The wind was then blowing from the south-west in the mild degree which in barometrical language is ranked 'No' The coastguard on duty at once made report, and one old fisherman, who for more than half a century has kept watch on weather signs from the East Cliff, foretold in an emphatic manner the coming of a sudden stormThe approach of sunset was so very beautiful, so grand in its masses of splendidly coloured clouds, that there was quite an assemblage on the walk along the cliff in the old churchyard to enjoy the beautyBefore the sun dipped below the black mass of Kettleness, standing boldly athwart the western sky, its downward way was marked by myriad clouds of every sunset colour, flame, purple, pink, green, violet, and all the tints of gold, with here and there masses not large, but of seemingly absolute blackness, in all sorts of shapes, as well outlined as colossal silhouettesThe experience was not lost on the painters, and doubtless some of the sketches of the 'Prelude to the Great Storm' will grace the R More than one captain made up his mind then and there that his 'cobble' or his 'mule', as they term the different classes of boats, would remain in the harbour till the storm had passedThe wind fell away entirely during the evening, and at midnight there was a dead calm, a sultry heat, and that prevailing intensity which, on the approach of thunder, affects persons of a sensitive nature There were but few lights in sight at sea, for even the coasting steamers, which usually hug the shore so closely, kept well to seaward, and but few fishing boats were in sightThe only sail noticeable was a foreign schooner with all sails set, which was seemingly going westwardsThe foolhardiness or ignorance of her officers was a prolific theme for comment whilst she remained in sight, and efforts were made to signal her to reduce sail in the face of her dangerBefore the night shut down she was seen with sails idly flapping as she gently rolled on the undulating swell of the sea "As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean Shortly before ten o'clock the stillness of the air grew quite oppressive, and the silence was so marked that the bleating of a sheep inland or the barking of a dog in the town was distinctly heard, and the band on the pier, with its lively French air, was like a dischord in the great harmony of nature's silenceA little after midnight came a strange sound from over the sea, and high overhead the air began to carry a strange, faint, hollow booming Then without warning the tempest brokeWith a rapidity which, at the time, seemed incredible, and even afterwards is impossible to realize, the whole aspect of nature at once became convulsedThe waves rose in growing fury, each over-topping its fellow, till in a very few minutes the lately glassy sea was like a roaring and devouring monsterWhite-crested waves beat madly on the level sands and rushed up the shelving cliffsOthers broke over the piers, and with their spume swept the lanthorns of the lighthouses which rise from the end of either pier of Whitby Harbour The wind roared like thunder, and blew with such force that it was with difficulty that even strong men kept their feet, or clung with grim clasp to the iron stanchionsIt was found necessary to clear the entire pier from the mass of onlookers, or else the fatalities of the night would have increased manifoldTo add to the difficulties and dangers of the time, masses of sea-fog came drifting inlandWhite, wet clouds, which swept by in ghostly fashion, so dank and damp and cold that it needed but little effort of imagination to think that the spirits of those lost at sea were touching their living brethren with the clammy hands of death, and many a one shuddered as the wreaths of sea-mist swept by At times the mist cleared, and the sea for some distance could be seen in the glare of the lightning, which came thick and fast, followed by such peals of thunder that the whole sky overhead seemed trembling under the shock of the footsteps of the storm Some of the scenes thus revealed were of immeasurable grandeur and of absorbing interestThe sea, running mountains high, threw skywards with each wave mighty masses of white foam, which the tempest seemed to snatch at and whirl away into spaceHere and there a fishing boat, with a rag of sail, running madly for shelter before the blast, now and again the white wings of a storm-tossed seabirdOn the summit of the East Cliff the new searchlight was ready for experiment, but had not yet been triedThe officers in charge of it got it into working order, and in the pauses of onrushing mist swept with it the surface of the seaOnce