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BIED OF PASSAGE 
 
 BY 
 
 B. M. CROKEE, 
 
 AUTHOE OF "PEOPEE PEIDE," " PEETTY MISS NEVILLE," 
 " SOME ONE ELSE." 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world 
 To seek their fortunes further than at home, 
 Where small experience grows." 
 
 The Tempest. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 EonUon : 
 SAMPSON LOW, MAPtSTON, SEAELE, & PJVINGTOX, 
 
 CEOWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET. 
 
 1887. 
 
 \^All rights reserved. ] 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 SOl^dlE OnSTE EIjSE. 
 
 NEW AND CHEAPER EDITION. 
 
 SMALL POST Zvo, CLOTH EXTRA, PRICE 6s. 
 
 London: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON. SEARLE. & RIVINGTON, 
 Crown Buildings. 188. Fleet Street. 
 

 ^ CONTENTS OF VOL. T. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Port Blair i 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Expectation .19 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 First Impressions 54 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 ^ Miss Denis has Visitors . . . . .69 
 
 r 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 What is She like? 83 
 
 ?J CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Queen of the Cannibal Islands . . . 106 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 N' Mr, Quentin's Piano . . . . . .117 
 
iv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " I WAS HIS DEAREST LiZZIE ! " . . • .135 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 A Damsel in Distress 154 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 IklR. Lisle forgets his Dinner . . . .169 
 
 CHAPTEE XL 
 The Finger of Fate! .190 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 The Wreck 209 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 "Blue Beard's Chamber" 227 
 
A BIED OP PASSAGE. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 POET BLAIR. 
 
 ''Droops the heavy-blossom'd bower; hangs the heavy- 
 fruited tree : 
 Summer isles of Eden lying in dark purple spheres of 
 sea." Locksley Hall, 
 
 Few travellers penetrate to the Andamans, 
 unless it be an entliusiastic astronomer to 
 witness a rare comet, or an enterprising 
 professor, who happens to be fired with a 
 desire to study the language and the skulls of 
 the aborigines. 
 
 These islands are as yet sacred from the foot 
 of the globe-trotter, Cook's tourists ignore 
 them, and they lie in serene semi-savage 
 
 VOL. I. a: 
 
A BIRD OF PASSAQ^. 
 
 seclusion, in the midst of tlie Indian Ocean, 
 dimly known to the great outer world .as 
 the chief Indian convict settlement, and the 
 scene of Lord Mayo's murder in 1872. 
 The inland portions of the great and lesser 
 Andamans have been but cursorily explored, 
 (those who have made the attempt, having 
 learnt by tragic experience that the in- 
 habitants were addicted to cannibalism) ; but 
 outlying islets, and fringes of the coast, have 
 been opened up by the Indian Grovernment, 
 and appropriated for the benefit of thousands 
 of convicts (chiefly lifers), who are annually 
 poured into Port Blair — from 'Galle to the 
 Kyber, from Aden to the borders of China, 
 the cry is still they come ! 
 
 Port Blair, the Government headquarters, 
 is situated on Eoss, a high conical islet that 
 lies about a mile south of the Middle Anda- 
 man, and although of limited circumference, 
 it boasts a stone church, barracks, a Com- 
 mandant's residence, several gaols, a pier, a 
 bazaar, a circulating library, and a brass 
 band ! Every foot of ground is laid out to 
 
PORT BLAIR. 
 
 marvellous advantage, and the neat gravelled 
 pathways, thick tropical hedges, flowering 
 shrubs and foliage plants, give the numerous 
 brown bungalows which cover the hill-sides, 
 the effect of being situated in a large and 
 well-kept garden. 
 
 The summit of the island commands a 
 wide view : to the north Ues the mainland 
 with its sharply indented shores, and a wide 
 sickle-shaped estuary, sweeping far away 
 into the interior, where its wooded curves are 
 lost among the hills; the southern side of 
 Ross looks sheer out upon the boundless 
 ocean, and receives the full force of many a 
 terrible tropical hurricane, that has travelled 
 unspent from the Equator. 
 
 There was not a ripple on that vast blue 
 surface, one certain August evening, a few 
 years ago — save where it fretted gently in 
 and out, between the jagged black rocks 
 that surrounded the island ; the sea was like 
 a mirror, and threw back an accurate reflec- 
 tion of boats, and hills, and wooded shores ; 
 distant, seldom-seen islands, now loomed in 
 B 2 
 
A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 the horizon with vague, misty outlines; a 
 delicate, soft, south wind barely touched the 
 leaves of the big trees, among whose branches 
 the busy green parrots had been chattering, 
 and the gorgeous peacocks, screeching and 
 swinging, all through the long, hot, sleepy 
 afternoon. 
 
 Surely the setting sun was making a more 
 lingering and, as it were, regretful adieu to 
 these beautiful remote islands than to other 
 parts of the world ! No pen could describe, 
 no brush convey, any idea of the vivid crim- 
 son, western clouds, and the flood of blinding 
 golden light, that bathed the hills, the far- 
 away islets, the tangled mangroves, and the 
 glassy sea. 
 
 To the cool, dispassionate northern eye, 
 which may have first opened on a leaden 
 sky, snow-capped hills, pine woods, and 
 ploughed lands, there was a general impression 
 of wildly gaudy, south sea scenery, of savage 
 silence, and lawless solitude. 
 
