ng she
went to a shop and wrote an anonymous line announcing his death by
drowning to the only person she had ever heard Charles mention as a
relative. Posting this stealthily, and with a fearful look around her,
she seemed to acquire a terror of the late events, pursuing her way to
the station as if followed by a spectre.

When she got to the office she asked for the luggage that she had left
there on the Saturday as well as the trunk left on the morning just
lapsed. All were put in the boat, and she herself followed. Quickly
as these things had been done, the whole proceeding, nevertheless,
had been almost automatic on Baptista's part, ere she had come to any
definite conclusion on her course.

Just before the bell rang she heard a conversation on the pier, which
removed the last shade of doubt from her mind, if any had existed,
that she was Charles Stow's widow. The sentences were but fragmentary,
but she could easily piece them out.

'A man drowned--swam out too far--was a stranger to the place--people
in boat--saw him go down--couldn't get there in time.'

The news was little more definite than this as yet; though it may as
well be stated once for all that the statement was true. Charley, with
the over-confidence of his nature, had ventured out too far for his
strength, and succumbed in the absence of assistance, his lifeless
body being at the moment suspended in the transparent mid-depths of
the bay. His clothes, however, had merely been gently lifted by the
rising tide, and floated into a nook hard by, where they lay out of
sight of the passers-by till a day or two after.

IV

In ten minutes they were steaming out of the harbour for their voyage
of four or five hours, at whose ending she would have to tell her
strange story.

As Pen-zephyr and all its environing scenes disappeared behind
Mousehole and St Clement's Isle, Baptista's ephemeral, meteor-like
husband impressed her yet more as a fantasy. She was still in such a
trance-like state that she had been an hour on the little packet-boat
before she became aware of the agitating fact that Mr Heddegan was
on board with her. Involuntarily she slipped from her left hand the
symbol of her wifehood.

'Hee-hee! Well, the truth is, I wouldn't interrupt 'ee. "I reckon she
don't see me, or won't see me," I said, "and what's the hurry? She'll
see enough o' me soon!" I hope ye be well, mee deer?'

He was a hale, well-conditioned man of about five and fifty,