or twice its service was most effective, as when a fishing boat, with gunwale under water, rushed into the harbour, able, by the guidance of the sheltering light, to avoid the danger of dashing against the piersAs each boat achieved the safety of the port there was a shout of joy from the mass of people on the shore, a shout which for a moment seemed to cleave the gale and was then swept away in its rush Before long the searchlight discovered some distance away a schooner with all sails set, apparently the same vessel which had been noticed earlier in the eveningThe wind had by this time backed to the east, and there was a shudder amongst the watchers on the cliff as they realized the terrible danger in which she now was Between her and the port lay the great flat reef on which so many good ships have from time to time suffered, and, with the wind blowing from its present quarter, it would be quite impossible that she should fetch the entrance of the harbour It was now nearly the hour of high tide, but the waves were so great that in their troughs the shallows of the shore were almost visible, and the schooner, with all sails set, was rushing with such speed that, in the words of one old salt, "she must fetch up somewhere, if it was only in hell"Then came another rush of sea-fog, greater than any hitherto, a mass of dank mist, which seemed to close on all things like a gray pall, and left available to men only the organ of hearing, for the roar of the tempest, and the crash of the thunder, and the booming of the mighty billows came through the damp oblivion even louder than beforeThe rays of the searchlight were kept fixed on the harbour mouth across the East Pier, where the shock was expected, and men waited breathless The wind suddenly shifted to the northeast, and the remnant of the sea fog melted in the blastAnd then, mirabile dictu, between the piers, leaping from wave to wave as it rushed at headlong speed, swept the strange schooner before the blast, with all sail set, and gained the safety of the harbourThe searchlight followed her, and a shudder ran through all who saw her, for lashed to the helm was a corpse, with drooping head, which swung horribly to and fro at each motion of the shop ship

Tom got down from the carriage, and looked about with an air of calm, still enjoymentThe negro, it must be remembered, is an exotic of the most gorgeous and superb countries of the world, and he has, deep in his heart, a passion for all that is splendid, rich, and fanciful; a passion which, rudely indulged by an untrained taste, draws on them the ridicule of the colder and more correct white raceClare, who was in heart a poetical voluptuary, smiled as Miss Ophelia made her remark on his premises, and, turning to Tom, who was standing looking round, his beaming black face perfectly radiant with admiration, he said, ?Tom, my boy, this seems to suit you ?Yes, Mas?r, it looks about the right thing,? said Tom All this passed in a moment, while trunks were being hustled off, hackman paid, and while a crowd, of all ages and sizes,?men, women, and children,?came running through the galleries, both above and below to see Mas?r come inForemost among them was a highly-dressed young mulatto man, evidently a very distingue personage, attired in the ultra extreme of the mode, and gracefully waving a scented cambric handkerchief in his hand This personage had been exerting himself, with great alacrity, in driving all the flock of domestics to the other end of the verandahI am ashamed of you,? he said, in a tone of authority?Would you intrude on Master?s domestic relations, in the first hour of his return?? All looked abashed at this elegant speech, delivered with quite an air, and stood huddled together at a respectful distance, except two stout porters, who came up and began conveying away the baggageAdolph?s systematic arrangements, when StClare turned round from paying the hackman, there was nobody in view but MrAdolph himself, conspicuous in satin vest, gold guard-chain, and white pants, and bowing with inexpressible grace and suavity ?Ah, Adolph, is it you?? said his master, offering his hand to him; ?how are you, boy?? while Adolph poured forth, with great fluency, an extemporary speech, which he had been preparing, with great care, for a fortnight before ?Well, well,? said StClare, passing on, with his usual air of negligent drollery, ?that?s very well got up, AdolphSee that the baggage is well bestowedI?ll come to the people in a minute;? and, so saying, he led Miss Ophelia to a large parlor that opened on the verandah While this had been passing, Eva had flown like a bird, through the porch