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Sludge Management
Sludge Management

Bhola R. Gurjar
Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India

Vinay Kumar Tyagi

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
CRC Press/Balkema is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK
Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India
Printed and Bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
All rights reserved. No part of this publication or the information contained
herein may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without written prior permission from the publishers.
Although all care is taken to ensure integrity and the quality of this publication
and the information herein, no responsibility is assumed by the publishers nor
the author for any damage to the property or persons as a result of operation
or use of this publication and/or the information contained herein.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Gurjar, B. R., author. | Tyagi, Vinay Kumar, author.
Title: Sludge management / Bhola R. Gurjar, Indian Institute of Technology,
Roorkee, India, Vinay Kumar Tyagi, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Description: Leiden, The Netherlands : CRC Press/Balkema, [2017] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017003649 (print) | LCCN 2017003786 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781138029545 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315375137 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Sewage sludge.
Classification: LCC TD767 .G865 2017 (print) | LCC TD767 (ebook) | DDC 628.3—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017003649

Published by: CRC Press/Balkema

P.O. Box 11320, 2301 EH Leiden,The Netherlands
e-mail: [email protected]
www.crcpress.com – www.taylorandfrancis.com
ISBN: 978-1-138-02954-5 (Hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-37513-7 (eBook)
Table of contents

Foreword xiii
Preface xv
Acknowledgements xvii

Introduction 1

1 Sludge: An overview 5
1.1 Introduction 5
1.2 Sources of sludge 5
1.2.1 Water treatment plants 6
1.2.2 Sewage treatment plants 6
1.2.3 Industrial effluent treatment plants 6
1.3 Sludge categorisation 7
1.3.1 Primary sludge 8
1.3.2 Chemical sludge 8
1.3.3 Biofilter sludge 8
1.3.4 Activated sludge 8
1.3.5 Aerobically digested sludge 9
1.3.6 Anaerobically digested sludge 9
1.3.7 Septage 9
1.3.8 Industrial sludge 9
1.4 Sludge characteristics 10
1.4.1 Physical characteristics 10
1.4.2 Chemical characteristics 14
1.4.3 Biological characteristics 16
1.5 Sludge characterisation parameters 17
1.5.1 Specific Resistance to Filtration (SRF) 17
1.5.2 Compressibility coefficient 17
1.5.3 Viability of sludge 18
1.5.4 Stability of sludge 19
1.5.5 Sludge Volume Index (SVI) 19
1.5.6 Sludge Volume Ratio (SVR) 20
1.5.7 Other parameters 20
1.6 Moisture content of sludge 20
1.6.1 Sludge moisture hypothesis 21
1.6.2 Moisture distribution 22
vi Table of contents

1.6.3 Moisture effects on sludge drying 24

1.6.4 Additional remarks 26
1.7 Sludge generation 27
1.7.1 Sedimentation sludge 27
1.7.2 Chemical coagulation sludge 27
1.7.3 Biofiltration sludge 28
1.7.4 Activated sludge 28
1.7.5 Municipal waterworks sludge 29

2 Pumping of sludge 31
2.1 Introduction 31
2.2 Sludge-flow characteristics 31
2.3 Sludge piping 32
2.4 Sludge head-loss 32
2.5 Power requirement 32
2.6 Sludge pumps 33
2.6.1 Plunger pump 34
2.6.2 Centrifugal pumps 34
2.6.3 Torque flow 34
2.6.4 Progressing cavity 34
2.7 Pumps for different types of sludge 35
2.7.1 Primary sludge pumps 35
2.7.2 Chemical sludge pumps 35
2.7.3 Secondary sludge pumps 35
2.7.4 Sludge recirculation and transfer pumps 35
2.7.5 Bio-filter sludge pumps 36
2.7.6 Activated sludge pumps 36
2.7.7 Digested sludge pumps 36
2.7.8 Elutriation sludge pumps 36
2.7.9 Thickened and concentrated sludge pumps 36
2.7.10 Pumping of scum 37
2.8 Controls 37

3 Treatment of sludge 39
3.1 Introduction 39
3.2 Definitions 40
3.3 Methods of sludge treatment 42
3.4 Flow-sheets of sludge treatment 42
3.5 Preliminary treatments 45
3.5.1 Grinding of sludge 46
3.5.2 De-gritting of sludge 47
3.5.3 Blending of sludge 47
3.5.4 Storage of sludge 49

4 Thickening of sludge 51
4.1 Introduction 51
4.2 Operational principles 51
 Table of contents vii

4.2.1 Gravitation 51
4.2.2 Flotation 52
4.2.3 Centrifugation 52
4.2.4 Gravity belt thickening 53
4.2.5 Rotary drum thickening 53
4.3 Descriptions 53
4.3.1 Gravity thickening 53
4.3.2 Flotation thickening 57
4.3.3 Centrifugal thickening 60
4.3.4 Gravity belt thickening 64
4.3.5 Rotary drum thickening 65
4.3.6 Miscellaneous thickening 66
4.3.7 Emerging technologies 66
4.4 Sludge-thickening at small plants 67
4.5 Benefits of sludge thickening 68

5 Sludge conditioning 71
5.1 Introduction 71
5.2 Chemical conditioning 71
5.2.1 Introduction 72
5.2.2 Chemicals dosage 72
5.2.3 Sludge mixing and coagulant 73
5.2.4 Recent advancements 73
5.3 Thermal conditioning 74
5.3.1 Introduction 74
5.3.2 Zimpro type (low-oxidation) thermal conditioning process 74
5.3.3 Porteous type (non-oxidative) thermal conditioning
process 75
5.3.4 Relative merits and demerits 77
5.4 Freeze-thaw conditioning 77
5.4.1 Introduction 77
5.4.2 Process mechanism 78
5.4.3 Hypothetical model 78
5.4.4 Process control calculations 79
5.5 Conditioning process optimisation 80
5.5.1 Introduction 80
5.5.2 Sludge conditioning controller 81
5.5.3 Operational tools 82
5.5.4 Application of sludge conditioning controller 82
5.5.5 Process merits 83
5.6 Factors affecting sludge conditioning 84
5.6.1 Source of origin 84
5.6.2 Concentration of solids 84
5.6.3 Particle size distribution 84
5.6.4 pH and alkalinity 84
5.6.5 Surface charge and degree of hydration 84
5.6.6 Physical factors 85
viii Table of contents

6 Sludge dewatering 87
6.1 Introduction 87
6.2 Controlling factors 88
6.3 Natural methods 89
6.3.1 Sludge drying beds 89
6.3.2 Sludge drying lagoons 93
6.4 Mechanical methods 94
6.4.1 Introduction 94
6.4.2 Vacuum filters 94
6.4.3 Pressure filter press 98
6.4.4 Centrifugal dewatering 99
6.4.5 Filter presses and centrifuges: Relative merits 101
6.4.6 Recent advancements 102
6.5 Sludge dewatering at small plants 107
6.5.1 Introduction 107
6.5.2 Mobile dewatering systems 107

7 Biological stabilisation of sludge 111

7.1 Introduction 111
7.2 Sludge digestion 111
7.2.1 Objective of sludge digestion 111
7.2.2 Sludge digestion: An aid for dewaterability 112
7.3 Anaerobic digestion process 112
7.3.1 Introduction 112
7.3.2 Process mechanism 113
7.3.3 Process microbiology 115
7.3.4 Process kinetics 116
7.3.5 Process controlling factors 117
7.3.6 Process description 121
7.3.7 Process control 127
7.3.8 Merits and demerits 128
7.3.9 Operational issues 128
7.4 Aerobic digestion process 130
7.4.1 Introduction 130
7.4.2 Mechanism 130
7.4.3 Process kinetics 131
7.4.4 Process controlling factors 133
7.4.5 Process description 136
7.4.6 Merits and demerits 138
7.4.7 Operational issues 138
7.5 Process advancements 139
7.5.1 Airlift autothermal biodigester 139
7.5.2 Mesophilic aerobic digestion 141
7.5.3 Anoxic digestion 143
7.5.4 Dual digestion 144
7.5.5 Biological denitrification 145
7.5.6 Temperature Phased Anaerobic Digestion (TPAD) 146
 Table of contents ix

7.6 Sludge composting 147

7.6.1 Fundamentals of composting 147
7.6.2 Process description 148
7.6.3 Process influencing parameters 150
7.6.4 Operational consideration 150
7.6.5 Co-composting options 151
7.6.6 Refinery sludge composting 152

8 Non-biological sludge stabilisation 155

8.1 Introduction 155
8.2 Thermal treatment 155
8.3 Alkaline stabilisation 156
8.3.1 Design criteria 156
8.3.2 Performance 157
8.3.3 Process variants 158
8.3.4 Operation and maintenance 159
8.3.5 Treatment cost 159
8.3.6 Advantages and disadvantages 159
8.4 Chlorine oxidation process 160
8.5 Advancement in physico-chemical methods 160
8.5.1 Chemical fixation 160
8.5.2 Cementitious stabilisation 161

9 Sludge stabilisation at small works 163

9.1 Introduction 163
9.2 Governing factors 163
9.3 Process types 164
9.3.1 Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (TAD) 164
9.3.2 Low-temperature aerobic digestion 167
9.3.3 Sludge treatment wetlands 167

