A short , thatch-roofed pier was thrust out into the lagoon .sx A coral reef , broken at one point to make a gateway , enfolded it .sx A three-masted schooner , its riding-light burning in its rigging , lay at the anchorage , a toy upon a sheet of glass .sx A tender and unearthly radiance softened every harsh edge and outline .sx And over all rode a moon white as an enormous lily .sx Even Mr. Trapp was stirred by the glory of the scene .sx Adrian turned to him .sx " I am going now , Sir , " he said pleasantly , " but to dress .sx " " I , too , " said Mr. Trapp .sx Whilst he went back to his table , shut up his note-books and turned out the lights , the boy crossed to his father .sx " We are in time , Sir ?sx " he asked in a low voice .sx " Rather !sx " John Shard replied .sx " We'll not miss this parade .sx " And again he might have added , " It may be the last .sx " For that possibility was in both their thoughts .sx The boy laid his hand on his father's arm with a gentle and caressing touch and went off into the house .sx A dressing-gong sounded .sx Adrian slipped into a sideroom instead of mounting to his room in the wide latticed porch on the first floor .sx There his father joined him , walking noiselessly .sx " We've comfortable time , " he said in a low voice .sx " Don't make a noise .sx We don't want old Trapp to join us , do we ?sx He'd think us a couple of fools , one in his second childhood and one in his first .sx " The room was in darkness and they stood waiting until Trapp stamped past the door to the stairs .sx Then they turned towards the open window which overlooked the garden and the sea .sx " I have put everything ready .sx Seeing the mechanism spoils everything .sx " John Shard looked at his watch which had illuminated hands .sx " We have only a few minutes to wait .sx " They sat down by the window , both of them listening intently .sx There was not a sound to be heard .sx Inside the room the fireflies gleamed and vanished like so many sparks driven by a wind .sx Outside a magical glamour lay upon garden and forest and sea , giving them enchantment and mystery .sx Suddenly the silence was broken and the enchantment deepened .sx For somewhere very far away , a clock struck slowly the hour of midnight .sx At the first stroke Adrian stretched out his hand and caught his father's arm and thus they remained until the last vibration had died upon the air , and even afterwards , like people who have been present at some moving ritual .sx For the strokes had the deep organ note , authentic and unmistakable , of the great clock at Westminster .sx John Shard had placed the loud-speaker out of sight upon the terrace .sx Now , relayed from Aranjuez and the Azores and Curacao , the sound reached them across three thousand miles , resonant and clear as though they stood upon a height of Hampstead rather than upon a hill over a bay of coral in Jamaica .sx A call , a claim .sx A call for service , a claim upon heart and brain , muscle and blood .sx After a little while John Shard spoke .sx " Trapp may be right , of course .sx There are .sx signs enough .sx No leaders and little courage .sx They know what's wrong and haven't the great heart necessary to denounce it .sx They play a game in a room with the world as a playball .sx For if England goes , the world as we know it goes too .sx But he may be wrong .sx There may still come a race of young men who'll serve , not for rewards , not for the game , not for a fine big name in the newspapers , not even for real fame , though that's an end worthy enough , but just for service' sake - service to the King's realm .sx Men who will say boldly what we all know , that the cost of Government must come down by millions if England is to live , and will see to it that it does .sx " He stood up and changed to a lighter note .sx " Here's a lecture that's keeping us both from our dinner .sx " He closed the shutters .sx Like conspirators they crept up the stairs , taking pains not to stumble .sx At Adrian's door , his father held him for a moment in his arms .sx " Never forget to-night and the call of those twelve strokes , Adrian , " John Shard whispered , " and what they have said to you and me .sx You'll have money enough to give yourself to public service when I go .sx I want you to hear those strokes over your head one day .sx " Adrian lay awake that night in the darkened porch with the fireflies glancing about his mosquito curtains .sx He was receptive rather than thoughtful .sx Stray wisps of the stuff of dreams , glimpses of pictures , vague fancies which seemed compounded half of memory , drew near from a vast distance and hung about him and changed .sx He saw , for instance , a girl in some sort of masquerade dress , dancing on a lawn before an audience of gaily dressed people , they too in fancy dress .sx But one of them , a woman with a face which was familiar , was angry .sx Next he saw great ships , like castles , lumbering in front of a gale past an island of white cliffs and green Downs .sx That picture melted into another , of a couple in dress of a yet different and older fashion , who stood close together in front of a slab of chalk which one of them , the youth , carved with a short sword .sx The girl moved and he saw her and she was the same who danced upon the lawn .sx The curious thing about her was that in both pictures her face was veiled , yet he recognised her certainly .sx Then the youth with the short sword turned , and with an odd shock he saw himself .sx And these pictures were all accompanied by the resonant strokes of Big Ben .sx The strokes , indeed , were more than an accompaniment .sx They acted as a sort of solvent which blended all these visions into a pattern and despite all the differences of dress and place , made them one .sx .. At this point Adrian fell asleep .sx The next morning he drove across the island with his father to Kingston and went off alone to Montreal and England .sx CHAPTER XXVI .sx THE INDIGO ROOM .sx EIGHT years later , towards