music and lectures. After receiving his degrees of B.A. and M.A. he was
a substitute teacher in the English Department.

For some time he has made his home at San Dimas, where his regular
contributions on a variety of themes to the magazine section of _The
Express_ have brought him something more than local prestige. He is
deeply interested in the drama, and has several plays to his credit.
"When He Came Home," a play of his dealing with the return of a blind
soldier from the war, has become a favorite with one of the California
circuits.

"Claire" is his first novel, and though he is still on the sunny side of
thirty, this arresting story is a promising portent of what we may
expect from the powerful pen of this blind man with an artist's
vision.--THE EDITOR.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. DISASTER. 256
II. THE WATER OF LIFE. 260
III. THE WAY OF THE PRIMITIVE. 262
IV. MUTUAL DISLIKE. 266
V. THE FACE OF DEATH. 269
VI. THE STONE THREAT. 274
VII. PLAYING WITH FIRE. 498
VIII. THE TIGHTENING NET. 501
IX. CLAIRE'S ABASEMENT. 505
X. HOW SIMPLE THE SOLUTION! 509
XI. THE MAKING OF A KNIGHT ERRANT. 513
XII. THE UNHORSING OF A KNIGHT ERRANT. 697
XIII. FAINT HEART AND FAIR LADY. 702
XIV. PHILIP TO THE RESCUE. 706
XV. UTTER EXHAUSTION. 711
XVI. THE QUESTION ANSWERED. 714
XVII. ANGLES OF A TRIANGLE. 151
XVIII. THE ROMANTIC REALIST. 155
XIX. THE LAST DISCUSSION. 160
XX. THE LAW OF LIFE. 164
XXI. INTO THE SUNLIGHT. 168

CHAPTER I.

DISASTER.

In the confusion Lawrence stood still. Over the howling wind and
smashing sea, he heard thin voices shouting orders. Another mass of
water swept over the deck. Near him a woman screamed piteously.
Instinctively, the masculine desire to protect womanhood made him ache
to help her, but he bit his lip and clung to the rail. If he could only
see! Never before in his five years of blindness had he felt the full
horror of it. He had taught himself to forget his loss of sight. It is
useless to waste time in sentimental moping, he w