The Dragon In Shallow Waters Author:V. Sackville-West Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Ill Calthorpe and Mr. Medhurst had entered into a conspiracy to spare Silas from attending the inquest. As they walked away from the Denes' cottage togethe... more »r, in the fog, they did not speak for some time. They were turning the same thoughts over in their minds as they paced side by side down the village street, seeing the lights in the windows on either hand very dimly through the fog. The lantern which Calthorpe carried, swaying, lit up a pale milky circle but cast no forward ray. They were chilled; little drops of moisture gathered on the clergyman's eyebrows and on Calthorpe's brown beard; their very footfalls seemed to be muffled by the fog. "It was warmer in Dene's kitchen, Calthorpe!" said the clergyman at last, handling his chilblained fingers tenderly, and then beating his hands together in their thick woollen gloves. "Yes, sir, but I'd sooner be out here than in that unhealthy sort of atmosphere,—like that poor little woman. I think, if you ask me, the fog was thicker in that room than it is out here. I scarcely liked to come away leaving her there. I never saw any one look more out of place. And so resigned, too; never a thought of revolt. But not glum, not pulling a long face; that's what touched me." "No doubt she enjoys sufficient philosophy and religion to accept with a brave fortitude the lot she has herself chosen," said Mr. Medhurst. Calthorpe, who had been feeling slightly exalted and full of a chivalrous emotion, the novelty of which surprised him agreeably, thought that Mr. Medhurst laid hands of lead upon a butterfly. "Well, I thought there was something lighter about her than that, somehow," he said, struggling; but as the clergyman remained rigid, with a compassionate murmur of "Poor soul!" he turned to another subject. "Silas Dene seemed...« less