Nedra

Nedra

The Project Gutenberg eBook, Nedra, by George Barr McCutcheon,
Illustrated by Harrison Fisher
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Title: Nedra
Author: George Barr McCutcheon
Release Date: November 6, 2004 [eBook #13967]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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NEDRA
by
GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON
Author of Beverly of Graustark, _Brewster's Millions_, etc.
Illustrations by Harrison Fisher
1906

CONTENTS
Chapter
I
The Inspiration II The Beginning of Flight III The First Obstacle IV
Ready for the Sea V Mr. and Miss Ridge Sail for Manila VI Henry
Veath VII Glum Days for Mr. Ridge VIII The Beautiful Stranger IX Mr.
Ridegway's Amazement X A Sharp Encounter XI Discovered XII The
Harlequin's Errand XIII The Confession of Veath XIV One Love
against Another XV The Wreck of the Tempest Queen XVI The Night
and the Morning XVII Was the Sea Kind? XVIII The Wonderful Land
XIX The First Day in the Wilds XX The Sign of Distress XXI Gods
from the Sea XXII Flesh Succeeds Stone XXIII The Transformation
Begins XXIV Nedra XXV The Coming of the Enemy XXVI On the
Eve of Battle XXVII The Lady Tennys Reserve XXVIII To the Victor
Belongs--? XXIX The Other Surrender XXX Where There is No
Minister XXXI The Wedding Ring XXXII The Cruiser Winnetka
XXXIII Apparitions XXXIV The Course of True Love XXXV History
Repeats Itself

ILLUSTRATIONS
Lady Tennys (Frontispiece)
Grace Vernon
"'Lady Tennys ... You do not know how I thank God you are alive'"
"'Hey, there!' he yelled. 'How are you?'"
"'They have killed you! Let them kill me!'"
CHAPTER I
THE INSPIRATION
A tall young man sped swiftly up the wide stone steps leading to the
doorway of a mansion in one of Chicago's most fashionable avenues.
After pushing the button sharply he jerked out his watch and guessed at
the time by the dull red light from the panel in the door. Then he hastily
brushed from the sleeve of his coat the telltale billiard chalk, whose
presence reminded him that a general survey might be a wise
precaution. He was rubbing a white streak from his trousers' leg when
the door flew open and the butler admitted him to the hallway. This
personage relieved him of his hat, coat and stick and announced:
"Miss Vernon is w'itin' for you, sir."
"How the devil did I happen to let eight o'clock strike nine before I
knew it?" muttered the visitor. He was at the drawing-room door as he
concluded this self-addressed reproach, extending both hands toward
the young woman who came from the fireplace to meet him.
"How late you are, Hugh," she cried, half resentfully. He bent forward
and kissed her.
"Late? It isn't late, dear. I said I couldn't come before eight, didn't I?
Well, it's eight, isn't it?"

"It's nearly seventy minutes past eight, sir. I've been waiting and
watching the hands on the clock for just sixty minutes."
"I never saw such a perfect crank about keeping time as that
grandfatherly clock of yours. It hasn't skipped a second in two centuries,
I'll swear. You see, I was playing off the odd game with Tom Ditton."
He dropped lazily into a big arm-chair, drove his hands into his pockets
and stretched out his long legs toward the grate.
"You might have come at eight, Hugh, on this night if no other. You
knew what important things we have to consider." Miss Vernon, tall
and graceful, stood before him with her back to the fire. She was
exceedingly pretty, this girl whom Hugh had kissed.
"I'm awfully sorry, Grace; but you know how it is when a fellow's in a
close, hard game--especially with a blow-hard like Tom Ditton."
"If I forgive you again, I'm afraid you'll prove a begging husband."
"Never! Deliver me from a begging husband. I shall assert all kinds of
authority in my house, Miss Vernon, and you'll be in a constant state of
beggary yourself. You'll have to beg me to get up in the morning, beg
me to come home early every night, beg me to swear off divers things,
beg me to go to church, beg me to buy new hats for you, beg me to eat
things you cook, beg me to--"
"I suppose I shall even have to beg you to kiss