PART I.

I. A new-comer
II.  Which contains A few details
III.  Mrs. Reffold learns her lesson
IV.  Concerning WARLI and Marie
V. The disagreeable man
VI.  The traveller and the temple of knowledge
VII.  Bernardine
VIII.  The story moves on at last
IX.  Bernardine preaches
X. The disagreeable man is seen in A new light
XI.  “If one has made the one great sacrifice”
XII.  The disagreeable man makes A loan
XIII.  A domestic scene
XIV.  Concerning the caretakers
XV.  Which contains nothing
XVI.  When the soul knows its own remorse
XVII.  A return to old pastures
XVIII.  A betrothal
XIX.  Ships that speak each other in passing
XX.  A love-letter

PART II.

I. The dusting of the books
II.  Bernardine begins her book
III.  Failure and success:  A prologue
IV.  The disagreeable man gives up his freedom
V. The building of the bridge

SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT.

PART I.

CHAPTER I.

A new-comer.

“Yes, indeed,” remarked one of the guests at the English table, “yes, indeed, we start life thinking that we shall build a great cathedral, a crowning glory to architecture, and we end by contriving a mud hut!”

“I am glad you think so well of human nature,” said the Disagreeable Man, suddenly looking up from the newspaper which he always read during meal-time.  “I should be more inclined to say that we end by being content to dig a hole, and get into it, like the earth men.”

A silence followed these words; the English community at that end of the table was struck with astonishment at hearing the Disagreeable Man speak.  The few sentences he had spoken during the last four years at Petershof were on record; this was decidedly the longest of them all.

“He is going to speak again,” whispered beautiful Mrs. Reffold to her neighbour.