before him. The remnants of the dream-visions struggle in his head with
reality. At last the visions pale and vanish. Before him stands Johnson,
the harbor guide.

"What's this?" asked Johnson; "are you sick?"

"No."

"You didn't light the lantern. You must leave your place. A vessel from
St. Geromo was wrecked on the bar. It is lucky that no one was drowned,
or you would go to trial. Get into the boat with me; you'll hear the
rest at the Consulate."

The old man grew pale; in fact he had not lighted the lantern that
night.

A few days later, Skavinski was seen on the deck of a steamer, which was
going from Aspinwall to New York. The poor man had lost his place. There
opened before him new roads of wandering; the wind had torn that leaf
away again to whirl it over lands and seas, to sport with it till
satisfied. The old man had failed greatly during those few days, and was
bent over; only his eyes were gleaming. On his new road of life he held
at his breast his book, which from time to time he pressed with his hand
as if in fear that that too might go from him.





THE PLAIN SISTER