and parlor, to a little boudoir opening likewise on the verandah A tall, dark-eyed, sallow woman, half rose from a couch on which she was reclining ?Mamma!? said Eva, in a sort of a rapture, throwing herself on her neck, and embracing her over and over again ?That?ll do,?take care, child,?don?t, you make my head ache,? said the mother, after she had languidly kissed herClare came in, embraced his wife in true, orthodox, husbandly fashion, and then presented to her his cousinMarie lifted her large eyes on her cousin with an air of some curiosity, and received her with languid politenessA crowd of servants now pressed to the entry door, and among them a middle-aged mulatto woman, of very respectable appearance, stood foremost, in a tremor of expectation and joy, at the door ?O, there?s Mammy!? said Eva, as she flew across the room; and, throwing herself into her arms, she kissed her repeatedly This woman did not tell her that she made her head ache, but, on the contrary, she hugged her, and laughed, and cried, till her sanity was a thing to be doubted of; and when released from her, Eva flew from one to another, shaking hands and kissing, in a way that Miss Ophelia afterwards declared fairly turned her stomach ?Well!? said Miss Ophelia, ?you southern children can do something that I couldn?t ?What, now, pray?? said St ?Well, I want to be kind to everybody, and I wouldn?t have anything hurt; but as to kissing?? ?Niggers,? said StClare, ?that you?re not up to,?hey?? ?Yes, that?s itClare laughed, as he went into the passage?Halloa, here, what?s to pay out here? Here, you all?Mammy, Jimmy, Polly, Sukey?glad to see Mas?r?? he said, as he went shaking hands from one to another?Look out for the babies!? he added, as he stumbled over a sooty little urchin, who was crawling upon all fours?If I step upon anybody, let ?em mention it There was an abundance of laughing and blessing Mas?r, as StClare distributed small pieces of change among them ?Come, now, take yourselves off, like good boys and girls,? he said; and the whole assemblage, dark and light, disappeared through a door into a large verandah, followed by Eva, who carried a large satchel, which she had been filling with apples, nuts, candy, ribbons, laces, and toys of every description, during her whole homeward journeyClare turned to go back his eye fell upon Tom, who was standing uneasily, shifting from one foot to the other, while Adolph stood negligently leaning against the banisters, examining Tom through an opera-glass, with an air that would have done credit to any dandy living ?Puh! you puppy,? said his master, striking down the opera glass; ?is that the way you treat your company? Seems to me, Dolph,? he added, laying his finger on the elegant figured satin vest that Adolph was sporting, ?seems to me that?s my vest ?O! Master, this vest all stained with wine; of course, a gentleman in Master?s standing never wears a vest like shop this

?Why not, Miss Eva?? ?These things sink into my heart, Tom,? said Eva,??they sink into my heart,? she repeated, earnestly?I don?t want to go;? and she turned from Tom, and went into the house A few days after, another woman came, in old Prue?s place, to bring the rusks; Miss Ophelia was in the kitchen ?Lor!? said Dinah, ?what?s got Prue?? ?Prue isn?t coming any more,? said the woman, mysteriously ?Why not?? said Dinah?she an?t dead, is she?? ?We doesn?t exactly knowShe?s down cellar,? said the woman, glancing at Miss Ophelia After Miss Ophelia had taken the rusks, Dinah followed the woman to the door ?What has got Prue, any how?? she said The woman seemed desirous, yet reluctant, to speak, and answered, in low, mysterious tone ?Well, you mustn?t tell nobody, Prue, she got drunk agin,?and they had her down cellar,?and thar they left her all day,?and I hearn ?em saying that the flies had got to her,?and she?s dead!? Dinah held up her hands, and, turning, saw close by her side the spirit-like form of Evangeline, her large, mystic eyes dilated with horror, and every drop of blood driven from her lips and cheeks ?Lor bless us! Miss Eva?s gwine to faint away! What go us all, to let her har such talk? Her pa?ll be rail mad ?I shan?t faint, Dinah,? said the child, firmly; ?and why shouldn?t I hear it? It an?t so much for me to hear it, as for poor Prue to suffer it ?Lor sakes! it isn?t for sweet, delicate young ladies, like you,?these yer stories isn?t; it?s enough to kill ?em!? Eva sighed again, and walked up stairs with a slow and melancholy step Miss Ophelia anxiously inquired the woman?s storyDinah gave a very garrulous version of it, to which Tom added the particulars which he had drawn from her that