nearer.

It was interesting. But it was really very cold. The professor, who
had suffered much from sciatica owing to an injury of the left leg,
remembered that he had been told by his medical man never to allow
himself to shiver; and here he was, shivering violently without so
much as asking his own leave. And the fog crept closer. He put out
his hands to push it back--and immediately his hands were lost too.
"Really," murmured the professor, "this is most interesting!"
Nevertheless, he reclaimed his hands and placed them firmly in his
coat pockets.

He began to wish that he had stayed with Mr. Johnston in the boat
shed, pending the arrival of the launch which, so certain letters in
his pocket informed him, would leave Johnston's wharf at 5 o'clock,
or there-abouts, Mondays and Fridays. Mr. Johnston had felt very
uncertain about this. "Though she does happen along off and on," he
said optimistically, "and she might come today. Not," he added with
commendable caution, "that I'd call old Doc. Farr's boat a 'launch'
myself."

"What," asked Professor Spence, "would you call her yourself?"

"Don't know as I can just hit on a name," said Mr. Johnston.
"Doesn't come natural to me to be free with language."

It had been pleasant enough on the wharf at first and certainly it
had been worth something to see the fog come in. Its incredible
advance, wave upon wave of massed and silent whiteness, had held him
spellbound. While he had thought it still far off, it was upon him--