 Soon that scarlet ball will have plunged 
 below the horizon, a short-lived grey twilight 
 
PORT BLAIR. 
 
 have spread her veil over land and sea, the 
 parrots' noisy pink bills will be tucked under 
 their wings, and the turbulent peacocks have 
 gone to roost. 
 
 Close to the flag-staff (which was planted 
 on a kind of large, flat mound, at the highest 
 point of the island), one human figure stood 
 out in bold relief against the brilliant sunset ; 
 an elderly gentleman with grizzled hair and 
 beard, a careworn expression, and mild, brown 
 eyes, — eyes that were anxiously rivetted on 
 the at present sailless sea. He carried a 
 small red telescope in his hand, and divided 
 his time between pacing the short grass 
 plateau, and spasmodically sweeping the 
 horizon. For what was he looking so im- 
 patiently? He was looking for the smoke 
 of the Calcutta steamer, that brought mails 
 and passengers to Port Blair once in every 
 six weeks. Think of but one mail in six 
 weeks, ye sybarites of Pall Mall, revelling 
 in a dozen daily posts, scores of papers, and 
 all the latest telegrams from China to Peru ! 
 Imagine reading up forty days' arrears of 
 
A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 your Times or Toiii; imagine six Ficnches 
 simultaneously ! Gladly as Colonel Denis 
 -jsually hailed his letters, and especially the 
 Weeldy Gazette, yet it was neither news or 
 promotion that he was so restlessly awaiting 
 now — his thoughts were altogether centred 
 on a passenger, his only daughter, whom he 
 had not seen for thirteen years, not since she 
 was a little mite in socks and sashes, and 
 now she was a grown-up, a finished young 
 lady, coming out from England by this mail 
 to be the mistress of his house ! He was 
 glad that this long anticipated day had 
 dawned at last, and yet he scarcely dared 
 to analyze his own feelings — he was ashamed 
 to own, even in his inmost heart, that 
 mingled with all his felicity, there is a 
 secret dread — a kind of stifled misgiving. 
 This girl who is to share his home within the 
 next few hours, is in reality, as far as per- 
 sonal acquaintance goes, as much a stranger 
 to him as if he- had never seen her before, 
 although she is his own little Nell, with 
 whom he used to romp by the hour in the 
 
FORT BLAIR. 
 
 verandali at Karkipore, thirteen years ago. 
 Those thirteen years stand between him and 
 that familiar merry face, dancing gait, and 
 floating yellow hair, they have taken that 
 ay^ay, and what are they going to give him 
 instead ? Of course he and his daughter had 
 corresponded by every mail, but what are 
 nice affectionate letters, what are presents, 
 yea photographs, when the individuality of 
 the giver has long been blurred and in- 
 distinct ; when the memory of a face, and 
 the sound of a voice, have faded and faded, 
 till nothino^ tanoible remains but a name ! 
 Children of five years old have but short 
 memories, and in Helen Denis's case, there 
 was no one near her to revive her dying 
 recollections. 
 
 " I wonder if she will know me among the 
 crowd," her father muttered as he paced the 
 platform, with the telescope behind his back, 
 
 " I'm sorry now, I never had \nj photo 
 taken, to prepare her ! How strange I 
 shall feel with a girl in the house, after all 
 these years. I've quite forgotten woman's 
 
A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 ways ! " From an expression that came into 
 his eyes, one might gather that a backward 
 glance at " woman's ways " was not alto- 
 gether one of the most agreeable memories 
 of the past. "If she should be like — " and 
 he paused, shuddered, and looked out over 
 the sea for some minutes, with a face that 
 had grown suddenly stern. His thoughts 
 were abruptly recalled to the present, by 
 the sound of footsteps coming up the gravel 
 pathway behind him. 
 
 " Hullo, colonel ! " cried a loud, cheery 
 voice, '' why are you doing sentry here ? 
 Oh ! of course, I forget ; you expect Miss 
 Denis this mail! " 
 
 " Yes. I'm looking out for the steamer," 
 he replied, as he turned round and accosted 
 a very handsome young man, with aquiline 
 features, brilliant teeth, and eyes as blue as 
 the surrounding sea. A tall young man, 
 carefully dressed in a crease! ess light suit, 
 who wore a pale silk tie run through a ring, 
 gloves, and carried a large white umbrella. 
 He had an adequate appreciation of his own 
 
PORT BLAIR. 
 
 appearance, and with good reason, for men 
 frequently referred to him as *' the best- 
 looking fellow of their acquaintance," and 
 women — well — women spoiled him, they had 
 petted him and made much of him, since he 
 was a pretty little curly-headed cherub, with 
 a discriminating taste in sweets, and a rooted 
 objection to kissing old and ugly people, down 
 to the present time, when he (although you 
 would not think it), had passed his thirty- 
 second birthday ! He had been sent to 
 Port Blair in connection with some new 
 works on the mainland, and was "acting" 
 for another man, who had gone on furlough. 
 His name was James — variously known as 
 "Beauty," "Apollo," or "Look and Die" 
 — Quentin, and he was really less conceited 
 than might have been expected under the 
 circumstances ! Mr. Quentin was not alone ; 
 his companion was a shorter, slighter, and 
 altogether more insignificant person, dark as 
 an Arab, through exposure to the sun ; he 
 wore a broad-leafed, weather-beaten Terai, 
 pulled so far over his brows, that one could 
 
lo A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 only guess at a pair of piercing eyes, a tliin 
 visage, and a black monstaclie ; liis clothes 
 were by no means new, bis hands burnt to 
 a rich mahogany, and innocent of gloves, ring, 
 or umbrella. 
 