morning ?An abominable business,?perfectly horrible!? she exclaimed, as she entered the room where StClare lay reading his paper ?Pray, what iniquity has turned up now?? said he ?What now? why, those folks have whipped Prue to death!? said Miss Ophelia, going on, with great strength of detail, into the story, and enlarging on its most shocking particulars ?I thought it would come to that, some time,? said StClare, going on with his paper ?Thought so!?an?t you going to do anything about it?? said Miss Ophelia?Haven?t you got any selectmen, or anybody, to interfere and look after such matters?? ?It?s commonly supposed that the property interest is a sufficient guard in these casesIf people choose to ruin their own possessions, I don?t know what?s to be doneIt seems the poor creature was a thief and a drunkard; and so there won?t be much hope to get up sympathy for her ?It is perfectly outrageous,?it is horrid, Augustine! It will certainly bring down vengeance upon you ?My dear cousin, I didn?t do it, and I can?t help it; I would, if I couldIf low-minded, brutal people will act like themselves, what am I to do? they have absolute control; they are irresponsible despotsThere would be no use in interfering; there is no law that amounts to anything practically, for such a caseThe best we can do is to shut our eyes and ears, and let it aloneIt?s the only resource left us ?How can you shut your eyes and ears? How can you let such things alone?? ?My dear child, what do you expect? Here is a whole class,?debased, uneducated, indolent, provoking,?put, without any sort of terms or conditions, entirely into the hands of such people as the majority in our world are; people who have neither consideration nor self-control, who haven?t even an enlightened regard to their own interest,?for that?s the case with the largest half of mankindOf course, in a community so organized, what can a man of honorable and humane feelings do, but shut his eyes all he can, and harden his heart? I can?t buy every poor wretch I seeI can?t turn knight-errant, and undertake to redress every individual case of wrong in such a city as thisThe most I can do is to try and keep out of the way of itClare?s fine countenance was for a moment overcast; he said, ?Come, cousin, don?t stand there looking like one of the Fates; you?ve only seen a peep through the curtain,?a specimen of what is going on, the world over, in some shape or otherIf we are to be prying and spying into all the dismals of life, we should have no heart to anything?T is like looking too close into the details of Dinah?s kitchen;? and StClare lay back on the sofa, and busied himself with his shop paper

He must make courtesy calls to all family elders, for which his father would let him take his rickshawWhen the weather cooled off a little, his father would take him to perform the rites at his grandfather's grave His mother said she would have the tailor come the next day to fit him for a silk gown and pants, and for the time being his brother Feng-i had two gowns and could lend him one to wear when he went visiting For dinner that evening, his mother herself prepared fried shredded eel, chicken wings in soy sauce, stewed chicken with melon, and shrimps cooked in wine-all his favorite local dishesShe picked out the best pieces for his bowl, saying, "How terrible it must have been for you, living abroad for four years with nothing to eat!" Everyone laughed and said she was at it againIf a person ate nothing abroad, how could Hung-chien keep from starving to death? She said, "I can't understand how those foreign devils stay alive! All that bread and milkI couldn't eat them if they gave them to me free Hung-chien suddenly felt that in this family atmosphere the war was something unbelievable, just as no one can think of ghosts in broad daylightHis parents' hopes and plans left no room for any unforeseen circumstancesSeeing them thus so firmly in control of the future, he too took heart and thought that maybe the situation in Shanghai would be eased, and there would be no outbreak of hostilities And if there were, they could be brushed aside and ignored When Fang Hung-chien rose from bed the next day, the two reporters 35 had already arrivedWhen he saw the newspaper they had brought along with the item, "DrFang Returns Home," and the full-length picture taken the day before beside it, he felt so ashamed he couldn't bear to look at itBlue Glasses' hand gripping his right shoulder showed clearly in the picture, added to which, the side view of his own startled expression made it look exactly like a photograph of someone catching a thief Blue Glasses, a man of great