Chapter XX

Zeno left her when she was breathing quietly, after ordering the two little maids to watch her by turns, or at least to go to sleep very near her, in case she should wake and call. He himself was worn out with fatigue and hunger, for he had not tasted anything since he had supped with Zoë on the previous evening. He went down to his own rooms, where Vito had prepared him food and wine, which he had asked Gorlias to share with him. But the ex-astrologer was gone, and the master ate and drank alone that night, smiling now and then at the recollection of the dark hours in the dry cistern, and giving orders to Vito about the journey which was to be begun on the morrow, if possible. And Vito gave him a detailed account of what had happened in his absence.

Now that Zoë was safe he was supremely happy. In his heart the fighting man had detested the peaceful merchant's life he had chosen to lead for more than two years, and already, in imagination, his hands were on the helm, the salt spray was in his face, and his ship was going free on her course for the wonderful Isles of Adventure.

But by the orders he gave while he ate his supper, Vito understood that he was not going alone. When had Carlo Zeno ever taken rich carpets, soft cushions, silver basins, and delicate provisions to sea with him, except as merchandise, packed in bales and stowed below? A camp-bed ashore, a hammock at sea, were enough for his comfort. Vito mentally noted each order, and when the time came he had forgotten nothing; but he asked no questions.

Early in the morning, when Zeno had learned that Zoë was still asleep, he went down to the harbour and found that Sebastian Cornèr's ship was to sail the next day at dawn, the same vessel that had brought the letter from Venice which had led him to buy Arethusa; the very galley by which she should have been carried to Marco Pesaro, if Zeno had not thought better of the matter before drawing the three hundred ducats.

Now Sebastian Cornèr was a brave captain, as well as a man of business, and could be trusted; and when Zeno had shown him the deed which gave Tenedos to the Serene Republic he did not hesitate, but promised to help Carlo to take possession of the island within three days, before Johannes could change his mind. So that matter was settled, and Zeno departed, saying that he would send his baggage on board during the day.

When he came home he found the secretary waiting with his tale of woe. Omobono looked and felt like an elderly sick lamb, very sorry for himself and terribly anxious not to be blamed for what had happened, while equally afraid of being scolded for talking too much. He had passed through the most awful ordeal of his peaceful life very bravely, he believed; and if Zeno had called him a cackling hen that morning the shock might have unsettled his brain, and would certainly have broken his heart.

But Zeno had been informed by Vito of the events that had disturbed his household, and knew that Omobono had done his best, considering what his worst might have been, he being of a timid temperament.

'You did very well,' said the master. 'In ancient days, Omobono, those who died for their faith were indeed venerated as martyrs, but those who suffered and lived were afterwards revered as confessors. That is your position.'

This piece of information Zeno had acquired, with more of the same kind, when he had expected to be made a canon of Patras. Omobono's heart glowed at the praise.

'And the confessor, sir, has the advantage of being alive and can still be useful,' he ventured to suggest, though with some diffidence.

'Precisely,' Zeno assented. 'A live dog is better than a dead lion. I mean a watch-dog, of course, Omobono,' he added rather hastily, 'a faithful watch-dog.'

Omobono's appearance that morning did not suggest the guardian of the flock, the shepherd's shaggy friend. Not in the least; but he was pleased, and when he was told that he was to pack his belongings and make ready to leave Constantinople for a trip to Venice his delight actually brought a little colour into his grey cheeks.

'And may I enquire, sir,' he began, 'about the----' he paused and looked significantly at the ceiling, to indicate the upper story of the house,--'about the lady?' he added, finishing his question at last.

'She goes with us,' answered Zeno briefly.

'Yes, sir. But may I ask whether it will be part of my duty to be responsible for her?'

'You?' Zeno looked at the little man in undisguised astonishment.

'I mean, sir, on Messer Marco Pesaro's account. I had understood----'

'No,' said Zeno, 'you had not understood.'

'But then, sir----'

'Omobono, I have often warned you against your curiosity.'

'Yes, sir. I pray every day for strength to withstand it. Nevertheless, though I know it is a sin it sometimes leads me to learn things which are of use. I do not think that if you knew what I know, sir, you would contemplate the possibility of disposing of----'

'You talk too much,' said Zeno. 'If you have anything to say, then say it. If you have nothing to say, then say nothing. But do not talk. What have you found out?'

Thus deprived of the pleasure of telling a long story, Omobono conscientiously tried to impart his information in the fewest possible words.

'The lady is not called Arethusa, sir. Before she sold herself to Rustan to save her people from starvation she was called Zoë Rhangabé, the daughter of the Protosparthos who was executed by Andronicus----'

'Rhangabé?' repeated Zeno, not believing him; for it was a great name, and is still.

