THE CASTLE 
 BY THE SEA 
 
 H-BMARR 
 
 nWATSON 
 
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 
 
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 Please keep this card in 
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 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 ENDOWED BY THE 
 DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC 
 SOCIETIES 
 
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MRS. lENCPA 
 
THE CASTLE BY THE SEA 
 
Digitized by tlie Internet Arcliive 
 in 2015 
 
 https://archive.org/details/castlebyseaOOwats_0 
 
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Toosey hailed it, and was answered back 
 
 [See page 231] Frontispiece 
 
THE CASTLE BY 
 THE SEA 
 
 By H. B. MARRIOTT WATSON 
 
 
 Author of "Hurricane Island," The Privateers/' etc. 
 
 1 
 
 With Illustrations 
 By HERRMAN PFEIFER 
 
 A. L. BURT COMPANY 
 Publishers New York 
 
Copyright, 1909, 
 By H. B. Marriott Watson". 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 Published September, 1909 
 
 \ 
 
To 
 
 J. B. PINKER 
 
 WITH THE MEMORIES OF EIGHTEEN YEARS' 
 FRIENDSHIP 
 
 FROM 
 
 H. B. MARRIOTT WATSON 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Chapter Page 
 
 I. The Book in the Gallery 1 
 
 II. Perdita 17 
 
 III. The Death Watch 35 
 
 IV. The Goddess in the Car 47 
 
 V. The Council of Perfection 61 
 
 VI. To be Sung on the Waters . • . . 82 
 
 VII. The Alarm 95 
 
 VIII. On the Trail 110 
 
 IX. Entrance of a Man of the World. . 128 
 
 X. The Butcher Boy 141 
 
 XI. In My Lady's Chamber 162 
 
 XIL The Leaguer 164 
 
 XIII. The Window Seat 178 
 
 XIV. Andromeda and the Dragon . . . . 193 
 XV. The Empty Boat 209 
 
 XVI. '^N A Deep Sea like Death'' ... 222 
 
vi Contents 
 
 Chapter Page 
 
 XVII. The Havana Cigar 233 
 
 XVIII. The Secret of the Caves .... 245 
 
 XIX. The Labyrinth 259 
 
 XX. The Tide 273 
 
 XXI. Love in Death 283 
 
 XXII. The Cipher • • . . 301 
 
THE 
 
 CASTLE BY THE SEA 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE BOOK IN THE GALLERY 
 
 IT was on the evening of the fifth of May, just before 
 the day had fully declined into twilight, that I got 
 my first sight of Norroy Castle. I had taken a fly 
 at the distant station of Arncombe, and, to the accom- 
 paniment of the friendly driver's gossip, had rattled 
 along the country roads and down the little inlet for a 
 few miles to Southington, when we made almost a full 
 right wheel and began to climb the hill. At this stage, 
 owing to the lessening of the clatter and the dwindling 
 of the noise of the water, my man and I got on terms of 
 even closer intimacy. He leaned back to explain to me 
 points of the scenery, and to indicate features of inter- 
 est, as he was no doubt wont to do to tourists. I was 
 not a tourist, but I certainly had the neighborhood as 
 much at heart as any bird of passage. It was to be my 
 environment for some three months; and I stood up 
 occasionally and looked about me. 
 
 We were rising slowly but surely now, and below, 
 the darlding inlet had become a romantic channel of 
 fancies to my mind. I was glad I had taken Norroy 
 Castle; glad, too, I had taken it on trust; for this was 
 my inaugural visit, and I had, so to say, bought a pig 
 in a poke. However, it was only for the summer, and 
 
 1 
 
The Castle by the Sea 
 
 already I was enchanted by my indiscretion. Indis- 
 cretion ! I thought, and laughed. Why, it was only so 
 that Romance got her chance ; it was dull reason that 
 went jog-trot through a humdrum life. As well be 
 chained to a desk, as well keep your stall in the Augean 
 stable of full cities, as well — 
 
 My mind, poising on the wings of this fine welcome, 
 had got thus far, when the driver's voice broke upon its 
 raptures. 
 
 "Sir Gilbert — he hasn't been down here since he 
 was a boy ; has n't been here since he came in for the 
 title. Can't abide it, they say. It 's dull for him, 
 maybe, after London." 
 
 I think he was still speculating in his slow mind if I 
 were a tourist; yet my luggage (for I had brought a 
 few small bags with me) must have puzzled him. I 
 had no doubt that he wondered if the gentleman were 
 on a visit to the housekeeper. 
 
 I made no answer, thus brought down to mere fact ; 
 and he continued, "'Ere 's the top of the hill, and the 
 gate." 
 
 I stood up again, and, as the carriage crawled up the 
 last steps of the ascent, looked back once more. The 
 estuary wavered in twilight, from Amcombe, which was 
 hidden by the curving shores, to the hamlet at the foot 
 of the water. Only the roofs of Southington village, a 
 couple of miles below us, witnessed to human habita- 
 tion. And then my eyes went seaward — ah, in a 
 vast surprise. 
 
 The prospect took my breath. I had been gazing 
 backward and downward upon prettiness, the narrow 
 winding waters, the wooded shores, the comely, crowded 
 picture of the English landscape. Now my vision fared 
 
The Book in the Gallery 
 
 forward and outward. The waters of the Channel 
 roared out yonder; the wind came off it with a savor 
 like strong wine ; the sparkle sprang in my eyes, in my 
 face, in my heart. This was Norroy Castle; this was 
 my home. And here was I, trundling along in a ragged 
 old cab, like that visitor to the housekeeper. The scene 
 gave me heart ; it inspired me. If I were to write any- 
 where I could write here, within sound and smell of 
 that fragrant-blown sea. Oh, it was worth living for, 
 that early May evening, with the lights fading in heaven, 
 and the darkling estuary, and the kindling water of the 
 Channel. I drew in my breath and gave thanks. 
 What a fool was this Sir Gilbert Norroy who had 
 visited so glorious a place only a few times since boy- 
 hood ! What a barbarian ! What a Goth ! I cried in 
 my heart, and as I did so my eyes were arrested by a 
 man who was watching me from a little distance. 
 
 He was a good-looking fellow, dressed rather scrupu- 
 lously in a costume of the tourist order, which concluded 
 most decorously with a Homburg hat; and he was 
 smoking a cigar. 
 
 "These be the gates, sir," remarked my affable 
 driver again. It was before the gates that the stranger 
 was standing, and his face caught my curious gaze 
 even before I regarded the threshold of my new domain. 
 It was a handsome face, as I have said, the moustache 
 silky and drooping, the eyes soft and languid, the w^hite 
 countenance characterized by something almost effemi- 
 nate. His manners were good, for his gaze dwelled on 
 me and went by in the fashion of good-breeding. 
 
 "One of them visitors at Southington, sir," com- 
 mented my driver, as we rolled through the gateway 
 into the gravelled track. I paid no heed, for I was oc- 
 
4 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 cupied now with the park. What were all the strangers 
 of Christendom to me beside my park ? 
 
 The drive trailed in a pleasant old-fashioned sweep 
 through limes of immemorial age, and entered, after a 
 brief but glorious career of this kind, a shrubbery of 
 rhododendrons in full bud, of laurels, of fragrant 
 syringas, and of opening lilac. The cloud of shrubbery 
 made a little darkness of the twilight; and then we 
 came out into the open again, where the sward, studded 
 with trees, led down towards the sea. And here was my 
 second stranger, — but this time of quite another char- 
 acter. It was a slim, tall girl, of an exquisite promise 
 of ripeness, but of years too early for that maturity 
 which should some day be her glory. She was wan- 
 dering upon the sward, and, like the stranger at the 
 gates, cast on me a glance, well-bred like his, but of a 
 delicacy and shyness that was eloquent of her sex. I 
 had the rudeness to turn in my seat and watch her 
 after we had passed, until I lost the last glimpse of her 
 slender white figure vanishing into the shrubbery. 
 
 Once more my domain claimed my attention, and 
 now with louder voice ; for we were drawing up to the 
 Castle. 
 
 Norroy Castle was a small building, of considerable 
 antiquity, and of admirable repair. The ravages of 
 time and conquest were not visible on its seemly face, 
 which was presented to the brawling sea that lay only 
 a few hundred yards away. The garden declined 
 towards this with flower beds and shrubberies, and in- 
 terspersed lawns and walks ; but I could not discern in 
 the twilight in what style they had been kept. Beyond, 
 the sea stormed at the pale in which this castle stood, 
 but the slow slopes went down to it in tranquil greenery. 
 
The Book in the Gallery 5 
 
 Upon the further side, as far as I could make out, there 
 was a rise in the grounds, and sea-fowl screamed in the 
 air above low cliffs. I had entered into my kingdom, 
 and pronounced it good. I was now to enter also into 
 the Castle itself. 
 
 The oaken door, giving upon the gravel, was opened 
 by a stolid man of middle age in the conventional dress 
 of a butler. It seemed to me that he stared and stood 
 for an unnecessarily long time ere he spoke. 
 
 "Mr. Brabazon, sir," he asked. 
 
 "Yes, and you are Jackman.?'" I returned, for that 
 was the name of the housekeeper I had received from 
 the solicitors. 
 
 "Yes, sir," he said formally, and stepping briskly 
 over the threshold, set to work on my packages. 
 
 I entered, after paying the fly-man, and found myself 
 in a hall of fair size, lighted with a swinging lamp of 
 cathedral glass, which revealed, out of the circumjacent 
 darkness, a gallery above my head. Here a woman's 
 voice greeted me, and I assumed the owner to be Mrs. 
 Jackman. "We did not expect you till to-morrow, sir," 
 she said, with some timidity of manner. 
 
 "I changed my mind," I explained. "Did my boxes 
 come.^^" 
 
 "Yes, sir; this morning," she answered, and bustled 
 away on some feminine errand, maybe connected with 
 ; cooking. 
 
 I was waiting on my friend, Jackman, who now ap- 
 peared with his hands full of my small kits, but in- 
 stinctively I turned to follow the woman. 
 
 "Not that way, sir," said the butler hastily, almost 
 blocking my path in his anxiety lest I should go wrong. 
 "It goes to the kitchen apartments, sir," he explained 
 
6 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 deferentially. I waited till he indicated the door which 
 I was permitted to pass, and then entered. It was a 
 small room, brightly lighted, and a wood fire burned in 
 the open grate. I had a sense of a smell of tobacco, 
 and tobacco none too fragrant at that ; and I concluded 
 that Mr. Jackman had been caught unawares by my 
 inopportune arrival. But I had made up my mind. 
 This room was for me. 
 
 It was lightly furnished, and the corners were squared 
 off on two sides, so as to give an irregular shape to it. 
 The window, which was mullioned, looked on a little 
 sward of its own betwixt projecting buttresses of the 
 building, and thence across the gravel drive to the more 
 spacious lawn beyond. Night by this time had swal- 
 lowed the garden and the woods, but out of that deep- 
 ening darkness the fret of the ocean beat upon my ears 
 quite pleasantly. 
 
 ''This is where I should like my meals, Jackman," 
 I said to the waiting butler. 
 
 "Certainly, sir," said he, after a momentary pause, 
 and again there was a pause before he went on. "Mrs. 
 Jackman prepared the west wing rooms, sir, in case 
 you should want them." 
 
 "Weil, I '11 have a look round," I said amiably. 
 "Meanwhile this will do very well. What 's off that 
 way?" 
 
 "There 's a morning-room giving to the garden, sir," 
 said he, "and the old staircase to the first floor." 
 
 "And my bedroom?" I inquired. 
 
 "Mrs. Jackman prepared the west wing rooms, 
 sir," he repeated respectfully. "I thought you might 
 like them all handy. They 're on the ground floor 
 together." 
 
The Book in the Gallery 7 
 
 "Very well," I assented. "I 've no doubt they will 
 suit me," and so dismissed him to his duties. 
 
 The long day in the air had made me agreeably tired, 
 and I was hungry, so that after the necessary prepara- 
 tions I was glad to sup and rest. I took some pleasure 
 in exploring the route to my bedroom, which I did 
 under Jackman's guidance, and by the light of two 
 candles. We passed through a lofty room with covered 
 furniture, into a short passage, and thence into a fine 
 large chamber which fronted the west, and which, I 
 gathered, was designed for my use as a drawing-room. 
 Close to it was my bedroom, rather too large and rather 
 too lofty, and, I thought, rather too cold. But as I 
 changed into other clothes, I was aware that there were 
 delightful possibilities in its dignity, if not in its 
 prospect. 
 
 As I was finishing my toilet, I heard a step on the 
 stone passage without, which at first I took to be Jack- 
 man's; but it passed and died away and I heard no 
 more of it. Yet, as I opened the door to return, the 
 sound of a creaking above reached me. The wind 
 darted down the cold alley of stone and sent my flame 
 guttering; and, shading it with my open palm, I 
 picked my way back through the silent chambers to my 
 cosy dining-room. Here I forgot everything save the 
 satisfaction of my appetite. 
 
 The fire burned cheerfully, and a late spring wind 
 snapped about the muUions. Mrs. Jackman, a thin, 
 bright-eyed woman, entered in order to make my ac- 
 quaintance, I am sure. She professed herself anxious 
 to learn if I were comfortable, and, speaking with a soft 
 country burr, hoped I should "like myself." Not so, I 
 was certain, would the immaculate, armor-plated Jack- 
 
8 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 man speak. Mrs. Jackman made an approach to con- 
 versing; Jackman could only answer. But it was the 
 woman's opportunity, and she made the most of it. I 
 learned, among other things, that she rejoiced Sir Gil- 
 bert had let at last ; that the house had not been kept 
 up for years, not since Sir Edmund died; that Sir 
 Gilbert had been a stranger to it since he was a boy; 
 that Jackman and she had lived in London a good 
 deal in Sir Gilbert's service; and that Sir Gilbert was 
 twenty-nine and unmarried. I gathered on the way 
 through this that any princess would be fortunate 
 if she should be chosen by Sir Gilbert. It was alto- 
 gether a pretty exhibition of the feudal temper. 
 
 When she retired, my thoughts went to the bag in 
 which I had stowed some favorite books, and I opened 
 it. A flagon of whiskey was on the table, my pipe was 
 at my elbow, and I had a choice volume to hand. I 
 was exceedingly peaceful, but somehow I did not read. 
 Migration is unsettling to the mind, which settles 
 down with reluctance after the disturbance of its roots. 
 A mass of papers, inserted at the last moment in this 
 particular bag, turned itself out on the carpet, and an 
 illustrated weekly took my eye. It was one of an 
 earlier date, which had furnished my introduction to 
 Norroy Castle. With some curiosity, after the accom- 
 plished fact, I found the advertisement — of "an old 
 castle to let furnished for the summer months." 
 
 I wondered now why I had been induced to write. 
 Such lures by agents are none too uncommon. Any- 
 way, I was here, and in possession. Perhaps it had 
 been the notion of the environing sea, or of the quie- 
 tude; or was it the transient flash of some romantic 
 feeling ? At least the place promised well for my writ- 
 
The Book in the Gallery 
 
 9 
 
 ing, and if I could not finish my "Studies in Earth 
 in this retreat, they would probably forever remain a 
 beautiful dream. 
 
 Do you know that officialism of business? How it 
 wearies, aggravates, and incenses the ordinary decent 
 man? "Yours of the 3rd ult. . . "Your esteemed 
 order. . . "Our best services. . . Well, I was as- 
 sured that I should find the house in every way commo- 
 dious and desirable. But what maggot was in the red 
 head of the clerk who ought to have known better, 
 when he hinted about the ghost ? Perhaps under that 
 rigid exterior he had a soul, some imagination, or a 
 sense of humor. Perhaps it was even a shrewd and 
 oily attempt to clinch a "deal," and he had read some- 
 thing in my eyes. They are the eyes of thirty something, 
 but I pray they are yet romantic. Anyway, the ghost 
 emerged from the shadows and exhibited itself mo- 
 mentarily in the garish light of Pall Mall. Then it 
 disappeared. 
 
 "There 's said to be a ghost in the Castle." 
 
 Perhaps, after all, it was mere banality, but I believe 
 it did rivet the bargain. And here I was with the Castle 
 on my hands, and the Norroy ghost, if so be tradition 
 spoke correctly. Why, I had forgotten to ask Mrs. 
 Jackman about it ! Never mind, the fire soothed, and 
 the tobacco also. I did not want to move. My eyes 
 fell again on the book I had not read, and I remembered 
 something else that the red-headed clerk had mentioned, 
 — "a fine iibn ry and picture-gallery." It had slipped 
 my memory. 
 
 Jackman entered at the moment to inquire if I 
 needed anything more that night, and I tackled him. 
 "Yes, sir," he said, with his punctilious interval of 
 
10 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 pause, as if he would make sure I had done talking. 
 "The library is up-stairs, sir, left wing — over your 
 rooms, sir. The picture-gallery and library are one." 
 
 I love old libraries ; and I would go on my travels in 
 this. I ruminated over glass and pipe till the loud voice 
 ^' of the bracket clock stirred me from dreams. It struck 
 ten, and, as I have said, I was tired. Plainly, it should 
 be my duty as well as my pleasure to go to bed ; and I 
 went. 
 
 I slipped into a slumber, very light and easy, out of 
 which and into which I drifted again and again with- 
 out any feeling of discomfort or restlessness. I awoke 
 and heard the rain that beat on the westward windows ; 
 I heard steps upon the flagged passageway; I thought 
 1 heard voices. But nothing of that sort troubled me; 
 it was a whisper that did that. It is odd how the lesser 
 noise provokes the sleeper, while the voice of cannon 
 in his ear or thunder in heaven would pass almost un- 
 remarked. I sat up, listening. 
 
 Was it the wind that whispered in the draughty pas- 
 sage, or was it a human voice I lit the candle and, 
 looking at my watch, found it was between twelve and 
 one. No one should be about at such an hour. I got 
 up, went to the door and hearkened ; and now I thought 
 I heard a footstep in the distance. The house was en- 
 veloped in silence. I opened the door ; then followed a 
 thin but distinct clatter of some object falling on stone, 
 and on that an objurgation. I hesitated no longer. 
 This could hardly be Jackman, and, if it were, he must 
 be taught the first duties of a servant. With the candle 
 in my hand, I went down the passage in the direction 
 of the sound. 
 
 As I walked, it seemed to me that the noise retreated ; 
 
The Book in the Gallery 11 
 
 certain crepitations came out of the darkness ahead, 
 which was all the greater darkness because of my 
 light. I turned into the morning-room on the trail, now 
 raised to a pitch of some excitement. A foot, as I could 
 have sworn, stumbled not a dozen paces away. I ran 
 forward. 
 
 "Who is that.^" I cried. 
 
 Even as I did so, the ghost emerged in my mind. 
 But ghosts do not stumble on stairs; and that was 
 what had happened. Nor do ghosts carry pencils, so 
 far as I know, and it was a pencil I picked up. Jack- 
 man had spoken of the old staircase, and now I nearly 
 ran into it. It rose to the first floor from an ante- 
 chamber, behind the morning-room, and I almost 
 caught the pencil, as it rolled from stone to stone. It 
 was the second time that pencil had been dropped, I 
 was sure, for the same clink saluted my ears. 
 
 I went up the staircase as swiftly as I could, and 
 thought in that moment I had a glimpse of the in- 
 truder. But just then the candle went out, caught, as 
 I supposed, by some blast along the upper corridor. 
 Feet sounded now shamelessly before me, as some one 
 ran for it. I was following, but was grabbed sharply 
 by the shoulder and held from behind with two arms. 
 I wrestled with my assailant at a disadvantage, and for 
 some minutes there was audible only the noise of the 
 struggle. Then, with an effort, I threw off my 
 adversary. 
 
 "Help !" he cried, as he sprawled. 
 
 Why should a burglar cry for help in the house of 
 his victim ? I lit a match and peered down. It was 
 Jackman ! 
 
 "The devil!" I ejaculated. 
 
12 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 ''The burglar!" he panted. 
 
 I grinned. It was too ridiculous, that we should have 
 been destroying each other, while the invader got safely 
 away. But had he ? I assisted Jackman to his feet. 
 
 ''Never mind. He's gone this way. What rooms 
 are these I asked hurriedly. 
 
 "The — the library !" he puffed out. "But — but 
 he can't be there." 
 
 "Oh, well, we '11 see," I threw at him, as I strode 
 quickly do^n the corridor. 
 
 It was not quite true that he could not be in the 
 library, but it was certainly true that he might be in 
 one of a dozen places. Four doors opened from the 
 corridor towards the front of the Castle, and here were 
 as many hiding-places as rooms. I was conscious of 
 Jackman panting behind me, and then I gained the 
 library. The door was wide open, giving promise of 
 the quarry; and the first gleam of the candle on the 
 w^alls told me where I was. It was a long chamber, 
 stretching, I gathered, along the w^hole reach of the 
 west wing on this floor ; and faces in paint stared stiffly 
 down upon me as I thus roughly intruded on their 
 quiet. That quiet had endured in some cases for cen- 
 turies, but I paid no heed to this haughty greeting, and 
 moved among the bookcases with my detective light. 
 Darkness lurked in all like an ambuscade, and shadows 
 leaped out at me. The shifting blackness in which that 
 gallery lay enveloped started into life and walked with 
 me. I peered, and heard Jackman's heavy breathing 
 over my shoulder. 
 
 "Are we looking for a ghost, Jackman ?" said I. 
 
 "I — I don't know, sir," he panted, and added: 
 ^' There is a ghost, sir." 
 
The Book in the Gallery 13 
 
 "And he carries pencils," I commented; and came 
 at the word to a pause. 
 
 We had reached one of the huge marble fireplaces half- 
 way down the room, and my candle disclosed something 
 upon the bare floor. I stooped and picked it up. 
 
 "What — what — ?" chattered Jackman's teeth over 
 my shoulder, and he put forward a hand as if he would 
 have grabbed it. 
 
 "No," said I, "we've no time;" and I pushed on 
 swiftly. 
 
 In the bays of the library no thief skulked, and the 
 candle flashing about the room revealed no one. We 
 reached the north wall at last, which I perceived to be 
 fronted with oak up to the height of ten feet. An 
 ancient handle caught my eye, suggesting a door. 
 
 "What 's this.^" I asked Jackman. 
 
 "The strong-room," said he, promptly. 
 
 I tried the handle, twisted it and tugged at it. 
 
 "It's locked.?" I asked. 
 
 "The key is in possession of Sir Gilbert, sir," he 
 answered. 
 
 I meditated; there was no chance of concealment 
 here then, but the discovery supplied perhaps a motive. 
 However, that would wait. The urgent matter was to 
 catch the thief. Jackman had gone to a window. 
 
 "This is open, sir," he called. "He must have got 
 out this way." 
 
 I joined him. The windows were casements, and 
 sure enough one had been cast adrift from its moorings, 
 and swung lightly to and fro. I gazed down into the 
 darkness. 
 
 "It must be thirty feet," I said. "Not impossible. 
 Let 's explore the other side." 
 
14 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Jackman's respectful voice urged reasons why the vil- 
 lain must have escaped this way, but I paid no heed. I 
 crossed to the other corner, where the window looked 
 forth on a courtyard, and then noticed a door in the 
 north wall. It was ajar, and I pushed it wider, dis- 
 closing a closet of oak, which was empty. But a darker 
 shadow in the floor took my eye, and I went in. Before 
 me a narrow stone staircase descended to the ground 
 floor. I had just made this discovery when, for the 
 second time, my candle went out abruptly. 
 
 I uttered an exclamation of annoyance, and turned, 
 for I could have sworn that the draught had not come 
 from below. I groped in the candlestick, but to my 
 chagrin could not find the box of matches. It must 
 have fallen, I thought, that time I had been struggling 
 with Jackman; and then, of a sudden, I remembered 
 that I had used it to light the candle afterwards. But 
 anyhow, it had gone, slipping somewhere during our 
 reconnoitre, no doubt. I carried nothing of course in 
 my pajamas; but Jackman was properly clothed, and 
 I called to him. 
 
 "Have you any matches?" I called. 
 
 There was silence, during which I conceived him to 
 be fumbling in his pockets, and then he spoke. 
 
 "Sorry, sir; no, sir." 
 
 I ejaculated my disappointment tersely. "Never 
 mind," said I, "we must go down all the same. Where 
 does this lead p" 
 
 "Into the western passage, sir," he returned, "near 
 your rooms." 
 
 I dropped down as lightly as I could, and Jackman's 
 heavier weight punctuated the silence. Certainly it 
 would give my burglar notice, for all the world as if it 
 
The Book in the Gallery 15 
 
 were policeman's boots that stamped on the stone. 
 Presently, I touched the lower floor, and put out my 
 hand, groping till I grazed a wall. It took me several 
 minutes to find a door, but at last I succeeded, and, 
 feeling along a passageway, we painfully progressed. 
 
 "Where are we now?" I asked at last. 
 
 "Back in the room you dined in, sir," said Jackman. 
 
 "Good Lord ! I give it up !" I remarked in despair. 
 
 There was the sound of a match crackling, and a 
 spurt of fire issued from Jackman's fingers. "Why, 
 man, you have matches !" I cried. 
 
 "Just got them from the mantelpiece, sir," he ex- 
 plained. He lit my candle, and we surveyed each 
 other. 
 
 "It 's no go, Jackman," I said with resignation. 
 "We 're done. By the way, what is kept in the strong 
 room .^" 
 
 "The family plate, sir, and the gold service pre- 
 sented to Sir Craven in 1772, and the Norroy jewels." 
 
 "Ah !" I said significantly. "Well, we are not worth 
 much as detectives, Jackman, and I think we may take 
 it our man has vanished, and go to bed." 
 
 "Yes, sir," agreed the butler. 
 
 We parted, and I sought my room. But I was 
 thoroughly awake and likely to remain so. So I flung 
 myself on the bed, and took out of my pajamas pocket 
 the object I had picked up in the library. It was a 
 black note-book, such as might be purchased at any 
 stationer's shop for a few pence. There was no mark 
 on it to indicate ownership, and only the name of a 
 stationer in Kensington in tiny type in one corner. 
 But what puzzled me was the contents. Only some 
 three or four pages had been used, and these were 
 
16 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 covered in a scrawling male hand, as if it were written 
 by an uneducated, or semi-educated person. 
 
 '*Madona and child," I made out, and beneath, 
 "Coregio," 
 
 ''Storm — Claude " 
 
 ''Lady Claire Norroy — Reynolds," and this was 
 starred heavily thus — 
 
 "Pilage of Sain — Sant — San Sebastion." The 
 writer had made several attempts to arrive at accuracy 
 here. 
 
 I gazed at the pages in perplexity, and also in dis- 
 appointment. They seemed merely to contain a list of 
 pictures, which was hardly in keeping with the property 
 of a thief. Was there, after all, any connection between 
 the pencil, which obviously did belong to the intruder, 
 and this book.^^ At any rate, there was no clue here. 
 And when I had come to this conclusion, rather sadly, 
 I remembered the dark staircase. An impulse urged 
 me to take my light and inspect it forthwith. 
 
 I traced my way along the passage until I came to a 
 door which must have admitted us on our backward 
 journey. Beyond was the staircase for certain, winding 
 upward. But what interested me more was another 
 door, fronting the staircase; and this I examined. To 
 my surprise it was unlocked, and when I turned the 
 handle, a rush of cool air streamed in. My light glim- 
 mered on the gravel of the courtyard. This door gave 
 access to the safe and empty night. 
 
 It was plain at last how the burglar had escaped. I 
 locked the door and went back to my room; and, satis- 
 fied thus far with my elucidation of the mystery, I slowly 
 found the sleep for which I resolutely composed myself. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 PERDITA 
 
 1HAVE said that I was pleased with the dignity of 
 my chamber, which was too admirably proportioned 
 to seem over large. And as the full light of the morning 
 bathed the grounds, I was more than delighted with 
 its prospect. It stared wide of the lawns, out of two 
 long windows, upon some bright spring beds, and a 
 wilderness of trees. Across the sward a gap in a thick 
 beech hedge broke the way into a tangled wild orchard, 
 which again passed into the trees of the small park; 
 while, over the field of green lawns, was the ever-moving 
 water of the Channel. A huge red thorn danced soberly 
 in the sunshine across the gravel path, and the bastions 
 of the sea were blue and sparkling. My eyes carried 
 from foreground to distance with immense delectation. 
 I dressed in cheerful spirits, anxious to be out and en- 
 joying that fine sea-breeze. And then, unexpectedly, 
 I recalled the adventure of the night, and my glance 
 went to the table by my bed for the little note-book. 
 To my astonishment, it had vanished ! 
 
 I searched everywhere, hunting in every likely place 
 in the room, but without result. The book had disap- 
 peared as absolutely as if it had never existed at all. 
 Well, here was another problem to use my wits on. I 
 was nothing loath, and I started on it. I had certainly 
 left the book in my room when I had gone forth to 
 
 2 
 
18 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 explore the second time. Ergo : it had been stolen dur- 
 ing my absence. I had no doubt in my own mind as to 
 the identity of the thief; yet it threw open an appall- 
 ing prospect. The burglar had not escaped from 
 the house, but had been in hiding through the night 
 and had reclaimed his property. 
 
 There seemed to be no other solution possible, yet 
 I consulted Jackman at breakfast, which he served 
 like the expert servant he was. He was respectfully 
 surprised to hear of the book's disappearance, and 
 was anxious to know if I was sure I had placed it on 
 the table. But he had no alternative solution to offer; 
 nor, so far as I could see, did the idea of the nocturnal 
 thief trouble him as much as it did me. But, then, one 
 never knows what emotions beat under the unruffled 
 exterior of the w^ell-trained servant. He appeared to 
 be much more concerned lest I should not have the 
 marmalade I liked, and the coffee to my taste, than 
 lest Norroy Castle should be rifled of its treasures. 
 And that thought reminded me of the strong-room, 
 diverting my attention from the lost note-book. 
 
 "The plate and the jewels must have been the 
 object," I said, wondering at the carelessness w^hich 
 did not entrust such valuables to a bank or safe 
 deposit. 
 
 Jackman agreed v^^ith me, precipitately for him: 
 "Yes, sir; very likely, sir." But the hinge on which 
 they swung was bound to bring my thoughts back. 
 
 "And if the note-book meant nothing, Jackman, why 
 was it stolen from me.^" 
 
 "You don't know what was in it, sir?" suggested 
 Jackman tentatively. 
 
 "Why, yes; and that is the strange part of it. It 
 
Perdita 
 
 19 
 
 held no deadly or dangerous secrets. It was merely 
 a list of pictures." 
 
 **Indeed, sir," Jackman uncovered the dish of 
 kidneys. 
 
 "A list, suggesting it was a list of the pictures in the 
 library," I added. "Is there a portrait of Lady Claire 
 Norroy there?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, I think there is," said the butler, handing 
 me the toast. 
 
 "And is there a Claude.^" 
 
 "Claude, sir?" repeated Jackman, deferentially, 
 but without intelligence. 
 
 It was clear that the name of the celebrated painter 
 conveyed no meaning to him. "I don't think there was 
 any Norroy called Claude, sir," he added thoughtfully. 
 
 I was, of course, bent on an examination of the 
 library and its treasures by daylight, and immediately 
 after breakfast ascended the staircase. The room had 
 a worn and dilapidated air in the sunshine which was 
 merciless to its shabby furniture. Yet its faded honors 
 clothed it with a certain impressiveness and the pic- 
 tures redeemed it altogether for dignity. The pictures 
 were not numerous, but some work by great hands 
 decorated the walls. There was the Reynolds of Lady 
 Claire, the Claude beyond doubt, an obvious Velasquez, 
 and a characteristic Rubens. If Lely were not repre- 
 jcnted, it was a faithful disciple of Lely, and two Van 
 Dycks were not to be overlooked. Altogether it would 
 have been a serviceable little gallery to any amateur 
 collector, and interested me intrinsically, apart from 
 my particular quest. As for that, I saw at the first 
 glance what I wanted ; the note-book undoubtedly had 
 contained the beginnings of a catalogue. But why, 
 
20 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Heaven alone could say. Jackman, who accompanied 
 me to the gallery, had now a bright suggestion in 
 explanation. 
 
 "It must have been one of the tourists," he declared. 
 
 "What, have you tourists here — in this remote 
 spot.^" I asked, remembering my fly-man. 
 
 "Yes, sir; they come over sometimes from Kings- 
 bridge or Plymouth," he replied. "The Castle 's men- 
 tioned in the guide-books." 
 
 "Do you get many visitors ?" I asked, recalling now 
 the man at the gate with his cigar, and the girl in the 
 park. 
 
 "Not many," he admitted. "But sometimes in the 
 summer." 
 
 "Had any lately ?" I inquired, still with my mind on 
 the young lady. 
 
 "Yes, sir — the last two days," he replied promptly. 
 "A lady.?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, and a gentleman, sir." 
 "Together?" I asked. 
 
 "No, sir; separately, sir. And it's my belief, sir, 
 that the book belonged to one of them." 
 
 "Do you think the lady ventured into my bedroom 
 to steal it at one this morning ?" I asked mildly. 
 
 Jackman was thrown into polite confusion. "Well, 
 no, sir; I don't know, sir;" adding, "perhaps it will 
 turn up, sir." 
 
 I left him, pottered about in the gallery, and at last 
 went down by the other stairway, which gave access 
 to the courtyard. From the courtyard I blundered 
 through a door which communicated by a passage with 
 some furnished rooms; and soon perceived I must 
 be in the quarters occupied by the Jackmans. This 
 
Perdita 
 
 21 
 
 information was confirmed by the sound of a man's 
 voice, which reached me in a rumble. Rumble as it 
 was, it had a certain agitant and minatory timbre that 
 penetrated. It was of that sustained monotone that 
 bespeaks the scolding. And suddenly there was silence. 
 Trying to solve the riddle of my position, I broke into 
 the kitchen, and heard the sound of the kettle singing 
 and of a woman sniffing. I looked about, and found 
 Mrs. Jackman with a handkerchief to her eyes by the 
 table. 
 
 "iVnything the matter, Mrs. Jackman.^" I asked, 
 and she started up with a cry. "Sorry I startled you," 
 I remarked. "1 've lost my way in. I hope you 're 
 not in trouble." 
 
 "Mrs. Jackman has the headache, sir," said a voice 
 behind me. I swept about and met her husband's 
 demure eyes. "She always cries when she has the 
 headache." 
 
 "I always cries when I has the headache," sniffed 
 the woman. I glanced from the one to the other. It 
 was no business of mine, yet I was perfectly aware that 
 whether Mrs. Jackman had or had not a headache, it 
 was not the headache that had driven her to tears. I 
 remembered the scolding voice; but Jackman's face 
 was devoid of all anger, annoyance, or any feeling what- 
 ever. I passed on with the expression of a casual hope 
 that she might soon recover. And Jackman piloted 
 me into my own apartments. 
 
 But I was now for the sunshine that was moving 
 among the May foliage. The short round drum- 
 towers, between which the hall door swung, fronted 
 a paradise of green lawn, spaced with many flowering 
 trees and shrubs. Up one tower crept an ancient 
 
22 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 wistaria, on which the lavender trusses were opening. 
 Pink hawthorns were sprinkled here and there and the 
 back of the lawn was gay with drooping laburnum. 
 Lilac rose in embowered masses behind the borders, 
 and the white and red candles of the horse-chestnut 
 glittered in the distance. Yet for all these glories, 
 the garden was not elaborate, but rather unpretentious. 
 The pinch of its poverty showed in its flower beds, 
 which were cheaply maintained by herbaceous peren- 
 nials, none the less beautiful for that. It was a self- 
 respecting garden, decently well-groomed, the economy 
 showing through. It was lavish only in its self-sufficing 
 blossoms, as an impoverished house may display mar- 
 vellous heirlooms, descended from a more fortunate 
 past. It could not keep pace with nouveaux riches, but 
 was not ashamed of its shabby gentility. It had, so to 
 speak, retired on Nature, leaving to the gardener the 
 job of merely tidying up. His was no longer the work 
 of an artist, but of a housemaid. Yet I would not 
 have exchanged it for a thousand houses of orchids 
 and ferneries and stoves. It grew out of doors and 
 was acclimatized to its air and sunshine. It was as 
 much a part of Norroy Castle as the orchard wilder- 
 ness, as the long-grown grasses of the park, as the 
 restless sea in the offing. 
 
 To this sea I wended my way, by a winding path 
 Ihrough a wild garden, which eventually frankly merged 
 in a copse. At the end of the path I found a gate in the 
 wall, and opening it I came out on the sea front. The 
 tide was running out, and betwixt the demesne of the 
 Castle and the receding water was a space of broken 
 rocks and sand. I picked my way to the very edge of 
 the sea, and wheeled my eyes in a semicircle from shore 
 
Perdita 
 
 23 
 
 to shore. Eastward a bluff terminated my view, but 
 to the west I could see the rocks rise into a cliff, on 
 w^hich the waters of the Channel still broke with spray. 
 I moved eastward, till I had reached the bluff, and 
 here I caught sight of two men. As they were the only 
 human beings in sight, I gave them the more attention. 
 One was tall, slight and swarthy, and the other of an 
 extreme disparity, being short, rather fair, and some- 
 what stout. They were conversing together, and gave 
 me the shafts of their eyes when I hove in view. But 
 immediately the little man turned his back upon me, 
 an example which his companion presently followed. 
 They began to walk slowly along the shore. 
 
 I am setting down the observations and impressions 
 of this, my first day in Norroy Castle, because of the 
 importance assumed by some of them later. The two 
 walked along the foreshore at a little distance in front 
 of me, and I idly noticed that the smaller man was 
 dressed in some ordinary tweeds, and that his shoulders 
 hunched up about a somewhat neckless head. But 
 beyond that, and the casual recognition of an apparent 
 distinction between the class to which he belonged and 
 that of his companion, I remember no further impres- 
 sions. I had eyes and ears, indeed, for the sea only, and 
 so we covered the mile or so that lay between the little 
 bluff and the mouth of the inlet. Round the turn of 
 this was a tiny fishing hamlet of some dozen cottages, 
 styled, I discovered subsequently, ''The Point," clus- 
 tering under a rise of the land ; and some boats rode at 
 anchor in the stream. 
 
 I took the road here that leads up the estuary, and 
 a brisk walk brought me to the superior village of 
 Southington, which I had passed the evening before 
 
24 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 I vaguely was aware that the two men had halted in 
 the hamlet, and, still more vaguely, on thinking it over 
 subsequently, I had the notion that they went down 
 to the boats. 
 
 Southington I found to be a picturesque place, in 
 the sunlight, set at a little height above the water, its 
 cottages furnished with pleasant green gardens, and 
 the village distinguished by a post-office in the grocer's 
 shop and a tidy inn — "The Feathers." Down by 
 the estuary was a small landing-stage and boats, and 
 I soon got into conversation with a seafaring man 
 who was lounging near. It seemed that the boats 
 were his property, and that he let them to summer 
 visitors. 
 
 "Do you get many.^" I inquired, and gathered that 
 they did not get so many as he wished. But he was a 
 cheerful spirit, and enjoyed a gossip. There were 
 two ladies staying at Mrs. Lane's, he told me with 
 a nod over his shoulder, and a gentleman at the inn; 
 another gentleman, he suddenly recollected, at old 
 Mrs. Turner's. "But there's time yet," he ended 
 philosophically. 
 
 The waters of the estuary lapped coolly against the 
 piers of the landing-stage; and the bright sun shim- 
 mered in the waving mirror, breaking into a thousand 
 lights. The land here opened in a deep and generous 
 fissure ; across the water, half a mile away, rose w^ooded 
 slopes, and it seemed to me that I could descry islets 
 in the distance. To encourage my sociable acquaint- 
 ance, I told him to reserve me a boat for the afternoon. 
 I had come down to work, certainly, but I was no galley- 
 slave to begin right away. I looked at my watch and 
 found I had just time to get back for lunch. And so 
 
Perdita 
 
 25 
 
 I passed through the village and entered on the road 
 that climbs the hill to the Castle. 
 
 You will conceive that I was not a little engaged by 
 the odd circumstances of the night, including the myste- 
 rious note-book; yet I was not breaking my wits on 
 the knotty puzzle. The day was too magnificent to 
 waste on such a task, for I take it that sensation rather 
 than reason is the prime avenue of happiness. Well, I 
 was for sensation all the time, and, lest I should over- 
 indulge in dreaming, I must add to that, action. This 
 my rowing excursion promised me. I returned to 
 Southington in good time, and launched my fortunes. 
 I put up the sail, which drew lightly, and under an 
 easy breeze from the south I tacked up the estuary, 
 I had resolved on making the village at the head of the 
 water, but I was tempted aside to the wooded shores. 
 This may have been destiny, or it more probably was 
 chance; but at any rate it led to a little adventure. 
 The foreshore descended in a gentle slope to the edge 
 of the estuary, and was thickly grown with trees and 
 bushes and briars, all in the early verdure of spring. 
 As I approached, I was aware of a woman on a patch 
 of sand who was waving her hands, and gesticulating 
 wildly; also of a cry on the air. Was this beauty in 
 distress ? I gave the tiller a turn and ran in, beaching 
 on the smooth shore. 
 
 "What is it.^" I asked. 
 
 She came towards me with little quick steps, as though 
 hampered by her skirts, which I noticed were pinned up 
 above a length of pink unstockinged leg. 
 
 "There ! There !" she pointed, her large eyes wide 
 with horror. "Oh, quick; she will be drowned — and 
 drift out to sea." 
 
26 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 I stared; some distance out from the shore was a 
 little boat, but I could see no sign of life in it. My 
 gaze returned to the lady, who was wringing her 
 hands. 
 
 "Oh, how can you wait and lose time ? It 's cruel !" 
 she declared. 
 
 ''Please, let me understand," I urged. "What is it 
 I am to do 
 
 "A lady — in the boat there," she cried breathlessly. 
 I turned again to look at the skiff. "I see no one," 
 I said. 
 
 "She is asleep!" she bleated. 
 
 "Asleep!" I echoed, and momentarily questioned 
 the speaker's sanity. 
 
 "Oh, yes, can't you understand.^" she pleaded. 
 "We rowed here, and it looked nice, and I got out, and 
 she went to sleep, and the boat drifted off." 
 
 She positively wailed. 
 
 "But she can row back," I suggested. 
 
 She dramatically, even tragically, waved her arms 
 to the sculls, that I now observed on the sand. "She 
 has nothing to row with," she cried in despair. "We 
 took them ashore, to make them safe." The idea had 
 a certain originality, but I did not laugh. 
 
 "Oh!" I said simply. "Well, no harm's done. 
 We '11 soon pick her up." I edged the boat more con- 
 veniently to her that she might enter, and she saw my 
 design, but drew back, suddenly abashed. Now that 
 I had reassured her of her friend's ultimate safety, I 
 think she remembered her tucked-up gown and her 
 bare feet. 
 
 "No, — I — I don't think I will go," she stammered, 
 *'if you are sure you can save her." 
 
Perdita 27 
 
 "Certain sure !" I said cheerfully, and I pushed off. 
 
 My sail carried me down on the drifting boat pretty 
 quickly, but I still could not see that it contained any 
 one. I dropped the sail, and deftly manoeuvred my 
 craft closer, so that the bottom of the skiff was visible. 
 Stretched out, with her head comfortably reposing on 
 a silken pillow, her eyes shut to the green world and the 
 blue heaven above, lay the girl I had seen on the pre- 
 vious evening in the Castle grounds. I recognized her 
 a.t once, and wondered why. Had I come to note things 
 more closely since my rustication ? Even in sleep she 
 had an individual grace, which, I should imagine, was 
 hard to come by; but my experience is limited. My 
 boat bumped gently against hers, but she did not wake, 
 merely threw a delightful arm across the bronze wealth 
 of her hair. I sat observing her. This must be one of 
 the ladies who were lodging at Mrs. Lane's, and my 
 distressed friend was no doubt the other. The boats 
 grazed again, and her eyelids quivered. Then she sat 
 up with a start. 
 
 "Why — what — !" 
 
 The exclamation passed into a look of dismay and 
 fear, and that in its turn gave way to one of distance. 
 
 "I don't understand — " she began coldly. 
 
 "A runaway horse," I said smiling, "and no bit to 
 turn it;" I indicated the land, and the intermediate 
 water. A deep flush enlivened her face, as she gradu- 
 ally took it all in. 
 
 "I must have — been asleep," she murmured. "And 
 you-" 
 
 "A lady sent me in search," I explained. 
 "Oh! Thank you!" she exclaimed in gasps. "I'm 
 so sorry ! What a nuisance I 've been !" 
 
28 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 I endeavored to lull that fear, but she paid me little 
 heed. "Did you — are my oars — ?" she asked. 
 
 ''They were carefully landed," said I, gravely, "and 
 very neatly set together." 
 
 "Oh, that's so like Isabel!" she broke out. "I 
 suppose she was afraid some one would go off with 
 them. She has a passion for neatness," she added, with 
 the first smile I had seen her wear. 
 
 "Well, that being so," I suggested, "you will let me 
 tow you .^^" 
 
 By way of assent, she silently passed me a rope, and 
 I made the skiff fast. Then we ran lightly towards the 
 shore. On our arrival no Isabel was to be seen. My 
 waif raised a musical voice for her, and presently a 
 muffled cry issued from the wood. I wondered if 
 there was more distress, and if I was to continue 
 being a knight errant. I did not dislike the role so 
 far. 
 
 "Perhaps it ^s a wolf," said I hopefully, and would 
 have darted forward to the rescue, but her cool and 
 decisive voice stopped me. 
 
 "I think I will go, if you don't mind," she said, and 
 added, with a little dry sense of humor: "That is 
 Isabel's cry of distress." 
 
 I waited, and presently she emerged again from the 
 bushes, and came down to the boats.. She searched 
 in her own, and took out demurely a pair of stockings, 
 equipped with which she silently walked back to the 
 wood. I waited still, though I knew I had no right to 
 do so. My duty was done. On her second return, I 
 was busy putting her oars in the boat, in order to ac- 
 count for my stay. 
 
 "I am ever so much obliged to you," said she, in a 
 
Perdita 
 
 29 
 
 pleasant, informal way; and then seemed for the first 
 time to realize that she too had broken out of taut and 
 trim conventions. She put her hand up to her neck, 
 down which the beautiful hair streamed untidUy, but 
 picturesquely, and refastened it without the slightest 
 embarrassment. 
 
 "It was good of you to come for me," she said. 
 
 "I have often longed for such a chance," said I. 
 "All my life I have indulged in dreams of saving 
 princesses, and now I have awaked to find it true, 
 thank goodness." 
 
 She dwelled on me fully and seriously with her eyes 
 for a moment, and then replied : 
 
 "Here comes Miss Fuller." 
 
 Miss Fuller emerged, and we watched her delicate 
 tread across the sand. She was tall and of a somewhat 
 large frame, but by no means stout, save that her face, 
 which was comely, was rather full. Animation kindled 
 her expressive eyes. 
 
 "Oh, I am so thankful, dear Perdita, that it was no 
 worse," she said. "It might have been, if this gentle- 
 man had n't kindly — " 
 
 "Oh, I 've thanked him," said Perdita, a little curtly, 
 I thought. 
 
 Perdita ! The name was music in my ears. Miss 
 Fuller struck me as a little on the other side of thirty ; 
 Perdita could not have been more than five and twenty. 
 I arranged the oars in the boat. "You will have a stiff 
 pull against the tide," I said. 
 
 Perdita glanced at the water indifferently. "Miss 
 Fuller rows very well," she said coolly. 
 
 "My dear Perdita, only when I don't catch crabs, 
 explained her companion. 
 
30 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "If you will allow me, I can take you in my boat. I 
 have a sail," I explained. 
 
 "Thank you, I think we shall do very well," said 
 Perdita. 
 
 She was adorable to look on, but I feared she might 
 have that terrible downrightness of the modem girl, 
 which is a misapprehension of independence. 
 
 But Miss Fuller had clearly no hankering after the 
 oars. 
 
 "If Mr. — " she hesitated. 
 
 "My name is Brabazon; I am living at the Castle,'* 
 I explained, in the hope of giving my bona fides. 
 
 A glance shot between the girls. 
 
 "Oh, if Sir — if Mr. Brabazon would be so good, 
 Perdita dear — " began Miss Fuller. 
 
 Perdita dear turned away. "Certainly, if you are 
 tired," she said unceremoniously, and then, as if she 
 remembered, "It is very good of you." 
 
 The skiff flopping astern, we set sail down the 
 estuary. The breeze from the south still held, and I 
 had to make several tacks to reach the Southington 
 landing-stage. And when we were there, it seemed 
 very natural that I should walk up the beach with them 
 to the village. 
 
 At the gate into a trim little garden, with an over- 
 arching porch of honeysuckle and clematis, the ladies 
 paused, and Perdita gave me a little informal nod, in 
 dismissal. Her companion, more gracious, smiled 
 kindly at me, and I felt her eyes still following me when 
 I moved on after my salute. It struck me as rather a 
 tame conclusion of what had promised to be an interest- 
 ing affair. I had got no farther with Perdita's name, 
 though I had the better part of it, and our acquaint- 
 
Perdita 
 
 31 
 
 ance ended abruptly as it had begun. The girl tanta- 
 lized me, but I admired her gait as she passed up the 
 pathway to the tiled cottage. 
 
 As my adventure had ended so early, there was noth- 
 ing for it but to stroll home, and, as I went by the village 
 pump on the green, I was aware of eyes bent on me 
 from another quarter. 
 
 In front of a cottage stood a young man of middle 
 size and spare body, in a rather assertive Norfolk suit, 
 with knickerbockers of a loose riding pattern. The 
 stranger, who was clean-shaven and had a mocking 
 resemblance to a groom, gave me a friendly nod. 
 
 "Niceish day!" he commented. 
 
 Though I was the tenant of Norroy Castle, I was not 
 proud, and, to say the truth, I leaned towards gossip 
 in my solitude. I stopped, and returned his greeting. 
 
 " Staying up at the Castle ? " he inquired, nibbling a 
 twig. "Decent old place." 
 
 The terms were only roughly adequate, and to be 
 excused because of the speaker's obvious limitations 
 of vocabulary. 
 
 "Charming," I corrected. 
 
 "Glad you like it," he said briefly, and then looked 
 down the road. "Tolerable looking girls," he observed, 
 classing them thus sacrilegiously together. "But not 
 quite my style." 
 
 "Ah, you fly high, doubtless," I remarked, with all 
 my sarcasm in my voice and my civil inclination of the 
 head. 
 
 "I suppose I do," he replied simply. "I like a flier — 
 a girl with some go in her. That girl 's a bit la-de-da 
 for me. Pretty, though." 
 
 Pretty ! Why, the nincompoop interested me by his 
 
32 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 very disqualifications. He spoke lazily, yet with the 
 accent of one who has been brought up on that inde- 
 finable but distinctive plane of gentleman. Otherwise, 
 he might have been a jockey, and should. 
 
 ''She 's been here a week or so," he added. 
 
 Here was my manifest chance to draw my informa- 
 tion from such an obviously amiable and communicative 
 simpleton. 
 
 "A pretty girl," I assented, adopting his wretched 
 adjective, "and no doubt a pretty name." 
 
 "Don't know her name," says this oaf, and added: 
 "You seem a bit smitten. We can find out at the inn." 
 
 I had not come down from London to retain London 
 manners. I was free and unfettered, king of my own 
 actions, and in the country could do as the country 
 evidently did. Nonchalantly I walked down to the inn 
 with my new friend, who, before entering, peered in 
 at a window, sticking up a single eye-glass to do so. 
 It gleamed in a brown freckled face to one side of a 
 large nose. 
 
 "Chalmers in!" he said, and entered. 
 
 Once inside, I was induced to take a glass with him, 
 which, being warm from my exertions, I was not reluc- 
 tant to do. We sat in a little parlor at the back of the 
 bar, smelling rankly of stale beer and tobacco. The 
 sheepish innkeeper supplied our wants, and my new 
 friend bluntly made his interrogation. 
 
 "Who are the ladies staying at Mrs. Lane's.^" he 
 inquired. Chalmers did not know, but amiably volun- 
 teered to ask the missus. While he was absent, the 
 gentleman jockey delivered himself of sundry opinions 
 on women, which seemed to him important, and were 
 to me entertaining. 
 
Perdita 
 
 33 
 
 "There ain't much in them, outside looks," he 
 concluded, "and most of that 's dress. They 're regu- 
 larly artful, you know." 
 
 Here was a fine cynic, say at eight and twenty ! 
 Anxious for further instruction and guidance, I asked 
 questions. "This may all come in useful to me some 
 day," I explained humbly. "One never knows. I 
 gather you 'v^ escaped them so far." 
 
 "If I had n't been careful, I should n't," he told me 
 frankly. Never was there such a frank person. "There 
 was a sort of arrangement about a cousin of mine — 
 family arrangement, don't you know. I never had 
 any hand in it, nor she, for that matter. It was sort of 
 patched up when we were kids. But I 'm not taking 
 it ; nor, I guess, is she. At any rate, we 've never seen 
 each other, and don't want to. I like my liberty," he 
 was good enough to explain, "and I don't buy a pig 
 in a poke." 
 
 At this point the innkeeper returned with the halting 
 information that his missus thought the young lady's 
 name was Fuller. Why had it not occurred to me that 
 there were two ? And that I did not want particularly 
 to learn the name of the one whose name I already 
 knew ? 
 
 "Fuller," handed on my jockey politely to me, as 
 who should say, "There, now, are you satisfied 
 
 Of course I was not, but I seemed at the moment 
 too bashful to say so. I think it was the audience 
 that silenced me. I was ashamed, all of a sudden, 
 to go inquiring for Perdita like a police ofl!icer. So, 
 to save the situation, I smiled affably, and turned 
 the point on my companion with a wave of my 
 hand. 
 
34 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "As we 're making out a directory, why not include 
 yourself?" I asked humorously. 
 
 He eyed me, taking this in. "My name 's Eustace," 
 he ground out, in his slow way. " What 's yours ?" 
 
 "Brabazon," I completed the directory. "I am 
 tenant of the Castle for the present, and glad to welcome 
 you there some day, Mr. Eustace," I added, out of 
 civility. 
 
 "Much obliged. Look you up some time, if you 
 don't mind," he got out unceremoniously, and rose. 
 
 At that moment there passed the open door into the 
 passage two men, and one glanced in. Their footsteps 
 suddenly halted, and a whispered conversation reached 
 our ears. I moved out with Eustace, and passed the 
 two on the way to the entrance. Their conversation 
 dropped. When we had got a little way from the door, 
 I happened to glance back. The two stood now in the 
 sunlight before the inn, and were staring after us ; and 
 one of them I recognized as the short fair man I had 
 seen on the shore that morning. His companion made 
 a step or two as if to hurry in our direction, but the 
 little man's hand suddenly checked him. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE DEATH WATCH 
 
 1 REACHED the Castle between five and six o'clock 
 and spent some time in exploring the orchard and 
 the copse. Here I was sought by Jackman with the 
 news that a gentleman had called to inquire if he might 
 look over the picture-gallery. 
 
 ''Did Sir Gilbert allow that?'' I asked him. 
 ''Yes, sir; he made no objections, provided they 
 were respectable," he answered. 
 
 "Maintain Sir Gilbert's rule," I said, dismissing him 
 and the subject. 
 
 The stranger was not gone, I gathered, on my return 
 to the house, but I went straight to my own room and 
 made some notes that had occurred to me in the course 
 of my solitude. Here again Jackman intruded on me. 
 There was another gentleman, — this time to see me. 
 I threw down my pen in chagrin. 
 
 "What name?" I asked, wondering if some neigh- 
 bor had called. 
 
 Jackman 's silver salver held a card. 
 "Mr. Edward Joyce," I read. "I know no Joyce, 
 and there's no address. However, show him in." 
 
 The moment he entered, I knew him for the second of 
 the two men I had seen at the "Feathers." I gave him 
 good afternoon shortly and awaited his communication. 
 He was sleek mannered, and insinuating, and was 
 elegantly clad in a dark lounge suit. 
 
36 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "Pray excuse me, sir," he began cerem-pniously. 
 "But it is my duty to leave this with you." 
 
 He took something from his pocket and held it out. 
 I stared. 
 
 "What is it.^" I asked, all unsuspecting. I had a 
 vague notion that I had before me some commercial 
 traveller with samples, or some wine-merchant's tout. 
 He placed the paper in my hands, and I opened it, 
 while he took up his hat and made preparations for 
 immediate departure. My voice arrested him. 
 
 "Stay, what the devil is this?" I asked. "I'm not 
 Sir Gilbert Norroy." 
 
 "You will find it all correct, sir," he said, closing 
 his bag with a snap, and as if deprecating my 
 outbreak. 
 
 "But, damn it, I tell you I'm not Sir Gilbert," I 
 said, with some impatience. 
 
 He looked at me non-committally. I glanced again 
 at the amazing document, which was no other than a 
 writ for eight hundred pounds. 
 
 "Do you understand .^" I asked sharply. 
 
 "'Yes, sir. I understand you to deny that you are 
 6ii Gilbert Norroy," he said evenly. "I have carried out 
 my instructions, and much regret the necessity. And 
 now I'll wish you good afternoon, sir." 
 
 "Look you here, my good sir," said I, aggravated 
 into anger by his obvious incredulity. "This requires a 
 little more explanation than you have given. You 
 bring me a writ for eight hundred pounds and thrust it 
 into my hands on the supposition that I am Sir Gilbert 
 Norroy. I tell you that I am not. This is Sir Gilbert's 
 property, of which I am tenant for a few months. My 
 name is Brabazon." 
 
The Death Watch 37 
 
 For the first time he looked a little disconcerted. 
 
 "Brabazon !" he repeated weakly. 
 
 *'Now, who are you," I went on, *'to make this 
 egregious blunder, which any one in the place could 
 have prevented you making, if you had asked a simple 
 question?" 
 
 "I represent the solicitors who are acting for th — 
 for the creditor," he said rather awkwardly. 
 
 "Then let me recommend you, Mr. Joyce, in all 
 friendliness, to go back to your employers," I said, 
 "and bid them be more careful, if they do not want 
 to face an action for damages. Good afternoon." 
 
 He hesitated, lifted his hat and bag, hesitated again, 
 and looked at me. 
 
 "You are an unbelieving dog, Mr. Joyce," I said, 
 shaking my head at him ; " but they say an Englishman 
 never knows when he is beaten, and I suppose I ought 
 to respect that crass-headedness. Well, will you oblige 
 me by ringing that bell ? Thank you." 
 
 "I'm sorry, sir," said Mr. Joyce, as he waited. "But 
 my instructions were very explicit." 
 
 Jackman arrived at the signal. " Jackman," said I, 
 "this gentleman has got it into his foolish noddle that 
 I am Sir Gilbert Norroy. Would you be good enough 
 to tell him who I am." 
 
 "Mr. Brabazon, sir," said Jackman promptly, but 
 with no special enthusiasm. 
 
 "And now, Mr. Joyce, pray do not let me delay 
 you," I went on. "I've no doubt you have to catch 
 a train." 
 
 He backed out awkwardly, with a stuttered apology, 
 and I went to the window and watched him go. As 
 he passed out, I heard the descending steps of some one 
 
38 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 in the hall, and Jackman arrived to shut the door 
 politely on me. 
 