10 Sludge minimisation technologies 169

10.1 Introduction 169
10.2 Treatment in wastewater line 170
10.2.1 Biological lysis-cryptic growth 170
10.2.2 Maintenance and endogenous metabolism 175
10.2.3 Metabolic uncoupling 177
10.2.4 Predation on bacteria 179
10.2.5 Anaerobic treatment of sewage (ANANOX
process) 181
10.2.6 Comparative evaluation of merits and demerits of
treatment in wastewater line processes 182
10.3 Process in the sludge line 184
10.3.1 Chemical pretreatment techniques 184
10.3.2 Thermal treatment 185
10.3.3 Mechanical 188
x Table of contents

10.3.4 Combined pretreatment techniques 192

10.3.5 Comparative evaluation of merits and demerits of
treatment in sludge line processes 195

11 Sludge disinfection and thermal drying processes 197

11.1 Disinfection of sludge 197
11.1.1 Introduction 197
11.1.2 Sludge pasteurisation 197
11.1.3 Sludge storage 198
11.2 Thermal drying of sludge 198
11.2.1 Introduction 198
11.2.2 Process theory 199
11.2.3 Process mechanisms 199
11.2.4 Thermal dryers 200
11.2.5 Mechanical dryers 201
11.2.6 Thermal-drying alternatives 202
11.2.7 Design considerations 207

12 Thermal treatment and sludge disposal 209

12.1 Introduction 209
12.2 Process types 209
12.2.1 Incineration 209
12.2.2 Incomplete combustion 211
12.2.3 Pyrolysis 211
12.3 Thermal processes 212
12.3.1 Multiple hearth incineration process 212
12.3.2 Fluidised bed incineration process 213
12.3.3 Rotary kiln incineration process 215
12.3.4 Flash combustion process 216
12.3.5 Co-incineration process 216
12.3.6 Wet-air oxidation process 216
12.3.7 Co-pyrolysis process 217
12.4 Process advancements 218
12.4.1 Melting treatment of sewage-sludge 218
12.4.2 Sustained Shockwave Plasma (SSP) destruction method 220
12.4.3 Gasification 222
12.4.4 Sludge-ash solidification 223
12.4.5 Important patents 224
12.4.6 Advancements in sludge utilisation 228

13 Sludge disposal methods, problems and solutions 231

13.1 Introduction 231
13.2 Sludge disposal problems and solutions 232
13.2.1 Land disposal 232
13.2.2 Air disposal 236
13.2.3 Water disposal 240
 Table of contents xi

13.3 Relevant case studies 243

13.3.1 Canberra’s sewage treatment plant (Australia) 243
13.3.2 Oily sludge farming (India) 245
13.3.3 Coffs harbour: A sensitive ocean environment
(Australia) 246
13.3.4 Sustainable sludge management at a large Canadian
wastewater treatment facility 246
13.4 Summary 247

14 Energy and resource recovery from sludge 249

14.1 Introduction 249
14.2 Characteristics of sludge 250
14.3 Construction material 251
14.4 Nutrients 252
14.5 Heavy metals 253
14.6 Biofuels 254
14.6.1 Biogas 254
14.6.2 Syngas 255
14.6.3 Hydrogen 255
14.6.4 Bio-oil 256
14.6.5 Bio-diesel 257
14.6.6 Bio-methanol 258
14.7 Electricity 258
14.8 Protein and enzymes 259
14.9 Beneficial reuse of sludge across the globe 259
14.10 Techno-economic and social feasibility 260
14.11 Summary 261

Problems 263
Concluding remarks 269
References 273
Subject index 295
Foreword

Sludge is the main residue of water and wastewater treatment. Varying according
to the treatment process, sludges are composed of solid particles separated from
water, microorganisms grown on organics and their metabolic products, in particular
exopolymeric substances as well as non-degraded organic matter and mineral mat-
ter originally present in wastewaters. Sludge generation implies various mechanisms
such as separation technologies, microbial conversion and adsorption phenomena. As
sludge contains large amount of water and putrescible organic matter, its management
includes various operations of thickening, conditioning, dewatering, stabilisation,
disinfection, drying and final disposal.
Over the years, the global sludge production has increased significantly due to
increase in the capacity and efficiency of wastewater treatment facilities and more
stringent regulations for effluent quality. Thus management and disposal of sludge
is both societal and environmental issue and a challenge for legislators, researchers
and engineers. However, earlier research efforts have made it possible to recycle the
waste sludge to beneficial resources, thus turning the sludge image from “wastewater
pollution concentrate’’ to “wastewater resource concentrate’’. Anaerobic digestion pro-
cesses play a prominent role in recovering resources from sludge, providing energy as
biogas and fertilizer or soil conditioner. Some other promising processes will allow
recovering other valuable products from sludge such as biofuel and syngas, bio-oil,
biodiesel, electricity, heavy metals, proteins and enzymes, and also the construction
materials.
With the context and background illustrated as above, this book is a well informative
and timely contribution from Prof. Dr. Bhola Gurjar and Dr. Vinay Kumar Tyagi in the
form of a comprehensive guide on overall sludge management. The book would ful-
fill the needs of undergraduate and graduate students, academics, researchers, policy
makers and executives of chemical and environmental engineering disciplines, espe-
cially those dealing with wastewater and sludge. A detailed and up to date information
on all the aspects of sludge management i.e. sludge generation and characterization,
sludge treatment and disposal and associated risks as well as sludge minimisation at
source and resource recovery from waste sludge are the hot topics at present which are
included in the book.
Prof. Gurjar and Dr. Tyagi have extensive national and international industrial,
teaching, training and research experience in the area of environmental risk analysis,
sludge management and biomass to bioenergy recovery, integrated cross-disciplinary
xiv Foreword

study of science and technology issues of the environment, health, energy, infrastruc-
ture and resources – particularly from the perspectives of global change, sustainable
development and risk assessment. I congratulate the authors of Sludge Management-
A comprehensive guide on sludge treatment, reuse and disposal for publishing such an
important and useful piece of work.
Hélène Carrère
INRA, UR0050 Environmental Laboratory Technology
Narbonne, FRANCE
Preface

There is extensive literature of scientific and technical nature on the subject of water
purification and wastewater treatment. However, till recently the topic of sludge treat-
ment and disposal has been treated merely as a part of water and wastewater treatment
rather than as a separate subject. Over the years new body of knowledge has evolved
in this field, which has subsequently made sludge treatment and disposal as an inde-
pendent area of study, research and development. Thus it needs to be compiled and
documented in the form of a separate text and reference book. To fill this gap, the
present book has been written to cover the basic principles, conventional methods,
and advanced practices of sludge treatment and its safe disposal.
The general processes used for sludge treatment and disposal can be classified
according to their generic phenomenon viz. physical (e.g. thickening and dewater-
ing), biological (e.g., anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, and composting), thermal
(oxidation, pyrolysis and hydrogenation), and chemical (acid or alkaline hydrolysis)
processes. In addition, the unit operation and/or processes of sludge treatment and dis-
posal involve transportation, concentration/thickening/digestion/dewatering/drying/
incineration and finally its safe disposal. All such operations and processes have been
described in detail in this book. Furthermore, some common properties of sludge
deserve special mention in relation to sludge treatment processes. Among these are (1)
moisture/weight/volume relationships, (2) density, viscosity, rigidity and other flow
characteristics, (3) response to concentration or thickening and to filtration (i.e. drain-
ability), (4) fuel value, (5) digestibility, and (6) fertilizer value. These properties of
sludge have also been covered in the present text. Two most important and emerging
areas in sludge management are (1) advanced anaerobic digestion of sludge by pre-
treating the sludge using physical, chemical and mechanical methods, and (2) energy
and resource recovery from sludge, rather than considering the sludge as a waste to get
rid of. Both topics are covered in details with up-to-date technological advancements.
Due to its offensive nature, the treatment and disposal of sludge is a worldwide con-
cern. Nevertheless, depending upon the peculiarity in geography and politics, different
approaches have been emphasised in different parts of the world. For instance, the rel-
evant literature documents that Germany and UK incinerates 51% and 65% of sludge
produced, respectively. Nonetheless, a major quantity of sludge is being recycled (as
soil conditioner) to agriculture land in England and Wales. Further, largely because
of its high population density and its refraining the ocean disposal option, Japan has
to incinerate more than half of its total sludge production. Usually incineration is a
xvi Preface

high cost option, but the Japanese pursued an effective technique by using the smelt-
ing sludge and incinerator ash to produce a non-leaching hard aggregate, which has
commercial value. All the conventional methods for sludge disposal i.e. landfilling,
incineration, oceans disposal and land application, are under scrutiny mainly due to
social, economical and environmental issues. Therefore, the current efforts are toward
to use the beneficial properties of sludge for resources and energy recovery. In United
States, several well-developed technologies are under practice to generate electricity
through biogas produced from anaerobic digestion of sludge. In China, yearly biogas
generation (methane) from feedstock including sludge is 720 million cubic meters. The
Swedish government stressed out on nutrient recycling with a target of recycling 75%
of phosphorus supply from sludge and waste. Moreover, sludge derived biogas is used
as biofuel in transportation sector. Japan is the leading country to using the sludge in
the production of construction material. All such issues and efforts have been given
due importance in this book at appropriate places.
To present a clear picture of general principles and methods of sludge treatment and
disposal to the concerned students, teachers and practicing engineers of civil, chemi-
cal, public health and environmental disciplines, this book has been divided into 14
chapters. These chapters cover the topics in detail about sludge classification and its
characteristic parameters, preliminary operations of sludge treatment, sludge thick-
ening operations, sludge stabilisation processes (biological, physical and chemical),
sludge conditioning and dewatering, sludge minimisation technologies, sludge dis-
infection and heat drying processes, thermal reduction and disposal of sludge, sludge
disposal options, problems and solutions, and lastly energy and resource recovery from
sludge. Each chapter starts with a brief introductory note incorporating its necessity
and scope. New developments having potential for their application and viable use in
treatment and disposal of sludges have been given due consideration in their respective
sections in the text. However, those methods which are still in the state of research
and development, and/or are less popular because of their high costs, have not been
discussed in detail. It is hoped that this book will prove as a valuable resource to the
students, teachers and practicing engineers who deal with the subject of water and
wastewater treatment in general and sludge treatment and disposal in particular. Cre-
ative comments and suggestions are solicited from the readers and users of this book
to make improvements in and add value to its future additions.
January 2017 Bhola R. Gurjar
Vinay Kumar Tyagi
Acknowledgement