learning, said he had long heard that Carle ton University was the most famous institution of higher learning in the en tire world, on a par with Tsing-hua University The reporter carrying the camera asked Hung-chien what observations he had on the world situation and whether a Sino-Japanese war would break outFang Hung-chien finally managed to send them on their way, though not before he had written inscriptions: "The Mouthpiece of the People,"6 for Blue Glasses' newspaper, and "The Mirror of Truth,"7 for Camera's newspaper Just as Hung-chien was about to go out visiting, his father's old friend, Principal Lu of the district's provincial high school, came to invite his father, him, and his brother to breakfast the next morning at a teahouse and later asked him to give a lecture to the summer school students on "A Reevaluation of the Influences of Western Civilization on Chinese History Hung-chien dreaded giving lectures and was going to beg off on some pretextThen to his chagrin his father readily accepted the invitation for himHe could only stifle a snort, in such hot weather, to have to put on a long gown and vest, speak rubbish and stink with sweat, if it isn't a living hell, what is it? he thoughtEducators sure have a different mentality from ordinary people! MrFang, hoping his son would win praises for his "scholarly family background," dug out from a chest several volumes of string-bound Chinese texts, such as Wen-tzu t'ang-chi,8 Kuei-ssu lei-kao,9 Ch'i-ching lou-chi,'0 and T'an-ying lu,11 instructing Hung-chien to look through them carefully for his lecture materialHung-chien read all afternoon with deep interest, greatly broadening his knowledgeHe learned that the Chinese were square and hon est by nature, so they said the sky was squareForeigners were roundabout and cunning and therefore maintained that the earth was round; the heart of the Chinese was located in the center, while a Westerner's heart tilted slightly to the leftThe opium imported from the West was poisonous and should be bannedThe nature of the soil in China was mild, therefore opium produced there would not be addictiveSyphilis, that is, smallpox, came from the West, and so onSuch a pity that while these items of information were all very interesting, they could not be used in the lectureHe would have to read something else12 That day after returning home from dinner at his uncle's house with his eyes blurred from drink, he flipped through four or five history textbooks and worked up a draft of over one thousand words with a couple of jokes 36 insertedThis kind of preparation did not tax his brains any, though he did lose some blood to the mosquitoes The next morning at the teahouse, after he had the usual soup noodle- the fourth snack-dish to be served, Principal Lu paid the bill and urged Hung chien to start offEach hurriedly took his long gown from the waiter and de partedFeng-i stayed with MrFang for a cup of tea The school auditorium was already filled with students-over two hun dred boys and girlsAccompanied to the stage by Principal Lii, Fang Hung chien felt his whole body tingle and itch from having so many eyes focused on him, and walking became shop difficult

His mother drew near, and looked so earnestly into his eyes, that he at once divined that something unusual was the matter ?Hush, Harry,? she said; ?mustn?t speak loud, or they will hear usA wicked man was coming to take little Harry away from his mother, and carry him ?way off in the dark; but mother won?t let him?she?s going to put on her little boy?s cap and coat, and run off with him, so the ugly man can?t catch him Saying these words, she had tied and buttoned on the child?s simple outfit, and, taking him in her arms, she whispered to him to be very still; and, opening a door in her room which led into the outer verandah, she glided noiselessly out It was a sparkling, frosty, starlight night, and the mother wrapped the shawl close round her child, as, perfectly quiet with vague terror, he clung round her neck Old Bruno, a great Newfoundland, who slept at the end of the porch, rose, with a low growl, as she came nearShe gently spoke his name, and the animal, an old pet and playmate of hers, instantly, wagging his tail, prepared to follow her, though apparently revolving much, in this simple dog?s head, what such an indiscreet midnight promenade might meanSome dim ideas of imprudence or impropriety in the measure seemed to embarrass him considerably; for he often stopped, as Eliza glided forward, and looked wistfully, first at her and then at the house, and then, as if reassured by reflection, he pattered along after her againA few minutes brought