The Wreck of the South Pole and Other Strange Tales — page 178: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Written in Water. I7I decided to at least try to win the girl for his wife. That was late in December. On Christmas eve he looked out of his library window and saw Gracie, his Gracie, coming up the snow-banked walk with John Brent’s arm around her. I can conceive of but one worse agony to be felt, and that is for a husband to see his wife in another man’s arms. Monasteries have been filled from these two causes. | What Leslie suffered that night no mortal ever knew. But the struggle with his own passions and sense of honor left him so haggard that faithful John Brent was moved to say when he saw him the next morning: “Oh, Mr. Leslie, you must stop this late night work. It will kill you. Stop it. Go away for a rest, or stop work and let us nurse you back to health.”’ The words were kindly spoken, kindly meant, and Leslie knew it, but despite his night’s struggle and his resolution to be honorable he could not help feeling that beneath the kindness there was a hidden comparison be- tween the young giant’s superior strength and his own weakness. So he answered, stiffly : “When I have need of your advice I will ask for it. Please ask Mary to bring in my coffee.” The giant departed without a word. Leslie had, in the lonely night watches, given up his love, but he was not yet ready to yield up that which had of late become his spectre, his mania. He saw, or be- lieved, that the strength of body which he had so envied Conniclooolk (©)