We are grateful to a number of academics, colleagues, students, practitioners and

friends who have contributed in various ways during the preparation of the draft
manuscript of this book. We particularly wish to express our thanks to Prof. Hélène
Carrère for writing the foreword for the book.
We wish to record our appreciation for the patience and support received from our
family members to help us complete the project of this book. We sincerely admire Mr.
Rajeev Grover and his team for word processing the text and to produce the diagrams.
We are grateful to our respective institutes we have been affiliated to viz., Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, National Taiwan University (NTU), University
of Cadiz (UCA), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) University and Nanyang
Technological University (NTU) for providing the comfortable ambience that helped
us to extend our work hours in order to complete this book.
We are indebted to the researchers, authors and editors whose works we have
accessed, reviewed, referred and cited to produce this book. As William Turner states:
If the honey that the bees gather out of so manye floure of herbes……that are grow-
ing in other mennis medowes……….may just be called the bees’ honeye…………so
may we call it that we have……..gathered of manye good authores……….our booke
(quoted by A. Scott-James in The Language of the Gardens: A Personal Anthology).
January 2017 Bhola R. Gurjar
Vinay Kumar Tyagi
Introduction

With the growth of civilization, increasing population and flourishing industrializa-

tion, there arose a problem of water scarcity. To circumvent this problem, man devised
methods to treat the naturally available water (i.e. raw water) to make it wholesome
and palatable, and started to clean the sewage and industrial wastewater before return-
ing it to the earth. The principal end products of raw water and wastewater treatment
consist of:
• product water,
• treatment-plant effluent, and
• by-product slurry or sludge.
Here, the product water is sent to the cities or industries, treatment-plant effluent
is discharged into receiving waters or on to receiving soils/lands, and sludge is treated
before its final disposal. It is because the product water and treatment-plant effluent
are finished products, but sludge is not. In fact the sludges, in the form of slurry
or semisolid-liquids, typically contain from 0.25 to 12% by volume solids having
obnoxious characteristics and remaining portion is water depending on the type of
operations and processes used for the treatment of raw water/wastewater (Fleming,
1986; Moseley et al., 2003; Parker et al., 1992; MWST, 1991).
In conventional methods of wastewater treatment such as activated sludge and
trickling filter processes, large volumes of primary sludge is produced in addition to the
excess settled secondary sludge (activated sludge). In case of the activated sludge pro-
cess, the secondary sludge is mainly the microbial biomass produced by the metabolism
of the organic material. The microbial yield on settled sewage is about 50 per cent.
About 20 per cent proportion of this biomass is recycled and the remainder is com-
bined with the primary sludge for disposal. In the trickling filters with a lower loading
rate less sludge is produced and there is no recycle of sludge; In general, large volumes
of sludge having solids content of about 1–4 per cent are formed in wastewater treat-
ment processes and represent one of the main problems of disposal. This is because
the excess waste sludge is a mixture of organic material and microbial cells, which can
be degraded by other microorganisms.
More recently, anaerobic processes have been used to treat industrial wastes and
effluents containing a high content of insoluble or organic compounds. The advantages
of anaerobic digestion are that the process:

• produces much less biomass or sludge,

• requires no aeration,
2 Sludge Management

• forms methane (biogas), and

• the associated smell is less as the process is enclosed.

Here, the methane can be utilised as a fuel to run boilers or to be used as vehicle
biofuels or to generate electricity at the rate of about 1.16 × 107 kJ produced per · 1000
tonnes of COD removed (Scragg, 1999). However, the disadvantages of anaerobic
digestion are that the process requires:

• good mixing,
• a temperature in the range of 35◦ C–55◦ C,
• a substrate with a high BOD (1.2–2 g/l), and
• long retention times of 30–60 days (for sludge digestion).

The requirement for a high BOD (1.2–2 g/l) waste means that the anaerobic
digestion process is suitable for some agricultural and industrial wastes (Scragg, 1999).
Nevertheless, whatsoever be the operations or processes used for the treatment of
wastewater, sludge is the largest in volume than the other constituents (by-products)
removed during the treatment processes. The treatment and disposal of sludge is per-
haps the most complex problem faced by an environmental engineer in the field. The
problem of dealing with sludge is complex because:

• It is composed largely of the substances responsible for the offensive character

of the wastewater. The portion of sludge produced from biological treatment of
wastewater is composed of the organic matter, mineral contents and microorgan-
isms originally present in the wastewater and it, too, will decompose and become
offensive if untreated sludge is disposed off.
• Only a small part of the sludge is solid matter and the rest is a liquid, which can
contaminate surface or underground water sources if it is dumped in water bodies
or on land without any treatment.

Further, it is to be mentioned that the dry weight of waste solids present in sludge
is the weight of solids settleable at the time of separation of solids or phase transfer
from the suspending water. These may include (Bowen et al., 1990; Metcalf & Eddy,
2003):

• settleable solids naturally present in water and wastewater,

• additives/chemical coagulants and precipitants, produced by converting unwanted
non-settle able or colloidal solids into settleable solids,
• sloughed biological films and wasted biological floes or other biomasses generated
by living organisms from dispersed and dissolved nutrient organic matter during
wastewater treatment.

Thus, the solids from the sludge are the waste solids derived from the treat-
ment process in which they originate. Examples are, plain-sedimentation, chemical-
precipitation, chemical coagulation, trickling-filter humus and waste activated sludges
in wastewater treatment plants, and chemical softening/deferrization of sludges or slur-
ries in water-purification plants. On reaching the bottom of settling units, most organic
and mineral solids form loose, honey-combed structures of particulate and flocculent
 Introduction 3

matter united with relatively large volumes of water. As deposits build up, they consol-
idate under their own weight. However, water is not displaced from them with ease,
and the moisture content of most of them remains high. As a result sludges contain
considerable volume of water as well as organic content. Due to this, satisfactory treat-
ment and disposal of slurries and sludges create economic problems of considerable
magnitude. Chief among them are transportation and final storage/disposal (Girovich,
1990; Martin & Bhattarai, 1991; Topping, 1986).
From the above discussion it is clear that because of their origin, bulk and watery
consistency, and putrescibility, most of the sludges need to be treated prior to disposal.
Treatment ensures the hygienic safety and sensory acceptability of the sludges. It also
reduces the volume and weight of the materials to be handled, transported and dis-
posed off. Moreover, the processing or treatment of sludge not only ensures its safe
disposal, but it may also be designed to produce useful by-products. This way sludge
can be utilised as a valuable resource rather than to be considered merely as a waste to
be got rid off. Thus sludge treatment as a part of management of solids is indeed one of
the prime determinants in choosing between specific water-purification and wastew-
ater treatment processes. As an instance, the nature of sewage sludge depends on the
wastewater treatment process and on the source of the sewage. It can contain not only
organic and inorganic matter, but also bacteria and virus, oil and grease, nutrients
such as nitrogen and phosphorus, heavy metals, organo-chlorines and other persistent
organic pollutants. Hence, each component of the sludge has its own environmental
impact, which needs to be taken into account when choosing its treatment technique
and the disposal route.
There are a number of methods employed to dispose off the sludge such as land-
fill, dumping at sea, incineration, drying, spray irrigation (i.e. agricultural disposal),
composting, and anaerobic digestion. In the last method anaerobic bacteria break
down in the range of 30 to 40 per cent of the organic matter of sludge to form a
gaseous mixture of methane and CO2 in the ratio of about 3:1. Now a day, this pro-
cess is widely practiced in order to stabilise the sludge before its final disposal. This
is a relatively simple process to engineer and it produces a valuable energy source in
the methane containing biogas. As conventionally practices, anaerobic digestion of
sewage sludge converts only about 30 per cent of the organic matter to methane and
carbon dioxide. Although this reduction is sufficient to stabilise the sludge, a large
volume remains for disposal, which result into transportation and handling problems.
To mitigate such problems, there are a number of ways in the stage of research and
development as well as numerous full scale processes i.e. thermal process (Cambi),
chemical (acid, alkaline, ozonation), mechanical (sonication, high pressure homog-
enizer: Micro-SludgeTM ), which can significantly increase the conversion of organic
matter to methane in anaerobic digesters. Those methods need to be further researched
and refined as they promise a great reduction in subsequent sludge handling problems
(Priestley, 1992; Carrere et al., 2010; Tyagi & Lo, 2011).
Further, the large-scale incineration of sludges is an expensive alternative due to
high capital costs, and is only a partial disposal option as the ash formed creates further
disposal problem. However, the development of autothermic incineration process has
made the incineration technique more attractive. In this process primary and secondary
sludges are mixed together and pressed to remove the water content. This produces
a cake of 30 per cent solids, which can support autothermic combustion. Advanced
4 Sludge Management

combustion systems viz., fluidised beds working at high temperatures of 750–850◦ C

create more heat than it is required to heat the inlet air and remove the water from
the sludge. This means that once the process has started, no more fuel is needed to be
added as the sludge itself generates sufficient heat. The ash formed in this process can
be removed by an electrostatic precipitator and the wet scruber can remove sulphur
dioxide, hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride. Here, the ash contains the heavy
metals, which are present in the sludge and represents 30 per cent of the original dry
mass and 1–2 per cent of the volume and is normally disposed off in landfill sites
(Scragg, 1999).
Furthermore, some sludges can be disposed off by making them useful for some
agricultural purposes. Almost all sludges contain more or less concentration of heavy
metals, as microorganisms have the ability to segregate metals. Hence the application
of sludge to soils carries the risk of producing high levels of heavy metals in the soil.
Any sludge, which is to be applied to agricultural land, is required to have some sort of
chemical or biological treatment to reduce the levels of pathogens unless it is injected
below the surface. Such treatment can be any of the following ones:

• alkali stabilisation, pH >12 for 12 hours,

• anaerobic digestion at 35◦ C for 12 days,
• composting, 4–5 weeks,
• drying and storage, 3 months,
• liquid storage, 3 months,
• pasteurization, heating at 70◦ C for 30 min. or more,
• thermophilic aerobic and anaerobic digestion, at 55◦ C.

