THE REVELATION It was certainly a perfect day for a cruise.

The sea lay blue and still as a lake, so clear that the rocks made purple shadows in its crystal depths.

Under any other circumstances, Olga would have revelled in the beauty of it, but there was no enjoyment for her that day.

She stood on the deck of the yacht as she steamed away from the jetty, and watched the uneven shore recede with a feeling of impotence that was not without an element of fear.

For it seemed to her that she was a prisoner, looking her last upon the liberty of her youth.
The vessel was of no inconsiderable size and moved swiftly through the still water, cleaving her way like a bird through space.