midnight
At this rate we shall meet the _ Aurania _ soon after she leaves New York . '' Within the next six hours Tremayne transferred the whole of his vast property in a single instrument to his promised wife , thus making her the richest woman in England ; handed the precious deeds to her astonished father ; obtained his promise to take his wife and daughter to Alanmere at the end of the London season , and to remain there with her until he returned to reclaim her and his estates together ; and said good-bye to Lady Muriel herself in an interview which was a good deal longer than that which he had with his bewildered and somewhat scandalised lawyers , who had never before been forced to rush any transaction through at such an indecent speed . Had Lord Alanmere not been the best client in the kingdom , they might have rebelled against such an outrage on the law 's time-honoured delays ; but he was not a man to be trifled with , and so the work was done and an unbeatable record in legal despatch accomplished , albeit very unwillingly , by the men of law . By midnight the _ Lurline _ , ostensibly bound for Queenstown , had cleared the Sound , and , with the Eddystone Light on her port bow , headed away at full-speed to the westward . She was about the fastest yacht afloat , and at a pinch could be driven a good twenty-seven miles an hour through the water . As both Natas and Tremayne were anxious to join the air-ship as soon as possible , every ounce of steam that her boilers would stand was put on , and she slipped along in splendid style through the long , dark seas that came rolling smoothly up Channel from the westward . In an hour and a half after passing the Eddystone she sighted the Lizard Light , and by the time she had brought it well abeam the first interruption of her voyage occurred .