Any of these methods can be used to reduce the pathogens content of the sludge
before it is applied to the land. The sludge is normally conditioned prior to drying so
that its ability to settle before dewatering is improved. Often dewatering is carried out
in drying beds, but the filtration and centrifugation have also been used to produce a
compact cake. Nevertheless, in addition to the above-mentioned methods, the basic
principles and conventional as well as advanced practices of treating and disposing off
the sludges have been discussed and described in detail in the subsequent chapters.
Building the sludge derived resources recovery system can help to produce envi-
ronmentally benign products, reduce the dependency on non-renewable resources
thus facilitate the conservation of natural resources, decrease the human health risk
and environmental pollution as well as offers the routes for sustainable manage-
ment of waste sludge. Several value added products can be recovered from sludge,
viz., energy rich biogas (methane, hydrogen, syngas), liquid bio-fuels (bio-diesel,
bio-oils), construction material (bricks, cement, pumice, slag, artificial lightweight
aggregates), bio-plastic, proteins and hydrolytic enzymes, bio-fertilizers, bio-sorbent,
bio-pesticides, electricity generation using microbial fuel cells, nutrients (nitrogen and
phosphorus) and heavy metals. An up to date information about resource recovery
from sludge is presented in the last chapter.
Chapter 1

Sludge: An overview

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Sludge is universally considered as waste, something to be disposed of out of sight

and out of mind. As a result, the word “sludge’’ is usually associated with pollution,
contamination and disease. Nobody wants it in their backyard, and everybody thinks
it should be somewhere else.
Sludge can be defined as a soft mud or mire, a slimy precipitate produced during
the treatment of waste water. As far as an environmental engineer is concerned, sludge
is a byproduct of several processes (Bowen et al., 1990; Fleming, 1986):

• Water treatment plants

• Sewage treatment plants
• Dredging of rivers and harbours
• Coal and sand washeries
• Industrial manufacturing
• Agriculture.

Sludge can be regarded as consisting of particles aggregated into flocs that act
hydrodynamically as single particles. These flocs can be in suspension, separated from
other flocs (e.g. alum floc in water treatment prior to settling), or in a solid matrix
where individual flocs cannot be identified and the sludge mass forms a continuum
(e.g. waste-activated sludge).
In terms of the quantity of sludge, overall sludge production is dependent on
influent loading, type of treatment, treatment performance, type of sludge-handling
facilities, and effluent treatment requirements. In general, sludge production is
expected to be directly related to the average dry-weather flow rate through the plant,
assuming no changes in influent unit loading or the treatment process.

1.2 SOURCES OF SLUDGE

(Balmer & Frost, 1990; Girovich, 1990; Martin & Bhattarai, 1991;
Supernant et al., 1990; Topping, 1986)

Sludge has several sources, namely, water treatment plants, municipal waste water
treatment plants and industrial effluent treatment plants. Is sludge purely a waste?
6 Sludge Management

Can it serve as a resource? These questions require closely considered definitions of the
terms “waste’’ and “resource’’. Obviously, waste can be defined as something which is
lying unused, unproductive, uncultivated, superfluous, or which is in disadvantageous
(useless) condition. On the other hand, a resource is a means of generating wealth or
money, that is, something that can be used in one or more ways, a thing from which
some useful byproduct can be extracted, or something that helps in the manufacture
of some advantageous product/item. Clearly, from such general definitions, any form
of sludge that is put to use is not waste, but those sludges that are just dumped most
certainly are.

1.2.1 Water treatment plants

In the case of water treatment plants, sludge comprises either settled particulate matter
in sedimentation tanks, flocculated and precipitated material resulting from chemical
coagulation, or the residue of excess chemical dosage, plankton, etc. In such cases,
for continuous sludge removal, the feasibility of discharging sludge to existing sew-
ers nearby is normally considered. For lime-softening plant sludge, reclamation by
calcination and reuse can be explored.
Sludge from clarification units using iron and aluminium coagulants can be dewa-
tered to a cake by vacuum filtration, using lime as a conditioner, and can conveniently
be trucked to landfill. Recovery of alum from sludge by treatment with sulphuric acid
offers possibilities for reduction in the quantities of sludge to be handled. Sand drying
beds are an acceptable method for dewatering certain types of sludge from settling
tanks or clarifiers for subsequent disposal to landfill. Simple lagooning of sludge can
also bring about a reduction in the bulk of sludge to be handled, followed by disposal
to landfill. However, acceptable rates of application of water treatment sludges to
various soil types are related to the phosphorus-fixing capacity of the sludge.

1.2.2 Sewage treatment plants

Sewage sludge is slurry with a water content usually in excess of 95%. The solid phase
consists principally of organic matter, derived from human, animal and food wastes.
Other constituents are trace contaminants (metals and persistent organic compounds),
mainly from industrial effluents and bacteria, some of which may be pathogenic.
Girovich (1990) describes the sewage sludge in its initial form as a liquid with
2–6% total solids (TS). On a dry basis, sludge contains 35–65% of organic matter,
with the remainder being non-combustible mineral ash. Nutrients like nitrogen, phos-
phorus, potassium and some trace metals are present in sludge and it can be used as
an effective fertiliser. However, the sludge also contains pathogens and, in some cases,
constituents such as heavy metals and hazardous organics.

1.2.3 Industrial effluent treatment plants

Industrial waste water treatment facilities generate different types of sludge, which
can be generally classified as either organic or inorganic, and both may contain toxic
materials, mainly heavy metals. The presence of toxic compounds (e.g. from phar-
maceutical and metal industries) contaminates the sludge and thus restricts the safe
 Sludge: An overview 7

Scre lng

To Landfill

Final AeraUon
Clla1rifter Tank
____ Retu1
~ nn
Actilvated
Tertiary Effiluents Slludg1e
Filters

Figure 1.1 Various stages of sludge generation in wastewater treatment plant (Reuse with permission
of John Wiley and Sons; Source:Turobskiy & Mathai, 2006).

disposal of industrial sludge. Industrial sludges classified as hazardous contain toxic

substances (heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, other dangerous toxins), making them
unfit for agricultural use.

1.3 SLUDGE CATEGORISATION

(Coker et al., 1991; MWST, 1991; Turovskiy & Mathai, 2006; Bahadori, 2013)

Sludge can be categorised on the basis of several criteria, such as chemical composition,
waste water source and the stage of sludge generation in a waste water treatment plant.
Thus, in terms of chemical composition, there is mineral sludge, in which the amount
of suspended mineral solids exceeds 50%, and organic sludge, in which the amount
of suspended organic solids exceeds 50%. In terms of waste water origin, there are
domestic, municipal and industrial sludges. The sources and types of sludge generated
in a waste water treatment plant with primary, biological and chemical treatment
facilities are shown in Figure 1.1. Sludge can be categorised as: primary sludge (sludge
from primary settling tanks), chemically precipitated sludge (from settling tanks after
chemical precipitation), secondary or biological sludge (from secondary settling tanks
8 Sludge Management

after biological filtering, i.e. trickling-filter sludge), activated sludge, sludge from septic
tanks (i.e. septage), and digested sludge.

1.3.1 Primary sludge

In general, waste water treatment plants apply physical treatment in the form of set-
tling to remove settleable solids from raw waste water. Sludge produced from primary
settling tanks is a grey suspension with solids of different sizes and composition. The
concentration of total solids in primary sludge can range between 2 and 7%. Due to
the presence of high levels of organic content, primary sludge decomposes rapidly and
becomes septic, which can be identified by its change to a dark grey or black colour
and an objectionable odour. If compared with biological and chemical sludge, primary
sludge is easy to dewater due to the presence of discrete particles and debris, and will
produce a drier cake and give better solids capture with low conditioning requirements.
The quantity of raw primary sludge can be approximately 0.4–0.5% by volume of the
plant influent flow, or approximately 1.1 m3 (39 ft3 ) per 1000 people.

