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The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry 98
Series Editors: Damià Barceló · Andrey G. Kostianoy

Abdelazim M. Negm
Abdelkader Bouderbala
Haroun Chenchouni
Damià Barceló Editors

Water
Resources in
Algeria -
Part II
Water Quality, Treatment, Protection
and Development
The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry
Volume 98
Founding Editor: Otto Hutzinger

Series Editors: Dami
a Barceló • Andrey G. Kostianoy

Editorial Board Members:

Jacob de Boer, Philippe Garrigues, Ji-Dong Gu,
Kevin C. Jones, Thomas P. Knepper, Abdelazim M. Negm,
Alice Newton, Duc Long Nghiem, Sergi Garcia-Segura
In over three decades, The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry has established
itself as the premier reference source, providing sound and solid knowledge about
environmental topics from a chemical perspective. Written by leading experts with
practical experience in the field, the series continues to be essential reading for
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Meeting the needs of the scientific community, publication of volumes in
subseries has been discontinued to achieve a broader scope for the series as a whole.
Water Resources in Algeria -
Part II
Water Quality, Treatment, Protection
and Development

Volume Editors: Abdelazim M. Negm

Abdelkader Bouderbala

Haroun Chenchouni
Damià Barceló

With contributions by
C. Aggab
S. E. Ali Rahmani
D. Barcelo
A. Benaradj

K. F. Benyahia
S. Bobot
A. Boucefiane
H. Boucherit

A. Bouderbala
S. Bouhsina
K. Boukharouba
H. Chenchouni

B. Chibane
L. Djemili
S. Flazi
I. Guasmi
F. Guemmaz

D. S. Habes
M. Hadjel
F. Hadji
A. M. Hamiche
S. Harkat

S. Heddam
L. Houichi
A. Khiat
O. Kisi
T. Merzougui

A. Mostefai
S. Neffar
A. M. Negm
E.-S. E. Omran

M. Remaoun
M. Renima
W. Rezig
A. Sadeuk Ben Abbes

N. A. Saouag
F. Sari
A. Sebbar
A. B. Stambouli
A. Tayeb
Editors
Abdelazim M. Negm Abdelkader Bouderbala
Department of Water and Water Department of Earth Sciences
Structures Engineering University of Khemis Miliana
Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University Algiers, Algeria
Zagazig, Egypt

Haroun Chenchouni Dami
a Barceló

Department of Natural and Life Sciences Catalan Institute for Water Research
Faculty of Exact Sciences and Natural and ICRA
Life Sciences, University of Tebessa Girona, Spain
Tebessa, Algeria

ISSN 1867-979X ISSN 1616-864X (electronic)

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry
ISBN 978-3-030-57886-2 ISBN 978-3-030-57887-9 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57887-9

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of
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Series Editors
Prof. Dr. Dami
a Barceló Prof. Dr. Andrey G. Kostianoy
Department of Environmental Chemistry Shirshov Institute of Oceanology
IDAEA-CSIC Russian Academy of Sciences
C/Jordi Girona 18–26 36, Nakhimovsky Pr.
08034 Barcelona, Spain 117997 Moscow, Russia
and and
Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA) S.Yu. Witte Moscow University
H20 Building Moscow, Russia
Scientific and Technological Park of the kostianoy@gmail.com
University of Girona
Emili Grahit, 101
17003 Girona, Spain
dbcqam@cid.csic.es

Editorial Board Members

Prof. Dr. Jacob de Boer
VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Prof. Dr. Philippe Garrigues

Université de Bordeaux, Talence Cedex, France

Prof. Dr. Ji-Dong Gu

Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, Guangdong, China

Prof. Dr. Kevin C. Jones

Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

Prof. Dr. Thomas P. Knepper

Hochschule Fresenius, Idstein, Hessen, Germany

Prof. Dr. Abdelazim M. Negm

Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

Prof. Dr. Alice Newton

University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal

Prof. Dr. Duc Long Nghiem

University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia

Prof. Dr. Sergi Garcia-Segura

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
Series Preface

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vii
viii Series Preface

“pure” chemistry, including those in industry, business, government, research

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ronmental Chemistry by the scientific community, from whom suggestions for new
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Dami
a Barceló
Andrey G. Kostianoy
Series Editors
Preface

Algeria is a water-scarce country and, therefore, the concerning authorities are

always looking for developing new water resources and management practices to
satisfy the different and increasing needs of the Algerian communities. The devel-
oped water resources via desalination for saline water or brackish water for
domestic or irrigation use or via treatment of wastewater for recycling or reuse
are known as nonconventional water resources. The quality of the water helps in
defining the treatment methods.
Therefore, the book titled “Water Resources in Algeria: Water Quality, Treat-
ment, Protection, and Development” is written by Algerian experts who know well
the facts of water resources in Algeria and the factors affecting natural water
quality, treatment of wastewater, and protection of the water resources, in addition
to the development of water resources to generate new sources (unconventional
source such as desalination) to update and enhance the existing knowledge on
unconventional water resources in Algeria. The book consists of 11 chapters
including the introduction and the conclusion chapters, and the conclusion part,
which is included as another chapter. The main themes of the book include: (a)
Water Quality and Modeling (WQM) is covered in three chapters, (b) Treatment
and Protection (TP) is covered in four chapters, and (c) Development and Future of
Water Resources (DF) is covered in four chapters.
The chapter “Predicting Water Quality Indicators from Conventional and
Nonconventional Water Resources in Algeria Country: Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy
Inference Systems Versus Artificial Neural Networks” is an overview of water
resources modeling for the purpose of prediction via Kalman filter (KF). This kind
of model can support not only the stochastic nature of the hydrological processes
but also their temporal variability as well as the nonlinear character of the hydro-
logical system. Such models are mostly required in water resources design and
management because they provide a helpful tool for decision- and policy-makers in
Algeria. While the chapter “Organic Chemical Characterization of Water of the
Northwestern Algerian Dams” deals with predicting water quality indicators from
conventional and unconventional water resources in Algeria using “adaptive neuro-
fuzzy inference systems versus artificial neural networks.” Additionally, the chapter
ix
x Preface

“Wastewater Reuse for Irrigation Purposes: The Case of Aı̈n Témouchent Region”
is devoted to the organic chemical characterization of water of the Northwestern
Algerian Dams as a case study.
Four chapters are presented to enhance the existing knowledge on the theme
“Treatment and Protection” of water resources in Algeria. The chapter “Protection
of Water Resources in Mining Sites in Northeast of Algeria” deals with the
wastewater reuse for irrigation purposes with a focus on the case of the Aı̈n
Témouchent Region. It shows that anthropogenic disturbances like municipal
solid waste discharges and agricultural and industrial activities play a major role
in determining the quality of surface waters. The chapter “Physicochemical and
Bacteriological Quality of Surface Water Resources Receiving Common Waste-
water Effluents in Drylands of Algeria” is devoted to deal with the protection of
water resources in mining sites with a focus on the case of North-East of Algeria.
The chapter “Valorization of Oily Sludge in Arzew Refinery” is concerned with the
assessment of water quality and pollution of surface water resources due to its
crucial effect on aquatic environments. It deals with the physicochemical and
bacteriological pollution of surface water resources receiving common wastewater
effluents in the drylands of Algeria. The chapter “Kalman Filter for Spatio-temporal
Modeling and Prediction of Algerian Water Resources Variability: Case Study of
Precipitation and Stream Flows at Monthly and Annual Scales” focuses on the
valorization of oily sludge in the Arzew Refinery to protect the environment as it is
one of the pillars of sustainable development.
When it comes to the “Development and Future of Water Resources” theme, the
chapter “Hydrograph Flood Forecasting in the Catchment of the Middle Cheliff”
presents an overview of water resources in steppe regions in Algeria based on field
study. In the field, two questions appear in the mind: What are the potentialities of
Algerian water resources? and What are the procedures to avoid the rapid depletion
of these resources? Because of many reasons, the answer to these questions does not
depend only on the actual and the available statistics on water resources but also on
the actual climate situation and the actual population growth. The chapter showed
that water resources were limited in terms of quantitative availability and quality.
The chapter “Overview of Water Resources in Steppe Regions in Algeria” deals
with development prospects in the steppe region of Na^ama (Western Algeria) due to
the fact that water resources are at the center of a large number of interests including
food security, agriculture, biological diversity, desertification, land use planning,
poverty, health, peace, conflict, etc. The chapter emphasizes that the participation
of all levels of stakeholders promotes more equitable and sustainable decisions in
the area.
Furthermore, the chapter “Water Resources, State of Play, and Development
Prospects in the Steppe Region of Na’ama (Western Algeria)” deals with desalina-
tion in Algeria based on photovoltaic power plant for TMM (Tahlyat Myah Magtaa)
of Oran, as a case study. Photovoltaic energy has undeniable advantages, particu-
larly for its cleanliness and durability. Also, it can be used in various applications
such as agriculture and desalination. The success of future development of water
resources depends on solutions that implement strategies for reducing high energy
Preface xi

consumption such as in seawater desalination, the reuse of wastewater, and the

introduction of drip irrigation. The chapter “Desalination in Algeria: Photovoltaic
Power Plant for TMM (Tahlyat Myah Magtaa) of Oran as a Case Study” ends the
third theme by dealing with hydrograph flood forecasting in the catchment of the
middle Cheliff as a case study due to the fact that Algeria is among the Mediter-
ranean countries that is most vulnerable to floods caused by streams overflowing
and crossing towns and suburban areas.
The book ends with a conclusion chapter to summarize the main conclusions of
the chapters and their recommendations.
The editors want to thank all the authors for their contributions to make this book
a source of knowledge on the water quality, treatment, protection, and development
of water resources in Algeria. Thanks are also extended to both reviewers of the
chapters and the Springer team who worked hard for a long period to produce this
book and to make our dream a reality. Special thanks to the editorial board of the
Handbook of Environmental Chemistry series for their critical evaluation of the
book proposal that improved the book contents.
The editors welcome any comments, feedback, and/or new chapters to be
included in the next editions. Please send your feedback and your constructive
comments and/or your new chapter to the editors via email.