 Somehow, with his slouched hat, slender 
 figure,and swarthy skin,he had rather a foreign 
 air, and was a complete contrast to his broad- 
 shouldered patron, "Look and Die " Quentin, 
 whom he followed slowly up the hill, and 
 muttering an indistinct greeting to Colonel 
 Denis, he walked on a few paces, and stood 
 with his arms folded, looking down upon the 
 sea, somewhat in the attitude of the well- 
 known picture of Napoleon at St. Helena ! 
 This sun-burnt, silent individual was known 
 by the name of '' the Photographer;" he was 
 a mysterious stranger, who three months 
 previously had dropped into the settlement — 
 but not into society — as if from the clouds, 
 and during these three months, the united 
 ingenuity of the community had failed to dis- 
 cover anything more about him, than what they 
 had learned the very first day he had landed 
 
FORI BLAIR. II 
 
 on Koss ; to wit, that bis name was Lisle, 
 and that he had come from Calcutta to take 
 photographs among the islands. Imme- 
 diately after his arrival, he had established 
 himself in the Dak Bungalow, on Aberdeen, 
 had hired a boat, and in a very short time 
 had made himself completely at home ; his 
 belongings consisted of a small quantity 
 of luggage, a largo camera, some fishing- 
 tackle, and a native servant, who refused to 
 elucidate any one on the subject of his master, 
 and the public were very inquisitive about 
 that gentleman, — and who shall say that their 
 curiosity was not legitimate ! 
 
 People never came to Ross, unless they 
 were convicts, settlement officers, formed 
 part of the garrison, or were functionaries 
 like Mr. Quentin, who was " acting " for 
 some one else. Mr. Lisle did not come 
 under any of these heads ; he Avas not an 
 officer, Hindoo or otherwise, he did not 
 belong to the settlement, nor was he one of 
 the class for whose special behoof the islands 
 had been colonized. The problem still re- 
 
12 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 mained unsolved, av ho was Mr. Lisle, what 
 was he doing at Port Blair, where did 
 he come from, when, and where, was he 
 going, was he rich or poor, married or 
 single ? All these queries still remained 
 unsolved, and opened up a fine field of 
 speculation. Society, so isolated from the 
 outer world, so meagrely supplied with legi- 
 timate news, were naturally thrown a good 
 deal upon their own resources for topics of 
 conversation, and discussion. A week after 
 mail-day, most of the papers had been read 
 and digested, and people had to fall back 
 upon little items of local intelligence — and 
 such items were wont to be scarce : think, 
 then, what a godsend for conjecture and dis- 
 cussion Mr. Lisle would, and did prove! 
 this waif blown to them from beyond the 
 sea, without address or reference ! If he 
 had been a common-looking, uneducated 
 person, it would have been totally different ; 
 but the aggravating thing was, that shabby 
 as were his clothes, he had the unmistakable 
 bearing and address of a gentleman, — yet 
 
PORT BLAIR. 13 
 
 he spent all his days photographing natives, 
 trees, islands, as if his daily bread solely de- 
 pended on his industry ! He lived not far 
 from where Mr. Quentin dwelt, in a splendid 
 bungalow, in solitary state ; and the former, 
 constantly meeting the photographer, had 
 scraped up an acquaintance with him, had 
 dropped in and smoked friendly cigarettes in 
 the Rest House verandah, had thrown out 
 feelers in vain — in vain ! — had come to the 
 conclusion that Lisle was a very gentle- 
 manly fellow in his way, — that he was no 
 fool, that he was a most entertaining com- 
 panion, and wound up by insisting that he 
 should come and share his roof ! 
 
 To this Lisle objected, in fact he refused 
 the invitation point-blank, but when he 
 learned that the Rest Bungalow was requisi- 
 tioned for some missionaries, and when his 
 would-be host became the more pressing, 
 the more he was reluctant, he gave in, after 
 considerable hesitation. 
 
 "You see, it's not a purely unselfish idea," 
 said Mr. Quentin ; " I'm awfully lonely at 
 
14 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 tliis side — not a soul to speak to, unless I go 
 to Boss, and I'm often too lazy to stir, and 
 now I sliall have you to argue with, and to 
 keep me company of an evening. Then, 
 as to your photographs, there's lots of 
 room for them. You can have a whole side 
 of the house to yourself, and do as you 
 please." 
 
 '' I'll come on one condition," replied the 
 other, looking straight at him ; "I'll come, 
 if you will allow me to pay my share of the 
 butler's account, and all that sort of thing. 
 We are speaking quite frankly — you require 
 some one to talk to, I want a roof, since 
 you say the missionaries are coming to the 
 Eest House, — and I doubt if we would 
 assimilate ! " 
 
 Mr. Quentin, who had been lounging in a 
 low cane chair, took his cigar out of his 
 mouth, blew a cloud of smoke, and hesi- 
 tated; it was all very well to have this chap 
 up to keep him company of an evening, but 
 to chum with him — by Jove ! 
 
