer than I can fly. And yet, when I came to
think it all out, I was not without my hopes.

We were to reach port the following morning. The night was very still,
the water almost unruffled. Somehow it came about that Miss Wetherell
and I found ourselves together in the same sheltered spot where she had
spoken to me on the occasion referred to before. The stars in the east
were paling, preparatory to the rising of the moon. I glanced at my
companion as she leant against the rails scanning the quiet sea, and
noticed the sweet wistfulness of her expression. Then, suddenly, a great
desire came over me to tell her of my love. Surely, even if she could
not return it, there would be no harm in letting her know how I felt
towards her. For this reason I drew a little closer to her.

"And so. Miss Wetherell," I said, "to-morrow we are to say good-bye;
never, perhaps, to meet again."

"Oh, no, Mr. Hatteras," she answered, "we won't say that. Surely we
shall see something of each other somewhere. The world is very tiny
after all."

"To those who desire to avoid each other, perhaps, but for those who
wish to _find_ it is still too large."

"Well, then, we must hope for the best. Who knows but that we may run
across each other in London. I think it is very probable."

"And will that meeting be altogether distasteful to you?" I asked, quite
expecting that she would answer with her usual frankness. But to my
surprise she did not speak, only turned half away from me. Had I
offended her?

"Miss Wetherell, pray forgive my rudeness," I said hastily. "I ought to
have known I had no right to ask you such a question."

"And why shouldn't you?" she replied, this time turning her sweet face
towards me. "No, I w