Zagazig, Egypt Abdelazim M. Negm

Algiers, Algeria Abdelkader Bouderbala
Tebessa, Algeria Haroun Chenchouni
Girona, Spain Dami
a Barceló
29 March 2020
Contents

Introduction to “Water Resources in Algeria: Water Quality,

Treatment, Protection and Development” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Abdelazim M. Negm, El-Sayed Ewis Omran, Abdelkader Bouderbala,
Haroun Chenchouni, and Damia Barcelo

Part I Water Quality

Predicting Water Quality Indicators from Conventional
and Nonconventional Water Resources in Algeria Country:
Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Systems Versus Artificial
Neural Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Salim Heddam, Ozgur Kisi, Abderrazek Sebbar, Larbi Houichi,
and Lakhdar Djemili
Organic Chemical Characterization of Water of the Northwestern
Algerian Dams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Fatiha Hadji, Imen Guasmi, and Chahrazed Aggab

Part II Treatment and Protection

Wastewater Reuse for Irrigation Purposes: The Case of Aı̈n
Témouchent Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Fatiha Hadji, Fatima Sari, and Abderrahmane Khiat
Protection of Water Resources in Mining Sites in Northeast
of Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Drici Sameh Habes, Abdelkader Mostefai, Saad Bouhsina, Saadia Bobot,
and Kouathar Fella Benyahia

xiii
xiv Contents

Physicochemical and Bacteriological Quality of Surface Water

Resources Receiving Common Wastewater Effluents in Drylands
of Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Fateh Guemmaz, Souad Neffar, and Haroun Chenchouni
Valorization of Oily Sludge in Arzew Refinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Walid Rezig, Nawel Amina Saouag, and Mohammed Hadjel

Part III Water Resources Modeling and Forecasting

Kalman Filter for Spatio-temporal Modeling and Prediction
of Algerian Water Resources Variability: Case Study of Precipitation
and Stream Flows at Monthly and Annual Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Khadidja Boukharouba and Samra Harkat
Hydrograph Flood Forecasting in the Catchment of the Middle
Cheliff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Mohammed Renima, Mohamed Remaoun, Abdelkader Boucefiane,
Abdelkader Sadeuk Ben Abbes, and Abdelkader Bouderbala

Part IV Development and Future of Water Resources

Overview of Water Resources in Steppe Regions in Algeria . . . . . . . . . . 241
Salah Eddine Ali Rahmani, Abdelkader Bouderbala, and Brahim Chibane
Water Resources, State of Play, and Development Prospects
in the Steppe Region of Na^ama (Western Algeria) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Abdelkrim Benaradj, Hafidha Boucherit, and Touhami Merzougui
Desalination in Algeria: Photovoltaic Power Plant for TMM
(Tahlyat Myah Magtaa) of Oran as a Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Ait Mimoune Hamiche, Amine Boudghene Stambouli, Samir Flazi,
and Allaoui Tayeb

Part V Conclusions
Update, Conclusions, and Recommendations for Water Resources in
Algeria: Water Quality, Treatment, Protection, and Development . . . . 319
Abdelazim Negm, El-Sayed Ewis Omran, and Damia Barcelo
Introduction to “Water Resources
in Algeria: Water Quality, Treatment,
Protection and Development”

Abdelazim M. Negm, El-Sayed Ewis Omran, Abdelkader Bouderbala,

Haroun Chenchouni , and Damia Barcelo

Contents
1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Chapters’ Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1 Water Quality and Modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Treatment and Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.3 Development and Future of Water Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

A. M. Negm (*)
Water and Water Structures Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig
University, Zagazig, Egypt
e-mail: amnegm85@yahoo.com; amnegm@zu.edu.eg
E.-S. E. Omran
Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
e-mail: ee.omran@gmail.com
A. Bouderbala
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Khemis Miliana, Khemis Miliana, Algeria
e-mail: bouderbala.aek@gmail.com
H. Chenchouni
Department of Natural and Life Sciences, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Natural and Life
Sciences, University of Tebessa, Tebessa, Algeria
Laboratory of Natural Resources and Management of Sensitive Environments ‘RNAMS’,
University of Oum-El-Bouaghi, Oum-El-Bouaghi, Algeria
e-mail: chenchouni@gmail.com
D. Barcelo
ICRA, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Quart, Girona, Spain
e-mail: dbcqam@cid.csic.es

Abdelazim M. Negm, Abdelkader Bouderbala, Haroun Chenchouni, 1

and Damià Barceló (eds.), Water Resources in Algeria - Part II:
Water Quality, Treatment, Protection and Development,
Hdb Env Chem (2020) 98: 1–10, DOI 10.1007/698_2020_571,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 16 July 2020
2 A. M. Negm et al.

Abstract This chapter summarizes the main contents of the chapters presented in
the book “Water Resources in Algeria: Water Quality, Treatment, Protection and
Development” according to its three themes. Consequently, the latest finding of
research on water quality and modelling, wastewater treatment and reuse and
protection of water resources. Also, key information on the development and future
of water resources in Algeria were highlighted. The editors believe that the contained
information are important to support the sustainable development in Algeria as an
arid country in the MENA region.

Keywords Algeria, Desalination, Modelling, Sustainable development, Water

pollution, Water protection, Water quality, Water reuse, Water treatment

1 Background

“Water is life”; as long as water is available and of good quality, it sustains life on
earth including human livelihood. However, the deterioration of water quality by
any mean or the disturbance of water biogeochemical cycle, causing changes in
water availability and/or quantity, can directly harm human health or severely
damage the environment with negative socioeconomic repercussions that affect
agriculture, ecosystem integrity and human well-being [1, 2]. Within the frame of
sustainable development, it is crucial to maintain water available, sufficient and of
good quality. This requires first the understanding of both surface water and ground-
water characteristics [3–5] and also implements all the mechanisms and policies to
protect and ensure wise uses of water resources including treatment and reuses of
wastewater or desalination [3].
Water overuse, misuse and abuse are the main cause of water shortage in many
areas. Water pollution is another form of water unavailability resulted from high
population growth rate often combined with significant urban sprawl [1, 6]. The
management and conservation of water resources represent a real challenge under
climate change, desertification and increasing water demand, especially in arid and
semiarid regions [7, 8]. Indeed, the aims of current book are to deal with aspects
water quality, treatment, protection and development of water resources in Algeria.
The book started with the introduction part which consists of the current chapter,
where the main technical elements of each chapter are summarized and presented
under its relevant theme. In part I of the book [3] and in its second chapter [9], a
summary of the different components of the Water resources in Algeria was
presented based on the Scopus database. In this part of the book, the following
main themes are covered in 11 chapters:
– Water Quality and Modelling
– Treatment and Protection
Introduction to “Water Resources in Algeria: Water Quality, Treatment,. . . 3

– Development and Future of Water Resources

The next sections present briefly the main technical elements of each chapter
under its related theme.

2 Chapters’ Summary
2.1 Water Quality and Modelling

This theme is covered into three chapters. Chapter 2 is titled “Kalman Filter for
Spatio-Temporal Modelling and Prediction of Algerian Water Resources Variabil-
ity: Case Study of Precipitation and Streamflows at Monthly and Annual Scales”.
The main target of the chapter is the application of discrete Kalman filter for
spatiotemporal modelling and prediction of surface water variability in Algeria.
The recursive structure of its algorithm and its ability to integrate the effects of
measurement and system noise to produce optimal predictions make its particularity.
Also, the chapter focuses on surface water resources in Algeria already negatively
impacted by climate change. This impact results in water scarcity affecting all
components of the hydrological cycle, particularly rainfall. The spatial and temporal
variability of this shortage is an additional complexity that presents a real challenge
for water managers. For a better understanding of situations where everything
changes over time and space, dynamical spatiotemporal forecasting models are
highly recommended. One of the most used dynamic models in stochastic estimation
from noisy measurements is the Kalman filter (KF). The discrete KF is a recursive
technique for estimating the state of a system in the presence of noise; it describes the
recursive solution to the problem of linear filtering of discrete data. This technique
provides optimal estimates in the least-squares sense. In addition, it has several
advantages. One of these advantages is that stationarity is not a prerequisite. This is
interesting because it allows for changes in the model parameters and variances,
which is a way that accommodates the non-linear response of hydrologic systems.
Another advantage of KF is the recursivity in the time domain which offers
the possibility of real-time prediction. But the big advantage of KF is to provide
with the prediction error at each update, and this is a manner to measure the quality
of the provided estimates accurately.
While Chap. 3 is titled “Predicting Water Quality Indicators from Conventional
and Non-Conventional Water Resources in Algeria Country: Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy
Inference Systems Versus. Artificial Neural Networks”, the chapter is aiming to
achieve (1) modelling chemical oxygen demand (COD) at Wastewater Treatment
Plant (WWTP) and (2) dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) at a drinking water
treatment plant using two data-driven models: the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference
system (ANFIS) and artificial neural networks (ANN). The use of data-driven
models for predicting several water quality parameters at drinking and wastewater
treatment plants has gained much popularities, and several applications can be found
4 A. M. Negm et al.

