Ethel M. Dell

Titles in Fiction category:

• Death's Property

  A high laugh rang with a note of childlike merriment from the far end of the coffee-room as Bernard Merefleet, who was generally considered a bear on account of his retiring disposition, entered and took his seat near the door. It was a decidedly infectious laugh and perhaps for this reason it ...

• Eleventh Hour, The

  "Oh, to be a farmer's wife!"

• Experiment, The

  "I really don't know why I accepted him. But somehow it was done before I knew. He waltzes so divinely that it intoxicates me, and then I naturally cease to be responsible for my actions."

• Her Own Free Will

  "Well, it's all over now, for better, for worse, as they say. And I hope very much as it won't be for worse."

• Knight Errant, The

  The Poor Relation hoisted one leg over the arm of his chair, and gazed contemplatively at the ceiling.

• Looker-On, The

  "Oh, I'm going to be Lady Jane Grey," said Charlie Cleveland, balancing himself on the deck-rail in front of his friends, Mrs. Langdale and Mollie Erle, with considerable agility. "And, Mollie, I say, will you lend me a black silk skirt? I saw you were wearing one last night."

• Nonentity, The

  "It is well known that those fight hardest who fight in vain," remarked Lord Ronald Prior complacently. "But I should have thought a woman of your intellect would have known better. It's such a rank waste of energy to struggle against Fate."

• Place of Honour, The

  Wherein a woman with a love of freedom, two soldiers in the Indian Army, and a snake-bite are most intimately concerned.

• Question of Trust, A

  Pierre Dumaresq stood gazing out to the hard blue line of the horizon with a frown between his brows. The glare upon the water was intense, but he stared into it with fixed, unflinching eyes, unconscious of discomfort.

• Return Game, The

  "Well played, Hone! Oh, well played indeed!"

• Sacrifice, The

  It had been a hot day at the Law Courts, but a faint breeze had sprung up with the later hours, blowing softly over the river. It caught the tassel of the blind by which Field sat and tapped it against the window-frame, at first gently like a child at play, then with gathering force and insiste ...

• Safety Curtain, The

  A great shout of applause went through the crowded hall as the Dragon-Fly Dance came to an end, and the Dragon-Fly, with quivering, iridescent wings, flashed away.

• Swindler's Handicap, The

  A SEQUEL TO "THE SWINDLER"

• Tidal Wave, The

  Rufus the Red sat on the edge of his boat with his hands clasped between his knees, staring at nothing. His nets were spread to dry in the sun; the morning's work was done. Most of the other men had lounged into their cottages for the midday meal, but the massive red giant sitting on the shore ...

• Without Prejudice

  "It's time I set about making my own living," said Dot Burton.

• Woman of His Dream, The

  It was growing very dark. The decks gleamed wet in the light of the swinging lamps. The wind howled across the sea like a monster in torment. It would be a fearful night.

Titles in Short Stories category:

• Consolation Prize, The

  "So you don't want to marry me?" said Earl Wyverton.

• Example, The

  "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they repented not to give Him glory."

• Friend Who Stood By, The

  "And you will come back, Jim? Promise! Promise!"

• Her Freedom

  "We have been requested to announce that the marriage arranged between Viscount Merrivale and Miss Hilary St. Orme will not take place."

• Her Hero

  "My dear child, it's absurd to be romantic over such a serious matter as marriage--the greatest mistake, I assure you. Nothing could be more suitable than an alliance with this very eligible young man. He plainly thinks so himself. If you are so unreasonable as to throw away this magnificent ch ...

• Magic Circle, The

  The persistent chirping of a sparrow made it almost harder to bear. Lady Brooke finally rose abruptly from the table, her black brows drawn close together, and swept to the window to scare the intruder away.

• Odds, The

  "If he comes my way, I'll shoot him!" said Dot Burton, her blue eyes gleaming in her boyish, tanned face. "I'm not such a bad shot, am I, Jack?"

• Right Man, The    

  I

• Second Fiddle, The

  A low whistle floated through the slumbrous silence and died softly away among the sand-dunes.

• Swindler, The

  "When you come to reflect that there are only a few planks between you and the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, it makes you feel sort of pensive."

• Those Who Wait    

  A faint draught from the hills found its way through the wide-flung door as the sun went down. It fluttered the papers on the table, and stirred a cartoon upon the wall with a dry rustling as of wind in corn.

• Where the Heart Is

  "Of course, I know that a quiet, well-meanin' fool like myself hasn't much of a chance with women, but I just thought I'd give you the opportunity of refusin' me, and then we should know where we were."