I have long been cured of the foolish idea that we must sacrifice our happiness to what the world may say."Of course Heideck refused to take her words seriously.He did not believe she meant to accompany him to the field, and seized the opportunity of making a proposal which he had already carefully considered.
"I should think the best thing for you to do, my dear Edith, would be to go to my uncle at Hamburg and stay there till the war is over.Then--if Heaven spare my life--there will be nothing to prevent our union."As she made no answer Heideck, who wanted to give her time to think, hastened to turn the conversation.
"Look how beautiful it is!" he said, pointing to the water.
A long succession of white, foaming waves kept pace with the vessel on either side.The keel seemed to be cutting its way through a number of tiny cliffs, over which the sea was breaking.But closer inspection showed that they were no cliffs, but countless shoals of large fish, swimming alongside the ship, as if in order of battle.
From time to time they leaped high out of the water, their bright, scaly bodies glistening in the sun.
"I should like to be one of those dolphins," said Edith."Look, how free they are! how they enjoy life!""You believe in the transmigration of souls?" said Heideck jestingly; "perhaps you have once been such a dolphin yourself.""Then certainly I have made no change for the better.There is no doubt that our higher intellectual development prevents us from properly enjoying our natural existence.But it teaches us to feel more deeply the sorrows, which are far more numerous than the joys of human life.".......
The journey through the Indian Ocean took six days, and Heideck frequently had an opportunity of hearing the views of English officers and officials on the political situation.All blamed the incapacity of the Government, which had brought England into so perilous a situation.
"The good old principles of English policy have been abandoned,"said a Colonel, who had been severely wounded and was returning home invalided."In former times England made her conquests when the continental Powers were involved in war, or she carried on war with allies, to enlarge her possessions.But she has never allowed herself to be so disgracefully surprised before.Of course we shall beat France and Germany, for it is a question of sea power.
But even when they are beaten, we shall still have the worst of it;the loss of India is as bad for England's health and efficiency as the amputation of my left leg for me.I am returning to England a cripple, and my poor country will only be a cripple after she has lost India.""Quite true," said Mr.Kennedy; "I am afraid it will be difficult--impossible, to recover India.We were able to rob the French, the Dutch, and the Portuguese of their Indian possessions, since their only connexion with India was by sea; but the Russians will annex the peninsula to their Empire and, even in case of a defeat, will be able to send fresh troops without number overland.I can already see them attacking Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, occupying the harbours built with our money, and building a fleet in our docks with the resources of India.""We have no right to blame the continental Powers," continued the Colonel, "for using our defeats for their own aggrandisement.
There is no Power at whose expense we have not grown great.We took all our possessions by force of arms from the Spaniards, the Dutch, the Portuguese, and the French; we have always opposed Russia, since she began to develop her power.We supported Turkey, we invaded the Crimea and destroyed Sebastopol, we suffocated her fleet in the Black Sea.But this time we are out of our reckoning.
We have allowed the Japanese to attack Russia; but if our ministers believed that Japan would fight for any one but herself, they have made a great mistake.Russia is making us pay for her losses in the Far East.""It is not Russia, but Germany, that is our worst enemy,"contradicted Mr.Kennedy."Russia has only been our enemy since we let Germany grow so powerful.I remember how our ministers exulted when Prussia was at war with France and Austria.The continent of Europe again seemed paralysed for a long time by internal disruption.But our triumph was short-lived! No one had suspected that Prussia would prove so strong.Then the first defects in our policy became apparent.After the first German victories on the Rhine, England ought to have concluded an alliance with France and declared war against Prussia.Great political revolutions require considerable time, and a clever government should always look ahead.Bismarck slowly prepared England's defeat.Thirty years ago we had a presentiment of this; it threatened us like a storm-cloud, but our Government had not the courage to look things in the face and lacked the energy."A general, who had hitherto said nothing, took up the conversation.
He belonged to the engineers, and was on his way to take over the command of Gibraltar.
"We talk about the loss of India," said he; "but who knows whether we have not to fear an invasion of England herself?""Impossible!" exclaimed all the gentlemen present; "England will never allow her men-of-war to be driven out of the Channel.""I hope so too, but I don't know whether you gentlemen remember how close the danger of Napoleon landing an army on English soil once was.""And if it had made its appearance, it would have been smashed to pieces by British fists!" cried Mr.Kennedy.