'Yes, sir. But that was not her name, either, for he and his wife had adopted her because they had no children, but afterwards two boys were born to them----'

'Confound their boys!' interrupted Zeno. 'Who is she?'

'Her real name is Bianca Giustiniani; she is a Venetian by birth, and her father and mother died of the plague here soon after she was born. You see, sir, under the circumstances, and although the lady called herself a slave, such a commission as Messer Marco Pesaro's----'

'Omobono,' said Zeno, interrupting him again, 'get a priest here at once. I am going to be married.'

'Married, sir?' The little secretary was aghast.

'Send Vito for the priest!'

And before Omobono could say more, Zeno had left the room.

He found Zoë standing by the open window, and the morning sun was still streaming in. Her hair was not taken up yet, but lay like silk all over her shoulders, still damp from the bath. She was a little pale, as a flower that has blossomed in a dark room, and the rough white silk of the robe she drew closely round her showed by contrast the delicate tint and texture of her skin, and the sweet freshness of the tender and spiritual mouth.

He took her hand and looked at her earnestly before he spoke. Only a night, a day and a night, had passed since he had understood what had hidden itself in his heart for weeks. That same truth had stolen into hers, too, but she had known what it meant.

'You kept your secret well,' he said--'too well!'

She shook her head, thinking he spoke of her love.

'You knew it long ago,' she answered. 'And what you did not know, you guessed. You kept yours better far.'

'I kept that one from myself, as best I could,' said he, understanding what she meant. 'I could not keep it for ever! But since we know that we love, our life begins here, and together. Together, because you saved mine--I know everything, for they have told me; and so my life is yours, and yours is mine, because we were born to mate, as falcons mate with falcons, doves with doves, and song-birds with song-birds.'

'Say falcons!' laughed Zoë. 'I like the brave bird better!'

'I do, too,--and so my little falcon, Arethusa, we must wing it together to a safer nest before Tocktamish or some other barbarian stirs up a counter-revolution. Will you come with me?'

She smiled and laid her hand in his.

'Am I not your bought slave?' she asked. 'I must obey.'

'That is not enough. We are Christian man and maid. You shall go with me in honour to my own people.'

'A gentleman of Venice cannot marry a slave,' she objected, though she smiled.

He laughed, happily, and drew back from her a little.

'A gentleman of Venice may do what seems good in his own eyes, if it be not treason,' he said. 'I publish the banns of marriage between Messer Carlo Zeno, of Venice, bachelor, and Arethusa----'

'Of Rustan Karaboghazji's slave market, spinster!' suggested Zoë, laughing with him. 'It is a noble alliance for the great Doge's house, sir!'

'Oh! You talk of Doges? Then I will put it in another way, as the priest will say it presently, for I think he is waiting downstairs by this time, and Omobono is teaching him his lesson.'

'How shall you put it?'

'Bianca Giustiniani, wilt thou take this man to be thy wedded husband?'

She was taken by surprise, and for a moment the words would not come.

'Wilt thou take this man?' he asked again, but more softly now, and nearer to her lips, though he did not see them; for he thought he saw her soul in her brave brown eyes, and as for her answer, he knew it.

* * * * *

Now the rest of Zeno's life, with much of what the story-teller has told here, is extant in very bad Latin, written by one of his grandsons, the good bishop Jacopo Zeno of Belluno: how he sailed down the Dardanelles, and made good the Emperor John's gift of Tenedos to the Republic; and how the Genoese tried hard to take it from him; and how he fought like the hero he was, with a handful of men against a host, and drove them off and saved the island; and also how he lived to save Venice herself from them when all seemed lost, and broke their power for ever afterwards; and how he did many other glorious and great things, all after he had taken Bianca Giustiniani to wife.

Mr. F. MARION CRAWFORD'S NOVELS

THE SARACINESCA SERIES

_In the binding of the Uniform Edition, each, $1.50_

=Saracinesca=

"The work has two distinct merits, either of which would serve to
make it great,--that of telling a perfect story in a perfect way,
and of giving a graphic picture of Roman society in the last days
of the Pope's temporal power.... The story is exquisitely
told."--_Boston Traveler._

=Sant' Ilario.= A Sequel to "Saracinesca"

"A singularly powerful and beautiful story.... It fulfils every
requirement of artistic fiction. It brings out what is most
impressive in human action, without owing any of its
effectiveness to sensationalism or artifice. It is natural,
fluent in evolution, accordant with experience, graphic in
description, penetrating in analysis, and absorbing in
interest."--_New York Tribune._

=Don Orsino.= A Sequel to "Sant' Ilario"

"Perhaps the cleverest novel of the year.... There is not a dull
paragraph in the book, and the reader may be assured that once
begun, the story of _Don Orsino_ will fascinate him until its
close."--_The Critic._

=Taquisara=

"To Mr. Crawford's Roman novels belongs the supreme quality of
uniting subtly drawn characters to a plot of uncommon
interest."--_Chicago Tribune._

=Corleone=

"Mr. Crawford is the novelist born ... a natural story-teller,
with wit, imagination, and insight added to a varied and profound
knowledge of social life."--_The Inter-Ocean_, Chicago.