1.3.2 Chemical sludge

Chemicals are generally used in waste water treatment, mainly in industrial waste
water treatment, in order to precipitate and eliminate hard-to-remove substances, and
in some instances, to improve removal of suspended solids. The chemicals commonly
used are lime, alum, ferrous chloride, ferric chloride, ferrous sulfate and ferric sulfate.
Sludge from chemical precipitation tanks is usually dark in colour, though its surface
may be red if it contains a high amount of iron. Its odour may be objectionable, but
not as strong as from primary sludge. While it is somewhat slimy, hydrates of iron
or aluminium will make it gelatinous. If left in the tank, it undergoes decomposition
like the sludge from primary sedimentation but at a slower rate. It gives off gas in
substantial quantities and its density increases if it is allowed to stand.

1.3.3 Biofilter sludge

Biofilter sludge is brownish and flocculent. The sludge coming from low-rate biological
filters contains many dead worms and so its odour can be quite offensive. It does not
drain readily and it must be very well-digested before dewatering. It is good practice
to recycle and mix this sludge together with sludge from primary settling tanks and
then digest it, and this is done in all treatment plants.

1.3.4 Activated sludge

Activated sludge is flocculent and air-dries slowly, even when it is spread in thin layers.
That is, it has poor dewaterability/drainability. If its biological treatment is efficient,
the sludge is golden-brown and has an earthy odour. If the colour is lighter than usual,
there may have been under-aeration, with a tendency for the solids to settle slowly.
If the colour is quite dark, it may be approaching a septic condition. It digests easily at
temperatures of 30–35◦ C. Before being conveyed to sludge digesters, it is mixed with
primary sludge.
 Sludge: An overview 9

1.3.5 Aerobically digested sludge

Aerobically digested sludge is brown to dark brown in colour and has a flocculent
appearance. The odour of aerobically digested sludge is unobjectionable, having a
musty character. Aerobically digested sludge can be dewatered rapidly and offers good
nutrient value (Bahadori, 2013).

1.3.6 Anaerobically digested sludge

Anaerobically digested sludge is dark brown to black in appearance and comprises a
sizeable amount of gas. Anaerobically digested sludge is non-offensive, less odorous
and looks like hot tar, burnt rubber or sealing wax. When drawn off on porous beds in
thin layers, the solids are first carried to the surface by the entrapped gases, leaving a
sheet of comparatively clear water below them. This drains off rapidly and allows the
solids to sink down slowly on to the bed. As the sludge dries, the gases escape, leaving a
well-cracked surface with an odour resembling that of garden loam (Bahadori, 2013).

1.3.7 Septage
Sludge from septic tanks is black. Unless well-digested by long storage, it is offensive
because of the hydrogen sulfide and other gases it gives off. The sludge can be dried on
porous beds if spread out in thin layers, but objectionable odours are to be expected
while it is draining, unless it has been well-digested (Bahadori, 2013).

1.3.8 Industrial sludge

An overview of the characteristics of different types of industrial sludge, which are
hazardous in nature when compared with sewage sludge, is provided here:

(a) Petroleum refining

The sludge produced from petroleum refineries is large in volume and contains
oil, wax, sulfides, chlorides, mercaptans, phenolic compounds, cresylates and,
sometimes, large amounts of iron.
(b) Pesticides industry
Sludge generated from the pesticide industry contains dangerous chemicals such as
dichlorophenol (DCP), ethyl hydrogen sulfate and chlorobenzene sulfonic acid.
(c) Paint industry
Oils, resins, dyes, solvents, plasticisers and extenders all contribute to the chemical
characteristics of sludge from the paint industry.
(d) Electroplating industry
The most important toxic contaminants in electroplating industry sludge are acids,
metals such as chromium, zinc, copper, nickel and tin, and cyanides. Alkaline
cleaners, grease and oils are also found in the sludge.
(e) Pulp and paper industry
Sludge from the paper industry contains pulp, bleaching chemicals, mercaptans,
sodium sulfides, carbonates and hydroxides, casein, clay, dyes, waxes, grease, oil
and fibre.
10 Sludge Management

(f) Tanneries/leather industry

The sludge produced from the leather industry, such as from tanneries, contains
high concentrations of sulfides and chromium.

1.4 SLUDGE CHARACTERISTICS

(Coker et al., 1991; Eriksson et al., 1992; MWST, 1991; Turovskiy & Mathai, 2006)

Sludge may be distinguished by its physical, chemical, bacteriological and biologi-

cal properties. These properties or characteristics depend on the nature of the origin
or source from which the sludge is obtained, and the unit operations and processes
by which it is produced. The major component of sludge is water, up to 95% by
weight. The remaining dry solids contain variable proportions of nitrogen, phospho-
rus, potassium, heavy metals, pathogens, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other
constituents, depending on the source of the sludge.
Table 1.1 summarises the principal characteristics of waste water sludge. However,
each physico-chemical and biological characteristic of sludge is discussed in detail in
the following subsections.

1.4.1 Physical characteristics

The physical properties of a sludge determine, to a great extent, the possibilities and
conditions for digestion and disposal of that sludge. The most important physical
properties are described below.

Colour and odour

Fresh sludge from municipal waste water is light greyish or yellowish in colour. Fully
digested sludge is black (due to iron sulfides) and has a tarry odour. Sludge produced
by aerobic digestion is brown and has a humus-like odour. It can be air-dried without
odour release in about two weeks in normal dry weather.

Water content
The volume of sludge depends mainly on its water content and only slightly on the
character of the solid matter. The 10% of solids in sludge, for example, comprise 90%
water by mass. If the solid matter is composed of fixed (mineral) solids and volatile
(organic) solids, the specific gravity of all of the solid matter can be computed as
follows:
Ms Mf Mu
= + (1.1)
Ss Pw Sf Pw Sv Pw

where,
Ms = mass of solids
Ss = specific gravity of solids
Pw = density of water
Mf = mass of fixed solids (mineral matter)
Another random document with
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 'Hallo, Kelly!' said Antony, 'from the little a landsman like me knows of
the sea, yonder ship seems in a nasty place.'
'Ay, sir, that she be; and though the tide isn't out so far as it will be, the
Partans' Rock, sir, is all awash. I mind,' he added, 'when the Fair Maid o'
Wales went on shore on that same ugly rock three year and more agone.'
'Went to pieces, did she?'
'Went to pieces? Ay, that she did. A cat couldn't have lived out there that
night.'
'Any one lost?'
'Nobody saved, sir—not a living soul.'
'Is there a lifeboat anywhere near?'
'No nearer nor B—— and it's there I'm going as fast's I can; but it's ten
good miles yet.'
'Won't detain you,' said Antony. 'But could nothing be done to warn the
station?'
Kelly was moving on.
'Ay,' he shouted up the wind, 'if the fools on the bark show a rocket or
two; but they won't do that till they strike, and then'—— Kelly was supposed
to have added the words 'too late,' but they were not distinctly heard.
Antony took Lotty's hand, so that together they might run down the
distance that intervened betwixt this high outlook-cliff and the camp. The
child was trembling all over.
'You're not afraid, are you, dear?'
'No—that is, not much, Mr Blake,' she replied; 'but, oh, wouldn't it be
dreadful if the ship went to pieces on the Partans' Rock, and poor dear dead
sailors were washed up through the firth to our camp?'
'But I don't think it will be so bad as that, Lotty. Those coastguards
generally make the worst of things.'
'Did not Kelly say something about rockets?'
'Yes, dear.'
'And we have lots in our camp.'
'But, child, the bark may have some; anyhow, our sending up rockets
would, I feel certain, only confuse the coastguard. They would know even in
the dark that these were sent up from the shore, and imagine we were only
just having some fireworks.'
'That is true; but, oh dear, it is terrible!' Then suddenly she added, 'I think
we should light a fire just here; that would warn them off.'
'Yes, Miss Lotty.'
The child let go Antony's hand now, and he knew she meant business.
There was dead wood, with withered furze, lying about here, and all hands
commenced at once to collect it. Even Wallace brought piece after piece and
wisely laid it down beside the rest. And in five minutes' time a red, roaring
fire was gleaming through the darkness far across the sea.
Those on that devoted bark saw the fire even if they could not perceive
the treacherous rock; and, knowing too well what it meant, tried to luff and
get farther out to northwards. From the lights which now appeared upon her,
Lotty could tell that she had put about and was trying to work into the wind's
eye.
They left the cliff, and left Chops there to feed the flames, and by making
all haste were not long before they reached the camp. It would now be about
nine o'clock, or hardly; and so heavy were the clouds that nothing was to be
seen, never a star above, and only the shifting lights in the camp. Little to be
heard either except the wash and swell of the breakers and the occasional
wild scream of a sea-bird. That was an ugly coast at night for vessels to get
near when the shore was a lee one, and more especially in the dark o' the
neap, with a falling tide.
As they were still gazing, with hands above their eyes, out into the pitchy
gloom of that wild sea, suddenly there was a flash as of red lightning, then a
gun roared out, awakening a hundred echoes among the rocks.
'Oh, Mr Blake, Mr Blake, the bark has struck!'
'I fear she has, Lotty. But nothing can be done. Why, I wonder, do they
not fire a rocket?'
'Because, dear Mr Blake, perhaps they haven't one.'
'Well, calm yourself, Lotty. We can only pray for them, and before long
the coastguard may come with the lifeboat crew.'
'Ay, but they will never know. Kelly will take two long hours to reach B
—— and by that time, oh dear, oh! there may not be a soul left on board the
bark, nor a plank for a drowning man to cling to.'
 Biffins Lee himself had come up.
'A sad business out yonder in the dark o' the neap, I fear, Mr Blake.'
There was no sign of sorrow in the man's voice. In fact, he seemed but
looking upon the whole affair from a spectacular point of view.
Another flash and another reverberating roar.
'One more gun!' said Biffins coolly. 'She can't hold together long if she be
on the Partan,' he added, 'or even inside it, which is more likely. I'm going to
tell Mary to heat water and to set men to watch the surf for dark things—
bodies—coming in. We may save life, Mr Blake, and what a fine
advertisement for the Queerest Show on Earth!'
Probably Frank Antony had never troubled himself to hate the man
before, but he did now; and, though the young man's arm was held down by
his side, he clinched his fist and gnashed his teeth. Then came the
questioning thought to his mind, just as it had often come before: 'Can this
brute really be the father of the sweet child who is standing by my side?'
And as Lee went out of sight, up out of the dark o' the neap seemed to
arise the answer: 'He cannot be her father, be the mystery what it may!'
Antony turned now to speak to Lotty. He missed her. She was here not a
minute ago, but now she was gone.
'Lotty, Lotty!' he called, and even Wallace raised his voice, barking a
strange, querulous kind of bark, and that was Antony's only answer.
'She is off to light the lamps in the "Gipsy Queen,"' he said to himself. So
he lit a cigar, and went smoking towards the caravan. But it was all in
darkness.
He met Mary.
'Have you seen Lotty?' he said.
'A few moments ago. Yes, Mr Blake. She was going towards the big
marquee.'
Ee-yowf barked Wallace again. It was the strangest sort of bark ever the
young man had heard him utter—speakingly strange, in fact. Then he started
off in the direction of the swinging, swaying petroleum lights of the camp.
He found the honest dog in the marquee looking for his mistress, and it
was evident enough he was on trail. He went dashing out now with his head
low towards the turf; and, as far as Antony could see him, he appeared to be
making tracks for the river. And Antony followed as quickly as he could, a
strange, wild thought having suddenly taken possession of his very soul. He
felt it was foolish, but he could not help it.
He found Wallace standing by the little boathouse looking helplessly out
towards the sea. Antony quickly opened the back-folding doors and threw
the gleam of his flashlight inside. It was empty! The Jenny Wren was gone!
He had not a single doubt now in his mind as to what must have
happened.
'Oh, how daring! how mad!' he said to himself half-aloud.
The little gipsy lass had evidently gone right to the big marquee to find
rockets, and with these in her possession she had no doubt set out in the little
boat towards the stranded bark, over that wild and stormy sea, in the dark o'
the neap.
 CHAPTER XXI.