 The other seemed to read what was 
 
PORT BLAIR. 
 
 15 
 
 passing througli his mind, for lie said, with 
 a twinkle in his eye, — 
 
 " I'm not a fellow travelling for a firm of 
 photographers, as no doubt every one ima- 
 gines. I'm " — pushing an envelope over to 
 his companion — " that's my name." 
 
 Mr. Quentin took up the paper carelessly, 
 cast his eye over it, became rather red, and 
 laughed nervously. From this time forward, 
 Mr. Lisle and Mr. Quentin chummed together 
 on equal terms, — somewhat to the scandal of 
 their neighbours, w^ho were amazed, that such 
 a fastidious man as '' Look and Die " Quentin, 
 should open his house, and his arms, to 
 this unknown shabby stranger ! His man- 
 ners were studiously courteous and polite, 
 but he understood how to entrench himself 
 in a fortress of reserve, that held even 
 Mrs. Creery, the chief lady of Port Blair, 
 at I)ay, and this was saying much — driven 
 very hard, two damaging statements had 
 been, as it were, wrested from him ! he 
 liked the Andamans, because there was 
 no daily post, and no telegrams, and he 
 
i6 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 had no occupation now. Did not admission 
 number one, savour of a dread of suggestive- 
 looking blue envelopes, and clamouring, 
 hungry creditors — to whom he had effectually 
 given the slip ; and admission number two 
 was worse still ! no occupation now, was 
 doubtless the result of social and financial 
 bankruptcy. Mrs. Creery was disposed to 
 deal hardly with him — in her opinion, he was 
 an " outlaw." (She rather prided herself 
 upon having fitted him neatly with a name.) 
 If he had thrown her one sop of conciliation, 
 or given her the least little hint about 
 himself and his affairs, she might have tole- 
 rated him, but he remained perversely dumb. 
 Mr. Quentin was dumb too — though it was 
 shrewdly suspected that he knew more 
 about his inmate than any one — and indeed 
 he had gone so far as to deny that he was 
 a professional photographer ; when rigidly 
 cross-examined by a certain lady, he only 
 laughed, and shook his head, and said that 
 " Lisle was a harmless lunatic — rather mad 
 
PORT BLAIE. 17 
 
 on the subject of photography and sea-fish- 
 ing, but otherwise a pleasant companion ;" 
 but beyond this, he declined to enlighten 
 his questioner. jSTo assistance being forth- 
 coming, society was obliged to classify the 
 stranger for themselves, and they ticketed 
 him as a genteel loafer, a penniless ne'er- 
 do-well, who had come down to Port Blair 
 in hopes (vain) of obtaining some kind of 
 employment, and had now comfortably esta- 
 blished himself as Mr. Quentin's hanger-on, 
 and unpaid companion ! 
 
 It must be admitted that the stranger gave 
 considerable colour to this view ; he did not 
 visit and mix with society on E-oss, he wore 
 shabby clothes and shocking hats, and spent 
 most of his time tramping the bush with a gun 
 on his shoulder or a camera on his back — 
 " looking for all the world like an Italian 
 organ-grinder or a brigand," according to 
 that high authority, Mrs. Creery. For three 
 months he had been without a competitor in 
 the interest of the community, but now his 
 
 VOL. I. c 
 
1 8 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 clay was over, liis star on the wane, lie was 
 about to give place to a very rare and 
 important new arrival, namely, an unmarried 
 lady, wlio was currently reported to be '' but 
 eighteen years of age, and very pretty ! " 
 
EXPECT A TION. 1 9 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 EXPECTATION. 
 
 " For now sits expectation in the air, 
 
 And hides a sword." 
 
 Henry V. 
 
 All this time Colonel Denis had been engaged 
 in animated conversation with Mr. Quentin. 
 Nature had been doubly generous to the latter 
 gentleman, for she had not merely endowed 
 him with unusual personal attractions, but 
 had increased these attractions, by the gift of 
 a charming manner that fascinated every one 
 who came in contact with him — from the 
 General himself, down to the sullen convict 
 boatmen ; it was quite natural to him, even 
 when discussing a trivial subject, with an 
 individual who rather bored him than other- 
 wise, to throw such an appearance of interest 
 into his words and looks that one would 
 c 2 
 
20 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 imasfine all his thouo^bts were centred in 
 tlie person before bim, and the topic under 
 discussion. 
 
 To men this attitude was flattering, to 
 women irresistible, and what though his 
 words were writ on sand, his manner had 
 its effect, and was an even more powerful 
 factor in his great popularity, than his stal- 
 wart figure, and handsome face. At the pre- 
 sent moment, he stood leaning on his furled 
 umbrella, listening with rapt attention to 
 what Colonel Denis had to say on the subject 
 of whale-boats versus gigs (every one on Ross 
 kept a boat of their own like the O'Tooles at 
 the time of the Flood). The colonel was en- 
 larging on the capabilities of his new pur- 
 chase, — bought expressly in honour of his 
 daughter, as he would have bought a carriage 
 elsewhere, — when he was interrupted by 
 Mr. Lisle (who meanwhile had been keeping 
 watch on the horizon, and whistling snatches 
 of the overture to " Mirella " under his 
 breath), abruptly announcing, '' Here she 
 is!" 
 