 *'The gentleman who was looking at the pictures is 
 going, sir," he said in explanation, as he closed him- 
 self out in the hall to send off the stranger. The stranger 
 departed in the rear of Mr. Joyce. I rang the bell again. 
 
 "Who was the visitor.^" I demanded of Jackman, 
 when he came. He returned from the hall with a card, 
 which was inscribed ''Mr. A. C. Naylor," with the name 
 of a reputable London club. 
 
 I had been in Norroy Castle, you will remember, only 
 twenty "four hours, and the current events had roused 
 suspicions in me. There w^as the attempted burglary; 
 there was the note-book ; there was this odd mistake of 
 the solicitor's clerk. But it was the note-book that was 
 in my mind at this moment. I leap to conclusions 
 easily, perhaps too lightly ; but at least it is more amus- 
 ing than waiting to be poked up with a pole. This 
 Mr. Naylor had outstayed the light, which no self- 
 respecting picture should endure. And what was there 
 familiar in the cock of his head ? At any rate, I w^ould 
 wrest all from life that life was disposed to offer, and I 
 cared not a dump for dinner. I clapped on my cap and 
 bolted after the stranger, just the moment that his 
 identity flashed on me. I knew that Homburg hat now, 
 set so elegantly askew with the correct tip. It was 
 worn by the man whom I had seen as I drove up to the 
 gates of the Castle on the previous evening. My mind 
 connected him with the note-book with a huge interro- 
 gation — inconsequently, thank Heaven. I ran after 
 him. 
 
 Once out in the open, I took to the grass and sped 
 away in the direction of the gates. The light was 
 
The Death Watch 39 
 
 failing, as I have indicated, but everything was still 
 clearly visible and would be so for an hour. I had the 
 regiment of chestnuts betwixt me and the drive, and 
 so broke into the meadow which ended my domain on 
 that side, still keeping under the trees. When I reached 
 the gates, Mr. Naylor had already issued and v/as going 
 down the lane. But here I was brought up by an abrupt 
 chain of new thoughts; for he was descending in a 
 leisurely manner in the company of Mr. Joyce ! 
 
 This was an association that even my flighty sus- 
 picions had not reached. Yet I will admit it opened a 
 world of bright possibilities to me. I was seized with 
 simultaneous rage and delight, and I began to track 
 this pair like a panther. It was comparatively easy to 
 keep beyond eyeshot of them in this meandering, 
 curving lane, and tracked and tracker arrived at the 
 village without disturbance. The two men sought the 
 "Feathers," and after a little interval I followed them. 
 The first person on whom my eyes alighted was Mr. 
 Eustace, burying his long nose in a tankard. 
 
 "Hulloa!" he saluted me. "Have a drink." I 
 declined, with a little distance in my voice, which he 
 heeded not at all. "How are the ladies ?" he inquired 
 casually, as if he would suggest that I had been with 
 them ever since we parted company; adding, "It 's 
 infernally slow, is n't it .^" 
 
 If it was so "slow," I wondered why he was staying 
 here, apparently as a summer visitor, but I was naturally 
 too polite to express my thoughts. However, I was not 
 giving Mr. Eustace much of my attention ; it was Mr. 
 Naylor and Mr. Joyce who excited me. 
 
 "Is a Mr. Naylor staying here?" I asked the 
 landlord plumply. 
 
40 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Eustace was raising his tankard, and at my question 
 he lowered it again, and stared at me. 
 
 "No, sir," said the innkeeper, after due deliberation. 
 
 "Is a Mr. Joyce I asked, with further bluntness. 
 
 Eustace betrayed no interest. "No, sir," again said 
 the man. 
 
 "They both came in just now," I persisted, nodding 
 across the passage. 
 
 Eustace's gaze followed my finger, and remained 
 there with its customary deliberation. 
 
 "Ah, friends of Mr. Home's, perhaps, sir," said the 
 landlord. "He had some come from Fairburn." 
 
 Friends of Mr. Home's. I had not got very far. Who 
 was Mr. Home. I had my mental eye on the little fair 
 man with blue eyes, and his head deep in his shoulders. 
 Eustace was whistling cheerily. I got up, and was going 
 out, when the door of the private room across the way 
 opened. 
 
 "Landlord !" called a voice, a cultivated, somewhat 
 effeminate voice. 
 
 The landlord bustled aw^ay to his guest. "That's 
 Naylor," said I, confidentially to Eustace. 
 
 He winked at me. " Damned popinjay ! " he 
 said. 
 
 I did n't know. I had no definite notion about Mr. 
 Naylor, but when the innkeeper returned, he kindly 
 indulged our curiosity, perhaps remembering my 
 questions. 
 
 "That gentleman 's going to stay to-night. It is 
 Mr. Naylor," he communicated. "T'other 's going off 
 to catch the 9.30." 
 
 "T'other," I took to mean Mr. Joyce. It was all very 
 simple, no doubt, and I had already spent my interest 
 
The Death Watch 41 
 
 along with my suspicion. I bade Eustace and the inn- 
 keeper good night, and arrived at the Castle as night 
 fell. Then I did my best with a belated dinner, for 
 which Mrs. Jackman had done her best. 
 
 Jackman explained this to me humbly, and I 
 apologized. 
 
 "The evening was so beautiful, and the country is so 
 lovely," I said; and then I added, "Did Sir Edmund 
 always live here?" 
 
 "I believe so, sir," said Jackman. "But I never was 
 here until after his death. Sir Gilbert was my master, 
 sir; Mr. Gilbert, as he was then, before his uncle 
 died." 
 
 " Sir Edmund was unmarried " I asked. 
 
 "Yes, sir, rather a recluse, as they call it," explained 
 Jackman; "a gentleman fond of books, though, and 
 pictures." 
 
 I remembered the gallery again. "Those jewels and 
 the plate ought to have been sent long ago to safe 
 custody," I declared. 
 
 "Yes, sir," agreed Jackman. "Sir Edmund liked 
 to have them on the premises, sir. 'Twas his 'obby. 
 They're family heirlooms, though the estate isn't 
 entailed." 
 
 I was in the mood for investigations into the Norroy 
 family, and after my meal I explored the library. I 
 think I almost hoped for a repetition of the alarm of the 
 previous night. But it was quiet enough and silent, and 
 my candle illumined but a patch of its unruffled dark- 
 ness. I rambled from bookcase to bookcase, quarrying 
 with my eyes. The shelves provided a sort of dado to 
 the gallery throughout, rising to the height of some 
 six feet; and over these the pictures were hung upon 
 
42 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 the walls. But at the further end, where the door into 
 the strong-room showed, there were no pictures, and the 
 bookcases had run into bays in which one might shelter 
 from the rest of the room in imperfect light and book- 
 worm comfort. But I had not traversed the whole 
 gallery as far as this, when I wearied of my task, and, 
 pausing before a little nest of topography, took out a 
 volume with a pertinent title — "The Inlets of Devon." 
 It was a shabby, faded book, published in the sixties, 
 but I bore it away to inspect in company with two or 
 three of its neighbors. The glorious May weather had 
 rendered my fire unnecessary, but I sat for some time 
 over my tobacco ere retiring, and dipped into the 
 volumes. There was some matter of local interest in 
 the book I have named, which included an account of 
 the Southington inlet with a brief note on Norroy Castle. 
 The range of that coast is pierced with many indenta- 
 tions, all offering promise to the romantic lover of 
 scenery. I know of no coast-line so attractively broken 
 as the shore of South Devon. But at Southington we 
 were even more picturesquely retired than any of our 
 neighbors, recluses from the noise and bustle of the 
 busy ports and watering-places. Our little village in 
 its isolation confronts and claims its own native sea, 
 exercising an air of proprietorship which none can 
 dispute, and indeed which there is none to dispute, 
 unless, perhaps, it be the little hamlet of the Point. 
 And so, according to my guide-book, this tract of 
 country had been notorious once as a theatre for the 
 operations of smugglers. ''To that illicit trade," 
 said the writer, "its inaccessibility and loneliness no 
 less than the opportunity of its foreshore gave tempta- 
 tions ; and it was reputed that the neighboring gentry 
 
The Death Watch 43 
 
 winked at the freebooters, if they did not actually 
 participate with them, as sometimes happened during 
 the eighteenth century." 
 
 I could quite conceive of the estuary as a charming 
 place to run a cargo, and, if my guide was correct, the 
 Norroys of the Castle had tapped many a keg of 
 smuggled brandy, and strutted in handsome silks that 
 had paid no tribute to King George. The Norroys I 
 had already had the curiosity to look up in a volume 
 of Debrett, while in town. The title had been bought, 
 compulsorily no doubt, from James I, when he was 
 seized of his bright idea for raising money, and had 
 descended in a long and undistinguished line to my 
 landlord, Sir Gilbert. So far as I could discover, the 
 family had never emerged into notice but once, and that 
 was when the seventh baronet, who had entered the 
 army, displayed gallantry in the wars, which no doubt 
 accounted for the gold plate mentioned by Jackman. 
 Otherwise the Norroys lived and died unknown to 
 fame, country squires, hard drinkers, big eaters, and, 
 it seemed, illicit traffickers, deviating oddly into Sir 
 Edmund, the lover of books and pictures. What had 
 happened since his death, I could only surmise, but I 
 had heard rumors, through an acquaintance, of a 
 young man who had "gone the pace." Probably then, 
 content with that single deviation, the family had 
 resumed itself and its level. But as I had never seen 
 my landlord, and only dealt through his solicitors in 
 Chancery Lane, my surmise was but an hypothesis. 
 
 The Norroys in turn ceased to interest me, and I 
 yawned, and looked at the clock. It was still early, 
 but I was tired with the strong sea air and my exercise 
 during the day and so I went to bed, armed with a book 
 
44 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 against emergencies. Yet I found myself unlikely to 
 require that, so sleepy was I. Having undressed, I 
 lay down, and, I believe, should have fallen asleep 
 forthwith, had it not been for what I imagined at first 
 to be the ticking of my watch. At least it merged in my 
 ear with that sound, only seeming to come louder when 
 my head was on the pillow. I might even so have gone 
 off, had it recurred as methodically as the beat of the 
 watch; but suddenly it stopped, and thus arrested my 
 attention. I wondered, flung up my head, and listened. 
 The watch on the dressing-table ticked on comfortably 
 and dully and my head resumed the pillow. I was doz- 
 ing off, when again the noise started, and this time 
 somewhat louder, but now altogether refusing connec- 
 tion with the humble watch. I rose and listened. The 
 noise ceased, and I lay back to hear it continue. Tick ! 
 Tick ! Tick ! And then ensued silence. I got up once 
 more, and gazed about the room for a clock which 
 might somehow explain the sounds. But nothing of the 
 sort was visible. I went to the window and thrust open 
 a casement wider, parting the curtains, and letting in 
 the fresh night air. The sea mourned on the shingle a 
 quarter of a mile away, and the light of a steamer 
 moving homeward up the Channel picked out the 
 darkness. 
 
 I went to bed again, and the tick repeated itself 
 mechanically, monotonously. I was annoyed and 
 aggravated. What on earth was it ? I knelt down and 
 put my ear to the floor, and seemed to hear it dulled 
 and distant. Then I got into bed again and it grew 
 almost sonorous. I set my ears to the wall and it 
 had swollen in volume. Ah, I thought to myself, here 
 is the explanation. 
 
The Death Watch 45 
 
 As I turned, almost satisfied, footsteps sounded out- 
 side in the passage, soft, list-slippered footsteps. I 
 abandoned my riddle to the winds and sprang to the 
 door. If this were my burglar again — ! 
 
 But it was only Jackman, solemnly and softly doing 
 the rounds ere he retired. He was more alarmed than 
 I, and, as usual, was profuse with his apologies; after 
 last night he had considered it advisable to see that all 
 was well. 
 
 I commended his excess of zeal and called his 
 attention to my mystery. He lay on the bed reluctantly, 
 and with the embarrassment of a good servant who is 
 made to take a liberty; and he listened. Then he put 
 his ear to the wall, on my invitation. 
 
 "It's the death-tick!" he announced, with a fallen 
 jaw. For the moment Jackman looked human, a 
 creature scared and anxious. 
 
 "Nonsense!" said I. 
 
 "It's the death- tick, sir," he repeated. "Mrs. 
 Jackman heard it when her mother died." 
 
 "Well, neither you nor I are going to die," I said 
 cheerfully. "I'll tell you really what it is; it's the 
 sound of a clock conveyed through the conducting wall. 
 Quite an ordinary phenomenon. Is there a clock up- 
 stairs ?" 
 
 "In the gallery, sir asked Jackman, and added his 
 answer, "Yes, sir, I wind it up every week." 
 
 "Eureka !" I cried triumphantly. "Jackman, we've 
 hit it. The sound comes down some sensitive passage- 
 way in the old wall. That's it." 
 
 Jackman did not look convinced ; I could see he had 
 fastened his fancy on the death-tick. I dismissed him 
 and went to bed. I was nearly asleep when I suddenly 
 
46 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 sat up with a thought. Why should the clock up-stairs 
 beat intermittently? Why should it vary its time? 
 And why should it vary also its volume ? What a fool 
 I had been to think I had the solution ! Was it after 
 all the death-watch in the wall ? 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE GODDESS IN THE CAR 
 
 OF course the death-watch solution of the riddle did 
 not prevail in the light of morning. In what 
 small proportions do the phenomena of the night appear 
 when viewed in the life of the day ! No sound was 
 audible in the wall when I awoke, and the perplexities 
 it had engendered stole away like the Arabs with their 
 folded tents when the sun was up. To breathe that 
 air infected the blood with gayety ; the sea laughed 
 now upon the shingle, and the full chorus of the vernal 
 birds occupied the garden stalls. I could distinguish 
 them all, thrush and robin and blackbird, the tits and 
 the warblers, and afar that ghost of a voice, the cuckoo's, 
 plaintive amid the elms. I bathed and dressed and 
 breakfasted, and wandered on the sward by the tangled 
 orchard, now full of white and pink apple blossoms, 
 only to be interrupted by Jackman's report of a visitor. 
 I ejaculated. 
 
 "What sort of man I asked, looking at the card, 
 which registered the name of "Mr. Peter Toosey." 
 
 Jackman hesitated. "A gentleman about forty," he 
 said. 
 
 He would commit himself to nothing else, beyond, 
 "He looks something like an artist, sir." 
 
 Very well ; I would see him, though I cursed him for 
 the interruption of a pleasant train of thought. The 
 
48 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 man was, as Jackman said, of forty years or so, had a 
 short oval face, with high cheek-bones, a mass of 
 rather long hair, a drooping moustache, and a watchful, 
 modest eye. His voice was of a pleasant timbre, and 
 his manner was at once shy and furtive, as though he 
 feared a rebuff. I dare say my own demeanor sug- 
 gested a rebuff. His business was put with some awk- 
 wardness, but amounted to a request for permission to 
 copy some of the pictures in the gallery. 
 
 Now I will confess at once that this gallery had 
 rather got on my nerves. Everything seemed to centre 
 round the gallery. The burglar had exploited the 
 gallery ; I had picked up the note-book there ; the man 
 in the Homburg hat had stayed in the gallery to view 
 the pictures long after the light had faded. And here 
 was another man with a desire to enter the gallery. It 
 might be an accident that the gallery gave access to the 
 jewel-room, but I did not think so. I put some sharp 
 questions to him. Which pictures did he want to paint ? 
 
 He hesitated, stammered over his answer, and finally 
 admitted that he did not quite know yet. 
 
 That raised my growing suspicions into a bristling 
 crop. Had he ever seen the pictures ? 
 
 With what appeared a singular cynicism, he laughed 
 and admitted that he had not. I turned from him in 
 impatience. 
 
 "I am only a tenant here," I said. "If you want 
 permission, get it from the owner." 
 
 At the same time I resolved to write forthwith to the 
 solicitors a word of caution. He appeared to be down- 
 cast and humiliated, but once he had left me, walked 
 briskly enough away, as if relieved to be out of my 
 presence. 
 
The Goddess in the Car 49 
 
 But that was not the last I was to hear of the gallery 
 that day. I passed a pleasant time out of doors, and 
 in the afternoon made a second excursion on the inlet, 
 resolving to settle to work in good earnest on the mor- 
 row. As it chanced, I went farther than I anticipated, 
 visited a delightful wood across the water, and basked 
 over a book in the sunshine. I got back about six 
 o'clock and found a handsome motor-car before the 
 door. It was in my mind for a moment that some 
 friendly, or curious, neighbor had called to see if the 
 new tenant of the Castle were respectable; but the 
 thought had hardly flashed through my head when, 
 entering the hall, I became aware of a magnificent 
 vision in spring colors talking with Jackman. She 
 turned as the sound of my entrance reached her, and 
 presented me a full, pale face, surmounted by a glory 
 of dark hair, a picture hat, and underneath these, 
 moving, capable and meaning eyes. She swept towards 
 me in a little rush that was impetuous and almost 
 proprietary. 
 
 "Is this — Mr. — " she hesitated. 
 
 "Brabazon," I assisted her. 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Brabazon, I was just telling your servant," 
 she went on with easy fluency, "that I wanted to look 
 over your Castle and see your ancient rooms and the 
 pictures. He was n't much inclined to let me, but I 'm 
 going to appeal to the first authority." 
 
 Her voice, ringing, sure of itself, with less varia- 
 tion and more intonation, than English voices, indi- 
 cated her nationality. I bowed. The gallery again ! 
 But this was clearly one of those tourists, who, ac- 
 cording to Jackman, occasionally honored us with a 
 visit. 
 
 4 
 
50 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "Most certainly," I said, wondering why on earth 
 he who had admitted Mr. Naylor without a qualm, 
 should boggle at this charming woman. 
 
 "That 's nice of you," said she, showing her teeth in 
 a smile. "I've driven over from Two Bridges, on 
 Dartmoor, you know, and they told me of this. It was 
 in a guide-book I had and they said it was a queer, 
 antique place, very lonely, and that 's my taste. So I 
 drove over in my car." 
 
 She was so gracious, so handsome, and so frank, that 
 I thawed like a frost in the warmth of the sun. In point 
 of fact, I loathe a frosty manner, and can only maintain 
 one in self-defence for a short time. I know I beamed 
 on her and the breath of a faint fragrance, stirred by 
 the movement of her dress, came to me. I thought of 
 the brow that 
 
 " Looked like marble and smelt like myrrh." 
 
 In a sweet embarrassment, I myself ushered her up 
 the stairway to the landing and through the corridor 
 to the gallery. She had the effect of occupying the room, 
 of its belonging to her, and incidentally of my personal 
 intrusion. I could not keep up the air of ownership in 
 that dominating presence. Her very graciousness had 
 the significance of one stooping to confer favors or 
 deal indulgent smiles. She chattered gayly, with many 
 questions, and in every movement of her body one was 
 conscious alike of her sex and of her imperial claims. 
 It did not flow unobtrusively and silently as did Per- 
 dita's, but rather demanded your attention, perhaps 
 unconsciously, or rather only instinctively. It had no 
 incertitude as to its rights, which one would not have 
 dared dispute. Such a thing of magnificence chal- 
 
The Goddess in the Car 51 
 
 lenged admiration, defied appraisement, and almost 
 silenced criticism. 
 
 I learned some interesting facts in my round of the 
 gallery, most of which concerned my guest's personal 
 affairs. She and her mother were spending the year, 
 perhaps two years in Europe, and she did not know if 
 that was to be the limit of their exile. It would depend 
 upon their enjoyment. The matter of money never 
 came into the conversation, and I think it was not con- 
 sidered. She was enthusiastic over old places and 
 historic cities, had revelled in Plymouth, as the starting- 
 point of her adventurous forefathers, and was proceed- 
 ing to eat up the traditions of Devon. She believed 
 they had bigger spaces than Dartmoor in America, but 
 concluded that they had n't back pages behind them 
 to any extent. "They 're just the new magazines," 
 she volunteered. ''You 've got all the back numbers 
 bound and put away." 
 
 I mused over this apt description, while I indicated a 
 back number in the portrait of Lady Claire Norroy. 
 She was a handsome woman with a pert mouth and a 
 clever, mundane air. Perhaps she somehow accounted 
 for Sir Edmund, apparently the only member of the 
 house who had broken with the dull traditions of the 
 squirearchs. 
 
 My fair visitor expressed the opinion that Lady 
 Claire had a temper, which was possible; but I some- 
 how did not think she was interested, for I noticed 
 her eyes sliding off down the gallery. She made a 
 show of interest with the next picture, but again 
 her head was diverted, and the shafts of her eyes 
 slipped past me, as it were, to some distant object. 
 And thus we made our itinerary, with a sufficient 
 
52 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 exchange of talk, until we approached the bottom of 
 the gallery. 
 
 "What lovely old books! I should just delight to 
 explore among them," she exclaimed, and now once 
 and for all her eyes jumped me so markedly that I felt 
 no rudeness in turning to follow their direction. We 
 had all but reached the bays of bookcases of which I 
 have already spoken; and in the twilight of their 
 shadows I saw, to my surprise, the figure of a woman. 
 
 My visitor gazed, and so did I. 
 
 I knew her at once, though her back was towards 
 me, from something in the lift of that delicately poised 
 neck, as it rose from the shoulders; and then I saw 
 that she stood in a reverie, as if unmindful of us, and 
 that her gaze appeared to be fixed on the oaken door 
 that opened in the centre of the book-shelves into the 
 jewel-room. My companion frankly went forward 
 and stood by her with her native sang-froid, and Per- 
 dita started. The girls exchanged glances, and Perdita 
 turned. 
 
 "Would n't you like this old room just set down in 
 your house?" asked my American visitor genially. 
 
 Perdita hesitated. "Yes," she said with a little 
 smile on her lips, and then gave me a decided but formal 
 bow. 
 
 The American took it for granted that we should 
 now move on in company. I think that remark of hers 
 was, in her eyes, quite as much introduction as was 
 necessary. Royalty has its prerogatives. She kept up 
 a flow of conversation, partly addressed to me, and 
 though the English girl said little, she did accompany us. 
 
 We made the round, and I offered tea, which was 
 accepted by the one, and declined by the other. But 
 
The Goddess in the Car 53 
 
 the refusal changed the American girl's decision, not in 
 the least, I gathered, out of any ridiculous prudery, 
 but merely because a new thought cut across the pro- 
 posal and her acceptance. 
 
 *'Oh, let me take you along, if you 're going my way,'* 
 she exclaimed to Perdita. ''I 've got a car outside." 
 
 Perdita made her characteristic little pause. "It is 
 kind of you," she said, by way of acquiescence. 
 
 It was not till then, and as I was on the point of losing 
 them both, that I recollected I did not know the names 
 of either. I took a bold leap. 
 
 "The master of this ancient domain has provided a 
 book which he begs his visitors to honor with their 
 names," I said elaborately. "As I am his temporary 
 custodian, will you be so good — " 
 
 Perdita cast a quick glance at my face, and the 
 American smiled affably. 
 
 "I should love to," she said indulgently. 
 
 I bolted into my own private room, and rummaged 
 among my papers. But nothing like a book could I 
 discover. Feverishly I scrambled my fingers along a 
 shelf, hunting in dismay, and was giving up the search 
 in despair, when I brushed something on to the floor 
 with a clap. I opened it, saw it was scribbled in, but 
 waited no longer and ran to the hall, turning the pages 
 as I ran till I came to a blank space. 
 
 "Now," I cried triumphantly, as I set my capture 
 down upon the table in the hall. "Sorry to keep you, 
 but I 'm not familiar with my new possessions." I had 
 taken a pencil from my pocket and handed it to the 
 nearest of the two girls with interrogation in my eye. It 
 was the American. 
 
 She sat down and wrote in a bold hand on the page I 
 
54 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 held open, and rose. Perdita followed, but hesitated, 
 pencil in hand, as if reluctant. She began, stared at the 
 page, pondered, and continued ; and when she rose her 
 face was softly flushed. 
 
 "My I" said the American beauty, who had been 
 examining the book, "what a funny book !" 
 
 "It 's — it 's very old," I said hastily, clutching it up. 
 
 Her full eyes regarded it with a twinkling smile of 
 demure amusement. 
 
 "The proprietor could afford to buy another, I should 
 guess," she said. 
 
 They turned to go and the American put out her 
 hand. 
 
 "It was good of you to see me through," she re- 
 marked. "I'd like to come again. We're only at 
 Two Bridges." 
 
 I told her how charmed I should be, and watched 
 them drive off in the panting, luxurious car. Then I 
 looked at my book and read : 
 
 Christobel Harvey, New York, 
 
 P. Forrest, London. 
 
 That initial annoyed me. Why not Perdita, with the 
 unself-conscious frankness of Miss Harvey ? And why 
 that false pride and shrinking from a trivial perform- 
 ance ? Oh, well, I considered, girls were a puzzle from 
 their earliest years. Hov/ much did they know and how 
 little ? And a woman has an amazing gift of ignorance. 
 She can stare facts in the face and walk by without 
 noticing them. She "cuts" facts that are unpleasant 
 as she would acquaintances. She has no intellectual 
 honesty, which helps to keep her happy. And her 
 knowledge of life, if she have so much, is never realiza- 
 
The Goddess in the Car 55 
 
 tion ; it is about on the level with a parrot swearing, or 
 a child gabbling poetry. The signiJficance, the real 
 meaning, wholly escapes her. 
 
 I don't know why I indulged in these caustic reflec- 
 tions on women as I watched the tail of the car vanish ; 
 and equally I do not know why I was suddenly arrested 
 in those reflections, by being shunted irresponsibly on 
 to another and most discomforting track. Like a flash 
 I began to piece fragments of events together. Two 
 more visitors to the gallery, and I had not so far re- 
 membered to be suspicious. But I was. Suspicion 
 leaped into flame. What was Miss Forrest doing by 
 the jewel door, and why did Miss Harvey display so 
 much interest in an insignificant country picture- 
 gallery ? Allowing for transatlantic unconvention- 
 ality, there was stUl something, startling in the abrupt 
 way she had made friends with the English girl. What, 
 my suspicious soul panted, what if they were not 
 strangers to each other? 
 
 They had gone off together. I would have given a 
 great deal to be able to follow them, as I had followed 
 Mr. Naylor and Mr. Joyce the day before. I gazed 
 hopelessly at the book I held in my hand, and I do not 
 think I was even amused when I saw it to be a washing 
 book of Mrs. Jackman's. At least I was not diverted 
 then, for I was thinking of various threads which united 
 instinctively in my mind. They concerned Naylor and 
 Joyce and the burglar and Miss Forrest and Miss 
 Harvey and the artist and — yes, I threw in Eustace 
 also. I seemed to be the focus of a nefarious and far- 
 reaching plot, and I could not doubt at what it was 
 aimed. 
 
 I went straight inside and penned a long letter to 
 
56 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Sir Gilbert's solicitors, indicating the nature of my sus- 
 picions and mentioning some of the grounds for them. 
 So much I did to relieve my conscience and my indigna- 
 tion; and after it was done and the letter posted, I 
 felt better, and went out to enjoy myself. I renewed 
 my acquaintance with the Southington mariner, and in 
 his company made excursions on the Channel with an 
 inspiriting breeze in my face, dismissing the Castle, the 
 jewels, and the gang of conspirators to the winds of 
 heaven. 
 
 During the next two or three days I made a deter- 
 mined assault upon my work. But I will admit at once 
 that it did not progress very rapidly. For one thing, I 
 found I lacked some of the books necessary for reference 
 and I was delayed by having to send to town for them. 
 In the next place I made the mistake of thinking I could 
 work out of doors. It is a delightful experience, but it 
 is not work ! 
 
 I had a seat under the umbrageous waving pink 
 chestnut and facing the lawn and flower beds, with the 
 entrance to the Castle well in my eye some two hundred 
 yards away, across an intervening shrubbery of rhodo- 
 dendrons. Nothing happened in the meantime and I 
 began to feel a little ashamed of my untoward suspi- 
 cions. In the distance I caught sight of Miss Forrest 
 on two occasions, but it almost seemed to me as if she 
 made an effort to avoid me. Of Naylor and his friends, 
 I saw nothing whatsoever, and the only person in 
 Southington whom I encountered was Eustace. I 
 should have thought my manner with him was chilling 
 enough to be obvious, but he did not appear to notice 
 it. He was more than common friendly, and pressed 
 himself on my company, despite my coolness. He com- 
 
The Goddess in the Car 57 
 
 plained of being bored, and I wondered that he should 
 do so frankly when the obvious retort was — why should 
 he remain ? He had nothing to occupy him, and I 
 never saw him reading anything but a paper or a guide 
 to the turf. The one thing he had, oddly enough, was 
 a sense of music, and he played a fiddle with some 
 skill. 
 
 But I gave him little encouragement during those 
 days. I was trying to live in an atmosphere of my own^ 
 suitable for breeding ideas. Yet sun and air and sea 
 and the perfume of the countryside somehow did not 
 render assistance to philosophy; they rather induced 
 vagrant and vagabond and incoherent musings, with 
 no definite relation to my thesis. The sparkle of the 
 water brought no illumination amid my wandering 
 thought on "Studies in Earth." It woke in my heart 
 only wild yearnings, passionate beyond logic, and 
 dreams of enchanted islands and the long swell of 
 Pacific seas. I dozed in a charmed slumber through 
 those lotus afternoons. 
 
 On the third morning I heard from Sir Gilbert 
 Norroy's solicitors; it was one of those abominable 
 epistles which one can only receive from so-called 
 business men, conveying nothing of sentiment or at- 
 mosphere, or anything but pure, visible, dull, and 
 unimaginative fact. "Thanking you for your communi- 
 cation . . Oh, well . . . "Our client . . Con- 
 found their client . . . " is not disposed to see cause for 
 alarm. . . Well, let his jewels perish ... " Our 
 client sees no objections to Mr. Peter Toosey's copying 
 any pictures, provided, of course, his doing so does not 
 interfere in any way with your arrangements." 
 
 I threw down the letter impatiently. Very well ; let 
 
58 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Mr. Peter Toosey come and paint and be — As I live, 
 Mr. Peter Toosey was taking me at the first part of my 
 word at any rate; for out of my muUioned window I 
 saw him approaching the entrance with his slow pru- 
 dent step, his infernal long-haired head nodding on his 
 breast. He paused a moment to admire the lawns, and 
 then he knocked. 
 
 Mr. Toosey showed no signs of triumph in his de- 
 meanor; on the contrary, he was more resigned, fur- 
 tive, and melancholy than I. He received my (or rather 
 Sir Gilbert's) permission with humility, and expressed 
 gratitude. 
 
 "Then shall I be in your way if I come this after- 
 noon?" he inquired. 
 
 "Sir Gilbert has given you permission," I replied 
 with sarcastic emphasis. "You are at liberty to come 
 and go, provided the formality of knocking is attended 
 to; otherwise, my dear sir, I take no interest in the 
 matter." 
 
 I spoke untruthfully in my wrath ; I did take interest 
 in the matter, but the way in which my representations 
 had been ignored was galling. 
 
 Mr. Toosey arrived and settled down in the gallery 
 like a gypsy. He was there all the afternoon tUl the light 
 faded. I was glad to see that Jackman paid several 
 visits to him, though I was hardly prepared to endorse 
 his verdict when I questioned him. 
 
 "He seems a very nice gentleman, sir?^' 
 
 At any rate the jewels were not mine. Sir Gilbert 
 might whistle for them directly for all I cared. 
 
 This turn of affairs, you may conceive, put me out 
 of humor, but it was nothing to the next event. That 
 night I thrust my window wide ere going to bed, to en- 
 
The Goddess in the Car 59^ 
 
 joy the soft light of the half moon in a cloudless sky. 
 Instantly I was aware of a shadow that fled on the 
 lawn. 
 
 I might have thought this was but the trick of passing 
 scud in the heaven, had not the sky, as I say, been 
 notably cloudless; as it was, I knew it at once for a 
 figure. I stood watching the shrubberies for some 
 time. Bathed in a faint light, as they were, they might 
 have veiled anything — any one — a veritable aimy. 
 "And this," I pondered, '*is the first fruits of Mr. 
 Peter Toosey, no doubt." 
 
 I closed the window and took my candle. If Sir 
 Gilbert's whole Castle were rifled, I told myself, I 
 cared nothing now. Yet on my way to my room, I 
 experienced a revulsion of feeling. I do not know that 
 I recked a single straw more about Sir Gilbert's jewels, 
 but I imagine the primitive instinct of the chase awoke in 
 me. I went down the passage which led past my cham- 
 ber and out by the door into the courtyard. From 
 these bowels of the Castle, it was easy to get to the back 
 parts to which the tradesmen had access, and by those 
 channels I reached the garden and the open air. I 
 stole in the shadows past the old orchard on the west 
 and came out on a grass walk that encircled part of the 
 southerly lawns. Shrubberies surrounded me, — laurels 
 and laurustinus, ribes and syringas, and lilacs in a 
 continuous profusion of greenery. I moved noiselessly 
 and suddenly emerged into a breach in the hedge 
 through which the moon shone. It struck whitely upon 
 me, and my dim shadow stalked before me. Simul- 
 taneously some one got up on the other side of the 
 shrubbery and darted across the lawn. I flew after 
 him. 
 
60 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 The man ran with the speed of a deer and dodged 
 into the shrubberies on the farther side, where I lost 
 him. At the same time I heard a shrill whistle, and 
 this was repeated and echoed for a little distance. 
 Evidently there was more than one of the conspirators 
 at work. I ran a little farther, somewhat blindly in the 
 shrubbery, and then stopped. I could hear nothing, 
 no noise of any one running, nothing save the breaking 
 of the waters below the garden. I had lost the burglar. 
 I hunted in the ghostly spaces of the lower garden and 
 the copse beyond for some time, but I could find no 
 trace of any one, could hear no human sound. Irri- 
 tably, and somewhat perturbed, I went back to the 
 Castle and reentered by the back parts. 
 
 As I took up my candle, I wondered to myself if one 
 of the gang had gained the house during my absence. 
 But I did not care. I went to bed. 
 
 Directly my head was on my pillow, the ticking 
 began in the wall. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE COUNCIL OF PERFECTION 
 
 1WAS now at the parting of the ways. The solicitors* 
 had discarded me and contemned my warnings, and 
 yet I had clear evidence of a plot of some sort involving 
 the Castle. The question for me was, whether I was 
 to ignore it, inasmuch as it obviously could not affect 
 me personally to any extent, or whether I should take 
 up the gage of battle and run this gang to earth. I had 
 only a dim notion as to who constituted it, and had 
 but a guess at what it wanted ; but, in passing through 
 the picture-gallery next morning, I scowled on Peter 
 Toosey as he sat meekly before his easel transferring 
 Lady Qaire Norroy to a second canvas. 
 
 "It's a beautiful day," he volunteered tentatively. 
 1 threw an affirmative at him, and then had qualms of 
 conscience. After all, why should I suppose he was in 
 the conspiracy ? I looked back, and saw him nervously 
 mixing his colors, and I returned, and stood for a while 
 watching him. 
 
 "Beginning with a Reynolds?" I said lightly. 
 "What after that. 
 
 He nearly dropped his brushes. "Yes," he stam- 
 mered. "I thought of the Claude next." 
 
 "A change," I suggested. "Are you going right 
 round the gallery ?" 
 
 "I — I don't know," he stammered. "You see,^" 
 he explained uneasily, "it's a commission." 
 
62 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Commission ! Did any one pine to reduplicate the 
 modest gallerj' of Norroy Castle ? The man was a fool. 
 I left him to his work and went out into the sunlight. 
 In that divine air suspicions melted from me like 
 morning rime, and of a sudden I experienced poignant 
 remorse. Why had I suspected Miss Forrest ? Madness 
 could no farther go. I strode out, on the impulse of the 
 moment, towards the gates, designing to go to the 
 village, but when I reached the limit of my domain I 
 was checked. I had no earthly reason for intruding 
 on the ladies ; and, moreover, the chances were that they 
 were already on some innocent expedition of their own, 
 beloved of women. I came out at the gates in this 
 reflective temper, and found a man lounging there. He 
 was a rough fellow, with a big frame, and a barrel chest, 
 and he smoked an awesome cigar. He stared at me 
 shamelessly, put his hands in his pockets and went on 
 smoking. What was he doing there ? He had no look 
 of a seafarer from the Point, or of a villager. I felt 
 certain that if I turned my back he would pop into the 
 garden. I returned him his stare with interest, and he 
 took this, or chose to take it, as a sufficient introduction. 
 
 "Niceish bit of garden yours," he remarked, taking 
 Jiis abominable cigar from his mouth. 
 
 I grunted. 
 
 Reminds me a bit of Battersea Park," he went on 
 affably, in his cockney voice. 
 
 "It's been modelled on it," I said. "We took no 
 end of pains over it," 
 
 "Ah !" said he, complacently, without a sense of my 
 sarcasm, "I thought it was like." 
 
 "Staying here long?" I inquired, intending more 
 aggression and designing studious offence. 
 
The Council of Perfection 63 
 
 "P'raps," he said affably. "Bit of a 'oUiday," and 
 jingled his coins in his pocket while he surveyed my 
 garden. I could do nothing with an insensate brute 
 like this, and, reflecting that he could do no harm in the 
 broad daylight, I continued on my way. Two hundred 
 yards farther I pulled up, a prey to misgivings. Had I 
 been treating a vulgar but innocent fellow creature 
 unjustly .^^ My mental outlook was sicklied o'er with 
 the jaundice of my suspicions. I had terrified the artist^ 
 and probably incensed the cockney. I cursed the plot 
 and the burglars, and increased my pace down the 
 sloping lane. 
 
 It wound down the hill deliberately, now delving 
 deep between high banks, and now running shallowly 
 on the surface. Half-way to Southington, it ran into 
 the copse that opens here to receive it, in a green envi- 
 ronment of growing com and grass. Turning aside, I 
 admired the great elms, the thickening shade of the 
 beeches, and the bright underwood. And as I stood so,, 
 my eyes were caught by a movement through the bushes. 
 Athwart the copse by a grass track came Miss Forrest^ 
 the spring wind off the sea in her face. Her gaze was 
 right ahead, as if she walked expectantly to meet some 
 one, a smile opening her beautiful face like the dawn^ 
 and brightening in her eyes, her lips parted ever so 
 slightly, budding with that smile. She moved gayly, like 
 a child, and full of mere physical delight. I fell back in 
 the shadow of the bushes, so that she passed without 
 seeing me. I was smitten anew with pangs of conscience;, 
 with self-reproach and self-contempt. How dared I to 
 suppose any wrong of so innocent and lovely a creature ! 
 I would at that moment as soon have suspected an angel 
 in Paradise of complicity in nefarious plots. I watched 
 
64 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 her out of sight through the wood, and continued on 
 my way ashamed. Two minutes later I found myself 
 confronting Miss Fuller seated on a fallen log under an 
 oak. I took off my hat, and she returned my greeting 
 handsomely, regarding me curiously, I thought, out 
 of her large eyes. She was nice to look at, and her 
 expression promised a fount of sympathy, if I knew 
 anything of woman. I took my resolution swiftly as I 
 am wont to do. 
 
 "Miss Fuller," said I, in a saddened and penitent 
 voice, "I have a confession to make, which I beg you 
 will hear." 
 
 She stirred with interest. "Indeed !" she said simply, 
 but I could pierce that flimsy veil of indifference. 
 
 "Yes," I went on, launching myself, "I want you to 
 make my peace with Miss Forrest." 
 
 "Forrest!" she echoed blankly. 
 
 "Yes, your friend, Miss Forrest," I said. 
 
 "Oh, yes," she said quickly. "You mean Miss 
 Forrest," and displayed signs of agitation out of keeping 
 with the circumstances. 
 
 "The fact is," I continued manfully, "I have done 
 her a grievous injustice. I thought she was a burglar." 
 
 "A burglar!" exclaimed Miss Fuller on a high 
 crescendo, opening her wide eyes wider. "Good 
 gracious ! Why — how — " 
 
 "My dear lady," I said in all humility, "I have no 
 excuses and no explanations. I merely confess, and 
 offer my apologies — to you first as proxy ; and perhaps 
 I may be permitted later to own up to the injured lady 
 herself. Who knows ? " 
 
 Miss Fuller hesitated. "I can't think how you came 
 to make such a preposterous and shameful mistake," 
 
The Council of Perfection 65 
 
 she said at last, with some asperity for so sympathetic 
 a woman. "It was — it was unpardonable." 
 
 *'Then, alas !" I began in a lamentable voice. 
 
 "But perhaps Per — Miss Forrest would forgive you, 
 if you are really penitent," she added, with a touch of 
 playfulness that seemed coy and arch at once. 
 
 "With your assistance, my dear lady — "I said. 
 
 She had risen, and now cast inquisitive glances at me 
 again, as we began without premeditation to walk 
 together through the wood. 
 
 "It has nothing to do with me," she protested. 
 
 "Oh, but it has," I urged; "I thought you were one 
 of the gang, too." 
 
 "Me !" she screamed, and her face flamed. "Good 
 heavens, how wicked of you !" 
 
 "You may trample on me," I said contritely. "I 
 am here for sentence, but you see you are concerned 
 in it." 
 
 "Whatever made you think such monstrous things 
 demanded Miss Fuller sternly. 
 
 "I have been the victim of circumstances," I pleaded. 
 "There is a story to tell, which I will tell, by your kind 
 indulgence, to you both." 
 
 I felt that this was a very clever move ; I should now 
 be sure of my audience, and possibly of my forgiveness 
 Curiosity would hardly stand so gross a test, not certainly 
 in the case of Miss Fuller's marvelling eyes. She con- 
 tinued to walk, but said nothing, until she broke new 
 ground. 
 
 "The Castle has pretty gardens." 
 "Yes," I assented. 
 
 "It must be nice to own such a beautiful old place,** 
 said Miss Fuller 
 
 5 
 
66 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "I dare say it is," I said. "I've not had the chance 
 of feeling what it's like." 
 
 Miss Fuller started and colored. "Oh, no, of course 
 not," she agreed hurriedly. 
 
 "But that gave me an idea. "If you have really done 
 me the honor to forgive me," I went on, "you will 
 further honor me by condescending to mark that for- 
 giveness by taking tea at the Castle, and allowing me 
 to show you it." 
 
 Miss Fuller's expressive eyes testified to her own 
 desire, but she exclaimed lightly : 
 
 "That is for Miss Forrest to say." 
 
 It was then that we came out of the wood into a 
 meadow already lush with the growing May grass. 
 Regardless of injury to this, before us was Perdita, 
 sprawling in it, her hat discarded, her bronze-brown 
 hair tumbling about her face, and her skirts well above 
 her pretty ankles. Hastily she thrust her dress lower 
 about her feet as we emerged, and her face flushed 
 delicately pink for a moment. I saluted submissively, 
 while, the color slowly passing, she surveyed us with 
 speculative eyes. The open joy had left her eyes, which 
 were on me in a sort of challenging reserve. She had 
 assumed the defensive armor of convention, and her 
 look unmistakably demanded what I wanted. I 
 turned to Miss Fuller appealingly : 
 
 "Perdita, dear," she said hesitantly. "This gentle- 
 man — Mr. — Mr. — Brabazon, wants to apologize to 
 you for something." 
 
 Perdita made no reply, beyond that of her inquiring 
 eyes, while I was only conscious of a bronze tress that 
 was swaying on the white of her neck. I came to with 
 a start and a rush. 
 
The Council of Perfection 67 
 
 "You explain, please/' I said to Miss Fuller in a 
 whisper. 
 
 "Oh, no, it's your affair," she said nodding. 
 
 "But I am unstrung," I pleaded. "Give me a lead, 
 do, like a gracious lady." 
 
 Miss Fuller, good at need, hesitated, and confusedly 
 yielded. "Mr. Brabazon wants to apologize for your 
 being a burglar, dear," she said. 
 
 "What !" cried Miss Forrest, looking from one to the 
 other of us. Miss Fuller retrieved herself. 
 
 "How silly of me ! For thinking you a burglar," she 
 amended. 
 
 Perdita still gazed in astonishment. "I'm afraid 
 I don't understand," she said politely. "Perhaps it's 
 an elaborate joke." 
 
 I was constrained to take a hand on my own behalf. 
 "It's this way, please," I said. "I suspected you of 
 being in a secret plot. Miss Forrest — " 
 
 Perdita's face was smitten of a sudden with dismay, 
 almost with fear. 
 
 "That you were a burglar!" put in Miss Fuller 
 breathlessly, as if anxious now not to be left out. 
 
 Perdita's soft bosom of white muslin rose and fell 
 quickly. "I still don't understand," she said, in a 
 lower voice that was somewhat constrained. 
 
 "It is a sort of story," I told her, "and if you will 
 forgive me I will tell you the whole of it. But mean- 
 while I w^ant to make abject and absolute confession. 
 For a base and horrible and unashamed quarter of an 
 hour I did think you might be part of a plot." 
 
 "A plot !" she exclaimed in bewilderment. 
 
 "Ah, that's my story. And if after my confession 
 you will deign to take tea with me at the Castle, I wiU 
 
68 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 unfold that story. I think, on the whole, it is really 
 worth hearing. Of course it would be more worth 
 hearing, if you were still in it." 
 
 Perdita looked at Miss Fuller perplexedly, and Miss 
 Fuller's eyes signalled back something. Then her 
 charming smile captured Perdita's face. 
 
 "This may be a trap," she said, ''to catch us, or to 
 make us commit ourselves." 
 
 "On my honor," I assured her, "there will be no one 
 present save myself and Jackman, my servant — at 
 least that I know of. I can't answer for the spies." 
 
 "Spies !" she echoed in wonderment. 
 
 "That 's my story," said I firmly. 
 
 I knew now I had her, had them both in fact. The 
 word spies sent a thrill through Miss Fuller, as I could 
 see in the glance she wheeled on me. She looked at 
 Perdita. Perdita refused to meet her eyes. 
 
 "This afternoon," I appended, in my confidence. 
 
 Perdita suddenly laughed. "I suppose we are all 
 mad," she said. 
 
 It was surrender. I knew it. And it had all been 
 engineered by feminine curiosity. 
 
 "Then suppose we seize time by the forelock and go 
 back now " I suggested. 
 
 Perdita got to her feet suddenly. "I'm sorry," she 
 said, " but it is n't possible to-day." She looked at Miss 
 Fuller. "We have some one coming." 
 
 Miss Fuller exclaimed. "Oh, I forgot! How 
 dreadful of me ! Miss Harvey." 
 
 "Couldn't you persuade your friend also.^" I 
 pleaded. 
 
 "No," said Miss Fuller firmly. "It wouldn't do. 
 We must go back now, dear. It's quite late." 
 
The Council of Perfection 69 
 
 I said nothing to this, as the case appeared hopeless, 
 but I have the tenacity of a tiger when necessary, and 
 the avidity of one, too. Also, on the trail I am a pan- 
 ther. I Explained these characteristics of mine to 
 Miss Fuller, as we went down the lane together. 
 Really !" she said with wondering interest. 
 
 Miss Forrest listened politely, a demure little smile 
 on her face. "But I don't quite see — excuse me," 
 said Miss Fuller, "what this has got to do — I mean — '* 
 
 She could not express her meaning for embarrass- 
 ment. "These essentially animal qualities, Miss 
 Fuller," I explained, "are combined in one who has 
 absolutely no other claims to notice. But unfortunately 
 for those whose company he admires, they obsess him." 
 
 Perdita bit her lip, as if she would thus refrain from 
 laughter. Miss Fuller looked more puzzled than ever. 
 
 "How strange!" she said most civilly, but most 
 blankly. 
 
 We reached the bottom of the lane where the village 
 opens out, and Perdita broke her long silence. 
 "There it is," she said. 
 
 I looked, and on the village green was a motor-car. 
 Harvey ! Harvey ! The name suddenly rang in my 
 memory. Of course I recalled her now. It was the 
 name of my American, and here was her car. So the 
 girls had struck up an acquaintance, unless — But 
 that last reflection was ancient and abandoned history. 
 My heart plucked up. 
 
 We walked slowly towards the car, and, sure enough, 
 the gracious vision who stood in its vicinity advanced 
 to meet us with both hands. 
 
 "Why, I was just going to drive right after you, and 
 hunt you out," she declared, greeting Perdita warmly. 
 
70 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "How are you this afternoon, Mr. — Mr. Brabazon ?" 
 she asked next, flashing her bright eyes on me with a 
 winning smile. 
 
 A muffled choking sound came from the car, and 
 we all gave it our attention. It seemed to have run over 
 some one, and a hapless fellow creature, apparently 
 in dying con\ailsions, lay beneath those juggernaut 
 wheels. Miss Fuller's large eyes opened wider with 
 horror. 
 
 ''Oh!" she cried. 
 
 "It's only my new chauffeur!" said Miss Harvey, 
 sweetly. "He would just try, and I bet him he 
 could n't." 
 
 Bet him ! I saw Miss Fuller look shocked. 
 
 "Wliat is he doing I asked, as we approached the 
 car and the wriggling legs that protruded from under- 
 neath it. 
 
 "I guess he 's doing nothing but swallow dirt. He 's 
 trj^ing to fix up some screws," said Miss Harvey, calmly, 
 putting on her gloves again. 
 
 I glanced at the man who stood by me; here was 
 manifestly the real chauffeur, orthodox in his leathern 
 jacket. \Mio, then, was the tortured victim under the 
 car ? The chauffeur looked on with a complacent grin, 
 and the ^^igglings of the legs increased. An indeter- 
 minate noise, worse than before, reached us from the 
 machmery. 
 
 "That 's the second time he 's died," I observed. 
 
 Miss Fuller shot an indignant glance at me. 
 
 "What 's he say, Inchbold ?" inouu'ed Miss Harvey. 
 
 Inchbold's grin fell from him. "I — I don't think 
 he wanted anything," he replied in some confusion. 
 "It was only a sort of exclamation, Miss." 
 
The Council of Perfection 71 
 
 "I 'm getting tired of this. Time we got on," re- 
 marked Miss Harvey, impatiently. "Can't you get 
 him out, Inchbold ? I guess he 's no good as a mech- 
 anician." 
 
 "If Inchbold took hold of one leg, and I got the 
 other, we might manage it," I suggested thoughtfully, 
 "particularly if some one, Miss Fuller, say, hammered 
 his fingers to make him let go." 
 
 "Oh, how perfectly dreadful! " cried that lady. 
 Miss Harvey laughed. But ere my proposition could 
 be carried into effect, if it had been so intended, the 
 legs gave a final squirm and then wriggled forth, dis- 
 closing a face all begrimed and greasy, but still un- 
 mistakably Eustace's. I wondered now that I had not 
 recognized those soft-gaitered legs. I experienced at 
 once a revulsion of feeling. What in Heaven's name 
 did this suspect here ? 
 
 He recognized me when he got to his feet, threw me 
 a perfunctory nod, and turned his gaze straight on Miss 
 Harvey. 
 
 "I 'd have done it sooner, if the oil had n't dropped 
 in my eye," he said. "Half a dollar, was n't it?" He 
 held out his hand bluntly, and Miss Harvey, fiiU of 
 laughter, took a two-shilling piece from her purse and 
 put it in his palm. I scornfully expected him to touch 
 his cap, but he did n't. 
 
 "Kjiew I could do it," he said cheerfully, putting 
 the coin in his pocket. "There is n't much in this car 
 business. H' are yer, Brabazon 
 
 I burned with secret indignation, though his imper- 
 tinence was ludicrous. From the contagion of his 
 impudent presence I felt I must withdraw the innocent 
 ladies. My salutation was civil but distant, and I ad- 
 
72 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 dressed Miss Harvey deliberately in front of him> 
 begging her to honor me at the Castle with the other 
 ladies. You will perceive that this had been my design 
 all along. 
 
 Miss Harvey smiled graciously. She would love to ; 
 she had taken a tremendous fancy to the old place, and 
 wanted to bring her mamma over, if she might. Of 
 course she might. We exchanged friendly invitations, 
 and the wretched, thick-skinned groom listened in a 
 boorish fashion. It was at least a direct snub for him. 
 In the end we all mounted Miss Harvey's car, and 
 sailing off left the groom in the dust of the road, a dirty, 
 smudgy, unintelligent-looking object, to whom Miss 
 Harvey waved an indulgent farewell. He stood, staring 
 after us with a dull, meditative set of his expressionless 
 face. 
 
 "That 's a man," said I, to my companions, "whom 
 I am persistently endeavoring to avoid. He clings 
 like a burr." 
 
 "Oh, he 's great fun," said Miss Harvey, laughing. 
 
 "He looks respectable enough," said Perdita, kindly. 
 
 "He 's just a treat," said Miss Harvey, as we hummed 
 up the lane. "There 's no man on the other side that 
 would behave just as he behaves. He 's a unique 
 specimen to us. He 's an English product only, and 
 can only be caught in his native jungles. But I like 
 him. He just says what he thinks, and so do I. It 's a 
 treat after some of our fancy ways." 
 
 "An old friend .^^" I queried, with what I intended 
 for sarcasm. 
 
 But Miss Harvey had no ear for sarcasm. "No," 
 she said, pensively for her, "he just came right up, and 
 asked me about the car, and said he 'd bet twentj 
 
The Council of Perfection 73 
 
 horses against it any day, with a bit to spare. And 
 then he got fooling about the machinery, and I bet him 
 he could n't put a screw right that Inchbold was busy 
 about; and that was all." 
 
 I was not anxious to waste time on Mr. Eustace, and 
 if I had been, my thoughts would have been shunted 
 off him by the sight of the burly cockney still prome- 
 nading in front of the gates. We flashed through, and 
 his eyes carefully sorted us as we did so. He was still 
 on guard, then. 
 
 A shadow of reserve fell on the ladies at tea, except 
 on Miss Harvey, who maintained a conversation briskly* 
 Perhaps some conventional scruple returned unbidden 
 and unexpectedly to the others, a scruple with which 
 the more licensed American was untroubled. And this 
 was one reason why I . recurred to my original device, 
 which, you will remember, was based on a story. 
 
 "And now," I said, in my most preacher-like voice, 
 "the time has come, my friends, for me to redeem my 
 promise. And here begins the story of the thief and the 
 spy, which, as you have not heard, I shall now proceed 
 to relate." 
 
 "Story!" exclaimed Miss Harvey with interest. 
 "Why, that 's lovely. What 's it all about .^^" 
 
 "My tale may begin, it you like, at the gates," said I, 
 "with that burly scoundrel who stared after us." 
 
 "Scoundrel 1" exclaimed Miss Harvey. Miss Fuller 
 breathed deeply, and drew her chair closer, and Miss 
 Forrest's eyes were interrogatively on me. A little 
 color collecting in her face, she reminded me of an in- 
 terested and innocent child, with excitement hanging 
 over her. I began, and related, with some embroidery 
 of circumstance for the sake of art, the events which had 
 
74 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 occurred since my arrival at the Castle. I told of the 
 intruder in the picture-gallery, of the dropped note- 
 book stolen from my room, of the visits of Mr. Joyce 
 and Mr. Naylor, and of the spies I had found surround- 
 ing the Castle. "You saw that man at the gates," I 
 concluded. "He is one of them." 
 
 I confess that, if it had not been for the embellish- 
 ments of my art, the story would have sounded a little 
 tame, and fallen a little flat. For, after all, there was 
 not much that had happened, and it was rather in the 
 atmosphere that I smelled a mystery than in actual 
 facts. But in my narrative I led my sympathetic audi- 
 ence skilfully up to the strong-room, and directed their 
 fascinated attention on the plate and jewels. Miss 
 Harvey emitted from her pretty lips what was almost 
 a whistle. 
 
 "This is stirring," she commented. "You are 
 having a live time." And then she looked at Perdita. 
 "And you suspected her?" she inquired. 
 
 I hung my head. "Temporarily blinded by the 
 glare of suspicion, I blundered," I said. "Please have 
 some more tea." 
 
 "And where did you think I came in?" demanded 
 the ruthless lady, v/ith shining eyes. 
 
 "I regret to say I took you for a confederate," I 
 said, with what firmness I could. 
 
 "Oh! " Miss Harvey's handsome face was rosy 
 bright. "I should love just to be in something exciting 
 like that," she declared unscrupulously. 
 
 "Have you any theory, Mr. Brabazon?" asked 
 Perdita. 
 
 I shook my head sadly. "None whatever. The 
 facts are more or less plain. Burglarious attempts have 
 
The Council of Perfection 75 
 
 been made on the house, with, I assume, the jewels in 
 view. And it would seem as if the gang are watching 
 the Castle. That 's all I know." 
 
 "But surely you will get the police in," panted Miss 
 Fuller. 
 
 "There 's no doubt I ought to," I answered. "But 
 after all, why should I ? Let Sir Gilbert look after his 
 own property." 
 
 The three girls exchanged glances, but I could not 
 determine what thus passed between them. But they 
 seemed to signal in this way to each other, as only 
 girls can. 
 
 "And then — I forgot — there is the artist," I went 
 on. 
 
 "The artist !" they echoed. 
 
 "Yes, he 's up-stairs in the gallery, painting. What 
 does he want there?" 
 
 "You said he was painting," remarked Miss Fuller . 
 
 "Yes, but why do they all go to the gallery?" I 
 demanded. 
 
 "Really, I think your suspicions are unreasonable^ 
 Mr. Brabazon," said the lady severely. 
 
 "Well, there 's Eustace," I said desperately, 
 "Eustace!" 
 
 "The man under the car," I explained. 
 
 "What 's he got to do with it ?" asked Miss Harvey. 
 "You surely don't suggest that nice man of being a 
 burglar." 
 
 "I should n't wonder," I said moodily. 
 
 Miss Forrest and Miss Fuller surveyed me with 
 wondering eyes; I think my gloom was impressing 
 them against their will. Miss Harvey rose, and was 
 the first to speak as she rose. 
 
76 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 **Let us see this artist. Did you say he was up- 
 stairs?" 
 
 I assented. She picked up the eyes of the others; 
 and simultaneously they made a movement for the 
 door. I followed, feeling somehow that I had unchained 
 forces which I was impotent to control. They were like 
 Miss Harvey's motor-car. They rolled over me up the 
 stairs. With misgivings I timidly brought up the rear, 
 while Miss Harvey swept in the van like a conqueror. 
 
 Mr. Peter Toosey was painting. He was clad in 
 dingy velveteens, smudged with the refuse of his palette, 
 and he was painting as if for dear life. Miss Harvey 
 greeted him with that gracious ease which never invites 
 a liberty. 
 
 "What a lovely Gainsborough!" she exclaimed. 
 
 Mr. Toosey looked uneasily over his shoulder at her, 
 and his terrified gaze shifted from girl to girl. 
 
 "It — it is a Reynolds," he said with timid truth- 
 fulness. 
 
 Miss Fuller elevated her nose and sniffed; Miss 
 Forrest sniffed; and Miss Harvey turned round and 
 sniffed in my face. 
 
 "I beg your pardon," I said, and then I, too, sniffed. 
 
 Mr. Toosey painted harder than ever, laying on his 
 colors furiously, as if he were working against time. In 
 his agitation, he painted out Lady Qaire's nose, as if 
 he feared she, too, would sniff. 
 
 The smell grew stronger. "Chimneys!" ventured 
 Miss Fuller. 
 
 "No; clothes! " said Miss Harvey. 
 