THE WRECK OF THE 'CUMBERLAND.'

T HAT next half-hour seemed to be the longest for Antony that ever he had
passed in his lifetime. That is what he said to his sister Aggie when he
wrote and told her all about the events of this fearful night. He first went
back towards his caravan, closely followed by Wallace, who appeared to
watch his every movement, certain in his canine mind that Antony would do
something to find his mistress. For a master stands in the place of a god to
his faithful dog, and the latter believes him omnipotent. Hardly knowing
what he did, he lit the great lamps, and through their dark-crimson shades
their light streamed like blood across the sand and on the surf.
For long minutes he sat beside Wallace, the dog giving vent occasionally
to that long, sad sigh that shows every one who knows and understands such
an animal that he is in grief—the dog sighing, the man chafing at his own
helplessness.
Presently he got up, and descended the steps. He met Mary bustling
around, and told her his fears.
All she answered was, 'Then God help our bonny bairn this dread and
awful night!'
No comfort in that quarter.
'I fear the worst, Mary,' he said.
'Let us hope for the best, then,' said Mary.
Then he set himself to walking rapidly up and down the beach as if to
work away his awful anxiety. And thus a good half-hour was passed. 'Had
she succeeded in reaching the doomed ship,' he told himself, 'there would
have been some sign ere now. Hallo!'
Another flash, another report, and almost immediately after the meteor-
track of a splendid rocket rising high in air, turned a little towards the west,
then bursting with a dull sound into brightest flame.
'Thank God!' cried Antony, 'the daring child has got safely on board.'
Something cold and damp touched his hand, and he found Wallace by his
side; and the gentle touch gave him both comfort and hope. But just at that
moment Antony made a strange discovery, which he put into words, though
these were not spoken aloud, but to his heart, as it were.
'I love that child,' he told himself with the frankness of youth, 'more than
is good for my peace of mind, more than is good for my future happiness or
probably hers; for if she is spared this sad night to get safely on shore, soon
now the parting must come, and I go away on my road in life and Lotty on
hers. Heaven help the child and me!'
Just as he was communing with himself, the dark o' the neap was riven
once more by a rocket's gleam that swayed and rose and burst as before.
It will be better to go back a little and follow the gipsy lass's movements
as she went sweeping down the river that night and headed straight for that
boiling sea. Surely she had more than the strength and skill of any two man-
o'-war's men, and more than the daring of a Grace Darling to venture forth
on such a forlorn hope.
But she had reasoned thus with herself: 'Even if I fail to reach the ship, I
can, I think, sweep my light skiff quickly round and go rushing back to the
river on the scud of the furious sea, and if I miss that the surf will rush me
right up upon the beach, and I will not lose either my life nor Antony's Jenny
Wren.'
Both wind and waves tossed the little boat about, but bravely did Lotty
keep her head to the mountain seas. So high and wild were some of the
breakers that they lifted the bows high in air and almost sank the skiff stern
first. The first quarter of an hour's pull was the worst. After this, though the
waves were higher, they did not break so much. Ah! but Lotty soon saw that
they were sweeping high and horrible right over the stranded vessel, and for
quite a long time she hovered near, hesitating how and when to approach.
At last she said to herself, 'It must be now or never.'
So high on a wavetop was she as the boat went dashing on from
windward that the brave girl could see right down on to the wave-washed
deck. Perhaps it was well for Lotty that the bark was so firmly, so steadfastly
fixed on the rocks; bad for the ship, it is true, for from this position never
could she move except in staves and broken timbers.
The sailors had seen the coming skiff, and three of them, at imminent
peril, rushed to the side and seized it in time; and next moment Lotty, safe
for the time being, was on the slippery upper deck of the bark, and even the
Jenny Wren was hauled on board. Right aft in the skiff was a little locker,
and it was in this Lotty had stowed the rockets.
On the beach, about an hour after this, shapeless black things were driven
up by the spume and the rush of the waves, and these were quickly seized by
the hands of the ready fishermen who had been attracted to the spot. Antony
himself was there, in fear and trembling lest one of the bodies washed in
might be—oh, terrible!—Lotty's own.
. . . . . . .
Bob Stevens was a hard, rosy-faced man, bold and blue-eyed, strong in
muscle, without one superfluous ounce of fat. Those eyes of his had peered
into the darkness overcanopying many a stormy sea, those hard brown hands
were at home with either tiller or oar, and more than at home with tack or
sheet; a fisherman by trade, a sailor bold as ever trod a slippery deck, and
master of the B—— lifeboat. Bob had gone quietly into the bar-parlour of
the 'Lovat Arms' on that evening, with three of his pals, all life-boatmen, and
they were smoking and enjoying modest glass and yarn when a man in
oilskins rushed hurriedly in.
'Bob, you'll be wanted,' he said. 'There's a ship on the Partan Rocks.'
'God help her if she's there to-night!' said one of Bob's crew.
'Up with your drams, lads, and we'll get the Maiden out at once.'
In an almost incredibly short space of time, and just as the second red
rocket cleft the darkness of the sky, the Maiden was launched and standing
out to sea. So quickly had they gone that the men's wives knew nothing of
their going until they had made good their offing and were swallowed up in
the dark o' the neap. The Maiden could sail as close to the wind as any boat
on the coast; but it needed all her seaworthiness and all Bob's skill to-night
to battle with these fierce and seething seas.
Never in this world will all the brave deeds done by our British lifeboats'
crews be recorded. Perhaps—quien sabe?—their stories may be told on the
shores of the Heavenly Canaan, where it is to be hoped we shall all meet.
But now, through the darkness, the ocean lit up by the white of the
curling waves, the Maiden toils on, up the watery hills, down with a rush
into the vales between, hit, buffeted, overwhelmed, and shivering, but still
striving on and on and on.
Will she be in time?
 Perhaps hardly not, for the last rocket has been fired, and out of the
goodly crew of seventeen men and a boy that left London but two weeks ago
only nine are now alive. The rest have been swept away into the black,
yawning seas, and washed shorewards to death on the turn of the tide.
Lotty is down below, for here is the captain's wife and baby, whom the
little gipsy lass is doing her best to comfort. And she is thus engaged when
her quick ear is sensible of knocking and scraping along the leeside
bulwarks, and presently she cries aloud with joy, her eyes sparkling, her face
sweetly flushed in the light of the lamp in gimbals.
'Saved, dear lady, saved!' she says to the skipper's wife. For she has heard
strange voices on the deck, manly voices shouting strange orders high above
the wail of wind and dash of raging sea.
She and her companions are soon lifted by some of the rescuers and
carried as if babies in the strong arms of the rough but kindly men; and in a
few minutes all are on board the lifeboat, the last man to throw himself in
being the brave skipper himself.
Bob Stevens presently feels a tug at his arm, and a young girl's voice says
in his ear, 'Do not try to beach her; the sea is high and the bottom is rock. Up
the Burn o' Bogie with her. I'm going forward,' continued the voice; and Bob
said, many a time after this, it sounded to him like the voice of a seraph
—'I'm going forward with my flashlight, and will guide you safe up the
burn.'
It is needless to say that the voice was Lotty's, and next minute she was as
far forward as one could get in a boat like this, with the light in her hand.
She could see the fearful, roaring white of the seas that dashed on shore; but
there were hills with their black heads yonder too, and it was by these she
kept the course, till, with boiling waves high and threatening on both sides of
her, the lifeboat glided into the still, deep waters of the Burn o' Bogie.
It was Antony himself who lifted Lotty from the bows and landed her
safe on shore; and in all the vast crowd, that had gathered from every part of
the country, hardly was there a dry eye or a heart that did not throb with joy
in thinking of the brave deed done this night by the little gipsy lass.
. . . . . . .
'And to think, my dear,' said Mrs Oak the skipper's wife of the lost bark
Cumberland, as she was leaving for the south two or three weeks after this,
'that I may never have a chance of doing you a favour for all your brave
kindness to us! Oh surely,' she added as she pressed Lotty's hand, and would
not let it go, 'the King himself will hear of your gallantry and pluck, and
thank you. Good-bye, Lotty, oh good-bye, and God be with you aye!—Kiss
the child, James,' she said to her husband; 'kiss the darling that saved our
lives.'
Big, brown-bearded James did as he was told. And Lotty was made to
promise that if ever she came to Shepherd's Bush she would pay Capstan
Cottage a visit, where she, this burly skipper's wife, lived when her husband
was far at sea.
But as she made this promise, little did Lotty think how soon she would
meet this kindly woman once again.
. . . . . . .
They say it is an ill wind that blows nobody good. The storm that caused
the sad and awful wreck of the good bark Cumberland had been by no
means an ill-wind to the showman Biffins Lee. No one knew better than he
did how to take advantage of a windfall. Immediately after the disaster his
people had all to work extra time. No extra pay—that was quite another
matter. But the Queerest Show had to be got into full swing, for hundreds of
people from all directions flocked towards it, not only to see the scene of the
wreck and to pick up souvenirs thereof on the beach, but to see Lotty the
heroine, or to listen to the story of her daring and courage from the lips of
Biffins Lee; for the girl herself was far too modest and shy to say one word
concerning it. In fact, she thought very little about the matter, and could not
have been made to believe that she had given evidence of any extra courage
in doing what she had done. She knew from the first that in her Jenny Wren
there would be no great difficulty in taking out a few rockets to the stranded
ship, and she did so. Of course, it had been a little awkward getting
alongside, and all that; but then—well, she was successful, and that perhaps
as much by chance, she thought, as her own good management.
She shrank instinctively, therefore, from being made a hero of, and
lionised; and when she saw newspapers effulgent with flowery language
descriptive of her deed of daring, and calling her the second Grace Darling,
and all that, she could have torn the pages out and burned them. Indeed, that
is precisely what she would have done, only the papers belonged to the show
and not to her.
 But Biffins Lee had extracts made from these articles, printed in big,
attractive capitals, and posted up near to the show, and great posters here and
there at roadsides, with big black hands and pointing fingers on them:
THIS WAY TO THE QUEEREST SHOW ON EARTH.
————
GRACE DARLING,
WHO SAVED THE CREW OF THE 'CUMBERLAND.'

