the farm
still lay to the credit of the latter in the Standard Bank at Newcastle,
in Natal, together with another two hundred and fifty pounds in cash.

And so in due course they went.

Now what more is there to tell? Jess, to those who read what has been
written as it is meant to be read, was the soul of it all, and Jess--is
dead. It is useless to set a lifeless thing upon its feet, rather let us
strive to follow the soarings of the spirit. Jess is dead and her story
at an end.

* * * * *

So but one word more.

After some difficulty, John Niel, within three months of his arrival
in England, obtained employment as a land agent to a large estate
in Rutlandshire, which position he fills to this day, with credit to
himself and such advantage to the property as can be expected in these
times. Also, in due course he became the beloved husband of sweet Bessie
Croft, and on the whole he may be considered a happy man. At times,
however, a sorrow overcomes him of which his wife knows nothing, and for
a while he is not himself.

He is not a man much addicted to sentiment or speculation, but sometimes
when his day's work is done, and he strays to his garden gate and looks
out at the dim and peaceful English landscape beyond, and thence to the
wide star-strewn heavens above, he wonders if the hour will ever come
when once more he will see those dark and passionate eyes, and hear that
sweet remembered voice.

For John feels as near to his lost love now that she is dead as he
felt while she was yet alive. From time to time indeed he seems to know
without possibility of doubt that if, when death is done with, there
should prove to be an individual future for us suffering mortals, as he
for one believes, certainly he will find Jess waiting to greet him at
its gates.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Jess, by H. Rider Haggard

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JESS ***

***** This file should be named 5898.txt or 5898.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/5/8/9/5898/

Produced by John Bickers; Dagny; David Widger

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copy