the end of Whitweek , Adrian Shard travelled by the Simplon Express to Milan .sx He changed his train there and , whilst waiting on the platform , was hailed by a noisy voice .sx " Adrian !sx What a small world it is !sx Or is it ?sx I haven't seen you since we were both at High Park in Jamaica just before your father died .sx A long time !sx " .sx Adrian turned round and with a smile held out his hand .sx " Eight years , Sir , " he said .sx It was Charles Trapp who had hailed him , a Charles Trapp aged and now very fat and rather pasty of face , but still alert with indignant energy .sx " I would have recognised you anywhere , " he cried , as though Adrian Shard had done him a wrong by being so easily recognisable .sx " Taller , of course .sx That was to be expected .sx But you haven't filled out below the shoulders .sx " " I don't want to , yet , " said Adrian meekly .sx " How's the great work going ?sx " .sx " Almost finished , " said Mr. Trapp .sx " Another six months and - let 'em all look out , I say !sx Devastating , my boy .sx Chapter and verse .sx " He spoke , darkly threatening a world on the slide .sx " How long have you got ?sx " he asked .sx " Twenty minutes , " said Adrian .sx " Then we'll slip one , " said Mr. Trapp and he conducted his prisoner to the buffet .sx Over a vermouth and seltzer he expanded .sx " The book must come out in monthly parts .sx See the idea ?sx It must soak in .sx Publishers ?sx They say it's depressing .sx Of course it's depressing !sx I want every clerk in Highgate to know he's mincing on the crust of a volcano .sx But publishers !sx There !sx You know what Byron said about them .sx " " Yes , " said Adrian , " and what the curate said about his egg .sx " Mr. Trapp blinked .sx " You were always rather flippant , young Shard , " he observed .sx " Your judgement is very faulty , I think .sx But you wouldn't take things so lightly if you had been with me during the last week .sx " He nodded portentously at the youth by his side .sx " I have paid my final visit to Pompeii .sx " " That must have discouraged you , Sir , " Adrian rejoined .sx " For in the matter of depravity we're one up on Pompeii .sx " " Are we ?sx " cried Mr. Trapp .sx " What if our roofs were off and anyone could walk into our houses ?sx Look at this !sx " .sx He produced a cutting from an English Continental newspaper two days old .sx " I picked it up on the bookstall here , ten minutes ago .sx Just read it !sx " .sx Adrian took the cutting .sx On the top of it was .sx written in pencil :sx " Use carefully in chapter on Social Degringolade .sx " Adrian read an account of a wedding in a great London church .sx An over-taxed great name was married to an heiress of the stews .sx Money upon one side , famous poverty upon the other .sx The equilibrium of things was thus properly restored and those who were " It " and those who were not had flocked to the wedding .sx There had been pages in satin trousers and bridesmaids in tulle .sx The reception had outrivalled a gala night at Covent Garden .sx The enthusiasm of the crowd in the street was fervid , like the welcome to a national hero .sx " What do you think of that ?sx " Mr. Trapp cried triumphantly .sx " Money smells good , whatever dung-heap it comes from , eh ?sx ' Unde habeas quaerit nemo , sed oportet habere .sx ' Your old snob , Juvenal !sx He's the lad , I tell you !sx " .sx Adrian was not prepared to discuss the value of Juvenal as a social historian in the bar of the Milan Railway Station .sx He would miss his train if he did , and his train was what he must not miss .sx " I have no doubt , Sir , that all big communities have extravagances in common , " he said , and he made for the platform .sx But Mr. Trapp was on his heels .sx " I'll see you off .sx I have half an hour .sx What have you been doing ?sx " .sx Adrian patiently condensed his life's history into a few words .sx He had taken his degree last summer , with a second class in the Classical School .sx He had rowed in his College Eight .sx He had been President of the Union .sx He had been out to Jamaica sincehe took his degree and had disposed of his property there .sx " Nothing Ouidaesque about it all , I am sorry to say , Mr. Trapp , " he added .sx " And where are you off to now ?sx " asked Trapp .sx " Genoa , " Adrian replied , as his train drew up by the platform .sx " Though whether I'm doing any good by going there , I can't tell you till to-morrow .sx " Mr. Trapp stood at the door after Adrian had climbed up into his carriage .sx " You're still going in for politics , I suppose ?sx " he said .sx " Yes .sx " " I remember John always wanted you to .sx Odd idea for a soldier !sx " " But soldierly , none the less , " Adrian returned .sx " He held that nowadays Parliament must be the battleground where courage or cowardice would decide whether England was to live or die .sx He wanted courage in the ministers to stand firm against the horde of officials and to put loyalty to the nation before loyalty to their departments .sx And he wanted courage in the ordinary members to believe that vote-catching doesn't catch votes and to vote in that belief against all the thunders of the Treasury Bench .sx For myself - " Adrian leaned out of the window and explained his projects .sx " I have a great friend , a year or two older than myself , David Bletchworth .sx His family have a good deal of influence in the West Riding .sx He's too busy to stand for Parliament himself , but he's trying to make an opening for me in his constituency .sx Meanwhile , I want to get a little experience of the .sx machinery .sx Dr. Elve , the Head of my College , knows Spencer Cratton of the Board of Trade , and hearing that he wanted a private secretary , wrote to him about me .sx I was to see Cratton in London when Parliament met after the Whitsuntide recess .sx But I read in the papers that he would land at Genoa to-day on his way home from Sicily .sx So I thought I would come out and try to see him before any other applicants .sx "