=Casa Braccio.=

_In two volumes, $2.00._ Illustrated by A. Castaigne
Like _Taquisara_ and _Corleone_, it is closely related in plot
to the fortunes of the Saracinesca family.

"Mr. Crawford's books have life, pathos, and insight; he tells
a dramatic story with many exquisite touches."--_New York Sun._

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Mr. F. MARION CRAWFORD'S NOVELS

NOVELS OF ROMAN SOCIAL LIFE

_In decorated cloth covers, each, $1.50_

=A Roman Singer=

"One of the earliest and best works of this famous novelist....
None but a genuine artist could have made so true a picture of
human life, crossed by human passions and interwoven with human
weakness. It is a perfect specimen of literary art."--_The
Newark Advertiser._

=Marzio's Crucifix=

"We have repeatedly had occasion to say that Mr. Crawford
possesses in an extraordinary degree the art of constructing a
story. It is as if it could not have been written otherwise, so
naturally does the story unfold itself, and so logical and
consistent is the sequence of incident after incident. As a
story, Marzio's Crucifix is perfectly constructed."--_New York
Commercial Advertiser._

=Heart of Rome.= A Tale of the Lost Water

"Mr. Crawford has written a story of absorbing interest, a
story with a genuine thrill in it; he has drawn his characters
with a sure and brilliant touch, and he has said many things
surpassingly well."--_New York Times Saturday Review._

=Cecilia.= A Story of Modern Rome

"That F. Marion Crawford is a master of mystery needs no new
telling.... His latest novel, _Cecilia_, is as weird as
anything he has done since the memorable _Mr. Isaacs_.... A
strong, interesting, dramatic story, with the picturesque Roman
setting beautifully handled as only a master's touch could do
it."--_Philadelphia Evening Telegraph._

=Whosoever Shall Offend=

"It is a story sustained from beginning to end by an ever
increasing dramatic quality."--_New York Evening Post._

=Pietro Ghisleri=

"The imaginative richness, the marvellous ingenuity of plot,
the power and subtlety of the portrayal of character, the charm
of the romantic environment,--the entire atmosphere,
indeed,--rank this novel at once among the great
creations."--_The Boston Budget._

=To Leeward=

"The four characters with whose fortunes this novel deals, are,
perhaps, the most brilliantly executed portraits in the whole
of Mr. Crawford's long picture gallery, while for subtle
insight into the springs of human passion and for swift
dramatic action none of the novels surpasses this one."--_The
News and Courier._

=A Lady of Rome=

Mr. Crawford has no equal as a writer of brilliant cosmopolitan
fiction, in which the characters really belong to the chosen
scene and the story interest is strong. His novels possess
atmosphere in a high degree.

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

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Mr. F. MARION CRAWFORD'S NOVELS

Mr. Crawford has no equal as a writer of brilliant cosmopolitan fiction, in which the characters really belong to the chosen scene and the story interest is strong. His novels possess atmosphere in a high degree.

=Mr. Isaacs= (India)

Its scenes are laid in Simla, chiefly. This is the work which
first placed its author among the most brilliant novelists of
his day.

=Greifenstein= (The Black Forest)

"... Another notable contribution to the literature of the day.
It possesses originality in its conception and is a work of
unusual ability. Its interest is sustained to the close, and it
is an advance even on the previous work of this talented
author. Like all Mr. Crawford's work, this novel is crisp,
clear, and vigorous, and will be read with a great deal of
interest."--New _York Evening Telegram._

=Zoroaster= (Persia)

"It is a drama in the force of its situations and in the poetry
and dignity of its language; but its men and women are not men
and women of a play. By the naturalness of their conversation
and behavior they seem to live and lay hold of our human
sympathy more than the same characters on a stage could
possibly do."--_The New York Times._

=The Witch of Prague= (Bohemia)

_"A fantastic tale," illustrated by W. J. Hennessy._

"The artistic skill with which this extraordinary story is
constructed and carried out is admirable and delightful.... Mr.
Crawford has scored a decided triumph, for the interest of the
tale is sustained throughout.... A very remarkable, powerful,
and interesting story."--_New York Tribune._

