



Produced by Ernest Schaal, Beginners Projects and the
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OTHER BOOKS BY MR. HORNUNG

    THE AMATEUR CRACKSMAN. $1.25.

    RAFFLES. MORE ADVENTURES OF THE
      AMATEUR CRACKSMAN. Illustrated by
      F. C. YOHN. $1.50.

    PECCAVI. A NOVEL. $1.50.

    THE SHADOW OF A MAN. $1.25.

    DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES. A
      NOVEL. $1.25.

    SOME PERSONS UNKNOWN. $1.25.

    YOUNG BLOOD. $1.25.

    MY LORD DUKE. $1.25.

    THE ROGUE'S MARCH. A ROMANCE.
      $1.50.

    THE BOSS OF TAROOMBA. [_Ivory
      Series._] 16mo. $0.75.

    A BRIDE FROM THE BUSH. [_Ivory
      Series._] 16mo. $0.75.

    IRRALIE'S BUSHRANGER. A STORY
      OF AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE. [_Ivory
      Series._] 16mo. $0.75.




                                AT LARGE




                                AT LARGE


                               _A NOVEL_

                                   BY
                             E. W. HORNUNG


                        CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
                     NEW YORK::::::::::::::::: 1902




                          COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY
                        CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

                         _All rights reserved_


                        PUBLISHED FEBRUARY, 1902


                             TROW DIRECTORY
                    PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY
                                NEW YORK




                                CONTENTS


                                                             Page

        I. A Nucleus of Fortune                                 1

       II. Sundown                                             11

      III. After Four Years                                    20

       IV. How Dick Came Home                                  28

        V. The First Evening at Graysbrooke                    41

       VI. Sisyphus                                            53

      VII. South Kensington                                    64

     VIII. The Admirable Miles                                 72

       IX. A Dancing Lesson and its Consequences               86

        X. An Old Friend and an Old Memory                     98

       XI. Dressing, Dancing, Looking on                      109

      XII. "To-Morrow, and To-Morrow, and To-Morrow"          123

     XIII. In Bushey Park                                     132

      XIV. Quits                                              152

       XV. The Morning After                                  163

      XVI. Military Manoeuvres                                174

     XVII. "Miles's Beggars"                                  185

    XVIII. Alice Speaks for Herself                           196

      XIX. Conterminous Courses                               206

       XX. Strange Humility                                   216

      XXI. An Altered Man                                     227

     XXII. Extremities                                        234

    XXIII. The Effect of a Photograph                         244

     XXIV. The Effect of a Song                               256

      XXV. Melmerbridge Church                                271

     XXVI. At Bay                                             286

    XXVII. The Fatal Tress                                    296

   XXVIII. The Effort                                         307

     XXIX. Elizabeth Ryan                                     313

      XXX. Sweet Revenge                                      325

     XXXI. The Charity of Silence                             333

    XXXII. Suspense: Reaction                                 343

   XXXIII. How Dick Said Good-Bye                             353




                                AT LARGE




                                At Large

                                   I

                          A NUCLEUS OF FORTUNE


A hooded wagon was creeping across a depressing desert in the middle of
Australia; layers of boxes under the hood, and of brass-handled,
mahogany drawers below the boxes, revealed the licensed hawker of the
bush. Now, the hawker out there is a very extensive development of his
prototype here at home; he is Westbourne Grove on wheels, with the
prices of Piccadilly, W. But these particular providers were neither so
universal nor so exorbitant as the generality of their class. There were
but two of them; they drove but two horses; and sat shoulder to shoulder
on the box.

The afternoon was late; all day the horses had been crawling, for the
track was unusually heavy. There had been recent rains; red mud clogged
the wheels at every yard, and clung to them in sticky tires. Little
pools had formed all over the plain; and westward, on the off-side of
the wagon, these pools caught the glow of the setting sun, and filled
with flame. Far over the horses' ears a long low line of trees was
visible; otherwise the plain was unbroken; you might ride all day on
these plains and descry no other horse nor man.

The pair upon the box were partners. Their names were Flint and
Edmonstone. Flint was enjoying a senior partner's prerogative, and
lolling back wreathed in smoke. His thick bare arms were idly folded. He
was a stout, brown, bearded man, who at thirty looked many years older;
indolence, contentment, and goodwill were written upon his face.

The junior partner was driving, and taking some pains about it--keeping
clear of the deep ruts, and pushing the pace only where the track was
good. He looked twenty years Flint's junior, and was, in fact, just of
age. He was strongly built and five-feet-ten, with honest gray eyes,
fair hair, and an inelastic mouth.

Both of these men wore flannel shirts, buff cord trousers, gray felt
wideawakes; both were public-school men, drawn together in the first
instance by that mutually surprising fact, and for the rest as different
as friends could be. Flint had been ten years in the Colonies,
Edmonstone not quite ten weeks. Flint had tried everything, and failed;
Edmonstone had everything before him, and did not mean to fail. Flint
was experienced, Edmonstone sanguine; things surprised Edmonstone,
nothing surprised Flint. Edmonstone had dreams of the future, and golden
dreams; Flint troubled only about the present, and that very little. In
fine, while Edmonstone saw licensed hawking leading them both by a short
cut to fortune, and earnestly intended that it should, Flint said they
would be lucky if their second trip was as successful as their first,
now all but come to an end.

The shadow of horses and wagon wavered upon the undulating plain as
they drove. The shadows grew longer and longer; there was a noticeable