H G Wells

The Sea Lady H G Wells

Such previous landings of mermaids as have left a record, have all a flavour of doubt. Even the verycircumstantial account of that Bruges Sea Lady, who was so clever at fancy work, gives occasion tothe sceptic. I must confess that I was absolutely incredulous of such things until a year ago. But now, face to face with indisputable facts in my own immediate neighbourhood, and with my own secondcousin Melville (of Seaton Carew) as the chief witness to the story, I see these old legends in a verydifferent light. Yet so many people concerned themselves with the hushing up of this affair, that, butfor my sedulous enquiries, I am certain it would have become as doubtful as those older legends in acouple of score of years. Even now to many minds--The difficulties in the way of the hushing-up process were no doubt exceptionally great in this case, and that they did contrive to do so much, seems to show just how strong are the motives for secrecyin all such cases. There is certainly no remoteness nor obscurity about the scene of these events. They began upon the beach just east of Sandgate Castle, towards Folkestone, and they ended on thebeach near Folkestone pier not two miles away. The beginning was in broad daylight on a brightblue day in August and in full sight of the windows of half a dozen houses. At first sight this alone issufficient to make the popular want of information almost incredible. But of that you may thinkdifferently later. Mrs. Randolph Bunting's two charming daughters were bathing at the time in company with theirguest, Miss Mabel Glendower. It is from the latter lady chiefly, and from Mrs. Bunting, that I havepieced together the precise circumstances of the Sea Lady's arrival. From Miss Glendower, the elderof two Glendower girls, for all that she is a principal in almost all that follows, I have obtained, andhave sought to obtain, no information whatever. There is the question of the lady's feelings-and inthis case I gather they are of a peculiarly complex sort. Quite naturally they would be. At any rate, the natural ruthlessness of the literary calling has failed me. I have not ventured to touch them.... The villa residences to the east of Sandgate Castle, you must understand, are particularly lucky inhaving gardens that run right down to the beach. There is no intervening esplanade or road or pathsuch as cuts off ninety-nine out of the hundred of houses that face the sea. As you look down onthem from the western end of the Leas, you see them crowding the very margin. And as a greatnumber of high groins stand out from the shore along this piece of coast, the beach is practically cutoff and made private except at very low water, when people can get around the ends of the groins. These houses are consequently highly desirable during the bathing season, and it is the custom ofmany of their occupiers to let them furnished during the summer to persons of fashion andaffluen