EXPECTATION. 
 
 Colonel Denis was so startled, that he 
 actually dropped the telescope, which rolled, 
 to his informant's feet, who, picking it up, 
 noticed, as he returned it, that Colonel Denis 
 was looking strangely nervous, and that the 
 hand stretched towards him was shaking 
 visibly. He gazed at him with considerable 
 surprise, and was about to make some re- 
 mark, when Mr. Quentin exclaimed in a 
 tone of genuine alarm, '' By George, here is 
 Mrs. Creery. I see the top of her topee coming 
 up the hill, and I'm going." 
 
 But he reckoned without that good lady, 
 who had already cut off his retreat. In 
 another moment her round florid face ap- 
 peared below the topee, followed by her 
 ample person, clad in a sulphur-colour sateen 
 costume, garnished with green ribbons ; 
 last, but not least, came her fat, yellow-and- 
 white dog, '' xsFip," an animal that she called 
 '' a darling," " a treasure," '' a duck," and a 
 *' fox-terrier," but no other person in the 
 settlement, recognized him by any of these 
 titles. Before she was within twenty yards 
 
22 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 she called out in a tliin, authoritative 
 treble, — 
 
 '' Well, what are you all doing liere ? what 
 is it, eh? Any news? You need not be 
 looking for the Scotia; she can't possibly be 
 in till to-morrow, you know — I told you so. 
 Colonel Denis. Oh," in answer to a silent 
 gesture from Mr. Lisle, *' so She is coming 
 in, is she? " in a tone that gave her listeners 
 to understand that she had no business to be 
 there, contradicting Mrs. Creery ! 
 
 " And so you have been up playing tennis 
 at the general's," to Mr. Quentin. " I saw 
 your peon going by with your bat and 
 shoes; but what has brought you over to 
 Eoss, Mr. Lisle — I thought you rarely left 
 the mainland ? " fastening on him' now for 
 that especial reason. 
 
 "I don't often come over," he replied, 
 parrying the question. 
 
 " You've been shopping in the bazaar," 
 she continued ; " you have been buying 
 collars." 
 
 Mrs. Creery is unanswerable — she is gifted 
 
EXPECTATION. 
 
 with "second sight.'* (All the same it was not 
 collars, but cartridges, that he had purchased.) 
 
 " Not she ! " returned the lady with a 
 laugh, " but she has eyes in her head, and 
 that's a collar-box in your hand ! I can tell 
 most things by the shape of the parcel. Still 
 as charmed as ever with Aberdeen ? " 
 
 Mr. Lisle bowed. 
 
 " I heard that you were going away ? " 
 
 *' So I am — " he paused, and then added, 
 " some day." 
 
 *' What do you do with all your photo- 
 graphs, sell them ? Oh, but to be sure you 
 can't do that here. You must find the 
 chemicals terribly costly." 
 
 " They are rather expensive." 
 
 " I'll tell you what, I will give you a little 
 commission ! How would you like to come 
 over some morning, and take me and Nip, 
 and then the bungalow, and then a group of 
 our servants ? " 
 
 If Mr. Lisle's face was any index of his 
 mind, it said plainly that he would not relish 
 the prospect at all ! 
 
24 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 "- 1 want to send home some photos to my 
 ■sister, Lady Grubb ; — of course I shall pay 
 you, that's understood." 
 
 During this conversation. Colonel Denis 
 had looked miserably uncomfortable, and 
 Mr. Quentin as if it was with painful difficulty 
 that he restrained his laughter ; the travelling 
 photographer alone was unmoved; he sur- 
 veyed his patroness gravely, as if he were 
 taking a mental plate of her topee with its 
 purple puggaree, her little eager light eyes, 
 her important nose and ruddy cheeks, 
 and then replied in a most deferential 
 manner, — 
 
 " Thank you very much for your kind 
 offer, but I am not a professional photo- 
 grapher." 
 
 Was Mrs. Creery crushed ? Not at all, 
 she merely raised her light eyebrows and 
 said, — 
 
 " Oh, not a professional photographer ! 
 then what are you ? " 
 
 " Mrs. Creery's very humble slave," bowing 
 profoundly. 
 
EXPECTATION. 25 
 
 *' Photographs are rather a sore subject 
 with him just now," broke in Mr. Quentin in 
 his loud, hearty voice. "You have not heard 
 what happened to him yesterday when heVas 
 out shooting ? " 
 
 "Ko, how should I," she retorted 
 peevishly. 
 
 " Well, I must say he bore it like a stoic. 
 I myself, mild as I am, and sweet as you 
 know my temper to be, would have killed the 
 fellow." 
 
 ''What fellow—?" 
 
 *' My new chokra. Time hung heavily on 
 his hands, and I suppose he thought he 
 would be doing something really useful for 
 once in his life, so he went into the room 
 where Lisle keeps all his precious plates — 
 photographic plates, not even printed off — 
 plates he has collected and treasured like so 
 many diamonds — " 
 
 " Well, well, well ? " tapping her foot. 
 