=Paul Patoff= (Constantinople)

"Mr. Crawford has a marked talent for assimilating local color,
not to make mention of a broader historical sense. Even though
he may adopt, as it is the romancer's right to do, the extreme
romantic view of history, it is always a living and moving
picture that he evolves for us, varied and stirring."--_New
York Evening Post._

=Marietta= (Venice)

"No living writer can surpass Mr. Crawford in the construction
of a complicated plot and the skilful unravelling of the
tangled skein."--_Chicago Record-Herald._

"He has gone back to the field of his earlier triumphs, and
has, perhaps, scored the greatest triumph of them all."--_New
York Herald._

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Mr. F. MARION CRAWFORD'S NOVELS

_In the binding of the new Uniform Edition, each, $1.50_

=Via Crucis.= A Romance of the Second Crusade. Illustrated by Louis Loeb

"_Via Crucis_ ... A tale of former days, possessing an air of
reality and an absorbing interest such as few writers since
Scott have been able to accomplish when dealing with historical
characters."--_Boston Transcript._

=In the Palace of the King= (Spain)

"_In the Palace of the King_ is a masterpiece; there is a
picturesqueness, a sincerity which will catch all readers in an
agreeable storm of emotion, and even leave a hardened reviewer
impressed and delighted."--_Literature_, London.

=With the Immortals=

"The strange central idea of the story could have occurred only
to a writer whose mind was very sensitive to the current of
modern thought and progress, while its execution, the setting
it forth in proper literary clothing, could be successfully
attempted only by one whose active literary ability should be
fully equalled by his power of assimilative knowledge both
literary and scientific, and no less by his courage and
capacity for hard work. The book will be found to have a
fascination entirely new for the habitual reader of novels.
Indeed, Mr. Crawford has succeeded in taking his readers quite
above the ordinary plane of novel interest."--_Boston
Advertiser._

=Children of the King= (Calabria)

"One of the most artistic and exquisitely finished pieces of
work that Crawford has produced. The picturesque setting,
Calabria and its surroundings, the beautiful Sorrento and the
Gulf of Salerno, with the bewitching accessories that climate,
sea, and sky afford, give Mr. Crawford rich opportunities to
show his rare descriptive powers. As a whole the book is strong
and beautiful through its simplicity, and ranks among the
choicest of the author's many fine productions."--_Public
Opinion._

=A Cigarette Maker's Romance= (Munich)

=and Khaled=, a Tale of Arabia

"Two gems of subtle analysis of human passion and
motive."--_Times._

"The interest is unflagging throughout. Never has Mr. Crawford
done more brilliant realistic work than here. But his realism
is only the case and cover for those intense feelings which,
placed under no matter what humble conditions, produce the most
dramatic and the most tragic situations.... This is a secret of
genius, to take the most coarse and common material, the
meanest surroundings, the most sordid material prospects, and
out of the vehement passions which sometimes dominate all human
beings to build up with these poor elements, scenes and
passages the dramatic and emotional power of which at once
enforce attention and awaken the profoundest interest."--_New
York Tribune._

=Fair Margaret.= A Portrait

"An exhilarating romance ... alluring in its naturalness and
grace."--_Boston Herald._

Mr. F. MARION CRAWFORD'S NOVELS

WITH SCENES LAID IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA

_In the binding of the Uniform Edition_

=A Tale of a Lonely Parish=

"It is a pleasure to have anything so perfect of its kind as
this brief and vivid story.... It is doubly a success, being
full of human sympathy, as well as thoroughly artistic in its
nice balancing of the unusual with the commonplace, the clever
juxtaposition of innocence and guilt, comedy and tragedy,
simplicity and intrigue."--_Critic._

=Dr. Claudius.= A True Story

The scene changes from Heidelberg to New York, and much of the
story develops during the ocean voyage.

"There is a satisfying quality in Mr. Crawford's strong, vital,
forceful stories."--_Boston Herald._

=An American Politician.=

The scenes are laid in Boston

"It need scarcely be said that the story is skilfully and
picturesquely written, portraying sharply individual characters
in well-defined surroundings."-_New York Commercial
Advertiser._

=The Three Fates=

"Mr. Crawford has manifestly brought his best qualities as a
student of human nature and his finest resources as a master of
an original and picturesque style to bear upon this story.
Taken for all in all, it is one of the most pleasing of all his
productions in fiction, and it affords a view of certain phases
of American, or perhaps we should say of New York, life that
have not hitherto been treated with anything like the same
adequacy and felicity."--_Boston Beacon._

