Page:The Wreck of a World - Grove - 1890.djvu/151

Rh could have offered no resistance, even if I had wished."

"If he had—" said Gell, clenching his fist.

"You dear old stupid, I believe you are jealous of him still. Now that I am come on this island I don't mean to allow jealousy or any other bad passions to exist. So there, sir," said she, with an imperious little stamp of the foot.

"Well what next?" demanded I.

"There is no 'next,' save what you know. We had a fine and easy voyage from the South Pacific here, my troublesome companions ever at my heels, but I did not come quite straight, but touched at one oneone [sic] or two ports, ending with San Francisco, to see if I could find any vestige of human life. All were however deserted. From San Francisco we sailed on a straight course for Honolulu. And that's all," she added simply, as though the whole narrative had been of the most humdrum kind.

"Yes that's all," replied I. And itsit's [sic] just the most wonderful tale I ever heard in my life, and that's all. My dear girl, I don't like to praise my own flesh and blood, but it is my conviction that there is not a man or woman living, no, nor one of all that I have ever