 '' My dear lady, I'm coming to it, if you 
 won't hurry me. My confounded chokra 
 took them all for so much dirty glass, and 
 
26 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 washed every man Jack of tliera, and was 
 exceedingly proud of his industry ! " 
 
 "And what did you do to him?'* de- 
 manded Mrs. Creery, turning round and 
 staring at the victim of ignorance. 
 
 *' Nothing, — what could I do ? he knew no 
 better, but I told my fellow not to let him 
 come near me for a few days." 
 
 " Colonel Denis," said the lady, now 
 
 addressing him, "Is it true that you have 
 
 not seen your daughter for thirteen years ? " 
 
 " Yes, quite true, I am sorry to say." 
 
 " Why did you not go home on furlough ? " 
 
 " I never could manage it. When I could 
 
 get home, I had no money, and when money 
 
 was plentiful, there was no leave." 
 
 " Ah, and you told me she was a pretty 
 girl, I believe ; I hope you are not building 
 on that, for pretty children are a delusion, 
 I never yet saw one of them, that did not 
 grow up plain." 
 
 " Exceptiug me ! Mrs. Creery," expostu- 
 lated Mr. Quentin; "if history is to be be- 
 lieved, I was a most beautiful infant — so 
 
EXPECTATION. 27 
 
 beautiful that people came to see me for 
 miles and miles around and (insinuatingly) 
 I'm sure you would not call me plain 
 now?" 
 
 Mrs. Creery (who had a secret partiality for 
 this gentleman) laughed incredulously, and 
 then replied, "Well, perhaps you are the 
 exception that proves the rule. Of course," 
 once more addressing Colonel Denis, " your 
 daughter will bring out all tlie new fashions, 
 and have no end of pretty things — that is if 
 you have given her a liberal outfit." 
 
 She here paused for a reply, but no answer 
 being forthcoming went on, *'Ifyou feel at 
 all nervous about meeting her, I'll go on board 
 with you with pleasure, I should lilze it, and 
 you are well enough acquainted with me, to 
 know that you have only to say the word 1 " 
 
 At this suggestion, the eyes of the two 
 bystanders met, and exchanged a significant 
 glance, and whilst Colonel Denis was stam- 
 mering forth his thanks and excuses, they 
 hastily took leave of Mrs. Creery, and made 
 their escape. 
 
28 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 "The steamer is coming in very fast, and 
 I think I'll go home and see that everything 
 is ready," said the Colonel after a pause. 
 
 " Well, 23erhaps it would be as well," 
 acceded the lady; "but are you really 
 certain that you would not like me to meet 
 her, or at any rate to be at your bungalow 
 to receive her ?" 
 
 Once more her companion politely but 
 firmly declined her good c£&ces, assuring her 
 earnestly that they were quite unnecessary, 
 and the lady, visibly disappointed, said as 
 she shouldered her parasol, and turned away, 
 " Perhaps you will have your journey for 
 nothing ! I should not be the least surprised 
 if she did not come by this steamer after 
 all ! and mark my words, that ayah — that 
 Eatima — that you would engage in spite of 
 my advice will give you trouble yet ! " [Exit. 
 
 Colonel Denis, nothing daunted, hurried 
 down to his own bungalow, a large one facing 
 the mainland, entirely surrounded by a deep 
 verandah, and approached by a pathway 
 
EXPECTATION. 29 
 
 liedgecl with yellow heliotrope. A good 
 many preparations had been made for the 
 expected young mistress, there were flowers 
 everywhere in profusion, curious tropical 
 ones, berries, and orchids, and ferns. 
 
 The lamps were lit in the sitting-rooms, 
 and everything was extremely neat, — and yet 
 there was a want, there was a bare, gaunt 
 look about the drawing-room, although it had 
 been lately furnished, and Ram Sawmy, the 
 butler of twenty years' standing, had disposed 
 the chairs and tables in the most approved 
 fashion — in his eyes — and put up coloured 
 purdahs and white curtains, all for '' Missy 
 Baba." Nevertheless, the general effect was 
 grim and comfortless. There were no nick- 
 nacks, books, or chair-backs : there certainly 
 were a few coarse white antimacassars, but 
 these were gracefully arranged according to 
 Sawmy' s taste as coverings for the smaller 
 tables ! Colonel Denis looked about him 
 discontentedly, moved a chair here, a vase 
 there, then, happening to catch a glimpse of 
 himself in a mirror, he went up to it and 
 
30 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 anxiously confronted his own reflection. 
 How wrinkled and grey he looked ! he might 
 be fifteen years older than his real age. 
 After a few seconds, he took np and opened 
 a small album, and critically scanned a faded 
 photograph of a gentleman in a long frock- 
 coat, with corresponding whiskers, leaning 
 over a balustrade, his hat and gloves care- 
 lessly disposed at his elbcw — a portrait of 
 himself, taken many years previously. 
 
 '' There is no use in my thinking that it's 
 the least like me now^ she could not know 
 me again — no more than I would know 
 her — " then closing the book with a snap, 
 and suddenly raising his voice, he called 
 out, — 
 
 '' Here, Sawmy, see that dinner is ready in 
 half an hour, and have the ayah waiting ; 
 I'm going for missy." 
 