EVERY VARIETY OF AMUSEMENT,

SERIOUS AND COMICAL.

BEARS, APES, LIVING SKELETON, AND

THE DREADED DOOROOCOOLIE.
ONLY LIVING MERMAN IN THE WORLD.
Well, Lotty could not help this; but when told that she must appear on the
stage in front of a specially prepared scenic screen—rocks, sea, and wrecked
ship, with the little Jenny Wren bounding over the waves, and she in it; and
that, moreover, she must dress as 'Grace Darling Redivivus' and describe her
adventure, then for the first time in her life she became a beautiful but tearful
little rebel.
'Father, father,' she cried, 'I cannot, will not do this!'
'Will not, eh? Well,' was the reply, 'and when I tell you that you must and
shall, what is your answer to be?'
'That I sha'n't.'
The scene that followed is one which no author would care to dwell upon.
But, losing all control over himself, the fat and burly showman advanced
with his fist clenched and eyes aflame, and no doubt might have done poor
innocent Lotty serious injury. But just at that moment came a fresh actress
on the scene, in the person of Crona herself. Dressed as usual in the clean
starched mob-cap or mutch, her tartan plaid and garments fluttering around
her in the breeze blowing off the sea, a long staff in her hand, and Joe the
raven on her shoulder, she appeared as suddenly as if she had sprung from
the earth, and interposed her presence 'twixt the showman and child.
'Back!' she almost screamed, 'back, Biffins Lee. Lay but a finger on that
child, and there is an end to your show and to your career as well.'
 'How dare you, woman! Who are you that interferes with the legal right
of a parent to reprimand a disobedient child?'
'Who am I, Biffins Lee?' she repeated. Then she made one step towards
him and hissed something in his ear.
 'Father, father,' she cried, 'I cannot, will not do this.'
LASS. Page 224.

Lee started as if shot, and stood there before the witch, pale, perspiring,
and trembling.
But Crona only laughed.
'Come with your fairy godmother, darling.' She placed an arm around
Lotty, and together they left the stage.
 CHAPTER XXII.

THE AMBITIONS OF CHOPS JUNIOR.

