First Scene—­The Ball-room

Chapter 1.

The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.  The place is an English sea-port.  The time is night.  And the business of the moment is—­dancing.

The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.  The ships of the expedition are two in number—­the Wanderer and the Sea-mew.  They are to sail (in search of the Northwest Passage) on the next day, with the morning tide.

Honor to the Mayor and Corporation!  It is a brilliant ball.  The band is complete.  The room is spacious.  The large conservatory opening out of it is pleasantly lighted with Chinese lanterns, and beautifully decorated with shrubs and flowers.  All officers of the army and navy who are present wear their uniforms in honor of the occasion.  Among the ladies, the display of dresses (a subject which the men don’t understand) is bewildering—­and the average of beauty (a subject which the men do understand) is the highest average attainable, in all parts of the room.

For the moment, the dance which is in progress is a quadrille.  General admiration selects two of the ladies who are dancing as its favorite objects.  One is a dark beauty in the prime of womanhood—­the wife of First Lieutenant Crayford, of the Wanderer.  The other is a young girl, pale and delicate; dressed simply in white; with no ornament on her head but her own lovely brown hair.  This is Miss Clara Burnham—­an orphan.  She is Mrs. Crayford’s dearest friend, and she is to stay with Mrs. Crayford during the lieutenant’s absence in the Arctic regions.  She is now dancing, with the lieutenant himself for partner, and with Mrs. Crayford and Captain Helding (commanding officer of the Wanderer) for vis-a-vis—­in plain English, for opposite couple.

The conversation between Captain Helding and Mrs. Crayford, in one of the intervals of the dance, turns on Miss Burnham.  The captain is greatly interested in Clara.  He admires her beauty; but he thinks her manner—­for a young girl—­strangely serious and subdued.  Is she in delicate health?

Mrs. Crayford shakes her head; sighs mysteriously; and answers,

“In very delicate health, Captain Helding.”

“Consumptive?”

“Not in the least.”

“I am glad to hear that.  She is a charming creature, Mrs. Crayford.  She interests me indescribably.  If I was only twenty years younger—­perhaps (as I am not twenty years younger) I had better not finish the sentence?  Is it indiscreet, my dear lady, to inquire what is the matter with her?”

“It might be indiscreet, on the part of a stranger,” said Mrs. Crayford.  “An old friend like you may make any inquiries.  I wish I could tell you what is the matter with Clara.  It is a mystery to the doctors themselves.  Some of the mischief is due, in my humble opinion, to the manner in which she has been brought up.”