 Doubtless dinner and the ayah had a long 
 time to wait, for it was fully an hour before 
 the Scotia dropped anchor off Eoss; she 
 was immediately surrounded by a swarm of 
 boats, including that of Colonel Denis, who 
 
EXPECTATION. 
 
 boarded her, and descended among the 
 crowd to the cabin, with his heart beating 
 unusually fast. 
 
 The cabin lamps were lit, and somewhat 
 dazzled the eyes of those who entered from the 
 moonlight. There were but few passengers, 
 and the most noticeable of these was Helen 
 Denis, who sat alone at the end of the 
 narrow table, with a bag on her lap, the 
 inevitable waterproof over her arm, and her 
 gaze fixed anxiously on the door leading from 
 the companion ladder. Colonel Denis would 
 not be disappointed, his daughter had fulfilled 
 the promise of her youth, and was a very 
 pretty girl. She was slight and fair, with 
 regular features and quantities of light- 
 brown hair — hair that twenty years ago was 
 called fair, before golden and canary- 
 coloured locks came to put it out of fashion. 
 Her eyes were grey — or blue — colour rather 
 uncertain ; but one thing was beyond all dis- 
 pute, they were beautiful eyes ! As for her 
 complexion, it was extremely pale at present, 
 and her very lips were white ; but this was 
 
32 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 due to lier agitation, to lier awe and wonder 
 and fear, to her anxiety to know ivliich of 
 the many strange faces that came crowding 
 into the cabin, was the one that would 
 welcome her, and be familiar to her, and dear 
 to her, as long as she lived ? She sat qnite 
 still, with throbbing heart, survejdng each 
 new-comer with anxions expectation ; as 
 Colonel Denis entered, she lialf rose ; and 
 looked at him appealingly. 
 
 " You are Helen ? " he said in answer to 
 lier glance. 
 
 " Oh, father," sli9 exclaimed tremulously, 
 now putting down the bag and stretching 
 out her hands, " how glad I am that you are 
 you ! — it sounds nonsense, I know, but I was 
 half afraid that I bad forgotten your face. 
 You know," apologetically, "I was sucb a 
 very little thing ; and that man over there, 
 with the hooked nose, stared at me so hard 
 that I thought for a moment, I was half 
 afraid — " and she paused, and laughed a little 
 hysterically, and looked at her father with 
 eyes full of tears, and he, rather shyly stooped 
 
EXPECTATION. 
 
 clown and toucliecl her lips with liis grizzly 
 moustaclie — and the ice was broken. 
 
 Helen seemed to immediately recover her 
 spirits, her colour, and her tongue — but no, 
 she had never lost the use of that ! She 
 was a different-looking girl to what she 
 had been ten minutes previously ! her lips 
 broke into smiles, her eyes danced, she was 
 scarcely the same individual as the white- 
 faced, frightened young lady whom we had 
 first seen sitting aloof at the end of the 
 saloon table. 
 
 *' I remember you now quite well," said 
 Miss Denis. " I knew your voice. And^ 
 oh, I am so glad to come home again ! " 
 
 This was delightful. Colonel Denis, a man 
 of but few words at any time, was silent from 
 sheer necessity now. He felt that he could 
 not command his utterance as was befitting 
 to his sex. If this meeting was rapturous to 
 Helen, what was it not to him ? Here was 
 his own little girl grown into a big girl — 
 this was all the difference. 
 
 In a short time Miss Denis and her 
 
 VOL. I. D 
 
34 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 luggage (Mrs. Creeiy would be pleased to 
 know that there was a good deal of the latter) 
 were being rowed to Koss by eight stout- 
 armed boatmen, over a sea that reflected 
 the bright full moon. It was almost as 
 light as day, as Helen and her father walked 
 along the pier, and up the hill homewards ; as 
 they passed a bungalow on their left hand, 
 the figure of a girl (who had long been 
 lying in wait, in the shadow of the verandah,) 
 leant out as they went by, and watched 
 them stealthily ; then pushing open a door, 
 and hurrying into a lamp-lit room, she said 
 to her mother, an enormously stout, helpless- 
 looking woman, — 
 
 ** She has come ! She has a figure like a 
 maypole. I could not see her face plainly, 
 but I don't believe she is anything to look 
 at.'' 
 
 However, those who had already obtained 
 a glimpse of Miss Denis in the saloon of the 
 Scotia were of a very different opinion, and, 
 according to them, the newly-arrived " spin " 
 was an uncommonly pretty girl, likely to 
 
EXPECTATION. 35 
 
 raise the average of ladies' looks in the 
 settlement by about fifty per cent. ! 
 
 Almost at the moment that Colonel Denis 
 and his daughter were landing on Ross, 
 another boat was putting her passengers 
 ashore on Aberdeen, i.e. Mr. Qnentin's very 
 smart gig. A steep hill lay between him and 
 his bungalow, but declining the elephant 
 in waiting, he and Mr. Lisle, and another 
 friend, to whom he had given a seat over, 
 commenced to breast the rugged path to- 
 gether. This latter gentleman was a Dr. 
 Parks, the principal medical officer in the 
 settlement ; a little man with a sharp face, 
 grey whiskers and moustache, and keen eyes 
 to match ; he was comfortable of figure, and 
 fluent of speech, and prided himself on 
 having the army list of the Indian staff 
 corps at his fingers' ends ; he could tell other 
 men's services to a week, knew to a day 
 when Brown would drop in for his off- 
 reckonings, and how much sick-leave Jones 
 had had. More than this, he had an enor- 
 mous circle of acquaintances in the three 
 D 2 
 