=Marion Darche=

"Full enough of incident to have furnished material for three
or four stories.... A most interesting and engrossing book.
Every page unfolds new possibilities, and the incidents
multiply rapidly."--_Detroit Free Press._

"We are disposed to rank Marion Darche as the best of Mr.
Crawford's American stories."-_The Literary World._

=Katharine Lauderdale=

=The Ralstons.= A Sequel to "Katharine Lauderdale"

"Mr. Crawford at his best is a great novelist, and in
_Katharine Lauderdale_ we have him at his best."--_Boston Daily
Advertiser._

"A most admirable novel, excellent in style, flashing with
humor, and full of the ripest and wisest reflections upon men
and women."--_The Westminster Gazette._

"It is the first time, we think, in American fiction that any
such breadth of view has shown itself in the study of our
social framework."--_Life._

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

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Mr. WINSTON CHURCHILL'S NOVELS

_Each, cloth, gilt tops and titles, $1.50_

=The Celebrity.= An Episode

"No such piece of inimitable comedy in a literary way has
appeared for years.... It is the purest, keenest fun."--Chicago
Inter-_Ocean._

=Richard Carvel= Illustrated

"... In breadth of canvas, massing of dramatic effect, depth of
feeling, and rare wholesomeness of spirit, it has seldom, if
ever, been surpassed by an American romance."--_Chicago
Tribune._

=The Crossing= Illustrated

"_The Crossing_ is a thoroughly interesting book, packed with
exciting adventure and sentimental incident, yet faithful to
historical fact both in detail and in spirit."--_The Dial._

=The Crisis= Illustrated

"It is a charming love story, and never loses its interest....
The intense political bitterness, the intense patriotism of
both parties, are shown understandingly."--_Evening Telegraph_,
Philadelphia.

=Coniston= Illustrated

"Coniston has a lighter, gayer spirit, and a deeper, tenderer
touch than Mr. Churchill has ever achieved before.... It is one
of the truest and finest transcripts of modern American life
thus far achieved in our fiction."--_Chicago Record-Herald._

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

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Mr. JAMES LANE ALLEN'S NOVELS

_Each, cloth, 12mo, $1.50_

=The Choir Invisible=

_This can also be had in a special edition illustrated by Orson
Lowell, $2.50_

"One reads the story for the story's sake, and then re-reads
the book out of pure delight in its beauty. The story is
American to the very core.... Mr. Allen stands to-day in the
front rank of American novelists. _The Choir Invisible_ will
solidify a reputation already established and bring into clear
light his rare gifts as an artist. For this latest story is as
genuine a work of art as has come from an American
hand."--HAMILTON MABIE in _The Outlook_.

=The Reign of Law.= A Tale of the Kentucky Hempfields

"Mr. Allen has a style as original and almost as perfectly
finished as Hawthorne's, and he has also Hawthorne's fondness
for spiritual suggestion that makes all his stories rich in the
qualities that are lacking in so many novels of the period....
If read in the right way, it cannot fail to add to one's
spiritual possessions."--_San Francisco Chronicle._

=Summer in Arcady.= A Tale of Nature

"This story by James Lane Allen is one of the gems of the
season. It is artistic in its setting, realistic and true to
nature and life in its descriptions, dramatic, pathetic,
tragic, in its incidents; indeed, a veritable masterpiece that
must become classic. It is difficult to give an outline of the
story; it is one of the stories which do not outline; it must
be read."--_Boston Daily Advertiser._

=The Mettle of the Pasture=

"It may be that _The Mettle of the Pasture_ will live and
become a part of our literature; it certainly will live far
beyond the allotted term of present-day fiction. Our principal
concern is that it is a notable novel, that it ranks high in
the range of American and English fiction, and that it is worth
the reading, the re-reading, and the continuous appreciation of
those who care for modern literature at its best."--By E. F. E.
in the _Boston Transcript_.

_Shorter Stories. Each, $1.50_

=The Blue Grass Region of Kentucky=

=Flute and Violin, and Other Kentucky Tales=

_Each, illustrated, $1.00_

=A Kentucky Cardinal=

=Aftermath.= A Sequel to "A Kentucky Cardinal"

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

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Mr. OWEN WISTER'S NOVELS

_Each, in decorated cloth cover, $1.50_

=The Virginian=

"The vanished West is made to live again by Owen Wister in a
manner which makes his book easily the best that deals with the
cowboy and the cattle country.... It is picturesque, racy, and
above all it is original."--_The Philadelphia Press._

=Lady Baltimore=

"After cowboy stories innumerable, _The Virginian_ came as the
last and definite word on that romantic subject in our fiction.
_Lady Baltimore_ will serve in much the same way as the most
subtly drawn picture of the old-world dignity of the vanished
South."--_The New York Evening Mail._

Mr. EDEN PHILPOTTS'S NOVELS

_Each, in decorated cloth, $1.50_

=The American Prisoner= Illustrated

"Intensely readable ... perfectly admirable in its elemental
humor and racy turns of speech."--_The Spectator_, London.