 Suddenly Mr. Peter Toosey leapt from his stool with 
 a little yell, and set his hand to his side. A stream of 
 smoke was issuing from his pocket. From my place in 
 
The Council of Perfection 77 
 
 the rear-guard I hurried to his assistance, and between 
 us we put out the conflagration. 
 
 "I feel," said Mr. Toosey, breathing hard, as he^ 
 shook his fragmentary pocket, "'I feel I owe you an 
 apology. I took the liberty of smoking." 
 
 "If Sir Gilbert Norroy does not object, it is not my 
 place to do so," I remarked. 
 
 He eyed me distrustfully, and the ladies, obviously 
 in some indignation, vied with one another in comfort- 
 ing him. I strolled away, as if the affair were none of 
 mine. Indeed it turned out that it was n't ; for before 
 I had examined more than three pictures casually, the 
 party passed me on its way down-stairs. 
 
 "Mr. Toosey is going to have tea with us," explained 
 Miss Harvey. 
 
 They had already had tea, and it was my tea, and 
 more or less my house, but I had abdicated. Appre- 
 hensively, Mr. Toosey left the gallery under cover of 
 the ladies. It was, as I have indicated, their affair, and 
 consequently I did not inflict my presence on them for 
 some time. When I did so, Mr. Toosey was obviously 
 enjoying himself, though he shifted about like an un- 
 comfortable schoolboy when I entered. He had a 
 large piece of cake which he ate with some noise, in his 
 hand, and, balanced in the other, was a drunken cup 
 of tea. So far as I could make out, he was explaining 
 why life would be better for all of us if w^e lived in caves 
 and wore little or nothing. Neither Miss Harvey, nor 
 Perdita, nor even Miss Fuller, turned a hair; they 
 hung on his silly words as if he had been a musical 
 prodigy. 
 
 "In Touraine," said Mr. Toosey, with an uneasy eye 
 on me, "there are wonderful caverns which could be 
 
78 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 taken possession of for summer holidays, you know. 
 They could be rented for a few francs, and the Cave 
 Cure could be tried. You see," he went on, forgetting 
 me, and warming to his subject with a kindling eye, 
 ''how it would revolutionize all our holiday system. 
 Mud cures, sun cures, grape cures, water cures, and 
 the slap cure would all give way to the Cave Cure." 
 
 "What 's the slap cure?" asked Perdita, curiously. 
 
 "I believe it prevails in Bohemia," said Mr. Toosey, 
 twinkling. 
 
 *'And all the summer papers then would advertise: 
 * Cave to let — owner being obliged to seek closer 
 quarters,' or 'Try our Caves for air and darkness,' or 
 some such auctioneer's jimmy. And you could have 
 them labelled Carlton or Ritz or Delmonico's, you 
 know. And whenever a rabbit came by, you would 
 scurry into your burrow like winking." 
 
 What had come to Mr. Peter Toosey? His tongue 
 wagged on. I wondered if they had put anything in 
 his tea. He entertained a rapt audience. And in the 
 middle of it all, Mrs. Jackman arrived with a pressing 
 request that I would speak with her. We retired to the 
 hall, where I found she wished to know if the ladies 
 were stopping to dinner. I looked at my watch, and 
 discovered it to be late, though the serene light of the 
 May evening had not warned us. 
 
 I told her ''no," and saw from her communicative 
 eye that she would like to have said more. But instead 
 she left the ladies and got upon the uninteresting topic 
 of soups, being anxious to know if I had liked my last 
 soup, and if she should repeat it on another occasion. 
 It was all very trivial and irritating, for I experienced a 
 strong desire to get back to the room to hear Mr. Toosey. 
 
The Council of Perfection 7^ 
 
 And so I cut her short, and was reentering when a 
 pretty idea came into my head. 
 
 I went out into the garden, sought the western wall 
 in the neighborhood of my own bedroom, on which 
 grew a straggling Marechal Niel rose. That glorious 
 rose is invariably the first of its kind, and in Devon 
 comes particularly early. I culled three choice opening 
 buds in various stages, and turned away to go back. 
 As I withdrew from the shelter of the wall, I had a 
 glimpse of a figure stealing by the back of the Castle 
 towards those rear parts which contain the kitchen 
 apartments, and even in the declining light I knew it 
 was Eustace. 
 
 The apparition angered me. The fellow had mani-^ 
 festly followed us. What did he there, trespassing on 
 my privacy It was like his vulgar impudence to press 
 himself on company which had shown him that he was^ 
 not wanted. But stay ! Was it only idle assurance 
 that had brought him to the Castle, or was he come for 
 another and a baser motive ? He had vanished among 
 the shrubberies at the back, and I did not doubt that 
 he was on his way to the gates, where his friend the 
 cockney was probably on guard. What the devil did it 
 all signify? 
 
 I entered the house in a puzzled and angry temper, 
 and was greeted by three excited voices. 
 
 "Why did n't you tell us about the ghost ?" 
 
 "The ghost!" I echoed. I had quite forgotten the 
 estate agent's ghost. 
 
 "Yes, Mr. Toosey has been telling us about the 
 ghost," said Miss Harvey. " Oh, I should love a ghost."^ 
 
 "Indeed !" I said coldly, wheeling a deadly eye on 
 the hapless artist. 
 
80 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "Mrs. — Mrs. Jackman told me about it," he said 
 lamely. Mrs. Jackman's tongue was a nuisance. 
 
 "Oh, well, there's always a ghost, you know," I 
 said lightly. 
 
 "Oh, but it explains everything," said Miss Fuller. 
 "It 's the ghost." 
 
 She looked delightfully scared and awed. 
 
 "It must be the ghost," said Perdita. 
 
 "It is the ghost," said Miss Harvey. 
 
 I sat down. "Yes," said I, "I am disposed to agree 
 with you. Your arguments are convincing. And that 
 being so, I propose that we have a ghost hunt." 
 
 "Ghost hunt!" exclaimed Perdita. 
 
 "Yes; that we keep watch together all night in the 
 gallery, and see what happens." 
 
 "Oh, heavenly!" said Miss Harvey, clapping her 
 hands. 
 
 Miss Fuller looked dubious. "I — I don't think we 
 ought to do that," she said. 
 I looked at Perdita. 
 
 "And I think we ought to be going," she said, rising 
 cheerfully to her feet. 
 
 It was the signal. My guests rose; but at the door 
 Miss Harvey whispered into my ear : 
 
 "He's a most delightful character, Mr. Toosey. 
 Don't you go off with any fancies about him. I believe 
 he 's a genius. I 'm going to get papa to buy some of 
 his pictures." 
 
 The evening fell as they went, with Mr. Toosey 
 between two girls in the rear of the car. Jackman was 
 laying my dinner when I went in. 
 
 "Jackman, have you seen any one hanging about?" 
 I asked. 
 
The Council of Perfection 81 
 
 "No, sir," he said, staring, and after a pause 
 went on with his task. His attitude seemed to ask an 
 explanation. 
 
 "I saw a man skulking about the shrubberies be- 
 hind," I said. 
 
 "No, sir. Indeed, sir .^" said JackmaUo 
 
 "And what is more, I recognized him," I said. 
 
 The forks dropped with a clatter on the table from 
 Jackman's hand. 
 
 "Indeed, sir," he said, showing confusion at his 
 awkwardness. 
 
 "Yes," I mused, "and I will be damned, Jackman, 
 if I won't see it through," I said. 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Jackman, now himself again. 
 
 And in the diversion I had forgotten the roses ! 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 TO BE SUNG ON THE WATERS 
 
 1CAME to the conclusion that my charming visitors 
 were right about Mr. Peter Toosey; he had no 
 association with the unknown conspirators. They had 
 gone direct to this verdict with the instinctive decision 
 of their sex, while I was obliged to base my conclusion 
 on dull facts and prosaic inferences. Perhaps Mr. 
 Toosey had been alarmed by my opening attitude, and 
 had written to the authorities. At any rate I received 
 an intimation from the solicitors during the next few 
 days, stating that Sir Gilbert would feel himself per- 
 sonally obliged if I would give Mr. Toosey every facility 
 for his studies in the Norroy Gallery. This being so, it 
 was evident that Mr. Toosey was known to Sir Gilbert, 
 and that his presence had nothing to do with any plot 
 which existed. I confess I was glad to be relieved of 
 this suspicion, for I found my condition somewhat iso- 
 lated, and, not getting on with my book too well, I in- 
 clined to seek company. I spent some hours on differ- 
 ent occasions with Mr. Toosey in the gallery, and was 
 interested in his combination of childish naivete and 
 weird knowledge. 
 
 In those days I had begun to forget that I had sup- 
 posed there was a plot ! For one thing, I saw no more 
 of my janitor at the gate, nor were any signs of the 
 other environing sentinels visible. The conspiracy 
 
To BE Sung on the Waters 83 
 
 seemed to have collapsed. Mr. Naylor had vanished, 
 and there was no one at the "'Feathers." So I went on 
 with my book, and I idled in the grounds, now in full 
 spring blossom and rich with the approaching summer ; 
 and I haimted the inlet and the sea. I became very 
 friendly with my boating man, Hawes, and enjoyed 
 many an excursion with him. And on several occa- 
 sions I met the ladies who were lodging at Mrs. 
 Lane's. 
 
 It was quite clear now that Miss Harvey had struck 
 up a friendship with the others, for I saw her motor- 
 car pretty constantly in the village, and on more than 
 one occasion the ladies were in company. I had some 
 reluctance to press myself upon them, as I observed 
 with chagrin a tendency on their part to draw off. Per- 
 haps I w^as wrong in this interpretation of what may 
 have been only pretty modest conduct, but I jumped 
 easily to that conclusion. I must, however, except 
 Miss Harvey from this statement. Her attitude under- 
 went no visible alteration ; she Vv^as as frank and friendly, 
 as practical and as candid as ever. No self-consciousness 
 checked her most impulsive or considered actions ; and 
 in gratitude I will confess that it was mainly due to her 
 good offices that I fixed up the boating excursion to 
 which I now come. 
 
 The estuary, throughout its length a broad creek of 
 humming water, widens considerably at Southington, 
 and an arm of the inlet penetrates the opposite shore 
 as far as the little village of Baring. It was designed 
 that our party of picnickers should visit this village, 
 and eat lunch somewhere in the cool shadows of the 
 wooded shore encompassing it. Miss Harvey had come 
 from Two Bridges for the day, her mother having been 
 
84 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 obliged to go to London on some business. Like most 
 young ladies of her country whom I have met, she had 
 her mother well in hand. But she was very kind to 
 her, and announced her intention of bringing her over 
 to inspect the Castle. I warmly supported this pro- 
 posal, and went so far as to express a hope that both 
 ladies would honor me at dinner as soon as was prac- 
 ticable. I gave this invitation not only on account 
 of my admiration of Miss Harvey, but also out of 
 deep cunning, as you shall see. On the day of 
 the picnic, which heralded in the flaming month 
 of June, I recalled my lost roses, and I made up 
 three elegant nosegays, equipped with which I de- 
 scended to the village. The morning was full of 
 cool, flowing airs, and I drew deep of the sea with 
 every breath. 
 
 As we made our departure for our point of assem- 
 blage Mrs. Lane's cottage, I was conscious of Eustace 
 leaning over his rustic gate across the green, and 
 watching us with interest. I think none of the others 
 noticed him, for we passed down to the landing-stage 
 in a pleasant chatter of excitement. Here I offered my 
 tribute of roses, and was rewarded by cordial exhibi- 
 tions of gratitude. Miss Fuller pinned hers to the yoke 
 of her gown just below her shoulder. Miss Harvey set 
 hers in what I believe is called her corsage, and Perdita 
 inserted hers in her belt. I was a little disappointed by 
 this distribution, but I will admit it had a certain pro- 
 priety, and at least suggested differentiation of char- 
 acter. They say all women are alike; but there were 
 impassable chasms between these three. I liked to hug 
 the fancy, that, though the disparity of sex yawned 
 between us, Perdita and I were nearer akin than the 
 
To BE Sung on the Waters 85 
 
 others. She looked romantic, and I knew I was 
 profoundly so. Was not the very flow of my thought 
 at that moment witness to the fact ? 
 
 Once in the free spaces of the estuary I raised the 
 sail, and the sea- winds swept into it with a rush. Over 
 heeled the boat and began to leap toward the distant 
 shore. With the tiller in my hand I sat by Miss Fuller 
 and Miss Harvey, while the wretched sail obscured my 
 view of Perdita, but under the boom I could see the 
 lemon gold of the Marechal Niel in her belt. I put the 
 tiller up, and we bounded over the freshening water, 
 and cantered up the estuary. 
 
 "I don't wonder," observed Miss Harvey, "that all 
 your sea-captains came from this little county." 
 
 "Yours," I corrected. 
 
 "I said yours," she replied, appropriating a familiar 
 joke. 
 
 "Then ours," I amended. "Have n't you any aflBn- 
 ity, and do you not claim kinship with Drake and 
 Raleigh and gallant Sir Richard Grenville?" 
 
 "Oh, we'll have Sir Richard," said Miss Har- 
 vey, enthusiastically, "who feared neither don nor 
 devil. But I believe he was just a pirate, you 
 know." 
 
 "Dover is the shire of the sea-rovers," I said, " and 
 pirates and plunderers have always been the pioneers 
 of civilization." 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Brabazon!" exclaimed Miss Fuller, re- 
 proachfully. "That's an awful idea! I don't think 
 any movement can prosper which is founded on vio- 
 lence and wTong." 
 
 "Sweet dreamland faces!" I ejaculated under my 
 breath, but aloud I acquiesced. "Ah, history is strewn 
 
86 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 with the bones of instances, is n't it?" I said. "What 
 is life unless we perish for ideals ? I 'm prepared to do 
 so on the shortest notice." 
 
 "I am just chock-full of ideals, I believe," remarked 
 Miss Harvey, thoughtfully. And here my Perdita 
 joined in. 
 
 She had little undiscovered tracts in her nature that 
 delighted me when I got a peep of them. She was 
 capable, I had already noticed, of quaint breaches of 
 her demure reticence, of sallies, of audacity such as all 
 romantic imaginations must make at times, if they are 
 not to be forever ridden on the curb. 
 
 "You are both sneering," she said. "I will not hear 
 one word against ideals; it is only through them that 
 life is worth living." 
 
 "Precisely what I say," I declared. 
 
 "Yes, dear, and idealism means romance," said Miss 
 Fuller, eagerly. 
 
 "And romance," I continued, " means lo — " 
 
 Miss Harvey interrupted with a clear peal of 
 laughter. "Business, of course," she said. "There 's 
 no romance like that of business." 
 
 "Thank you so much," I said gratefully. "You 
 just saved me from sentiment, and I hate senti- 
 mentalism." 
 
 "Do you think it 's the same thing?" asked Perdita, 
 seriously. 
 
 "It 's the same thing in excess," I answered. "I 'm 
 told that women's skirts are the better for some arrange- 
 ment which will keep them clear of the body — wires 
 or elastics — is it. Miss Harvey ?" 
 
 "Pray don't ask me. I am quite ignorant of such 
 matters," she said innocently. 
 
To BE Sung on the Waters 87 
 
 "Well, the contrivance driven to excess produces the 
 crinoline !" 
 
 "The crinoline wasn't so bad; I've seen early 
 Victorian modes look really beautiful in Paris," said 
 Miss Harvey. 
 
 "Do you think that crinolines — " began Miss 
 Fuller, and, unexpectedly realizing the ground was deli- 
 cate, suddenly lapsed in confusion. I was wondering 
 whither crinolines would lead us, when, of a sudden, 
 the sound of a beautiful voice rose above the whistle 
 of wind and whirl of water. I started ; but it was not 
 Perdita. Miss Harvey was singing with amazing vol- 
 ume and certainty and clarity. And the appropriate 
 music had come to her by magic. It was Schubert's 
 " Auf dem Wasser zu Singen." 
 
 The water made a plaintive accompaniment to the 
 words and the melody, as her wonderful voice rolled 
 through the first verse. 
 
 " Mitten im Schimmer der Spiegeln den Wellen 
 Gleitet wie Schwdne der wankende Kahn." 
 
 "Please go on!" I implored, as she paused at the 
 end of the stanza. I put the boat about, and she came 
 up slowly into the wind, lapping on the tide. The sail 
 rattled and slatted, and underneath the boom I could 
 descry the roses in Perdita's belt; but her face was 
 hidden. 
 
 *^ Morgen entschwindet mit schimmemden Flugel 
 Wieder wie gestern und heute die Zeit,'' 
 
 Yes, let us keep our to-days, and all times may van- 
 ish. We live, if you come to think of it, exactly between 
 yesterday and to-morrow, that is, between prospect and 
 retrospect, and to a healthy man the present should be 
 
88 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 everything. Yesterday I knew not Norroy Castle, and 
 to-morrow — no, ran my thoughts, I cannot give up 
 to-morrow. 
 
 The singer stopped, and then — I do not know how 
 it happened — I was looking not at her, but under the 
 sail at my roses in a belt. Honestly I do not think it 
 was my fault, for she had shifted her seat unwisely. 
 But the bare facts are that the sail cracked like a whip, 
 the boom kicked, and struck Miss Harvey as she rose, 
 throwing her across the side of the boat. She hung 
 there, half over t^ie water, from her supple hips up- 
 wards, and Miss Fuller cried out in terror. The rib- 
 bons of her hat were deep in the fume of the sea. If it 
 had been an affair of the boat merely, I could have 
 amended it with the tiller, but she had lost her balance, 
 and her feet rose even as I took in the scene and its 
 danger. I left the tiller to take care of itself, seized her 
 feet with one hand; and, leaning over, drew at her 
 arms simultaneously with the other. To this day I do 
 not know why we did not capsize. I think, the tiller 
 adrift, the boat swung about on the other tack swiftly 
 and strongly, and so saved the situation. At any rate. 
 Miss Harvey came inside again with a little rush, and 
 floored me in the bottom of the boat. 
 
 Her face was destitute of color as I extricated myself 
 and her, and helped her into the seat near me, getting 
 a grip at once of the wild tiller. Then she smiled wanly 
 at me. "How strong and how clever !" 
 
 As I had gone down before her attack, I do not know 
 that I deserved this, but I made profuse apologies, if 
 so be it was I who had been at fault. But she was 
 honest. 
 
 "No; I got up. I should n't have." 
 
To BE Sung on the Waters 89 
 
 She shook her head weakly. Miss Fuller was as pale 
 as she, and more agitated. It was Perdita who came to 
 the rescue of our shipwrecked emotions. 
 
 "Have you a flask?" she asked me. 
 
 I confounded myself. I carried a flask so persist- 
 ently and so uselessly that I forgot all about it. Now 
 it had its chance ; for this had it travelled with me for 
 five futile years. Miss Harvey protested, but the "nip " 
 did her good, restored the color to her face, and evoked 
 wholesome laughter. 
 
 We reached Baring in due time, and ate our lunch 
 and grew talkative and merry. Miss Harvey was mer- 
 rier than any of us, and dominated our party. And as 
 we sailed back in the late afternoon, she gave vent to 
 her satisfaction in a deep sigh. 
 
 "There '11 never be another just so perfect a day as 
 this," she said. "I don't mean your presence, Mr, 
 Brabazon, though it 's nice to have you, but the day." 
 
 "Oh," said I, "if we are being honest, it 's nice to 
 have you, too, but I agree with you; the day is the 
 charm, not the human tenants under the canopy. Do 
 you love spring or summer best?" 
 
 "The charm of your summer," said Miss Harvey 5 
 Ignoring the question, "is that there is so little of it,, 
 and what there is is good. If we had old-world parks 
 like yours, see how our sun would set over them ! Oh, 
 I do envy you your Castle, Mr. Brabazon." 
 
 "Sir Gilbert Norroy, you mean," I corrected. 
 
 "Well, it 's yours for a season," she said smiling, and 
 the three girls exchanged glances. 
 
 I quoted : 
 
 " * You are mine for a season 
 But I am yours till the end.' " 
 
90 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 We bumped gently into the landing-stage, and Miss 
 Harvey's agile, restless mind soared elsewhere. 
 
 "I 'm going to pay a visit," she declared. "Ever 
 since I heard of your suspicions of that poor man, I 
 made up my mind to prove you wrong." 
 
 "I have no suspicions," I told her. ''I am living in 
 a fairy tale. No prince in a fairy tale ever suspects 
 any one, and he always marries the right princess, or 
 else there 'd be no story." 
 
 "Is that so?" she asked. thought it was going 
 wrong that made the story. I don't like novels in which 
 the path of true love runs smooth." 
 
 "What is true love?" I asked dramatically. 
 
 My Perdita and Miss Fuller were helping Hawes 
 with the sculls. 
 
 "You know a good deal more than you say," flung 
 back Miss Harvey, as she set out briskly up the slope 
 by herself. We walked up to the village, and Miss 
 Harvey's disappearance exercised us. 
 
 "Where has she gone?" inquired Miss Fuller. 
 
 "I think she's developed a notion," said Perdita, 
 and added : "She 's wonderful." 
 
 "Her energy is calculated to shock and shame any 
 self-respecting Briton," I declared. 
 
 We halted by Mrs. Lane's cottage gate, and Perdita, 
 with a gracious nod, fled under the arch of roses and up 
 the pathway. Miss Fuller lingered. 
 
 " Wherever has she gone ? " she asked, referring to Miss 
 Harvey. The chauffeur was visible, wandering idly be- 
 fore the inn, with a pipe in his mouth. Therefore she 
 had not gone to prepare for her homeward journey. 
 
 I shook my head ; my gaze went past Miss Fuller up 
 the stone pathway to a blank door. 
 
To BE Sung on the Waters 91 
 
 "Won't you — won't you come in and have tea?'* 
 asked Miss Fuller, hesitantly. 
 
 I suppose I had forced this hospitality. She remem- 
 bered, no doubt, that I had been host to their party 
 and expected something in return. I accepted with 
 alacrity, and we went up the garden together, Miss 
 Fuller, I regret to say, showing signs of uneasiness and 
 abstraction, which suggested repentance of her offer. 
 
 But why, I asked myself, should I be debarred from 
 their quarters .^^ I was fairly agreeable, and no more 
 stupid than any other man, and I could vouch for my 
 respectability. I could not think it was conventional 
 prudery, in Perdita at least. I was resolved to enter, 
 and I did, a little in the wake of my hostess. She had 
 preceded me by a few steps into the crowded little 
 rustic sitting-room, and ere I showed round the door, 
 Perdita's voice was audible. 
 
 "Isabel, don't you think really, it was a little bare- 
 faced, specially after what she said about — " 
 
 "Dear, I've brought in Sir Gilbert Norroy — '^ 
 broke in Miss Fuller hastily. 
 
 Perdita, whom I now saw in the window, drew back 
 swiftly. 
 
 "Oh, would you like tea?" she said precipitately. 
 
 "I don't know about Sir Gilbert. Mr. Brabazon 
 would," I answered lightly. 
 
 The two girls bustled about their hospitable offices, 
 leaving me to wonder. What was barefaced, and who 
 was she ? Perhaps it was Mrs. Lane who had been at 
 the sugar. But, no. It must be Miss Harvey. What 
 then had that charming lady to do with anything bare- 
 faced ? I gave it up, and drank my tea and talked 
 small talk. In the clear light Perdita was tender and 
 
32 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 vivid to look upon. She reclined in an old-fashioned 
 rocking-chair, and we discussed the evening, the 
 weather, and the scenery, — all valuable subjects when 
 you are dragging for an anchorage. From scenery 
 we got upon the Castle, and I spoke of Sir Gilbert. I 
 can laugh as I remember how I spoke of Sir Gilbert. 
 I gave my opinion of him frankly, while the two girls 
 eyed me with interest and unaffected attention. Sir 
 Gilbert, I conceived was something of a ne'er-do-well 
 and probably rackety into the bargain. 
 
 "Do you know him?" inquired Perdita abruptly. 
 
 I confessed that I did not, but I had plenty of evi- 
 dence against him. He must be a man of no taste, 
 seeing he had neglected so picturesque a property for 
 years. 
 
 "Perhaps he did n't know it was so nice," suggested 
 Miss Fuller. 
 
 I pointed out that he had been there as a boy, and 
 that ignorantia legis non excusat, 
 
 "Perhaps," remarked Miss Fuller, "he has reasons 
 which keep him away." 
 
 "Reasons! Dissipations are the reasons of youth," 
 I said with scorn. 
 
 "You are very hard on him," she said, without seem- 
 ing to mind. "But perhaps you know best." 
 
 "No; I have theories," I explained. "I sit and 
 brood in my lonely rooms, and try to materialize this 
 landlord of mine. I think of lots of things in my soli- 
 tude. Solitude is good for the brain, but I think it 's 
 bad for tlie morals. I feel I 'm going down -hill." 
 
 "Please don't dissipate like Sir Gilbert," said Per- 
 dita, with a smile that flashed out. 
 
 "Veiy well, I won't," I promised. "But if my soli- 
 
To BE Sung on the Waters 9S 
 
 tude was not so prolonged and profound, I should 
 find it easier — if I had visitors oftener, for example." 
 
 Perdita took no heed of this broad hint, but Miss 
 Fuller cast what I took to be an inquiring glance at her. 
 She rose. 
 
 There is Miss Harvey," she said, gazing through the 
 window, "and she 's with — why, it 's Mr. Eustace !" 
 
 I looked over her shoulder, and saw the pair pass. 
 They crossed the green from the direction of the inn, 
 and went boldly towards Eustace's lodgings. They 
 entered unashamedly and in naked daylight. 
 
 Perdita 's eyes fell on me, her lips trembling with a 
 little unexpressed smile. I have told you of her auda- 
 cious sallies; here was one. Her face invited me, if I 
 could interpret it so far, to enjoy a point of humor with 
 her. It was no use in the world appealing to Miss 
 Fuller, and I got the notion that she never tried. I be- 
 lieve we should both have laughed out had we been 
 alone together. As it was, our humors greeted civilly 
 and w^t by. Perdita demurely resumed her seat. 
 
 "WTbatever is she thinking of asked Miss Fuller. 
 
 "I hope she 's gone in to have some tea as nice as 
 this," I answered. "And may I have just one more 
 cup before you turn me out ?" 
 
 "Oh, it 's stood too long," said Miss Fuller in dismay. 
 
 "I 'm afraid so have I," I said. I wanted to leave 
 with the satisfaction of that mutual understanding. I 
 made my adieus and went to the door. Perdita stood 
 smilingly gracious and beautiful before me. 
 
 "Good-bye," she said, as she shook hands, and there 
 was even a mischievous look appearing with the dimple 
 in her cheeks. "I would n't be so hard on Sir Gilbert, 
 He may be only a frivoUer." 
 
«4 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "I won't," I said, oblivious to all but her beauty and 
 its proximity to me. 
 
 The chauffeur was still lounging before the inn as 
 I went by ; and when I reached the gates of my domain, 
 there was the large cockney back again. 
 
 "Why, my friend," I stopped to say gayly, out of a 
 full heart, "this is like old times. I wish I 'd known. 
 I 'd have sent the carriage for you." 
 
 He stared, his mouth open in surprise; and then, as 
 one suspecting himself the victim of a practical joke 
 which he does not understand, retorted surlily: 
 
 "Come off it ! If you do own the Castle, you don't 
 the road, Mister." 
 
 "I '11 ask the cook to send out sandwiches," I said, 
 paying no heed. He was a genuine cockney with the 
 cockney's genuine spirit, and he changed sharply, and 
 with humor. 
 
 "I '11 take sherry with 'em. Governor, thanks," he 
 said, and as I walked on called after me "and a fiver for 
 keb-fares, as I 've left me purse on the kitchen planner." 
 
 His mocking laughter followed me, and I left him 
 restored to good humor by his sally. I was not even 
 giving him a thought, or the plot, or the burglar, or any 
 indifferent matters of that kind. 
 
 No; spring was ripening to summer in the country- 
 side. And spring was blossoming to summer in my 
 heart. Of course it was folly, but all delight is folly, 
 and to be naidsummer-mad is the supreme delight. 
 That dream of mine, drawn from vasty deeps of mind 
 and memory and consciousness, was substantiated in 
 a beautiful face, in a soft coloring, in bronze-brown 
 iair, in eyes as vivid as heaven. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE ALARM 
 
 IWO days later, just after lunch, I was informed 
 
 A by Jackman that Mr. Peter Toosey would like 
 to speak to me. He entered with several symptoms 
 of embarrassment, one of which consisted of sitting on 
 my hat, which, of course, ought not to have been 
 where it wa^. But he at last found a vent for his 
 voice. 
 
 "I think I can suggest an explanation of the events 
 which have troubled you, Mr. Brabazon," he said. 
 
 *'My dear sir," said I, at once arrested, "if you can, 
 you have my eternal gratitude." 
 
 "Let us take it logically," said Mr. Toosey, gaining 
 confidence, and spreading out a color-stained bunch 
 of fingers. "One, the presence of an outsider, ram- 
 bling through the rooms by night, discloses that there 
 is something in the Castle which some one wants." 
 
 "That I will not dispute," I said dryly. 
 
 "Next," said Mr. Toosey, ticking off a finger, "the 
 existence of spies, demonstrated by you by sundry tests, 
 shows that the Castle is watched night and day." 
 
 " Granted ! " I again accented. 
 
 "It is then obvious," proceeded Mr. Toosey, "that 
 the spies are set to prevent something or some one from: 
 leaving the Castle." 
 
 "Let us suppose that," I agreed. 
 
96 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 ''Is it treasure? The treasure won't walk out of its 
 own accord. It is therefore a man, with or without 
 treasure. Some one, therefore, in the Castle is the ob- 
 ject of their manoeuvres." 
 
 "That sounds quite plausible," I said. *'And it 
 obviously is n't I." 
 
 ''No, not you," he asserted confidently. 
 
 "Nor Mr. or Mrs. Jackman," I went on. 
 
 "Certainly not," agreed Mr. Toosey. 
 
 "Well, then, there 's yourself," I suggested. 
 
 Mr. Toosey was thrown into confusion. "I don't 
 think that I am of any interest to the gang," he stam- 
 mered. "I will admit I had n't thought of myself. I 
 thought of some one else." 
 
 "In the name of fortune, whom ?" I asked. 
 
 Mr. Toosey lowered his voice. "Some one concealed 
 in the Castle," he said. 
 
 "But — " I began, staggered. 
 
 "What," suggested Peter Toosey, now alive with 
 his idea, "what if one of the gang is already hiding in 
 the Castle, seeking refuge from the friends he has 
 betrayed 
 
 I pondered it. "Probably a member of a secret 
 Russian society who has broken his vows," proceeded 
 Mr. Toosey, warming, "and with a pack of blood- 
 thirsty wretches on his trail !" 
 
 "It 's an exciting idea,," I said. 
 
 "Or ruffianly members of the Camorra!" said 
 Mr. Toosey, following up his advantage. "Or even 
 Fenians !" 
 
 "If you are right," I said, "I will lodge a complaint 
 with the Russian embassy, with the Italian Government, 
 and the Head Centre in New York. We must stop it." 
 
The Alarm 
 
 97 
 
 "Of course mine is only an idea/' said he modestly. 
 
 "A very ingenious idea," I said. "We will certainly 
 go into it when we have a little leisure. If we could 
 capture one or two — " 
 
 He retired in a glow of satisfaction, promising to 
 think out further ideas, and I went on with my writing. 
 I was planning nothing short of a dinner party, in which 
 four ladies were to figure. But now I had a happy 
 notion. Mr. Toosey might assist me more nearly to 
 balance the excessive numbers of the other sex. I was 
 pleased with my inspiration as I penned my invitation 
 to Mrs. Harvey and her daughter at Two Bridges, and 
 to Miss Fuller and Miss Forrest at Southington. I 
 secured Mr. Toosey as a guest before he left that day. 
 
 I had not, I confess, anticipated the downfall of my 
 extreme hopes; and the Southington reply came like 
 a blow in the face. Miss Forrest and Miss Fuller much 
 regretted. . . . Now why ? 
 
 Oh, well, I threw sentiment to the winds and gave 
 way to my irritation. At least Miss Harvey was coming 
 and bringing her mother, who "looks forward to seeing 
 your ancient Castle." And Mr. Toosey would serve 
 for Mrs. Harvey. Mrs. Jackman, all agog with ex- 
 citement at this unwonted festivity, was doing her ut- 
 most. I rather fancied that Mr. Toosey had something 
 to communicate to me on the afternoon of the day, but, 
 fearing he had further developed his ideas, I dodged 
 him, made a bolt for it, and stayed out on the water 
 tiU rather late. When I returned I had just time to 
 dress and get down to my arriving guests. The car 
 brought the American ladies. 
 
 Mrs. Harvey was a woman of comfortable body, 
 with a pleasant smUe, and a wrinkled capable face. 
 
 7 
 
98 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 She looked as if she lived alertly and briskly, yet let 
 nothing disturb her, a combination we are hardly able 
 to arrive at in these less fortunate isles. She was 
 dressed as smartly as her daughter, and seemed to me 
 to retain as much youthful fire. To my renewed as- 
 tonishment, after his initial shyness had worn off, Mr. 
 Toosey developed amazingly; under the influence of 
 wine he blossomed like a flower, and delighted the table 
 with his anecdotes and ideas. Encouraged by his 
 audience he retired on stories of the Latin Quarter, 
 during his youth, which began gradually to assume 
 such weird colors that I hastened to intervene. I do 
 not know that it was necessary, for Mrs. Harvey was 
 sprightly with laughter, and her daughter listened with- 
 out manifest distress. 
 
 "Mamma," she said abruptly across the table, "we 
 must go to Paris this fall." 
 
 "Very well, my dear," said Mrs. Harvey obediently. 
 "I dare say your papa can do without us till Christmas. 
 I suppose you will spend Christmas here, Sir Gilbert?" 
 she inquired, turning to me. 
 
 "If I were Sir Gilbert, I certainly would," said I. 
 
 " Of course, it 's my mistake," she said smiling. 
 
 "I should just love to spend a Christmas in an old- 
 world place like this," remarked Miss Harvey. 
 
 Mr. Toosey, feeling he had had his day, was making 
 up for lost time with the courses. 
 
 After dinner I conducted my guests through such 
 portions of the Castle as were available, and they en- 
 joyed the excursion all the more that Jackman and I 
 were obliged to carrj^ long brass candlesticks. 
 
 "Say, we should have all this lighted with electricity," 
 observed Mrs. Harvev, 
 
The Alarm 99 
 
 We were then in the picture-gallery, and there was 
 considerable excuse for her remark, inasmuch as we 
 were striving in vain to make out the features of Lady 
 Claire. 
 
 "She's a lovely woman," said Mrs. Harvey ad- 
 miringly. Mr. Toosey had passed us, explaining to 
 Miss Harvey at her earnest request how he painted. 
 
 "Then she was your great-grandmother, Sir Gil- 
 bert?" asked my lady. 
 
 She seemed to me rather muddle-headed, but I dis- 
 claimed the identity again politely. 
 
 "Oh, yes," she gave me a meaning smile, but I 
 couldn't fathom its meaning. "This is a pretty 
 little property," she went on appraisingly, "but it 
 would be all the better for improvement, would n't it, 
 Mr. Brabazon?" 
 
 To my ears there was a perceptible emphasis on my 
 name, by which I thought she was impressing it on 
 herself. 
 
 "I should say a few thousand pounds would help it 
 much," I said. "It 's been neglected since the present 
 owner got it. I gather he has no money." 
 
 "But if he were to marry well, that could easily be 
 altered," said Mrs. Harvey, and again I caught her 
 significant smile. 
 
 "No doubt," said I, indifferently. 
 
 "That 's the way, I think, the world keeps its 
 balance," observed Mrs. Harvey. "It levels up that 
 way." 
 
 "I suppose so," I assented, following her notion which 
 seemed to have an idea in it. "Stable equilibrium is 
 best achieved as a resultant of divergent forces." 
 
 "I beg your pardon," said Mrs. Harvey. 
 
100 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "I beg yours," I returned. "I was thinking aloud." 
 
 "Well, if thinking 's going to help you any, go on 
 thinking," said she good-naturedly. 
 
 "Well, we gain equipoise b^y constant adjustments. 
 We should wobble over without them." 
 
 She looked puzzled. "I'm thinking aloud," I ex- 
 plained again. "No doubt if Sir Gilbert were wise he 
 would not come down wdth a crash. Perhaps he will 
 be." 
 
 "It all depends on him," observed Mrs. Harvey, 
 eying me. And at that moment it flashed on my mind 
 that she was under an astonishing misapprehension. 
 I stood silent for a moment, wondering how I should 
 disillusionize her, wondering also how she had corre 
 to make the odd mistake. And behind these thoughts 
 suddenly arose the dim and formless shapes of other 
 and even stranger thoughts. I saw Miss Harvey and 
 Miss Forrest and Miss Fuller through a mist of vague 
 guesses and chances and hazy speculations. It was as 
 if a nebula of doubt had suddenly sprung up and 
 around me and them. How long I was silent I do not 
 know, but thoughts are instant, so it may have been 
 but a minute or two. I was roused from my reverie 
 not by Mrs. Harvey, but by Mrs. Jackman's voice. 
 
 "Please, sir, a lady wishes to see you on urgent 
 business." 
 
 I stared. "What?" I said. 
 
 "Miss Forrest, sir ; " she paused, her eyes ardent with 
 some emotion. In wonder and anxiety I turned away, 
 with an apology to my companion, and followed Mrs. 
 Jackman down the stairs. In the hall was Perdita in 
 evening dress, a fleecy wrap hanging from her shoulder. 
 
 "You have come after all," I said, going forward 
 
The Alarm 
 
 101 
 
 with my two hands outstretched. "Oh, how unkind 
 of you to come so late, and how kind to come at all 
 
 "Mr. Brabazon," she began impetuously, paying 
 this outbreak no heed. "There 's a man about the 
 house — two men, I saw them — one came in at the 
 gate, and there was another. And he was stealing 
 through the shrubbery, and remembering what has 
 happened here I thought you ought to know," she 
 ended breathlessly, and my sentiment slipped from me, 
 as her wrap was slipping from her, leaving her with 
 white and beautiful arms in the dim light of the hall. 
 
 "When?" I asked. 
 
 "Just now," she breathed. "I 've run all the way. 
 I don't think they can be here before me. I dodged 
 through the meadow and through the lime avenue. 
 They went by the shrubberies towards the back of the 
 house. I saw them plainly in the moonlight." 
 
 "You brave girl !" I said, and put a hand on her 
 shoulder. I was just aware that it was resting not upon 
 her dress, but upon the supple splendor of her arm; 
 and I am sure she was conscious of nothing save the 
 invaders. 
 
 "They may have resolved to move to-night, thinking 
 we are engaged and off guard," I said. "Thanks to 
 you, we are forewarned. Now, you will let me give you 
 a glass of wine.^" 
 
 She declined, but I insisted, and I left her in the 
 dining-room under Mrs. Jackman's care while I ran 
 up-stairs. I gave Jackman the news and drew Toosey 
 aside to communicate it to him. But my action ex. ited 
 the curiosity of Miss Harvey. 
 
 " What is it .^^ " she asked. " Has anything happened ? 
 Do tell me." 
 
102 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 It seemed hopeless to shut them out of our secret, 
 as we should require all the available male assistance 
 we could muster; and so I told her frankly. She 
 seemed delighted. 
 
 "This is just a real Castle affair," she said cheer- 
 fully. "I can imagine we are being besieged by horrible 
 and vicious enemies, can't you, mamma?" 
 
 I don't know if Mrs. Harvey was able to stretch her 
 imagination so far, but she certainly looked uneasy. 
 Her comfortable appearance vanished, and she cast 
 anxious glances at me, so that I felt constrained to re- 
 assure her. The ladies accompanied us down-stairs 
 and Jackman sought weapons in the kitchen. I fear 
 we were not armed after Miss Harvey's heart, nor in 
 keeping with our environment. We hardly did credit 
 to a castle; for Jackman had possessed himself of a 
 chopper, I was supplied with a rake, and Mr. Toosey 
 was equipped with a Turk's head broom. Jackman 's 
 weapon was certainly formidable to observe, but I had 
 my doubts if it would come into operation. What 
 must happen next but that Miss Harvey should insist 
 on accompanying us ? And while we were demurring, 
 Perdita, who had been conferring with her, expressed 
 her intention of coming to point out in what direction 
 the burglars had gone. With this accession to our 
 attacking force it began almost to be safer to venture 
 out than to stay in a dispeopled fortress ; and I was on 
 the point of inviting Mrs. Harvey also to join us. But 
 Miss Christobel seized a carving knife from the table 
 and walked out into the hall, thus giving us the signal 
 for an advance. We opened the door and sallied forth. 
 
 I suppose we might have been considered a recon- 
 naissance in force; for our object was to locate the 
 
The Alarm 
 
 103 
 
 enemy and measure his strength. We went cautiously 
 at first, all the more that the moon had gone in, and the 
 garden was steeped in a vague twilight. Perdita kept 
 close by me — perhaps it was I who kept close by 
 Perdita — and Mr. Toosey followed, brandishing his 
 Turk's head. Miss Harvey and Jackman, with the mur- 
 derous weapons, brought up the rear. We stealthily 
 crept along the drive to the avenue where the road for 
 tradesmen's carts deviated from it towards the back 
 parts of the Castle. 
 
 "This is where I saw them," said Perdita breath- 
 lessly. "They were going, oh ! so quietly." J! 
 
 We diverged through the shrubbery, and beat it 
 from end to end, but encountered nothing. Thence in 
 a body we reached the rear of the house. Still no one 
 was to be found. So we made a circuit of the north 
 side, and came out by the tangled orchard. Jackman 
 here bravely volunteered to reconnoitre, and we watched 
 him become part of the darkness as he strode off. We 
 waited five minutes — six minutes ; and then a noise 
 disengaged itself on the still air towards the left. 
 
 "It 's on the front lawn," said Miss Harvey in my 
 ears, her carving knife tickling my ribs. "There, 
 there!" 
 
 It was true. The sound of a falling body, as it 
 seemed, reached us from the front of the house. I 
 dashed off at my best speed, v^ith some one at my heels, 
 and along the path we raced in pursuit. 
 
 I jumped the gravel path that crossed our track and 
 sped on to the lawns to the south. Before me I could 
 faintly see a big border, and I swerved to avoid it. 
 Immediately afterwards my foot caught in something, 
 and I tripped, staggered, recovered myself and ran on. 
 
104 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 A wild cry came from behind me; I turned half-way 
 round in my course to look back, but still ran on. The 
 tail of the moon lit up the prospect thinly, and I de- 
 scribed in the distance a man making off at full speed. 
 The sight stimulated me, and I increased my pace, 
 stumbled again, and went down headlong. Recovering 
 myself stupidly, I felt something under my feet, and 
 groped for it. It was a wire rope stretched along the 
 lawn. 
 
 The man had vanished, and I knew it was hopeless 
 to attempt to overtake him. Behind me was a voice 
 still crying, and I went back. A figure lying on the 
 lawn met my eyes, and I stooped : 
 
 "Are you hurt.?^" I asked. 
 
 "My foot 's tangled," said Perdita's voice. 
 
 I disengaged her from the wire, put my arms about 
 her, and lifted her with an absurd sense of joy. 
 
 " Hark ! " said she, " I think it must be Miss Harvey." 
 
 Exploration led us to the second victim. We found 
 her thrown with the impetus of her run into a bed of 
 tea-roses, where she lay in distress. I raised her, too, 
 gently. 
 
 "Please," she said, "be careful. These horrid 
 thorns ! Oh, I shan't be able to wear evening dresses 
 for a week." 
 
 "Damn the wires!" I said savagely. 
 
 Perdita limped, and Miss Harvey uttered little dis- 
 tressful exclamations, and I looked about for further 
 news. There was no sign of Toosey or of Jackman; 
 but a shout came from beyond the rhododendrons. 
 
 "Wait here," I said to the girls, and I leapt the 
 barrier of wire, and dashed into the lower garden. Al- 
 most at once I was seized by the legs and thrown heavily 
 
The Alarm 
 
 105 
 
 to the ground, while a long stick was poked into the 
 small of my back. 
 
 "Damn you, lie still — lie still, damn you! I've 
 got you!" yelled a voice which I recognized as Mr. 
 Toosey's. 
 
 "Hold up, you fool!" I cried angrily, as I felt a 
 feather broom sweep up my hair. "Hold up, you con- 
 founded ass !" 
 
 Mr. Toosey held up. "Lord, I thought it was a 
 burglar!" he explained apologetically, as he helped 
 me to my feet. I was too angry to retort, and marched 
 off without a word, Toosey following, and pouring out 
 his explanations and excuses. We had nearly reached 
 the ladies, when in the midst of his apologies, he tripped 
 and went over, saluting the earth with a solid dull bang. 
 He scrambled to his feet clumsily. 
 
 "Oh, good Lord, I'd forgotten my wires," he 
 bleated. 
 
 "Your wires !" I exclaimed, turning on him. 
 
 "Yes; I wanted to tell you I had laid them this 
 morning," he said triumphantly. "I thought it an ex- 
 cellent notion if they should come. And, by George, it 
 nearly did for them. That noise we heard — " 
 
 "Oh, you blatant ass!" I cried, out of patience. 
 "You 11 be the death of me. It nearly did for Miss 
 Harvey and Miss Forrest. Oh, you inconceivable 
 dolt!" 
 
 I turned away in high dudgeon, and offered my arm 
 to Perdita, who after a momentary hesitation accepted 
 it. Her anlde had suffered a strain, and she limped 
 perceptibly. Miss Harvey volubly offered her opinion 
 on the night's transactions, and Mr. Toosey had sunk 
 below apologies. These, however, he resumed when? 
 
106 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 we had regained the house, and been greeted by Mrs. 
 Harvey as if we had returned from the dead. 
 
 "I know I 'm marked all over," said Christobel 
 plaintively. "Isn't there a scratch on my back?* 
 she asked her mother. 
 
 "There is a sort of speckled one," said Mr. Toosey, 
 iooking over Mrs. Harvey's shoulder interestedly, "but 
 not a large one, or very deep," he said eagerly. 
 
 Miss Harvey bounced away indignantly. Injuria 
 formae had driven her to a feminine petulance I had 
 never yet observed in her. She frowned like a thunder- 
 storm, threatening the rain of tears. Perdita limped 
 across to comfort her, and of a sudden I felt sorry for 
 Mr. Toosey. I owed him something in compensation, 
 for the accident had given me privileges, and I felt a 
 barrier had insensibly gone down between me and mine. 
 Forlorn he stood looking at the havoc of his handiwork, 
 till I breathed a cheering word into his ear. Of course 
 I dared not do it aloud. Mrs. Harvey also was being 
 called upon to console her daughter. I believe she 
 thought the injuries had been the horrible result of a 
 contest with the burglars. 
 
 "It wasn't a bad idea," I whispered. "But you 
 should have given us warning." 
 
 "I — I intended to this afternoon, but I couldn't 
 find you," said Mr. Toosey, picking up, and added: 
 "I should n't be surprised if one of those fellows is out 
 there with a broken leg." 
 
 At that I had a revulsion ; for Perdita's ankle twinkled 
 in my mind's eye, and with indignation I recognized 
 what it might have meant. His silly complacency in- 
 furiated me. 
 
 "Well, you 'd better make yourself scarce till they 've 
 
The Alarm 
 
 107 
 
 got over it," I said inhospitably. "You '11 catch it if 
 you stay." 
 
 "Perhaps you 're right," he sighed, *and he slipped 
 from the room like a schoolboy anxious to escape the 
 master's eye. 
 
 As I showed him out, Jackman came breathlessly 
 into the hall. 
 
 "Did — did you find any one, sir ?" he asked. 
 
 "No," said I, shortly. "Did you?" 
 
 "No, sir," he returned promptly, "not a sign of any 
 one." 
 
 I had one further consolation that night. I helped 
 Perdita into the motor-car from which the Harveys 
 were to drop her at Southington. Meanwhile I em- 
 broidered some foolish frivolity about the goddess's^ 
 injured shoulder. She fretted frankly. 
 
 "If you guessed," said I, contemplating her from 
 behind, "how wonderfully the scratch sets off your hues 
 you would not mind." 
 
 She paused. "Does it .^" she asked with interest. 
 
 I nodded. "Flaws only emphasize the nobility of a 
 pattern," I said sententiously, "provided always they 
 are tiny flaws. It is only by contrast that sheer beauty 
 emerges at its best. Set a pretty girl beside a plain one 
 — and see how she shines ! And the beauty of an im- 
 paired surface is the lovelier for the comparison !" 
 
 "You think so ?" said Miss Harvey, pensively. 
 
 "Yes, it is so. Mr. Brabazon's right," said her 
 mother, anxiously. 
 
 "Why else did the fashion of patches come in.^^" I 
 asked, "if not designed to throw up the perfection of an 
 exquisite complexion.^" 
 
 "That 's true," said Christobel. "But it did smart,'^ 
 
108 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 she added with a smile. "I believe those roses of yours 
 have more thorns than ours." 
 
 "Ah, they should not have pricked a rose!" I ex- 
 claimed. 
 
 Christobel beamed in her magnificent frank way, as 
 a queen might extend a favor to her courtier. 
 
 "That 's just lovely, Mr. Brabazon," said she. 
 ^'Why, what 's the matter with your face?" 
 
 The smile spread and broke into laughter. She 
 laughed as if she were at a pantomime. I inquired of 
 Perdita with my eyes. 
 
 "It 's rather dirty," she said gravely, but her gravity 
 was a little constrained. 
 
 "Oh, damn it. It 's Toosey's infernal broom," said 
 I, in a flash of surmise. "He brushed all my face." 
 Miss Harvey still laughed, and a trickle of laughter 
 came into Perdita's face. 
 
 "I don't mind," I said recklessly. "I took part of it 
 out in a swear- word. And I '11 take the rest out in 
 something else." 
 
 They did n't know, but I took it out in assisting 
 Perdita into the car a little later. I ought only to have 
 been a prop, or crutch. I confess I was more. I drew 
 her by her slender arm towards me, so that she was 
 forced to lean on my shoulder, and then I bodily lifted 
 her in. For just a moment she swayed in the air in my 
 grasp, and then her skirts blew back into my face, 
 thrilling me. She thought she was going to fall, and 
 clutched me, but she was n't. I set her gently down; 
 but I felt her in my arms long after the car had vanished. 
 
 I felt her in my arms when I went to bed, and lay 
 pondering the events of the night. But across this per- 
 -sisting consciousness a thought cut sharply. Why did 
 
The Alarm 
 
 109 
 
 Mrs. Harvey obviously suppose me to be Sir Gilbert 
 Norroy ? And if she had fallen into that error, had her 
 daughter also? And if Christobel, the outspoken^ 
 had — ? 
 
 Back at this juncture flowed that delicious conscious- 
 ness. And I believe I passed to sleep holding Perdita ^ 
 in my arms. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 ON THE TRAIL 
 
 IT was but civil and friendly and kind that I should 
 go down to the village next morning to inquire after 
 Miss Forrest. She had been injured in a gallant en- 
 deavor to serve me, and I owed it to myself and her to 
 show some concern for her. As I went down the wind- 
 ing deep-rutted lane, embowered in green, through 
 which a skein of waving sunlight struggled from above, 
 it occurred to me for the first time to ask how she 
 had come to see the intruders. In the confusion of the 
 previous evening I had quite forgotten to think of this, 
 nor had she thought of explaining. And so I put the 
 query as soon as ever I could with propriety after my 
 solicitous inquiries. Her ankle, she said, was nearly 
 well, and it had been foolish of her to make such a 
 fuss. It had been Christobel who made the fuss, as 
 you may remember. I wanted to tell her she was an 
 angel, but I only slangily told her she had behaved 
 "like a brick" — which seemed, however, an accept- 
 able testimonial. 
 
 "Yes, and I was afraid," said Miss Fuller, with 
 large impressive eyes. 
 
 "You said I, and then put my question. 
 " Oh, we had taken a little walk in the evening after 
 dinner," said Perdita calmly, "and we happened to see 
 the men at the gates." 
 
On the Trail 
 
 111 
 
 "And I would n't go. Was n't it dreadful of me?'" 
 said Miss Fuller, anxious for my condemnation. "I 
 hung about after Perdita had left me, hoping she would 
 come back, but she did n't, and so I got frightened 
 and went home. I ran nearly all the way." 
 
 She was bent on humiliating herself, and exalting her 
 friend, but I thought Miss Forrest was not over-pleased. 
 
 "It was much more risky down the lane," she said 
 indifferently. 
 
 "It was like entering the imminent deadly breach,'* 
 I said lightly. "But now I must have the evidence of 
 my eyes as to these ankles." Miss Fuller started and 
 looked aghast. "I must see how you walk," I said, 
 jfirmly, by way of explanation. Miss Fuller seemed 
 relieved. Perdita made no sign, but merely smiled. 
 
 I insisted, and was not reluctant to lend my hand to 
 the persuasion, and she yielded. She walked trium- 
 phantly to the door of the cottage, and looked back at 
 me defiantly. 
 
 "Right out," I commanded. "You are concealing 
 something in this half-light." 
 
 "Indeed, I'm not," she flashed indignantly, and 
 marched out upon the stone pathway towards the gate. 
 
 I followed, leaving, I am thankful to say. Miss 
 Fuller in the doorway. 
 
 "You 're just a little bit of a humbug as a patient,'* 
 I told Perdita, as I joined her. 
 
 "You are much more as a doctor," she retorted. 
 
 I looked back. Miss Fuller had kindly vanished. 
 I have always believed that no one in the wide world 
 whom I have ever met had so much vicarious sentiment 
 as Miss Fuller. She was a thoroughly nice woman,, 
 and quite handsome. 
 
112 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Perdita leaned over the gate, observing the morning 
 eights of the village, and I followed her example. Her 
 face was of a fine clarity charged with life, and neither 
 pale nor rosy. Like herself, like her gait, like every 
 instinct of her spirit and body, it was vivid and brilliant, 
 yet gave one the impression of restraint. Through her 
 habit of life and convention only now and then did her 
 large individuality surge up and overflow. As a maid 
 she still kept it within gates, with the promise of a rare 
 development. We talked at random, for I was thinking, 
 and content to see her and think of her. And then she 
 turned her full face to me. 
 
 "I wanted to tell you, Mr. Brabazon, that I thought 
 I recognized one of the men," she said slowly. 
 
 I waited, watching the trouble in her eyes. "One 
 entered the gate just before we got there," she proceeded, 
 "and shortly afterwards another man followed. I rec- 
 ognized that one." 
 
 Still I waited. "He was a fisherman I have seen at 
 the Point," she said. 
 
 " Oh, there are probably local scoundrels in it, what- 
 ever it is," I said. 
 
 "You see, we were in the shadow of the wall," she 
 went on, without heeding, and still deliberately, as 
 though she would rather not, "and he probably did not 
 notice us. I could see him clearly, a tall, dark, lean 
 man." 
 
 " Yes ?" said I, seeing she had not finished. 
 
 "It was his furtive and excited air that struck me, 
 and it was that made me suspect something. I thought 
 you ought to know." 
 
 "It was more than good of you; it was courageous 
 and fine." 
 
On the Trail 
 
 113 
 
 "I ran through the meadow, and thinking I heard 
 footsteps I hid for a moment in the dark shadows of the 
 lime avenue. It was there I saw the second man." 
 
 She paused, and turned her eyes away; they rested, 
 I noticed, across the village green. I followed them, 
 and saw in front of Mrs. Turner's garden, lounging 
 with his arms over the gate, Mr. Eustace. 
 
 "Did you see him clearly.^" I asked quietly. 
 
 "No; not very," she said, seeming relieved that I 
 asked no more. "It was more the figure that suggested 
 it. Perhaps I ought not to have said so much ; it was 
 only a suspicion. But I felt you ought to know. He 
 was hiding in the shrubbery. It was then that I made 
 sure something was wrong, and I ran on to the Castle." 
 
 I was silent a moment. "It is all so strange that I 
 was prepared for anything — even for that," I said. 
 
 She looked at me, grateful, I conjectured, that I had 
 understood without words. 
 
 "I don't think it 's credible somehow," she said. 
 
 "We must take everything as credible, till it can be 
 disproved," I replied. "I '11 devise some means of 
 putting this suspicion to the test. We '11 only take it at 
 that at present, shall we?" 
 
 "It would be a relief to me if you would," she said 
 with a sigh. "I should much prefer it, and I thank 
 you for understanding." 
 
 The conversation had drawn us closer, and I left her 
 with a beating heart. I went up the lane, hardly aware 
 what I was doing, and then remembered that I had a 
 message for Hawes. I saw him, and returned, passing 
 the "Feathers"; and, moved by an impulse, I entered 
 the doorway of the inn. 
 
 It is a custom in English villages, a surviving relic 
 8 
 
114 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 of ancient and more intemperate times, to interrupt the 
 morning work by a glass of ale or stout. Oddly enough, 
 men who will do this every day of their lives would 
 consider an afternoon glass as a sign of dissipation, 
 even of insobriety. It was between eleven and twelve, 
 and several of the village tradesmen were gathered for 
 their refreshment in the little parlor. It was not until 
 I heard his voice from behind the stout grocer, that I 
 knew Eustace was among them. 
 
 "I say, have you got any stamps?" he called in his 
 frank, easy, lusty way. 
 
 The grocer turned, and disclosed him to me, where 
 he sat by the mantelpiece, with a couple of letters in 
 his hand, and a cigarette sticking by his upper lip. 
 The innkeeper bustled to a jar to search in it, and, 
 finding what he sought, held out six stamps to his cus- 
 tomer, who reached lazily to take them. As he did so, 
 one of the letters he held slipped from his fingers and 
 fluttered to the floor, carried with a sidewise plunge 
 past the grocer's legs to me. I picked it up, and handed 
 it back, but the addressed side had fallen uppermost, 
 and I could not but read it. I must have seen the name 
 at the time, but when I cast my mind back that same 
 evening, I could not recall it. That was of no conse- 
 quence. It was not the name that struck me; it was 
 the writing. It remained in my mind's eye with a fa- 
 miliar effect. Where had I seen it ? I took my draught, 
 and left; and half-way up the ascent I remembered. 
 The handwriting was that which I had found in the 
 stolen note-book the first night of my arrival at the 
 Castle ! 
 
 This unexpected identification brought me to a stand- 
 still ; for I awoke from a course of thought to find my- 
 
On the Trail 
 
 115 
 
 gelf staring with unseeing eyes across the hedgerow into 
 a flowing field of corn. The discovery opened a whole 
 world of possibilities and hazards. To say the truth, 
 as I now confessed to myself, I had never really sus- 
 pected Eustace of more than presumptuous assurance; 
 but this connection of the note-book with him set him 
 in darker colors. It associated him with the "ghost,'* 
 with the intruder in the gallery, with the person who 
 had inaugurated all my suspicions as to the plot. I 
 was staggered by the revelation. 
 
 But after I had resumed my walk, my amazement 
 gave way to a consideration of policy. In the face of 
 this, what was to be done? I pondered the problem 
 carefully, but I could see no road of definite and final 
 action open to me. I had still no evidence on which to 
 take proceedings; stUl I could not authentically con- 
 nect Eustace with the burglar. I could, therefore, only 
 play a waiting game still, but now one with an obvious 
 clue. In a word, attention must be concentrated on 
 Eustace, must be shifted from the present theatre of 
 suspicion, and directed on him. 
 
