The morning of the next day--the morning on which the ships wereto sail--came bright and breezy. Mrs. Crayford, having arrangedto follow her husband to the water-side, and see the last of himbefore he embarked, entered Clara's room on her way out of thehouse, anxious to hear how her young friend passed the night. Toher astonishment she found Clara had risen, and was dressed, likeherself, to go out.

"What does this mean, my dear? After what you suffered lastnight--after the shock of seeing that man--why don't you take myadvice and rest in your bed?"

"I can't rest. I have not slept all night. Have you been outyet?"

"No."

"Have you seen or heard anything of Richard Wardour?"

"What an extraordinary question!"

"Answer my question! Don't trifle with me!"

"Compose yourself, Clara. I have neither seen nor heard anythingof Richard Wardour. Take my word for it, he is far enough away bythis time."

"No! He is here! He is near us! All night long the presentimenthas pursued me--Frank and Richard Wardour will meet."

"My dear child! what are you thinking of? T hey are totalstrangers to each other."

"Something will happen to bring them together. I feel it! I knowit! They will meet--there will be a mortal quarrel betweenthem--and I shall be to blame. Oh, Lucy! why didn't I take youradvice? Why was I mad enough to let Frank know that I loved him?Are you going to the landing-stage? I am all ready--I must gowith you."

"You must not think of it, Clara. There will be crowding andconfusion at the water-side. You are not strong enough to bearit. Wait--I won't be long away--wait till I come back."

"I must and will go with you! Crowd? _He_ will be among thecrowd! Confusion? In that confusion _he_ will find his way toFrank! Don't ask me to wait. I shall go mad if I wait. I shallnot know a moment's ease until I have seen Frank, with my owneyes, safe in the boat which takes him to his ship! You have gotyour bonnet on; what are we stopping here for? Come! or I shallgo without you. Look at the clock; we have not a moment to lose!"

It was useless to contend with her. Mrs. Crayford yielded. Thetwo women left the house together.

The landing-stage, as Mrs. Crayford had predicted, was throngedwith spectators. Not only the relatives and friends of the Arcticvoyagers, but strangers as well, had assembled in large numbersto see the ships sail. Clara's eyes wandered affrightedly hitherand thither among the strange faces in the crowd; searching forthe one face that she dreaded to see, and not finding it. Socompletely were her nerves unstrung, that she started with a cryof alarm on suddenly hearing Frank's voice behind her.

"The _Sea-mew_'s boats are waiting," he said. "I must go,darling. How pale you are looking, Clara! Are you ill?"

She never answered. She questioned him with wild eyes andtrembling lips.

"Has anything happened to you, Frank? anything out of thecommon?"

Frank laughed at the strange question.

"Anything out of the common?" he repeated. "Nothing that I knowof, except sailing for the Arctic seas. That's out of the common,I suppose--isn't it?"

"Has anybody spoken to you since last night? Has any strangerfollowed you in the street?"

Frank turned in blank amazement to Mrs. Crayford.

"What on earth does she mean?"

Mrs. Crayford's lively invention supplied her with an answer onthe spur of the moment.

"Do you believe in dreams, Frank? Of course you don't! Clara hasbeen dreaming about you; and Clara is foolish enough to believein dreams. That's all--it's not worth talking about. Hark! theyare calling you. Say good-by, or you will be too late for theboat."

Frank took Clara's hand. Long afterward--in the dark Arctic days,in the dreary Arctic nights--he remembered how coldly and howpassively that hand lay in his.

"Courage, Clara!" he said, gayly. "A sailor's sweetheart mustaccustom herself to partings. The time will soon pass. Good-by,my darling! Good-by, my wife!"

He kissed the cold hand; he looked his last--for many a longyear, perhaps!--at the pale and beautiful face. "How she lovesme!" he thought. "How the parting distresses her!" He still heldher hand; he would have lingered longer, if Mrs. Crayford had notwisely waived all ceremony and pushed him away.

The two ladies followed him at a safe distance through the crowd,and saw him step into the boat. The oars struck the water; Frankwaved his cap to Clara. In a moment more a vessel at anchor hidthe boat from view. They had seen the last of him on his way tothe Frozen Deep!

"No Richard Wardour in the boat," said Mrs. Crayford. "No RichardWardour on the shore. Let this be a lesson to you, my dear. Neverbe foolish enough to believe in presentiments again."

Clara's eyes still wandered suspiciously to and fro among thecrowd.

"Are you not satisfied yet?" asked Mrs. Crayford.

"No," Clara answered, "I am not satisfied yet."

"What! still looking for him? This is really too absurd. Here ismy husband coming. I shall tell him to call a cab, and send youhome."

Clara drew back a few steps.

"I won't be in the way, Lucy, while you are taking leave of yourgood husband," she said. "I will wait here."

"Wait here! What for?"

"For something which I may yet see; or for something which I maystill hear."

"Richard Wardour?"

"Richard Wardour."

Mrs. Crayford turned to her husband without another word. Clara'sinfatuation was beyond the reach of remonstrance.

