een two cases of the plague notified in this city to-day, and more
than a hundred in Berlin; consequently, the British Government have
closed their ports to German vessels, and, as it is rumoured that the
disease has made its appearance in France, it is doubtful whether you
will get into a French port either."

"But I must reach England," I answered desperately. "My business is most
important. I do not know what I shall do if I am prevented. I must sail
to-day, or to-morrow at latest."

"In that case, sir, I am afraid it is out of my power to help you," said
the man. "We have received a cablegram from our London office this
morning advising us to despatch no more boats until we receive further
orders."

"Are you sure there is no other way in which you can help me?" I asked.
"I shall be glad to pay anything in reason for the accommodation."

"It is just possible, though I must tell you, sir, I do not think it is
probable, that you might be able to induce the owner of some small craft
to run the risk of putting you across, but as far as we are concerned,
it is out of the question. Why, sir, I can tell you this, if we had a
boat running this afternoon, I could fill every berth thrice over, and
in less than half an hour. What's more, sir, I'd be one of the
passengers myself. We've been deluged with applications all day. It
looks as if everybody is being scared off the Continent by the news of
the plague. I only wish I were safe back in England myself. I was a fool
ever to have left it."

While the man was talking I had been casting about me for some way out
of my difficulty, and the news that this awful pestilence had made its
appearance in the very city in which we now were, filled me with so
great a fear that, under the influence of it, I very nearly broke down.
Pulling myself together, however, I thanked the man for his information,
and made my way into the street once more. There I paused and considered
what I should do. To delay was impossible. Even now Pharos might be
close behind me. A few hours more, and it was just possible he might
have tracked us to our hiding-place. But I soon discovered that even my
dread of Pharos was not as great as my fear of the plague, and as I have
said before, I did not fear that for myself. It was of Valerie I
thought, of the woman I loved more than all the world; whose existence
was so much to me that without her I should not have cared to go on
living. The recollection of her ill