in the literature. In the present study, two well-known models, namely, adaptive
neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and artificial neural networks (ANN), were
applied and compared in order to predict two water quality indicators: (1) chemical
oxygen demand (COD) at Sidi Marouane Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP),
east of Algeria, and (2) dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) at the drinking water
treatment plant of Boudouaou, Algeria. The two models were calibrated during the
training phase and later validated using a validation dataset. By comparing a series of
input combinations using several water quality variables, the accuracy of the models
was evaluated and compared with the results obtained using the standard multiple
linear regression model (MLR). The obtained results indicated that (1) ANFIS model
optimized using the subtractive clustering algorithm have achieved more accuracy
compared to the ANN and MRL models, (2) the MLR model is not suitable for
modelling the DO and COD and the have provided low accuracy during the training
and the validations phases.
On the other hand, Chap. 4 is titled “Organic Chemical Characterization of Water
of the Northwestern Algerian Dams”. The chapter focuses on making (1) an organic
chemical characterization of surface water of some dams belonging to two water-
sheds located in northwestern Algeria and which are generally used for human
consumption and for irrigation purposes, (2) to identify the polluted dams and assess
spatial and temporal variability of the analysed parameters. This is due to the fact that
among the major problems of water quality of dams are the anthropogenic effects
(municipal waste discharge, agricultural and industrial activities) as a result of
releasing wastewaters through rivers. This could partially be overcome by identify-
ing polluted sources and enforcing the laws governing the conditions for the
wastewater discharge into natural watercourses. Maintaining standards of the
water quality of dams requires the control of pollutant flows not only at the dams
but also at the watershed level, especially with regard to nutrient and metal contents.
Linked to the intensification of human activities on the watershed level
(e.g. industry, agriculture, urban discharges), the increase in nutrients brings about
an acceleration of the natural process of eutrophication and often a rapid disturbance
of ecosystem equilibrium state.
For example, among nutrients, phosphorus is an element whose excess in water is
responsible for phytoplankton blooms and the resulting nuisances. Not treating the
problem of nutrients at the source is to transfer them through rivers to dams and other
aquatic systems.
Like other regions, in northwestern Algeria, dam waters are suffering from the
deleterious effects of pollution; thus the monitoring of water quality is necessary to
protect soil, plants, water bodies and human health. When interventions on water-
sheds are insufficient or late, it becomes necessary to act directly on the water bodies
without having first made a precise diagnosis and an overall analysis of the initial
nuisances and side effects.
Introduction to “Water Resources in Algeria: Water Quality, Treatment,. . . 5

2.2 Treatment and Protection

The treatment and protection theme is covered in Chaps. 5–8. Chapter 5 is titled
“Wastewater Reuse for Irrigation Purposes: The Case of Aïn Témouchent Region”.
The prime objective of this work concerns the characterization of wastewater and
purified water of Aïn Témouchent wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), which uses
an activated sludge treatment process. The second one is to make a comparison of
the analysed parameters with the standards to state if treated water can be safely
discharged into the natural environment and reused for irrigation purposes.
To increase the supply of a water resource to face scarcity, authorities must think
about how to increase its yield taking into account its quality especially when
wastewater is reused. Nowadays, it is well-known that the release of wastewater
into natural habitats has severely deteriorated soils and aquatic environments and its
reuse in agricultural irrigation have become a constraint particularly in semiarid and
arid regions. Actually thanks to the existing advanced treatment processes, pollutant
concentrations can be reduced to non-hazardous levels, and water of better quality
can be produced not only to minimize environmental impacts but also for other uses
that do not require high quality as that of drinking water. Algeria has become aware
of the urgent need for the construction of sewage treatment infrastructures in order to
recycle water for various uses. Among the treatment plants operated by National
Sanitation Office (ONA) through Algeria, some including Aïn Témouchent WWTP
are concerned with the reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture. To characterize
wastewater (at the entrance) and cleaned water (at the exit) of the WWTP of Ain
Témouchent, physical and organic chemical analyses were carried out. This analysis
allowed exploring the nature of the existing polluting loads in water and their
variations. For safety water reuse, monitoring and regular testing of the clean
water were made to ensure the international standards and avoid environmental
and health risks.
Consequently, Chap. 6 is dealing with the “Protection of Water Resources in
Mining Sites in North-East of Algeria” to show the impact of the mining industry on
the environment in Algeria. In Algeria, protection measures have not been applied at
the level of active or abandoned mining sites; therefore, the study developed in this
chapter highlights the impact of metal exploitations on the environment and human
health and proposes solutions to minimize the environmental problems generated by
the mining industries in Algeria as an example to help decision-makers and
concerning authorities to proceed further with other industries involved in water
pollution.
Environmental damage associated with mineral extraction has an increasing
impact on the mining industry and the workforce it employs. The mining sector in
Algeria is experiencing a real expansion nowadays. This development has led to a
real scourge characterizing the degradation of the environment. Indeed, the mining
activity generates several sources of pollution such as acid mine drainage and release
of heavy metals. Through this chapter, the authors have shown the impact of
mercury on the abandoned site of Azzaba located in northeastern Algeria; this
6 A. M. Negm et al.

problem has been raging for years. No protective measures were undertaken at the
site. Investigations revealed that it turned out that the pollution of the site is of
anthropogenic origin. The authors indicated that in addition to the area of Tebessa,
Algeria has mining sites favouring the extraction of iron and at the same time
generating severe pollutions of draining rivers and soil, which is the case for the
mines of Boukhadra, Ouanza and also the Khanguet iron mine, which have been
closed for years.
On the other hand, Chap. 7 entitled “Physicochemical and Bacteriological Qual-
ity of Surface Water Resources Receiving Common Wastewater Effluents in Dry-
lands of Algeria” aims at determining water physicochemical and biological quality
of Wadis receiving common wastewater effluents in the region of Biskra
(NE Algeria) [5]. The survey investigates water microbiological quality and exam-
ines how water physicochemical factors influence microbiological characteristics in
water of the Wadis studied. In arid environments, water is not only a rare resource
but also exposed to different types of pollution, primarily from domestic and
industrial activities. The authors focus on the assessment of water physicochemical
and bacteriological quality of Wadis receiving heavy load of urban effluents in the
region of Biskra in northeastern Algeria. This treatise explores the impacts of water
characteristics on the spatial and temporal variations of existing pathogenic bacteria
in Wadi water. The chapter reports alarming organic pollution of Wadi waters of the
region of Biskra, which represent a real risk to the health of riverine populations as
well as the aquatic system and its biocoenosis [10].
An overall scheme was adopted to make this investigation successful, including
selection of water sampling stations, sample collection and physicochemical and
microbiological analyses supported by appropriate statistical analyses [4].
The analysis of water physicochemical characteristics revealed that the Wadis
surveyed have poor water quality due to high faecal pollution that exceeds reference
standards established by FAO and WHO. Thus, the light was shed on the severity of
the environmental situation caused by sewage effluents, including negative impacts
on the soil, agricultural lands, crops, human health and the aquatic environment with
its associated lifeforms.
Moreover, Chap. 8 is titled “Valorization of Oily Sludge in Arzew Refinery”. The
main objective of this chapter is to thermally treat oily sludge from the oil industry at
the level of the RA1/Z refinery and then make a characterization of sludge by x-rays
fluorescence (XRF) to determine the mineralogical composition mass in the form of
oxides, e.g. percentages (% SiO2, % CaO, % Fe2O3, % K2O, etc.). X-rays diffraction
(XRD) was conducted for sentencing phases, for example, silica, crystalline or
amorphous [11]. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflec-
tion (FTIR-ATR) was applied to determine functional groups (e.g. O–H, C–H, C–Cl,
Br–C, C–I, C–N, N–H, etc.). Finally detection of heavy metals by atomic absorption
spectroscopy (AAS) was carried out. This study aims to determine the sources of
heavy metals in industrial wastewater which predicts sludge quality characteristics.
The chapter highlighted several origins that can be identified as polluting source
including industrial activities.
Introduction to “Water Resources in Algeria: Water Quality, Treatment,. . . 7

On the other hand, the refinery station generates another waste (mud) which is
rich in oily sludge of toxic nature and carcinogenic and can be neither stored nor put
in discharge. The sludge treatment is a difficult process in the fight against pollution.
Indeed, the scrubber can resolve this difficult problem that faces many challenges:
scarcity of land available for disposal and filing, and adhering to the environmental
and public hygiene requirements. Moreover, economically, this problem is illus-
trated by the importance of the costs it takes both in investment and operating. Oily
sludge with a significant calorific value which represents 90% of methane (CH4) can
be considered as an interesting fuel resource. However, the impacts related to its
combustion in poor conditions can be drastic and fatal to the environment.