The boats of the _Wanderer_ took the place at the landing-stagevacated by the boats of the _Sea-mew_. A burst of cheering amongthe outer ranks of the crowd announced the arrival of thecommander of the expedition on the scene. Captain Heldingappeared, looking right and left for his first lieutenant.Finding Crayford with his wife, the captain made his apologiesfor interfering, with his best grace.

"Give him up to his professional duties for one minute, Mrs.Crayford, and you shall have him back again for half an hour. TheArctic expedition is to blame, my dear lady--not the captain--forparting man and wife. In Crayford's place, I should have left itto the bachelors to find the Northwest Passage, and have stoppedat home with you!"

Excusing himself in those bluntly complimentary terms, CaptainHelding drew the lieutenant aside a few steps, accidentallytaking a direction that led the two officers close to the placeat which Clara was standing. Both the captain and the lieutenantwere too completely absorbed in their professional business tonotice her. Neither the one nor the other had the faintestsuspicion that she could and did hear every word of the talk thatpassed between them.

"You received my note this morning?" the captain began.

"Certainly, Captain Helding, or I should have been on board theship before this."

"I am going on board myself at once," the captain proceeded, "butI must ask you to keep your boat waiting for half an hour more.You will be all the longer with your wife, you know. I thought ofthat, Crayford."

"I am much obliged to you, Captain Helding. I suppose there issome other reason for inverting the customary order of things,and keeping the lieutenant on shore after the captain is onboard?"

"Quite true! there _is_ another reason. I want you to wait for avolunteer who has just joined us."

"A volunteer!"

"Yes. He has his outfit to get in a hurry, and he may be half anhour late."

"It's rather a sudden appointment, isn't it?"

"No doubt. Very sudden."

"And--pardon me--it's rather a long time (as we are situated) tokeep the ships waiting for one man?"

"Quite true, again. But a man who is worth having is worthwaiting for. This man is worth having; this man is worth hisweight in gold to such an expedition as ours. Seasoned to allclimates and all fatigues--a strong fellow, a brave fellow, aclever fellow--in short, an excellent officer. I know him well,or I should never have taken him. The country gets plenty of workout of my new volunteer, Crayford. He only returned yesterdayfrom foreign service."

"He only returned yesterday from foreign service! And hevolunteers this morning to join the Arctic expedition? Youastonish me."

"I dare say I do! You can't be more astonished than I was, whenhe presented himself at my hotel and told me what he wanted.'Why, my good fellow, you have just got home,' I said. 'Are youweary of your freedom, after only a few hours' experience of it?'His answer rather startled me. He said, 'I am weary of my life,sir. I have come home and found a trouble to welcome me, whichgoes near to break my heart. If I don't take refuge in absenceand hard work, I am a lost man. Will you give me a refuge?'That's what he said, Crayford, word for word."

"Did you ask him to explain himself further?"

"Not I! I knew his value, and I took the poor devil on the spot,without pestering him with any more questions. No need to ask himto explain himself. The facts speak for themselves in thesecases. The old story, my good friend! There's a woman at thebottom of it, of course."

Mrs. Crayford, waiting for the return of her husband as patientlyas she could, was startled by feeling a hand suddenly laid on hershoulder. She looked round, and confronted Clara. Her firstfeeling of surprise changed instantly to alarm. Clara wastrembling from head to foot.

"What is the matter? What has frightened you, my dear?"

"Lucy! I _have_ heard of him!"

"Richard Wardour again?"

"Remember what I told you. I have heard every word of theconversation between Captain Helding and your husband. A man cameto the captain this morning and volunteered to join the_Wanderer_. The captain has taken him. The man is RichardWardour."

"You don't mean it! Are you sure? Did you hear Captain Heldingmention his name?"

"No."

"Then how do you know it's Richard Wardour?"

"Don't ask me! I am as certain of it, as that I am standing here!They are going away together, Lucy--away to the eternal ice andsnow. My foreboding has come true! The two will meet--the man whois to marry me and the man whose heart I have broken!"

"Your foreboding has _not_ come true, Clara! The men have not methere--the men are not likely to meet elsewhere. They areappointed to separate ships. Frank belongs to the _Sea-mew_, andWardour to the _Wanderer_. See! Captain Helding has done. Myhusband is coming this way. Let me make sure. Let me speak tohim."

Lieutenant Crayford returned to his wife. She spoke to himinstantly.

"William! you have got a new volunteer who joins the _Wanderer_?"

"What! you have been listening to the captain and me?"

"I want to know his name?"

"How in the world did you manage to hear what we said to eachother?"

"His name? has the captain given you his name?"

"Don't excite yourself, my dear. Look! you are positivelyalarming Miss Burnham. The new volunteer is a perfect stranger tous. There is his name--last on the ship's list."

Mrs. Crayford snatched the list out of her husband's hand, andread the name:

"RICHARD WARDOUR."

Second Scene.

The Hut of the _Sea-mew_.