Great Stone of Sardis

by Frank Richard Stockton

  CHAPTER VII. GOOD NEWS GOES FROM SARDIS

  When Roland Clewe, after a voyage from Cape Tariff which would have beentedious to him no matter how short it had been, arrived at Sardis, hismind was mainly occupied with the people he had left behind him engulfedin the arctic seas, but this important subject did not prevent him fromalso giving attention to the other great object upon which his soul wasbent. At St. John's, and at various points on his journey from there, hehad received messages from the Dipsey, so that he knew that so far allwas well, and when he met Mrs. Raleigh she had much to tell him of whatmight have been called the domestic affairs of the little vessel.

  But while keeping himself in touch, as it were, with the polar regions,Roland Clewe longed to use the means he believed he possessed of peeringinto the subterranean mysteries of the earth beneath him. Work on thegreat machine by which he would generate his Artesian ray had been goingon very satisfactorily, and there was every reason to believe that hewould soon be able to put it into operation.

  He had found Margaret Raleigh a different woman from what she had beenwhen he left her.

  The absence had been short, but the change in her was very perceptible.She was quieter; she was more intent. She had always taken a greatinterest in his undertakings, but now that interest not only seemed tobe deepened, but it was clouded by a certain anxiety. She had been anardent, cheerful, and hopeful co-worker with him, so far as she was ableto do so; but now, although she was quite as ardent, the cheerfulnesshad disappeared, and she did not allude to the hopefulness.

  But this did not surprise Clewe; he thought it the most natural thing inthe world; for that polar expedition was enough to cloud the spirits ofany woman who had an active part and share in it, and who was bound tofeel that much of the responsibility of it rested upon her. At timesthis responsibility rested very heavily upon himself. But if thoughts ofthat little submerged party at the desolate end of the world came to himas he sat in his comfortable chair, and a cold dread shot throughhim, as it was apt to do at such times, he would hurriedly step to histelegraphic instrument, and when he had heard from Sammy Block that allwas well with them, his spirits would rise again, and he would go onwith his work with a soul cheered and encouraged.

  But good news from the North did not appear to cheer and encourage thesoul of Mrs. Raleigh. She seemed anxious and troubled even after she hadheard it.

  "Mr. Clewe," said she, when he had called upon her the next morningafter his return, "suppose you were to hear bad news from the Dipsey,or were to hear nothing at all--were to get no answer to yourmessages--what would you do?"

  His face grew troubled.

  "That is a terrible question," he said. "It is one I have often askedmyself; but there is no satisfactory answer to it. Of course, as Ihave told myself and have told you, there seems no reason to expect adisaster. There are no storms in the quiet depths in which the Dipsey issailing. Ice does not sink down from the surface, and even if a floatingiceberg should turn over, as they sometimes do in the more open sea, theDipsey will keep low enough to avoid such danger. In fact, I feel almostsure that if she should meet with any obstacle which would prevent herfrom keeping on her course to the pole, all she would have to do wouldbe to turn around and come back. As to the possibility of receiving nomessages, I should conclude in that case that the wire had broken, andshould wait a few days before allowing myself to be seriously alarmed.We have provided against such an accident. The Dipsey is equipped as acable-laying vessel, and if her broken wire is not at too great adepth, she could recover it; but I have given orders that should suchan accident occur, and they cannot reestablish communication, they mustreturn."

  "Where to?" asked Mrs. Raleigh.

  "To Cape Tariff, of course. The Dipsey cannot navigate the surface ofthe ocean for any considerable distance."

  "And then?" she asked.

  "I would go as quickly as possible to St. John's, where I have arrangedthat a vessel shall be ready for me, and I would meet the party at CapeTariff, and there plan for a resumption of the enterprise, or bring themhome. If they should not be able to get back to Cape Tariff, then all isblank before me. We must not think of it."

  "But you will go up there all the same?" she said.

  "Oh yes, I will go there."

  Mrs. Raleigh made no answer, but sat looking upon the floor.

  "But why should we trouble ourselves with these fears?" continued Clewe."We have considered all probable dangers and have provided against them,and at this moment everything is going on admirably, and there is everyreason why we should feel hopeful and encouraged. I am sorry to see youlook so anxious and downcast."

  "Mr. Clewe," said she, "I have many anxieties; that is natural, and Icannot help it, but there is only one fear which seriously affects me."