2.3 Development and Future of Water Resources

This theme is covered in four chapters from Chaps. 9 to 12. Chapter 9 is titled
“Overview of Water Resources in Steppe Regions in Algeria”. Steppe rangeland
regions in Algeria are the most suffering lands from water stress. This chapter gives a
point situation of actual and future water supply status under the rapid population
growth rate and effects of climate change on the renewing of water resources.
According to the authors of the chapter, water policy in Algeria in the beginning
of the year 2000 focused only on the capital of Algeria “Algiers” and some
geostrategic cities, viz. Oran, Constantine, Annaba and Tlemcen. The results of
this policy resulted in the realization of 11 desalination stations and a lot of dams
located across the country. After the long drought that hit Algeria, another problem
appeared in Steppe regions which is the water penury due to losing several water
boreholes because of the increase of the drawdown of the water table. This chapter
provides an overview of the actual and future situation of water supply, by applica-
tion of two scenarios, the first one supposes a normal evolution of water production
across the population and demographic growth up. The second scenario assumes an
effect of climate change which led to a reduction in water production (reduction of
rainfall, surface runoff and groundwater recharge). The simulation assumes a simple
linear model. The deficit for each scenario was calculated to be about 13% and will
start in 2021 with a small rate and achieve 13% at the beginning of 2027. The
authority in these regions works to increase the number of Boreholes without taking
into consideration the aquifer potentiality. Similar to other chapters of the book, the
chapter ends with some recommendations to solve this situation.
Additionally, Chap. 10 is titled “Water resources, state of play and prospects for
development in the steppe region of Naâma (Western Algeria)”. The region of
Naâma is part of the semiarid territory of the South Mediterranean, it undergoes
contrasting climatic influences where the rainfall is insufficient and irregular, the
inter-annual and seasonal variations are very marked and the intense evaporation and
the high temperatures are with a greater amplitude or less contrast. The region is rich
in surface and also underground water resources (rivers and Wadis, reserves of
Chotts Chergui and Gharbi, groundwater reserves, etc.). It has significant
8 A. M. Negm et al.

groundwater potential, especially around El Chergui and El Rharbi Chotts, in Naâma

syncline and in Ain Sefra-Tiout Valley. The chapter presents a diagnosis of the
current state of water resources and their challenges through the analysis of various
natural, climatic and anthropogenic constraints in the steppe region of Naâma
(western Algeria). The region is facing serious challenges such as growing water
scarcity exacerbated by population explosion and urbanization, resource
misallocation, environmental degradation and poor water management that requires
to adopt a novel approach of water resources management [11].
Although the issue of water resources is vital, it is still persistent and the levels of
agricultural and pastoral production are still rather modest compared to the important
needs of a growing region. Consequently, the rational management of water
resources is a necessity, even an obligation, in order to ensure a harmonious and
sustainable development that requires for its success a combination of technical,
economic and financial and institutional solutions. The chapter highlights the neces-
sity to launch economic programmes that respect the efficiency of water use and
revise allocations of resources in order to answer the increasing needs in the steppe
rangelands of Algeria.
The next two chapters are, therefore, focusing on the development of new water
resources.
Chapter 11 is titled “Desalination in Algeria: Photovoltaic power plant for TMM
(Tahlyat Myah Magtaa) of Oran as a case study”. The chapter is a contribution to the
design and the integration of renewable energy sources in the Algerian central power
grid, particularly in areas of high human concentration within the scope of a large
project. It designs a photovoltaic plant for desalination station “El Magtaa” of Oran
in Algeria.
A feasibility study was conducted to provide all the technical and financial
elements to the project owner and stakeholders. Also, the chapter estimates expected
production (taking into account environmental constraints) and the evaluated possi-
ble constraints of the connection to the grid with regard to the location of the site.
The project certainly requires huge investments which will surely influence the
cost of producing a unit of water (say one m3) measures such as the use of local
products and optimization of consumption to reduce the cost of water production.
On the other hand, flood forecasting is essential to understand and assess the
availability of water resources and to assess the risk of floods [3]. Consequently,
Chap. 12 with the title “Hydrograph flood forecasting in the catchment of the middle
Cheliff” is focused on the study of the hydrographs of the extreme flood in the
middle Cheliff watershed by the analysis of the peak output, the form of the
hydrographs, the fall and boarding times, in the aim to understand these hydrographs
of hydrological extremes flows and to detect the areas vulnerable to the flood hazard.
Algeria is among Mediterranean countries most vulnerable to floods caused by
overflowing streams crossing towns and suburban areas. These floods occur sud-
denly, with difficulty to predict them, and they are generally linked to intense rainy
episodes and are manifesting on middle size basins. The concept of modelling in
flood-duration-frequency has been established on an objective basis, and its exten-
sion towards ungauged watershed supplies a theoretical frequency description of the
Introduction to “Water Resources in Algeria: Water Quality, Treatment,. . . 9

multi-duration of flood quantiles. In addition to hydrological variables, two indices

of the watershed flood regime are essential to be determined, which are the maxi-
mum instantaneous flow of 10-year return period and flood characteristic duration of
watershed “D”.
The chapter recorded two or three exceptional peak events of theoretical return
period close of the centennial for all stations studied and which flows on the large
durations are a little scarcer, even very rare for one of them. Six durations are
considered, giving six series of threshold flows between 1.5 and 15 h for the Rouina
basin, 2–20 h for the Ouahrane basin, 1.5–15 h for Tikazel basin and 3–30 h for
Allala basin. The knowledge of the flow threshold permit to trace the synthetic
mono-frequency hydrographs, which are essential components of hydrodynamic
model entry in order to determine the risk of any flooding that is characterized by
a return period, as the station of Sidi Akkacha (Allala), which is characterized by a
very important quintile for the longer return periods, and also the case of station Bir
Ouled Tahar (Rouina-Zeddine).
The book ends with the chapter numbered 13 that includes the conclusions and
recommendations.

Acknowledgments The writers of this chapter would like to acknowledge the contributions of all
authors of the chapters for their efforts during the different phases of the book including their inputs
in this chapter.

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 Part I
Water Quality
Predicting Water Quality Indicators
from Conventional and Nonconventional
Water Resources in Algeria Country:
Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Systems
Versus Artificial Neural Networks

Salim Heddam , Ozgur Kisi, Abderrazek Sebbar, Larbi Houichi,

and Lakhdar Djemili

Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2 Wastewater and Drinking Water Datasets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3 Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.1 Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network (MLPNN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.2 Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.4 Performance Assessment of the Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

S. Heddam (*)
Faculty of Science, Agronomy Department, Hydraulics Division, Laboratory of Research in
Biodiversity Interaction Ecosystem and Biotechnology, University 20 Août 1955, Skikda, Algeria
e-mail: heddamsalim@yahoo.fr
O. Kisi
School of Technology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
e-mail: ozgur.kisi@iliauni.edu.ge
A. Sebbar
Soil and Hydraulics Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Hydraulics Department,
University Badji-Mokhtar Annaba, Annaba, Algeria
e-mail: rsebbar@yahoo.fr
L. Houichi
Department of Hydraulic, University of Batna 2, Batna, Algeria
e-mail: houichilarbi@yahoo.fr
L. Djemili
Research Laboratory of Natural Resources and Adjusting, Faculty of Engineering Sciences,
Hydraulics Department, University Badji-Mokhtar Annaba, Annaba, Algeria
e-mail: lakhdardjemili@gmail.com

Abdelazim M. Negm, Abdelkader Bouderbala, Haroun Chenchouni, 13

and Damià Barceló (eds.), Water Resources in Algeria - Part II:
Water Quality, Treatment, Protection and Development,
Hdb Env Chem (2020) 98: 13–34, DOI 10.1007/698_2019_399,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019, Published online: 7 September 2019
14 S. Heddam et al.

4.1 Modeling DO at Boudouaou Drinking Water Treatment Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

4.2 Modeling COD at Sidi Marouane Wastewater Treatment Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5 Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
6 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Abstract Monitoring water quality is of great importance and mainly adopted

for water pollution control of conventional and nonconventional water resources.
Generally, water quality is evaluated using several indicators, including chemical
oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and dissolved
oxygen concentration (DO). In the present investigation, two artificial intelligence
techniques, namely, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and artificial
neural networks (ANN), were applied for predicting two water quality indicators:
(1) chemical oxygen demand (COD) at Sidi Marouane Wastewater Treatment
Plant (WWTP), east of Algeria, and (2) dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) at
the drinking water treatment plant of Boudouaou, Algeria. The models were devel-
oped and compared based on several water quality variables as inputs. Three ANFIS
models, namely, (1) ANFIS with fuzzy c-mean clustering (FCM) algorithm called
ANFIS_FC, (2) ANFIS with grid partition (GP) method called ANFIS_GP, and
(3) ANFIS with subtractive clustering (SC) called ANFIS_SC, were developed.
The ANFIS models were compared to standard multilayer perceptron neural network
(MLPNN) and multiple linear regression model (MLR). Results obtained demon-
strated that (1) for predicting COD, ANFIS_SC is the best model, and the coefficient
of correlation (R), Wilmot’s index (d), root-mean-square error (RMSE), and mean
absolute error (MAE) were calculated as 0.805, 0.880, 6.742, and 4.944 mg/L for
the validation dataset. The worst results were obtained using the MLR model
with R, d, RMSE, and MAE equal to 0.750, 0.840, 0.7658, and 5.916 mg/L for the
validation subset, and (2) for predicting DO concentration, the best results were
obtained using ANFIS_SC with R, d, RMSE, and MAE equal to 0.856, 0.922, 1.528,
and 1.123 mg/L for the validation subset, respectively.