=The Secret Woman=

"There cannot be two opinions as to the interest and the power
of _The Secret Woman_. It is not only its author's masterpiece,
but it is far in advance of anything he has yet written--and
that is to give it higher praise than almost any other
comparison with contemporary fiction could afford."--Times
Saturday Review.

=Knock at a Venture=

Sketches of the rustic life of Devon, rich in racy, quaint, and
humorous touches.

=The Portreeve=

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

PUBLISHERS, 64-66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

Mr. ROBERT HERRICK'S NOVELS

_Cloth, extra, gilt tops, $1.50_

=The Gospel of Freedom=

"A novel that may truly be called the greatest study of social
life, in a broad and very much up-to-date sense, that has ever
been contributed to American fiction."--_Chicago Inter-Ocean._

=The Web of Life=

"It is strong in that it faithfully depicts many phases of
American life, and uses them to strengthen a web of fiction,
which is most artistically wrought out."--_Buffalo Express._

=The Real World=

"The title of the book has a subtle intention. It indicates,
and is true to the verities in doing so, the strange dreamlike
quality of life to the man who has not yet fought his own
battles, or come into conscious possession of his will--only
such battles bite into the consciousness."--_Chicago Tribune._

=The Common Lot=

"It grips the reader tremendously.... It is the drama of a
human soul the reader watches ... the finest study of human
motive that has appeared for many a day."--_The World To-day._

=The Memoirs of an American Citizen.= Illustrated with about fifty drawings by F. B. Masters

"Mr. Herrick's book is a book among many, and he comes nearer
to reflecting a certain kind of recognizable, contemporaneous
American spirit than anybody has yet done."--_New York Times._

"Intensely absorbing as a story, it is also a crisp, vigorous
document of startling significance. More than any other writer
to-day he is giving us the American novel."--_New York Globe._

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Mr. JACK LONDON'S NOVELS, etc.

_Each, in decorated cloth binding, $1.50_

=The Call of the Wild= Illustrated in colors

"A big story in sober English, and with thorough art in the
construction; a wonderfully perfect bit of work; a book that
will be heard of long. The dog's adventures are as exciting as
any man's exploits could be, and Mr. London's workmanship is
wholly satisfying."--_The New York Sun._

=The Sea-Wolf= Illustrated in colors

"Jack London's The Sea-Wolf is marvellously truthful....
Reading it through at a sitting, we have found it poignantly
interesting; ... a superb piece of craftsmanship."--_The New
York Tribune._

=White Fang= Illustrated in colors

"A thrilling story of adventure ... stirring indeed ... and it
touches a chord of tenderness that is all too rare in Mr.
London's work."--_Record-Herald, Chicago._

=Before Adam= Illustrated in colors

"The story moves with a wonderful sequence of interesting and
wholly credible events. The marvel of it all is not in the
story itself, but in the audacity of the man who undertook such
a task as the writing of it.... From an artistic standpoint the
book is an undoubted success. And it is no less a success from
the standpoint of the reader who seeks to be
entertained."--_The Plain Dealer_, Cleveland.

_Shorter Stories_

Children of the Frost
Faith of Men
Tales of the Fish Patrol
The Game
Moon Face
Love of Life

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Mr. WILLIAM STEARNS DAVIS'S NOVELS

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=A Friend of Cæsar=

"As a story ... there can be no question of its success....
While the beautiful love of Cornelia and Drusus lies at the
sound sweet heart of the story, to say so is to give a most
meagre idea of the large sustained interest of the whole....
There are many incidents so vivid, so brilliant, that they fix
themselves in the memory."--NANCY HUSTON BANKS in _The
Bookman_.

"=God Wills It.=" A Tale of the First Crusade. Illustrated by Louis Betts

"Not since Sir Walter Scott cast his spell over us with
_Ivanhoe, Count Robert of Paris_, and _Quentin Durward_ have we
been so completely captivated by a story as by '_God Wills
It_.' It grips the attention of the reader in the first chapter
and holds it till the last."--_Christian Endeavor World._

=Falaise of the Blessed Voice.= A Tale of the Youth of St. Louis, King of France

"In this tale of the youth of Louis, King of France and
afterward saint in the calendar of the Catholic Church, Mr.
Davis has fulfilled the promises contained in _A Friend of
Cæsar_ and '_God Wills It_.' The novel is not only interesting
and written with skill in the scenes which are really dramatic,
but it is convincing in its character drawing and its analysis
of motives."--_Evening Post_, New York.