  "And that makes you pale," said Clewe. "Are you afraid that if I beginwork with the Artesian ray I shall become so interested in it that Ishall forget our friends up there in the North? There is no danger.No matter what I might be doing with the ray, I can disconnect thebatteries in an instant, lock up the lens-house, and in the nexthalf-hour start for St. John's. Then I will go North if there isanything needed to be done there which human beings can do."

  She looked at him steadfastly.

  "That is what I am afraid of," she said.

  Roland Clewe did not immediately speak. To him Margaret Raleigh wastwo persons. She was a woman of business, earnest, thoughtful, helpful,generous, and wise; a woman with whom he worked, consulted, planned, whomade it possible for him to carry on the researches and enterprisesto which he had devoted his life. But, more than this, she was anotherbeing; she was a woman he loved, with a warm, passionate love, whichgrew day by day, and which a year ago had threatened to break downevery barrier of prudence, and throw him upon his knees before her asa humiliated creature who had been pretending to love knowledge,philosophy, and science, but in reality had been loving beauty andriches. It was the fear of this catastrophe which had had a stronginfluence in taking him to Europe.

  But now, by some magical influence--an influence which he was not surehe understood--that first woman, the woman of business, his partner, hisco-worker, had disappeared, and there sat before him the woman heloved. He felt in his soul that if he tried to banish her it would beimpossible; by no word or act could he at this moment bring back theother.

  "Margaret Raleigh," he said, suddenly, "you have thrown me from mybalance. You may not believe it, you may not be able to imagine thepossibility of it, but a spirit, a fiery spirit which I have long keptbound up within me, has burst its bonds and has taken possession of me.It may be a devil or it may be an angel, but it holds me and rules me,and it was set loose by the words you have just spoken. It is my lovefor you, Margaret Raleigh!" He went on, speaking rapidly. "Now tell me,"said he. "I have often come to you for advice and help--give it to menow. In laboratory, workshop, office, with you and away from you, abroadand at home, by day and by night, always and everywhere I have lovedyou, longed for a sight of you, for a word from you, even if it hadbeen a word about a stick or a pin. And always and everywhere I havedetermined to be true to myself, true to you, true to every principle ofhonor and common-sense, and to say nothing to you of love until by somesuccess I have achieved the right to do so. By words which made me fancythat you showed a personal interest in me, you have banished all thoseresolutions; you have--But I am getting madder and madder. Shall I leavethis room? Shall I swear never to speak--"

  She looked up at him. The ashiness had gone out of her face. Her eyeswere bright, and as she lifted them towards him a golden softness andmistiness came into the centre of each of them, as though he might lookdown through them into her soul.

  "If I were you," said she, "I would stay here and say whatever else youhave to say."

  He told her what more he had to say, but it was with his arms around herand his eyes close to hers.

  "Do you know," she said, a little afterwards, "that for years, while youhave been longing to get to the pole, to see dow
n into the earth, andto accomplish all the other wonderful things that you are working at inyour shops, I too have been longing to do something--longing hundredsand hundreds of times when we were talking about batteries and lensesand of the enterprises we have had on hand."

  "And what was that?" he asked.

  "It was to push back this lock of hair from your forehead. There, now;you don't know how much better you look!"

  Before Clewe left the house it was decided that if in any case it shouldbecome necessary for him to start for the polar regions these two wereto be married with all possible promptness, and they were to go to theNorth together.

  That afternoon the happy couple met again and composed a message to thearctic seas. It was not deemed necessary yet to announce to societywhat had happened, but they both felt that their friends who were so faraway, so completely shut out from all relations with the world, and yetso intimately connected with them, should know that Margaret Raleigh andRoland Clewe were engaged to be married.

  Roland sent the message that evening from his office. He waited anunusually long time for a reply, but at last it came, from Sammy. Thecipher, when translated, ran as follows:

  "Everybody as glad as they can be. Specially Sarah. Will send regularcongratulations. Private message soon from me. We have got the devil onboard."

  Clewe was astonished: Samuel Block was such a quiet, steady person, sounused to extravagance or excitement, that this sensational message wasentirely beyond his comprehension. He could fix no possible meaning toit, and he was glad that it did not come when he was in company withMargaret. It was too late to disturb her now, and he most earnestlyhoped that an explanation would come before he saw her again.

  That night he dreamed that there was a great opening near the pole,which was the approach to the lower regions, and that the Dipsey hadbeen boarded by a diabolical passenger, who had come to examine herpapers and inquire into the health of her passengers and crew.