them to the window of Uncle Tom?s cottage, and Eliza stopping, tapped lightly on the window-pane The prayer-meeting at Uncle Tom?s had, in the order of hymn-singing, been protracted to a very late hour; and, as Uncle Tom had indulged himself in a few lengthy solos afterwards, the consequence was, that, although it was now between twelve and one o?clock, he and his worthy helpmeet were not yet asleep ?Good Lord! what?s that?? said Aunt Chloe, starting up and hastily drawing the curtain?My sakes alive, if it an?t Lizy! Get on your clothes, old man, quick!?there?s old Bruno, too, a pawin round; what on airth! I?m gwine to open the door And suiting the action to the word, the door flew open, and the light of the tallow candle, which Tom had hastily lighted, fell on the haggard face and dark, wild eyes of the fugitive ?Lord bless you!?I?m skeered to look at ye, Lizy! Are ye tuck sick, or what?s come over ye?? ?I?m running away?Uncle Tom and Aunt Chloe?carrying off my child?Master sold him!? ?Sold him?? echoed both, lifting up their hands in dismay ?Yes, sold him!? said Eliza, firmly; ?I crept into the closet by Mistress? door tonight, and I heard Master tell Missis that he had sold my Harry, and you, Uncle Tom, both, to a trader; and that he was going off this morning on his horse, and that the man was to take possession today Tom had stood, during this speech, with his hands raised, and his eyes dilated, like a man in a dreamSlowly and gradually, as its meaning came over him, he collapsed, rather than seated himself, on his old chair, and sunk his head down upon his knees ?The good Lord have pity on us!? said Aunt Chloe?O! it don?t seem as if it was true! What has he done, that Mas?r should sell him?? ?He hasn?t done anything,?it isn?t for thatMaster don?t want to sell, and Missis she?s always goodI heard her plead and beg for us; but he told her ?t was no use; that he was in this man?s debt, and that this man had got the power over him; and that if he didn?t pay him off clear, it would end in his having to sell the place and all the people, and move offYes, I heard him say there was no choice between selling these two and selling all, the man was driving him so hardMaster said he was sorry; but oh, Missis?you ought to have heard her talk! If she an?t a Christian and an angel, there never was oneI?m a wicked girl to leave her so; but, then, I can?t help itShe said, herself, one soul was worth more than the world; and this boy has a soul, and if I let him be carried off, who knows what?ll become of it? It must be right: but, if it an?t right, the Lord forgive me, for I can?t help doing it!? ?Well, old man!? said Aunt Chloe, ?why don?t you go, too? Will you wait to be toted down river, where they kill niggers with hard work and starving? I?d a heap rather die than go there, any day! There?s time for ye,?be off with Lizy,?you?ve got a pass to come and go any timeCome, bustle up, and I?ll get your things together Tom slowly raised his head, and looked sorrowfully but quietly around, and said, ?No, no?I an?t goingLet Eliza go?it?s her right! I wouldn?t be the one to say no??tan?t in natur for her to stay; but you heard what she said! If I must be sold, or all the people on the place, and everything go to rack, why, let me be soldI s?pose I can b?ar it as well as any on ?em,? he added, while something like a sob and a sigh shook his broad, rough chest convulsively?Mas?r always found me on the spot?he always willI never have broke trust, nor used my pass no ways contrary to my word, and I never willIt?s better for me alone to go, than to break up the place and sell allMas?r an?t to blame, Chloe, and he?ll take care of you and the poor?? Here he turned to the rough trundle bed full of little woolly heads, and broke fairly downHe leaned over the back of the chair, and covered his face with his large handsSobs, heavy, hoarse and loud, shook the chair, and great tears fell through his fingers on the floor; just such tears, sir, as you dropped into the coffin where lay your first-born son; such tears, woman, as you shed when you heard the cries of your dying babeFor, sir, he was a man,?and you are but another manAnd, woman, though dressed in silk and jewels, you are but a woman, and, in life?s great straits and mighty griefs, ye feel but one sorrow! ?And now,? said Eliza, as she stood in the door, ?I saw my husband only this afternoon, and I little knew then what was to comeThey have pushed him to the very last standing place, and he told me, today, that he was going to run awayDo try, if you can, to get word to himTell him how I went, and why I went; and tell him I?m going to try and find shop Canada