' This was the walk he took his young
wife on the morrow of his return. She had been used to the society
of lawyers and civil servants, moving in that circle which seems to
itself the pivot of the nation and is in truth only a clique like
another; and Fleeming was to her the nameless assistant of a
nameless firm of engineers, doing his inglorious business, as she
now saw for herself, among unsavoury surroundings. But when their
walk brought them within view of the river, she beheld a sight to
her of the most novel beauty: four great, sea-going ships dressed
out with flags. 'How lovely!' she cried. 'What is it for?' - 'For
you,' said Fleeming. Her surprise was only equalled by her
pleasure. But perhaps, for what we may call private fame, there is
no life like that of the engineer; who is a great man in out-of-
the-way places, by the dockside or on the desert island or in
populous ships, and remains quite unheard of in the coteries of
London. And Fleeming had already made his mark among the few who
had an opportunity of knowing him.
Pages:
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127