Keywords ANFIS, Chemical oxygen demand, COD, Dissolved oxygen, DO,

MLPNN, Modeling, Water quality indicators

1 Introduction

Over the year, the control of water pollution is becoming of great importance, and
several regulations have been put in place [1]. Monitoring wastewater treatment
plant (WWTP) using online sensors has become an essential and crucial task
to handle rapid and seasonal variations that occur during all the months of years
[2]. Consequently, real-time supervision of the process of WWTP is nowadays a
Predicting Water Quality Indicators from Conventional and. . . 15

challenge [3]. To deal with these challenges, WWTP must be highly efficient [4].
Evaluation of the WWTP performances is mainly based on the measure of water
quality indicators (WQI), which are generally hard to measure regularly [5]. In the
last few years, soft computing models have been largely employed for modeling and
forecasting water quality indicators (WQI) in several water ecosystems. Chemical
oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and dissolved oxygen
concentrations (DO) were the most important WQI that have received great impor-
tance, and modeling chemical oxygen demand in wastewater treatment plant
(WWTP) is broadly discussed in the literature [6–13].
Ay and Kisi [6] compared several machine learning approaches in modeling
daily COD measured at the upstream of a WWTP in Turkey, using discharge
(Q) and three water quality variables as inputs: (1) suspended solid (SS), (2) temper-
ature (T), and (3) pH. The proposed models included (1) multiple linear regres-
sion (MLR), (2) multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN), (3) radial basis
function neural network (RBFNN), (4) generalized regression neural networks
model (GRNN), (5) adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system techniques with grid
partitioning, (6) adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system techniques with subtractive
clustering, and (7) a new model called MLPNN embedded k-means clustering
(K_MLP). The authors demonstrated that the K_MLPN using three input variables
(SS, T, and pH) provided the best accuracy with a coefficient of determination (R2)
equal to 0.88 in the validation phase. Kisi and Parmar [7] applied three data-driven
models, namely, (1) least square support vector machine (LSSVM), (2) multivariate
adaptive regression splines (MARS), and (3) M5 model tree (M5Tree) for modeling
monthly COD in India. According to the results obtained, the authors demonstrated
that the MARS and LSSVM performed better than the M5Tree. Nadiri et al. [8]
proposed a new model called supervised committee fuzzy logic (SCFL) for
predicting COD in WWTP in Iran. The proposed model is a combination of
the artificial neural network (ANN) paradigm and several individual fuzzy logic
(FL) models: Takagi-Sugeno, Mamdani, and Larsen. According to the results
obtained, the authors demonstrated that a linear combination of several FL models
outperforms the individual FL model.
Moral et al. [9] applied the standard MLPNN for predicting effluent COD at the
Iskenderun WWTP, Turkey. Yilmaz et al. [10] compared three data-driven models,
GRNN, RBFNN, and MLPNN for predicting the effluent COD using influent COD,
hydraulic retention time (HRT), and influent cyanide concentration (CN). MLPNN
was found to be the best model compared to the two others, with an R2 equal to 0.876
in the validation phase. Pai et al. [11] compared ANFIS and MLPNN for predicting
effluent COD at WWTP in Taiwan. The authors selected four water quality variables
as inputs, the influent SS, TE, and pH, in addition to the influent COD. According
to the results obtained, the ANFIS model was found to be slightly better than the
MLPNN. Perendeci et al. [12] proposed the use of the ANFIS model for predicting
the effluent COD using the COD measured at previous 10 days and reported very
encouraging results with an R2 equal to 0.84. Singh et al. [13] compared several
linear and nonlinear models for predicting weekly effluent COD at WWTP
using four water quality variables as inputs measured at the influent of the
WWTP. The proposed models were (1) partial least squares regression (PLSR),
16 S. Heddam et al.

(2) multivariate polynomial regression (MPR), and (3) MLPNN models, and it is
observed that the MLPNN model has better performance than the other models with
an R2 equal to 0.84 in the test phase. Different modeling approaches can be found in
the literature [14, 15]. Contrary to the COD, which has received great attention
worldwide, modeling DO in DWTP is rarely reported in the literature. Hence, in the
present study, we reported an application of the ANFIS, MLPNN, and MLR models
for modeling DO in drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) and COD in WWTP.

2 Wastewater and Drinking Water Datasets

In the present study, effluent wastewater and drinking water data were obtained from
two different stations (Fig. 1): (1) Sidi Marouane Wastewater Treatment Plant
(WWTP) located at Sidi Marouane town, at about 12 km northeast of Mila Province,
east Algeria.

Boudouaou (DWTP) Sidi Marouane (WWTP)

Europe

Algiers
Constantine
Africa Oran Djemila

Tlemcen
Tunisia
Morocco Taghit

Libya
Western Algeria
Sahara

Mauritania

Mali
Niger

Fig. 1 Location of Sidi Marouane Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and Boudouaou Drinking
Water Treatment Plant (DWTP) in Algeria country
Predicting Water Quality Indicators from Conventional and. . . 17

The WWTP is located near the Beni Harroun Dam Reservoir [16], and
(2) Boudouaou Drinking Water Treatment Plant (DWTP) is located at Boudouaou
province and is the principal DWTP in Algeria [17]. The DWTP has a capacity of
540,000 m3 of water per day and provides drinking water to more than four million
inhabitants [18]. The treatment consists essentially of preliminary disinfection,
coagulation-flocculation, settling, filtration, and final disinfection [18, 19] (Fig. 2).
Regarding the WWTP, the treatment scheme is based on the conventional activated
sludge plant and consists essentially of coarse and fine screens, grit and grease
removal, primary sedimentation tanks, activated sludge aeration tanks, secondary
sedimentation tanks, and final clarification and chlorination facilities [16] (Fig. 3).
As explained above, two different datasets were used in the present study for
modeling COD and DO, respectively. The first dataset was collected from the Sidi
Marouane WWTP. It is composed of 364 patterns and includes four input variables:

Conductivity (SC)
Turbidity (TU) Preliminary
Raw water pumped Temperature (TE) disinfection
Dam From Dam of Keddara pH
Dissolved Oxygen

Storage tank Settling Coagulation

Disinfection Filtration
flocculation
(2 × 50000 m3)

Distribution Pipeline

Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of Boudouaou Drinking Water Treatment Plant (scheme adopted
from [12])

Sand and
Waste Waste grease

Raw sewage Pumped Coarse Fine Grit and Grease

from many sewage station Screens Screens Removal

Gas
SPS SPS SPS Freeing

Effluent from a WWTP is Clarification Biological

discharged into a Dam reservoir Treatment

Measured water quality

variables effluent :( TE, pH,
Beni Haroun Dam SC, SS, and COD)
Reservoir Sludge
Treatment

Fig. 3 Schematic diagram of Sidi Marouane Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)

Another random document with
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clever, amusing, good-looking, the life of his company, a first-rate
officer, and a matchless horseman; the man who got up the
regimental theatricals, ran the gymkhana, was editor of the
regimental paper, and so devoted to her always. No, no, she would
never abandon him, though every year he grew worse, and more
brusque, excitable, and unsociable; and every year saw them sinking
still further in the social scale.
At last an aged uncle died, and left Captain Ramsay Ivy House,
Ottinge, with its old-fashioned furniture, linen, books, and plate. This
windfall, with his pension, would keep them going, and at best it
afforded a retreat and a hiding-place. The neighbourhood with
flattering alacrity had called on Captain and the Hon. Mrs. Ramsay,
and she was declared to be charming, so agreeable and still
handsome. She duly returned their visits in a hired fly, left her
husband’s cards, Captain J. V. Ramsay, and made his excuses.
It soon was evident that the Ramsays were desperately poor, and
did not intend to keep a trap or entertain; that he was queer, and only
to be met about the fields and lanes, or in the Drum; but by degrees
the neighbours came to know Mrs. Ramsay better, and to like her
extremely. She had travelled, was a brilliant conversationalist, and a
sound bridge player; she was also an Honourable—one of the many
daughters of Lord Ballingarry of Moyallan Castle—so the neighbours
bought her little ‘Poms,’ recommended the hotel to their friends, lent
her carriages or motors, sent her game and books, and did their best
for her. But Captain Ramsay was beyond any one’s assistance; he
refused to see people, or to know Ottinge. He went abroad generally
with the bats and the owls, along lonely roads and footpaths; his
daily paper and the Drum were his sole resources, and only that, at
long intervals, a shrivelled figure was caught sight of shuffling up the
High Street, the neighbourhood would have forgotten that Captain
Ramsay existed.
Lady Kesters sent papers and wrote weekly letters to J. Owen,
Holiday Cottage, Ottinge. But her brother’s replies were short,
vague, and unsatisfactory, and in answer to a whole sheet of
reproaches, he dedicated a wet Sunday afternoon to his sister. He
began:—
“Dear Leila,—I had your letter yesterday, and it’s a true
bill that I am a miserable correspondent, and that my
notes are as short and sweet as a donkey’s gallop. I only
got twenty marks in composition when I passed. Now,
however, I’m going to put my back into this letter, and
send you a long scrawl, and, as you command me, all
details—no matter how insignificant. I am writing in my
room, because the kitchen is full of young women—Mrs.
Hogben’s at-home day, I suppose! The parlour windows
are never opened, the atmosphere is poisonous, and thick
with the reek of old furniture. So here I am! I’ve faked up a
table by putting blocks under the yellow box, for the
washstand is impossible. This room is old and low; if I
stand upright in some places, my head is likely to go
through the ceiling, and in others my legs to go through
the floor; but I know the lie of the land now. The window
looks into a big orchard, and beyond that are miles of flat
country; but you’ve seen Ottinge, so I spare you local
colour. I am all right here. Mrs. Hogben is a rare good sort,
and does me well, washing included, for twenty-three
shillings a week, and I make out my own bills—as she
neither reads nor writes, but takes it out in talking. When I
had a cold, she made me a decoction called ‘Tansie Tea’
and insisted on my swallowing it—the fear of another dose
cured me. Her son Tom is a decent chap, and we are pals;
he works at the Manor as second gardener of two. As to
the ladies there, I am disappointed in Miss Parrett; you
told me they were both ‘old dears.’ Susan really is an old
dear, but, in my opinion, Miss P. is an old D. Possibly you
only knew her as a tea-drinking, charming hostess, full of
compliments and sweetness; the real Miss Bella is a bully,
vain of her money, and shamelessly mean.
“The Manor is a nice, sunny house, flat on the ground,
with great oak beams and rum windows, and a splendid
garden enclosed in yew hedges run to seed; they are
trying to get it in order, clipping the yews and digging out
the moss, but two men and a boy are not enough, and
Miss P. is too stingy to employ more. As I’ve little to do, I
sometimes lend a hand. The motor is a faked-up old rattle-
trap, all paint and smart cushions; but its inside is worn
out. Miss Parrett is under the impression that petrol is not
a necessity, and I have such desperate work to get it, and
she always cross-examines me so sharply, and gives the
money as such a personal favour, that one would suppose
I wanted the beastly thing for my own consumption. It is a
riddle to me why she ever bought the car. She is afraid to
go out in it, and won’t let her sister use it alone. I’ve been
here four weeks; it’s been out six times, always at a crawl,
and within a four-mile radius. Miss Parrett likes to pay
visits to show off her ‘beautiful’ car; but I feel like a Bath-
chair man!
“One day we went over to Westmere, the Davenants’ old
place, where you used to stay. The Woolcocks, who have
it now, are enormously rich, go-ahead people, and the
married daughter pounced on me as Owen the steward on
board ship! No one here has any idea who I am, and I
keep a shut mouth; and when I do talk, I try to copy Tom
Hogben. There are few gentry about,—that is, in Ottinge;
the parson, Mr. Morven, the Parretts’ brother-in-law,
comes in sometimes and gives advice about the garden.
He is a cheery sort, elderly, a widower, and a splendid
preacher—thrown away on this dead-and-alive spot. His
sermons are sensible and modern, and you’ve something
to carry away and think of, instead of wanting to shy
hymn-books, or go to sleep. The church is a tremendous
age, and restored—the Ottinge folk are very proud of it. In
one chancel, the north chancel, lie our kin the Davenants;
there is a fine window, erected by a certain Edward
Davenant to the memory of his wife, the lady in a pink
scarf—quite a smart get-up of, say, a hundred years ago,
is represented as one of the angels, and he himself is
among the disciples. Both were copied from family
portraits. What do you think of the idea?
“Mr. Morven has let me in for singing in the choir; you
should see me in a surplice—it barely comes to my knees,
and makes me feel so shy! Thanks to the choir, I’ve got to
know the organist, and the schoolmaster—a very decent
chap; I go and smoke a pipe there of an evening, and also
a young farmer who has promised me some fishing when I
can get off—that’s not often. There is no village club, as
you may remember, and the men of the place assemble at
the Drum Inn. I drop in there sometimes, though, just as
often, I take a tramp over the country, accompanied by the
Manor dog, who has adopted me, and often does ‘a night
out.’ Mrs. Hogben leaves the door on the latch. She also
told me I should go to the Drum along with Tom, as she
thought I was a bit dull; so to the Drum I go, to show I’m
not above my mates, and I have a glass of beer and a
pipe, and hear all the village news, and the village elders
discussing parish rates, socialism, free trade, the price of
stock, and how Jakes’ Bob is going into the grocery, and
Harry Tews’ spring cabbage has failed!
“There is one queer figure there: a broken-down, decrepit
officer, Captain Ramsay, whose wife lives in the village
and keeps a dogs’ hotel. He looks as if he drank, and is
always muddled, or else he is mad. He speaks to no one,
but he never takes his eye off me. I tell you, Sis, I don’t
half like it—though I swear he has never seen me before.
“Well, I hope Martin is better. I’m sorry he has been feeling
a bit cheap; it’s a pity I can’t send him some of this air—
splendid; there’s an old chap of ninety-three in the place—
still going strong.
“Your papers are a godsend. I pass them on to the
schoolmaster, and he lends me books; but although I
seem to do little, I never have much time for reading. I’m
getting on all right, and intend to stick to the old birds, the
green car, and Ottinge; though, as it said in the Psalms
this morning, it does seem to be a ‘land where all things
are forgotten.’ At any rate our ways are primitive and
 virtuous—we have one policeman, he sings bass in the
choir,—and we hold little conversation with the outer
world. Indeed, news—other than local—is despised. The
sweep is our postman, and the village softy limps round
with the papers when he thinks of it. I’m about to be
enrolled in the Ottinge Cricket Club, and I’m looking
forward to some sport. They little guess that I played in the
Eton eleven! Here endeth this epistle, which must count
as a dozen and thirteen.—Your affectionate brother,
“O. St. J. W.”
Lady Kesters read this letter quickly, then she went over it very
deliberately; finally she handed it to her husband.
“He seems perfectly happy and satisfied, though he detests Miss
Parrett and says the car is an old rattle-trap. He has no pals, very
little to do, and has taken to gardening and singing in the choir.” She
paused expressively. “Somehow I don’t see Owen in that picture, do
you?”
“Can’t say I do,” replied her husband.
“Just the last sort of life to suit him, I should have thought. Martin, do
you suppose that’s a faked-up letter, and he wrote it to relieve my
mind?”
“No; the chap hasn’t it in him to fake anything. I’d rather like to hear
his attempts at the local dialect!”
“Then tell me what you really think; I see you have something in your
head.”
“My dear, I’m astonished you don’t see it for yourself! You are ten
times as clear-sighted as I am,” and he hesitated; “why, of course,
there’s a young woman in the case.”
“He never mentions her!” objected his wife.
“A deadly symptom.”
“Some village girl—no. And he is bound not to think of any love-affair
or entanglement for two whole years.”
“How long has he been at Ottinge—four weeks, eh?” She nodded.
“Well, I believe that, in spite of your uncle and you, Owen is in love
with some one already.”
 CHAPTER XIV
LIEUTENANT WYNYARD

It was an undeniable fact that the chauffeur spent much more time
in the Manor grounds than driving the car. The car was rarely used,
and anything was better than loafing about the yard or the village
with his hands in his pockets—one of the unemployed. Wynyard
liked the fresh smell of the earth, and growing things, the songs of
birds—especially of the blackbird, with his leisurely fluting note.
The garden, which lay to the left of the house, overlooked meadows,
and was evidently as ancient as the Manor itself. It was also one
after the heart of Bacon, “Spacious and fair, encompassed with a
stately hedge.” The farmer, who had neglected the roof and upper
floors of the dwelling, had suffered these same yew hedges to grow
as they pleased; and they now required a great deal of labour in
trimming them to moderate proportions. The soil was rich—anything
and everything seemed to flourish in the garden, which was
intersected by broad gravelled walks that crossed one another at
regular intervals; these were lined by a variety of old-fashioned
plants—myrtle, lavender, and sweetbrier, grown to gigantic
dimensions; here were also Madonna Lilies, London Pride,
Hollyhocks, Sweet-William, and bushes of out-of-date roses, such as
the “York and Lancaster,” and other Georgian survivals. Precisely in
the middle of the garden, where four walks met, was a hoary sundial,
which bore the inscription, “Time Tries All.” A path, leading direct
from the sundial to an ancient bowling-green, was enclosed with
rustic arches, and in the summer time the Manor pergola was a
veritable tunnel of roses, and one of the sights of the neighbourhood.
And here it was that the unemployed chauffeur spent most of his
time, clipping intractable hedges, planting, pruning, and digging.
Such occupation removed him effectually from the orbit of his enemy
—Miss Parrett—who merely pottered about the beds immediately
surrounding the house. This was Miss Susan’s realm—she was the
family gardener; his volunteered labour also afforded Wynyard the
now rare and priceless privilege of seeing Miss Morven when she
ran in to talk to her aunt and help in the greenhouse—since, thanks
to her active exertions, the Manor had been set in order, and her
visits were no longer of daily occurrence. Now and then he caught
sight of her, walking with Mrs. Ramsay and her “guests,” motoring
with Mrs. Waring, or riding with her father. Once or twice they had
passed him in the lanes at a late hour, riding fast, pursued by the
panting Mackenzie. His best opportunity of meeting the young lady
was at choir practice, and here he admired Miss Morven, not only for
her sweet, clear voice, but her marvellous tact and admirable skill,
the way she pacified Pither, the cranky old organist (a fine musician),
and smoothed down rivals who claimed to sing solos, applauded the
timid, and gently repressed the overbold. It was delightful to watch
her consulting and advising and encouraging; but how could any one
escape from the effect of that girl’s beauty and contagious spirits? or
withstand the influence of the subtle power called charm?
On Sundays she sat in the Rector’s pew, facing the square
enclosure of the Woolcocks, over which hung stately hatchments
and memorials of the Davenant family; and from his corner in the
choir Wynyard noted, with secret uneasiness and wrath, how the heir
of Westmere—a squarely built, heavy young squire—kept his
worshipping eyes fastened upon Aurea’s clear-cut profile. After all,
what was it to him? he asked himself furiously. Young Woolcock was
heir to twenty thousand a year, and what was he at present? but her
aunts’ servant!
There had been a good deal of excited speculation in the village
respecting Wynyard—as to who he really was, and where he came
from. But although some swore he had been a soldier, and others
vowed he had been a sailor, no one was any the wiser than the first
day that he had arrived at Mrs. Hogben’s, followed by his yellow tin
box. “Ay, he could hold his tongue, that was sure; and was always
ready enough to lend an ear to other people’s affairs—but tight as an
oyster with regard to his own.”
Miss Susan, who felt towards him a kindness that was almost
maternal, tormented by curiosity, had done her utmost to pump him.
One day, in the greenhouse, she had seemed to see her opportunity.
He had read off a French name on a label, and his accent and
glibness were perfection.
“Ah! I see you have had a good education, Owen,” she remarked,
beaming at him over her glasses.
“Oh, middling, miss.”
“You keep a boy to clean the motor, I hear!”
“Only once or twice, miss, when my hand was sore. His people are
poor, and a shilling doesn’t come amiss.”
“I feel certain,” clearing her throat, “that you are not accustomed to
this sort of life, Owen.” As she spoke, she kept her clear blue eyes
on his face, and looked at him with the direct simplicity of a child. “I
am interested in you, Owen. Do tell me about yourself, you know I
wish you well.”
“Miss Susan,” and he straightened his shoulders and set down the
pot he was holding, “you received my reference from Lady Kesters—
and I believe it was all right?”
Miss Susan became very red indeed, and the garden scissors
slipped from her thumb. There was something unusual in the young
man’s tone and glance.
“If you or Miss Parrett find that I am not giving satisfaction——”
“Oh no, no, no!” she broke in breathlessly, “I—I’m afraid I’m rather
inquisitive—but I take a real interest in you, and you have been such
a help to me—and I feel so friendly towards you—but, I won’t ask
you any more questions.”
This little scene was subsequently related to Aurea, as she and her
aunt drank tea together at the Rectory, and Miss Susan imparted to
the girl—between bites of buttered toast—her own eager
speculations. Mystery has a wonderful charm! A handsome young
man, who was both reserved and obliging, who, it was known, was
respected in the Drum, and kept to himself, and whom she believes
to be one of her own class—offers a dangerous attraction for a girl of
twenty! Aurea debated the puzzle in the abysmal depth of her own
heart, and when a girl once allows her thoughts to dwell persistently
upon a man—no matter what his station—her interest in him is
bound to develop far beyond the bounds of everyday acquaintance!
Aurea was startled to discover that her mind was dwelling on the
chauffeur more than was desirable; he occupied too large a share of
her thoughts, though she did her utmost to expel him, and fill them
with other matters—such, for instance, as the parish almshouses,
the clothing club, and the choir—but a taciturn, mysterious young
man, figuratively, thrust himself head and shoulders above these
commonplace matters. Owen had a good voice, and had been
impressed into the choir—a rollicking hunting song, sung at the
Drum, had betrayed him. It was customary there, on certain nights,
to sit round in a circle and call upon the members for entertainment,
and Owen’s “John Peel” had established his reputation.
Aurea was secretly annoyed by the way that girls on practice nights
set their caps at the newcomer—boldly attracting his attention,
appealing to his opinion, nudging one another significantly, and
giggling and simpering when they spoke to him. And he? He met
them half-way, shared hymn-books, found places, and talked, and
seemed to be entirely happy and at ease in their company. Why not?
He was ostensibly of their own class. He had not flinched from
accepting a peppermint from Lily Jakes,—on the contrary, had
received it with effusion,—and the overblown rosebud, tossed at him
by Alexandra Watkins, had subsequently decorated his buttonhole.
Aurea contemplated these signs of good fellowship with stifled
irritation. Was she envious, because the chauffeur, her aunts’
servant, usually so monosyllabic and self-contained, could laugh and
talk with these village girls? At this appalling arraignment her face
flamed, she shrank in horror from her own thoughts. No, no, no, a
hundred thousand times no!
Still, it must be confessed that, strive as she would, she could not
help wondering and speculating about Owen, the chauffeur—
whether she saw him vigorously washing the car, or trundling a
wheelbarrow in the garden; zealously as he worked, it seemed to her
observant eye that he looked as if he had not been accustomed to
such employment. Who was he? The answer to this question came
to her unexpectedly, and in a most unlikely place.
Aurea and her Aunt Susan went to Brodfield one afternoon, in order
to execute various commissions for the Manor; the car was
grudgingly lent for the occasion. There would have been no
expedition, only that Miss Parrett was out of a certain shade of pink
wool, the new cook was out of tapioca, and Miss Susan was a little
out of sorts, and declared that “a drive in the air would cure her.” The
car waited at the post office, whilst the ladies accomplished their
different errands in different shops. Aurea was the first to finish, and
was sauntering slowly up the street, when she noticed that rare sight
—a soldier in uniform—a smart Hussar on furlough, with a friend in
mufti, coming towards her. As they passed the car, they glanced at it,
and the soldier started, made a sort of halt, stared stupidly, and
brought his hand to the salute! Yes, and the chauffeur gave him a
little nod, and put his finger to his cap! (apparently unconscious of
Miss Morven’s vicinity).
As the two men approached, talking loudly, she overheard the
Hussar say, as he strutted by—
“Well I’m damned, if that fellow on the car wasn’t Lieutenant
Wynyard! I was in his troop at Lucknow—a rare smart officer, too.
What’s his little game?”
“You’d better go back and arsk ’im,” suggested the other, with a loud
laugh.
“Not me,” and they were out of earshot.
Aurea felt dumbfounded, as she moved on and got into her place.
Susan, of course, was lingering as usual, chattering and last-wording
to acquaintances, and she was not sorry to have a few moments to
herself, to sit and meditate on her surprising discovery. So Owen’s
real name was Wynyard—and he had been an officer in a Hussar
regiment. What was his game?
And her first impressions were justified; he was a gentleman, in spite
of Joey’s authoritative verdict and Mrs. Ramsay’s gloomy
forebodings. What dreadful thing had he done to be compelled to live
under an assumed name, and bury himself, of all places, in Ottinge?
Aurea was now more deeply interested and puzzled than ever! She
and Susan had no secrets from one another—for Susan was so
young in her mind and heart that she seemed to be almost Aurea’s
contemporary!
From the first they liked the chauffeur, and though they had not said
much, each was conscious of the other’s opinion. Now that Aurea
knew his name and former status for a fact, strange to relate, she
resolved to have just this one little secret from Susan—and keep the
knowledge to herself!
On the way home she proved an unusually silent and unsympathetic
companion. Her conversation was jerky and constrained; she was
not in the least interested in the scraps of local news that her aunt
had collected in street and shops, but appeared to be lost in a maze
of speculation and abstraction.
 CHAPTER XV
BY WATER

Miss Parrett felt slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable when

people remarked how seldom her motor was seen! “Was it not
satisfactory?” they inquired. The old lady also recognised that her
chauffeur was doing the work of a really capital gardener, and was
Susan’s right hand; this annoyed her excessively. She disliked the
idea that her employé was slaving to please her sister; and
accordingly changed her tactics, gave instructions for the car to go
out twice a week with Miss Susan and Miss Morven, or Miss Susan
and Mrs. Ramsay.
Susan and her niece had promptly availed themselves of this
permission, and seized the opportunity of penetrating into far-away
villages and to distant country seats; and the poor old motor, at their
request, was racketted along at its best speed, as they were bound
to be in Ottinge before dark, in order that the car might be washed. If
they, by any chance, were a little late, they were received at the hall
door by Miss Parrett, in cold silence, watch in hand.
After the recent heavy rains, the low, marshy country was flooded,
and, returning one afternoon from a twenty-mile expedition, at a
sharp turn in the road where the ground sloped steeply, the motor
ran into a wide sheet of water—a neighbouring river had burst its
banks. There was no going back, that was impossible. Miss Susan
for once lost her nerve, and, putting her head out, asked the
chauffeur piteously—
“What shall we do?”
“There’s only one thing for it, miss,” he answered promptly. “I don’t
think the water is deep, and I’ll keep straight on—as near as I can
guess—in the middle of the road; you see, there are ditches at either
side, and I can’t turn; but you need not be nervous—as long as the
water doesn’t reach the magneto you are all right.”
But, as they crept forward cautiously, the water was gradually rising;
it rose and rose, till it stole in under the door, and then the motor
came to a full stop.
“Now, what’s going to happen?” demanded Miss Susan excitedly.
“I see the road is not more than fifty yards ahead, and the water is
shallower. We have stuck in the worst part.”
“But what is to become of us, my good man? Are we to sit here all
night—and the motor may blow up?”
“I’ll go to a farmhouse and borrow a couple of horses, and I dare say
after a bit I can start her again.”
“And are we to remain here, Owen, and be half-drowned? You know
my sister will be crazy if we are not home by seven.”
“There’s one thing I could do, Miss Susan,” he replied, “that is if you
have no objection; I can carry you and Miss Morven through the
water, and put you out on the road high and dry. I think I might get a
trap in Swingford village; you could drive home, and I’ll bring the car
along to-morrow. It seems the only thing to be done.”
After this suggestion there ensued a long and animated consultation
between aunt and niece; at last Miss Susan, raising her voice, said—
“Very well, Owen, I see no alternative; you can take me first—I am a
light weight.”
Owen now descended from his place and waded to the door, which
he opened.
“All right, Miss Susan, you may depend on me. I won’t drop you.”
“How am I to manage?” she asked shame-facedly.
“It’s quite easy! Just put your arms round my neck, miss, and hold
tight.”
After a moment’s coy reluctance—it was the first time in her life she
had ever put her arms round a man’s neck—Miss Susan timidly
embraced him.
“Hold on,” he commanded, and, lifting her bodily out of the car as if
she were a child, waded away, striding and splashing up to his
middle in water. When he had carefully deposited her on dry land,
the chauffeur returned for the young lady, who, it must be confessed,
awaited him with a wildly beating heart; it seemed to her that in his
air there was actually a look of mastery and triumph. If he had been
an ordinary chauffeur, such as the Woolcocks’, she would not have
minded; but this man—this Lieutenant Wynyard, who was of her own
class—oh, how she shrank from this enforced ordeal; she felt deeply
reluctant and ashamed.
However, she asked no questions, made no hysterical protests, but
rose as he appeared, put her arms on his shoulders—though she
would rather have waded up to her neck—and was borne into the
stream, upon which a laggard moon had recently arisen. Little, little
did Aurea guess that, as she leant her head upon his leather
shoulder, how Owen, the chauffeur, had to fight with a frantic, almost
overmastering, desire to kiss her! And what an outcry there would
have been, not merely from the young lady herself, but the sole
witness, her maiden aunt!
Fortunately, with a superhuman effort, he pulled himself together,
steadied his racing pulses, and thrust the dreadful idea behind him,
as he struggled to the end of his task, and presently placed Miss
Morven high and dry on the road beside her relative. Then, leaving
the rescued ladies to one another’s company, he set off to a village
two miles distant to hunt up some conveyance.
As Wynyard tramped along in his wet clothes, he had it out with his
ego. For all his youth and hot blood, he had always a cool power of
judgment—as far as his own acts were concerned—and he was now
prepared to discuss the present situation with himself. Since he had
held Miss Aurea’s light form in his arms, felt her sweet breath on his
cheek, he knew there was no use in playing the ostrich, and that he
was hopelessly in love—had been in love since the very first time he
had set eyes upon her! Looking back at the matter, calmly and
dispassionately, he realised that it was not on account of Leila’s
disappointment that he stayed on, and did not throw up his situation
—as Miss Parrett’s exasperating behaviour so often tempted him to
do. He remained at Ottinge solely to be near Aurea; it was for Aurea
that he kept his temper, slaved in the garden, and sang in the choir;
yet he could not say a word to Aurea, or endeavour to ingratiate
himself like other more fortunate young men; he had his bond to
remember, and his hands were tied—yes, and his tongue too. Was
ever any fellow in such a fix? And such was the contrariness of life,
he had gone about the world when he was free, and had never once
met a girl he thought of twice—and here he was always thinking of
Aurea, yet dared not disclose his feelings; meanwhile, some luckier
fellow would come along and make up to her and marry her! And at
the thought he stopped and ground his heel into the earth with
savage force.
There was Bertie Woolcock, rolling in money, heir to that fine place;
and he would have one year and ten months’ start, whilst he was left
at the post! Oh, it was enough to drive him mad to think of! Well,
Bertie had never held her in his arms, at any rate,—he had; how she
had trembled, poor darling! Yes, he was that to the good.
“Mean beast!” apostrophising himself; “when you know that the girl
could not help herself, and would have given everything she
possessed to get out of such a dilemma!” What would Leila say?
Should he tell her? No; she would only laugh (he could hear her
laugh) and ask, “What are you going to marry on, even if Uncle Dick
lets you off?”
He had two pounds two shillings a week, and if he made love to her
niece, Miss Parrett would naturally and properly send him about his
business. Oh, it was all an infernal muddle—there was no way out of
it—nothing to do but hide his feelings and bide his time; the wild,
haunting refrain of an old negro camp hymn came into his head,
“And hold the Lion down! and hold the Lion down!” Well, he was
holding the lion down, and a thundering hard job he found it!
He had no reason to suspect that Aurea ever thought of him—why
should she? She was always polite, gracious—no more. His only
little scrap of comfort lay in the fact that he believed Miss Susan liked
him—liked him really, in a nice, sentimental, proper, old-maid
fashion! She was romantic, so said her niece, who bantered her on
her passion for promoting love-affairs and love-matches—he had
heard her taunt her playfully with the fact. Undoubtedly Miss Susan
was his good friend, and that was the sole morsel of comfort he
could offer himself!
Presently Wynyard reached a sleepy little village, unearthed a
carrier’s cart, horse, and man, and returned to the place where the
two ladies were awaiting him with the liveliest impatience.
That evening, at nine o’clock, Miss Susan, who had deposited her
niece at the Rectory, arrived at home in a carrier’s cart—the sole
available mode of conveyance. Her sister, who had been roaming
about the hall and passages, accompanied by Mrs. Ramsay,
wringing her hands and whimpering that “Susan had been killed,”
was considerably relieved. But, as soon as her fears were subdued,
she became frightfully excited respecting the fate of her beautiful
motor, which, by all accounts, had been left standing in the middle of
a river—five miles from home.
“Oh, I assure you it will be all right, Bella; please don’t worry yourself.
Owen will manage.”
“Owen, indeed!” she echoed angrily; “it’s my opinion that he
manages you—you think a great deal too much of that young man;
there’s something at the back of him—it would never surprise me if
some day he went off with that motor, and we never saw him again.”
“My dear sister! You know you are overwrought, or you would never
talk such rubbish.”
“If the motor was stuck in the middle of a river, I should like to know
how you and Aurea got out of it without being half-drowned?” she
demanded judicially.
“Oh, we got out of it very simply, and it was as easy as kiss my
hand,” rejoined Miss Susan, with a gay laugh. “The only person that
got wet was Owen; he carried us.”
“What!” cried Mrs. Ramsay, with dancing eyes; “carried you and
Aurea—how?”
“Why, in his arms—where else? First he took me, then he took her;
and we were no more trouble to him than if we had been a couple of
babies.”
“Well, upon my word,” snorted Miss Parrett, casting up her hands, “I
think the whole thing is scandalous! You and Aurea flying about the
country, and spending most of your time in the motor, going here and
going there, coming home at night alone in a carrier’s cart, and
telling me you left the motor in the middle of a river, and that you
were carried out of it in the arms of the chauffeur! and that without a
blush on your faces! Upon my word, Susan Parrett, I don’t know
what’s coming to you! Either you are going mad, or you are falling
into your second childhood.”
Miss Parrett was profoundly relieved to see her valuable car arrive
on its own horse-power the following afternoon. It certainly looked
rather limp and sorry for itself, and did not recover from its
adventures in the river for some time. Water had a fatal effect upon
its organisation; indeed, its condition became so serious that it had
to be sent to a garage, there to be overhauled—and a bill, which was
the result, proved one of Miss Parrett’s favourite grievances for the
ensuing six months.
 CHAPTER XVI
TWO PRISONERS

By the middle of June Miss Susan had departed to visit friends in the
south of England, escorting her niece as far as London, where she
was to spend some weeks with General and Mrs. Morven. The motor
was in hospital at Brodfield, and Owen, the chauffeur, had absolutely
nothing to do; no gardening, no greenhouse, no car. Miss Parrett
was now the undisputed ruler of Ottinge—manor and village—and
he kept out of her way in a crafty, not to say cowardly, fashion; when
at home, Miss Susan and her niece had intervened as buffers
between him and Miss Parrett’s despotic rudeness. Doubtless her
bullying and browbeating were a legacy from her burly grandfather,
the Hoogly Pilot; indeed, she was positively so insulting with regard
to repairs, his bill for petrol, and the extraordinary—the incredible
quantity he wasted, that sooner than face her and have rows, he
more than once paid for it out of his own pocket! But do not let it be
for a moment supposed that the chauffeur was afraid of the old lady;
he was afraid of himself—afraid that if she became altogether
insupportable, he might lose, in one and the same moment, his
temper, and his situation!
When Bella Parrett reigned alone, it was a sore time for the Manor,
and especially for Joss. The old lady did not care for any animals or
pets, save a venerable green and blue parrot—her own
contemporary. She had accepted Joss, a gift from Mr. Woolcock, as
she was assured that, having no man living at the Manor, a dog was
a necessity in case of robbers, but chiefly because Miss Parrett half
suspected that the Martingales—neighbours of the Woolcocks—
were anxious to possess the said amusing little puppy. Joss was
often in disgrace; but what could one expect of an idle young dog,
without companions, education, or pursuits? When Susan was at
home all went well; she looked after him and screened his failings,
and took him out—though her sister frequently expostulated, and
said—
“Now, I won’t have the creature attaching himself to you, Susan; he
must learn to know that he is my dog!”
All the same, she never troubled about “her dog’s” food or sleeping
quarters, and it was actually Susan who paid for his licence!
Now Susan was absent, also his good friend Aurea—and Joss was
in confinement and deep disgrace; even before his friends’ departure
he had been under a black cloud. His youthful spirits were
uncontrollable; Joss had inherited the keen sporting instincts of his
father, with the intellectual faculties of his accomplished mother,
Colette, the poodle, and was both bold and inquisitive. Recently, the
wretched animal had chewed off the tail of a magnificent tiger-skin,
and concealed it, no one knew where! Miss Parrett hoped he had
eaten it—as it was cured with arsenic—but more likely it had been
stored in one of his many bone larders. He had poked his nose into a
valuable jar, upset, and smashed it! he had come in all wet and
muddy from a rat-hunting excursion in the river, and recouped his
exhausted energies by a luxurious siesta in Miss Parrett’s own bed—
and there was also a whispered and mysterious communication
respecting the disappearance of a best and most expensive front,
which had undoubtedly gone to the same limbo as the tiger’s tail!
“The brute is worse than a dozen monkeys,” declared his furious
mistress, and he was accordingly bestowed on a farmer, who lived
miles away near Catsfield, merely to return, accompanied by a piece
of rope, the same evening. After this, the word “poison” was
breathed; but luckily for Joss, Ottinge did not possess a chemist.
Finally he was condemned to a fare of cold porridge, and solitary
confinement in an empty stable—being suffered to roam loose at
night after the house was closed.
The chauffeur and the brown dog had a good deal in common; they
were both young and both captives in their way. Oh, those long,
endless summer days, when the young man hung about the yard,
with nothing to do, awaiting orders, unable to undertake any job in
case the car should be wanted. When he called each morning for