The Project Gutenberg eBook of Captain Desmond, V.C., by Maud Diver

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Title: Captain Desmond, V.C.

Author: Maud Diver

Release Date: December 26, 2008 [eBook #27629]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN DESMOND, V.C.***

E-text prepared by Stephen Hope, Jen Haines, and the Project Gutenberg
Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)

Transcribers note:

All inconsistent, unusual and unorthodox spelling has been left
as as it was in the original book.

CAPTAIN DESMOND, V.C.

by

MAUD DIVER

Author of 'The Great Amulet,' 'Candles in the Wind,' Etc.

"One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward,
Never doubted clouds would break;
Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph;
Held, we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better,
Sleep--to wake."
--ROBERT BROWNING.

Revised Edition, in Large Part Rewritten

William Blackwood and Sons
Edinburgh and London
MCMXVII

All Rights reserved

_THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO_
_MY SON CYRIL,_
_AND TO_
_Mrs ALAN BATTEN_
_IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ALL THAT IT OWES_
_TO HER GENEROUS HELP AND INTEREST._
_M. D._

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

In revising and partially rewriting my novel, 'Captain Desmond, V.C.,' I
have been glad to make good the opportunity afforded me of bringing the
Aftermath nearer to my original conception than it was in its first form.
The three short chapters now substituted for the one final scene are
therefore, in essence, no innovation. They represent more or less what I
conceived at the time, but suppressed through fear of making my book too
long; and thereby risked upsetting the balance of sympathy, which I hope
the fresh chapters may tend to restore.

M. D.

CONTENTS.

BOOK I.

CHAP. PAGE

I. JUDGE FOR YOURSELF 3

II. I WANT TO BE FIRST 13

III. THE BIG CHAPS 21