=A Victor of Salamis.= A Tale of the Days of Xerxes, Leonidas, and Themistocles

"An altogether admirable picture of Hellenic life and Hellenic
ideals. It is just such a book as will convey to the average
reader what is the eternal value of Greek Life to the world ...
carried breathlessly along by a style which never poses, and
yet is always strong and dignified.... This remarkable book
takes its place with the best of historical fiction. Those who
have made their acquaintance with the characters in the days of
their youth will find delight in the remembrance. Those who
would fain learn something of the golden days of Greece could
not do better than use Mr. Davis for guide."--_The Daily Post_,
Liverpool.

"It is seldom that the London critics admit that an American
may wear the mantle of Scott, but they are declaring that this
book entitles Mr. Davis to a place among novelists not far
below the author of _The Talisman_."

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

PUBLISHERS, 64-66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT'S NOVELS, etc.

(Published originally as by "Barbara," the Commuter's wife)

_Each, in decorated cloth binding, $1.50_

=The Garden of a Commuter's Wife.= Illustrated from photographs

"Reading it is like having the entry into a home of the class
that is the proudest product of our land, a home where love of
books and love of nature go hand in hand with hearty simple
love of 'folks.'... It is a charming book."--_The Interior._

=People of the Whirlpool= Illustrated

"The whole book is delicious, with its wise and kindly humor,
its just perspective of the true values of things, its clever
pen pictures of people and customs, and its healthy optimism
for the great world in general."--_Philadelphia Evening
Telegraph._

=The Woman Errant=

"The book is worth reading. It will cause discussion. It is an
interesting, fictional presentation of an important modern
question, treated with fascinating feminine adroitness."--Miss
JEANNETTE GILDER in _The Chicago Tribune_.

=At the Sign of the Fox=

"Her little pictures of country life are fragrant with a
genuine love of nature, and there is fun as genuine in her
notes on rural character. A travelling pieman is one of her
most lovable personages; another is Tatters, a dog, who is
humanly winsome and wise, and will not soon be forgotten by the
reader of this very entertaining book."--_New York Tribune._

=The Garden, You and I=

"This volume is simply the best she has yet put forth, and
quite too deliciously torturing to the reviewer, whose only
garden is in Spain.... The delightful humor which persuaded the
earlier books, and without which Barbara would not be Barbara,
has lost nothing of its poignancy, and would make _The Garden,
You and I_ pleasant reading even to the man who doesn't know a
pink from a phlox or a _Daphne cneorum_ from a Cherokee
rose."--_Congregationalist._

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

PUBLISHERS, 64-66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

THE MERWIN-WEBSTER NOVELS

_Each, in decorated cloth covers, $1.50_

=Calumet "K"= Illustrated by Harry C. Edwards

"_Calumet 'K'_ is a novel that is exciting and absorbing, but
not the least bit sensational. It is the story of a rush....
The book is an unusually good story; one that shows the inner
workings of the labor union, and portrays men who are the bone
and sinew of the earth."--_The Toledo Blade._

=The Short Line War=

"A capital story of adventure in the field of
railroading."--_Outlook._

Mr. MARK LEE LUTHER'S NOVELS

_Each, in cloth, decorated covers, $1.50_

=The Henchman=

"It wins admiration on almost every page by the cleverness of
its inventions."--CHURCHILL WILLIAMS in _The Bookman_.

=The Mastery=

"A story of really notable power remarkable for its
strength."--_Times._

Mr. and Mrs. CASTLE'S NOVELS

_Each, in decorated cloth binding, $1.50_

=The Pride of Jennico=

"This lively story has a half-historic flavor which adds to its
interest ... told with an intensity of style which almost takes
away the breath of the reader."--_Boston Transcript._

=If Youth But Knew=

"They should be the most delightful of comrades, for their
writing is so apt, so responsive, so joyous, so saturated with
the promptings and the glamour of spring. It is because _If
Youth But Knew_ has all these adorable qualities that it is so
fascinating."--_Cleveland Leader._

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PUBLISHERS, 64-66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

Mr. JOHN LUTHER LONG'S NOVELS, etc.