 Somehow he now assumed in my eyes, quite against 
 all principles, a position of greater dignity. He was not 
 the mere lubberly horse jockey he had seemed, but the 
 mainspring of a criminal gang. As such he claimed my 
 respect for a cleverer man than I had ever imagined 
 him to be. I took it that his superficial appearances 
 and his bluff assurance were in reality astute disguises, 
 and I wondered at the naturalness they had. At the 
 same time I wondered also why I had not been per- 
 spicacious enough to see him before in his proper 
 sinister proportions. 
 
 I was resolved to keep my eye on Mr. Eustace, and 
 
116 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 I was confirmed in my determination that same after- 
 noon by a glimpse of a figure in the lanes about South- 
 ington. Mr. Naylor had returned. He stalked along 
 in a lordly manner, striking idly at the hedge with his 
 stick, his Homburg hat correctly dented, and the smoke 
 flowing from his fragrant cigar. From underneath his 
 long lashes his feminine eyes swept my face, and re- 
 sumed their modest survey of the fair prospect. I 
 passed him as if he had been a mere rustic and not an 
 obvious and elegant Londoner ; but I thought the more 
 when I was Safe behind the Castle walls. Mr. Eustace 
 had paid a visit to the house the previous evening with 
 one of his confederates — I knew so much from Per- 
 dita. And here was his partner, no doubt, walking the 
 hill in lofty indifference. The two facts augured some 
 new movement. I should be on my guard. I fell into 
 a deep reflection, and at last came out of it with a plan. 
 But for that I must wait till dusk, and it was at dusk 
 that I made an alarming discovery. 
 
 I had pity on the abashed and penitent Peter Toosey, 
 and invited him to tea, vv^hen he discoursed with modest 
 elegance on art. Thereafter we strolled in the garden 
 in that delicious summer evening, and I displayed my 
 borrowed demesne before his admiring eyes. Seeing 
 his appreciation, I gave him the liberty of the grounds 
 in a friendly way, and left him to his devices. 1 ex- 
 plained to Mrs. Jackman that I was going for a stroll 
 and should not need supper till late, and then I set 
 off. It was about eight o'clock now, and the light was 
 still full and clear. I w^ent briskly do^vn the lane with 
 the express design of discovering how Mr. Eustace 
 would spend his evening. When I had reached the 
 village I directed my steps without faltering to Mrs. 
 
On the Trail 
 
 IIT 
 
 Lane's cottage, and marching up the pathway rapped 
 on the door. 
 
 So soon as I was admitted into the parlor, to which the 
 girls had just retired from their evening meal I had to 
 find an excuse for my visit — for what I had to say was 
 not to be said before Miss Fuller. That, at least, I had 
 resolved — not only to keep a secret between us, but 
 also to maintain our initial reservation of the delicate 
 understanding. It was not, however, I found, difficult, 
 thank goodness, to get rid of Miss Fuller. She was 
 a most intelligent woman, and she faded away like a 
 snow-wreath in June. I thought that Perdita seemed 
 anxious to keep her, and I winced at that ; but I think 
 it emboldened me in my tactics all the same. I threw 
 her a most significant look, which had the effect of 
 arresting her attempts to retain her companion. We 
 were alone. 
 
 ^'I did n't want to speak before Miss Fuller," I be- 
 gan eagerly. " I did n't know whether she knew about 
 — the visitor last night." 
 
 "She always knows what I do," said Perdita coolly. 
 ''Of course I told her." 
 
 I might have been taken aback by this little snub, if 
 I had not had some news to impart; and so I hur- 
 ried on. 
 
 "I want you to allow me, if you will, to sit here for 
 a little this evening." 
 
 Her fine eyebrows went up slightly. "Have you been 
 burnt out of your house, Mr. Brabazon?" she asked 
 with interest. 
 
 "No," I stammered, "but the fact is this window is 
 the only place I know which commands the green, and 
 I have reasons for wanting to watch it just now." 
 
il8 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 She looked at me inquiringly, and with an altered 
 expression. 
 
 **I have something to add to your recognition last 
 night," I said, weighing my words importantly; and 
 then I told her. 
 
 She listened with a puzzled face, and then rose with 
 a display of embarrassment. ''I can't think you are 
 right," she said. ''Miss Harvey says he is a gentleman. 
 She likes him very much. He plays the fiddle," she 
 added irrelevantly. 
 
 "Nero fiddled," I reminded her, "and as for 
 his being a gentleman, all I 've got to say is that 
 if he is he succeeds in assuming the groom most 
 triumphantly." 
 
 She seemed perplexed. "Of course you can, if you 
 think it is right and necessary," she said. "But — " 
 she paused. 
 
 I had not used the window yet, but I happened to 
 give a glance out of it now ; and I also rose, and quickly, 
 to my feet. I might have been content to sit and argue 
 and discuss the situation with her all the evening, quite 
 oblivious to the gradual loss of the opportunity for which 
 I was pleading. But that casual glance brought me 
 back, straightened me, made me interrupt her abruptly 
 and stare. For into Eustace's cottage across the green, 
 was entering, at that very moment, no other than the 
 sleek form of Jackman. 
 
 "Excuse me," I cried, and made a dash for the door. 
 But before I reached it I had realized my impotence, 
 and it flashed into my mind also that the window was 
 still the best observatory. I went back ; my face alight 
 with excitement. 
 
 "My man has just gone in there," I said. 
 
On the Trail 
 
 119 
 
 Miss Forrest started. "Your man! Is he trust- 
 worthy? Have you had him long?" she asked. 
 
 "I don't know anything about him," I answered. 
 "He was Sir Gilbert's legacy to me. He has always 
 seemed the pink of decency." 
 
 Over her clear face a cloud passed slowly, and she 
 said nothing ; her eyes dropped away from me. When 
 she did speak it was in another voice. 
 
 "What will you do?" 
 
 It sounded as if she took no longer any interest in the 
 matter, and I was disappointed. 
 
 "If I may, I will stay here," I said. 
 
 "Certainly," said she in the same voice. "If you 
 want books there are some old Punches there." 
 
 She left the room at once, and I was too engrossed by 
 the discovery of Jackman's perfidy even to wonder at 
 the change in her. 
 
 Viewed in the light of this remarkable discovery, 
 much that had been previously unintelligible was now 
 easy to understand. Jackman was in league with the 
 gang; and, now that I recalled it, it was plain that he 
 had persistently put me off investigation. I remembered 
 the adventures in the gallery the first night, and I re- 
 called how my candle had gone out unexpectedly when 
 I met Jackman. Again ! A gust of wind had seemed 
 to come from behind me when I was descending the 
 stairs and had left me a second time in darkness. Jack- 
 man had been behind me; and I had wondered at the 
 time at the violence of the wind on that gentle May 
 night. Jackman, too, had offered on his own initiative 
 to explore the orchard on the previous night, an un- 
 likely proceeding for so mild a man, but one perfectly 
 intelligible on the supposition that he was in league 
 
120 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 with the marauders. I became indignant as I reflected, 
 and I watched the house across the green with jealous 
 eyes. It was a quarter of an hour before any one ap- 
 peared at the door, and then it was Jackman who let 
 himself out and walked across the green and up the 
 lane that climbs to the Castle. Within two minutes of 
 his disappearance the door again opened and Eustace 
 issued forth. I jumped up. My watch had brought 
 me so far an astounding revelation. I was resolved to 
 continue the trail to the bitter end. 
 
 Eustace left the house and proceeded to the inn. 
 Shortly afterwards I saw a horse being harnessed in 
 the yard, and I guessed that it was for him. Leaving 
 my window now with a tumult in my heart, I departed 
 from Mrs. Lane's without seeking to take leave of any 
 one and crossed to the Feathers." By this time my 
 guess had been justified, and Eustace, a cigar between 
 his teeth, was seated in the dog-cart, looking the very 
 model of a coachman. As he drove off I entered the 
 yard and made my own request. 
 
 I will admit that my turnout was by no means so 
 smart as his, as all I could obtain was a little Devon 
 cart. But the pony was vigorous and willing, and rat- 
 tled along the road at a very fair speed. Eustace had 
 taken the road to Amcombe, the little town which is 
 the station for our neighborhood, and I followed after. 
 I sighted him on the outskirts of Amcombe, in the dusk, 
 and saw him draw up at an inn. I handed my cart and 
 pony into the care of a boy, and took up the chase on 
 foot. 
 
 Eustace, with his long, leisurely stride, strolled 
 towards the station, but did not enter. He passed on 
 to a shop near by, and went in, while I waited in the 
 
On the Trail 
 
 121 
 
 falling light. A few minutes afterwards he emerged 
 with some letters in his hand, tearing open the envelope 
 of one carelessly. It was clear, then, that he called for 
 letters surreptitiously ; and now his character darkened 
 deeper than ever. 
 
 I walked in his wake towards the station, secure in i 
 the gloom, as I thought, against his observation. Just 
 before we got to it I heard the groaning of the down 
 train as the brakes checked it into the platform; and 
 when Eustace came abreast of the doorway it shot out 
 its passengers — a man and a woman first, a party of 
 tourists happy together, and then two men a little be- 
 hind them, the one with a bag in his hand. Suddenly I 
 observed Eustace wheel away, and slouch off in his 
 own tracks, a manoeuvre that brought him back towards 
 me. His act was entirely unexpected and caught me 
 by surprise. He went by me quite close, but without 
 paying me any heed, and as if in considerable haste. 
 As for me, I walked on — I could do nothing else — 
 and I passed quite close to the two men at whom, as it 
 appeared to me, Eustace had shied. One was the little 
 fair man who had previously been staying in the 
 "Feathers," and the other, with the bag, was a stranger. 
 They were eagerly talking together, and the stranger 
 was throwing a hand out in the direction from which 
 I had come. 
 
 This enhanced the mystery. I could have sworn 
 Eustace had striven to hide himself from the arrivals, 
 and I now was vexed at having lost sight of him. The 
 two men had apparently seen him, and he was under 
 discussion by them. What did it mean I loitered 
 down the road till I came to the place where I had left 
 my pony-cart. The boy was waiting patiently, but I 
 
12^ The Castle by the Sea 
 
 left him there, for I had a sudden notion to look in at 
 tte inn where Eustace had drawn up. There was a 
 bustle in the little stable yard, and as I entered a man 
 OTsted past me round the nose of a horse which was 
 fei'og harnessed. 
 
 **^Look out, old man,'* called Eustace to me out of 
 the deepening gloom. "I 'm off smart.'* 
 
 1 had just time to step aside, and the horse, with his 
 lacad drawn back, ramped by me and over the thresh- 
 old of the gates into the street. Next moment Eustace 
 was slipping briskly down the road on the return to 
 Southington. I ran back to my pony, and, throwing a 
 c».oin to the boy, jumped into the trap. I was not more 
 than a few hundred yards in the rear of my quarry, 
 l>iil I had lost sight of him. I could hear the pounding 
 of Ms horse's hoofs on the road, but the dark had 
 :^wallowed him up. My little pony struggled gamely 
 to keep up, but slowly fell back and soon I heard no 
 sound of him. When at last I reached Southington he 
 iad disappeared. 
 
 I was now in this predicament. Eustace had fled 
 from the men at the station for some unknown reason. 
 Should I try to get on his track again, or should I await 
 the arrival of the others, and confine my attention to 
 Ihem? I had a feeling that perhaps the latter course 
 would be the wiser. If they were after Eustace I should 
 Ihus kill two birds with one stone. As yet I had not 
 atopped to wonder why he was anxious to escape their 
 ^notice. I had been too hot upon the scent so far. But 
 flow I lost it at the ''Feathers." He had alighted in the 
 jTard, where his horse was still smoking, and had left 
 a few minutes before my arrival. Had he gone to his 
 mK>ms I dared not follow at the present development 
 
On the Trail 
 
 123r 
 
 of affairs, and the window at Mrs. Lane's would no. 
 longer serve me as a watch-tower. I might, of course,, 
 hang about the green on the chance of seeing Eustace, 
 but I did not like the idea with its "long odds " against, 
 me. Should I wait at the inn? 
 
 That was what I did in the end. I want to set downi 
 the facts of this evening in exact sequence, and I hope? 
 they will not appear confused, which, I will confess,, 
 they were to me at the time. I waited at the " Feathers 
 until I heard the sound of a trap without. Then I went 
 out. It was quite dark by now, and I could do no more 
 than determine the figures of three men in a victoria, 
 the driver on the box, and two others at the back. 
 These latter got out, and I knew my conjecture had not 
 gone wrong, when I saw that one held a bag in his hand* 
 
 The two men conferred a little, put a question I did 
 not hear to the innkeeper, and then separated. 
 
 "I '11 find him," said one; and this was the one who 
 strode off into the night. The second man entered 
 the inn. 
 
 I did not hesitate. It seemed to me more important 
 to keep the former in view. He was off in search of 
 some one, and I was off in search of him. I kept 
 steadily in his rear at a convenient distance, dogging 
 him as I had dogged Eustace, and when the rays of a 
 lamp from a cottage window fell on him, and revealed 
 the sunken square head of the little fair man, I was not 
 surprised. He went up the lane towards the Castle, 
 
 Now the lane, as I have said, was a characteristic 
 Devon lane, running in parts like a deep gutter, over- 
 closed with banks and trees above. And in our passage 
 through this tract I lost him. He vanished absolutely, 
 and no sign of him came back to me, to ear or eye. 1 
 
124 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 hunted the lane, and found sloping paths that ran up 
 the wall mto the fields above, and as soon as I was 
 brought up against this my heart sank. If he had struck 
 up to the higher ground he had certainly evaded me. 
 And there was the copse a little farther. He might be 
 hiding anywhere there. Again, he might have taken a 
 short and private cut across the fields to the Castle pre- 
 cincts. As this dawned on me I became anxious to get 
 home ; and, abandoning all attempts to get on the trail, 
 I hurried along the lane excitedly. 
 
 I reached the Castle to find my supper on the table, 
 and Jackman with a suggestion of silent reproach on 
 his face. And not until then did his newly revealed 
 perfidy recur to me. I looked at him and wondered 
 that so specious a man could be such a hypocrite. His 
 mask of a face betrayed nothing, save concern for a hot 
 dish which his wife had prepared and which had been 
 kept against my return. His even tones degenerated 
 not a shade into an expression of feeling. He seemed 
 impassive. 
 
 I was not equal just then to dealing with him. I 
 had lost both Eustace and the fair man, and I was 
 tired and disgusted. Only towards the end of the 
 meal I broke silence. A couple of glasses of cham- 
 pagne had consoled me, and brought fresh ideas and 
 new hopes. 
 
 Jackman, it is possible that we may be troubled 
 to-night by our old friends, the burglars, — perhaps I 
 should say the ghosts." I amended ironically. ''You 
 wili be on your guard." 
 
 I looked him full in the face. "Yes, sir," said he, 
 as if I had ordered a piece of toast. 
 
 The man was a consummate hypocrite and a hardened 
 
On the Trail 
 
 125 
 
 Tascal. But he was to meet his match, I thought, for 
 once at least in artifice. He was in league with the gang 
 and Eustace, and I knew it. Whoever came would be 
 confident in the knowledge of a confederate within the 
 Castle. And now the relation of the various parties 
 began to trouble me. Was it possible that the men 
 at the station were detectives ? 
 
 I went out into the fine night and paced the lawn. 
 The sky was clearing, and a moon was vagrant in it. 
 Upon the shingle the sea moaned and raked. A fine 
 wind blew out of the west. I thought of Perdita under 
 the stars, and came to with the blackness of a shrubbery 
 on the lawn threatening me. What lurked in that 
 formidable stack of gloom ? I turned away and went 
 back to the house. The situation was getting on my 
 nerves. I read for a time in the down-stairs room, and 
 then moved into the morning-room which opened on 
 the lawn. There was no light here, and I threw back 
 the French windows and let the night breeze wander in. 
 Without all was still and silent, except for the wind in the 
 trees, and the water on the shore. 
 
 Suddenly this silence was broken by noises, by a sort 
 of indistinct and distant clamor. I listened intently, 
 and it seemed to me I could hear voices and the sound 
 of feet as of some one running. And then the sounds 
 faded. I pulled at the bell for Jackman on a quick 
 impulse, but no one answered. I peaied on it continu- 
 ously and could hear it jingling way in the kitchen 
 quarters. Mrs. Jackman appeared now with a scared 
 face, white like death. 
 
 "Did you ring, sir she asked. 
 
 It was the silliest of questions. 
 
 "Where 's Jackman ?" I asked abruptly. 
 
126 ' The Castle by the Sea 
 
 **I — I '11 see, sir," she stammered in confusion* "I 
 — he 's — p 'raps he 's — I '11 see, sir." 
 
 I knew now what I had wanted to learn, and I turned 
 my back on her ; for the sounds were again audible, and 
 now they definitely resolved themselves into voices and 
 running feet. I stepped out into the moonlight, and as 
 I did so a dark figure shot across the intermediate lawn 
 and vanished into the shrubbery. I gazed. It emerged 
 from the shrubbery, took a flying leap across a pathway, 
 and passed from my sight round the comer of the Castle. 
 He had sped like a wraith. 
 
 Since my discovery of Jackman's perfidy I had 
 guessed as to the means of entrance which the burg- 
 lar had found. He came by the back, and his 
 objective was naturally the strong-room. I went in, 
 shut the window swiftly, and, going to my drawer in 
 the other room as fast as I could, took out a loaded 
 revolver. 
 
 Then I seized a light and went up the stairs noiselessly 
 to the picture-gallery. I walked the length of this with 
 the lamp in one hand, and the weapon in the other; but 
 no one was visible, and nothing but shadows leaped 
 out on me from the walls and bays of the libraoy. The 
 door of the jewel-room was shut. I came back along 
 the western wall, pierced with large mullions, and set 
 with portraits, and when I had gone half-way a noise 
 ^ stopped me. I listened greedily, and it came as the 
 shuffling of a mouse in the wainscot. I was passing on 
 when it grew louder. I paused again. It seemed to 
 ^spring from the lower portion of the room. I retraced 
 my steps, and stood flashing the light into the bays of 
 book-shelves. The noise was still audible, but not so 
 loud, and it obviously came from behind the shelves in 
 
On the Trail 
 
 the wall. Acting almost on instinct I blew out the lamp» 
 and the moonlight filed into the chamber. 
 
 There was a dull click, and the shelves shook in the? 
 corner; and then the light fell faintly on a yawning hole,, 
 and out of the hole crept a man. 
 
 I waited a moment longer, and then, stepping into the 
 light, presented my pistol. The moon was full on mj 
 face. 
 
 "I say, stop a bit," said a voice. "Damn it, I 
 Sir Gilbert Norroy." 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 ENTRANCE OF A MAN OF THE WORLD 
 
 I DON'T think my hand wavered, for the pistol was 
 still at the level when the man took a step forward, 
 and I made him out clearly. It was Eustace ! 
 
 '^Sir GUbert Norroy!" I exclaimed. "Why—" 
 "Yes, old chap, I know," he interrupted. "But I'll 
 explain. Look here, there 's some one after me, and I 
 don't want to be caught. Can we get away ? Do you 
 mind ? I 've had the devil of a run for my money, — I 
 ought to say some one else's." 
 
 He went to the window and stared out into the garden. 
 "Perhaps they've given up. I hope so. It's a 
 beastly nuisance. I say, my boy, have you got a drink ? 
 I can do with a drink. I've had a twenty minutes' 
 sprint, by Jove !" 
 
 I said nothing, but took him down the stairs, my 
 mind busy with this strange new development. I 
 could not fit it in with my theories and my prejudices 
 at all. I was amazed and dumbfounded. It was not 
 until I got down to the sitting-room that I spoke. 
 
 I poured him out a whiskey and pushed him the 
 syphon. He drank deep of it, and as I eyed him 
 narrowly I could see the marks of perspiration on his 
 red forehead. 
 
 "Good !" he said, drawing breath. "Lord, I have 
 had a trot." 
 
A Man of the World 
 
 129 
 
 "Perhaps, Sir Gilbert," said I in a measured voice, 
 "^'you will explain." 
 
 "I can do a bit of it," he said. "But I want some 
 explanation myself. I'm a bit foggy over it. Did you 
 guess me.?" 
 
 "On the contrary," I said, "I have been under the 
 impression you were a burglar." 
 
 He laughed. "Burglar!" he said. "Good Lord! 
 Well, I've been many things, but I'm damned if I've 
 ever been taken for that before. May I have another ?" 
 
 He helped himself without waiting for an answer, and 
 looked about the room. 
 
 "It's all right, is n't it.? he inquired. "A cosy place, 
 if you like that sort of thing. Damned if those walls 
 ain't damp. I could hardly find my way up in the dark." 
 
 "Sir Gilbert," said I, "I think you expressed a con- 
 viction that my desire for enlightenment was natural." 
 
 "Eh.? Oh, all right. You want me to go ahead. It's 
 a bit of a story. Look here, did I rattle you at all that 
 first night.?" 
 
 "It was you .?" I asked. 
 
 "What do you think.? Yes, I got in the usual way. 
 I wanted to go through the gallery, and by Jehoshaphat," 
 he broke into a broad grin, "you gave me a dance. I 
 thought you 'd copped me once, at the head of the stairs 
 there; but old Jackman played up like a trump." 
 
 " Jackman,then," said I politely,"is in this business .?" 
 
 "Jackman ! Oh, yes. He was ten years with me in 
 town; with the governor, too, ever since I was a kid. 
 That was why I sent him down here. It ain't a bad 
 place, is it.?" he mused. "I don't know that I should 
 like it for a permanency. Does the old chap make you 
 comfortable.?" 
 
 9 
 
130 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 I was having my eyes opened. I could hardly spare 
 time for consecutive thought. I could only sit there and 
 get it out of him. This Sir Gilbert ! I muttered some 
 answer, and turned him back on to the subject he 
 seemed to have forgotten. 
 
 "That's all right. I'm coming to that. I hope the 
 old boy has n't come to any grief out there. He came 
 out to talk when I came up after meeting that chap at 
 Arncombe. I had a narrow shave." 
 
 This was merely maddening. What did it all mean ? 
 "Are you a criminal, Sir Gilbert Norroy ?" I asked in 
 my irritation. 
 
 He stared, and then grinned. "Did you think I was 
 wanted?" he asked, and chuckled outright. "Not by 
 a huge chalk. And yet I am in a way. They 'd be 
 precious glad to clap a hand on me, and why the Devil 
 they want to I don't know," he said moodily. "Any- 
 way I 'm not going to risk the Courts." 
 
 "If I were you," I said, with elaborate sarcasm, "I 
 would go on explaining like this, so that I can't fail to 
 understand. It 's as simple as A, B, C, and I don't 
 wonder children take to it." 
 
 He opened his mouth at me. "Don't get shirty, old 
 chap," he said grinning. "I'm coming to it. Look 
 here, it 's only duns." 
 
 "Duns !" I echoed, and with a rush the whole build- 
 ing I had romantically been erecting on invisible founda- 
 tions slipped into a welter of ruins. 
 
 "Yes, duns, my boy. They've pretty nearly diddled 
 me to-night. Only I managed to dodge 'em." 
 
 "There was a man who tried to serve me with a writ 
 so soon as I arrived," T said. 
 
 "Was there.?" said Sir Gilbert, looking interested. 
 
A Man of the World 
 
 131 
 
 "Sorry. Yes, that was meant for me, no doubt. You 
 see I skipped from London." 
 
 "Suppose you hang it all out to dry," I suggested. 
 "If it won't hurt your feelings I should like to know." 
 
 "Oh, I don't mind," he said easily, and, feeling in his 
 pocket, brought out a cigar-case, chose a cigar and lit 
 it. "But I hope you haven't been rattled, old chap; 
 I thought I scared you that night." 
 
 "You interested me," I said, "and I don't deny 
 you've taken up a lot of my attention. But I don't 
 know that I'm sorry. In fact I begin to think I'm 
 sorry it's over. However, let us suppose I've been in 
 distress, and that you are making amends by open 
 confession. I think I deserve that tale. Sir Gilbert." 
 
 "All serene," said he. "But there is n't much of a 
 tale," he added, scratching his head. "It's like this. 
 When my uncle died I came into this little bit, but it 
 is n't in my line much. Mind you, I hang on to it, 
 for it's been in the family a tidy long time. But I don't 
 much hanker after living here. I like things a bit 
 livelier; what.^ Anyway, I did n't. But I went the pace 
 a bit in town, and had to go to the Jews and so on. And 
 at last it came to a crisis." 
 
 He paused, and sipped his whiskey. " That's why I 
 let the place and went in for retrenchment." 
 
 "Why not have retired yourself to your own modest 
 estate.^" I inquired. 
 
 "Could n't afford it. I wanted all I could get. And 
 my creditors were making things too hot for me." 
 
 "Then," I asked, "why — what is the reason you 
 are here.?^" 
 
 Sir Gilbert looked at me with a quaint expression of 
 shrewdness on his comical face. "The last place they'd 
 
132 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 think of looking for me would be my own place," he 
 said. "Besides I had another reason. But I gave out 
 I was going abroad, and then skipped here. And, 
 damn it, no one would have known I was here if it 
 had n't been for that fool, Sally." 
 
 "Sally!" I repeated vaguely. 
 
 "Sally Jackman !" 
 
 "Then Mrs. Jackman is in it, too ?" I said. 
 
 "I sent 'em both down from town. She was my 
 mother's parlor-maid. Jackman was the governor's 
 butler. They've known me since I was a kid, and, 
 bless you, they 'd go through fire and water for me. But 
 Sally's got a damn long tongue. She can't help it. 
 And she let slip I was about to some of the villagers,^ 
 and, what's more, that I was under another name — 
 incog like royalty, you know." He grinned. 
 
 "Then that explains why I — " I began, a light 
 dawning on me. 
 
 "They supposed you were me, old chap," said 
 Norroy, laughing heartily as if it were a great joke. 
 "Knew I was knocking round and took it I was you 
 under a false name. Great Scott!" He roared with 
 amusement, though there did not seem to me very 
 much to laugh at. Sir Gilbert had a stable idea of a 
 joke, as he had a stable idea of clothes. 
 
 I mused. It also explained Mrs. Harvey, and 
 perhaps other things. I saw now in a flash that I had 
 been Sir Gilbert in the eyes of the neighborhood. I 
 turned to my companion. 
 
 "Then these spies hanging about, and lurking in the 
 grounds, have been watching me, supposing me, to be 
 you.^" 
 
 "Hang it, no — not all the time. I wish they had/^ 
 
A Man of the World 133 
 
 he said aggrievedly. "'They did at first, and I thought 
 I was all right. No one suspected me. It just suited 
 me right down to the ground, — I mean in regard to 
 what I 'd come for. But they were smart, smarter than 
 I thought. And that's why I'm here to-night," he 
 added comfortably. 
 
 ''Well, I have n't heard about that yet," I said, with 
 mild resentment. 
 
 ''Oh, yes, I'd better tell you about that," he has- 
 tened on. "You see I was going along all right, and 
 chuckling to think the job had been shifted on to you. 
 The chaps fooled about a lot, and there was one of 'em 
 staying in the inn, and I used to feel jolly pleased when- 
 ever I stared him in the face, while he was keeping his 
 telescope on you. But they smelt a rat after a time. 
 Old Sally had spread it about that I was down in dis- 
 guise ; and some one of their agents must have reported 
 this right away. I don't understand it all. Anyway, 
 at last they got the idea of getting down a man who 
 could recognize me. It was that damned Jew Lieb- 
 felt's clerk they got hold of. And I had a nasty scare 
 when I almost ran into his arms at the station. There 
 he was with Home, and spotted me, too, worse luck. 
 I made tracks, and they followed. I packed up at my 
 diggings, and came up to interview the old Jacker 
 when they got on my track. I was n't going to be 
 served with writs if I could help it, and so I bolted for 
 it. Phew, I did have a run for it. One of their bull- 
 dogs nearly got me on the lawn, but I tripped him into 
 the shrubbery, and I gave 'em the slip, thank the Lord. 
 I 've got to keep my end up," he concluded knowingly. 
 
 "That reminds me. Sir Gilbert," I interjected. "Are 
 you a magician ? Do you wave a wand and disappear ? " 
 
134 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "Eh, what?" he stared. "Oh, you mean the stairs 
 in the wall. Oh, I knew that when I was a boy. It 
 leads down into a shrubbery along the western wing. 
 What uncle used to call a sally-port. I '11 show you 
 how, if you come up." 
 
 Well, in the circumstances, I rather wanted to know 
 how I stood, and so we went, Norroy chatting in a 
 friendly way and quite at his ease. When we arrived 
 at the last bay of the library where the angle of the 
 walls was formed, he pointed out a panel in the guise 
 of book-shelves and books, fitting quite closely so as 
 to escape the casual eye. This opened with a spring, 
 and Norroy flung the light into the dark aperture. 
 
 "I nearly barked my shins coming up in the black- 
 ness," he said. "It twists and is awfully narrow, but 
 it gets there. Try it." 
 
 I did not think I would try it that night ; I was con- 
 tent to have solved the riddle, and back we went to the 
 smoking-room . 
 
 "Nice little snuggery, isn't it?" he asked, looking 
 round. 
 
 "And now," I said, ignoring this, "what 's the next 
 move?" 
 
 He screwed up his face comically. "I 've got to get 
 out," he said. "I '11 do 'em yet. I 've got my wind 
 again, and I 'm fit for a cross-country steeplechase with 
 any one. Don't you worry your head, old man." * 
 
 I was not worrying my head, but I felt rather re- 
 luctant to turn my visitor loose among his persistent 
 enemies. It was, of course, no business of miiie, nor 
 was it very moral of him to be eluding his creditors. 
 Yet human nature is at bottom sportive, and loves to 
 back the adventurous and the desperate. A forlorn 
 
A Man of the World 135 
 
 hope appeals to its compassion, and surely Sir Gilbert 
 Norroy was heading his own forlorn hope. The enemy 
 environed us. 
 
 " Can't you effect a compromise ? " I suggested, "and 
 straighten out your affairs.^" 
 
 "They 're a bit top-heavy," he said, without feeling., 
 "I 've been piling it up like a fool. There 's this place, 
 for instance. My solicitors hold a mortgage on it for 
 a lump. But they 're very decent about it — don't 
 push me. And then there 's a devil of a lot been ac- 
 cumulating. At least," he looked at me ruefully, "per- 
 haps you would n't think it a lot, but it runs to thou- 
 sands, and when you can't raise two brass farthings 
 to jingle on a tombstone, it might as well be millions. 
 No ; it 's no go. I might have managed with old Lieb- 
 felt and the livery people and the Bond Streeters, if 
 they had n't parted with the debts. But this chap, 
 who has taken it on, is going to have his pound of 
 flesh." 
 
 "You mean to say," I asked, starting, "that some 
 one has bought up your debts 
 
 "Yes, a chap called Home, as far as I can make out, 
 the little Johnny who was after me to-night — the 
 Johnny who was staying in the inn." He laughed. 
 " Why, he must be mad now to think of the number of 
 times he met me face to face, and was worrying for his 
 money." 
 
 I was thinking. The affair had an odd look. 
 
 "Were you known to be in difficulties?" I asked. 
 *'Or did they tliink you solvent.^" 
 
 He grinned. "I should guess they knew all about 
 me in London Town," he said. "I 've been going the 
 pace, and these Johnnies know pretty well." 
 
136 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 ''Then why should Mr. Home have the grand idea 
 of buying up your debts?" I asked. 
 
 He blinked at me. ''Dunno," he said. ''May I 
 have one more, old chap, a nightcap before I turn out, 
 what?" 
 
 I made a gesture of assent, and considered as I eyed 
 him. 
 
 "I 've been watching this pretty carefully," I said 
 at last, "and I won't pretend to understand it. But 
 you seem to have a lot of folk up against you." 
 
 "Home's agents," he said indifferently. 
 
 "Well, there 's a good deal behind Home, if my ob- 
 ser^'ation 's right," I replied. "There 's a swell called 
 Naylor." 
 
 "Naylor!" He started. 
 
 "They seem as thick as thieves," I said. 
 
 "That 's mm," he said slowly. "That was the name 
 of the chap that wanted to buy the Castle." 
 
 "\Miat?" I got a little excited here. "Did any one 
 ask for your estate?" 
 
 "I got a letter from a man named Naylor about it. 
 In fact he 's pressed me about it — seemed to think it 
 would suit his tastes. But I 'm not selling. I 'm going 
 to cling on to the old bricks and mortar. Dash it, you 
 must have some consideration for what 's been in the 
 family so long." 
 
 "And Naylor," said I eagerly, "is hand in glove 
 with this Home and the duns. It looks like a 
 game." 
 
 "Think so?" he said blinking, and stuck his glass 
 in his eye. "What 's the game?" 
 
 "I should like to know," I answered, "and between 
 us we may know it. Naylor wants the Castle, and 
 
A Man of the World 137 
 
 Home, Naylor's friend, wants to force you into liquida- 
 tion. That 's a good start for us." 
 
 ''That 's what it tots up to," confessed Sir Gilbert, 
 after pondering this. *'If I got a judgment for the 
 money against me I 'd have to file my own petition. 
 I 'd have to look in at Carey Street," 
 
 "And the Castle would be sold," I said. 
 
 He hesitated. "Yes," he assented, "as far as the 
 estate goes, that 's not entailed. Damn it," he added. 
 "It's rough luck." 
 
 He took it pretty easily, or seemed to do so. I lost 
 sight and count of him for a few minutes, and then I 
 heard his voice. 
 
 "Well, I '11 be clearing out." He had risen. 
 
 "You forget, they will be on the lookout for you," I 
 said. 
 
 "Oh, I'll manage," he replied cheerfully. "If 
 you '11 let me have old Jacker I '11 make shift." 
 
 I went to the window and looked out on the moonlit 
 lawn. No one was visible, but I knew now that the 
 house was watched. The riddle was not solved yet. 
 It only began with duns. 
 
 "Look here, Norroy," said I, suddenly, "you 're not 
 going. You 're going to put up here." 
 
 "Not I," he said heartily. "You 've no concern 
 with my business. It 's rather a shabby business, too." 
 
 "Anyway," I said firmly, "I 'm going to take a hand 
 in it. You see in a way it 's been thrust on me, and 
 I 've got interested. I don't know what to make of it, 
 and I should like to know what to make of it. I 've 
 never heard of such persistent creditors." 
 
 "They take the cake," he said, "but I 'm going to 
 hang on to the old place." 
 
138 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "In that case," I argued, "you must hide here." 
 
 "Honest?" he asked. I nodded. "Good man. 
 You 're a Chancellor, Brabazon." He breathed a sigh 
 as of relief. "Well, old Jacker will be able to fix me up 
 somewhere, I 've no doubt." 
 
 "Oh, we '11 arrange all that," I said. "I shall rather 
 enjoy the fun, though I must confess that in the circum- 
 stances I think you were foolish to come down here." 
 
 I thought he looked at me furtively. "I had a bit 
 of business on," said he, and after a moment asked: 
 "Is n't there some one painting up-stairs ?" 
 
 "Yes," I said. "A Mr. Toosey, who apparently 
 designs to copy all the art treasures of the Castle." 
 
 "Yes, a good chap — clever chap, I hear," said Sir 
 Gilbert, hurriedly. "Well, what do you say to getting 
 hold of Jacker? A good old boy, Jacker !" 
 
 "Certainly," I replied. "If he 's in bed we '11 have 
 him out." 
 
 "Bless your heart, I '11 lay he 's not a room off wait- 
 ing," said Norroy, confidently. "This will have put 
 him out." 
 
 It seemed he was right, to judge from the time Jack- 
 man took to answer the bell. His face expressed noth- 
 ing, nor did he bear any visible sign of disturbance. 
 He looked at us as if it were the most natural thing in 
 the world that we should be sitting there together at 
 midnight. 
 
 "Sir Gilbert Norroy will stay with me for the present, 
 Jackman," I said slowly, "and. I want you to prepare 
 a room at once." 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Jackman. 
 
 "Beat 'em on the post, Jacker," remarked his master, 
 genially. 
 
A Man of the World 
 
 139> 
 
 **Yes, sir," said Jackman, without emotion. 
 
 When he was gone my mind flashed back over his 
 association with me and the events of the last few weeks, 
 and I remembered something. 
 
 "That note-book !" I cried. "Did you take that 
 
 "No, Jacker," said Norroy, dropping his eye-glass, and 
 surveying me with deliberation. " Jacker did n't know 
 what it might be, and thought it might give me away." 
 
 "Well, it did," said I, dryly. He stared, and I told> 
 him of my recognition- of the handwriting. 
 
 "Oh," he said easily, "that don't matter." 
 
 "Well, it mattered more than a mere scrappy list of- 
 the pictures in your gallery did," I said. 
 
 "Oh, you saw that.^^" he asked, and looked at me^. 
 I thought, a little sheepishly. "Weil, old chap," he 
 went on, "you 're doing me an awful good turn, and I 
 don't mind letting you into the secret. But don't give 
 it away. It was an idea of mine." 
 
 This was the third or fourth time he had referred to 
 an idea. 
 
 "What's that.?" I asked. 
 
 "Well, you see, it 's these pictures," said Sir Gilbert, 
 and his face assumed a knowing aspect. "They 're by 
 some thundering good fellows, and some of them have 
 been in the family a long while. Of course I would n't 
 get rid of the family portraits, don't you know. But 
 the other stuff 's awful dull, and I thought I 'd get 
 'em copied." 
 
 "To duplicate the dullness," I said sarcastically. 
 
 Sir Gilbert's look of knowingness increased. "Not 
 much," he said. "You see they're heirlooms — got 
 to go down to my descendants, don't you know, and 
 all that sort of thing. Well, I haven't got any. So 
 
140 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 they can't. And it occurred to me that they were no 
 use if I hadn't. See.^" Sir Gilbert explained em- 
 phatically with his hands to assist him, as if anxious 
 that I should see his point. ''If I die those pictures go 
 nowhere; well, I have n't got any descendants, so I 'm 
 not cheating any one. Consequently, I don't see why 
 I should n't sell 'em. What ? My solicitors told me I 
 couldn't." He chuckled. ''But I can. I got this 
 Toosey man through a friend of mine, a chap who 
 writes sporting novels, to come down and copy 'em. 
 And then I '11 ship the originals off to America, and 
 sell 'em, and stick the copies up, what.^" 
 
 My face fell before this amazing scheme, and I had 
 a violent inclination to go into a fit of laughter. Sir 
 Gilbert sat there v/ith an earnest countenance, his eye- 
 glass levelled on me, painfully marshalling in his mind 
 ihe arguments which had led him into a career of crime. 
 He seemed anxious I should understand. 
 
 "You see, Brabazon, they can't go to my descend- 
 ants because I have n't got any. So it 's all right. I 
 can't cheat people who ain't born, can I?" 
 
 "Suppose you do have any I got out at last. 
 
 "Oh, Lord, no, not me," he said decisively, and 
 seemed to think. "If I did have any I 'd buy 'em back, 
 or make it up to them somehow. But not me." He 
 thought awhile. "There was a sort of family notion 
 that I was to marry my cousin, Miss Rivers," he went 
 on. "She 's got pots of money, they say — father was 
 a manufacturer up north somewhere. But I 've never 
 seen her, and I don't buy a pig in a poke. I 'm not on 
 sale." He was silent a moment longer, and then added, 
 tquite irrelevantly: "Smart girl, Miss Harvey, ain't 
 she.^ I say, she 's a fair flyer, Brabazon, what 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 THE BUTCHER BOY 
 
 THE mystery, which had seemed about to solve 
 itself, had now in my eyes taken a darker color. 
 As I told Norroy, I had never heard of creditors wha 
 pressed a victim with such ruthlessness. Not but what 
 they had some excuses, if one examined the matter- 
 calmly. This young man had "outrun the constable" 
 in a most reckless way, and he must now pay the 
 penalty. So far as I could gather from his eminently 
 disconnected statements, the Castle was mortgaged 
 pretty fully, and a sale would bring but a small sum in 
 excess. There was that amount of reason at any rate 
 in his refusal to go to the market, quite apart from 
 sentiment. Sentiment I somehow found odd in Sir 
 Gilbert Norroy. His creditor, who had bought up his 
 debts, had another reason for wishing to push him to 
 extremes, — he wanted the estate. And Norroy had a 
 sentiment against this compulsory sale. I did not 
 blame him, though I wondered at it in him. And I 
 had undertaken to help him. 
 
 It was, after all, an easy matter in practice, what- 
 ever might be alleged against it in morals. My guest 
 was not difficult, and in a way he seemed businesslike. 
 He visited Toosey next morning to inspect his progress 
 in the nefarious work of copying the pictures, and came 
 back very much pleased. 
 
142 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "He 's making a rattling job of it," he declaredr 
 "You would n't know one from the other." 
 
 Toosey, it appeared, was not party to the criminal 
 transaction, being hired to reproduce the replicas 
 without knowledge of their ultimate destination. 
 
 "Does he know who you are?" I inquired. 
 
 "Damned if I know," said Norroy, suddenly. "I 
 talked a bit about things — told him what I wanted." 
 
 "All right," I said, seeing the sort of man I had to 
 deal with. "I '11 see hun." 
 
 I went up. Mr. Toosey greeted me with constraint, 
 for I don't think he fully trusted me. 
 
 "Mr. Toosey," said I, "that was Sir Gilbert Norroy 
 who paid you a visit." 
 
 "I thought so," said Peter Toosey, screwing up an 
 ^^ye to examine his color. 
 
 "The fact is," said I, "he 's in trouble." 
 
 Mr. Toosey put down his palette. "Police?" he 
 a^ked w^ith interest. 
 
 "Well, not precisely." 
 
 Mr. Toosey seemed disappointed. 
 
 "Duns!" I said. 
 
 He laughed. "Oh, duns!" as if that mattered 
 nothing in the least. 
 
 "The fact is," said I, again playing on the adven- 
 turous heart I had detected in him, "all these people 
 are after him." I waved a hand vaguely at the window. 
 Mr. Toosey's eyes sparkled. "And I 'm hiding him. 
 I don't want you to mention he is here, seeing I 've 
 taken you into my confidence." 
 
 "Naturally," said Mr. Toosey, "I should have said 
 ^nothing as a gentleman. But, of course, if it 's duns 
 I 'd do it on principle." 
 
The Butcher Boy 
 
 143 
 
 ''Thank you," I said. "We must keep him quiet. 
 He must lie low. We must guard him, Toosey." 
 
 He was gravely interested. "I '11 think out a plan,'* 
 he said presently. ''You may rely on me." 
 
 I marched out triumphant, and found Norroy turning 
 over the leaves of an illustrated weekly, containing 
 examples of female beauty, with every appearance of 
 absorption. 
 
 "I 've silenced him," I said. "He 's constitutionally 
 the foe of duns." 
 
 "Thanks, old chap," said Norroy. "I say, isn't 
 this girl a bit like Miss Harvey, what ? Rattling good 
 figure !" 
 
 "That reminds me," I went on. "What are we to do 
 about those ladies? Mrs. Harvey and her daughter 
 are sure to call in a day or two. They '11 find you here. 
 To them — well, you are still Mr. Eustace, you know.'* 
 
 "Gilbert Eustace is my name," said he, sticking in 
 his eye-glass and staring at me. "Look here, I 'm not 
 on to be known just now. Let us wait a bit. I 'm 
 Eustace still." 
 
 "Very well," said I. "I '11 tell Jackman. And you 'd 
 better make yourself as comfortable as you can while 
 we reconnoitre." 
 
 I visited the village later in the morning, leaving 
 Jackman to mount guard, but I saw nothing of the 
 ladies. Nor had I time to call, as I should like to have 
 done, for I was on a mission to secure some of Norroy's 
 belongings from his lodgings. I bore a letter to his 
 landlady, giving instructions that they should be sent to 
 the station at Arncombe, which had occurred to us as a 
 cunning device in the event of inquiries being made at 
 the cottage. I felt I ought to inform Miss Forrest that 
 
144 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 our suspicions in regard to Mr. Eustace were unfounded, 
 and I resolved to do so at the earliest opportunity. We 
 had lunch comfortably, during which I learned a good 
 deal more about Norroy's affairs, and was vastly en- 
 tertained by his philosophy, if I may so dignify it. He 
 had an excellent belief in his knowledge of the world, 
 a perfect confidence, and a straightforwardness in 
 speech which was exemplary. He had, I judged, the 
 simple mind and instincts of a superior animal, carried 
 off by bluff good manners, and his good nature was 
 imperturbable. He did not even display any animus 
 against his persecutors. 
 
 "A rum business," was his verdict on their proceed- 
 ings, and he seemed to want to go no deeper. ' 
 
 About four o'clock I heard a ring at the front bell, 
 and presently Jackman entered to acquaint me that a 
 gentleman desired to see me. He glanced at his master, 
 and I saw that he would have said something if he had 
 not been a perfect servant. I took the card. 
 
 "This is coming to close quarters," I remarked with 
 a whistle. "Horne !" 
 
 Norroy looked up. "The little chap with the big 
 head," he said. "I 'd better make myself scarce." 
 
 I thought so, too, and presently when Mr. Horne was 
 ushered in I was alone. He gave me an awkward bow, 
 and came forward still more awkwardly, sitting down 
 on the extreme edge of a chair, 
 
 "How can I serve you, Mr. Horne?" I asked 
 cheerfully. 
 
 "Well, I called about Sir Gilbert Norroy," he said in 
 .a soft voice, his bright eyes dancing on me. "I hold 
 bills of his, and I 'm anxious to have them paid." 
 
 He looked very simple and gentle, but I could hardly 
 
The Butcher Boy 145 
 
 believe him so. Anyway, I was glad to have the ground 
 cleared for action. 
 
 "And why come to me.^" said I, as amiably as he. 
 
 ''Because we have reason to believe that Sir Gilbert 
 is here," he said piumply. 
 
 ''Oh!" I replied. "Is that so? And what if he 
 should be? What has it to do with me?" 
 
 "We thought you might be willing to meet us, Mr. 
 Brabazon," he proceeded composedly. "You see we 
 stand to lose a biggish sum in the matter, and it would 
 be obliging us very much if you met us." 
 
 I smiled at the preposterous notion that I should 
 stand in with the dunner in the matter of his quarry. 
 
 "There does n't seem very much reason in that idea," 
 I observed. "Have you any reason for thinking I 
 should help you to catch your man — that, I take it, 
 is what you mean." 
 
 "Well, hardly," he said. "You see, if you would 
 allow us to see Sir Gilbert, it would simplify matters, 
 and would n't in any way hurt you. It would be a con- 
 venience to us. That 's all we ask." 
 
 "W^hy suppose he is here?" I asked, going on an- 
 other tack. 
 
 "Oh, we know that," he asserted coolly. 
 
 I pondered. "I dare say you know your own busi- 
 ness best, Mr. Home," I said. "And if, as you say. 
 Sir Gilbert Norroy is here, I can assure you he has 
 never entered with my knowledge." 
 
 He seemed slightly ruffled, and shifted on his chair. 
 "We happen to knov/ he has often been here," he said. 
 
 They had, then, noticed Norroy 's visits, but had not 
 until now suspected him. I rose. 
 
 "Good afternoon, Mr. Home." 
 
 10 
 
146 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 He lingered. "The course I propose would not in 
 any way embarrass or compromise you, sir," he said. 
 "I merely wish to see Sir Gilbert.'* 
 
 "Oh, you are quite at liberty to see him," I said. 
 "But why come to me ?" 
 
 "If you will allow me to explain — " he began, but I 
 interposed. 
 
 "I don't think so. I have wished you good after- 
 noon." 
 
 Still he would not go. "I think I have made myself 
 clear, Mr. — Mr. Home.^^" I said meaningly. 
 
 "In this matter — " he began. I rang the bell, and it 
 seemed to me that he turned and listened to it. "The 
 matter involves a heavy loss for me," he went on, "and 
 I think it might be settled with a little negotiation be- 
 tween the parties. I come in a friendly spirit — " 
 Jackman had not come. I rang again angrily. "You 
 see — " 
 
 "Mr. Horne, if I do not see you outside in two 
 minutes I '11 take a gross liberty, but one nevertheless 
 allowed by law. I am allowed to use just the proper 
 force, you will remember." 
 
 Where the mischief was Jackman ? At last I heard 
 a door go, the feet of a man running in the hall. Mr. 
 Horne picked up his hat and hastily retreated, as Jack- 
 man burst into the room in a flurry of disorder. 
 
 "Show that gentleman out," I called impatiently. 
 
 "Yes, sir." Jackman, much winded and discom- 
 posed of face, preceded my visitor to the door. Then 
 he came back. 
 
 "Why on earth did n't you come before.^" I asked. 
 "I 've had to put up with that little toad for quite ten 
 minutes." 
 
The Butcher Boy 147 
 
 "I — I'm sorry, sir, but I had an alarm," panted 
 Jackman. 
 
 "What was that?" I inquired. 
 
 "I — the butcher came to the door to say Miss 
 Harvey had an accident with her car, sir." 
 "What.?" I cried. 
 
 "Yes, sir — down by the shrubbery, sir; but I 
 could n't find it." 
 
 I had been walking sharply to the door and stopped 
 now. "Couldn't find it!" I repeated. "Couldn't 
 find the car, Jackman?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 "Where did the boy say?" 
 
 "I understood it was down by the shrubbery, sir, 
 near where the tradesmen's road runs into the 
 drive." 
 
 "We'd better make inquiries at once," I said. 
 "Where 's the boy?" 
 
 "I don't know, sir. I think he 's gone," said Jack- 
 man, weakly. 
 
 "Look here, Jackman, all this is very odd," I said. 
 "It wants going into, and the sooner the better. Send 
 Mrs. Jackman to me." 
 
 "She 's — I can't find her, sb." 
 
 There was a silence between us, and then I said: 
 "Come, Jackman, let us have it." 
 
 The niask fell partially from the man ; he began to 
 talk almost like a human creature. "I believe there 's 
 something bad in it, sir. I could n't find any sign of 
 an accident, or of a car. It looked like a put-up job." 
 
 "To get you away," I said. "Well, but what about 
 the butcher-boy?" I asked. 
 
 "I can't understand him, sir," said Jackman. 
 
148 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 **Well, we 'd better find Mrs. Jackman," I said* 
 "That 's our first duty." 
 
 As I passed into the hall I turned the key of the front 
 door against emergencies, and then we sought the back 
 parts of the Castle. The door from the kitchen into 
 the courtyard was open, but there was no sign of Mrs. 
 Jackman. We went out through the courtyard into 
 the area of shrubs behind that abutted towards the 
 kitchen gardens, but still no discovery rewarded our 
 efforts. The kitchen gardens are entered through a 
 big yew hedge, and on one side of this is a wild growth 
 of trees, elders and hazels and the like, flourishing 
 during these last years of the present ownership with 
 luxuriant disorder. Here, too, is a small shed used 
 once maybe as a depot for gardeners' tools, red-tiled, 
 and green with creepers. As we passed near this I 
 heard a cry. We listened greedily, and it was repeated 
 in a wail of terror. 
 
 "Sally!" brought forth Jackman. "Beg your par- 
 don, sir, Mrs. Jackman." 
 
 He turned to the shed, and examined the door, which 
 was padlocked outside. But the key was in the lock, 
 and in a minute or two we had the door open. Mrs. 
 Jackman, with a scared and tear-stained face, met us 
 with a gasp of relief. Her explanations were simple, so 
 simple that I could almost have laughed. The butcher- 
 boy had been busy with her earlier than with her hus- 
 band, but her excitable feminine nature did not warrant 
 such a plausible trick as had disengaged Jackman from 
 his duty. She had been informed that Miss Harvey had 
 had an accident, and was in the shed and that water 
 was needed immediately. On the fleet wings of mercy 
 the poor woman sped to find herself an easy captive. 
 
The Butcher Boy 149 
 
 Jackman," said I, *'that butcher-boy is a genms/' 
 
 "I '11 get him dismissed at once, the wretch," sobbed 
 Mrs. Jackman. ''I can't imagine why Eastwoods got 
 rid of the other one." 
 
 I pricked up my ears. "The other !" I said. 
 
 "Yes, he 's a new boy," said the lady, drying her eyes. 
 
 It only made me conceive a greater respect for our 
 opponents. 
 
 "How do you know he was the butcher-boy?" I 
 inquired with interest. 
 
 "From his blue apron, and having no hat, sir," said 
 Mrs. Jackman, as if it were ridiculous to ask such a 
 question. 
 
 "Well, he was n't," I said sharply. "And the sooner 
 we get back the better. Jackman, does n't it strike 
 you as remarkable that while I am engaged with one 
 gentleman in the front, both Mrs. Jackman and you 
 are inveigled away by another at the back? You see 
 what the eiffect is — to leave the house bare of its 
 defences." 
 
 "Good Lord, sir," said Jackman, startled. 
 
 We hurried back, and entered. I had not a doubt 
 now as to the ruse and its purpose. Home could not 
 have hoped for one moment to enlist my sympathies on 
 his behalf. His visit was timed as a trick, as part of an 
 ingenious campaign. He held me in conversation in 
 the front while his confederates enticed the Jackmans 
 away. In the meantime I had no doubt that one of 
 the gang had effected an entrance into the Castle. Our 
 business now was to find him. 
 
 But there was a prior inquiry. Going back to what 
 I have called in these pages my smoking-room I called 
 Norroy by name. There was no answer. I passed into 
 
150 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 the moming-room and repeated the call, still without 
 success. Then I thought he had perhaps retired to his 
 bedroom which was in the western wing near mine, 
 and I tramped down the passage. 
 
 "What 's up i Has he gone?" said a voice, and Sir 
 Gilbert appeared at a door. 
 
 "I want you to lock yourself in for a little. There 's 
 mischief afoot," I said. 
 
 He came out into the passage. *'Lock myself in, 
 what.?" he said. 
 
 "I believe there 's some one secreted in the house," 
 I explained. "We 're going to have a look." 
 
 "All right, old chap. Let me get a paper or some- 
 thing." 
 
 "Go back," I urged. "I '11 get you it. Don't be a 
 fool." 
 
 He went back obediently, and I slipped back into 
 the smoking-room and grabbed a picture paper. As I 
 came round into the passage I heard a conversation 
 overhead, and almost at the same time the stamp of 
 f eeb on the stairs at the foot of the passage. Then there 
 burst into view running at breathless speed the butcher- 
 boy, with Jackman panting behind him ; simultaneously 
 a scuffling fell on my ear, and I caught sight of Toosey 
 sprawling in a heap at the foot of the stairs. 
 
 In another moment it seemed as though the butcher- 
 boy would be in my arms, when (will it be credited ?) 
 the sound of a fiddle came from Norroy's room near by. 
 I cursed him for an egregious ass, and cursed the chance 
 that had made me fetch it for him from his rooms that 
 morning. The running intruder pulled up and made a 
 dive at the door, and to my horror it opened. It had 
 not been locked according to my instructions. I Sew 
 
The Butcher Boy 151 
 
 after him, and stretching a long arm seized his flying 
 blue apron. This, with the impetus of his dash, tripped 
 him up, and he came to the floor with a bump. I 
 dragged him forth by the foot despite his struggles, 
 and with the help of Jackman I got him up, and with 
 one — two — thi^ee and away, we flung him like a sack 
 between us through the open doorway into the court- 
 yard, where he bit the accumulated dirt of the unswept 
 area. 
 
 Rattling good throw that, — beats rugger all to 
 fits," said a voice in my ear, and turning I saw Norroy's 
 equable face fitted with its eye-glass looking over my 
 shoulder. 
 
 "Oh, don't be an ass, and do go back," I panted. 
 
 Jackman banged the door, and the sham butcher- 
 boy, who had scrambled to his feet, was understood to 
 be threatening us, by his gesticulating fist, with the law. 
 His face was smutched with dirt and blood, and he 
 looked a wretched object. 
 
 "Run him off, Jackman," I said. 
 
 The butler v/anted no further inducement, as I 
 fancy he had a score to pay off upon the butcher-boy. 
 He opened the door again and gave chase. The server 
 of writs took to his heels and disappeared around the 
 comer of the Castle, with Jackman manfully toiling 
 in his rear. 
 
 "Deuced narrow shave, old chap," said Sir Gilbert, 
 still at my elbow. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 IN MY lady's chamber 
 
 BY this time I felt something like a criminal escaping 
 from justice, a coiner evading the officers, or a 
 smuggler dodging the preventive men. It seemed to me 
 that the thunders of the law must inevitably be trained 
 on Norroy Castle. But I did not care; indeed I re- 
 joiced in the prospect. And if Norroy did not rejoice, 
 he certainly was indifferent. 
 
 We had repulsed the first attack, but I was fearful as 
 to the campaign they would open out. They might get 
 an order for permission to substitute service. In my 
 plentiful ignorance of the law I knew that such a thing 
 was possible, as I had often seen advertisements to such 
 effect in the papers. And so we discussed affairs with 
 that possibility in view. Yet throughout the next day 
 the cordon of spies was not broken, and it was clear 
 that Mr. Horne and his friends had not relaxed their 
 vigilance. I recognized my cockney friend at the gates, 
 and nodded to him in an affable manner. 
 "A long job.^^" I queried. 
 
 "What do you think he countered with a grin, 
 and stuck a twopenny cigar between his teeth. "Tidy 
 little place," he commented. "Niceish bit of sea, too, 
 though it wants a promenade badly. If I 'ad that," he 
 indicated the estuary with his dirty thumb, "I 'd run a 
 pier like Southend across it. Get no end of people 
 down then." 
 
In My Lady's Chamber 15S 
 
 I shuddered as I laughed. "A ripping idea!" I 
 said, lighted his cigar for him, and then applied the 
 match to my own cigarette. He puffed away content- 
 edly, and beamed on me amiably. We met on neutral 
 ground, and exchanged civilities like gallant foes at 
 odds for a principle but with no personal animus. 
 
 "Then there 's them caves," he went on. "Why, 
 they 'd make the fortune of any seaside place. I 'd 'ave 
 'em in a Syndicate if I had my way. I wonder the 
 Governor here does n't do it." 
 
 He threw his thumb over his shoulder towards the 
 Castle. 
 
 "Tidy way they go in," he said, puffing again. "I 
 did a crawl in myself yesterday afternoon, but the 
 tide 's a bit dangerous, and I should n't care to be 
 caught there, not much." 
 
 "Now where should I find Mr. Naylor, if I wanted 
 him.?^" I asked as I left him. 
 
 He stared. "Naylor," he said with his cockney 
 twang. "Who'she.?^" 
 
 "I thought he was a friend of yours," I replied. 
 
 He shook his head. "I 'm from London. I don't 
 know any about here." 
 
 "And the butcher?" I ventured. 
 
 A broad grin spread over his face. "I told 'em it 
 was a rotten notion," he said. "Why, when he 's 
 been at it as long as I have, he '11 have a bit more 
 sense. You 've got to sap, and not to bombard. 
 Sap's the game. See?" 
 
 "I believe you 're right," I said, pausing to reflect. 
 " It sounds right, and a most sensible policy." 
 
 He looked pleased at my approval. "If ever you 
 want anything in the line done, sir," said he, with 
 
154 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 modesty, ^'I 'm always good for a try." He drew out 
 a soiled card with some difficulty from his pocket, 
 which read: 
 
 John Brackett 
 
 Bailiff's Assistant 
 21 Dickens Street, Clerkenwell 
 
 "Thank you," I said politely. ''One never knows; 
 and so urbane a broker's man is a treasure." 
 
 I bade him farewell, and left him doing sentry-go at 
 my gates while I went doT\Ti to the village. Mr. Home's 
 organization seemed to be complete, but I had learned 
 that ostensibly he had no connection with Mr. Naylor. 
 Why ? If this whole matter of the debts was straight- 
 forward, why was all this secrecy displayed? It puz- 
 zled me. 
 
 I had been obliged to postpone the task of explaining 
 Mr. Eustace to the ladies at Southington, but I felt I 
 ought to delay no longer. I had not been seen since my 
 unceremonious bolt after Norroy, and I descended now 
 with the object of proffering my excuses. I was lucky 
 enough to find them at home, and I was admitted by 
 Miss Fuller, who seemed pleased to see me. I offered 
 my apologies for my hasty exit, and received forgive- 
 ness as if it was a matter of no consequence. Norroy 
 was anxious that his identity should not be known, and 
 so I felt myself somewhat embarrassed in my mission. 
 I had to show that I no longer felt any doubts of Eustace, 
 and yet to avoid identifying him with Sir Gilbert. I 
 walked round the subject warily, and a little awkwardly, 
 as I was aware. And finally I blurted out my chief 
 fact. 
 
In My Lady's Chamber 155 
 
 "You were right about Mr. Eustace, Miss Forrest. 
 He is quite a respectable member of society." 
 
 "I was not aware that I said so," said Perdita, 
 coolly. 
 
 "Oh, well," I grew confused, "I thought you be- 
 lieved in his innocence." 
 
 "Refusing to believe that he is mixed up in a crime 
 is quite another matter from vouching for a person's 
 respectability," she remarked decidedly. 
 
 "I accept the snub," I said, "and I put my neck 
 on the ground. You do not necessarily pass him. I 
 can well believe you have a high standard. Miss 
 Forrest." 
 
 She cast a curious glance at me. "It is a standard, 
 at any rate," she asserted, "and not nothing." 
 
 "Women," said I, nursing my knee, and fixing a 
 sententious but appealing eye on Miss Fuller, "women 
 are given to high ideals. They are fond of climbing 
 about on giddy precipices where man, frail man, is 
 afraid to follow them." 
 
 "That is sarcastic," observed Perdita, primly. 
 
 "Oh, no, dear," broke in kind Miss Fuller, "I think 
 what Mr. Brabazon means — " 
 
 "Oh, don't let's have annotated editions," said 
 naughty Perdita, impatiently. 
 
 "Let me annotate my own sermon," I besought. "I 
 spoke in all humility. I see pinnacles in the empyrean, 
 and I admire, but I dare not attempt to reach them. 
 Women do. Perhaps men are wiser in giving up, and 
 feeding practically in the valleys. After all, the main 
 business of life is feeding — mainly on others — so the 
 herbage of the lower slopes for me ! But I have heard 
 that on the top the grass is sweeter, and the view finer. 
 
156 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 I should like the grass if I could get there. I 'm not 
 bothered much about views." 
 
 Perdita examined me with earnest and innocent eyes, 
 but what she decided I don't know. She changed the 
 conversation by a remark to Miss Fuller. I suspected 
 that I ought to be going, but I did n't want to go. I 
 had n't really done justice to Eustace. I awaited my 
 chance and deftly drew the conversation back — not to 
 him specifically, but to men in general. 
 
 We are a poor lot," I declared, lumping all of us to- 
 gether, "and under our visible obsessions we descend 
 to the bottomless pit. Wisdom is fled to brutish beasts, 
 and divine justice inhabits only the hearts of women, 
 where it is locked up." 
 
 ''W^hat do you mean by that, Mr. Brabazon ?" asked 
 Perdita. 
 
 It did sound ambiguous, but I explained as well 
 as I could, enlarging on the justice and generosity 
 of her sex. She listened quietly, and then a sweet 
 little smile spread infectiously over her face, signal- 
 ling dimples. 
 
 "Oh, what a humbug you are !" she said. 
 
 "Oh, but, Perdita, Mr. Brabazon means — " The 
 dear lady got no farther. 
 
 "Mr. Brabazon can say what he means himself, 
 Isabel," said she, imperiously, "if he wishes us to under- 
 stand what he means or if he means anything," she 
 added ; and then her eyes met mine. 
 
 I designed to throw chagrin and reproach into my 
 glance, but I do not know if I did. She suddenly burst 
 out laughing and I followed suit. Miss Fuller, after 
 staring at both of us, weakly joined in, and immediately 
 afterwards rose and left the room. 
 
In My Lady's Chamber 
 
 157 
 
 "Mr. Brabazon, you are bowled out. You stand re- 
 vealed in all your naked insincerity," said Perdita. 
 
 ''Please don't judge me so hardly," I said, and in- 
 deed I did not want her to regard me as a flippant 
 person. I thought of Eustace in a happy flash, and 
 of putting him right in her eyes. "I am serious 
 enough about life. I think it sometimes beautiful. 
 But it has its tiresome moments, and then one must 
 pretend." 
 
 "And mock.^" she asked, with laughing eyes. 
 
 "Ye-es!" I said doubtfully. "Sometimes. Yet 
 it is but the crossing of a passage to tragedy, even if 
 the tragedy have its sordid aspects. A man," said I 
 slowly, "is usually a fool in his youth, if a philosopher 
 at forty. And a good many of us have not reached that 
 age yet. It is necessary sometimes to hear the whole 
 before condemning the part." 
 
 Perdita's laughing eyes grew serious and sympathetic, 
 and I resolved to continue. After all, I was doing a 
 kind thing in mitigating her evident contempt for 
 Eustace. 
 
 "Take the case of a man like this," I pleaded. "He 
 has been brought up in a more or less large way. Sup- 
 pose, for example, his father ingrained him from his 
 birth with sporting notions, the turf, the hunt, the shoot- 
 ing field, or the gun-club. But he had better instincts 
 at bottom, probably." 
 
 "Yes," said Perdita, with manifest interest. 
 
 "Consider him much of a fool, if you like, but a • 
 decent fool who has had no nursing, a man of down- 
 right ineffectual good nature, and the taste for popu- 
 larity. He gives away with both hands, and he can- 
 not tell his friends from his foes. He is born, in fact.. 
 
158 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 to be preyed upon, unless he is rescued. And that 
 rescue may come too late." 
 
 "How is it to come?" asked Perdita, leaning for- 
 ward, her elbow on her knee, her chin on her palm, her 
 gaze rapt with interest in my little problem. The 
 beauty of that long line sweeping from the waist out- 
 wards, thus manifest, took my eye and arrested me. 
 I stumbled, picked myself up and resumed with 
 difficulty. 
 
 "It might come through anything," I said. "An ac- 
 cident achieves a revolution. Provided the material is 
 plastic, Providence employs odd artificers. But some 
 are obvious — a woman, ambition, shock, even an in- 
 dependent graduation in life. But let us say in this 
 case — " I thought — "partly the rough usage of ad- 
 versity, and partly the dawn of sentiment. Let us 
 leave it at that. Anyway, you see my point. We can- 
 not judge the man unless we see his life whole." 
 
 "No-o," she assented; adding, "but a man can 
 make what he likes of his life, if he be a man." 
 
 O, hard young heart ! And, O, sweet innocence ! 
 What is determinism to you ? Life is bounded only by 
 birth and death to you, and betwixt is a straight and 
 even pathway in which there can be no doubts. Within 
 handsome hedges flung with bryony and honeysuckle, 
 and in winter with the wild thorns of the bramble, 
 walks our maiden on a course she can mistake not, to 
 an end of which she is certain. For Perdita, I felt the 
 hedge would break some day, so much shone out of 
 her imaginative eyes. And when it did, pray God, I 
 should be walking by her side and sharing in her cares 
 and sorrows ! The flush of her earnest face went to 
 my heart with a stab of bitter delight. I could not put 
 
In My Lady's Chamber 
 
 159 
 
 forth a hand to pluck her. Her innocence, her friendli- 
 ness, her pretty distance defied me. What was she 
 saying ? 
 
 '*He ought to be able to pull himself together, and 
 to start afresh. It is never too late, and there are always 
 friends to help." 
 
 O, wise young judge ! Portia looked out of Perdita's 
 eyes. "There are friends," I agreed, "but how many? 
 And may not a man outwear his friends' patience ? I 
 am speaking of a silly man, of a man you might wrinkle 
 your nose at." Had she not already wrinkled her pretty 
 nose at poor Eustace ? 
 
 "I hope I should not be so uncharitable," she has- 
 tened to say. "Certainly not, if I knew all the facts." 
 
 "This man we will conceive in great financial straits," 
 I said, "to have plunged recklessly and lost, and to be 
 beset by creditors and reduced to a pitiful case. He is 
 obliged ingloriously to avoid his fpUow men, to run in 
 shame around comers, and to dodge pieces of blue 
 paper." 
 
 I was conscious now that I was painting Norroy in 
 somewhat theatrical colors, as it were a poster for the 
 hoardings. But I had my reward. Perdita looked pen- 
 sive and saddened at the picture. Her tender heart 
 was touched. Besides, she had just professed charity. 
 
 "Still, I should say to such a man 'Hope and be 
 strong,' " she said in a voice charged with feeling. 
 
 "You are kind," I said, "and I believe you would 
 find excuses. But others — " 
 
 I happened at that moment to glance out of the win- 
 dow, and to my wonder saw the butcher-boy walking 
 boldly up the stone pathway in the company of his 
 master, Horne. I jumped to my feet and stared in 
 
160 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 astonishment. What on earth could bring them here ? 
 My silence and my abrupt action brought Perdita to 
 her feet. 
 
 "What is it she asked with alarm in her gaze. 
 
 I laughed. I had gone so far, and as Norroy was to 
 be my temporary guest, I should have to explain him 
 somehow. "The blue paper," I said, "of which I have 
 just spoken, advertises itself opportunely." 
 
 She looked startled. "You mean — " she halted, 
 gazed out at the men who had reached the door — 
 "writs?" she asked in a low voice. I nodded. 
 
 She flew out into the passage in a state of excitement 
 which seemed to me disproportionate, and at the same 
 time I heard the door open and Mrs. Lane's voice 
 raised to answer a question from the visitors. A flying 
 vision of white flashed in at the door of the sitting- 
 room again, tragically pale of face. 
 
 "Please — oh, it's too late. You must be quick," 
 she breathed. 
 
 "What — " I began, but was pushed with a certain 
 force and vehemence towards a door in the inner wall. 
 As I am an honest man, and one in love, I will swear 
 and vow that I did not understand ; that the manoeuvre 
 was so sudden and unexpected that I could not disen- 
 gage my thoughts, and that when she had opened the 
 door and thrust me through before her, I was scarcely 
 aware into what sort of room we had penetrated. I 
 would have protested vaguely, not because I had any 
 distaste to be so handled by her, but merely on the 
 grounds of her own inconvenience and obvious distress. 
 But I was allowed no time. My Perdita, of the vivid 
 imagination, had broken bounds forthright, and she 
 was as impetuous as a wild roe. 
 
In here, in here, oh, please ! " she cried 
 
 [Page 161] 
 
In My Lady's Chamber 161 
 
 "In here — in here, oh, please!" she cried, and 
 opening something which I blanldy recognized in my 
 bewilderment as a wardrobe she pushed me in. Next 
 moment I was in darkness; the door had closed upon 
 me. 
 
 I had time now to reflect upon what had so marvel- 
 lously happened, and on my present position. You 
 know to which sense are the most direct avenues. Per- 
 haps it is exactly because we inherit so primitive a 
 cognition that it makes so sharp and so mysterious an 
 appeal. The fragrance of lavender mingled in my 
 nostrils with the unnamed and individual fragrance of 
 a woman's dresses. Do you remember how Clara 
 Vaughan was known to her lover by the incense of her 
 hair? I breathed Perdita in my sweet, close prison, 
 and I thrilled with absolute happiness. 
 
 But then returned reason on the tide of returning 
 thought. My brain could not but piece together the 
 facts leading up to my incarceration at such dear 
 hands. I knew it in a flash. Perdita, dear heart, had 
 read me into the parable I had set forth, and had 
 rescued me from the duns ! 
 
 Was there ever such sweet charity ? Friends, quoth 
 she ! Lord, did friend ever show herself in so self- 
 sacrificing and generous a light For me she had fore- 
 gone the integrity of her chamber, and for me had she 
 violated the sanctities of her boudoir. I strove to open 
 the wardrobe, but it was not possible from within, and 
 then in the very air of Perdita I pondered happily until 
 brought up by a horrid thought. Did she, then, regard 
 me as the incapable and reckless fool I had painted 
 Norroy. I had put on the colors with a trowel, and now 
 my jaw fell to think that she had recognized me in that 
 
 11 
 
162 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 portrait. And yet she had condescended to befriend 
 such a creature. 
 
 The door opened and I stepped forth.. Perdita, 
 flushed with triumph, stood before me. 
 
 "They — they've gone away," she said eagerly. 
 ''They thought you were here, but I made Mrs. Lane 
 show them over the dining-room and the sitting-room. 
 And they seemed satisfied." 
 
 I caught at her hands — and both were in mine a 
 moment. Should I — dare I — tell her, and ruin her 
 splendid happiness? But I thought of my ugly por- 
 trait, as painted by me, and I hardened my heart. 
 
 "Nothing sweeter could have been done in the world," 
 I said ardently. "Nothing more wonderful." 
 
 Her color was fast in her face, and for a moment she 
 did not attempt to withdraw her hands. 
 
 "And you — you would have shown so much charity 
 and loving-kindness to a man of no worth, who has 
 ignominiously to dodge his creditors!" I said. 
 
 She did not seem able to find a reply, but she got one 
 of her hands loose. 
 
 "You said we must not judge until we knew the 
 whole," she said at last. 
 
 "I shall never forget that you did it for me, think- 
 ing it was I," I said, and in my feeling I could have 
 drawn her to me. 
 
 She drew back. "You!" she cried. "Then it 
 was n't you !" 
 
 I shook my head. "I have no history. I am not 
 even interesting through defects. I spoke of Mr. 
 Eustace." 
 
 Her color fled, leaving her white and startled, and 
 her hand grew a little cold in mine. 
 
In My Lady's Chamber 163 
 
 "I have found out a good deal about him/' I went on 
 hurriedly. ''He is really a good fellow, but has botched 
 his aflfairs. He is staying with me at the Castle. I 
 wanted you to know." 
 
 She withdrew her hand now, almost mechanically. 
 
 "I see!" she said weakly. 
 
 "But you did it for me, and I will never forget it," I 
 cried eagerly. 
 
 "It seems to me the sooner you forget such a foolish 
 mistake the better," said Perdita, coldly. 
 
 I had offended her as I should have guessed that I 
 might. Not the sweet angel from heaven likes to see 
 its magnanimous actions turn into comedy. Perdita 
 moved to the door, and I followed. My last glance took 
 in the demure little white bed and the dimity curtains 
 and the hanging wardrobe. Then I was in the sitting- 
 room, once more the formal visitor, and as if the in- 
 timate hospitality of that virginal chamber had never 
 been extended to me. I had upset her and I was best 
 away. And now I would have given worlds to have 
 kept silence. I left miserably, and I never remembered 
 to wonder what Mr. Horne and the butcher-boy had 
 w^anted of me. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE LEAGUER 
 
 1WAS surprised when I reached the Castle, after an 
 amiable exchange with my cockney friend, to hear 
 the sound of a fiddle streaming from the open windows. 
 It ceased as I got to the door, and voices rose in con- 
 versation. I entered, and, behold, Mrs. and Miss 
 Harvey ! The former greeted me with effusion, but the 
 latter merely nodded pleasantly from her seat where 
 Norroy was instructing her how to put her fingers 
 on the fiddle strings. She made a picture of grace- 
 ful awkwardness with her large cart-wheel hat and 
 her full draperies. Mrs. Harvey explained that they 
 had come to pay their dinner-call, but she got no 
 assistance from her daughter, who was wrangling 
 prettily with Norroy as to the exact angle of her 
 elbow. 
 
 If I put it there it sticks out too much," she declared, 
 as one resolute on harmonies of figure as well as of 
 sound. 
 
 "Just chuck your shoulder up a bit," suggested Sir 
 Gilbert, taking command. "Don't mind your angles; 
 they 11 come into the picture somehow." 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Eustace!" said Christobel in despair. 
 
 The name brought me to. This was Mr. Eustace 
 still, and I had been upon the point of calling him 
 Norroy. The anxious eyes of the elder lady were fixed 
 
The Leaguer 
 
 165 
 
 on me. This was Eustace, homeless, impecunious, and 
 beleagured, and he played the fiddle, and taught a 
 pretty girl to strum ! The mother's eyes implored me, 
 as I construed them. / was Sir Gilbert, and this was 
 an interloper, a wastrel, a foundling, a waif on the harsh 
 seas of fortune. Sir Gilbert adjusted his eye-glass and 
 deigned to recognize my presence. 
 
 "Hulloa, old chap! Where did you get to.^^ Look 
 here, I've given Mrs. Harvey and Miss Harvey tea." 
 
 "I owe you many thanks," I replied, "and much 
 envy." 
 
 An interrogation from his pupil drew off his atten- 
 tion from me, and Mrs. Harvey seized the opportunity 
 to enter into talk. I could see she wanted to know 
 about Norroy, and I was able to gratify her in all but his 
 name, which she took for granted. No, he had no 
 profession as far as I knew. I did n't think it followed 
 that he was necessarily a wealthy man. Undoubtedly 
 he was of good family. And he was a most amusing 
 companion. Mrs. Harvey compressed her lips as she 
 regarded her wilful daughter anxiously. 
 
 "I don't suppose he'd make a big hole in things 
 in New York," she ventured. 
 
 I agreed, adding that if my friend ever went to New 
 York he would expect some one to make a hole for him. 
 
 "Our men don't do that," said she, with some 
 acerbity of criticism in her tone. To her Norroy was a 
 hopeless ineligible. I was destined to receive two bom- 
 bardments that afternoon, for Miss Christobel assailed 
 me a little later, and upon the same topic. 
 
 "This is a pretty mystery, Mr. Brabazon," she said. 
 "When I last saw you you were talking in the most 
 gloomy and most tragic manner about Mr. Eustace. 
 
166 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 And now he 's your guest. What 's come to the 
 universe ? " 
 
 "I discovered my error, and am repenting in ashes/' 
 I said lightly. 
 
 She turned on me her hazel eyes. Does he know, 
 then.^" she asked. 
 
 "When I told him I had suspected him of burglary, 
 he laughed, dropped his eye-glass and said, 'how 
 ripping 
 
 "He would," she said laughing. "It's just what he 
 would do," she cried approbatively, "and I was right 
 in my instinct after all." 
 
 "A woman's instinct," said I, with an air of pro- 
 fundity, "is like a woman's tongue and a woman's 
 face — it never lies." 
 
 Miss Harvey considered this inanity. "Mine will — 
 I mean my face — I suppose, when I get about fifty," 
 she said. 
 
 "You will never be fifty," I declared. 
 
 "I don't know that I want to die young, exactly," 
 said this frank, unself-conscious girl. 
 
 "You will never die," I said. "Your age will be 
 immortality." 
 
 "That's nice of you," said she. "But tell me 
 honestly what I shall be like at fifty. I believe you 
 have second sight, Mr. Brabazon. There's something 
 uncanny about you." 
 
 I bowed to the compliment. 
 
 "You 'II sit gracing the bottom of a great table in an 
 ancestral hall," I rambled on, "and your children's 
 children shall call you blessed, and — " 
 
 "Why, Mr. Brabazon, I shall only be fifty, not a 
 hundred," she protested. 
 
The Leaguer 
 
 167 
 
 **But if you marry at twenty," I suggested. 
 
 "I 'm more than that already," she said pensively. 
 ''I 'm twenty-five." 
 
 "Oh, we must marry you off at once. That's terribly 
 old," I said hastily. She was no longer in her first 
 youth' as the old novels used to run. * She had passed 
 her nineteenth year.'" 
 
 She laughed. ''I'm not in a hurry, anyway, and 
 I don't know that I fancy ancestral halls so much," 
 she said, with an unconscious glance round the 
 room. 
 
 When they had gone, Sir Gilbert stood looking out of 
 the window in a brown study. But all that his medita- 
 tions brought was the colloquial remark, ''That 's a 
 ripping girl !" 
 
 I pulled him away from the window. "You're 
 exposing yourself to the fire of the enemy," I said, "and 
 after the episode of the butcher-boy we can't afford to 
 take risks. Please remember you are fighting excellent 
 strategists. And let me tell you this, Norroy; you've 
 pulled through so far by luck more than by manage- 
 ment. You must regard yourself in the light of a be- 
 sieged town. You may possibly venture out for air and 
 exercise by night; but in the daytime you're a close 
 prisoner. I wonder at your daring to give tea to the 
 ladies." 
 
 "Oh, hang it, one can't shut off everything," protested 
 the prisoner. 
 
 "I have been thinking," I went on. "Seeing the 
 lengths these people are prepared to go to, we can't be 
 too particular. Your present room is by no means safe. 
 We must find a more secluded place. Do you know of 
 any?" 
 
168 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 He frowned over his reflections. "What about the 
 jewel-room?" he said at last. 
 
 "What, the strong-room up-stairs ?" 
 
 He nodded. " By Jove, that 's a thundering good idea. 
 Jacker can put a bed in. Let 's have a look." 
 
 He jumped off the table on which he was sitting and 
 went up-stairs, with me at his heels. Descending the 
 length of the gallery, with a familiar nod to Mr. Toosey, 
 who was still laboring at his criminal task, Norroy 
 paused in front of the oak door and inserted a Yale key 
 in the lock. It opened, and discovered a small room, 
 fairly well lighted by a slit in the masonry, and sur- 
 rounded by empty cabinets and shelves. One or two 
 iron safes were set in one corner. 
 
 "Why, it 's empty," I exclaimed in surprise. 
 
 "Hocked!" said Sir Gilbert, sententiously. "Most 
 of it. Of course I have to keep the jewels that are heir- 
 looms. Uncle Ned was an old fathead ; he left them 
 by will to my wife, confound him." 
 
 "That was pretty of him," I said. 
 
 "But I haven't got a wife," grumbled Sir Gilbert, 
 aggrievedly. "There they are," he said in a melancholy 
 voice, indicating with the point of his toe one of the safes 
 in the corner. "Can't do anything with them." 
 
 "Don't you think Toosey might copy them," I sug- 
 gested with mild irony. 
 
 He screwed his glass round on me, and guffawed 
 when he realized my intention. "You are a joker," he 
 said. "But this will do, won't it, Brabazon?" 
 
 I thought it would do very well. It was quite private, 
 was barred by a fighting Yale lock, and was also easily 
 accessible from the living-rooms. We agreed that 
 Jackman should fit it up at once as a prison cell. 
 
The Leaguer 
 
 169 
 
 Norroy resigned himself with his imperturbable good 
 nature to this incarceration. He had the faculty of 
 making the best of things when once he was convinced 
 of the necessity. He was, I gathered, difficult to drive, 
 being an obstinate and insensate fellow, but he was 
 comparatively easy to persuade, while you could 
 cajole him without any trouble, unless it was a matter 
 of principle for which he was contending. Principle, 
 you cry ! Yes, Sir Gilbert, twelfth baronet, was genu- 
 inely inspired by principles, though I will admit you 
 would hardly have recognized them as such. They 
 were, however, all his own, even if you should find them 
 poor things. If he wanted his own way he was as 
 obstinate as a pot-donkey, but you might persuade him 
 that your way was his, and he would follow as docilely 
 as the same animal. I fancy Sir Gilbert's brains were 
 easily confounded, that his wits were without difficulty 
 scattered. He bore no grudges, and he wasted no time 
 in repining. Of a cheerful and optimistic character, 
 he looked forward to a future which must at any rate be 
 different from the present. And as the present was bad^ 
 why it did not take Sir Gilbert long to see that the future 
 must be better. His logic was of such wholesome 
 simplicity. All he stipulated for was his liberty at night, 
 and that I thought we might contrive, particularly 
 as we had a new ally presently, as you shall now 
 hear. 
 
 It appears that Miss Harvey dropped in on her 
 friends in the village and picked up a good deal of news. 
 I had given Perdita my information under no pledge of 
 secrecy, and indeed she would not suppose that what I 
 had told her I designed to keep from her friend. But 
 it may have been Miss Fuller who let out the news. It 
 
170 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 does not signify. The only thing that mattered was that 
 Miss Harvey arrived by herself at the Castle in a great 
 state of excitement, and bursting with sympathy. She 
 made no difficulty about broaching the subject, which 
 she did in Norroy's presence quite naturally; and he 
 accepted her query as naturally. I think that these 
 two people had something akin in the unashamed 
 honesty which characterized them. 
 
 "Yes, it's an awful bore, is n't it?" said Sir Gilbert, 
 modestly. "But Brabazon's no end good about it. 
 He's guarding me like a tiger." 
 
 She turned her fine eyes on me. "How nice of him ! 
 But tell me ; do these horrid people hold many of your 
 bills .?^" 
 
 "More than is comfortable," he said. "They want to 
 sell me up. That's what they're after. Of course I 
 played the fool, but then we all did it. It 's heredity," 
 declared Sir Gilbert, with the air of settling the difficulty 
 once and for all. 
 
 "Well, if it isn't romantic!" said Miss Harvey. 
 ^'Then are you shut up here to keep them out 
 
 He nodded. "Beastly nuisance, is n't it?" 
 
 Miss Harvey mused. "It is n't good for the health," 
 she said. 
 
 "I'm going to climb out at nights," explained 
 Norroy. 
 
 "You must n't let them get you," she adjured eagerly. 
 
 "Not me !" said Norroy, valiantly. 
 
 Miss Harvey rose to go, and offered a parting nod of 
 encouragement to the baronet. 
 
 "Don't you mind too much," she advised. Sir 
 Gilbert admired her through his eye-glass. "Old Jake 
 Simmons, a friend of papa's, went bankrupt three times. 
 
The Leaguer 171 
 
 and he came out on top in the end. Ever been bank- 
 rupt before?" 
 
 Sir Gilbert shook his head. "I don't cotton to the 
 notion, somehow," he said. '*The fellows ask you all 
 sorts of rude questions, what? They want to know if 
 you had champagne for lunch, and to whom you gave 
 presents, and that sort of thing." 
 
 "Old Jake used to say it was the foundation of his 
 fortunes," said Miss Harvey, byway of stimulus. "He 
 owns a big dry-goods store in Chicago." 
 
 "I've sometimes thought of starting a shop myself," 
 said Sir Gilbert, adding pensively; "But I'm more 
 fitted for a book-maker, I suppose." 
 
 Miss Harvey said good-bye cheerfully. "I'll come 
 round and see how you 're getting on in the fortress," 
 she promised. "I 've got to come over in a few days^ 
 to see Miss Forrest." 
 
 The rustle of her petticoats was still in my ear when 
 Norroy remarked sadly : "That's a ripping girl, what ?" 
 
 I agreed, wondering at his doleful visage, and he 
 resumed a moment later. "I wish I was not running 
 under a false name, old chap." 
 
 "You can easily alter that," I told him. "You can 
 retire behind the curtain, emerge with a bow and to a 
 full orchestral salutation — Sir Gilbert Norroy." 
 
 "You see," he said, as if it explained matters, "my 
 name 's Gilbert Eustace Norroy; so it was all right." 
 
 "Not a doubt of it," I agreed. "Moreover the sub- 
 stitution was for so excellent a purpose." 
 
 "Yes, of course, there's that," he said. "But, hang 
 it, I don't like masquerading. I don't do it for fun.'^ 
 
 "This is dead earnest," I assured him, "and we run 
 risks for it." 
 
172 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 He cheered up. ''Miss Harvey says she 's coming in a 
 day or two. I wish I could make a bit of money." 
 He got up briskly. ''I '11 go and see how old Toosey 's 
 getting on," he said hopefully. 
 
 No event broke the monotony of the following day, 
 at least until the evening. In the evening I felt that we 
 might almost call a truce. We were aware of the 
 leaguers about us, but it did not trouble us greatly. We 
 had spirit enough to test it. Norroy sagely affirmed 
 that writs could not be served after dark, and I argued 
 that it did not much matter if they could. There was no 
 danger in the night from our entrenched foes. In fact 
 I had the mind to turn the tables on them by a sally. 
 
 We issued bravely forth from the Castle walls near 
 nine o'clock. The air was flowing softly, and the dark 
 and broken sky-line of the trees stood out against the 
 lighter clouds in the west. W^e paced the lawn for a 
 time, enjoying our cigars and the beautiful evening, 
 and, in a way, each other's company. It was odd how 
 attracted I was by this amiable and witless young man. 
 Differentiated from me by gulfs, as I conceived it, in 
 intellect and taste and ethics, he yet claimed affinity 
 by a subtle appeal to some accepted standard. His 
 exterior manners were without finesse, but we met upon 
 the same platform of behavior, and there was much 
 more than behavior that drew me to him — a sort of 
 good-humored individuality which might be typical of 
 a fine animal. The darkness slowly invested the lawn 
 and the borders, leaving the paths in a higher light. 
 The limes muttered in the air, like those fabled 
 ^'gossips of the prime." Norroy broke silence. 
 
 "Let's go down to the lower garden and the copse/' 
 lie suggested. 
 
The Leaguer 
 
 ITS 
 
 Accordingly we made our way thither, and without 
 interference. Once in the shelter of the copse we felt 
 safe, and, reaching the sea-wall, leaned over it and 
 watched the darkling sea heaving itself on the rocks. 
 
 "I don't know but I could live here, Brabazon,'** 
 remarked the owner at last. "It's not lively, but it's 
 got its points. Full of little nooks," he added 
 sentimentally. 
 
 I wondered what must be the issue from the clash 
 of sentiment with primitive instincts in that generous 
 chamber of his heart. But he had room for both and 
 was unconscious of any incongruity. In a comfortable 
 reverie he dreamed till at last he shook himself out of 
 wonderland into the practical world again. I was 
 watching the foreshore merging into the night, and was 
 conscious, too, of a deeper shadow that moved. Yet it 
 might be nothing. I strolled on westward towards the 
 ascent in the grounds where the cliffs rose sheer from 
 the high tides of the sea. I had not visited this part of 
 the gardens before. We got to the top, and, cross- 
 ing the wall, advanced to the edge of the cliff and 
 looked down. The tide was high, and still rolling in 
 some fifty feet below us. The water drew inshore 
 with a low harsh mutter of sound, till it reached the 
 narrowing buttresses of the rocks immediately below; 
 then its voice grew hoilower; a hundred echoes from 
 the faces of the cliff overtook it and reinforced it; it 
 swelled to a loud sonorous volume, and then burst with 
 drums of thunder in the invisible caverns beneath, 
 dying into rumbles and ghosts of sound and infinite 
 whisperings in those secret depths within. 
 
 I returned from the contemplation of this incessant 
 warfare, and laid my hand on Sir Gilbert's arm. The 
 
174 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 man had no single defective drop of blood in his healthy 
 animal body. His feet were on the very verge of the 
 precipice, and he dreamed as he looked down. The 
 retreating waves left me space for a voice which was 
 not a shout. 
 
 "Look to the left," I said. 
 
 He turned his head. "Is he — what ?" 
 
 "I noticed him down on the beach just now/* 
 I replied. 
 
 "Damn ! let 's heave him over," he suggested. 
 
 "Norroy, I may wink at throwing a dun out of my 
 own house — or yours," I said with mock indignation, 
 *'but I know where to draw the line. It 's about time 
 we went back." 
 
 He obeyed me, and we climbed the wall, the black 
 figure offering no molestation. 
 
 "Let's try t'other side," said Norroy. "This is a 
 lark." 
 
 We crossed the Castle grounds and essayed the wall 
 on the north side some hundreds of yards from the 
 gates. Norroy burst out laughing. "Blessed if they 
 ain't spry," he said. "Here 's another beggar already." 
 
 I discerned a figure running in the darkness. Norroy 
 drew back. "All right, I'm not taking any," he said. 
 "Look here, Brabazon," he said more earnestly when 
 he had got down, and he took my arm, "what the devil 
 do they want ? Did you ever hear of a case like this ?" 
 
 I was bound to confess that I had not, and I had no 
 suggestion to offer by way of solution. 
 
 "Damned rum!" he muttered, as we strolled back. 
 
 Can't get the hang of it." 
 
 If we had only been furnished with an answer to the 
 riddle we should have been more patient. As it was. 
 
The Leaguer 
 
 175 
 
 the situation uninterpreted began to get on my nerves, 
 and on Mr. Toosey's. He, however, seemed to rejoice 
 in its mystery, while he thrilled at its possibilities. He 
 had already insisted on regarding himself as one of the 
 besieged, and was at the most elaborate precautions to 
 avoid notice in his own coming and going. He skulked 
 in the shrubberies, scared Mrs. Jackman out of her 
 wits by leaping out of one at an alarm, and had many 
 preposterous plans to proffer for victualling the fortress. 
 I explained that there was no fear of our lacking sup- 
 plies, but he was resolved that we might some day come 
 to a grip with starvation, and matured his schemes with 
 that end in view. Above all, he kept a wary eye open 
 for duns and strangers. This led to a rather unfortunate 
 episode. 
 
 The rule in favor of admitting visitors to see the 
 pictures had not been abrogated, merely because it had 
 occurred to none of us to think of it. As a matter of 
 fact, no visitor had presented himself at the Castle 
 since Norroy had taken up his quarters there. And, 
 no doubt, in my absence, Jackman found himself in 
 a difficulty, when a tourist did present his card. He 
 was an immaculate gentleman with an immaculate 
 address, very stout, and with a politeness that was al- 
 most excessive, and he waved a huge Panama hat to 
 cool his fevered brow after the exertion of getting 
 up-stairs. Jackman, I conclude, had thought him over 
 and admitted him, pending orders; but, like a good 
 and patient servant, he hung about in the proximity of 
 the visitor with a watchful eye. The stout gentleman 
 inspected the pictures slowly, and with gravity, and 
 made notes in a book. This was, apparently, what 
 arrested the indignant attention of Mr. Peter Tooseyj» 
 
176 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 who rose in his wrath and followed the visitor. With 
 this satellite in his train the stout man toured the gal- 
 lery with growing discomfort and growing suspicions. 
 These culminated when Mr. Toosey's own suspicions 
 reached their height at seeing the long pause made by 
 the stranger before the door into the strong-room. 
 Behind that barrier slumbered or rested the innocent 
 master of the Castle. Mr. Toosey's doubts swelled to 
 a head. He advanced with limber step, brush in hand. 
 
 '"If I were you, I should go," he breathed with polite 
 malevolence in the stout visitor's ear. The stout visitor 
 (as I had the story from Jackman) cast a glance of 
 trepidation at his interlocutor, and his ferocious garb 
 of daubs. 
 
 "If I were you I should go — hook it — clear out !" 
 repeated Mr. Toosey, with a crescendo of advice. The 
 stout man endeavored for awhile to ignore this, tried to 
 rivet his attention on the portrait by Van Dyck on the 
 door, and to pretend that there was no one else in the 
 room, and managed to drop his spectacles in his in- 
 creasing agitation. As he stooped painfully to pick 
 them up, a low but savage voice breathed over his 
 scanty hair in accents of extreme and forbidding 
 menace. 
 
 "If I were you I should hook it, vamoose, levant, 
 skip," it hissed ferociously. These alternatives, I con- 
 ceive, were selected by Mr. Toosey with care, in order 
 that one at least of them might carry significance and 
 conviction to the mind of this obdurate party. 
 
 The manoeuvre was wholly successful. With a cry 
 of alarm the corpulent stranger recovered himself, trod 
 his glasses to flinders in the act, and backed in open 
 distress towards the door. His withdrawal was has- 
 
The Leaguer 
 
 177 
 
 tened by threatened approaches of the supposed lunatic 
 with the paint brush ; and when I arrived on the scene 
 he was well out into the drive waddling away for dear 
 life. I pieced together the fragments of this tragedy 
 from the communications of Jackman and the hero 
 himself. It was then that the former got his orders, 
 that henceforth no visitors should be admitted. 
 
 Well, at least, by this ordinance, we barred out the 
 innocent visitors. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE WINDOW SEAT 
 
 BUT we did not succeed in keeping out the enemy. 
 It is a melancholy confession, and this chapter is 
 the history of a failure. It began on the night of June 
 the tenth. 
 
 In the afternoon Miss Harvey came over in her car, 
 according to her promise, bringing with her Miss Fuller. 
 The frank statement of the American girl informed me 
 simply that Perdita would not come. I heard no reason, 
 but I wondered wofuUy if she had forgiven me yet for 
 my stupidity. Now I have always been disposed to 
 think that I know a good deal of women, and have 
 often volunteered with some success to interpret them 
 to denser males of my acquaintance. I am quicker 
 than most men at construing their emotions, and the 
 plexus of feelings which constitutes their personality. 
 But I will admit that Miss Fuller's attitude puzzled 
 me. She had withdrawn herself from her friend to 
 come; so the inference was that she desired to come. 
 Yet she was visibly uncomfortable at the Castle, looked 
 at Miss Harvey as if appealing to her to go, and had 
 "yes" and "no" for conversation more than any 
 healthy handsome young woman should have. I think 
 it must have been her unusual attitude that set me 
 "chaffing" her. I played the fool as elegantly as I 
 could think, dandling carrots, so to speak, in front of 
 
The Window Seat 179 
 
 her frightened nose. It was only when I sounded the 
 praises of Perdita that she relaxed. Her devotion was 
 so great that I think all other sentiments were dis- 
 charged by it. She spoke enthusiastically of her friend's 
 attainments, and in particular of her painting. 
 
 ''You came on a sketching tour.^" I inquired. 
 
 "Oh — yes — of course," she darted forth a little 
 awkwardly, and eyed me furtively as if I were a dan- 
 gerous animal. I had never given her any cause to 
 look on me thus, from the first hour when I had met 
 her without stockings. My behavior had always been 
 correct and modest. I liked Miss Fuller, and I did not 
 want her to have erroneous opinions of me. In some 
 way she had changed towards me, and I attributed the 
 change to the incident of Perdita and the butcher-boy. 
 Yet I could not see why she should have taken this un- 
 expected turn. So leaving Miss Harvey to Norroy, I 
 lured her forth into the garden and picked some flowers 
 for her. It was evident that Norroy had an exceeding 
 interest for her, which I put down to her new knowledge 
 of his story. He bulked large in her eyes as a gay 
 blade, even perhaps as a wicked spendthrift and a 
 debauchee. But away from him she gave me more 
 of her attention, and seemed more at her ease. I 
 reverted to the light treatment I had previously been 
 using. She had spoken of some famous gorge that 
 should be visited — I think it was Fingle, and I 
 sighed. 
 
 "Alas," said I, "I am on duty. I can't get away. I 
 guard the portals with a flaming sword." 
 
 "Oh, I have heard how good you have been," she 
 gushed forth, suddenly, unexpectedly. "You are 
 standing between a — a friend and — and trouble." 
 
180 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 It sounded nice set in that way ; Miss Fuller had the 
 faculty of transferring actions to a lofty plane, a plane 
 at any rate of lofty considerations. I liked to think just 
 then that I had been inspired by fine feelings, and not 
 by a mere sense of fun and adventure. 
 
 "But I wonder, Mr. Brabazon, whether you ought 
 to do it," she went on. ''I know it 's difficult, some- 
 times, to see one's right way clearly. Of course," she 
 added with some anxiety, "there is only one way of 
 looking at the causes which have brought these things 
 to pass." 
 
 Poor Norroy ! He was a rascal, but then, you see, he 
 had the reward of his defects, for he was interesting; 
 he had arrested Miss Isabel's wondering eyes. 
 
 I demurred. "One never knows other people's 
 temptation," I said, "and one oughtn't to turn oneself 
 into a little Day-of -judgment all to oneself." 
 
 "Of course I don't know anything about him," she 
 hastened to say. "But I should have said any man 
 ought to have been told to keep free from such 
 complications." 
 
 After all Norroy was indefensible, which was one of 
 the absurd reasons why I liked him. I feebly countered, 
 as she would not admit broader principles. 
 
 "A good-natured easy-going man sometimes suffers 
 from his extreme popularity." 
 
 "No man has a right to be popular at the expense of 
 others," pronounced Miss Fuller, hardly. I had noth- 
 ing to say ; she glanced at me, and in quite a different 
 tone added, "You are probably a popular man your- 
 self, Mr. Brabazon." 
 
 "I am," I said promptly, resolved to change the 
 current of our talk. 
 
The Window Seat 181 
 
 She seemed hardly to have expected this answer, and 
 I know that she did n't quite approve of it. 
 
 *'Some men," she said with greater reserve, "are 
 merely popular with their own sex, which is easy 
 enough to be, I suppose. Men don't go deep in their 
 judgments," she averred. 
 
 "I am popular with both sexes," I hastened to say* 
 "I 'm sure I don't know what they see in me." 
 
 Miss Fuller's mild face fixed itself in austere lines. 
 "I don't think it 's quite nice to boast of it," she said. 
 
 "I did n't," I explained. ''On the contrary I said I 
 did n't know what they saw in me." 
 
 Miss Fuller seemed to be at a loss for an immediate 
 answer, and, as is the habit of her sex, she deviated. 
 
 "I think it 's rather out of the world here." 
 
 **That 's the charm," I said. 
 
 "Oh, well," said Miss Fuller, dryly for her, "we 
 find it a little too much so. We '11 have to get back." 
 
 I came to a pause in my walk. Somehow I had 
 never thought of their leaving. 
 
 "Do you mean to tell me you 're going away?" I 
 asked. 
 
 "We think of it," said she, admiring the laurels. 
 
 I shook my head at her. "Ah, Miss Fuller," I said, 
 reproachfully, "and I thought you were my friend !" 
 
 "I — I don't understand you," she said faintly. 
 
 "I think," said I, "that unless I have some strong 
 distraction I shall say something that no lady should 
 hear; so please let us go back." 
 
 She turned obediently, and was much nicer to me on 
 the way. 
 
 "Please tell Miss Forrest," I whispered as they left, 
 **that she has n't half exhausted the beauties of the 
 
182 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 neighborhood. Nor have I. And if you go I shan't 
 be able to." 
 
 She laughed agreeably and said nothing; but I felt 
 it was on Norroy that her gaze was directed shyly as 
 they drove off. Such is the privilege of the wicked ! 
 
 He had apparently enjoyed a wonderful hour with the 
 lady, whose sympathy did not deter her from extreme 
 merriment. In fact they were both laughing heartily 
 when we came in. 
 
 ''Mr. Brabazon," said she, briskly, "I Ve got an 
 idea. Mr. Eustace will regularly pine for want of air 
 shut up here. Now there 's my car — " 
 
 "Miss Harvey 's been good enough to oflFer to take 
 me out," said Sir Gilbert, pleased as a good boy, who 
 is asking permission of his master. 
 
 It seemed feasible and I gave the permission. *'Did 
 you tell her who you were?" I asked him when the 
 car was gone. 
 
 "No-o," he replied dubiously. "I did n't quite know 
 whether to do so. You see, she might cut up rough." 
 
 "Why so.^" I asked. 
 
 "Well, women don't like being taken in and all 
 that," he said. 
 
 No; they did not. I had an instance in my mind, 
 only too fresh and vivid. Perhaps he was right. The 
 motor was to call the following day and make a breach 
 through the trenches of the besiegers. Both Miss 
 Harvey and Sir Gilbert looked forward to the prospect 
 with delight. It was only I who had doubts. 
 
 But the whole face of the war underwent a revolu- 
 tion th?».t succeeding night of June the tenth. 
 
 The annoyance of the death watch in the w^all had 
 irritated me so much that I had for some time had the 
 
The Window Seat 183 
 
 position of my bed changed. Yet when I went to sleep 
 I dreamed of sounds in my ears, of a deadly pick upon 
 crumbling walls, and of the secret passage to the sally- 
 port filled with traitors. I woke to find the light creeping 
 in behind the curtains, and, possessed by a feeling of 
 unrest, I got up and walked to the window. I pulled 
 aside the hangings and let in the early morning. It was 
 three o'clock, and the gray sepulchral dawn invested 
 the garden. The bare beds of the borders, wan and 
 ghostly in that early hour, turned slowly to a warmer 
 lilac. The stillness of the dead held the house. 
 
 The creaking of a board broke this deathly quiet, 
 striking on my ears almost like a gunshot. Alert and 
 alarmed and eager I went to the door and listened. For 
 one moment I had forgotten that Norroy slept up- 
 stairs now, and was on the point of putting down the 
 noise to his account in the next room, when I remem- 
 bered. 
 
 I pushed open the door of his former chamber, which 
 was ajar, and peered in. Nothing was visible, though 
 the parted curtains let in a flood of dull light. I walked 
 across to the window, which was shut ; and I was turn- 
 ing away, when I was aware that the air here was much 
 cooler. The next moment I saw the explanation and 
 I thrilled. The glass of one pane had been wholly 
 removed and the air of the garden flowed through. 
 
 I w^as now, as you may suppose, wide awake and 
 agog with excitement. In my pajamas I hurried out, 
 found Jackman's room, and woke him. Then I went 
 up to the gallery to see if there was any sign of 
 Norroy; but the door of the strong-room was fastened. 
 Jackman joining me presently, we made an examina- 
 tion of the gallery from end to end, without result. 
 
184 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 But the Castle was not small, and was full of convenient 
 holes and crannies for a lurking foe. We had a long 
 job before us, for that one of Home's myrmidons 
 had gained access during the night, I had no doubt 
 whatever. 
 
 Broad day found us still searching, and searching in 
 vain. We had exhausted the inhabited parts of the 
 house, and attacked now the east wing in which the 
 chambers were for the most part destitute of furniture. 
 A few old tapestries covered the walls here and there, 
 and occasionally we came upon a battered chest into 
 which we peeped suspiciously. But no sign of the 
 intruder was to be discovered. We rested at length, 
 dusty, hot, tired and, speaking for myself, cross. Poor 
 Jackman sat on a box ^nd wiped a beady face with a 
 dirty duster. 
 
 "He 's beat us, sir," he said in a melancholy voice. 
 
 "Not yet," I said, mustering my spirits. "And we 
 have the whip hand in a way. We will starve him 
 out." 
 
 "Perhaps he's taken supplies, sir," suggested Jack- 
 man. There was that possibility to consider, of course; 
 but I meant that the chase should be a stem chase, 
 and, to vary the figure, that we should die in the last 
 drtch. 
 
 I knocked up Norroy and gave him warning of the 
 danger. 
 
 "By Jove!" he said. "Rum go!" he added; and 
 to that again, "Well, I 'm damned !" 
 
 These ejaculations may have relieved his feelings, but 
 they did not help us. He dressed cheerfully, with an 
 air that would suggest that we had bungled the busi- 
 ness and that he would settle it when he came down. 
 
The Window Seat 185 
 
 "The beggar must be hiding somewhere/' he said 
 illuminatingly. " What about the passage ? 
 
 That had occurred to me, although I did not see 
 how the spy could be aware of the passage. But not 
 knowing how the panel was opened, I had waited for, 
 him. He showed me the clip in the book-shelves, f 
 turned it, and the dark hole gaped at us. I explored ' 
 it from end to end without result, and we retreated to 
 breakfast. Jackman mounted guard at one door, and 
 w^e locked the other so as not to be taken by surprise. 
 
 "They 're going to run it out to the post, old chap,"^ 
 said the baronet, eating a hearty meal. 
 
 ''I'll run 'em out into the horse-pond," I said 
 angrily. 
 
 He was considering deeply, and paid no heed. "I '11 
 tell you what," he said, at length, "I could make a 
 bolt for it in Miss Harvey's car, what ?" 
 
 "No, you won't," said I, firmly. "You '11 stay here 
 and I '11 see you through. Do you think I 'm going to 
 be done by a parcel of bum bailiffs?" 
 
 "You 're a sportsman, Brabazon," said he, genially. 
 "I '11 stay as long as you '11 have me. You see," he said 
 in a different tone, "there are reasons I don't much 
 want to quit." 
 
 "You need n't," I assured him. "If you '11 only be 
 discreet, you 're as safe here as in the Bank of Eng- 
 land ! But, mind you, Norroy, you 've got to act warily 
 while this fox is in the house. Jackman and I will start 
 on a systematic hunt after breakfast." 
 
 "Look here, I've got an idea," said Sir Gilbert, 
 brightly. "Why not get in a dog?" 
 
 "A good thought," I cried. "We can raise one ixt 
 the village, I dare say." 
 
186 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "Let 's ask Jackman. Damn it, if there was time I 
 could get half a dozen from town." 
 
 Jackman, interrogated, knew of a man with a smart 
 fox terrier, which breed seemed to meet with his mas- 
 ter's approval; and it was arranged that we should 
 take a lease of him. He arrived in the afternoon with 
 his owner, a chubby rustic who held him in leash on a 
 string, and adjured him intermittently to "ger-rup." 
 He was a gay, vivacious animal, exhibited much interest 
 in Jackman 's calves and the coal-scuttle, and wagged 
 an absurd stump of a tail as he observed me with bright 
 eyes and cocked ears. I do not believe he had any idea 
 for what purpose he was brought, or what were his 
 duties. After persuading Norroy, who had brightened 
 up sensibly on seeing the dog, to retire to his strong- 
 room, we made a progress through the other chambers 
 of the Castle, beginning with the inhabited portion. 
 The dog enjoyed it very much at first, being evidently 
 under the mistaken impression that he was on his way 
 to a rat fight. Afterwards his interest perceptibly waned, 
 and he followed his master languidly, only being roused 
 to higher spirits again by an accidental encounter with 
 Mrs. Jackman's cat on the stairs. For the rest, if there 
 were any intruders latent in the house, it was no con- 
 cern of the terrier's. I lost patience. We settled down 
 moodily to the policy of starving out the stranger. 
 
 By nightfall we had no further news of him, and in- 
 cluding Mr. Toosey, were all thoroughly exhausted — • 
 except Norroy, who remained cheerful. Moreover, 
 the tension and anxiety had got on our nerves, and we 
 were ready to start at a shadow, or at the breath of 
 the wind. I went to bed, wearied, but was unable to 
 sleep, and all night I intermittently listened for alien 
 
The Window Seat 187 
 
 noises. But the silence that enwrapped the Castle 
 was profound. 
 
 The next day brought no alleviation of our strain, 
 and Jackman visibly grew worn and troubled. I dared 
 not venture away from the house, for I feared the rash- 
 ness of my guest ; and it was with infinite relief that I 
 heard Miss Harvey's voice in the hall. I ran out to 
 bless her and she almost ran into my arms. 
 
 "Oh, Sir Gilbert!" she exclaimed in dismay. 
 
 I was not similarly dismayed. She was like a blos- 
 som in a wilderness, bright and fragrant. 
 
 "I feel like that and more," I said. "But I won't." 
 
 "I 'm come for Mr. Eustace," she panted. 
 
 "Well," said I. "We '11 have to discuss that point. 
 But before we do, there 's another that won't wait. 
 And that 's this — I 'm not, and never have been, and 
 never will be Sir Gilbert Norroy." 
 
 "Oh!" She exhibited some signs of confusion. 
 "Of course, I know — I did n't mean to — " 
 
 "Do have faith," I pleaded. "I 've no alias and I 'm 
 no incognito ; I 'm plain Richard Brabazon, always at 
 your service." 
 
 "Oh!" She looked astonished; and then: "Well, 
 it does n't matter, anyway," she said. "I guess you 're 
 just you." 
 
 "And that, my dear lady, is the most sensible way to 
 take it," I said smiling. "I would n't care if you were 
 twenty chorus girls." 
 
 "No; you 'd probably like me all the better," said 
 she, laughing. 
 
 "I could n't," I said with a neat bow. 
 
 "I say, Brabazon, that beast of a fox terrier has 
 ruined my — Oh, how d'ye do. Miss Harvey?" 
 
188 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Norroy's head had protruded through the door half- 
 way through his complaint, and his face broadened in 
 a grin. 
 
 *'Are you ready?" she asked lightly. 
 
 "'Eustace, we must explain," I said, and while he 
 was getting his eye-glass fixed, I turned to her. "The 
 fact is, Miss Harvey, the enemy has got through." 
 
 "'What do you mean.^^" she asked startled. 
 
 "A man has gained admission to the Castle, and is 
 hiding somewhere. We 're sure of that, but we can't 
 find him. It 's getting warm." 
 
 "All the more reason that Mr. Eustace should come 
 out," she declared boldly. 
 
 "Miss Harvey 's right," he said. 
 
 "Very well," I agreed, after a moment's considera- 
 tion. "Your blood be on your own head." 
 
 "Oh, I guess it won't be our blood if it comes to a 
 collision with my chauffeur," said she, laughing. Mrs. 
 Jackman appeared at this juncture, and asked if she 
 should prepare tea. I invited Miss Harvey's eye, and 
 replied in the aflSirmative. It was decided that Norroy 
 should go for his dangerous drive afterwards. Miss 
 Harvey entered the morning-room, and took off her 
 gloves, and in order to square the party properly, I sent 
 for Mr. Peter Toosey. 
 
 On the whole I did not enjoy that tea-party as I had 
 enjoyed its predecessors, but Miss Harvey and Norroy 
 did not seem in the same case. Mr. Toosey, on the 
 other hand, was as nervous as a cat. He listened at the 
 doors, and seemed determined to find some one. Every 
 entrance of Jackman startled him to his feet with a 
 protecting eye on Sir Gilbert, who was all unconscious 
 of this watchfulness and of these alarms, and was main- 
 
The Window Seat 
 
 189 
 
 taming what he thought a conversation with Miss 
 Harvey. The morning-room, as I have explained, lay 
 to the front of the Castle, and had doors upon either 
 side communicating with different parts of the house. 
 A third door opened widely on the lawn, and upon each 
 side of it were long low embrasured windows, to which 
 a dado of oak extended, and which was furnished with 
 old oak window-seats of a capacious interior. In one 
 of these retreats Norroy talked with Miss Harvey. For 
 the reputed owner of the Castle I was being uncon- 
 scionably neglected, and I was forced more or less back 
 on the attentions of Mr. Toosey, who, as I say, was dis- 
 tracted by his recurrent suspicions. Suddenly he an- 
 nounced, after an excursion to one of the doors, that it 
 was locked. His voice was significant and tragic, and 
 the strangeness of his announcement took me at once 
 to his side. Miss Harvey had heard, but not her com- 
 panion. She looked across in wonder, while I tried the 
 door. 
 
 In the middle of this scene the door on the further 
 side opened, and a tall thin man of fifty appeared. With 
 the leap of a jaguar Mr. Toosey was at the other end 
 of the room. 
 
 ''Quick, quick !" he cried, and in his excitement tore 
 open one of the window-seats. "In here! In here!'' 
 he said hoarsely. 
 
 "Yes, yes," said Miss Harvey, taking the alarm, and 
 in much less time than I take to relate the incident Sir 
 Gilbert was bundled inside the seat and the lid clapped 
 down on him. I think he yielded entirely to the girl's 
 persuasion, for he was not wont to be bustled or to give 
 way without explanations. But Miss Harvey had been 
 fired with the trepidation of the artist, and now sat on 
 
190 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 the closed lid breathlessly, defiantly, and stared furi- 
 ously at the admitted stranger. 
 
 I say admitted, because it was manifest next moment 
 that Mrs. Jackman had admitted him in the ordinary 
 way. Jackman, of course, would never have been 
 guilty of such a solecism as to introduce a visitor un- 
 announced; but I remembered that he had been sent 
 out on an errand, and Mrs. Jackman was only a good 
 cook. 
 
 ''Who are you?" thundered Mr. Toosey with an 
 accusing finger at the intruder. 
 
 He gazed, blinked through glasses out of weak eyes, 
 and began to stammer. It was just as I discovered 
 that the door I was trying was not locked, but only 
 jammed. 
 
 ''Mr. — Mr. — I 'm the tuner," said the thin man, 
 shamefacedly. 
 
 Mr. Toosey was abashed, and ere any one could 
 speak, Mrs. Jackman came forward much flurried. 
 *'If you please, sir," she said, "it's Mr. Sparks, the 
 tuner. He always comes every quarter and I did n't 
 know any one was in this room — I 'm sure I beg 
 pardon, sir." 
 
 Miss Harvey burst into a merry laugh, and at the 
 same time fell suddenly back in the seat, with her feet in 
 the air. The rumblings of an earthquake convulsed 
 the oak beneath her. I sprang to her assistance, just 
 in time to be greeted by the face of Norroy protruding 
 through the gap, red, dirty, and disconcerted, but still 
 immaculately fitted with his eye-glass. 
 
 "Damn it, he's got me, old chap!" he said in a 
 plaintive voice. 
 
 We all stared at his amazing statement, including 
 
The Window Seat 191 
 
 tKe scared pianoforte tuner, while Sir Gilbert com-- 
 pleted his extrication. Then he brushed the dust from 
 his coat. 
 
 ''I say, Brabazon, he 's been in there all the time. 
 It 's a bit thick." 
 
 Suddenly comprehending, I pounced on the oak seat, 
 and re-opened the fallen flap. In one corner of the void 
 thus disclosed skulked a mean little man, all black with 
 dust. I put in a hand and hauled him forth, and a cry 
 of dismay arose from the assembly. Miss Harvey's 
 eyes looked fire and mustard, and I really believe she 
 would have fallen on the wretched creature for two 
 hair-pins. I shook him. 
 
 ''I '11 have the law on you for assault," he whined. 
 
 *'Oh, chuck him out," said Sir Gilbert, dismally. 
 "He 's done us;" and I saw that in his hand he held 
 the dreaded writ. 
 
 I took him at his word. It was safest for the man^ 
 and, I think, pretty generous treatment in our frame of 
 mind. I hauled him to the open door and ejected him ; 
 after which I don't think we gave him a further thought. 
 The mischief was done; our plans were ruined; and 
 we must acknowledge defeat. 
 
 "Hang it," said Sir Gilbert, dusting himself still. 
 "Who the deuce would have thought the beggar was 
 in there ? Rough luck ! " 
 
 Mrs. Jackman had had the sense to remove the in- 
 nocent cause of all the trouble. Mr. Toosey, who was 
 quite as responsible for it, brooded with clouded 
 brows. I saw he was devising ideas fast. 
 
 "Damn it, what luck!" repeated Sir Gilbert, and 
 remembered his manners. "Awfully sorry, Miss 
 Harvey. I say, did I upset you ? " 
 
192 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 **No-o-not much," she said pensively, for she, too, 
 was busy with her thoughts. 
 
 "Awfully sorry. I 'm a real whale, what?" he said, 
 continuing the dusting process to his knees. 
 
 The fatal writ had fallen to the floor, and she picked 
 it up. "Why — what's this?" she said suddenly. 
 "It's — but it says Sir Gilbert Norroy!" 
 
 "That's me!" said Mr. Eustace, sheepishly. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 ANDROMEDA AND THE DRAGON 
 
 MISS Harvey stood silent for a moment, looking at 
 him; then "'This seems tangled up some," she 
 said with a little laugh. 
 
 "I'm awfully sorry," said Norroy. "I've been a 
 fool all round and all along." 
 
 "No one 's in a particular hurry to contradict," said 
 Miss Harvey, but her face mitigated the brusquerie of 
 her words. "You want some taking care of," she sug- 
 gested. "Mr. Brabazon doesn't seem quite happy 
 with the job." Her eyes twinkled at me. 
 
 "No; I 'm a sad failure," said I. "But after all 
 who shoved Sir Gilbert in.^" 
 
 "Oh, we're all in it," she said. "Don't let us re- 
 criminate." She looked at me. "What is to be 
 done.^" she asked with an anxious frown. 
 
 The situation was undoubtedly comic in some aspects, 
 and if I had not been really chagrined I should have 
 laughed. Norroy 's difficulties seemed to have settled 
 themselves by their own dead weight ; he was, I thought, 
 fading sensibly out of my purview. 
 
 "If I might suggest," said he at this juncture, "I 
 should very much like that drive you spoke of." He 
 was far less perturbed than we were, now that he had 
 removed all the dust from his coat and trousers. 
 
 "Certainly," said Miss Harvey, and her voice trilled 
 out in sudden merriment. "It's so awfully like a 
 
 13 
 
194 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 game we 've been playing and have got tired of/' she 
 said. 
 
 "I 'm pretty sick of it," said Sir Gilbert, good- 
 humoredly. 
 
 "Won't you come, Mr. Brabazon.^" called the girl 
 in her sweetest voice. "I must get out of the way of 
 thinking of you as Sir Gilbert." 
 
 "Why, did you think — .?^" The real Sir Gilbert 
 searched our faces critically, as if he suspected us of 
 some duplicity. 
 
 "I have had the honor to run as your understudy," 
 I said to him. 
 
 "Oh !" he grimaced. "Wish you joy !" 
 
 "I was told," said Miss Harvey, slyly, "that Sir 
 Gilbert was in the neighborhood incog." 
 
 " Oh, Mrs. Jacker ! " said he, with a nod. "I thought 
 as much. She has a wagging tongue. Good Lord, 
 Brabazon, do all the folk here take you for me Great 
 Scott, what a lark !" 
 
 "I fail to see the humor of it," I answered with 
 dignity. 
 
 "Don't be ratty, man," he adjured. "Hiding in my 
 own castle under another name ! Not a bad idea," he 
 exclaimed, suddenly stmck by the brightness of it. 
 "No one would have suspected if it hadn't been for 
 Mrs. Jacker. Damn ! I wish I 'd thought of it." 
 
 We motored to the village, where Miss Harvey had 
 to communicate our news to her friends. We all de- 
 scended at Mrs. Lane's and went in after her, myself, 
 I will confess, with some misgivings. Sir Gilbert took 
 it easily, without showing consciousness of being either 
 hero or scapegrace. It seemed that he was not con- 
 cerned as to the opinion of either Miss Forrest or Miss 
 
Andromeda and the Dragon 195 
 
 Fuller. Miss Harvey broke out with the facts, and 
 Sir Gilbert stood modestly by. Miss Fuller could not 
 keep sympathy out of her honest gaze, but I could not 
 read Perdita's eyes. 
 
 "It is very awkward for — for Mr. Eustace," she 
 said. 
 
 "For Sir Gilbert Norroy, my dear, for Sir Gilbert 
 Norroy," said Christobel, triumphantly. 
 
 The faces of the two girls were mildly blank and 
 civil, and Miss Harvey explained swiftly. 
 
 "Then Sir Gilbert has been masquerading," was Per- 
 dita's cold comment. 
 
 "Playing the goat ! " agreed that gentleman, amiably, 
 "and now he 's got to pay the piper." 
 
 I do not know what made me say it; and I really 
 don't think it was malice. But I did say it. 
 
 "Oh, you '11 have to marry Miss Rivers," I said 
 lightly. 
 
 "Miss Rivers !" said Miss Harvey, turning abruptly 
 to me. 
 
 I was aware of my folly at once. "Miss Rivers of the 
 north," I explained weakly, though it was no ex- 
 planation. 
 
 "Not me," said Sir Gilbert, stoutly; and after a 
 pensive moment, added : "But perhaps she 'd lend me 
 a bit. I 've a good mind to write to her." 
 
 "I've no doubt she would be anxious to do it on 
 such excellent security," remarked Miss Fuller, with 
 what seemed to me uncharacteristic irony. 
 
 "Is this lady — whatever her name is — wealthy.^'* 
 inquired Miss Harvey. 
 
 "Heaps of tin, I believe, — manufacturers, you 
 know," said Sir Gilbert, and with a total disregard for 
 
196 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 others' interest in a question, which was one of his 
 qualities, he barred the topic with his stubborn insen- 
 sitiveness. "I say, had n't we better be off?" 
 
 I had to drive off with them, much against my wUl, 
 and later, while Norroy was despatched on some pur- 
 poseless errand by the lady, I had the privilege of being 
 cross-questioned by her. She wanted to know who 
 Miss Rivers might be. I told her that my own knowl- 
 edge was limited, but I understood she was cousin to 
 Sir Gilbert. "Daughter of the late Mr. Rivers of 
 Rivers and Poulter, iron founders," I added. 
 
 "Oh !" said she, dubiously, and then, "Why did you 
 say he ought to marry her.^" she asked ruthlessly. 
 
 "A feeble jest," I replied, "merely arising from the 
 fact that such a match w^as once planned by their 
 forbears." 
 
 "Cradle matches," said Miss Harvey, sententiously, 
 "are the most disgraceful offences against real civili- 
 zation." 
 
 "They are the rotten fruit of an effete world," I 
 agreed. 
 
 "I am surprised such a thing should be proposed in 
 England," she went on slowly. 
 
 "Comparatively enlightened as she is," I added for 
 her. "So am I. But Sir Gilbert takes a healthy view 
 of it. He won't be bought and sold for any one's 
 money. And no doubt," I added sarcastically, "he has 
 an essentially aristocratic contempt for mere wealth." 
 
 She was silent, contemplating the view, but recurred 
 to the subject presently, when I was thinking of some- 
 thing else. ^ 
 
 "Do you think he ought to borrow money from her 
 in the circumstances?" 
 
Andromeda and the Dragon 197 
 
 "I think it 's risky for her," I said. 
 
 "I didn't mean that," she said impatiently, and 
 then added crossly, "Men are so stupid." 
 
 I know they are; but I was glad to see Norroy 
 stalking back through the bushes. 
 
 We had run over to Dartmoor, and it was not the last 
 journey which Sir Gilbert was destined to make to that 
 wilderness in that company. For the next day Miss 
 Harvey and her mother called at the Castle with 
 cordial invitation that we should visit them at their 
 hotel on the moor. I was not anxious to go, and made 
 a mountain out of my neglected work. Alas, I had 
 written but two pages since my inauguration in the 
 Castle; and I had confidently expected so much from 
 this quiet holiday in the west ! Immediately afterwards, 
 when I had definitely committed myself to my state- 
 ment, I repented, for I learned by a casual remark that 
 Miss Fuller and Perdita were to be invited. And so, 
 when they drove off, I fell a prey to gloom and morosity, 
 and I snapped Mr. Toosey's head off. To do him 
 justice he did not much mind, being by now accustomed 
 to my ways, but he watched me sadly from time to time 
 as he painted. My conduct was the more unreasonable 
 that I had voluntarily sought his company to console 
 me. So, cross with myself, I wandered about the gal- 
 lery, picking out books at random and examining them 
 without interest. The day was a most perfect day in 
 June, and the sun was bright overhead, its splendor 
 tempered by a cool sea-breeze. I had gone down the 
 length of the western wall, and reached the book-cases 
 protruding into the room at the bottom, when I thought 
 of the secret panel, and turned to it idly. I pressed the 
 clip and opened it, stared in, and shut it again. As I 
 
198 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 did so my eyes lighted on the genuine shelf immediately 
 overhead. It contained a number of volumes of the 
 Annual Register, but one was a stranger to the series, a 
 "rogue," to use the gardener's parlance. This was the 
 sole reason which induced me to take it down. 
 
 It was a copy of Bacon's " Novum Organum " dated 
 in the eighteenth century, and I turned the leaves quite 
 mechanically, before slapping it up again. But in that 
 running flux of the pages my eye was caught by a 
 diagram on the fly-leaf, and I went back to it. It was 
 figured thus: 
 
 3X3 
 
 20 Staires 
 
 R. Wall. 
 
 I studied it with the vague impression that it had 
 reference to something within the covers of the Great 
 Philosopher. Then I deciphered in smaller letters 
 below — Jasper N. What was there familiar in the 
 appearance of that ? 
 
 Taking the book with me I went back to Toosey, 
 and, having shed my ill humor, complimented him 
 on the work which he was doing. He was pleased. 
 
 "The style is a little troublesome," he said, "but 
 I 've got the hang of it at last." 
 
 I wondered if he suspected on what a nefarious task 
 
Andromeda and the Dragon 199 
 
 he was engaged, and I smiled. "I shall have some 
 difficulty with that one farther on/' he said with a nod 
 at it. 
 
 I went up to the wall and languidly examined the 
 landscape he had indicated, and then my glance passed 
 to the next picture, which was a portrait. 
 
 ''Oh, that's Sir Jasper, and a thundering good one, 
 too, but I don't do that," he said, seeing the direction of 
 my gaze. 
 
 Sir Jasper ! By sheer coincidence the name had 
 fallen within my notice twice in five minutes. I opened 
 the fly-leaf of my book. Undoubtedly this was the hand 
 of Sir Jasper Norroy. I looked again at the portrait, 
 which portrayed a bluff, low-lidded, insolent devil of a 
 man. What in the name of conscience did he with 
 annotations of Bacon ? 20 Staires, I read. I left 
 Toosey and sped swiftly down the gallery till I reached 
 the panel, pressed the clip, and entered the aperture. 
 Striking a match I descended the stone stairs, counting 
 carefully, and my matc^h went out when I reached the 
 fifteenth. I lit another and completed the twenty. 
 Then I looked about me. The passage was narrow 
 within the limits of the outer wall, being no more than 
 three feet across, and was built in with brickwork. 
 Below me, as I could discern by the flare of the match, 
 it dipped a dozen feet or more farther. I continued to 
 the end, and found the door of the sally-port, which I 
 succeeded in getting open. The broad expanse of 
 daylight greeted me, and I could see that the passage 
 ended thus in a little shrubbery of laurels against the 
 western wall. I closed the door and retraced my steps, 
 and once more made a survey from the twentieth stair. 
 There was no indication of any difference in the nature 
 
200 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 of the wall, and, though I tried it as high as I could 
 reach on both sides, I discovered nothing. Then it 
 occurred to me that I should count from the bottom, 
 and doT\ni I went to the sally-port and did so. But 
 still no '*find" rewarded my efforts. I emerged from 
 the passage, dusty and hot, shut the panel, and went 
 down to my room, taking the book. 
 
 I had fully made up my mind that there was some 
 secret here, but how to unearth it.^^ I pored over the 
 cypher with its nest of rectangles, seeking for some 
 clue; and then, resolving to return to it again, I put it 
 aside and went out. The lovely afternoon made its call 
 on me. 
 
 I roamed tlirough the gardens and made my exit 
 through the wicket gate in the sea-wall. The sea was 
 bright and dancing, flecked by heads of foam so far as 
 the eye could carry. The foreshore lay wet with the 
 recent tide, which was moving out, and long trails of 
 seaweed littered the rocks. I walked along the shingle, 
 receiving the buffets of the brave wind with exhilara- 
 tion, and, turning a corner, saw the cliffs on which 
 Norroy and I had stood a night or two before. The 
 cavern yaT^Tied to the vacant air. I went towards it. 
 The tide was some distance out, raking on the sands, 
 and the scene was very different from that on the 
 occiision of my previous visit. Then it had been 
 forbidding, lowering, ominous; to-day in the fine ^ 
 sunshine with the receded tide it had a holiday aspect. 
 It did not seem as if the crisp bright sand could ever 
 have been the cockpit of warring waters. And yet, 
 looked at carefully, the cliff face held a certain menace, 
 treacherously disguised. The chasm in it opened wide 
 with interior and unfathomed blackness, as it might be 
 
Andromeda and the Dragon 201 
 
 an ugly creature of prey, a dragon with its coils in the 
 bowels of the earth, that yawned and slept in the sun 
 after its appetite was appeased. In the outer shell of 
 the cavern was only a whisper of the approaching sea ; 
 otherwise it was still and sombre and cold like death. 
 It slept, but it would awake, awake to the champing of 
 the foam about its ragged teeth, to the roaring of the 
 flood-tide, to the gurgitation of that relentless maelstrom 
 of waters in the narrow channel. 
 
 I was conscious of these possibilities in the monster 
 while it basked in the sun, and then, under the influence 
 of the usual human curiosity, I penetrated the inner 
 cavity. I was here in a sort of twilight, and now the 
 sounds of the outside world were dwindled to a mere 
 murmur ; the dank walls struck colder, and the seaweed 
 and sea-moss on the rocks sent a chill into the blood 
 when touched by the hand. I went farther in, and now 
 all sounds ceased, and I stood in a world of silence, in the 
 darkness and stillness of a world unheated and un- 
 lighted by any sun, as it might be in a world in its last 
 stages of decay. I was glad to retreat to the sands 
 before the cliffs, and, directly I emerged, my eye was 
 caught by a figure between me and the advancing sea. 
 I had turned from the dragon ; here was my Andromeda. 
 Blessing the good fortune which had brought about this 
 conjunction I hastened towards her. She stooped as I 
 came, took a stone from the beach, and, with a girlish 
 hook of her arm, sent it spinning into the waves. I 
 called to her, and, with one hand raised to retain her 
 errant hat from the breeze she turned about, her vivid 
 face rosy from her exercise, her gown snapping in the 
 wind against her lissom body. 
 
 "So you did n't go ?" I asked, as I reached her. 
 
202 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "You mean to Dartmoor ? No, Isabel went. It 's a 
 day for the sea, don't you think?" she added after a 
 pause. 
 
 Since I had encountered her there, of course it was. 
 The breeze played in the surfaces of our garments and 
 carried our voices to a higher pitch. It was full of a salt 
 savor and stung pleasantly. Screaming gulls wheeled 
 in front of us, and dipped to the glistening water. 
 
 "And so you took me for Sir Gilbert!" I said 
 abruptly. 
 
 She smiled a little. "We all did," she said, facing 
 the freshening breeze. 
 
 I watched the hair ruflBing under the wind that 
 caressed it. "Well, altogether, we've had a regular 
 comedy of errors," I said. She shot a glance at me. 
 "I took Sir Gilbert for a rogue, and you took me for 
 him." 
 
 "And you took me for a burglar," she said lightly. 
 
 "In my heart and on my soul, not really," I pleaded. 
 
 "Oh, that makes it less complete, — and less in- 
 teresting," she added. 
 
 "We could n't very well add any more complications 
 to it," I said. 
 
 She w^as silent, and then ventured, "unless Miss 
 Harvey turned out a princess in her own right." 
 
 "As for that," I said, "she is that already. Don't 
 you know Rule No. 42x\ — All American women are 
 princesses in their own right." 
 
 She laughed at my small joke and looked around at 
 the cliff. 
 
 "Is that your — Sir Gilbert's property.^" 
 "I have my doubts. It depends how far the cave 
 runs. The foreshore, I suppose, belongs to him, but 
 
Andromeda and the Dragon 203 
 
 the tide marches into that open mouth every twelve 
 hours. Yet I should say he had certain proprietary 
 rights in the cavern. I've been exploring it. Shall we 
 inspect it 
 
 She moved off with me in silent assent, and when we 
 had got half way to the cliff turned as if reluctant to 
 abandon her view of the sea. 
 
 " * With chafe and change of surges chiming, 
 The dashing channels rocked and rang. 
 Large music, wave to wild wave timing, 
 And all the choral water sang.' " 
 
 I quoted one of those magnificent stanzas, and her 
 lips parted slightly as she drank in the music with the 
 sea soimds and the sea air. 
 
 " Go on," she said, when I had finished. 
 
 "It is a night scene," I said. "If I were with you 
 here by night it would be appropriate. But no," I 
 added, remembering the burden of the poem, which 
 was that of satiate love, " it would be most inappropriate. 
 I should never walk with you in such a setting." 
 
 "I don't think I know the poem," she said innocently. 
 "But it's beautiful." 
 
 I had risked her knowledge, and now I hardly cared 
 if she should track it down, and with it my sentiments. 
 
 "It is by the greatest singer of the sea that has ever 
 lived," I said. "It is Swinburne's." 
 
 "Tell me more of it ? " she asked. 
 
 The sense of the words collected in my memory and 
 shamed me. Never would I apply to her those vivid, 
 languid, and hectic verses. But the beauty of them 
 caught me up. "This is not you and I," I said. "This 
 is some less fortunate couple at the end of their ideals. 
 I believe we are fortunate enough to have them stUl. 
 
204 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 " ' The rustling sand and shingle shaken 
 
 With hght sweet touches and small sound — 
 These could not move us, could not waken 
 Hearts to look forth, eyes to look round. 
 
 " * Silent we went an hour together. 
 
 Under grey skies by waters white, 
 Our hearts were full of windy weather, 
 
 Clouds and blown stars and broken light.' " 
 
 She said nothing, but turned and resumed her walk 
 to the cliff, and I with her silent. ''Silent we went — 
 Was it ominous ? The sun merged suddenly in a pass- 
 ing cloud, and the cliff stood starkly in shadow — with 
 its dark cavernous mouth. 
 
 ''Is it far in?" asked Perdita, surveying the interior 
 gloom doubtfully. 
 
 "We can go just as far as you like," I said. 
 
 We entered and penetrated the second cavern. "To 
 go deeper we should want lights," I said. "But I 
 should say it continued for some distance. This coast 
 was a favorite resort of smugglers in the old days, and 
 no doubt these caves were used by them for their illicit 
 trade. It is more than hinted that Sir Gilbert's ancestors 
 had a finger in the pie." 
 
 We lingered a little longer, and then withdrew into 
 the larger and outer cavern which was comparatively 
 full of light. 
 
 "Do you think people the happier for having ideals ?" 
 asked Perdita, abruptly. "Ideals that can be broken 
 and so create in the heart a greater ruin than would 
 otherwise have existed?" 
 
 "Oh, undoubtedly. I mustn't quote you the old 
 Tennysonian tag as to loving and losing. But, look at 
 it how you will, the argument is in favor of ideals. On 
 
Andromeda and the Dragon 205 
 
 the low plane of practical happiness you have what 
 holds you up for years, until, indeed, that blow you 
 dread; and at the highest, 'one needs must love the 
 highest' — there is no alternative. It comes to this, 
 that you can't help having ideals, and that you are the 
 happier for any ideal you have, even if it be destined to 
 be broken." 
 
 "Yes, you must be right," she said with a sigh. "But 
 it's hard to puzzle out." 
 
 Idealism is a fascinating subject, and it has even 
 more fascinating affinities, into which one is tempted 
 to slide in conversation. After all there is no idealism 
 so great, so absorbing and so unselfish as Love. Beside 
 it religious devotion is but a thin-blooded passion, 
 lacking the touch of earth which keeps it in relation 
 with human things. I could have drifted into that 
 supreme idealism, but for Perdita. She evaded the 
 topic, seemed not to notice when I slipped and fell, 
 waited demurely till I had recovered and joined her, 
 when she talked on prettily again. So I was kept hang- 
 ing on the fringe of a mighty matter, and sad and 
 happy together. And at last Perdita remembered the 
 time and the place. We went out of that cavern 
 which had been lit for me with a radiance of fairyland. 
 
 It was odd, and even startling to notice the difference 
 in the aspect of the sea. The tide had rolled in patiently, 
 winning yard after yard of the shore, until it had reached 
 the sea-line of rocks, where its advance became rapid. 
 It was as though the resistance of the opposing land 
 had been at last overcome and the spears of the tide 
 were storming the shore in a serried rush. The flood 
 came down upon the cliff and the caverns like a race- 
 horse, — roaring, foaming, mouthing, menacing. Per- 
 
206 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 dita uttered a little cry of alarm, and I put out a 
 hand and drew her to me. 
 
 "There is plenty of time," I said reassuringly. "The 
 utmost that can happen is that we may get a little 
 wetting." 
 
 She made no resistance as I put her arm in mine, but 
 she gazed at the sea fearfully and then looked away. 
 I felt she had committed herself to my charge like a 
 trusting child. I picked the way over the shrinking 
 delta of sand towards the rocks round which the tide 
 was spuming in its alternations of sally and retreat. 
 
 Just before we reached this refuge, a wave, running 
 free and fast above its fellows, broke with a crash on the 
 shore and submerged us to the ankles. I stooped, 
 lifted Perdita bodily in my arms and set her on the rock, 
 joining her a moment later. The tide sucked round the 
 base of our resting-place, drawing out with reluctance. 
 I cast an eye towards the rising ground behind us. 
 The cliffs here descended quite low and were not 
 more than twenty feet above the level of the sands. But 
 the way to it was a mere track of big boulders. We 
 scrambled over them as best we might, until we reached 
 the steep face fifteen paces away. From here the cliff 
 swooped outwards, and, where it descended to an easy 
 level, the tide was already breaking. The wall before 
 us was not a very difficult one for a man to scale, but it 
 had obvious terrors for a woman in skirts and with 
 delicate and unaccustomed hands. I made up my 
 mmd to a course at once. 
 
 "We'll get a bad ducking if we try to go along the 
 cliff," I said. "I want you to put yourself in my hands. 
 There's absolutely no danger." 
 
 For a moment she hesitated; her color had gone, 
 
We scrambled over them as best we might, until we reached the 
 steep face fifteen paces away 
 
 [Page m] 
 
Andromeda and the Dragon 207 
 
 and she looked anxious. Then she put her hand in 
 mine. 
 
 "Yes," she said simply. 
 
 If nothing else could do it that simple confidence 
 would have inspired me. I stooped, made a back, and 
 put my clasped hands behind me, palms uppermost. 
 Have you seen boys help each other over a wall to rob 
 orchards ? Well, that was my primitive plan. Perdita 
 mounted, and I gripped her small feet, and I felt her 
 knees in my back. I encouraged her and she scrambled 
 to my shoulders. 
 
 "Now step upon the ledge just over me," I enjoined. 
 "You will find a projection to cling by above." 
 
 Skirts drifted against my face, the weight lifted from 
 my back, and I knew she had done what I wanted. The 
 tide was thundering over the rocks towards us. She was 
 clinging with both hands to the angle I had mentioned, 
 and her two little feet were firmly set in the niche on the 
 level of my neck. Above was another step, but she 
 could not reach it in her retarding skirts; she must 
 have an intermediate stage. 
 
 "I am going to make a ladder step for you," I said, 
 "and you can mount to the next ledge." 
 
 There was no time for explanations. What had to be 
 done I had to do at once. I took hold of her ankles 
 fast in both hands, and pushed my right arm upwards, 
 steadying my body against the wall. 
 
 "Now step upwards," I called out, and I pushed 
 forward my left arm. 
 
 For an instant the whole burden of her sweet body 
 rested on my wrists, and then I knew she had reached 
 the second ledge. Good ! I breathed more freely. 
 She was nearly half-way. I mounted to the ledge she 
 
208 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 had left and put my arm round her waist to give her 
 assurance. 
 
 "Not afraid ?" I asked lightly. 
 
 She shook her head. We repeated the mounting 
 process by the ladder of my hands, and so both attained 
 a wide breach in the cliff within reach of the top, where 
 we rested. We both breathed heavily. 
 
 "My dear, how brave!" I said, touching her hand. 
 
 She said nothing, but the pallor receded from her 
 face, and a faint color charged it. Her eyes were bright 
 as if the tears bedewed them. Was I a beast ? But I 
 could not have helped it. Nor could I help what I did. 
 One acts sometimes under a violent reaction. I put an 
 arm about her, drawing her closer. 
 
 "You shan't fall, dearest," I said. "I will protect 
 
 you.;' 
 
 Still she said nothing, nor did she look at me. Her 
 heart beat quickly under my hand. Was she frightened ? 
 I could not say. I experienced the vertigo of acute 
 emotions, but I should not have fallen had I been a 
 thousand feet above safety. "Come!" said I, gently. 
 
 The rest of the way was easy, and we gained the 
 summit. Her hand lay weakly in mine as I set her 
 in safety, and glanced down. 
 
 Below, a little way to the left, the tide was leaping 
 into the black mouth of the monster, and raising the 
 reverberations of the interior caverns. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE EMPTY BOAT 
 
 WE reached the wicket gate into the Castle grounds 
 in silence, but my glances showed me that Per- 
 dita was in the grip of some emotion. I wondered if it 
 were fear, or anger, or — was it something else ? We 
 had not moved a dozen paces from the wall when it 
 flashed upon me out of the smiling heaven that I had 
 directed and she had obeyed. She had entered my 
 garden of roses in implicit obedience to my hand ; she 
 had done what I, the man, enforced. She had sur- 
 rendered herself to me, her will to mine. How much did 
 it mean ? Was she still but the child in her terror, 
 seeking refuge with the stronger arm ? Or — ? That 
 blessed alternative held me thrilled. In that supreme 
 moment of emotion, of leaping and inspiring passion, 
 as of a devotee before his goddess's shrine, I had be- 
 held her turn into my garden. She accepted my lead, 
 and walked shyly, with averted face, with heaving 
 bosom — ! 
 
 I stared unhearingly into Jackman's face as he met 
 us, deferential and grave as ever. 
 
 "What?" I said, conscious only of Perdita and the 
 waving June green. In the distance my eye was 
 caught by an overarching yew, through which lovers 
 might pass. It led into the bowling green, and lovers for 
 generations had, of course, passed under it to play 
 
 14 
 
210 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 bowls. Drake was playing bowls when the Spanish 
 Fleet hove in sight. To play bowls ! 
 
 "What?" I said, trying to fix my mind on Jackman. 
 
 I knew he was speaking, but my pulse was leaping 
 and my mind was jumping. It had bolted like a fresh 
 or frightened horse. I reined it in. 
 
 "And Sir Gilbert being out, sir, I took the liberty 
 of coming to you." 
 
 "Yes, yes," I answered. "Quite right, Jackman. 
 I'll see the gentleman. I'll — " 
 
 I turned and Perdita had melted away. Only Jack- 
 man and I held possession of the copse. I gazed along 
 the path which wound through the hazels with dulling 
 senses, with gradually increasing sobriety. I understood 
 now; Sir Gilbert's solicitor had called. But — the 
 winding little path through hazel and birch was empty. 
 I moved on. The overarching yew was hidden from 
 my gaze. I moved mechanically on, Jackman attend- 
 ing like a shadow. 
 
 Mr. Raymond Donaldson was a man of fifty, of 
 exceedingly refined and contained appearance, and of 
 immaculate dress. His thin lips, shaven close, moved 
 almost imperceptibly as he related his story. He had 
 happened to have business in Plymouth, and h^.d taken 
 the chance of finding Sir Gilbert Norroy by breaking 
 his journey. 
 
 "He will be chagrined to have missed you," I said. 
 "I suppose it is that matter of the writ." 
 
 Mr. Donaldson cast me a glance from beneath his 
 lowered lids. "I have understood from Sir Gilbert 
 Norroy's letter that you are in his confidence in this 
 matter, Mr. Brabazon," he said formally. I bowed. 
 •T am, therefore, glad to be able to talk with you as " 
 
The Empty Boat 211 
 
 — he pulled out his watch — "it does not seem likely 
 that I shall have the pleasure of seeing Sir Gilbert. 
 Yes; it is that somewhat unpleasant matter." 
 
 "The history of the debt seems odd," I ventured. 
 
 "A little unusual," said Mr. Donaldson, "but by no 
 means exceptional. The purchase of debts is often 
 resorted to for one purpose or another." 
 
 "We should like to know the purpose in this case," 
 said I. Mr. Donaldson considered the air. 
 
 "It would seem that there is a purchaser for the 
 estate," he said in his dry voice. "I may say, Mr. 
 Brabazon, that I was approached some time back by 
 a firm of solicitors of repute with regard to the mortgage, 
 which I am free, in the circumstances, to tell you that I 
 hold on the property. I, however, would not sell." 
 
 "And it is impossible to raise this money?" I asked 
 bluntly. 
 
 "The value of the estate," said Mr. Donaldson, 
 precisely, "would not suffice to cover the debts of the 
 estate plus the mortgage." 
 
 I was silent. "It seems a hopeless outlook," I said at 
 last. 
 
 "To be frank with you, my dear sir," said Mr. 
 Donaldson, "I see no chance of staving off the bank- 
 ruptcy, if these people proceed to extremities." 
 
 "Oh, I think we may take it for granted that they 
 will," said I. 
 
 "I have made some inquiries," he went on, "and 
 have found that Mr. Horne is a commission agent in the 
 city, not, I gather, of any considerable position." 
 
 "AndNaylor?" I asked. 
 
 "Naylor!" he echoed. "I do not know of any 
 Naylor." 
 
212 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Of course not; I had forgotten that the connection 
 between the two men had only been established by my 
 observation, and might even be chimerical. Yet had not 
 a Naylor desired to purchase the estate ? In my view, 
 this Horne was acting in the interests of Mr. Naylor, 
 who had a fancy for a fine gentleman's country seat. 
 And it seemed as if he would get what he wanted, and 
 had plotted for. 
 
 Mr. Donaldson's time-table called him inexorably 
 away, and he left without helping much to the solution 
 of the problem. His last word was characteristic of the 
 lawyer. 
 
 ''There is only one possible chance, Mr. Brabazon, 
 and that is that negotiations might prove these people 
 to be lenient." 
 
 *'They won't ; they want the Castle," I said. 
 
 He looked at me as though he would ask me on what 
 I presumed to make this astonishing statement. But 
 he apparently decided not to put his interrogation into 
 words. 
 
 *'So far," he proceeded instead, "the parties are only 
 taking such steps as they are justified in taking to 
 protect their legal rights." 
 
 Oh, this jargon ! It was designed to snub me for 
 venturing to take a leap in the dark. But I could do 
 sums in my head without counting on my fingers. I 
 saw there was no hope from Mr. Raymond Donaldson. 
 
 He rose. 
 
 "Naturally I will do anything I can in Sir Gilbert's 
 interests. We will hold our mortgage. The late Sir 
 Edmund Norroy," he nodded, as if by way of explana- 
 tion, "was a valued client of ours." 
 
 As I watched him depart, walking, as he talked, with 
 
The Empty Boat 213 
 
 all due reserve, and no doubt without prejudice, I 
 reflected that a wealthy marriage alone would save Sir 
 Gilbert. And when a little later the motor-car rushed 
 up with two laughing people behind the chauffeur, the 
 thought recurred. 
 
 ''I say," said Norroy, after Miss Harvey had gone, 
 "those beggars are not gone yet. I saw what 's-his-name 
 — Home — in the village as we came through. Now 
 they've winged me, why don't they clear out.^" He 
 meditated. ''I've a damn good mind to try and strike 
 a bargain with him," he mused. 
 
 I roused him frbm this brown study to give him news 
 of Mr. Donaldson. Perhaps his idea was right, coin- 
 ciding as it marvellously did with the lawyer's. Personal 
 negotiation might effect some compromise. But still I 
 remembered Naylor and my theory of the whole plot. 
 I had a friend of splendid capability, deep in London 
 life, a bright man of business, and a rising figure in 
 society. I resolved to write to him to see if he could 
 trace Mr. Naylor. An admirable man of affairs, he 
 would know the ropes better than any one else with 
 whom I was acquainted. As a matter of fact I wrote 
 that night. 
 
 ''By Jove ! I'll do it; I'll see the little bounder," was 
 Norroy's conclusion, on hearing what I had to report 
 of his solicitor. 
 
 Miss Harvey had brought with her her own bright 
 atmosphere, and some news that rekindled fires anew 
 in me. If the wondrous weather held, it was designed 
 (needless to say, by herself) to have a picnic on one 
 of the islets in the estuary. They had it all cut and dried. 
 Miss Fuller had expressed her intention of persuading 
 Miss Forrest to go, and, indeed, they had called at 
 
214 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Mrs. Lane's on the way back with the express hope of 
 getting her consent. But Perdita had been out. I 
 made the requisite calculation and found that Perdita 
 should have reached home long before their arrival in 
 Southington. She had not, then, gone straight back. 
 Where had she wandered ? And why ? 
 
 A flood of soft emotion filled my heart, and I hardly 
 heard Miss Harvey talking. But I know I assented 
 warmly, nay furiously, to her proposal of the picnic. 
 And after a futile attempt at work on the following 
 morning, I bolted my lunch and went down to the 
 village before the hour appointed. Norroy had gone 
 forth earlier in an attempt to find Horne, and I forgot 
 in my self-absorption that Miss Harvey had hospitably 
 included Mr. Toosey in her invitation. I do not know 
 that this was not a device to pair the party suitably, for 
 otherwise we should have been five. Anyhow, I forgot 
 him and left him to follow by himself. 
 
 On arriving at Southington I sought Mrs. Lane's 
 cottage at once, and asked for Miss Forrest. In the 
 sitting-room were both girls, but it was Miss Fuller 
 who came forward to greet me. 
 
 "Are you ready I asked. 
 
 " Oh, but it is n't time, is it ? Miss Harvey said four," 
 she cried. 
 
 ''I am like the boy who got up in the middle of the 
 night to go to his sports," I said lightly. "I have a 
 homesickness for that island." 
 
 Perdita laughed over her face, but with no sound, and 
 her face was bright and rosy. 
 
 "And you," I said, taking her hand. "You are 
 coming 
 
 "Yes," she said faintly. "It will be pretty out there, 
 
The Empty Boat 215 
 
 won't it?'* she added, withdrawing her hand and 
 arranging a book nervously on the table. 
 
 "It will be divine, and, by the way, here is Mr. Peter 
 Toosey, specially got up for the function, as a Venetian 
 boatman. What are you going as 
 
 They looked eagerly through the window at the 
 estimable Toosey, in velveteens and an "art" tie. 
 
 "What are you going as?'' parried Miss Fuller, 
 archly 
 
 "Oh, I've been so long masquerading apparently as 
 the proprietor of the Castle, that I'm going as myself 
 for a change. Will you go as yourself. Miss Forrest.^" 
 To my amazement she lost her color, and looked at me 
 almost appealingly. "You can't improve upon your- 
 self," I murmured to her in a low voice. 
 
 "She shall go as a princess in disguise," flashed forth 
 Miss Fuller, gayly. "Perdita, dear, it's time you 
 dressed the part." 
 
 I waited for them, and accompanied them to the 
 jetty, where my old friend Hawes had the boat in 
 readiness. Here we were joined at intervals by Mr. 
 Toosey and Sir Gilbert. 
 
 "I've been hunting for that little beggar all the 
 morning," said the latter, plaintively. "He's been at 
 the inn, but they say he went down to the Point. I 
 say. Miss Fuller, would you like my coat to sit on ? 
 Those seats are hard." 
 
 She looked as if she were going to accept, but refused. 
 "No, thank you. I'm quite comfortable." I knew she 
 was thinking of Christobel. I have never met any one 
 so wonderful as Miss Fuller. Perdita sat by me in the 
 stern, for I had the strings of the rudder, Norroy being 
 ignorant of the craftsmanship of the sea. Miss Harvey 
 
216 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 arrived late, and overflowing with spirits. We were 
 launched in sunshine and gayety. 
 
 Mr. Toosey in his velveteens displayed a handiness 
 in the boat which made my task easy, and we sailed an 
 unruffled summer sea at a gentle pace. We tacked 
 down to the Point, returned along the eastern wood- 
 fringed shore, and finally made our islet. It was a 
 hundred yards or so in length and perhaps fifty in 
 breadth ; but it had a generous shelter of trees, and we 
 rested in the ample shade and made our tea, and ate 
 our sandwiches on a table-cloth brought by that judi- 
 cious housekeeper. Miss Fuller. Then we told tales, and 
 I wish you could have heard Mr. Toosey's story of 
 pirates he had escaped in Barbary. It was horrific, it 
 raised the hair, and protestations from the ladies. 
 What he mistook for pirates were probably artists 
 dressed like himself and of a similar appearance; but 
 I am bound to say his tale was as credible as mine which 
 I frankly stole from a penny-dreadful I had read in 
 the train. So far as I could make out from his involved 
 way of telling his. Sir Gilbert's concerned a horse that 
 he had backed and a man who asked him to fight a 
 duel and one of them was killed. I was left in doubt if 
 it were the horse but hoped so. Miss Fuller's was a 
 story of a romantic gorge in Wales which she had visited, 
 and dealt with a man whose sweetheart was killed by 
 falling over it, and who, thereupon, haunted it till he 
 joined her in the underworld. Miss Harvey told us 
 how old man Simmonds of Chicago bested his rivals in 
 a wheat deal, but I don't think dear Perdita under- 
 stood it perfectly owing to its technical terms. And 
 hers ? 
 
 "The cliflFs of Outremer," began Perdita in her soft. 
 
The Empty Boat 217 
 
 sweet voice, "were a formidable precipice that descended 
 sheer to the rocks of the seashore, where the waters 
 beat, and the tangles of seaweed forever waved in 
 the breeze. And in the base of the cliffs was a vast 
 cavern." 
 
 I stirred, and slowly looked at her. She was gazing 
 before her at the sea which rolled in upon our little 
 beach. "It was an evil cavern," she went on, "and 
 was reputed to be haunted by gnomes and wicked 
 spirits." It thrilled me to think that we had both been 
 captured by the same fancy. We had not exchanged 
 views of the cave, but it had impressed her imagination 
 as it had mine. And she had not feared to carrv back 
 my thoughts to that episode. Perdita ! 
 
 "In the entrance to the cavern, it was said, at times 
 an apparition of a maiden was to be seen, lying on the 
 sands between the rocks and singing a wild song in days 
 of storm. And when the wind was highest, and the 
 night was deepest, mariners who passed those dreaded 
 rocks at sea would hear her voice mingling with the 
 noises of the elements, and would shudder and cross 
 themselves. But one day a young fisherman ..." 
 
 I listened, rapt, while Perdita's gallant adventurer 
 braved the terrors of the cliffs, and penetrated into 
 the cavern in the moonlight to find the beautiful Loreley 
 who sang. And I heard how the gnomes and the evil 
 spirits of the underworld tormented him, and how he 
 fought them, and at infinite cost to himself con- 
 quered them, and how at last he found the maiden, and, 
 behold, she was but a hag in seaweed and kelp, and her 
 face wore the Avrinkles of a thousand years of evil ; so 
 that the young fisherman in horror fled from her pres- 
 ence, and out into the open, where the waters seized him 
 
218 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 and buffeted him, and he lay drowned in the depths of 
 the sea. 
 
 "And that," said ruthless Perdita," was how the 
 young fisherman met his death for an ideal. If he had 
 been content to live among his own folk he would have 
 married and lived happily ever afterwards. And as to 
 which is the better fate, judge you between them." 
 
 "Oh, Perdita, Perdita !" I whispered under cover of 
 a sudden outbreak of comment and protest. "It is all 
 directed at me. But what care I ? My faith is fixed. 
 It is among the stars and with Perdita." 
 
 A smile in which playfulness trembled shyly with 
 tenderness flitted towards me. 
 
 "The beggar ought to have stayed at home," said 
 Norroy, taking the cigar from his mouth. "I only wish 
 I had a home to stay at." 
 
 Miss Harvey laughed, and then, "Why," she said 
 suddenly, "I hope that boat is n't coming here." 
 
 We all looked, and saw a sailing-boat riding the 
 waters a few hundred yards away. While we stared 
 the tiller was put up, and she went off on a new course 
 the other side of the island. 
 
 "Surely, they wouldn't have the cheek," said Sir 
 Gilbert. 
 
 "Let us say the heart," I corrected. 
 
 After that Miss Harvey sang some songs in her 
 beautiful voice, and I drew nearer to Perdita. 
 
 "Eight o'clock, by Jove!" said Sir Gilbert at last, 
 and rose and turned round, as if he were listening to 
 something. 
 
 "Dear me, we must get back," sighed Miss Harvey. 
 *'But it has been glorious." 
 
 "I'll see about the boat," said Sir Gilbert, and 
 
The Empty Boat 219 
 
 vanished into the bushes ; for the boat was on the other 
 side of the island, high and dry, and tied fast to a tree, 
 to secure it. 
 
 "Do sing again!" pleaded Miss Fuller, enthusias- 
 tically. Good-naturedly Miss Harvey acceded. 
 
 " ^ Die schdnsie Jungfrau sitzet dort ohen vmnderbar. 
 
 Ihr goldenes Geschmeide blitzet sie Kdmmi ihr goldenes Haar; 
 Sie Kdmmt es mit goldenem Kdmme und singt ein Lieddabei; 
 Das hat eine wundersamey gewaltige MelodeV " 
 
 Perdita caught my eyes on her, and the flush in her 
 face grew deeper. 
 
 ''But my Loreley has not golden hair," I whispered^ 
 "and I hope, (oh, how I hope !) she has not a cold heart. 
 Do you know gold hair and cold heart go together, 
 Perdita ? Oh, my love is like a red, red rose and has the 
 rich warmth of that color in her heart. Turn your face 
 a little that way, sweetheart. So ; your profile is divine, 
 and I can see your demure eyelashes. 'Behold thou art 
 fair, my love ? Thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks.* 
 Why did you dare to provoke me with that false tale, 
 Perdita ? Oh, how had you the heart ? Did you feel 
 me breathe a kiss towards you as I carried you up the 
 cliff ? I did — I did, and I am not ashamed ; I would 
 do it again. Why did you run away, child ? 'Oh, my 
 lost love, my own, own love ! ' I think you were called 
 Perdita because you are lost to all others — all others 
 that desire you save one. I wonder who that is. I will 
 find out some day, Perdita." 
 
 Miss Harvey was singing another German folk-song 
 — " Vergiss mein nicht . . ." Perdita listened, her 
 head averted slightly from me. 
 
 "Will you go away and forget me, Perdita ^ I believe 
 you would if you could, little wanton. But you shall 
 
220 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 not. I will leave my mark upon you. If you escape 
 the ogre you shall at least remember him. Did I say my 
 love had dove's eyes ? Why, they flash like a tiger's. 
 ' Vergiss mein nicht ' — forget me not, Perdita !" 
 
 "I wonder where Sir Gilbert has got to," said Miss 
 Harvey, as she finished. 
 
 Mr. Toosey got to his feet; the water rolled in bur- 
 nished ripples to our feet, and the setting sun lighted the 
 green fringes of the opposing shore and struck a golden 
 pathway over the water. 
 
 Perdita had not spoken one single word, and as I 
 also rose I saw the fulness of her face, and it was 
 flushed like the sunset over the hills and her eyes were 
 deep and dewy. I passed on with Toosey to find 
 Norroy, my heart bright like the morning. Sir Gilbert 
 was not at the little strand where we had beached our 
 boat, and the boat was gone. It occurred to me that 
 he had launched her, and was paddling round the 
 island, but Toosey's voice arrested me. 
 
 "It's gone — it's off," he called. "What's that.?^ 
 Look !" I followed his finger, and perceived an empty 
 boat tossing on the broken water a hundred yards away ; 
 and from that my eyes carried on to a boat further out 
 with sails set, drawing out down the estuary. 
 
 "What the mischief — I began, and then raised 
 my voice and shouted. 
 
 It was plainly our boat broken loose somehow from 
 the unaccustomed hands of Sir Gilbert Norroy. I 
 shouted to draw the attention of the second boat. But 
 it was sliding down on the outgoing tide, under the 
 quickening vesper breeze. My shouts were unheard; 
 at least they met with no response. And yet I could not 
 think that my voice had not carried so far. I saw her 
 
The Empty Boat 221 
 
 bow taking the spray; she passed momently farther 
 away, leaving our craft a helpless derelict, at the mercy 
 of the sea. In consternation I turned round. Where 
 was Norroy ? The island had no trace of him. He had 
 vanished. 
 
1 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 " IN A DEEP SEA LIKE DEATH " 
 
 TOOSEY and I ransacked the island without result. 
 Whatever had become of Norroy he was no 
 longer there ; and we made our way back to the ladies 
 puzzled, anxious, and even alarmed by the situation. 
 We found them in some perturbation, having heard 
 my shouts, and this was in no way allayed on receiving 
 our news. 
 
 "But Sir Gilbert!" said Miss Harvey. "He must 
 be — He can't be drowned !" she cried, white as her 
 dress. 
 
 "Not a bit of it," said I, cheerily. "If he had met 
 ^ith an accident it would have been seen by those in 
 the other boat." 
 
 I had been thinking things out, but I had not got 
 Tery much beyond this conclusion, which also seemed 
 insecure. It was Mr. Toosey who startled us all. 
 
 "Sir Gilbert has been kidnapped," he remarked 
 breathlessly. 
 
 "Kidnapped!" Miss Harvey's repetition embodied 
 the amazement of each. 
 
 "You see," said Toosey, warming to his subject and 
 getting excited. "You have to eliminate all impossi- 
 bilities, and what 's left is the fact. Now, take it that 
 Sir Gilbert went, as he did, to get the boat loose and 
 
"In a Deep Sea like Death'' 223 
 
 launched. He succeeded, of course. If he had put out 
 (which is unlikely, as he is no sailor) and had met with 
 an accident, as Mr. Brabazon says, this would have 
 been noticed by a boat which was only a short distance 
 off. Now note ; the peop] e in the second boat must 
 have seen the drifting boat. And yet they did not take 
 it in tow, or give notice to any one left on the island. 
 On the contrary they paid no heed to Mr. Brabazon 's 
 shouts. This proves that they purposely neglected the 
 boat — also that they had previous cognizance of it. 
 I take it that this is what happened, if we reconstruct 
 the incident. Sir Gilbert looses the boat, is surprised 
 by the occupants of the other boat, and knocked on 
 the head. Then they put off with him, leaving our 
 boat adrift." 
 
 He looked from one to another of us in a challenge, 
 but we did not speak. For once Mr. Toosey's theories 
 seemed to us feasible; only Miss Fuller broke out 
 plaintively. 
 
 '*But people don't do such things in the twentieth 
 century." 
 
 Mr. Toosey, holding the floor triumphantly, turned 
 to her. 
 
 ''My dear lady," he said, "I should not like to put a 
 limit to what human nature is capable of. The Bar- 
 bary pirates — " 
 
 "Oh, don't let's talk about Barbary pirates when 
 we 're in this dreadful uncertainty," broke in Miss 
 Harvey. "What is to be done, Mr. Brabazon .^" 
 
 "We are in a quandary ourselves," I said. "We 
 have no means of getting ashore. Mr. Toosey's version 
 is possible, and, guessing as much as I guess of the 
 people we have had to deal with lately, even probable.. 
 
224 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 The first thing to consider, then, is how to get off. We 
 must signal to the mainland." 
 
 That was the pressing duty, and we drowned our 
 other contingent cares in its active performance. First, 
 we collected all the handkerchiefs of the party, and, 
 fixing them together into a white flag, ran this up to 
 the end of a pole, which we stuck in a conspicuous 
 place on the side of the islet and towards Southington. 
 But that was only the opening of our campaign; we 
 could not be dependent on a mere flag. Of course it 
 was always possible that some boat returning down 
 the estuary might pass near us, but that chance was 
 lessening every minute with the fall of the twilight. 
 Our chief design was to build a bonfire ; and in order to 
 keep the girls from growing alarmed, I despatched them 
 to search the isle for fuel. The island was grown with 
 bushes, fringed with willows and tamarisk, and occu- 
 pied by a few oaks and elms at intervals amid the under- 
 growth. The debris of past autumns and winters had 
 accumulated underfoot, and it was not difficult to col- 
 lect a large pile of dead wood and dead leaves. Then 
 we kindled our pyre, and stood aside to watch it flare. 
 Smoke and flame mounted to heaven in leaps, and we 
 were all confident that the conflagration must be 
 easily seen in Southington. Certainly this must have 
 been so, but our mistake lay in imagining the villagers 
 would interpret our fire for a signal of distress. As a 
 matter of fact they did not, and, though we maintained 
 our beacon for more than two hours, it aroused no 
 curiosity and brought no relief. By that time the 
 ladies had begun to despair. 
 
 Night long since had settled on us, yet not profound 
 darkness. Night in midsummer seems to partake of 
 
*'In a Deep Sea like Death'' 225 
 
 a forgotten cousinship with the day. It is a luminous 
 darkness that prevails, and encumbers the night as with 
 a lucid mist. I could stand by the babbling shore and 
 pierce the brooding veil upon the sea with the shafts 
 my eyes, and feel none of the oppression of that blank- 
 ness that falls with night in winter. And I could descry 
 also the remote and twinkling lights of Southington 
 over waters that were not black but rather ghostly. Dis- 
 tress had settled upon us also with the darkness. The 
 girls made no complaint, but resigned themselves, as 
 their sex will always resign in its primitive way to des- 
 tiny. In my heart, and I think in Toosey's also, re- 
 bellion bubbled up still, determination was still un- 
 quenched. 
 
 "How far would you put it to the mainland?" I 
 asked the artist. 
 
 "Three quarters of a mile or so," he replied. 
 "What about swimming 
 
 He shook his head. "I can't swim a stroke," he said 
 sadly. 
 
 "I don't think I could stay it," I said. "But some- 
 thing must be done. I wonder." 
 
 I went on wondering while the fire flamed to heaven, 
 and the three girls sat forlornly watching it and the 
 unresponsive ocean. I examined my watch and found 
 it close on eleven. We were destined to remain pris- 
 oners all night. I would give Fate twenty minutes 
 longer. 
 
 We filled the interval, Toosey and I, in preparing a 
 protection of branches for the ladies. With this rude 
 screen behind them and the blazing fire in front, they 
 would take no harm from the night airs or the damp 
 Then I beckoned Toosey away and told him. 
 
 15 
 
226 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 **Keep them from worrying," I enjoined. "Let 
 them rest if they can. I will do my best." 
 
 He looked doubtful ; but the cast of the shore now 
 seemed to me not so distant. I stripped myself to 
 my underclothes, and with a farewell to him launched 
 out into the water from the lower side of the island. 
 I was aware from the outset that everything depended 
 on the currents. The tide was drawing strongly under 
 me and bore me slantwise down stream. I could see 
 the lights of the shore moving with each stroke, and 
 I labored, not to make a direct passage, but to take ad- 
 vantage of the tide. If I were fortunate I reckoned that 
 I should come ashore somewhere between Southington 
 and the Point. I swam for some time steadily, occa- 
 sionally with the side stroke, and now and again on my 
 back. The water was rather cold and I felt chilled. 
 But if I was making way, as I hoped, I was not afraid 
 now of failing to stay the distance. Underneath me 
 was a swathing whirl of water. I swam easily . . . too 
 easily, it occurred to me with alarm. I glanced at the 
 shore, and saw the lights had fallen behind. I was in 
 the tow of a fierce current, and I realized with a thrill 
 that I was going down midstream like a piece of wood. 
 I was being carried out to the mouth of the estuarj'' and 
 the open sea. 
 
 From that moment of realization I abandoned any 
 thought of the Southington shore and strove to work 
 backwards. The currents with which I had started 
 did not seem to have been so strong as that which now 
 had me. I beat for the other shore desperately, fight- 
 ing with nail and claw. The water was broken by the 
 roughening wind and chopped in my face; it lapped 
 against me as if moving outwards, but I thought that 
 
*'In A Deep Sea like Death" 227 
 
 if I could get under the lee of the land I should at least 
 be in a quieter sea. 
 
 I battled for half an hour with the tide, and at the 
 end I could not say if I had succeeded. Darkness had 
 now eclipsed everything ; no lights were visible, and for 
 all that I knew I might be wrestling in mid-channel. I 
 strove now quite blindly, fighting every inch of the 
 way with the tide, and instinctively throwing myself 
 in opposition to it. If I could breast that demon, I 
 knew it spelt safety; beyond and without, there was 
 nothing but death. 
 
 The roar of the water was like monstrous droning 
 bagpipes in my ears. I shut my eyes and clenched my 
 teeth and battered against the waves. And soon I was 
 aware that the chill was creeping upwards from my 
 feet. Of a sudden the dying words of Socrates came 
 into my mind — how oddly ! "When the cold reaches 
 my heart I shall die." The thought lashed me to a 
 maddened effort. My failing arms went through the 
 water mechanically and did not seem to belong to me. 
 They were dull implements that moved without sensa- 
 tion and had no relation with living things. Yet there 
 was some vague pain connected with them. I wondered 
 if I had the power to stop, or whether these arms would 
 not go beating on after I had sunk fathoms deep and 
 tossed with tangle and shell. It appeared now an easy 
 matter to go down and down, and not very objection- 
 able. It only meant sinking a little lower, so that the 
 salt water covered one's mouth not part of the time but 
 all the time, and then the heavy press of slow, tangible, 
 gurgling stuff about one's face and over one's head — 
 sheets of light in the brain, such as flashed now through 
 my eyes in the darkness, a dull and even murmur of 
 
228 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 water, around, in the ears, in the mind, everywhere, a 
 burning in the throat, such as gripped me now, a gentle, 
 gradual, nay, even comfortable, settlement into the 
 element about me. I was one with the water, one with 
 the waves, all darkness about me, save one gleam 
 across the mind, like the light of Southington village. 
 I felt a consciousness in my leg, and then it ceased, and 
 I was numb again. 
 
 The light in my mind faded from brightness into 
 twilight; it wavered about a figure which I could not 
 determine, and then went out. I did not know if my 
 arms were moving still, or my head were under water. 
 There was no pain now, and no desire to go on. I was 
 just at rest — ■ at one with the water. . . . 
 
 I was conscious of a blow which caused no pain, but 
 merely stirred me, and I awoke with no physical senses 
 about me, but merely to that lightning flash in the 
 brain. Deep down in that central self which was I, I 
 was aware of the words ''I sleep but my heart waketh." 
 I seemed to repeat them, but outside the central self wa^ 
 silence — silence, and now a growing pain in every part 
 of me. 
 
 Something pressed my numb back; a sound floated 
 into my ears . . . sounds, and one the indeterminate 
 low voice of the sea that I had once heard, an i. another 
 . . . what was that other ? 
 
 It was a voice . . . words . . . My eyes fell open, 
 and something brushed my face; something as it were 
 rain from heaven dripped upon my forehead, which 
 was burning. Something moved upon my breast, and 
 it was a hand. I wondered if it was my hand. And 
 then a face pressed close against my hot brow, and I 
 heard the voice again . . . words . . ^ 
 
*'In a Deep Sea like Death" 229 
 
 "My darling . . . my darling ..." 
 
 I tried to lift my hand, but it did not belong to me. 
 I opened my mouth, but I made no sound. 
 
 ^'Perdita!" I murmured in that central self where 
 all things are registered when speech and hearing and 
 sight and life are not. 
 
 The rain gushed from her eyes. ... I saw I was 
 lying on a shore among dark bushes, stars in heaven, 
 and a woman's arms about me. . . . 
 
 I do not know how long it was afterwards that I 
 found Toosey supporting me with one arm while he 
 held a flask to my lips with his other hand. I had come 
 to life again ; and the whole audible and visible world 
 jumped up round about me as of yore. 
 
 It was not until a good deal later, not in fact until I 
 was revolving the matter fully next day, that I was able 
 to form a reasonable theory as to what had happened 
 to me. It was clear that my frantic efforts to reach the 
 shore had resulted in taking me nearer to it than I had 
 known. At one time, indeed, as I guessed, I must have 
 been only a hundred yards from the creek which leads 
 up to Baring. But here I had got into the race which 
 forms on the tail of the outgoing tide towards the island, 
 and on that current I was thrown up on my point of 
 departure. 
 
 I recovered slowly, but presently under Toosey j 
 kindly administrations I was able to get into my clothes 
 again. The dear man was much concerned about me, 
 shook his head over my rashness, and said all was well 
 on the island. My absence had not been discovered. I 
 experienced a sudden odd sensation. Was it a mirage 
 that I had seen ? Was it merely in my dreams that 
 l erciita had been weeping over me and holding me in 
 
230 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 her arms, and wringing her hands ? Toosey's cheer- 
 fulness was salient, almost false in effect. I had some 
 doubts about him. I rested at length upon the ground, 
 too much exhausted to walk, or even to ask ques- 
 tions; and by and by I was aware that he had stolen 
 away. 
 
 I heard the water lapping on the sea beach, and the 
 breeze whispering in the trees ; and when I opened my 
 eyes next I saw a white form between the parted bushes 
 and some one looking at me. 
 
 "Perdita!" I called, ^^Perdita!" 
 
 She came a little nearer, so near that I put out a 
 hand and weakly seized her skirt. She stooped, and I 
 caught her about the neck. 
 
 "It was you, then!" I said. "It was you, my 
 darling." 
 
 She descended upon me, lying there, and put her 
 face to mine, and sobbed and kissed me. Her cold 
 pale face rested on mine ; she sobbed and pressed close 
 to me, and called me her dearest and her love. Passion 
 sprang from her in a fount and overflowed me. Through 
 all the reserves and embankments of her maiden heart 
 it broke in a clear full torrent upon me. She was mine, 
 eternally and irrevocably mine ! 
 
 We sat, talking but little, into the morning, content 
 to live and breathe and be together. In the east the 
 chill of the approaching dawn heralded a new day, 
 and the waste of water emerged from its black shroud 
 into a grayness. What roused me at last from my 
 happy reverie was a shout, and then a second. Perdita 
 rose swiftly and flew like a roe through the bushes; 
 and I managed to get to my feet, stiff and sore and 
 aching. 
 
''In a Deep Sea like Death'' 231 
 
 "Brabazon!" Toosey's voice conveyed to me. "A 
 boat ! A rescue !" 
 
 I made my way with difficulty to the other side of the 
 isle and joined the excited party. Out of the loosening 
 darkness a dim shape was advancing on the water. 
 Toosey hailed it, and was answered back. It rushed 
 on us like a monstrous bird, checked, swerved, and slid 
 with its nose upon the sand. In five minutes we were 
 all on board. 
 
 Hawes, the boatman, who had the tiller, now gave us 
 his story. The empty tossing boat seen off the Point 
 had spread dismay earlier in the night ; but it was not 
 known in what direction to look for us. Word travelled 
 to Southington, where the fire furnished the necessary 
 direction. In view of the discovery of the boat, this 
 took on a new and grave importance. Hence the ex- 
 pedition which rescued us. 
 
 Now that our troubles were past, an exceeding 
 cheerfulness prevailed. Miss Fuller had already 
 begun to see the adventure in romantic perspective; 
 Miss Harvey was practical and talkative. It seemed 
 that she had fallen asleep in the comfort of the 
 fire. 
 
 "Well, you can call it an experience," she declared. 
 "But I don't think I 'm asking for any more. What 
 became of you. Miss Perdita.^ I woke up once and 
 you weren't there." 
 
 "Oh, I — I felt restless, and wandered about the 
 island," said Perdita faintly. 
 
 She was lying wrapped up near me, and I turned to 
 her. "Did you hear a cry ? Did my spirit call to yours, 
 darling.?^" I whispered. 
 
 "It must," she said. "The stars showed me you 
 
232 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 lying white and cold on the strand." She shuddered. 
 "I thought you were dead." 
 
 "There 's one thing," remarked Miss Harvey in her 
 most authoritative way. "This rescue is all right for 
 us. But where is poor Sir Gilbert?" 
 
 Yes, we had come back to that problem. What had 
 become of Sir Gilbert? 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE HAVANA CIGAR 
 
 THE sun well in the heaven was burning brightly 
 when I awoke the next morning. I stiil ached in 
 all my body, but there was an eager day's work before 
 me, and I could not afford to lie abed. To myself I 
 seemed a stranger upon earth, newborn into a new 
 sweet life. From death I had floated into Paradise, 
 into a life of abundant sunshine and richness and 
 grace. I was not likely to stay my flights of thought, 
 consequent upon the night, but what I set down here 
 has nothing to do with those : the record of this strange 
 story demands my attention. 
 
 Between my rising and lunch I was in the village 
 making inquiries. No trace of Norroy was there to be 
 found. I went as far as the Point, and still heard noth- 
 ing. At lunch Peter Toosey and I talked it all over. 
 His curious agile mind had undoubtedly found a 
 feasible solution. The boat we had seen while pic- 
 nicking might have made a landing in our rear; and 
 the only possible explanation of Norroy's disappearance 
 lay in the hypothesis that he had been kidnapped by 
 it. But why ? 
 
 I turned this problem over in my mind carefully, 
 persistently, anxiously. There could be no doubt that 
 only one group of persons could have directed this blow. 
 The trouble was to find an explanation for their con- 
 
234 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 duct. They had serv^ed their writ on Norroy, which 
 had, as I understood it, the object of forcing him into 
 bankruptcy and acquiring his estate. If so, they would 
 evidently not desire that he should be able to discharge 
 the debt for which they had instigated proceedings. Was 
 it possible that they had taken alarm at his relations 
 with Miss Harv^ey, a notable heiress ? It was impossible 
 to guess. But one thing was certain — that to solve the 
 secret we must watch Mr. Horne and his friends and 
 accomplices. 
 
 I felt certain that I should he^r from Miss Harvey, 
 and in the early afternoon I had my faith substantiated. 
 She came over with her mother, alive with anxiety and 
 activity. Mrs. Harvey exhibited more distress than I 
 should have deemed the circumstances warranted. 
 She had once indicated to me her poor opinion of Sir 
 Gilbert ; but he had now risen to the height of a victim, 
 even of a hero. What were we going to do She sug- 
 gested cabling to Pinkerton's in New York, being 
 evidently distrustful of our English detectives. But I 
 told her that I did not think the time had come for that 
 resource, at which her daughter was clearly relieved. 
 For some reason or other I gathered that Christobel had 
 confidence in me. I said that inquiries had already been 
 set on foot, and that, if we learned nothing from them, 
 we should take other steps. It was Toosey, not I, who 
 suggested, in defiance of his previous statement, that 
 Sir Gilbert had possibly bolted to France to escape the 
 process of law. He threw out brilliant suggestions as an 
 anvil throws out sparks, but, in the light of what hap- 
 pened later, I will not venture to depreciate his ingenuity. 
 Let it sulSSce to say that his suggestion was scornfully 
 rejected. 
 
The Havana Cigar 235 
 
 The next day I heard from my friend in London 
 regarding a query which I had forgotten. He had found 
 no difficulty in identifying Mr. Naylor, having the 
 memory of a man whose meteoric career in the city he 
 had come across a few years earlier. Naylor, he said, 
 if this were the man, was a financier of plausible address 
 and of some good fortune, w^ho had, however, of late, 
 narrowly escaped the bankruptcy court and a prosecu- 
 tion. It was interesting, but hardly shed any light on 
 our trouble. 
 
 Yet upon Naylor I felt that my attention must centre. 
 If any one was the key to the situation it was he. 
 Early that same afternoon the Harvey s arrived again, 
 and as I reached the gate I met them entering the park 
 with Miss Fuller and my Perdita. I had gone down 
 to the village to invite them to tea, and had demurely, 
 and with the utmost propriety and even rigidity of 
 conduct, conducted them to the Castle. Perdita was 
 more charming than ever, struck with light and life and 
 color, and a new sweetness that emerged from within her 
 secret self. 
 
 It was no time for delightful dalliance; the stern \ 
 duties of inquisition were laid on us. No news of 
 Norroy had come to hand, and I had begun to grow 
 anxious myself. The village was seething with the 
 "sensation," in its rustic way, and it certainly looked 
 like developing into a "job for the detectives." We 
 discussed the disappearance together from all aspects, 
 but w^ere able to arrive no farther than we had already 
 done. Only one thing of importance I had discovered, 
 and that was the handsome face of Mr. Naylor in the 
 village. He had taken a room for the night at the 
 "Feathers" and had ordered dinner at seven-thirty,^ 
 
236 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 as I learned from the landlord; having learned so 
 much I had left resolved to return in time for that 
 dinner. I was able, therefore, to give the council some 
 consolation in a picked-up clue. More, I did not reveal 
 at the time, being unwilling to raise their hopes too 
 high. The discussion ceased of its own inertia at last, 
 and Mr. Toosey took up a book from a side table. I 
 noticed it was Bacon's "Novum Organum," just as 
 my attention was called off by Mrs. Harvey. 
 
 "I say," said Toosey, breaking in suddenly on us, 
 "is this authentic or is it a fake.^" 
 
 I looked over at him, and saw he had the title-page 
 open with the devices which I have mentioned. 
 
 "Oh, it's genuine," said I. "Its date is seventeen 
 something." 
 
 He studied it for some minutes, then plumped it on 
 the table excitedly. 
 
 "It's a cipher !" he pronounced. 
 
 And at that it all came out, and I had to tell the story 
 of the secret passage, and of my vain exploration. Upon 
 the top of this, of course, I must needs conduct the 
 party to the gallery, and open the panel ; and candles 
 were employed to investigate the stairway. I believe 
 Mrs. Harvey was of the opinion that we should find 
 Norroy hidden there. I had managed to create an air 
 of confidence, but in reality I was far from feeling it 
 myself. I certainly had no desperate fears for Norroy, 
 but the situation puzzled, even dismayed me. The 
 inherent vitality of her temperament enabled Miss 
 Harvey to become absorbed in the new pastime of hunt 
 the cipher. In company with Toosey she examined all 
 the staircases that could be found in the castle, and, 
 wearied of a profitless task, I left them to the amuse- 
 
The Havana Cigar 237 
 
 ment and went back to the other guests. I had my 
 reward when we had wandered out on to the lawn, and 
 the ever blessed Miss Fuller led Mrs. Harvey away to 
 see some prettiness in the garden. 
 
 "Let us lose them, Perdita," I implored. 
 
 She gave me her sweet shy smile and said nothing. 
 It was an answer in itself. 
 
 "Let me hear your voice all to myself," I said, taking 
 her hand. "I have heard it babbling chatter with the 
 world. Now let your lover hear it for himself." 
 
 Her look, still shy and embarrassed, pleaded with me. 
 I had yet to realize that it is not always high tide in a 
 girl's heart; her passion ran low; she watched me with 
 sweet diffident eyes, and half ashamed. She was 
 troubled, and had not the magnificent confidence of her 
 full pulse of love. Yet under my gaze and the clamor of 
 my heart, hers began to expand. I saw the deep and 
 inner founts of affection stir and gush and tremble in 
 the pools of her eyes. 
 
 Mrs. Harvey came back. ... I had never put a 
 question to my love, but I cared not. There was no 
 need of question and answer between us. An instinct 
 united us. . . . Mrs. Harvey came back, and declared 
 that she must go. And so we went in, and found 
 Mr. Toosey and Christobel poring over the book and 
 arguing. I was tired of the cipher, but grateful to it. 
 I saw them go, and kissed my hand to the car. 
 
 My trail began between eight and nine that even- 
 ing. I picked it up at the inn as I had hoped to do. 
 And it was the beginning of the remarkable events 
 which I have now to set forth. 
 
 Elegant with almond finger-nails, and the white 
 crescent showing large at the base, a cigar of perfect 
 
238 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 fragrance, and his languid feminine eyes, Mr. Nayloi 
 passed the entrance to the bar parlor of the "Feathers " 
 and entered his private sitting-room at seven-thirty. 
 I liked it better that he was alone; for if Horne had 
 been with him, I should have had misgivings at such an 
 open association. But Naylor had the room to himself 
 and dined leisurely, dow^n to his liqueur, which the 
 innkeeper had succeeded in producing from the dust of 
 his back shelves. As for me, I sat and chatted gener- 
 ously with every chance comer and, incidentally, drank 
 more spirit than I had a fancy for. But I was deter- 
 mined to stand above suspicion and to be there 
 merely on pleasure. And thus I had my reward. 
 
 It was after half-past eight when Naylor moved. 
 What did so urban a man in this outlandish place? 
 I asked myself. My host thought the gentleman was 
 staying overnight only, and was going on to Plymouth 
 on the morrow. He had been down before, he said, 
 and fancied the place; so broke his journey on the 
 way. It was a lame tale for a conspirator, and yet the 
 disturbing part of it was that it might be exactly true. 
 He might very well have come for a walk along the coast 
 line in that fine summer weather. Travellers take a 
 liking to some village met in their itineraries, and come 
 and come again. But I knew it was not true. Was 
 Mr. Naylor going forth that night to walk coastwise .^^ 
 I knew him better. If he went to take the air so would 
 I. It was dusk when he started. 
 
 I had no difficulty in keeping him in view, for he had 
 no suspicion that he was followed, and the evening was 
 quite light. He went right through the village, stick in 
 hand, and sauntered down into the lane that ran near 
 the estuary towards the Point. It was darkening when 
 
The Havana Cigar 239 
 
 we reached the Point ; seaward the sky was broken into 
 masses of clouds and some fine openings of gray light. 
 The houses of the fishermen were in deep shadow and 
 being fast involved in the night. Now I was interested in 
 the Point. Its population, which was scanty, seemed 
 of a ruder, bluffer character than the people of the more 
 civilized Southington, and doubtless had the qualities 
 of their defects. Moreover the inquiries I had set on 
 foot had failed to trace any boat out of Southington 
 which could account for our strange visitors at the 
 island. There were several places from which a sailing 
 boat might have reached the estuary, but the Point 
 was that which offered itself as the likeliest next after 
 our village. And yet no information of any boat could 
 be obtained there. But in a hamlet which was devoted 
 to fishing and fishermen, it was not altogether impossible 
 that the destination of one small craft might escape 
 notice. Concealed in the darkness of the houses I 
 watched Naylor. His actions were by no means sus- 
 picious. He passed the huddle of cottages, and went 
 out to the rocks which formed the extremity of the 
 hamlet, and, after remaining there for a few minutes in 
 apparent admiration of the night scene, he retraced 
 his path and moved westwards along the foreshore, 
 ultimately turning the bluff which bounded the village. 
 When I reached this he was some hundred yards away, 
 strolling along the beach, stick in hand, and leaving 
 the odor of his excellent Havana behind him. 
 
 I followed warily, and at varying intervals so we 
 continued — past the cliffs and the caves, past the 
 limits of the Castle grounds, along the arc of the shore 
 for a mile or more. The beach here was rough with 
 boulders and the tide was well out; it was a pleasant 
 
240 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 night, and I almost despaired of finding that we had 
 come out for more than a constitutional by the wonder- 
 ful sea. We had got more than half-way across the 
 north bight that curves in between the Point and the 
 next promontory, when suddenly my quarry vanished. 
 I had kept close enough to hold him in observation all 
 the time, but he suddenly disappeared. I hastened 
 forward to catch him up, but as that did not bring his 
 figure out of the darkness, I dropped again into a 
 dignified pace and continued my way a little on the 
 sea side of the boulder. 
 
 I think I should have given up the chase altogether 
 and returned in chagrin to the Castle but for my nose. 
 I have a strong sense of smell, and now through the 
 acrid salt savor of the seaweed and all sea things, 
 there drifted to my nostrils the scent of a cigar. I did not 
 pause, but went on, yet turned my head and looked 
 upwards towards the rocks that were here a serried 
 phalanx on the margin of the high- water mark. It 
 seemed to me that I could make out dimly a figure 
 seated among them. I should not have suspected it for 
 a human being, had it not been for that fragrance on 
 the air. And yet, if it was Naylor, of what could I 
 suspect him ? I walked on some three hundred yards 
 farther until I was swallowed up in the night, and then, 
 taking a leaf out of his book, I found a seat among the 
 rocks myself. 
 
 I waited ten minutes, but there was no sign — a 
 quarter of an hour, and then I descried a figure moving 
 below down on the beach. I got up cautiously, and 
 strode off towards it, keeping it only as an undefined 
 shape that melted into and out of the darkness. I 
 pursued these tactics untU at last I plainly saw it 
 
The Havana Cigar 
 
 241 
 
 diagonally cross the boulders and make for the clifiF. 
 I followed, and presently I discovered that I was 
 ascending an easy gradient of the cliff side. 
 
 On the top some lights were visible in cottages, and 
 between them and me was my dark j&gure. It paused 
 for a moment outside one of the houses, and (as I was 
 much closer now) when the door opened, the light 
 from within flashed on the man's face. To my utter 
 chagrin it was not Naylor. The door shut, and I had 
 hardly the spirit to approach and examine the house. 
 But I did so, and thought I could make out a faint 
 illegible sign-board above the door. Apparently it was 
 a roadside inn ; and before me stretched a winding road 
 which moved eastward somewhere, I took it, in the 
 direction of the estuary. 
 
 There was nothing for it now but to go back, and I 
 did so with bitter disappointment. I had lost my man, 
 and apparently he had been bent on nothing more offen- 
 sive than a nocturnal ramble by the sea. I strode back 
 along the shore at a faster rate, resolved to give up my 
 quest for the night at any rate and wondering why I had 
 thought myself a smart detective. In the midst of these 
 thoughts I came face to face with Naylor, and apologized 
 almost before I had recognized him by the cock of his 
 hat. He answered civilly, and continued on his way, 
 as I on mine. But the encounter led me into a new 
 train of ideas. Why was a shady financial agent anxious 
 to spend an hour in commune with his own soul by the 
 sea, remote from human habitation ? It did not strike 
 me as in keeping, unless he were contemplating suicide. 
 
 Yet after my former failure I dared not turn and 
 follow. He had already merged in the night. I stood 
 and considered. In a flash I had an inspiration. The 
 
 16 
 
242 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 man's face at the window had been vaguely familiar to 
 me ; now I recalled it. He was the tall dark fisherman 
 I had seen once in conversation with Home on the sea- 
 front. But what of that, you say ? Nothing, save that 
 I harbored a brood of suspicions. If Naylor suspected 
 that he was followed, he had effectively dodged me by 
 his ruse. What if he had been on his way to keep an 
 appointment with the fisherman ? What fisherman 
 would go for his evening glass to an inn so inaccessible, 
 when there was Southington so handy? Through 
 Home the connection was easily obtained. I paused, 
 I wondered, I doubted, and I tumed. After all my 
 failure could not be more complete than it had been. 
 
 But I was in no mood to risk discovery this time. If 
 Naylor were on his way to a meeting he would arrive at 
 the inn eventually. Knowing, then, his presumed 
 destination, I was not at the necessity of tracking him. 
 I could go direct to the tavern myself. I stmck over the 
 rocks towards the cliffs, which fortunately here de- 
 scended very low, and I was soon at the top. There- 
 after I made off across the fields in the direction of the 
 cottages, which I reached after some blundering in the 
 darkness. 
 
 The inn door was shut, but there was still a light in 
 the window. If Naylor had been going there he must 
 have arrived before me. I went round to the back of 
 the house, but all the blinds were drawn. I managed to 
 see the time by the light from a window, and found it 
 was just ten. At ten I knew all licensed houses close 
 and the guests must turn out. I should, therefore, have 
 only a few minutes to wait in order to solve my problem. 
 
 I waited until the inn disgorged, and stood in the 
 shadows to observe the men as they came out. The 
 
The Havana Cigar 243 
 
 dark fisherman was not one of them. I had been a fool, 
 then, for all my pains, and I had only a dreary and 
 empty tramp back before me. As I was turning away, 
 a shadow on the blind arrested me. It was the figure of 
 a man, but there was nothing in that, nothing save that 
 it stooped over the lamp obscuring it for a moment, as 
 if he had bent to light his pipe. And then there travelled 
 slowly to my nostrils the remembered fragrance of a 
 fine Havana cigar ! 
 
 I thrilled. Naylor was here then, and I had been right 
 after all. Of course he could stay as long as he liked 
 after licensed hours by the simple expedient of hiring a 
 bedroom. If he had done that, it showed me clearer 
 than ever that I was on the right tack. If he had hired 
 a room to discourse with a confederate — ! 
 
 I waited quite three quarters of an hour, and then the 
 door opened, emitting no other than Naylor. There 
 was exchange of talk between him and a man within, 
 and I gathered that he had engaged a trap to drive him. 
 If so I had lost him again. But there still remained the 
 dark fisherman ; of that I was now sure. 
 
 From my hiding-place I watched Naylor drive off 
 along the road to the estuary and soon afterwards the 
 other man emerged. He did not hesitate, but struck off 
 down the cliff to the beach, and I was on his trail like a 
 hound upon the fox's. I would not lose him at any 
 rate. 
 
 No doubt, if they ever had supposed they were 
 followed, they had been deluded by my return into a 
 false security. And so the fisherman stalked through the 
 night carelessly and without any concern for spies. 
 We walked by the low water where the sand was hard 
 and wet, and the night winds blew in our faces briskly. 
 
244 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 and we crossed the bight again to the neighborhood of 
 the cliff and the cavern. Just here the man took a 
 slanting path upwards to the rocks, and b^an to cross 
 them to the door of the cave. I succeeded in still 
 retaining my view of him, until, finally, he vanished at 
 the mouth of the cavern. I approached nearer, and 
 waited and listened; and then a light flashed up and 
 moved in the air; then that disappeared. I went 
 forward stealthily till I had reached the entrance, and 
 peered in. I advanced into the outer cavern and looked 
 through into the inner; a faint light, the reflection as 
 it were of a glow, a diffusion of luminosity in the 
 interior air was appreciated by my eyes newly out of the 
 blindness of the night. Somewhere within was the man 
 with his lantern. My legs came to a standstill, but 
 mentally I went on with a huge impetuous rush. I 
 had made a discovery. The caves assumed new light, 
 new proportions. I began to see that the solution lay 
 here. But what was it.^ And in what manner was 
 Norroy involved in it? The glow died out and left 
 pitch darkness. I deliberated long as I turned back. 
 The caves demanded exploration. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE SECKET OF THE CAVES 
 
 1ROSE on the following morning with my mind full 
 of my project, and at one time I thought of inviting 
 Toosey's assistance. But the time was hardly ripe for 
 that. I must make a preliminary reconnoitre first. 
 This I succeeded in doing before midday. 
 
 I descended on the foreshore by the wicket gate in 
 the Castle grounds, and was soon on the beach among 
 the rocks. The tide was out once more, and the cave 
 easy of access. I had furnished myself with a hurri- 
 cane lamp and a generous store of matches; and I 
 entered the outer shell, the ear of the cavern, as it were, 
 in which all the sounds of the external world drummed 
 and echoed, with sensible excitement and expectation. 
 Having lighted my lamp I turned into the interior 
 cavity, and pushed on to the bottom of that. Here a 
 passage in the rocky way gave entrance to a third 
 chamber, an ample and lofty vault, dripping to the 
 eye and dank to the nostril. Out of this again a defile 
 led into still further caverns, and I was on the point of 
 passing through this when I noticed another opening 
 a little to my left. I swung the lamp on it, and discov- 
 ered that it also led off, but in another direction. I 
 went through the first opening, and found at the base 
 of this fourth cavern a gallery leading on apparently 
 indefinitely. I came back and tried the second opening, 
 and here again I made acquaintance with a gallery. 
 
246 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 What is more, I counted three openings out of it in the 
 space of twelve yards. Once more I retraced my way 
 and returned to the first gallery. The same phenome- 
 non was here repeated. Numerous openings in the 
 solid rock testified to the ramifications of the passages. 
 The whole place was evidently burrowed like a rabbit 
 warren. I felt that I needed better assistance than my 
 memory if I was to attempt to solve the secret of this 
 subterranean hold; and so reluctantly I resought the 
 light of day. 
 
 It was now quite clear to what use these caverns had 
 been put in older days. They had formed the hold of 
 the Freetraders, and their ramifications had, doubtless, 
 been of service to them in their continuous war with the 
 revenue authorities. The place was a nexus of pas- 
 sages, perhaps intercommunicating, and possibly lead- 
 ing to a central warehouse, which would thus defy the 
 unravelling of any one save the initiated. I judged 
 that this subterranean cellarage was mainly natural, 
 but probably connections had been also artificially 
 made. Certainly, I must consider further before I 
 became involved in that honeycomb. 
 
 By the time I reached the Castle again, it was nearly 
 one o'clock, and I lunched hastily in order to get down 
 into Southington in good time. I had only just finished 
 when Mr. Toosey appeared. He had been sent for by 
 the Harveys, and had been over to their hotel in refer- 
 ence to the disappearance of Norroy. I now learned 
 that Mrs. Harvey was increasingly anxious to engage 
 the services of a detective, and I wrote out a lengthy 
 telegram for despatch to her to prevent this. may 
 have important news by to-morrow. If not, then au- 
 thorize professional help," I wired to her. 
 
The Secret of the Caves 247 
 
 I said nothing of what I expected, or of how I ex- 
 pected it; for, to say the truth, I took a little human 
 satisfaction in the mystery of my clue. Not even to 
 Toosey did I mention details, but I gave him a mission 
 which pleased him. I suggested that he should paint 
 out-of-doors, and at the Point, moreover; and I gave 
 him a description of the man I wanted him to observe. 
 He took to the work as a duck to water, and gave me 
 an elaborate explanation of his plans for avoiding curios- 
 ity. He would choose his subject carefully, prospect- 
 ing every foot of the hamlet, and he would prove a fool, 
 he thought, if he did not ultimately fetch up in front 
 of this particular fisherman's cottage. That accom- 
 plished, Toosey's eagle eye would be on the sinister 
 man. 
 
 I did not doubt his capacity to put so easy a plan 
 into execution ; as an artist no one would question his 
 bona fides. And it would serve me to have the con- 
 federate under supervision all the afternoon. For, you 
 see, I had realized that it was impracticable to make 
 my second essay at exploration until the tide served 
 again — which would not be till near dark. Until 
 after eight I was perforce idle. And, lacking the oppor- 
 tunity to be useful, I took the opportunity to be happy. 
 In other words, I spent a couple of hours at Southing- 
 ton. Of course, I had a good excuse in reporting prog- 
 ress, if I wanted one; but I did not. I entered Mrs. 
 Lane's as a right, and, the discreet Isabel being absent, 
 I held out my arms. Perdita shook her head, smiling. 
 
 "We live in the daylight," she remonstrated, when I 
 paid no heed to this. 
 
 "Light or dark, rain or shine, sun or snow, I care 
 not," I said defiantly. "All the world is one to me, and 
 
248 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 all weathers are the same, provided I have Perdita, 
 All tragedies are comedies, and there is no space nor 
 time, while I have Perdita. There is only just so much 
 space as is spanned by Perdita, and only just so much 
 time to kiss her. The only time that time gallops is 
 when I do that. Otherwise it stands still." 
 
 "You spe^ik," said Perdita, rosy warm, ''as if you 
 had often done it. You have only done it once — 
 twice." 
 
 "One hundred million times in my heart," I said, 
 "and since it is only twice in sad fact, why I must make 
 a beginning in earnest." 
 
 Perdita retreated almost to the door of that room 
 into which she had once thrust me, her own sweet per- 
 sonal chamber, wherein she was wont to dream sweet 
 dreams and live her girlish fancies. 
 
 "You want to see Isabel.^" she said. "I will call 
 her." 
 
 "If you call Isabel," I retorted, "I will box her ears. 
 I will take her and push her out of the room. I will 
 use awful language such as she will scream and rush 
 from. And I know awful words !" 
 
 Perdita had her back to the door of her room, and 
 she laughed, her hand behmd her on the handle to pre- 
 vent surprises. 
 
 "It 's time I was getting on with my shopping," she 
 said demurely. "It 's my turn to shop to-day." 
 
 "Thank goodness, I know" what it is to be a man," 
 I said heartily, "and to abound and rejoice in physical 
 strength. Let me warn you, beloved, that no girl is a 
 match for a brutal man with arms like brawn and a 
 determination like iron. No one shall go forth from 
 this room except at my pleasure." 
 
The Secret of the Caves 249 
 
 Perdita slipped into her own room and closed the 
 door. I was alone. 
 
 I cried, I pleaded, I begged, I humbled myself — 
 and she was adamant. Then I told her through the 
 keyhole my opinion of women, their fickleness, their 
 deceit, their treachery, and their vanity. 
 
 "You have only gone to beautify yourself more," I 
 said sarcastically. "But you can't, you know you 
 can't. That 's the joke. Oh, my Perdita is my vain 
 thing; she thinks to gild the lily and to paint the 
 rose." 
 
 Perdita was offended at this. "I have never used a 
 cosmetic in my life," she said primly when she had re- 
 turned, pretending that she had not run from me and 
 had not heard me, and that she really wondered to 
 find me there. 
 
 "I thought it was time you went," she said austerely. 
 "Isabel is out just now." 
 
 Oh, I won't recall the word I used in connection with 
 Isabel, but Perdita was not really shocked. She said 
 she was, but it has always been my secret belief that 
 Perdita was sometimes a humbug. Yet when Isabel 
 did come, she brought me news that Mr. Toosey was 
 looking for me in the village. He had been to the 
 Castle and not found me. Now, how on earth did he 
 know that I was at Mrs. Lane's ? 
 
 Mr. Toosey's report brought me back to dull earth. 
 He had identified the man I had described, had suc- 
 ceeded in choosing his cottage as a "pitch," and had 
 kept him under observation until the man had put to 
 sea after his midday meal. So far good ; if he had gone 
 I should be the safer from surveillance in my expedi- 
 tion. I went back to Mrs. Lane's, but the ladies were 
 
250 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 dressing to go out, and I got no consideration whatso^ 
 ever from Perdita. I was not to attend them I waS 
 told; they were on purely private affairs connected 
 ivith the house. She challenged me with her glances, 
 and I insisted on accompanying them, which I success- 
 fully accomplished without further protest. 
 
 I liked shopping with Perdita ; there was something 
 indefinably intimate in it, for presently Miss Puller 
 discovered business at a cottage on the hill, and im- 
 posed the task upon us. I watched Perdita while she 
 bought soap and candles and sugar, and offered her 
 ndvice on sundry household purchases. But unhap- 
 pily she did not seem to have much opinion of my 
 opinion; she steadily ignored it. 
 
 "We '11 change all that, my lady, when you 're my 
 wife," I whispered threateningly in her ear. It grew 
 pink like the petal of a pink rose, and she hurriedly 
 talked to the shop woman. 
 
 "And may I have a bar of tea, please,*' said silly 
 Perdita. Then, her confusion worse confounded, she 
 grew redder, and, when we had got outside safely, 
 declared she was going home. Alas, it was time for me 
 also to go home to make my preparations. 
 
 "Perdita!" said I, solemnly, when we paused to 
 part, "I have suddenly remembered something. I've 
 never formally asked for your hand. When may I 
 come and do it ? It 's rather important." She only 
 looked; she did not answer. I don't somehow think 
 ;she could answer just then. 
 
 "And you 've never called me anything," I went on. 
 Never, never anything. Now I must be called 
 something." 
 
 *M — I don't know what to call you," stammered 
 
The Secret of the Caves 
 
 251 
 
 Perdita. And the dear heart, I had not reflected, did 
 not, of course, know I was Richard. I told her. 
 
 "Never mind," I added. "That will keep until I 
 have formally asked for your hand, which I propose to 
 do — let me see — to-morrow. Heavens, how terrible 
 a sweetness there is in living in suspense ! But as you 
 must call me something, and must n't call me Dick 
 yet, suppose you call me dearest." 
 
 "Oh!" protested Perdita, aflame. 
 
 "Very well, beloved," said I, "I am going hence, 
 and Heaven only knows when you will see me again. 
 I am going on a desperate venture." My Perdita 
 opened her eyes largely. "I 'm plunging into unknown 
 risks and hazards." Perdita's face fell. 
 
 "What — what are you going to do.^^" she asked 
 anxiously. I loved to see that anxiety resident there — 
 for me. 
 
 "I 'm going to follow up a clue," I said; and so I 
 told her, and she was the only one who knew. 
 
 Perdita blanched. "But what — what — " she 
 paused. "Oh, isn't there danger.^" she asked. 
 
 I shook my head. I was charged with confidence 
 then, and would not have called the king my cousin. 
 Before me Fate spread her lures in vain. From my 
 height I looked down upon a less fortunate world ; and 
 no intervention could bar my way to happiness. 
 
 " But what do you expect to find there ? " said Perdita, 
 with awe in her voice. 
 
 "I shall find the secret wiiich has been puzzling us," 
 I said confidently. "If it is anywhere, it is there. I 
 am not afraid for Norroy. There 's nothing tragic 
 about it all, but only something dishonest. Those 
 caves, my dear, were used for contraband a hundred 
 
"252 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 years ago; I believe they are used for contraband to- 
 day, but miitatis mutandis. That 's all. And you and 
 I shall speed like fairy princess and prince to release 
 the hapless victim." 
 
 "Do you think he can be there she asked 
 breathlessly. 
 
 I think I shall know about it when I have been 
 there," I answered. 
 
 She drew a deep breath, and contemplated me with 
 triumphing ardor. I think, though she said nothing 
 but with those eyes, she was glad that her lover was so 
 brave and noble. x\h, dear heart, I have never done 
 an}i:hing brave or noble in my frivolous life, but now 
 I know I could face death and torture and eternal ruin 
 for the sake of one woman. I was proud to seem a 
 hero in those pretty eyes, though I was half ashamed at 
 the false pretences. I was only visiting an interesting 
 cavern. We step out uix)n our most fateful journeys un- 
 awares; we turn the corners light-heartedly to tragedy. 
 
 Perdita laid a hand upon my arm, pleading with me 
 with that instinct magic of understanding that had 
 come to pass between us. '*You must not nm into 
 danger. You must not come to harm, . . . dearest," 
 she said in a low tense voice. 
 
 If it had not been the road I would have caught her 
 up in my arms. But I could only control myself and 
 speak through my gaze, which devoured that vision 
 of loveliness. There was some strange chord that 
 bound us; words could say no more between us just 
 then. I turned and left her, and, looking back at the 
 comer of the square, I saw her looking back also. 
 
 I nearly rushed into the arms of Miss Fuller, as she 
 came up the street, laden with parcels. 
 
The Secret of the Caves 25S 
 
 Radiantly, I was going by with a significant smile for 
 her, when she stopped as if to address me, and some 
 of her packages were scattered on the road. I stooped* 
 to pick them up, mysterious long "drapery" things^, 
 some mustard that had broken its bonds, and pepper 
 that set Miss Fuller sneezing. 
 
 "Atchewl" she sneezed, and another package fell.. 
 It was a bulky envelope for which she had evidently 
 called at the post-office, and the flimsy paper had 
 frayed and broken, so that part of its contents slipped 
 out in the dust. I gathered them up while Isabel con- 
 tinued her sneezing, and as I did so I could not but see 
 the inscription on the packet and the contents. It was 
 addressed to Miss Fuller at Mrs. Lane's, bore a London 
 postmark, and it held, apparently, several letters ad- 
 dressed to Miss Rivers. I stacked them all carefully 
 in Isabel's arms and dismissed her with my blessing. 
 
 "Go back, dear lady," I said, "and tell the most 
 beautiful woman you chance to see that you met one 
 walking with his head in air, and that he upset all your 
 parcels thereby, and spilt the pepper in the gutter ; and 
 say that if he were walking to perdition he would still 
 walk with his head in air and perish happily ever 
 afterwards." 
 
 "It's nonsense, you know," said Isabel, laughing 
 nervously and pleasantly, "but I know what you mean. 
 I 'm so glad." 
 
 All the world was glad. I strolled up the deep-sunk 
 lane to the Castle the gladdest of ail, listening to the 
 birds. It was already that hour in late afternoon when 
 they are contemplating the evening concert. Ah ! I 
 sighed to think that no nightingale ever poured out his 
 passionate full heart in Devon. Other birds may make^ 
 
254 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 musical the countryside, but never sad Philomel. Th^ 
 blackbird sang with rich melody, the thrush scattered 
 his song with reckless largess, the wren was like fire- 
 works in the hedge, and the voice of the unseen willow- 
 warbler drifted out of the trees like a plaintive ghost 
 that sings as it fades away. But no nightingale sang to 
 any rose by Devon lanes and Devon gardens. No ; in 
 Devon the nightingale's song is in the lover's heart. 
 
 Mr. Toosey had embarrassed Mrs. Jackman during 
 my absence by his researches in the Castle; he had 
 politely insisted on exploring the precincts of the kitchen 
 for a solution of the hypothetical cipher in the "Novum 
 Organum " ; and to Mrs. Jackman's obvious distress 
 he had imagined he had discovered it in her bedroom. 
 I had dinner with him, and, if he had not been so crack- 
 brained and volatile of mind, I should have invited him 
 to join me on my adventure. It was just a toss-up, as 
 the saying is, that I did not. On so little does so much 
 depend. I left the Castle towards dark alone, but 
 armed with several adjuncts. 
 
 The tide was running well out, and when I gained 
 the beach in front of the cave not a soul was in sight. 
 Only far out a single sail moved like a dot on the great 
 <^hanneL I lit my lamp in the first cave, proceeded 
 through the second into the third without hesitation; 
 and then my new experiment opened. I had brought 
 with, me several balls of strong thin twine, and the end 
 of one of these I made fast to a projecting point of rock; 
 then with the hurricane lamp throwing a light before me 
 I plunged cheerfully down one of the corridors to which 
 I have referred in a previous chapter. 
 
 I had selected the passage at random, for there was 
 nothing to guide me in my choice; and now I must 
 
The Secret of the Caves 255 
 
 pick one of the channels that led off it by the same 
 guesswork. The first I entered in a very short time 
 proved a blind alley, and I retraced my way to make 
 trial of another. This conducted me for some distance 
 and then branched into two, one of which I was obliged 
 to take in preference to the other. Again, I had the same 
 alternative forced upon me; and then half a dozen 
 openings were offered to me. At least four or five 
 times I chose at haphazard, ever trailing my thread 
 behind me through the darkness, until I fancied I 
 had penetrated at least one hundred and fifty yards m 
 these intestine alleys. That was so far as distance wa» 
 concerned, for I had not been able to keep count of 
 direction, and I had not a guess where I was in relation 
 to the sea. Immediately, upon that, I arrived in a cave 
 of large area, which I was only able to illumine faintly 
 with my lantern. 
 
 I threw up the light to the vault above, which was: 
 some fifteen feet high, and, travelling slowly round the 
 walls of the cavern, I reckoned its diameter at some- 
 thing like thirty feet. I made a careful examination of 
 this chamber, and in one place found some old decay- 
 ing casks, and other debris, which suggested that the 
 vault had been used in other days as a storage cellar by 
 the smugglers. This seemed to indicate that there 
 was a nearer passage between it and the sea; for I 
 could not believe that those erratic and tedious ramifi- 
 cations had been utilized for the difficult transport of 
 goods. And this indication was endorsed by the num- 
 ber of holes which led out of the vault. Indeed, so 
 numerous were they, that it is not exaggerating to say 
 that the walls were riddled with holes. Avenues seemed 
 to converge on that central warehouse from all quarters. 
 
256 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 though whether they intercommunicated and flowed 
 subsequently in one ampler channel I could not say. 
 
 So far my quest had met with no reward, save the 
 relics of an interesting history. But after all, my con- 
 cern was in no way with the dead freebooters of a past 
 civilization. And when I looked at those burrows my 
 heart misgave me. I was standing in the arena in con- 
 sideration, when my eye was caught by a mark on the 
 floor. This was of sand, dry and dusty, and evidently a 
 superficial carpet to the deeper rock. The marks that 
 arrested me were uniform lines ploughed two inches 
 deep, and extending across the cavern. I put my lantern 
 to the ground and traced them. They went right 
 through the chamber and disappeared into a burrow. 
 I came back, tracked them in the other direction and 
 saw them slip into a burrow on the other side. The 
 vault then was intermediate in a road of traffic which 
 led from somewhere beyond to what must be the 
 entrance to the whole nest of subterranean galleries. 
 The marks seemed to me to have been sunk by a 
 wheel. 
 
 I was bent over them, lost in thought, when there 
 came to my ears a rumbling sound, a hollow echo as 
 of a human voice. Instinctively, I put out the lantern 
 and crept towards the sheltering darkness of the walls. 
 It was as well I did so, for out of a burrow on one side a 
 spreading light emerged, flinging strange shadows the 
 length of the vault; and, presently, I made out the 
 figure of a man from which the light swung. It was 
 short and crabbed, bow-legged and squat, but of as- 
 tonishing breadth ; it walked like a beetle, the lantern 
 creaking as it went, and throwing grotesques upon the 
 walls and on the floor. Slowly it passed across and 
 
The Secret of the Caves 257 
 
 disappeared into one of the holes, and the light died 
 away. 
 
 Stealthily I relit my own lantern and followed the 
 direction of this curious creature to its point of disap- 
 pearance. Then I came back. I was not sure what I 
 ought to do. Should I pursue the beetle and see what 
 the pursuit brought? Or should I proceed with the 
 investigation I had already begun into the wheel- 
 marks? A vague thought that these galleries might 
 be the home of a gang of coiners, or even of illicit dis- 
 tillers, flashed through my mind. Whoever they were, 
 it was my bounden duty to follow up my discoveries. 
 I retraced the wheel-marks, and to my surprise and 
 satisfaction, I found that they came out of the opening 
 from which the dwarf had entered. I immediately 
 made my decision. I would explore that way. 
 
 I had no difficulty now in guiding myself by these 
 signs of human handiwork. My lantern showed them 
 to me plainly on the sandy floor ; and I passed several 
 openings without pausing to regard or consider them. 
 Finally, I struck into another cave, but one of smaller 
 size than the vault I had left, and here I came to an 
 abrupt stop. For right in the centre of my path was a 
 pickaxe lying on a heap of stones. 
 
 I drew nearer, bent over it and scrutinized it carefully. 
 The stones were of different sizes, some being jagged 
 pieces of rock. My mind was bewildered but eager; 
 and my gaze wandering farther round lighted now upon 
 a wheelbarrow. Here was evidently the explanation 
 of the marks I had been following. I stared farther 
 still, and the light threw up dimly a second heap of 
 stones. What was it ? I stooped again, and picked up 
 one in my hand ; it weighed like lead. I am no geolo- 
 
 17 
 
258 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 gist and no man of science. Least of all am I a met- 
 allurgist. Yet to me that stone spoke somehow of 
 metal. I put it up right into the eye of the light, which 
 gleamed on a clean exposed face. I uttered an ex- 
 clamation. The secret was out. I held in my hand a 
 lump of exceedingly rich copper ore. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE LABYRINTH 
 
 WITH the key in my hand the whole of the mys- 
 tery was easy to unlock. I saw now the course 
 of this deep conspiracy and, behold, it was very simple. 
 Facts and events fell into their place appositely, when 
 once I realized for what these scoundrels had been 
 playing. The discovery of the copper lead in the sub- 
 terranean passages was the initial event, and it was a 
 short step thence to the plot, which was designed to 
 obtain possession of the mine surreptitiously. For this 
 purpose it was necessary that the owner of the estate 
 under which the treasure lay should be kept in igno- 
 rance. An attempt, therefore, had been made by Naylor 
 to purchase the Castle property, but this had been foiled 
 by Norroy's dogged tenacity in the face of adversity. 
 After this failure more diplomatic and less comfortable 
 means were employed. The young baronet had lived 
 beyond his income and was known to be in difficulties ; 
 it was easy to buy up debts, of which his genuine cred- 
 itors must have begun to despair. And so Mr. Home 
 is in possession of the requisite lever and proceeds to 
 apply it. This covert mean-looking little commission 
 agent was "in the deal" with the aristocratic financier 
 with a shady record. If this pretty pair can force Sir 
 Gilbert Norroy into the bankruptcy court the Castle is 
 theirs for an upshot price — and with the Castle, 
 
260 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 this precious copper niine. Oh, I saw it all now, and 
 saw it clearly. Naylor and Horne, and their creatures^ 
 had stacked the cards carefully and patiently and cun- 
 ningly; but they had not yet played out the game. I 
 reckoned that I held some trumps now in my own 
 hand. 
 
 But where did Norroy's disappearance come in ? 
 And what part had that factor in the game ? I began to 
 see the sort of men we were fighting, and to have a vast 
 respect at once for their intelligence and their audacity. 
 The writ had been successfully served on Norroy, with 
 the prospect of his ultimate bankruptcy. But stay; 
 there was a contingency to be faced. What if he should 
 succeed in meeting his creditors and settling his debts ? 
 I could conceive the infinite dismay with which Messrs. 
 Naylor and Horne would contemplate the possibility. 
 And the fact is, as I had already acknowledged to my- 
 self, that that possibility was advancing even into a 
 likelihood. What otherv^dse was the significance of the 
 growing intimacy of Miss Harvey and Norroy ? Rogues 
 who devised so cunning an intrigue, and had so daringly 
 contrived the service of the writ, were not likely to re- 
 main in ignorance either of the condition of the Harveys 
 or of the probable course of events. It was not too 
 much to assume that they had taken fright at the 
 chance, and delivered a stroke with their characteristic 
 effrontery. If so, Norroy was a prisoner, and would 
 remain a prisoner, if they could hold him, until his 
 financial affairs had got beyond salvation. I did not 
 doubt in the least that they had captured him; what 
 did give me food for consideration was the wonder if 
 they had chosen these vaults as his cell or had gone 
 somewhere else for their prison. 
 
The Labyrinth 
 
 261 
 
 I made a careful examination of the vault, and found 
 that the walls were rich in copper ore. A certain amount 
 of work had been carried on here, and there were several 
 hundred-weights of stone broken out at different in- 
 tervals; but I judged that no systematic attempt had 
 yet been made to work the lead. That would wait until 
 the rogues were in possession of the property, all signed 
 and sealed. Then, there was in the background, prob- 
 ably, an eventual flotation and plunder enough to en- 
 rich these gutter financiers a dozen times over. It had 
 been a game well worth playing, and I rejoiced that I 
 had come in with a big trump. 
 
 There were several openings off this cavern also, and 
 I bent to look in the sand for signs of any traffic by them. 
 I found two only with marks of feet, and one of them I 
 explored until I reached a small cave occupied by some 
 boxes and a barrel, a rude mattress and coverings, and 
 a chair. Evidently this was tenanted by some one, at 
 any rate occasionally, and it served as a storehouse. A 
 glance at the boxes showed me that it served as a larder 
 also. So far good. It brought nearer the likelihood 
 that Norroy was confined in the caves. 
 
 I had now wellnigh come to the end of my balls of 
 string, which I had from time to time connected, and I 
 feared that, if the galleries ran much farther, I should 
 be forced to abandon my plan of following them up. I 
 retraced my way back to the ore cavern, and tried the 
 second opening. The corridor from this led by a long 
 narrow way up against solid rock. It was a cul-de-sac. 
 
 Nothing was to be gained apparently on this side ; and 
 so I made up my mind to return to the central warehouse 
 and trace the beetle's footsteps on the lower side. But 
 I had hardly gone twenty feet or so backward on my 
 
262 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 string, when I heard a shout echoing through the grim 
 and silent tombs. I stopped. It rose again like the 
 hollow voice of a dead man, reverberating from the 
 rock and booming unearthly in the chamel atmosphere 
 of the galleries. It was hard to guess at whence it 
 came, but judging it to arise from the right hand I 
 turned into a doorway that opened there, and let out 
 more twine. I moved as quietly as I could through 
 this broken passage, and emerged in a cross-way. 
 Again the shout sounded, and it was now certainly 
 louder, and more cavernous. I turned out of this gallery 
 and my lantern gleamed on the walls of a narrow 
 chamber. 
 
 "Plutus, or Charon, damn you !" 
 
 It was unmistakable. It was Norroy^s voice. 
 Eagerly I called his name. 
 
 "Good God, who is it.^ Brabazon, what?'* he 
 cried back in his familiar manner. 
 
 The voice came from near by, and I swung the light 
 in its direction. It illumined a patch of the cell, where 
 Norroy was lying on a pallet, his legs bound together 
 by tope, and his hands similarly treated. He was 
 propped up against the wall, and by his side I took in at 
 a glance a pint pot and a metal plate. 
 
 "I say, old man," said Norroy, "how the devil did 
 you get here ? " He paused a moment, and then added 
 weakly, "This is a bit thick, is n't it, what 
 
 I bent over him, put the lantern on the floor, and ex- 
 tracting a knife from my pocket cut the ropes which 
 bound him. 
 
 "Thank goodness, you 've had no longer of it," I 
 said heartily, and seized his enfeebled hand affec- 
 tionately. 
 
The Labyrinth 263 
 
 "It 's been long enough," said he. "I thought you 
 were old Plutus. I call him that because this is Hell, 
 you know." 
 
 I did not distinguish for him between Pluto and 
 Plutus, and after all in a way the beetle might be con- 
 sidered a god of wealth in that hidden mine. I had no 
 doubt he alluded to the butler. 
 
 "Is that a dwarfish creature with his head low on his 
 shoulders .^^" I asked. 
 
 He nodded. "He 's my gaoler. I wanted a drink. 
 I say, is there anything in that pot, old chap ?" 
 
 I handed him the pint pot, and he took a long draught. 
 Then I gave him a sip from the flask I carried. "I say, 
 what 's the time ? Is it night or day ? How long have 
 I been here } It 's about ten days, I think, since I 
 heard my watch stop. I used to listen to the ticking in 
 my pocket. It was the only sound I could hear." 
 
 Ten days ! Lord, how the man must have suffered ! 
 It could only have been as I reckoned seventy-two 
 hours. But there is no such thing as absolute time, and 
 days are marked merely by the contents thereof. Time 
 that is blank means nothing ; a thousand years are but 
 as yesterday, and yesterday as a thousand years. I 
 shuddered. But I had something to learn from Norroy. 
 
 "Were you kidnapped?" I asked. 
 
 "Regularly shanghaied," said Sir Gilbert, with a 
 return of his old cheerfulness. "They copped me on 
 the hop, old man. I 'd no sooner got the blessed boat 
 loose than I was tripped up on both sides and rolled 
 over. Had n't a chance, what ? If they 'd been sport- 
 ing at all they would n't have shot me sitting. What 
 the devil do they want, anyway ? I can't pay ransom- 
 Got no money." 
 
264 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 I knew what they wanted, and I noted with interest 
 that they had not told him. 
 "Who are they?" I inquired. 
 
 "A tall thin black buflFer and old Plutus. What the 
 Hades do they want? Plutus won't open his mouth, 
 and grins when I ask him. Got a cigar or anything ?" 
 
 I shook my head. ''We mustn't smoke till we get 
 out of this," I said. "It would betray us. Tell me 
 what are this dwarf's habits." 
 
 "Well, when he gets up," said Sir Gilbert, plain- 
 tively, "I don't know, as it 's always the middle of the 
 night here. But he comes round with breakfast in the 
 middle of the night; and by and by he comes round 
 with dinner in the middle of the night. And then he 
 gives me supper in the middle of the night. It 's pretty 
 hard tack too, — damned ship's biscuits or something.'* 
 
 "Then is this your supper you 've had ?" I asked. 
 
 "Yes, or breakfast, — I don't know which. All the 
 same, you know. Is it night? Plutus has just gone 
 and I thought your steps were his coming back. That 's 
 why I holloaed out. I say, Brabazon, you did n't tell 
 me how you got here." 
 
 "I 'U tell you that later," I said. "We must think 
 of getting out now while the tide is low. Otherwise we 
 shall be caught in here and run all kinds of risks. Do 
 you think the dwarf sleeps here?" 
 
 He shook his head. "Don't know. Don't know any 
 blessed thing except what I 've told you," he said 
 mournfully. "I suppose I 'm somewhere under the 
 earth." 
 
 "We'll soon have you above it," said I, cheerfully. 
 "Do you feel your legs all right?" 
 
 "A bit paralytic," confessed Sir Gilbert. "So would 
 
The Labyrinth 265 
 
 you be. But I 'm on. I say, you are a good chap to 
 hunt me up like this. How 's Miss Harvey ?" 
 
 I reassured him of Miss Harvey's health, and he 
 seemed pleased to think that she had been distressed 
 by his disappearance. "Jolly good of her," he re- 
 marked, "awfully kind of her. By Jove, to think she 
 was put out ! Ripping of her, what ? " 
 
 He never remembered to inquire about Miss Fuller 
 or Perdita, but I forgave him. His spirits rose, till 
 presently they were quite normal. "It 's the constant 
 darkness that tries you most," he explained. "Lord, 1 
 did get sick of it. Old Plutus I used to hail as a dear 
 friend. I say, Brabazon, I wonder if Hell will be like 
 this. If so, I 'U take jolly good care to get to the other 
 place. What have you got there ? " he broke off, eying 
 the string in my hand. 
 
 I told him, and his admiration knew no bounds. 
 "That's a cute trick," he said. "Fancy thinking of 
 that. We '11 be out in a brace of shakes." 
 
 I hoped we should, for I conceived that the dwarf 
 had completed his task for the night and had gone. The 
 tide was by this time rolling in, and he would naturally 
 be anxious to get away from the caves and not remain 
 shut up in them all night. So I did not look for any en- 
 counter with him, or with the lean dark fisherman who 
 was evidently his associate in this nefarious kidnapping. 
 And so, with a comparatively light heart I led the way, 
 lantern in hand, and winding up my string as I moved 
 towards the mouth of the caves. 
 
 We had gone some half of the distance, as I estimated 
 from the amount of the reclaimed string, when I noticed 
 that the twine lay on the sand in loops, looser, that is, 
 than I had imagined it would lie from the fall I had given 
 
266 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 it on my entrance. I paid, however, small heed to this, 
 giving it nothing beyond a vague wonder. And next it 
 came into my mind to speculate as to whether this 
 passage I had happened upon was that used by the 
 dwarf and his confederates. I was still without any 
 misgivings as to my power to reach the ultimate outer 
 cavern, and had thus room and time to devote to some 
 curiosity. I stopped and scrutinized the floor. But 
 here the rock outcropped, and though I fancied I could 
 discern the print of feet I was not sure. We continued, 
 therefore, until I felt the ground under me soft with 
 «and, when I made another examination. You see I 
 thought my observations might come in useful in the 
 subsequent operations on those galleries that I saw 
 imminent. 
 
 I resumed, slowly, ever pulling the cord which lay on 
 the ground ; and soon I was aware that I must be ap- 
 proaching the mouth, for I had wound up almost the 
 whole of my last ball of string, A little farther, I reck- 
 oned, I should get into the gallery leading to the second 
 cave. I wound up, the ball increased, grew into a 
 monstrous bunch, as you know string will under amateur 
 hands, and suddenly and without warning, I pulled 
 up the end, which dangled through my fingers loosely 
 as I wound. I stopped paralyzed by fear. 
 
 I had reached the end of the twine, and this was a 
 strange place ! The end of the ball was not where I had 
 left it — in the outside caves ! 
 
 I was aghast at this discovery, so much so that I did 
 not immediately grasp its meaning. When I did so my 
 consternation was the greater. The end of the string 
 I had fastened, as I have told you, on a projection of 
 rock in the second cave. Human agency had removed 
 
The Labyrinth 267 
 
 it thence. We had no longer a clue to guide us out of 
 the subterranean passage ! 
 
 "What 's the matter, old chap >?" said poor Norroy, 
 seeing me come to an abrupt halt. 
 
 It went to my heart to tell him. Yet it had to be done. 
 He drew a finger ruefully down his long nose. 
 
 "I say," he said. "What a beastly nuisance ! Who 
 the deuce can have shifted it.^^" 
 
 I saw plainly now, and cursed myself for the stu~ 
 pendous folly which had prevented me from being alive 
 to the danger earlier. As I had read the dwarf's foot- 
 steps, so could he read mine ! They had betrayed me 
 doubtless to his accustomed eyes, and he had taken the 
 best means of disposing of the stranger. There was no 
 need of violence, no necessity for angry words and 
 furious encounters; this custodian of the inferno, as 
 Norroy rightly considered him, found the means for 
 my undoing ready to his hand, and supplied by myself. 
 He had removed the thread of twine into the intricate 
 maze of the labyrinth, and now we two hapless creatures 
 stood there, somewhere deep in the bowels of the cliff 
 side, with only a remote chance of beating our way out. 
 
 The blacker grew the prospect every minute that I 
 considered it. It was true we had a lantern, but I did 
 not know how long the oil would last ; and if we had not 
 succeeded in breaking out of the ravelled web before 
 that happened, our case would be ten times more des- 
 perate. I will admit that I lost heart in that terrible 
 moment. Can you call the picture up .^^ — A hundred 
 dark and narrow intercommunicating passages, a 
 rabbit-warren of holes, an endless journey along blind 
 alleys, and a man weakened and dispirited by solitary 
 confinement for days and poor food? Did I say dis- 
 
268 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 pirited ? Sir Gilbert's voice issued thinly just then ta 
 ;give me the lie. 
 
 "I'll tell you what! If old Acheron hasn't cleared 
 out, let 's get hold of him and screw his neck till he tells 
 us how to get out." 
 
 It was a bright idea ! He seemed pleased with it, and 
 feebly stuck his eye-glass in his eye to see how I took it. 
 
 "An excellent idea," said I, judicially, "if we find 
 him." This perhaps set him thinking, for he turned 
 his mind aside from that happy thought and surveyed 
 the hopeless corridor. 
 
 "It stands to reason," he pronounced, "that the 
 entrance is n't this way since old Plutus would n't be 
 fool enough to shift it nearabouts. I vote we turn and 
 hark back." 
 
 The notion was as good as any that I could suggest, 
 and I agreed. We might, in truth, as well toss a coin 
 for it at every corner. We retraced our way to an 
 opening. 
 
 "I'll tell you a good idea," said Norroy, presently. 
 "We'll mark these places. I've got a pencil in my 
 pocket; and we'll mark 'em. And then, if the route 
 fails, we'll know we've tried it, see.^" 
 
 I wondered how long it would take us to mark all 
 the openings in the rock, but I did not dare to dis- 
 courage him. He made a cross after some efforts on 
 the dark stone, and marched cheerily on, repeating the 
 same operation at the next turning. 
 
 "Don't they blaze trees somewhere or other to guide 
 them " he asked, as his mind caught at another 
 brilliant notion. "Oh, I say, Brabazon, we '11 wear 'em 
 down yet. You've only got to keep going, you know, 
 what?" 
 
The Labyrinth 269^ 
 
 Well, we kept going, until both of us were exhausted^, 
 and without the slightest result. Let me briefly re- 
 hearse the proceedings of that awful night. 
 
 Naturally I first thought of the foot-tracks, that un- 
 happy medium of our ruin. Since the dwarf had shifted 
 our clue he must have left imprints of his passage 
 behind. These I discovered occasionally where the sand 
 was loose underfoot, and it was these that we followed 
 during our first attempt. Sir Gilbert was content to 
 mark his crosses at the turnings we took on the chance 
 that our essay would not prove successful. In this he 
 was right. The dwarf's tracks led by impish devious 
 ways, and once crossed the central vault which I have 
 described. But when my hopes were raised to a high 
 pitch by the hypothesis that he was now on his road to 
 the entrance I lost them altogether on a rocky floor. I 
 tried one way and then another, but all in vain; the 
 footmarks had vanished. Nevertheless, I swore that 
 I would exhaust all the possible permutations of the 
 various directions, and, accordingly, I resolved to rest 
 where we were and start again with renewed strength. 
 Norroy's pencil had been eagerly busy as he ticked off 
 the passages we had tested. He had never once lost 
 hope, and even confidence; and to hear this amazing 
 man you would have conceived him to be amusing 
 himself on a pleasure excursion rather than to be fight- 
 ing for his life in a darkness which had owned him for 
 days. 
 
 We sat down, put out our lamp to economize the oil, 
 and rested. My watch had told me a little before that it 
 was two in the morning, and a low moaning in the ears, 
 informed us that the tide was up and was breaking in 
 the outer caverns. The sound was ghastly in its quality^ 
 
270 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 not threatening and angry as it was on the cliffs without, 
 but pitifully whining and groaning — as it were the 
 voices from a lake of damned souls with no hope of 
 redemption. Its lamentable clamor filled the subter- 
 ranean corridors. It went to the heart. It never rose or 
 fell, but remained ever one long low burden of woe, 
 forced, as it were, from victims who knew there was no 
 answer to their cries, but could not contain them for 
 sheer physical suffering. 
 
 Norroy made some remarks, a poor attempt at con- 
 versation, and at last was silent; and then I think we 
 both dropped off to sleep. When I awoke I felt hungry 
 and stiff and bewildered, and I wished that the larder I 
 had come across earlier in the night was accessible. 
 I took a little whiskey from the flask. I lit the lamp and 
 examined my watch. It was past eight o'clock and 
 the tide would be out again. There was no sound in 
 the corridors ; all was still as a graveyard. The dying 
 were dead and the damned were silent. 
 
 I woke Norroy, who confessed to hunger, but was 
 eager to resume work. 
 
 "Look here, we can't be far off," he said after a nip 
 of whiskey. "Look at that row there was all night. 
 Let's get along." 
 
 We started on our task again with some freshness, 
 and explored several more passages, but without finding 
 any traces of feet which would suggest that any of them 
 was the adit from the mouth of the cavern. After two 
 hours' work we rested again, and made a renewed 
 attack in force thereafter. Norroy's stump of pencil 
 had been worn out, and with its fading he grew less 
 confident. And now I regretted that I had not at- 
 tempted to get at the larder when we had struck the 
 
The Labyrinth 271 
 
 central warehouse, from which I had originally reached 
 it. 
 
 "If we only had a bottle of ale and some cheese !" he 
 groaned, and then "I say, Brabazon, let's smoke a 
 cigar," he brightened. "That keeps you from thinking 
 of your stomach, they say." 
 
 I had no cigars, but I had a case of cigarettes, which 
 I had forgotten in our wretchedness, and now we lit one 
 each with a certain satisfaction. 
 
 "It's very odd," mused Sir Gilbert, as if he were 
 talking in his smoking-room, "how you've got to see the 
 smoke you make to properly enjoy it. I ought to be 
 revelling in this, but I'm not." 
 
 Of course we had put the lamp out while we rested. 
 
 "Got another match he said. "I've lighted mine 
 sideways. Cigarettes are no good to me." 
 
 I felt in my pocket. I had only a few matches left. 
 "We must husband them," I said. 
 
 We finished our cigarettes and resumed, and we had 
 not been at work ten minutes before I called out that on 
 the sand before me was the print of heavy boots. 
 
 "Good old Brabazon!" cried Norroy, admiringly. 
 *T say, you are a daisy ! Now we shan't be long." 
 
 I am not ashamed to say that my own heart was 
 pumping excitedly. I put the lantern closer to the 
 floor and hurried on. The tracks led downwards the 
 way we were going, and there were several of them. 
 Undoubtedly this was the main gallery used by the 
 conspirators to and from the copper lead. The reflection 
 just flashed through my head that I had not yet revealed 
 to Norroy the explanation of the mystery, and that he 
 had not asked again about it. How like a child ! His 
 mind had no persistence ; and yet his will was obstinate. 
 
272 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 Why this thought came to me in so triumphant a 
 moment I knew not ; I was hastening on, nose to ground, 
 running up the scent almost mechanically, and with a 
 swelling heart. And then without warning the lamp 
 sank and expired, leaving us in utter blackness. 
 
CHLIPTER XX 
 
 THZ TIDZ 
 
 : ; : : : : reaction ! 
 
 :he trail to the 
 cht and sound, our 
 
 - : > . ± z supply of oil had at 
 ^iven no w:iniino^. but the llame 
 - I V : red an oath for 
 
 . XoiToy, in the 
 
 ^.-^ .iiid pitched 
 
 : : him sit down in the 
 
 v. rked simply: and then, 
 
 " V too few in number, but they 
 I str.i jk one, and with all 
 : : ki; till it went out, 
 
 : r ^ eration, Norroy 
 eve six matches in 
 ; : ^ ^ s 'me fifty yards by 
 : : : roe more, and this 
 
 v ;:. : r e was no possible 
 c-:--; o .rkr.ess. ::::d darkness in 
 
 1R 
 
274 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 The first thing to secure was that we should keep 
 together; and so it was arranged that we should call to 
 each other constantly, to prevent any possibility of either 
 going astray. Next, we resolved to move forward along 
 the gallery in which we were by feeling on the walls. We 
 proceeded perhaps a dozen yards in this way, and then 
 the wall terminated under my hands, and I knew we 
 had come to a cross track. Despair seized us. We had 
 no means of telling in which direction we should move 
 now, whether forward, or to right or to left ; everything 
 must go by blind chance. 
 
 "Let's try the right," said Norroy, and we tried it. 
 
 It harrows me even at this distance of time to look 
 back upon that dreadful night in day and to recall the 
 emotions to which we were subject. Norroy's matter-of- 
 fact voice was at first of some assistance to one's nerves. 
 It did not seem as if anything could be so far wrong with 
 that placid temper beside one. And I think I felt his 
 collapse, when it came, all the more. I had not looked 
 for it, and it shocked me. 
 
 His voice ceased gradually and he sank into silence; 
 and the silence imposed upon that maddening darkness 
 seemed to reinforce our terrible condition. I spoke to 
 him, and he did not answer. I called, fearing that he 
 had moved away. ... I put out my hand and it 
 touched him. 
 
 "What is it?" he asked dully. 
 
 I don't think he had heard ; he had sunk into apathy, 
 almost into coma. My voice passed him as if he were 
 inanimate, and it was only at my touch he woke. 
 
 "Don't let 's lose heart!" I pleaded in dread. "If 
 we do we are done for." 
 
 "I suppose," said Sir Gilbert, slowly, as if thinking. 
 
The Tide 
 
 275 
 
 suppose starvation will do the trick. I 'd sooner 
 have that than the other/' 
 
 "What other?" I asked in a low and frightened 
 voice. 
 
 "Well, look here/' he said, "how much of this can 
 you stand 
 
 "Probably as much of it as we shall have to," I 
 answered rallying. 
 
 "No, you won't," he said slowly. "I 've had a bit. 
 I know. I dare say you 'U stand it longer than I 
 will." 
 
 "What are you afraid of I whispered again, in a 
 terrible fascination. 
 
 "Going off my head," he returned in his dull tone. 
 It was unlike the Norroy I knew. I was scared. 
 
 "Nonsense!" I protested weakly. 
 
 "I know," he said. "I 've had it. I 've been here 
 ten days." 
 
 That he had not yet been there four days made the 
 effect of his statement worse. I did not correct him. I 
 had no heart. We sank into silence again. 
 
 I do not know, of course, how long I slept, but I 
 know I fell off in the mercy of God, and when I woke 
 I was afraid to speak lest I might awake a sleeping 
 comrade. I sat still, therefore, my mind flowing drearily 
 onwards. The awful moaning of the waters again 
 filled the caverns. I fixed my thoughts on Perdita — 
 Perdita in the light, Perdita with the sunshine playing 
 on her bronze-gold hair, Perdita with her vivid rose 
 face. I shut my eyes, as if to pretend that the darkness 
 was only within me, and that the day was broad without, 
 and the curtains of my vision parted and I saw Perdita. 
 She was always in the light. 
 
276 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 What I had loved first and always about Perdita was 
 the sunshine of her face. Her presence lit up a room ; 
 she was radiant with color and brightness. I could see 
 her now. . . . The wailing of the lost souls came up the 
 rocky corridors. I shut my eyes tighter, and strove to 
 close my ears to all but Perdita 's voice. Sweet and low 
 and infinitely various in its inflections it sounded in my 
 ears. And I saw her dewy eyes, full of tenderness, under 
 the inspiration of love. Was not this the day I was to go 
 to Perdita and ask for Perdita 's hand ? I wondered 
 what hour it was. It was time I was there for certain. 
 I should, perhaps, be at this moment entering the little 
 sitting-room at Mrs. Lane's. . . . Perdita rose from the 
 window and came forward to meet me, sUent, with no 
 sound, but only with her eloquent face. I took her in 
 my arms. 
 
 Somehow Miss Fuller entered the room, started and 
 went back. She was ever a discreet woman, and I had 
 given her a message for Perdita. I saw Miss Fuller's 
 heap of parcels rolling in the dust again. I picked 
 them up for her. There was an envelope with its con- 
 tents strewn, and what was it — "Miss Rivers?" I 
 wondered why. 
 
 Through a rift in my consciousness the voices of the 
 damned and dying rolled in upon my soul. A groan 
 sounded by me. 
 
 "'Are you awake, Norroy?" I asked. 
 
 "I've never been asleep," he answered. "I was 
 keeping quiet for you." 
 
 "And I for you," I replied. "But I have slept, and 
 I wonder how long." 
 
 "I don't know," he answered. "All time 's the same 
 Jiere. Is n't that sound awful ?" 
 
The Tide 
 
 277 
 
 "Don't think of it," I enjoined. "Keep your mind 
 going. Tliink of something you value." 
 
 "I suppose it is all up with us, Brabazon," he said 
 presently. "There is n't any chance." 
 
 "Only the chance of their relenting," I said, "and 
 I suppose that is n't much. But we can go under with 
 the flag flying, old chap," 
 
 "Oh, yes," he assented listlessly, and then, "They 
 must have seen your footmarks. I wonder what the 
 devil it all means." 
 
 That reminded me. This patient creature was still 
 in the dark as to the secret of the caves ; and so I told 
 him. To my astonishment he grew quite interested. 
 
 " Golly !" he exclaimed. "A copper mine ! Who the 
 deuce would have thought it ! I say, Brabazon, if we 
 did manage to squeeze out of this that would be all 
 right for me, what?" 
 
 "Let us suppose we shall!" I suggested. 
 
 He laughed harshly. "All right. It won't do any 
 harm. I '11 lend you a couple of thousand, old chap, if 
 you want it." 
 
 "I can do with it," I said with alacrity, "and then 
 we '11 take a holiday in the Pyrenees for the winter." 
 
 "It would n't be bad," he said. "They 've got damn 
 good golf courses at Biarritz and Jean de Luz. But 
 oh, hang it, what's the use.^^ We're cooked!" His 
 odd mind reverted to the discovery. "Cunning beggar, 
 that Naylor man. He 's a real crook, I should think. 
 Damn it, Brabazon, to think that I shan't be able to 
 turn up at my case ! We '11 be skeletons before that 
 time. Oh, he 's an artful beggar, and I 've been a 
 silly cuckoo." I heard a sound and guessed he had got 
 on his feet "Look here, old man, I 'm not going to be 
 
^78 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 diddled by these bounders. I 'm going to get out, 
 what?" 
 
 "Excellent!" said I, glad to see his obstinate will 
 stiffen. When it cooled in its mould there were few 
 chances of breaking it. 
 
 ''Come along," said he. "Let's have another shot 
 
 it." 
 
 I rose, too, and together, keeping touch with each 
 other, we made our last essay. 
 
 It was a gallant effort, and when we succumbed I 
 recognized it was the end. But Norroy's temper was 
 as unbending iron; he clung to his resolve with the 
 tenacity of an animal at bay. Tired, weakened with 
 his long incarceration, beaten to his knees, he still 
 fought on. 
 
 "We '11 have a bit of a rest," he panted, "and then 
 go on again." 
 
 We drank the last of the whiskey and sank down, and 
 compassionate nature sent us the relief of sleep. The 
 last thing of which I was conscious was the droning 
 of the waters somewhere that we could not reach. 
 
 I was awakened by an odd sensation on my face 
 which had sunk to the level of the sandy floor. I had a 
 strange and ugly and broken nightmare, and I awoke 
 to the lapping of water on my cheek. I put out an arm 
 half unconsciously and it went into cold water. I 
 started. I ^as fully awake. What was this ? And then 
 I knew. It was the tide ! 
 
 I shook Norroy, who came to with difficulty, owing 
 to his weakness, and told him of my discovery. 
 
 "The tide ! " he cried. " Good Lord, then we 're — " 
 
 "Saved!" I ejaculated. "This is the high- water 
 mark in the underground passages to which we have 
 
The Tide 
 
 279 
 
 blundered in the darkness. If we wait now till the sea 
 goes down, and follow it up as it retires we are bound 
 to come out. God be thanked !" 
 
 "Bully !" cried Norroy, feebly. "Did n't I say we 'd 
 see it through, old man ? Look here, where is it ? Let 
 me feel it." 
 
 He leaned eagerly forward and dabbled his hands in 
 the wavelets that rippled in by our legs. 
 
 "I say, Brabazon," he said presently, "we'll stick 
 to that arrangement, my boy." 
 
 "What arrangement?" I asked, wondering at him. 
 
 "Why, about the two thousand quid, and the Pyre- 
 nees and so on. Look here, what do you think ? Would 
 the Harveys come.^^" 
 
 It was pleasant to talk thus, and I was almost as 
 light of mind and heart as was he in the wonderful 
 reaction. 
 
 "Yes, if you angled them properly," I said. 
 
 "You 'd better," he said after a pause, "I 'm not 
 much of a pet with women." 
 
 "Why, I 'm sure both Mrs. and Miss Harvey think 
 a lot of you," I replied. 
 
 "Think so.^" he asked eagerly. "Does she really? 
 Honest injun ?" 
 
 I knew which he meant by his singular pronoun, and 
 I reassured him of my sincerity, which profoundly de- 
 lighted him. He began to draw up a wild scheme for 
 future holidays in which the Harveys and myself were 
 to participate. But he never mentioned Perdita. Oh, 
 Sir Gilbert Norroy, dear, dull Englishman, was the 
 most kindly and self-centered and stupid of men. But 
 I let him talk ; nay, I encouraged him to do so — and 
 all the time the tide was turning. 
 
280 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 It began to go down at last, and it ran out fast. 
 
 Keeping one to each side of the passage, we pressed on, 
 never losing touch of the miraculous water by a foot's 
 width. Out ebbed the sea with a ripple and babble 
 of water, and with every moment our hearts grew lighter 
 and brighter. 
 
 We cared nothing now for tides and cross-roads and 
 adits and exits and turnings. Our sightless eyes were 
 fixed forward ever towards the receding sea, and step 
 by step we tramped after it, telling one another of the 
 upper world without and the light and the free breath 
 of heaven. 
 
 And now I began to perceive a sensible loosening of 
 the darkness. It grew lighter, as it were the darkness 
 of the night when the dawn is coming up. I almost 
 felt that I could make out the rocky walls by which we 
 guided ourselves through the cavernous places. And 
 foot by foot we were on our way towards the light. 
 
 The light ! Yes, it was light to us, though the world 
 above us was lying wrapped in deep night. I saw that 
 much when we reached the inner cavern, and I could 
 catch a glimpse of the blue-black sky without. The 
 sea stole out reluctant into the outer cavern and we 
 advanced with it. It hung there, as if loath to retreat 
 farther; and beyond the mouth of the cave the wild 
 water was roaring on the rocks. The sky, as I have 
 said, was light to us, but in reality it was black with 
 storm. The rain beat on the sea in sheets, and the 
 wind blew out of heaven in a gale. We stood, waiting 
 with incredible patience for the withdrawal of the tide 
 beyond the cavern, which would give us access to the 
 rocks and the face of the cliffs beyond. 
 
 And then between us and the sky-line, suddenly I 
 
The Tide 
 
 281 
 
 was aware of something blacker, starker than the 
 heaven. 
 
 "A boat ! A boat !" cried Norroy, seizing my arm. 
 
 It was a boat under spirit sails, and it seemed to be 
 riding across the face of the water in front of the cave. 
 
 "What is she doing in so close?" I asked aloud. 
 "On such a night, and in such a storm what could in- 
 duce men to take so great a risk.^" 
 
 Has she been blown in perchance by the gale, a fisher 
 boat from the channel? I strained my eyes to make 
 out what I could, and after that terrible darkness of the 
 caverns I was able to see more clearly than I otherwise 
 should have done. Her bow appeared to be turned 
 towards the cliff, and the rag of the sail blotted out the 
 mast, but as she drove nearer in the storm a figure was 
 visible clinging to the sheets. Behind that mass of 
 black cloud I knew there was a moon somewhere 
 lightening the general cast of the sky ; and now through 
 a jagged breach in heaven it showed, slight and silver, 
 for a moment, and in that instant the boat, headed for 
 the caves, bore down upon us, and was lit up from end 
 to end. In the stem was a man struggling with the 
 tiller in the draw and suck and maelstrom of the waters. 
 But my eyes only dwelled on him momentarily; for 
 the form in the prow arrested my attention. It was a 
 woman's. She stood, with both hands upon the shrouds 
 by her, hatless, with blown hair and blown gown, and 
 even through the mist of rain and spray I knew her. 
 I uttered a cry. It was Perdita, recognizable in every 
 line of her body, recognizable in the poise of her head 
 and neck, in the upward curve of her arms. For one 
 instant she stood thus above the level of my fascinated 
 gaze, a spirit of the storm, as it seemed, a wild sea- 
 
282 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 maiden out of the tempestuous waters. And the next the 
 boat plunged, rode down upon the caverns, lurched 
 and cracked like brittle china on the outlying rocks of 
 the cliff. But more than that I saw not ; for as she went 
 down in the water, carrying my heart and life, I was 
 aware of a dull pain in the head and consciousness 
 left me. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 LOVE IN DEATH 
 
 THE blackness of night environed me. I drew a 
 deep breath which was a sigh as I realized this, 
 and knew that all I had gone through was a dream. It 
 was indeed a characteristic dream, from the lapping 
 of the water about my face to our arrival in the outer 
 cavern, and to the storm and the Loreley of the storm 
 as she swept down upon us in pity and majesty. I 
 groaned loudly, and a voice called my name. 
 
 "Is that you, Norroy ?" I asked weakly; *'I 've had 
 a strange and vivid dream. I dreamt we 'd got down- 
 to the outer cavern." 
 
 "No, you didn't, old boy," said Norroy's voice. 
 "It was n't a dream." 
 
 But these were not Norroy's hands that held mine, 
 they were too small and delicate. In a maze I removed 
 one hand of my own and put it out with a queer elation^ 
 of the heart. 
 
 "Dearest!" whispered a voice to me. "Dearest!" 
 
 Perdita ! Then it was no dream. But a dozen ques- 
 tions rushed upon me. What had happened ? How 
 did we get here ? Where were we ? And how was 
 Perdita here.^ Yet in that exultant moment it was 
 enough that she was there, sitting by my side, her 
 tender hands clasping mine. 
 
 "Perdita !" I murmured. "Oh, my sweetheart, my 
 dearest, my darling with the dove's eyes ! Was it really 
 
284 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 you then, and no angelic vision merely? I saw you 
 riding the storm, dearest, like a minister of mercy. 
 What were you doing there, my sweet and beautiful?" 
 
 Her fingers trembled on mine. "I came to you," 
 she whispered back. 
 
 "Forme!" I echoed. "But how? But why — " 
 "You did not come," said Perdita, softly in the dark- 
 ness that was now light to me. "You said you would 
 come and you did n't. I went to the Castle, because 
 you had told me where you were going, and I was afraid. 
 I did n't believe that there was no danger. I felt there 
 was danger." She shivered. "And at the Castle they 
 had heard no news of you, and then I knew I was 
 right. I knew that some evil had come to you. And 
 so I came." 
 
 I drew her slowly, firmly, confidently out of the 
 darkness towards me, and her face rested on my 
 shoulder. 
 
 "Dear brave heart !" I murmured in her ear. "Tell 
 me how." 
 
 "Feel any better, old chap?" broke in Norroy. 
 
 "Yes," I replied. "I am quite recovered. Indeed, I 
 am fit for anything," I laughed. So great and strong 
 and deep is Love that can conquer all things. 
 
 "I say, isn't Miss Forrest a brick?" he demanded 
 heartily. "She came after us." 
 
 Me ! Me ! after me, O foolish and blind ! I pressed 
 her hair and it was wet and disordered. "I must learn 
 all," I said. "Please go on, dear." 
 
 "And when you did n't come," proceeded Perdita, 
 went back to the village, and I went to old Hawes, 
 the boatman. And I told him all that I knew, and what 
 you had said, and where you were going. And Hawes 
 
Love in Death 285 
 
 listened, and rubbed his tobacco and put it in his pipe, 
 and he said : 
 
 " * Well, Miss, I reckon those caves are a bit mazing. 
 When I was a boy I nigh got lost in them myself.' " 
 
 "And so we arranged to go to them at once, and see 
 what — what had happened. Hawes would have it 
 that you had lost your way, but somehow I knew better. 
 And the tide was up, but I could n't wait, and so Hawes 
 suggested that we should get as near to the cliff as we 
 could, and then make our way along the rocks when the 
 tide ran out of the caves. But the storm got up and the 
 rain came, and somehow the rudder got broken, and we 
 got in that current and drove on the rocks, and — Oh !'^ 
 Perdita sobbed. *^Poor Hawes is drowned. He must 
 have gone down with the boat." 
 
 "No, no," I soothed her. "These old sailors know 
 too much. He is sure to be all right." But I wanted 
 to know more. What did Perdita in the caves with us ?' 
 And where were we ? It was Norroy who answered my 
 query, and in a shambling awkward voice. 
 
 "Well, we're back again, old chap! Same old 
 business !" 
 
 "How back!" I cried. "But how is that. Why, 
 we were in the outer cavern." 
 
 "It's that damned Cerberus — beg your pardon. 
 Miss Forrest. But he is, you know. Lives in Hell. I 
 should know, as I 've been there along with him for a 
 fortnight. Fact is, Brabazon, it 's plain the beggar 
 was n't out of the caves, and he laid us out." 
 
 "Laid us out!" 
 
 "Yes, is n't your head a bit sore ? Mine is. He and 
 the other chap must have come up with us just as we 
 were thinking of clearing out, and I saw the dwarf 
 
£86 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 sock it into you. You gave a cry, and that called my 
 attention. But you must have cried out before you got it. 
 I saw the bar come down on you as I turned. And then 
 t'other brute got me." 
 
 My heart sickened. We were back then in the old 
 cave, with all the old terrors and despair. But no, there 
 was no despair for me with Perdita by me, though I 
 might experience fear for her. 
 
 "Th^ must have carted us somehow up here again," 
 went on Norroy. ''I came to a bit on the way, and 
 there was a light, and I remember a huge cave." I 
 knew what that must be — the warehouse of the 
 smugglers. "Well, and here we are," he ended vaguely. 
 
 But Perdita was still unaccounted for. I had seen 
 her go down in the storm and clamoring waves; and 
 here she was by my side. 
 
 "Oh, that 's a bit odd," said Norroy, when I plied a 
 further question. "They must have fetched Miss For- 
 rest up afterwards; anyway she was here when I got 
 my senses again." 
 
 "I must have lost mine," said Perdita, softly. "I 
 remember going down, and a huge gulf of water opening 
 over me, and then I don't remember any more, until I 
 was conscious of being carried somewhere in the dark. 
 And then I felt a sudden shock, and I found I was 
 lying on a cold rocky floor, and some one was groan- 
 ing near. It was you, dear," she whispered in my 
 ear. 
 
 "Rum thing their saving you," said Norroy. 
 
 "But I don't understand it all yet," replied Perdita. 
 *^Who are they .^" 
 
 And so we told her of the dwarf, and of his confeder- 
 ;ates, of our struggle in the darkness, and of the coppef 
 
Love in Death 287 
 
 lead in the bowels of the cliff. She listened silently^ 
 and when I had done, said, "Then, they are keeping 
 you here till the case is over." Swift and nimble were 
 my dear love's wits upon this opening mystery. 
 "That 's it," said Norroy. 
 
 "And they won't do us any harm," continued Per- 
 dita. "Because it's not in their interest to do more 
 than prevent Sir Gilbert from putting in an appearance." 
 
 "You argue like a book, sweetheart," I whispered. 
 
 "And, moreover, they wouldn't have saved me if 
 they had wanted to do us any harm." 
 
 "By Jove, no, no more they would," said Norroy^ 
 cheerfully. "We 're looking up." 
 
 I said nothing. There was another explanation of 
 the seeming mercy of our enemies. If Perdita had been 
 allowed to go and had escaped the sea, she would have 
 brought down a new expedition upon the rogues. Yet 
 it was not clear that they had any interest in our death. 
 Of course Norroy's evidence was sufficient to send the 
 dwarf and his companion to prison; but they were 
 evidently only the servants of the conspiracy. And 
 there was no real connection yet traced between the 
 prime culprits and the acts of violence to which we had 
 been subjected. If the dwarf and his comrade vanished 
 forever, what charge would lie against Naylor or Horne, 
 who had merely taken advantage of the rights that the 
 law allowed them ? 
 
 Yet the mere optimistic statement of our case by 
 Perdita in such confident tones seemed to infuse cheer- 
 fulness into the atmosphere. We were in prison again, 
 but there were mitigations this time. We had proved 
 that it was possible to get out, and our situation was 
 known now to our friends above. I discovered this 
 
288 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 fact from Perdita, who had told Jackman on what 
 mission she was bound, as well as Miss Fuller. The 
 latter had endeavored to dissuade Perdita from the at- 
 tempt, urging in her wisdom that the task was rather one 
 for men alone. But my Perdita had obstinately run 
 away from this advice, had taken the bit between her 
 teeth and bolted, and had left behind her doubtless 
 now an alarm. Moreover, it was not at all certain that 
 Hawes had perished, or had been taken by the con- 
 federates. And for all these reasons we were justified 
 in looking forward to our ultimate rescue. 
 
 The need immediately pressing was food and drink, 
 certainly for Norroy and myself who had been long 
 without either. This matter was discussed between 
 us, and Norroy volunteered to feel his way round the 
 wall so as to discover in what sort of place we were. I 
 warned him to call out at regular intervals so that we 
 might keep him in touch with us, and then he departed. 
 
 " * If you were life, my darling. 
 And I your love were death,' 
 
 I should be content," I said. "I want nothing now, 
 not even life, for you are life and I have you. Perdita, 
 sweet, did you see me watching you, hear my prayers 
 as you stood like the Spirit of Storm in the prow.^ I 
 prayed for your safety. I know not why, but this dark- 
 ness is full of light to me. I can see your face, can't I, 
 sweet There are two dove's eyes, alight and dewy, 
 and a soft mouth that is a bud, a slender nose, a rain 
 of bronze hair. . . . Ah, how its fragrance goes down 
 into my soul ! Were you wet by the ruthless sea, 
 sweetheart ? And did your beautiful hair toss like sea- 
 weed in the foam ? If I come upon that dwarf I will 
 
Love in Death 
 
 289 
 
 reward him with vast hoards of gold instead of killing 
 him — because he saved you, my Loreley." 
 
 She pressed close ; I put my arm across her heart and 
 she was dripping from the sea. 
 
 ''Sea water, child, never hurt a baby," I said. "But 
 we will soon strip those wet garments from you and 
 clothe you in shining soft vesture. I like you in all 
 colors, dearest. What shall I buy you for a wedding- 
 gown ?" 
 
 "A man does n't buy the wedding-gown," stammered 
 Perdita. 
 
 ''Oh, doesn't he.^^ Well, I will, you see, and that 
 makes the difference between a man and me. You may 
 think me an ogre. Miss Forrest, but — " 
 
 "Hark!" said she, "is that Sir Gilbert?" 
 
 I called to him and was answered. 
 
 "Perdita, you are, like all your sex, a deceitful little 
 cat, full of tricks. You knew it was n't Norroy. Well, 
 of course, I '11 alter all that when we are safely 
 married." 
 
 "But you don't know if we shall be," murmured shy 
 Perdita. "You 've never asked me." 
 
 "I apologize. Miss Forrest. I 'm very sorry. But a 
 previous engagement unfortunately interfered with my 
 proposal. However, I 'm glad you did not wait for me 
 to propose, and I beg to acknowledge your esteemed 
 favor containing your own proposal with thanks — 
 the same is receiving consideration and will receive 
 answer in due course — " 
 
 "Oh!" said Perdita. 
 
 "Please, Perdita, tell me what you will do directly 
 we are released. I always like my plans laid well ahead. 
 I know what I 'm going to do, and I have a natural 
 
 19 
 
290 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 curiosity to learn what you will. Personally, I 'm going 
 to be married." 
 
 "Who — to whom.?^" said Perdita. 
 
 "Oh, just a beauty. At least, critically considered, 
 I don't know — perhaps — well, yes — if she had a 
 little — But, anyway, she '11 do for me. Her name 
 begins with a P because she is pretty." 
 
 "I say, Brabazon," Norroy's voice boomed from the 
 rocks, "here 's a go. I believe I 've found — " \ 
 
 "Where are you.^^" I called. 
 
 "Over here. There's the mouth of another cave 
 here, and I tumbled over something." 
 
 I rose, helped Perdita to her feet, and with my arm 
 about her groped my way across to his voice. We 
 passed through an opening and I kicked something 
 with my foot. 
 
 "That's it," said Norroy, excitedly. "What the 
 devil is it.^" I stooped and felt. It was a box. We 
 groped on the floor for some minutes patiently. 
 
 "I 've got a tin of some sort," I said. 
 
 "Golly, I've got a bottle. What do you think?" 
 said Norroy. 
 
 "It 's the larder!" I exclaimed. 
 
 "The larder !" said both. I explained. I had come 
 across the larder in my earlier explorations. 
 
 "This is all right," said Sir Gilbert. "Miss Forrest, 
 would you like a go at this ? It 's bottled beer !" 
 
 His tone was triumphant. Perdita declined on the 
 ground that she was not thirsty, and I heard the gurgle 
 down Norroy's throat. We sat and drank, and ate from 
 the tin which we opened with a knife, and which 
 contained mutton. 
 
 "Now we shan't be long," said the cheerful baron et» 
 
Love in Death 291 
 
 We sat and talked, and our spirits were amazing for 
 people immured in Stygian darkness, and beset by ob- 
 durate and unscrupulous foes. 
 
 "Anyhow," was Norroy's summing up, "we've got 
 possession of the grub. We 're going to confound their 
 knavish tricks. And what 's more, with this blessed 
 mine under me I 'm not going to lose the Castle. I '11 
 stick by what 's stuck by us all these centuries. I shan't 
 need to beg of my Rivers cousin, the little manufact- 
 uress." 
 
 Perdita's hand was in mine and I felt it jump. 
 Rivers ! What was Rivers doing in my mind ? I sud- 
 denly remembered. The letters dropped from the 
 burst packet had been addressed to Miss Rivers. 
 
 Norroy was talking still, but I did not hear him. My 
 wits were busy. Perdita's hand trembled in mine. A 
 strange thought came into my head. What was Miss 
 Fuller doing with letters for Miss Rivers.^ Perdita 
 tried to pull her hand out of mine, and somehow I 
 guessed — somehow I knew. I held her hand fast. 
 
 "What," I asked slowly, "is the name of your 
 cousin?" 
 
 "Name!" There was a pause. Perdita was trem- 
 bling all over. 
 
 "Is it Perdita ?" I whispered in her ear. 
 
 "I don't know," he said. "Must have heard it, but 
 I 've never seen my mother's relations — governor 
 quarreled with 'em. She 's probably a decent sort, 
 high cheekbones and big features and all that." 
 
 "She's not," I cried. "Norroy, you impertinent, 
 blind ass ! You 've thrown away all your chances. I 
 can tell you what she 's like. She 's the most lovely 
 woman that walks this earth. Her eyes — " 
 
292 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "Don't, don't," pleaded Perdita in tears. 
 
 **If you could see her you would know,'* I said. 
 **But you can't because it is dark, and your eyes have 
 always been blind. Perdita !" 
 
 "Eh, what?" said Norroy. 
 
 Perdita was weeping, I think, but, dear heart, I did 
 not know then why she wept. It was only afterwards 
 that I discovered that she wept for foolish shame. In 
 the full panoply of romantic sentiment she had come 
 forth to see this unknown cousin in disguise, and had 
 fallen in love with a — nobody. And now she was 
 ashamed of that innocent and foolish whim. 
 
 "Shall I tell him, Perdita ?" I asked softly, and I got 
 no answer. But I kept her hand. 
 
 "Your cousin is going to be my wife," I said as 
 softly. 
 
 "Good Lord !" ejaculated Norroy. "Why, who the 
 Devil, what.?" 
 
 "Oh, it is my fault; oh, I am ashamed!" cried 
 Perdita, burying her face in my arm. "I shouldn't 
 have done it. I only wanted to see — How did you 
 guess ? How abominable of you to guess ! " 
 
 "It was a packet of letters," I explained, "and the 
 solution has just come to me." 
 
 "Oh, I heard — it was too bad of Isabel — I was 
 afraid — " 
 
 "I should like to know what the mischief it all 
 means," said dull Sir Gilbert. 
 
 I told him, and he said, "Good Lord!" and then 
 after a moment he began to chuckle. "It 's a rum go," 
 he said. "By Jove, it 's a sort of romance. Are you 
 Miss Rivers then. Miss Forrest? I say, what am I to 
 call you, cousin .^^" 
 
Love in Death 293 
 
 "You can go on calling her Miss Forrest," I said 
 quickly. "You 're not going to call her Perdita." 
 
 "I say, Brabazon !" he exclaimed, and then the situ- 
 ation beat him. "Well, I'm damned!" he declared. 
 "Fancy you being the little Rivers girl !" 
 
 "She is not little, and I '11 ask you to address my 
 future wife properly," I said with dignity. 
 
 "Well, you kept it pretty dark, both of you, I must 
 say," said Norroy, paying no heed to this. "I suppose 
 I ought to call you cousin, and take cousinly privileges." 
 
 "I don't like that word privileges," I said. "I think 
 you 'd better go away, Norroy. Go to your Plutus." 
 
 "What beats me is how you came to be about here, 
 cousin," said the persistent and clumsy Norroy, 
 
 "That 's nothing to do with you," I declared, as I 
 felt Perdita shiver. " She came on a sketching tour." 
 
 "Oh !" He thought it all over, and either decided to 
 let it pass, or was derailed by a side track. 
 
 "Is Miss Harvey pretty well.^" he inquired politely. 
 There is a story of a filibustering Englishman who 
 marched an army into the territory of a friendly power, 
 was encountered by its forces, and engaged in battle. 
 A truce having been arranged to discuss the terms of 
 surrender, our Englishman met the enemy's envoys 
 with the offer of a drink and the clumsy, inconsequent 
 attempt at civility of "I hope we haven't knocked 
 you fellows about much." 
 
 I shall always think of Sir Gilbert Norroy in connec- 
 tion with that filibuster. He was self-centered to a 
 fault, yet never mislaid his manners ; and never appre- 
 ciating the full significance of things he thus would 
 shed a farcical light upon the most tragic situations. 
 Yet I shall always think of him as something heroic in 
 
294 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 his way. Consider what length of time he had endured 
 in this darkness and with these privations, and admire 
 the way he maintained his sang-froid. This was the 
 more noticeable to me as time went on, and my own 
 hopes sank. Of course I said nothing, but, on the 
 contrary, did my best to cheer Perdita, but I do not 
 know that I made so gallant, an effort as this unimagina- 
 tive Englishman. He must have refrained with diffi- 
 culty from his native candor, and from thus blurting 
 out our predicament. Instead, he rattled on foolishly 
 about horses and Monte Carlo, and odd meaningless 
 adventures he had had here and there and everywhere. 
 I never knew more pointless stories than Norroy told, 
 and I even came to wait and look for the banality of 
 them as one expects the point and crisis of an ordinary 
 tale. They meandered like a stream vaguely in differ- 
 ent directions for some time, and then simply disap- 
 peared in the ground. Still, his flow kept us from 
 thinking of our own case, and Perdita was interested in 
 his having been to Pompeii. I think he rode off on to 
 that on some race-horse with an Italian name, like a 
 true conversationalist. Perdita inquired Vvhat Pompeii, 
 un tombed, was like. 
 
 "Jolly," said Sir Gilbert. "Awfully jolly," and hur- 
 ried on as a lively memory occurred to him, "and, I 
 say, I saw a chap in the streets there stand on his head 
 and shake his trousers right down to his knee ! Look 
 here, cousin, you ought to visit Pompeii," he con- 
 cluded with avuncular wisdom. 
 
 "Perdita is going with me when I go," I said. "Pray, 
 address your remarks to me. Sir Gilbert Norroy. What, 
 by the way, did you say you were going to do when we 
 *got out' ? " I asked Perdita. 
 
Love in Death 295 
 
 "I did n't say anything," said she. 
 
 **Well, tell the kind gentleman now," I enjoined. 
 
 "You don't seem to realize," murmured Perdita, 
 "that I am not subject to your orders." 
 
 "I always begin as I mean to go on," I told her. 
 "Some people enter into the bonds of matrimony with 
 their eyes wilfully shut. I insist upon yours being open, 
 Perdita." 
 
 "But I don't happen to be going to be married," said 
 Perdita. 
 
 "Wha-at!" I gasped. "Norroy, is this the way 
 you bring up your cousin.^" 
 
 "I say, I 'm sorry I spoke of you as I did," broke in 
 Sir Gilbert at this juncture. He had been thinking it 
 over, "but I didn't know, you know — about the 
 money, I mean." 
 
 "It did n't matter at all," said Perdita, quickly. 
 
 "But why did you call yourself Miss — " 
 
 "You 've talked too long," I interposed hastily. 
 "Go to sleep." 
 
 "It isn't a bad idea," said the good-natured fellow, 
 "if we only could. They may come in time to wake 
 us up." 
 
 We had that beautiful idea to drop off from; but, 
 alas, it is not so easy to control the mind. I believe 
 Norroy went to sleep, but Perdita did not, nor I. And 
 the silence and the darkness suddenly began to oppress 
 her. She grew frightened, and cried out to me; and I 
 drew her nearer, and she wept. 
 
 "It is the long night," she whispered. "I did not 
 think I was such a coward. Oh, forgive me!" She 
 gulped back her tears and clung to me. She had faced 
 the storm and the water with brave heart, but she had 
 
296 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 succumbed to the awful sapping of these silent terrors. 
 The darkness sat round about us in league. Perdita's 
 tears wet my cheek. I kept her close, and whispered 
 to her, as it were a father soothing his child. 
 
 At length she passed into slumber, pillowed against 
 me, but I lay wide awake, staring into the dark, and 
 hoping — hoping — 
 
 The silence was punctuated by the deep breathing 
 of my two companions. I did not know what time it- 
 was, but I guessed that it was night again, and that it 
 had been four and twenty hours since Perdita had 
 come ashore. I lay, with all my senses preternaturally 
 alert, looking at a blankness which began to be re- 
 lieved with gloomy pictures. Dark figures strove in 
 it and executed grotesque and horrible contortions. 
 Whether I shut my eyes or opened them it was the 
 same. The blackness began to get on my nerves as it 
 had upon poor Perdita's. Thank God, she was sweetly 
 asleep, an occasional movement only witnessing to the 
 perturbed spirit. 
 
 On my ears, straining in the deep silence, a small 
 sound fell and I turned my head. It was like a mutter, 
 interrupted and resumed again. And on that there was 
 a chink as of a pick on stone. I stirred, listened, gently 
 and softly put Perdita from me, so as not to disturb her, 
 and got to my feet, still listening. 
 
 A regular chink, chink, now struck on my ears, and 
 I groped along the wall in the direction from whence 
 it came. You will remember the twine, so fatally di- 
 verted from its use. I had, from a sense of prudence, 
 even in my despair, retained the balls I had wound up. 
 And now they came in useful to me. I tied the end of 
 a ball round one of the boxes in our cell, and letting 
 
Love in Death 297 
 
 out the string followed it. I had all along resolved^ 
 that after the party had been refreshed by rest we 
 should make once more a determined attack on the 
 maze, using these balls as the means of getting back to 
 our base of supplies in the event of failure. But I found 
 this earlier use for them. The noise of the pick on stone, 
 continuously repeated, guided me, and I made my 
 way through various windings of the passages until I 
 heard it more clearly. There was now no mistake 
 possible ; it was the obvious noise of a pickaxe. 
 
 It came louder, and then a little suffused light broke 
 on the senses, and now furtively I pushed on, until,, 
 rounding a comer, I came in view of two figures. 
 
 The blaze of the lantern by them dazzled my en- 
 feebled eyes, but after a little I made out two men, — - 
 one the dwarf with a pick in his hand, wielding it with 
 huge arms on the wall before him. The other man was 
 evidently the lean, dark fisherman from the Point. He 
 stood by and watched, and occasionally examined 
 something which he held in his hand. 
 
 I now thought that I had the mystery clear. These 
 were two of the men in the secret of the gang employed 
 to prospect the ore, and doubtless they were at work 
 here tracing the lead through the galleries. Yet my 
 heart, dismissing their errand, rejoiced at the new 
 promise of rescue. I had the connections with our 
 prison cell safe behind me, and if I dogged the tracks 
 of these men I should eventually find the way to the 
 light of the sun. It was only necessary for me to keep 
 hiddai and not to risk discovery. When I had set out 
 on my rash expedition to the caves I had taken the pre- 
 caution to arm myself with a small revolver. I felt 
 this now in my pocket in order to be prepared for any/ 
 
298 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 emergency. It was clear we were dealing with un- 
 scrupulous rogues, and I was ready to fight to the end 
 for what I felt was our last chance. I stood in the dark 
 shadows and watched and waited. 
 
 After a time the dwarf ceased, and paused, leaning 
 on the haft of his implement. A distant murmur now 
 became audible, and I recognized it as the cry of the 
 sea, but no longer was it like the travail of lost souls. 
 It had, on the contrary, a note of hope, of encourage- 
 ment, of triumph; it was a friendly sound. 
 
 "There 's half an hour before the tide," said the tall 
 man. 
 
 "It will take less," said the dwarf, grimly. "I 'd 
 best go a bit more in." 
 
 He lifted his pickaxe again, and struck, detaching a 
 big piece from the wall. 
 
 "That should be enough," said his companion. "It 
 will give plenty of room." 
 
 The dwarf leaned on his pick. "Damn that swab," 
 he said. "'T is he bringing all this on us." 
 
 "Well, maybe they '11 find nothing," said the other, 
 with a short laugh. "We can't afford to run that 
 risk." 
 
 I could not understand. But it seemed as if the boat- 
 man had escaped and was giving our enemies trouble. 
 Yet what else did their talk mean ? 
 
 A few more blows with the pickaxe followed, and 
 then the fisherman stooped and peered down into the 
 hole. "That will do," said he. 
 
 "Ay, I 've seen worse blasts than that," said the 
 dwarf. 
 
 The two men bent their heads together over the hole, 
 and I could not hear their exchanges. Then they rose. 
 
Love in Death 
 
 29^ 
 
 "That fixes it," said the dwarf. "We 'II give it the 
 five minutes." 
 
 In my anxiety I peered out of my black corner, but I 
 could only see their retreating forms. I was resolved 
 to keep them in sight, and I moved forward. One of 
 the men was stooped as he went along, as if he manipu- 
 lated something on the floor. 
 
 I got as far as the place where they had been working, 
 but, though I cast a glance at the hole, it was now in- 
 volved in gloom, owing to the receding light. I went on, 
 and suddenly my eye was caught by a trail on the 
 ground. I scrutinized it, and then bent and touched 
 it. The men were twenty feet away, round a bend in 
 the passage. 
 
 It was hard and continuous to my fingers. In a rush 
 the terrible truth came upon me. It was a blasting- 
 fuse and they were designing a blast of dynamite ! 
 
 With that discovery the purport and the consequence& 
 of the destined explosion flashed on me. They were 
 engaged in sealing up the caverns ! The pursuit, the 
 hue and cry on the surface of the earth, had pressed 
 them so far that they were removing all trace of their 
 nefarious plot and their wickedness, and cared not a 
 rap that in so doing they were dooming to a horrible 
 death the three unfortunate victims of their conspiracy. 
 
 Immediately, in the phrase, I saw red. I sped down 
 the passage, and rushed on them round the corner, 
 drawing my revolver from my pocket. They must 
 have heard my footsteps, for the dwarf had his pickaxe 
 raised to strike. Without hesitation I fired in a frenzy 
 and an oath followed. Then he dashed at me, and 
 pulling on a second cartridge, I dodged. The edge of 
 his weapon took my shoulder, knocking me down, and 
 
300 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 the reverberation of my shot raised a thousand echoes 
 from the corridor. 
 
 "Quick, quick, — " An obscene oath ensued. I 
 struggled to my feet, and, the pistol having dropped 
 from my hands in the fall, grappled with the dwarf. 
 He was broad of figure, and seemed immovable, but I 
 strove to get my leg between his, and throw him. Alas, 
 he came of Cornish stock, and he flung me off as a bull- 
 dog would a terrier. Then he stooped, and, seizing me, 
 tottered w^th me in his arms up the passage. A voice 
 behind us followed with echoes that swallowed up the 
 meaning of the words. Neither he nor I heeded. I 
 wrestled and struggled, but his gorilla-like arms cir- 
 cumscribed me, and at last we fell together on the 
 floor. 
 
 "Home! Home! Back! Back!" came like the 
 voice of a bull from behind. "Back, you fool !'* 
 
 The dwarf disengaged himself, throwing off my grip 
 -with a final effort, and turned to go. He sped with 
 antic leaps down the passage in the twilight. I saw his 
 body in the air for an instant. And then the drums 
 of my ears were almost broken with a terrific roar, 
 and I knew nothing more. 
 
CHAPTER XXn 
 
 THE CIPHER 
 
 'HEN I recovered it was with a dull pain in my 
 
 ▼ ▼ head, and a strange perforating pain in my 
 ears. I groped about me, and crawled first in one di- 
 rection and then in another. Wherever I went I came 
 up against rock, and huge pieces of rock littered my 
 way as I crawled. Then, with returning wits, I re- 
 membered the string and began to feel about me. I 
 fancy I was ten minutes before I found this, and getting 
 to my feet followed it up. Soon I ran into more rocks j, 
 through which, apparently, the twine went. But by dint 
 of patience and effort I at last found a hole through 
 which I squeezed my body, picked up the string again^ 
 and pursued it through a clear passage. Thank God^ 
 at least the road to the cell in which I had left the others 
 remained open. 
 
 I hauled in the last of my clue, and called : 
 "Perdita!" 
 
 Voices answered me. They were safe ! But the 
 noise of the explosion had rolled over them like thunder, 
 and they were in great distress, having discovered my 
 absa[ice. I told my story. 
 
 "Sweetheart !" I said, oblivious of Norroy's presence^ 
 and I took her in my arms. "Sweetheart, whatever 
 befalls, remember that I love you." 
 
S02 
 
 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 "And I you !" she answered back, and hung on me, 
 and wept a little softly. 
 
 "Better luck next time, old man," said Norroy, with 
 his indomitable cheerfulness. 
 
 Ah, if I could but think there was any next time ! It 
 is true we had provisions which might last us some 
 days, and that the air in those chambers might suffice 
 to supply us with life for some time longer. But what 
 prospect was there of ultimate rescue ? Nothing seemed 
 before us save a long drawn-out death. After a little 
 Norroy and I resolved to make excursions in sundry 
 directions, not actuated so much by real hope of finding 
 a way out, as by the mere necessity of doing some- 
 thing. We made use of the string-balls, and for some 
 time occupied ourselves with going to and fro. But a 
 change had come over the labyrinth. It seemed to 
 have shnmk materially in size and variety, so that we 
 constantly were brought up against blind walls, and 
 were driven to other directions. The secret of the 
 maze had perhaps been simpler than I had thought, 
 and apparently one blast had sufficed to block the 
 entrance to the interior. This looked as if, after all, 
 there was only one true exit from the cliff -face; and 
 that had been closed by the debris of earth and rocks 
 in the con\^lsion of the explosion. 
 
 We returned worn out to the cell in which Perdita 
 rested, endeavoring to keep a brave heart. But she 
 broke dovra a little later, and sobbed like a child, cry- 
 ing out that it was dark and she could not bear it; 
 while I strove to comfort and solace her, and Norroy 
 sat ejaculating oaths dully in the darkness. By and by 
 she composed herself under my ministrations, her sobs 
 ceased, and she listened like a child, as she had cried 
 
The Cipher 
 
 SOS 
 
 like a child, to a story I had begun like a child for the 
 benefit of my audience. It was the tale of a child 
 wandering in a lonely forest, and unable to find his 
 way out. Profound night enwrapped the forest and 
 the child was in the heart of it. And first the wolves 
 came out, and their eyes were like points of fire in the 
 circumferent darkness. And the lonely child saw them 
 and was afraid." 
 
 "Why was he afraid of the wolves?" asked Perdita,. 
 "I should only have been afraid of the darkness." 
 
 "He was afraid of the wolves, Perdita, because they 
 were strange things to him. This child was not afraid 
 of the darkness. He knew it could not hurt him. 
 Night is benignant, and in its kindly shadows all the 
 hurts and ills of the day are healed. There is no terror 
 in the darkness to those who are wise. The child was. 
 wise. For one thing he knew that light and darkness 
 are but figments of a finite mind, differing infinitesi- 
 mally; and that all light comes from within, and that 
 the soul may be like a paradise of fairy lights, when all 
 is night without. Give me your hand, Perdita. I will 
 light up that soul of yours. See, at a flash it leaps into 
 broad day. What do you see now? Shut your eyes. 
 Forget." 
 
 "I see the sun on the Castle gardens," said Perdita, 
 breathing fast, "and the rhododendrons and the grow- 
 ing Mary-lilies and the sweet-william in Mrs. Lane's 
 garden, and below the estuary and sails on it — ah!" 
 she gulped down something. 
 
 "Don't be afraid of the wolves," I whispered. 
 "Don't you see the shore beyond and the light on the. 
 woods?" 
 
 "Yes," said Perdita, "and the clouds big in heaven j. 
 
304 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 and the blue and — oh, I cannot bear it!" she broke 
 oflf. 
 
 "Go on about the kid," said Norroy. "Seems like a 
 sort of tale I heard when I was a boy." 
 
 "No," said L "It 's time for lunch. What will you 
 have for lunch, Perdita ? Sardines, pate de foies gras 
 truffles, salmi of duck or — " 
 
 I persuaded her to eat a little, and I heard the gurgle 
 of Norroy's bottle — I laughed low and long. It was 
 so funny to think of Norroy's bottled ale. If I could 
 only hypnotize Perdita into sleep ! 
 
 "I shut my eyes," I said, "and I see a shore and it is 
 rosy with dawn, and the sun goes ever higher, and the 
 shore gets ever brighter. And it is n't far away." 
 
 "That 's the shore we never reach ; it is the shore we 
 dream of," said Perdita, in a low voice. 
 
 "Our dreams are best, Perdita," said I. 
 
 "Yes, dreams are best," she sighed and crept closer. 
 "You once said I was cynical about ideals. But I 'm 
 not really. I believe in ideals. I am glad I have had 
 ideals." 
 
 Dreams are best ! And only dreams were left for us, 
 all else should 
 
 "... become first a peace out of pain. 
 Then a light, then thy breast, 
 O thou soul of my soul ..." 
 
 On Perdita's breast it would not be so hard. 
 
 "I am quite happy now," whispered Perdita, nestling 
 nearer. "I don't mind now. It was only — the dark- 
 ness. But I can see quite plainly, and I believe in that 
 :shore of yours, dearest." 
 
 I pressed her nearer still, for my heart forbade words. 
 
The Cipher 
 
 305 
 
 Silence fell. . . . Physical and emotional exhaustion 
 had its way with us, and we passed into oblivion. 
 
 A hand on me awoke me. 
 
 "I hear something," said Perdita. 
 
 I was wide awake, listening. I, too, heard something. 
 It was like a tapping of a hammer on stone. I aroused 
 Norroy and we all three listened. Undoubtedly it 
 was a tapping, low, but distinct, and as if at no great 
 distance. Quickly we fastened the string again to its 
 anchorage, and Norroy and I moved off to grope our 
 way through one of the openings nearest to the direc- 
 tion of the sound. I had gone some steps when a hand 
 touched me, and then felt along my arm and seized my 
 fingers. 
 
 "It is I. Don't leave me. Let me come with you. 
 I am not afraid, dearest. I have lost all fear. But I 
 feel strangely excited. Do let me come." 
 
 Of course I let her; we went hand in hand, as I 
 edged forward, through the partitions of the rock. 
 
 *'Hush; stand still, Norroy. Listen!" 
 
 Yes, the sound was clearer and louder. I hastened 
 on. Perdita tripped and would have fallen had I not 
 caught her in my arms. Louder and clearer ! I thought 
 I could hear the noise of chips falling under the hammer. 
 I wheeled round a black corner and encountered cold 
 clammy air like that of a charnel house. It seemed to 
 get into my throat. I coughed and gasped. Were we 
 to be poisoned as friends were breaking through? I 
 raised my voice and shouted, and the hollow echoes 
 streamed backwards and forwards along the passages, 
 calling and ever calling mockingly, and with increasing 
 faintness in my ears. 
 
 Then there was a sudden flare on the hellish dark- 
 20 
 
806 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 / 
 
 ness, a blinding glare. I shouted again, Perdita was 
 dimly visible by my side, stumbling on. The voices 
 flowed along to us: "Brabazon ! Is that you ?" and a 
 shriller voice, "Is Miss Forrest there? And Sir 
 Gilbert?" 
 
 In another moment we rushed into the area of the 
 lantern and stood revealed. 
 
 "Thank God !" said Mr. Toosey, flashing the light 
 on us. "Thank God, we 're in time." 
 
 Miss Harvey went off into wild laughter that was 
 half hysterical, and seized Perdita by the arm and 
 kissed her, and put her arm in mine, and shook hands 
 with Norroy all over again and again. 
 
 Meanwhile Toosey was rapidly giving me a brief 
 explanation. 
 
 "It 's the cipher," broke in Miss Harvey. "It was 
 Mr. Toosey 's cleverness. He found it out. Oh, my 
 dear, I 'm so glad we 've got you again. We thought 
 you were drowned when Hawes told his story. Only 
 we could n't find any trace of you." 
 
 "Is Hawes safe?" asked Perdita. 
 
 "Yes, yes; he got ashore and thought you 'd gone; 
 and he came and told us all. And we resolved to try 
 the caves again. But we could n't get in. The way 
 was all choked up." 
 
 "The scoundrels must have blown up the entrance," 
 said Toosey, "when they found we were on their tracks. 
 But no one knows why — " 
 
 Oh, well, we should straighten out the tangle directly 
 and in good time. We had each much to learn. But 
 for the moment nothing signified, nothing was of im- 
 portance save that we were saved. 
 
 Yet it was impossible not to learn some of the story 
 
The Cipher 
 
 307 
 
 there and then ; for to our astonishment we discovered 
 that the rescuing party had gained entrance to the un- 
 derground chambers by a connection with the cellars 
 of the Castle. 
 
 "It was the cipher!" again declared Christobel ex- 
 citedly. We should learn in time. Now it was neces- 
 sary for us to find our way to that upper air and light 
 from which we had been so long excluded, and which 
 we had never thought to breathe and see again. Mr. 
 Toosey had broken through a thin wall of plaster which 
 had been erected between the Castle cellars and the 
 top of the caverns — no doubt some time after the 
 abandonment by the Norroys of their connection with 
 the illicit trade. And by this we obtained access to a 
 passage off the cellars, and ascended by the aid of the 
 lantern a flight of stone steps. At the top of these we 
 passed through a hole and then to my surprise, I dis- 
 covered that we were on the secret stairway in the wall 
 leading to the picture gallery. Five minutes afterwards 
 we were in the morning-room, with the full tide of the 
 bright June sunshine rolling in at the open door and 
 windows, and subject to the tender ministrations of 
 Jackman and his wife and Miss Fuller, who hung 
 weepingly on Perdita. Perdita retired with Miss Fuller 
 and Miss Harvey, and I went to the window. I stood 
 there limply, with my hand on the sill, for some time 
 drinking in again all the delights of life and light. I 
 could not speak. My spirit fainted for its very full- 
 ness. And Norroy, who had been in that horrible 
 prison longer than I — 
 
 "I say, old man, I 'm taking some of your whiskey 
 gnd soda, do you mind?" 
 
 I dropped into a chair and fell to laughing weakly. 
 
SOS The Castle by the Sea 
 
 From the information communicated by Toosey and 
 Miss Harvey at a subsequent hour, I am enabled 
 to give this resume of the proceedings during our 
 absence. 
 
 Miss Harvey came over in distress on the same even- 
 ing that Perdita was lost, and found Miss Fuller in 
 tears. The story of that rash and noble sacrifice was 
 related, for the boatman, Hawes, had got back with his 
 tragic tale. It was assumed that Perdita had perished, 
 though Miss Harvey steadfastly and stoutly refused to 
 credit it. But my own fate was in greater doubt, for 
 Perdita had declared that I intended to explore the 
 caves. It was thus the obvious- duty of the party to 
 search for me there with the possible chance of receiv- 
 ing some light on Perdita's fate and Norroy's. But the 
 report bruited about the small neighborhood must 
 have come to the ears of the conspirators, and precipi- 
 tated their murderous action. They had hoped thus to 
 conceal their abominable plans and to dispose of all 
 suspicions forever. The caves were discovered to be 
 blocked and the explorers returned sadly, wondering 
 if the story of my expedition had been true, and divided 
 as to the advisability of pushing the exploration further 
 in that direction. This was where Mr. Toosey came in. 
 
 That ingenious spirit, indomitable after a hundred 
 rebujffs, had pored over the copy of the Novum 
 Organum," catching, maybe, some instinctive gleam of 
 the truth out of that romantic mind of his. In the pur- 
 suit of his investigations he had spent two nights in the 
 Castle, having been frankly accepted by the Jackmans, 
 who had a strange faith in him. And, finally, at three 
 in the morning, he knocked at Mrs. Lane's door, roused 
 the household, which included Miss Harvey that night. 
 
The Cipher 
 
 300 
 
 and unrolled before the ladies in their dressing-gown;^ 
 his wonderful theory. 
 
 It was Miss Harvey who was fired by it, and who 
 insisted that there and then they should go up to the 
 Castle. Her chauffeur was aroused, and the car took 
 the trio up the hill. Jackman and his wife entered 
 into the spirit of this forlorn hope, and the secret 
 passage was tested. You will recall that the cipher 
 ran thus: 
 
 3X3 
 20 Staires 
 R. Wall. 
 
 Toosey's wild imagination hit the truth. The secret 
 passage was connected with the smuggling caverns. 
 Heaven knows what inner romantic twist in Jackman's 
 nature had made that staid and matter-of-fact butler 
 an adherent of the extravagant evangelist. Miss Harvey 
 declared that there was something in him that con- 
 vinced her, and there it must rest. His solution was 
 ingenious. With the anxious party trailing after him 
 he had descended the secret stairs twenty steps. Then 
 on the right wall he had marked out his square of 
 bricks, and had counted three to the right, and then 
 three down, thus arriving at the thirteenth brick. This 
 he had insisted on having removed with a pick, whea 
 
810 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 it was seen that a hollow opened on the other side. 
 Excited by this discovery the men succeeded in en- 
 larging the hole so as to admit of the passage of a body, 
 and Toosey passed through. His investigations now 
 laid bare to him another flight of stairs in the wall, 
 which descended to the level of the cellars, and from 
 which access to these was possible through a blocked 
 doorway. Jackman had broken through this, and then 
 the search seemed to have ended in failure. But Miss 
 Harvey who had followed them, casting her lantern on 
 the other side of the passage, had seen signs of a second 
 doorway. This, too, had been destroyed, and the 
 entrance to the underground galleries had been thus 
 opened. In our prison cell we had lain not more than 
 thirty or forty feet away from the foundations of the 
 Castle ; and I saw now how it was that I had been dis- 
 turbed by the noises I had set down to the death tick. 
 The channels of the caverns had conveyed the sounds 
 of the dwarf and his companion as they mined the ore 
 in the upper chambers. 
 
 All this story I pieced together gradually, and when 
 we had recovered from the strain of our incarceration. 
 Immediately after that, we set inquiries going in the 
 neighborhood, inquiries which the detective, engaged 
 by Mrs. Harvey, arrived just in time to superintend. 
 A break-down gang entered the cave at low water, and 
 the bodies of the dwarf and his companion were found 
 in the ruins with which they would have involved us. 
 Later I solved more of the mystery. The fisherman, 
 Dalling, had always been a character of some sus- 
 picion at the Point ; the dwarf, it turned out, was called 
 Horne, and we learned that he had a brother in London 
 who had ''got on." He lived at the group of cottages 
 
The Cipher 
 
 311 
 
 on the cliff, to which I had once tracked Naylor. I 
 could not doubt that this Home, who was a practical 
 miner from Cornwall, had made the discovery of ore 
 in the caves, and had communicated with his brother, 
 the commission agent. Hence, the widespread and 
 elaborate plot to oust Norroy, and to obtain possession 
 of the estate. The secret out, the commission agent 
 disappeared, and Mr. Naylor was not heard of for 
 some time. Though we took legal advice it was not 
 considered that we had evidence to establish definitely 
 the connection of either with the kidnapping of 
 Norroy, or the blowing up of the caves. Such is the 
 law ! 
 
 With our release from our terrible captivity the story 
 should fitly end. Yet there is one thing more to chron- 
 icle. Norroy did not have to fight his case, or even to 
 go into court. The action never went farther, and we 
 assumed that Mr. Naylor was afraid that we possessed 
 more evidence than we had. Moreover, if the case 
 had come into court it would not have mattered ; for 
 at Norroy Castle rules Lady Norroy, late of New 
 York. 
 
 As for me, I have nearly finished my book, but 
 *^ Studies in Earth," will probably wait some time ere it 
 sees the light. I have other work. My dear Perdita 
 has overwhelmed me with a heap of financial responsi- 
 bilities, and seems glad to be rid of them. I have told 
 her that she married me under false pretences; for I 
 had wooed and loved a girl whose face was her fortune, 
 and — well, I happen now to love a woman who is of 
 wealth and consequence in the world. Moreover, we 
 have a place which we consider is much superior to the 
 Castle.* It may not be so old, and storied, but it is more 
 
312 The Castle by the Sea 
 
 comfortable, it has sweet gardens, and is within sound 
 of the challenging sea^ - — and it is our own. 
 
 I am glad Perdita believed in that shining shore of 
 mine. We watch it often from behind our southern 
 windows, and I hope we shall see it always — ev^ 
 unto the end, and beyond. 
 
 THE END