THE WINDOWperceived, his wife and son, together, in thewindow. They needed his protection; he gave itthem. But after Q? What comes next? After Qthere are a number of letters the last of which isscarcely visible to mortal eyes, but glimmers red inthe distance. Z is only reached once by one manin a generation. Still, if he could reach R itwould be something. Here at least was Q. Hedug his heels in at Q. Q he was sure of. Qhe could demonstrate. If Q then is Q—R—Here he knocked his pipe out, with two or threeresonant taps on the ram’s horn which made thehandle of the urn, and proceeded. "Then R . . ."He braced himself. He clenched himself.

Qualities that would have saved a ship’scompany exposed on a broiling sea with sixbiscuits and a flask of water—endurance andjustice, foresight, devotion, skill, came to his help.R is then—what is R?

A shutter, like the leathern eyelid of a lizard,flickered over the intensity of his gaze andobscured the letter R. In that flash of darkness heheard people saying—he was a failure—that Rwas beyond him. He would never reach R. Onto R, once more. R——

Qualities that in a desolate expedition acrossthe icy solitudes of the Polar region would havemade him the leader, the guide, the counsellor,57
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