_Each, in decorated cloth covers, $1.50_

=The Way of the Gods=

"There can be no doubt as to the artistic quality of his story.
It rings true with the golden ring of chivalry and of woman's
love, it rings true for all lovers of romance, wherever they
be, ... and is told with an art worthy of the idea."--_New York
Mail._

=Heimweh and Other Stories=

"As in _Madam Butterfly_ his subtle appreciation of love's
tender mystery creates an exquisite thrill of 'the heavenly
longing--for the love--the loved ones' the one thing that
through poverty and age can keep the door open to joy."--_New
York Times._

Miss BEULAH MARIE DIX'S NOVELS, etc.

_Each, in decorated cloth covers, $1.50_

=The Making of Christopher Ferringham=

"In brilliancy, exciting interest, and verisimilitude, _The
Making of Christopher Ferringham_ is one of the best of the
semi-historical novels of the day, and not unworthy of
comparison with Maurice Hewlett's best."--_Boston Advertiser._

=The Life, Treason, and Death of James Blount of Breckenhow=

"A novel that may fairly challenge comparison with the very
best, telling the story of treason and a love, of many good
fights, a few mistakes, and a good death at the last."--_The
Boston Transcript._

=The Fair Maid of Greystones=

"The plot of _The Fair Maid of Greystones_ is not unworthy of
Weyman at his best. This is strong praise, but it is deserved.
From the moment Jack Hetherington, the Cavalier volunteer,
assumes the identity of his blackguard cousin, and thus escapes
certain death to face the responsibility for his kinsman's dark
deeds, until the end, which is sanely happy, the adventure
never flags. This is one of the few historical novels in whose
favor an exception may well be made by those who long since
lost interest in the school."--_New York Mail._

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

PUBLISHERS, 64-66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

Mr. CHARLES MAJOR'S NOVELS

_Each, in decorated cloth binding, $1.50_

=Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall.= Illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy

"Dorothy is a splendid creation, a superb creature of brains,
beauty, force, capacity, and passion, a riot of energy, love,
and red blood. She is the fairest, fiercest, strongest,
tenderest heroine that ever woke up a jaded novel reader and
made him realize that life will be worth living so long as the
writers of fiction create her like.... The story has brains,
'go,' virility, gumption, and originality."--_The Boston
Herald._

=A Forest Hearth.= A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties. Illustrated

"This work is a novel full of charm and action, picturing the
life and love of the fascinating indomitably adventurous men
and women, boys and girls, who developed Indiana. It is a
vigorous, breezy, outdoor book, with the especial intimate
touch that is possible only when the subject is one which has
long lain close to its author's heart."--_Daily News._

=Yolanda, Maid of Burgundy= Illustrated

"Charles Major has done the best work of his life in _Yolanda_.
The volume is a genuine romance ... and after the reviewer has
become surfeited with problem novels, it is like coming out
into the sunlight to read the fresh, sweet story of her love
for Max."--_The World To-day._

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

PUBLISHERS, 64-66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

Mr. JOHN OXENHAM'S NOVEL

=The Long Road= With frontispiece

_Cloth, decorated cover, $1.50_

"Not since Robert Louis Stevenson has there appeared a writer
of English who can so thoroughly serve his turn with simple
Anglo-Saxon phrases ... invested with sympathetic interest,
convincing sincerity, and indefinable charm of
romance."--_North American._

"It is original both in plot and in treatment, and its skilful
mingling of idyllic beauty and tragedy plays curious tricks
with one's emotions ... and leaves an impression of happiness
and spiritual uplift. It is a story that any man or woman will
be the better for reading."--_Record-Herald_, Chicago.

Mr. MAURICE HEWLETT'S NOVELS

_Each, in decorated cloth covers, $1.50_

=The Forest Lovers=

"The book is a joy to read and to remember, a source of clean
and pure delight to the spiritual sense, a triumph of romance
reduced to the essentials, and interpreted with a mastery of
expression that is well-nigh beyond praise."--_The Dial._

=The Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay=

"Mr. Hewlett has done one of the most notable things in recent
literature, a thing to talk about with bated breath, as a bit
of master-craftsmanship touched by the splendid dignity of real
creation."--_The Interior._

=The Queen's Quair=

"_The Queen's Quair_ is, from every point of view, a notable
contribution to historical portraiture in its subtlety, its
vividness of color, its consistency, and its fascination....
Above all, it is intensely interesting."--_The Outlook._

=The Fool Errant=

"It is full of excellent description, of amusing characters,
and of picaresque adventure brilliantly related ... with
infinite humor and vivacity."--_The New York Herald._

=Little Novels of Italy=

"These singularly romantic stories are so true to their
locality that they read almost like translations."--_New York
Times._

=New Canterbury Tales=

"In the key and style of the author's Little Novels of Italy,
it shows again the brilliant qualities of that remarkable book;
... daring but successful."--_New York Tribune._

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY