The Master Builders

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1909. Excerpt: ... man who loses at the game. With her first free breath she knew that they were to be liberated from his devouring influence now. Thank you for holding me, she said, I should have fallen if you had not caught me. I'm not very strong just now. And thank you for coming over, too. I'm glad to see you before you go, and to wish you good luck with the ship. I'm sure she will do all we expect her to do, and that in permitting you to have charge of her we are acting wisely. So then au revoir and good luck until we meet again. For a moment he hesitated, his blood up and his untamable nature in rebellion and impelling him to violence. The level clear-headedness of her tone, her confident manner of implying his subordinate capacity, the abrupt interruption of certain of his private hopes regarding her--Harrison was not the sort of man to accept such conditions readily. There was too much of his black-eyed, easy-hearted mother in him, and of his unsuspected father, too. But four long-drawn, roaring whistles broke the evening stillness outside the house, and he knew that he must go. The Twenty-Nine was sounding her great voice for the first triumphant time. All right, he answered. I'll be back in three days, though. After that we'll see about the future. You and Hector can talk that over later, she said. He will be sorry to have missed you. But he trusts you fully, and expects you to do the right thing with the ship. Good-by. He looked at her fixedly. If he had been sure she meant a taunt he could have beaten her to pieces in that very room in the remaining moments left to him. Then, barred even from connected thought by the resolute coldness of her face, he turned and walked out to the porch. As he went down the steps he heard her behind him at the doorway. O Harrison, she called, ...