'TO—run—away—Miss
say—run—away?'
Lotty?' Chops was gasping. 'Miss Lotty, did ye

'Oh yes, Chops, I fear I had to say—run away. But you won't tell
anybody ever, will you?'
'Never, never, never,' said Chops with curious solemnity.
'Because, you know, Chops, I've always told you everything, and I dare
not go away without telling you this. Mary is good, and so is Skeleton; but
they would try to argue me out of going, and if he knew he would kill me I
think.'
'Miss Lotty, who is 'e?'
'Mr Biffins Lee,' said Lotty quietly, sadly, with her eyes turned towards
the stars, but seeing them not.
'Yer father, Miss Lotty?'
'The man who says he is my father,' she said slowly and deliberately.
Then, 'Oh Chops, there is a mystery, a strange, strange mystery that I must
not even tell you yet. But Crona knows it all.'
'Mustn't—tell—me yet? Ye said "yet," didn't ye, Miss Lotty?'
'I said "yet."'
'But then some day I'll know, won't I? So I'll live in 'opes o' that some
day. An' some day,' this queer boy went on, 'some day summat helse be
agoin' to 'appen. Ye know the song, Miss Lotty, "'E never told 'is love"?
Well, that's me. An' I'm goin' to be honest an' straight with ye as ever was.
An' till the day w'en by savin' an' savin' I makes a bit o' money, an' is old
enough to lead ye to the halter, I'm goin' to be a helder brother to ye. So 'elp
me, Billy-o.'
Who Billy-o was it would be difficult to say; but Chops's adjuration
certainly sounded a strong one. But evidently the lad liked Lotty very much,
and it would be wrong to laugh at love even in the crude.
Chops was silent for a time.
 Wallace was lying down perilously close to the edge of the cliff—so
close, indeed, that Lotty feared to call him lest he should miss his foothold
and tumble over to destruction. But it was only the dog's way, and he was
perfectly safe.
But Lotty's newly constituted elder brother broke the silence at last.
'Miss Lotty,' he said, 'Chops, yer friend, will neither give sleep to 'is
heyes nor slumber to 'is heyelids until 'e 'as prayed hover an' thought hall
about the scheme for runnin' away. If so be,' he added, 'that it seems best for
ye, Chops will tell ye to-morrer mornin' has ever was. No more at present
from yours truly till death do us part—Chops junior.'
Wallace had drawn away from the cliff, much to Lotty's relief, and come
forward as if to listen to the conversation.
'Oh, Chops, by the way,' said the girl, 'you said Chops junior. I've been
often going to ask you had you ever, ever a father, Chops?'
'Wot then, Miss Lotty? Think I 'ad two mothers hinstead? Or that baby
Chops floated ashore on a 'urdle? My father, Miss Lotty, is a jobbin'
gardener, as does hodd jobs in 'Ighgate 'Eath, as good a man, t'old pa'son
says, has hever drew the breath o' life on a Monday mornin'.'
'And your mother, Chops?'
'Does laundryin'. 'As a sweet little cottage—three rooms an' a hattic, a
porch afore the door, nice little garden, an' a nice wash'ouse behind. Oh! my
people be swells in a way, Miss Lotty.'
'Any brothers or sisters, Chops?'
'Just one bit o' a sister o' ten, Miss Lotty, an' she be a girl like. There is
no boys to be brothers. As sharp's they makes 'em Mariar is. W'en not at
school she runs herrands, goes for poor father's 'arf pint o' cold fourpenny,
an' takes the washin' 'ome o' Saturday nights to the haristocracy.'
'Chops, why didn't you ever tell me all this before?'
‘’Cause, Miss Lotty, t' old pa'son says to me, "Chops," 'e says, "it's allers
manners to wait till you're haxed."'
'Highgate Heath, Chops—is that a nice part?'
'W'ich it's puffikly lovely, an' wot they calls a charmin' locality, an'
freekwented mostly by the hupper-ten.'
After a pause, Lotty put her hand on her companion's shoulder.
 'Chops!'
'That's me, Miss Lotty.'
'Did your mother ever take a lodger?'
'No, little sister—but—but'——
Then at that moment Chops began to dance and to caper so wildly there
in the starlight that Wallace was forced to back astern to bark at him.
'I 'ave it, Miss Lotty. Lor' love ye, I've got it!' he cried. 'Wonder it didn't
strike me at onct.' Then he lowered his voice to almost a whisper. 'If so be
as ye does run away, Lotty, an' does get as far as Lunnon town, my dear, it's
straight to 'Ighgate 'Eath ye goes, to the 'ouse o' my parents, an' lodge there
as 'appy as a May Queen till ye gets summat to do.'
'Oh,' said Lotty, 'this is so very kind of you, Chops. I hope I'll be able to
thank you some day, Chops—some day.'
'W'en I leads ye to the halt'——
Lotty put her little hand on his mouth. 'You shall always be my friend,
won't you?'
'Oh lor', wot a question to hax!'
'But if I go to London—if I get to London—I'll be sure to call on your
parents at Highgate Heath. Then, Chops'—— she said somewhat anxiously.
'Me again?' said Chops.
'Does my father—does Mr Lee—know your parents, or know where they
live? Did he meet you there first?'
'Miss Lotty, Biffins Lee, the man as was yer father, but ain't now no
more, doesn't know nuffin', an' I wouldn't go for to trust 'im not the
valuedom of a tin whistle. Biffins Lee picked me up at a penny gaff, w'ere I
were a hactin' the horphan chee-ild.'
'Well,' said Lotty, thoughtfully but cheerfully, 'I think if I went to your
mother's cottage till I got teaching or something, I would be very happy.'
This somewhat adipose lad had a very good-humoured face and a kindly
eye; but he could have struck no one as being a devotee at the histrionic
shrine. Yet, nevertheless, his one ambition was to become some day a
tragedian, and strut the boards, perhaps even as Othello himself. At this
very moment he must strike an attitude, and with arm uplifted towards the
eastern stars give voice as follows:
 'The lot in life o' this poor son o' toil 'as not been a joyful one 'itherto.
Torn from the harms o' 'is weepin' parents at a hearly age, 'e was attached to
the great conglomeration o' Biffins Lee. Though fed like a queen-bee in
order that 'e might take the part of Roly Poly in the Christmas pant., or
'Umpty Dumpty on the Wall, with every bite 'e got to heat 'e received a
buffet, an' on the cold, cold ground on w'ich 'e slept tears used to chase each
other hover 'is face as large as limpet-shells.
'But who would pity the sorrows o' the poor fat boy? No heye was
bedewed with tears to see 'im rolled across the stage as the livin' football,
carried in a net as a string o' honions, trussed an' carried in a tray with
carrots an' turmots on a baker's 'ead to represent "ye first-prize Christmas
goose." An' no one wept w'en 'e was placed on the table to be carved by
Prince de Gourmand—no, not w'en 'e swore 'e was old an' tough, an' then
threw 'im at the 'ead o' the pantaloon. I've been a roast suckin'-pig with
brown gravy, I've been a turkey with sassingers, I've been a pigeon-pie with
my 'ead an' my toes a-stickin' through the crust, an' I've figured as cold side-
dish at the board o' the King o' the Cannibul-high-lows. An' against these
indignities my proud soul 'as burned within me, an' I kept silence honly
because somefin allers told me my day would one day come. An' I see it
now a-comin'. I see a glorious vista openin' up before my mental heyes o'
triumph hafter triumph as Hengland's greatest tragedian.
'An', Miss Lotty,' he said, coming down to the terrestrial, 'if ye goes to
Lunnon, who knows but what Chops junior will follow ye, an' in the
fullness o' time strut the stage as a star o' the fust magnitude?'
'Don't you think, Chops, it is time we went to camp to dinner now?'
Next day—because it was after the 'fast,' and everybody in the parish
had been to church—was a great one in the camp of the Queerest Show on
Earth. Bruin danced his very drollest, the Skeleton performed the most
wonderful tricks. The dreaded dooroocoolie, it was said, had got loose;
there was the most fearsome roaring, and the struggle in surrounding it once
more with its clanking chains was more dreadful than the battle of St
George and the ten-clawed Dragon. But the performances of Lotty Lee were
encored till the poor child was well-nigh tired to death. Then the whole
strength of the band discoursed the sweetest selection while the limelights
were turned on the merman's tank.
 The astonished rustics gaped with dread and with curiosity when Biffins
Lee, stepping forward, announced to the ladies and gentlemen that to-night
they would see something that they would not only marvel at, but remember
as long as their toes held together on the face of the earth. The merman, it
was said, expected his daughter early next week, the real live and beautiful
mermaiden who had been seen afloat in Partan Bay; and so her father to-
night had determined to have a great spring cleaning of his cave. The public
were requested to inspect for themselves; and, sure enough, there was the
merman in all his hideous ugliness asleep in the corner of the tank. Then
Biffins waved the audience back, and almost immediately afterwards they
would have gladly gone still farther back if they had had a chance, for the
awful old merman appeared suddenly on the surface of the tank, and began
to eat pieces of fried fish that were handed to him.
'He used to eat this raw,' the showman explained, 'but he is far more
civilised now.'
The trumpets brayed, the drums beat louder, the crimson light played
across the tank, and with an eldritch shriek the merman disappeared. But
presently, to the surprise of everybody, up to the surface of the water
bobbed a cane-bottomed chair.
Now, there is not by any means a confusing amount of romance about a
cane-bottomed chair. No one would go so far as to say that. And this chair
was a very ordinary one, the seat of it even calling out aloud for repair.
Nevertheless, it had been sent up by the merman in a business-like way, and
the people with one accord lifted up their voices and cheered that old
bedroom chair; and when a small deal table came to the surface next,
followed by a somewhat dilapidated washstand, they cheered all the more,
for the British public is certainly a strange animal; but when a three-legged
stool next appeared the British public mingled laughter with its cheers.
Meanwhile busy hands of supernumeraries seized article after article as it
came to the top of the tank, and commenced scrubbing it with hot water and
soap.
'Ladies and gentlemen,' said Biffins, with his most artistic bow, 'I feel
constrained to apologise to you for the somewhat meagre, not to say
shabby, appearance of the furniture sent up to undergo spring cleaning. I
must admit that it is scarcely the sort of articles one would naturally expect
in a merman's cave. We might have looked forward to a better display than
this: furniture inlaid with gold and precious stones—the onyx, the jasper,
the opal, and coral white and crimson—carpets of green sea-moss, and
curtains of the velvety sea-weeds, with candelabra that would have dazzled
the eyes, and articles of bigotry and virtue. But our merman came here in a
hurry, and left his caves and his marble halls all behind him. I have not
myself been down to the bottom of this mighty tank, and have not,
therefore, had a peep inside the merman's cave; but, judging from these
specimens, I should fancy the poor merman has had to "furnish throughout
on the hire system."'
At this moment the merman himself came to the surface, puffing and
blowing as if choking with dust. He was wearing an old flannel shirt with
the sleeves rolled up, and had a dust-pan in one hand and sweeping-brush in
the other, while round his head was pinned a dirty old rag of a towel. He
signed to Biffins Lee for a drink, and a tumbler of some brown liquor like
rum was handed to him. This he tossed off, threw the glass at Biffins's head,
and dived below to work again.
By-and-by he came up once more, and, receiving article after article,
critically examined it for specks of dirt, then dived with it and appeared
again to grasp another, and so on until all the furniture was down below.
After this the creature came to the surface, tore off the old woollen garment
and the disreputable-looking towel, rolled them together, and threw them
disdainfully at the showman. Then it yawned in a tired way, stretched itself
as if much fatigued, and dived below.
'Now,' said Biffins Lee, 'the great spring cleaning is all over, and next
week I hope to have the extreme felicity of introducing to your notice the
merman's only daughter, the beautiful mermaid herself.'
But Biffins Lee was too confident. He was at the height of his glory at
present with his Queerest Show on Earth, and he little knew what was in
store for him.
 CHAPTER XXIII.

'WELL, CHOPS, TO RUN AWAY.'

F RANK ANTONY BLAKE had gone! He had been summoned away

suddenly—it is ever thus that sorrows come—to visit the sickbed of his
mother. And this was the first dark cloud that had arisen on the horizon
of Lotty's young life. It was sweet for her to know next evening by telegram
that her hero's dear mother was better, and that a letter would follow. But—
ah!—Antony had gone, and somehow everything was so changed now all
about and around her.
It was springtime. Spring, indeed, was in its first fresh glory. The sea she
loved, the sea out yonder stretching away and away to the illimitable north,
may have lost none of its beauty—the blue of its waves when the sun had
climbed the mountains, its opal and silver-gray on that cloud-streaked noon,
its emerald streaks where sky's blue mixed with the yellow of half-hidden
sandbanks, the pearl where the billows broke lazily over the brown-black of
weed-capped rocks, its ineffable glory of sunset or moonlight clear
gleaming. No, the sea must be the same, and yet it awakened less response,
less sympathy, in the heart of the little gipsy lass.
Towards the forest, where she went wandering away alone with Wallace,
because she wanted to think, things seemed strangely altered somehow. Was
the moss that carpeted the beech-woods less soft and bright, or the bark of
the birch-trees less snowy? Were the clouds of needled foliage on the
brown-stemmed pines more black and solemn, and had the tasselled larches
with buds of crimson lost already their spring-green tints? And where was
the glory of the golden furze? Where the music of the rose-linnet? Ah!
surely the fluting melody of the blackbird and the wild, ringing song of
mavis, ay, and the bold lilt of the chaffinch, were less loud and stirring. Yes,
and the cur-r-r and croodle of wood-pigeon in the planting's green shade,
that used to thrill the heart, sounded farther away now and grown more sad
and mournful.
The hero was gone. And, girl-like—well, childlike then—this wee gipsy
maiden sat down upon a stone and burst into tears, much to the concern of
ever-faithful Wallace, who did his best to kiss those tears away. But sorrow