The Crack of Doom

erse is a

evening early in the past year. Foolish as the words may seem, they were partly influenti

ing a current astronomical essay, as we watched the hazy blue line of the Irish coast

ndreds of years to telegraph to some of them, thousands to others, and millions to the rest? Why limit oneself to a mere million of years for a dramatic illustration, when there

which he had presented a very obvious truism in a fresh light to me made the conception of

cientific speculations. The mind is only

. "That is easily explained.

suppose," I added, somewhat annoyed, f

with you," he replied, ca

swer him for

nowledge, indeed, was so exhaustive that the scientific pleasantries to which he was prone could always be justified, dialectically at least, by him when he was cont

cy, on receipt of which I determined to devote it to the furtherance of my own amusement. In the pursuit of this object, I had visited many lands and had become familiar with most of the beaten tracks of travel. I was returning to England after an absence of three years spent in aimless roaming. My age was

sh cigar, and returning to a subject which I had so

t must serve," he

hrase was only a thoughtless exclamati

. It adds nothing to knowledge. As it sta

rnestly for a moment,

u if you will join a society I have founded; and its pract

ll this club of

call it a Society-the Cui Bono

ed. "It is suggestive. It m

the Society means somethi

le on the voyage. The weather had been rough, and as she was not a good sailor, I had only had a rare glimpse of a very dark and handsome girl, whose society possessed for me a strange attraction, although we were then almost strangers. Indeed, I regretted keenly, as the time of our separ

oyage and confidences as to our future plans. It was almost dark, but not dark enough to prevent us from seeing those wonderfully green hills which landlock the harbour. To me the verdant woods and hills were delightful after the brown plains and interminable prairies on which I had spent many months. As the lights of Queenstown began to speck the slowly gathering gloom, Miss Brande asked me to point out R

ed me with an emotion different from anything that my frankly happy, but hitherto wholly selfish life had known. There was only one note in her conversation which jarred upon me. She was apt to drift into the extraordinary views of life and death which were interesting when formulated by her e

the ship. He had left us for half an hour. I did not notice his abs

bout that Society of yo

find it a new sensation, quite outside t

which missed me at the moment. I answered gaily, knowing

as yourself, it will be the most interesting exper

aste of that

xquisite arrangement of harmonious colour. And the thought flashed into my mind very vividly, however trivial it may seem here, when written down in cold words: "The queen of wome

o her. Then the sweet face, now slig

re too flattering. The 'queen of flowers' is very true, but the 'queen of women

f lace waved, and I knew vaguely that she was thinking of m

it has been m