Pearl of Pearl Island

Pearl of Pearl Island

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pearl of Pearl Island, by John
Oxenham This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Pearl of Pearl Island
Author: John Oxenham
Release Date: March 4, 2005 [EBook #15259]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEARL OF
PEARL ISLAND ***

Produced by Steven Gibbs and the Online Distributed Proofreading
Team.

PEARL OF PEARL ISLAND
BY JOHN OXENHAM
HODDER AND STOUGHTON PUBLISHERS LONDON 1908

TO MY WIFE

CONTENTS
PART THE FIRST PEARL PART THE SECOND LOST PEARL
PART THE THIRD PEARL ISLAND PART THE FOURTH PEARL
OF PEARL ISLAND PART THE FIFTH PEARL IN A RING PART
THE SIXTH SMALLER PEARLS

PEARL OF THE PEARL OF THE SILVER SEA!
PEARL Iridescent! Pearl of the sea!
Shimmering, glimmering Pearl of the sea! White in the sun-flecked
silver sea, White in the moon-decked silver sea, White in the wrath of
the silver sea,-- Pearl of the Silver Sea! Lapped in the smile of the
Silver Sea, Ringed in the foam of the Silver Sea, Glamoured in mists of
the Silver Sea,-- Pearl of the Silver Sea! Glancing and glimmering
under the sun, Jewel and casket all in one, Joy supreme of the sun's
day-dream, Soft in the gleam of the golden beam,-- Pearl of the Silver
Sea! Splendour of Hope in the rising sun, Glory of Love in the noonday
sun, Wonder of Faith in the setting sun,-- Pearl of the Silver Sea!
Gaunt and grim to the outer world, Jewel and casket all impearled With
the kiss of the Silver Sea!-- With the flying kiss of the Silver Sea, With
the long sweet kiss of the Silver Sea, With the rainbow kiss of the
Silver Sea,--
Pearl of the Silver Sea! And oh the sight,--the wonderful sight, When
calm and white, in the mystic light, Of her quivering pathway, broad
and bright, The Queen of the Night, in silver dight, Sails over the Silver
Sea!
Wherever I go, and wherever I be, The joy and the longing are there

with me,-- The gleam And the glamour come back to me,-- In a
mystical rapture there comes to me, The call of the Silver Sea! As
needle to pole is my heart to thee, Pearl of the Silver Sea!
Pearl of the Pearl of the Silver Sea! To some you are Margaret, but to
me, Always and ever, wherever I be, You are Pearl of the Pearl of the
Silver Sea!
J.C.G.

PART THE FIRST
I
NOTE.--_It would be impossible to depict the Sark of to-day without
using the names native to the Island. All such names here employed,
however, are used without any reference whatever to any actual persons
who may happen to bear similar names in Sark. The characters are to
be taken as types. The incidents are in many cases fact._
If you want murders, mysteries, or mud--pass on! This is a simple,
straightforward love-story.
"Jock, my lad," said Lady Elspeth softly, nodding her head very many
times, in that very knowing way of hers which made her look like a
Lord Chief Justice and a Fairy Godmother all in one, "I've found you
out."
And when the shrewd old soul of her looked him gently through and
through in that fashion, he knew very much better than to attempt any
evasion.
"Ah!" he said meekly, "I was afraid someone would, sooner or later.
I've been living in constant dread of it. But it's happened before, you
know, between you and me. What is it this time, dear Lady Elspeth?"
"Here have I been imputing grace to you for your kindly attentions to a

poor old woman whose race is nearly run, and setting you up above the
rest of them therefor, and lo, my idol----"
"Ah!" he said again, with a reproving wag of the head, for he knew
now what was coming,--"idols are perverse, camstairy things at best,
you know, and a bit out of date too. And, besides,"--with a touch of
remonstrance--"at your age and with your bringing-up----"
"Ay, ay, ye may be as insulting as ye choose, my laddie, and fling my
age and my upbringing in my face like a very man----"
"There isn't a face like it in all England, and as to----"
"I prefer ye to say Britain, as I've told ye before. Your bit England is
only a portion of the kingdom, and in very many respects the poorest
portion, notably in brains and manners and beauty. But ye cannot draw
me off like that, my