36 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 Presidencies, and if lie did not know most 
 old Indian residents personally, at any rate 
 he could tell you all about tliem — who 
 they married, when, and why ; who were their 
 friends, enemies, or relations ; what were 
 their prospects of promotion, their pecu- 
 liarities, their favourite hill-stations ; — he 
 was a sort of animated directory (with 
 copious notes), and prided himself on knowing 
 India as well as another man knew London. 
 He was unmarried, well off, and lived in 
 the East from choice, not necessity ; he was 
 exceedingly popular in society, was reputed 
 to have saved two lacs of rupees, and to be 
 looking out for a wife ! 
 
 After climbing the hill for some time 
 in silence. Dr. Parks paused — ostensibly 
 to survey the scene, in reality to take 
 breath. 
 
 " Hold hard, you fellows," he cried, as the 
 other two were walking on. '' Hold hard, 
 there's no hurry. Looks like a scene in a 
 theatre, doesn't it ? " waving a hand towards 
 the prospect below them. 
 
EXPECTATION. 37 
 
 "With the moon for Imie-light?" re- 
 joined Mr. Quentin as lie paused and glanced 
 back upon the steamer, surrounding boats, 
 and the sea, all bathed in bright, tropical 
 moonshine ; at the many lights twinkling up 
 and down the island, — like fire-flies in a 
 wood. 
 
 Dr. Parks remained stationary for some 
 seconds, contemplating Eoss, w4th his thumbs 
 in the armholes of his w^aistcoat. At length 
 he said, — 
 
 '' I daresay old Denis hardly knows him- 
 self to-night, with a girl sitting opposite him. 
 I hope she will turn out w^ell." 
 
 " You mean that you hope she will turn out 
 good-looking," amended Mr. Quentin, turning 
 and surveying his companion expressively. 
 '' Ah, Parks, you wxre always a great ladies' 
 man ! " 
 
 '' Nonsense, sir, nonsense. Pm not think- 
 ing of her looks at all ; but the fact of the 
 matter is, that Denis has had an uncom- 
 monly rough time of it, and I trust he is in 
 shallow water at last, and that this girl will 
 
38 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 turn out to be what they call ' a comfort to 
 him.' " 
 
 " I hope she will be a comfort to us all ? 
 I'm sure we want some consolation in this 
 vile hole; but why is Old Denis a special 
 charity ? " inquired Mr. Quentin. 
 
 ^^ Old Denis — well, lie is not so old, if it 
 comes to that ; in fact, he is five years my 
 junior, and I suppose Tm not an old man, am 
 I ? " demanded Dr. Parks, with a spark of 
 choler in his eye. 
 
 " Oh, you ! you know that you are younger 
 than any of us," rejoined Mr. Quentin 
 quickly ; " time never touches you ; but 
 about Denis ? " 
 
 " Oh ! he has had a lot of bother and 
 worry, and you know that that plays the 
 deuce with a fellow. The fact of the matter 
 is, that Tom Denis came to awful grief in 
 money-matters," said Dr. Parks, now walking 
 on abreast of Mr. Quentin, and discoursing 
 in a fluent, confidential tone. 
 
 " His father's affairs went smaslr, and Tom 
 became security to save the family name. 
 
EXPECTATION. 
 
 mortgaged all bis own little property that 
 came to him through his mother, exchanged 
 from a crack regiment at home, and came 
 out here into the staff corps. It was a foolish, 
 quixotic business altogether ; no one was a 
 bit obliged to him : his sisters thought he 
 might have done more, his father was a cal- 
 lous old beggar, and took everything he got 
 quite as a matter of course, and Tom was 
 the support of his relation??, and their scape- 
 goat." 
 
 " The verv last animal I'd like to be," 
 remarked Mr. Quentin ; '' but don't let me 
 interrupt you ; go on." 
 
 " Well, as if Tom had not enough on his 
 hands, he saddled himself with a wife — a wife 
 he did not want either, a beautiful Greek ! It 
 seems that she burst into tears when he told 
 her he was going to India, and I'm not sure 
 that she did not faint on his breast into the 
 bargain. However, the long and the short 
 of it was, that Tom had a soft heart, and 
 he offered to take her out with him as 
 Mrs. D . 
 
40 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 *' Mrs. Denis liad a lovely face, an empty 
 head, no lieart, and no money; in fact, no 
 interest, or connections, or anything ! and 
 she was the very worst wife for a poor man 
 like Tom. She came out to Bombay, and 
 carried all before her; one wouldhave thought 
 she had thousands at her back — her carriages, 
 dresses and dinners ! 'pon my word, they ran 
 the Grovernor's wife pretty hard. There was 
 no holding her ; at least, it would have taken 
 a stronger man than Tom Denis to do that. 
 She flatly refused to live on the plains, or to 
 go within five hundred miles of his native 
 regiment ; and his role was to broil in some 
 dusty, baking station, and to supply my lady 
 up in the hills, or spending the season at 
 Poonah or Bombay, with almost the whole 
 of his pay. — I believe she scarcely left him 
 enough rupees to keep body and soul 
 together ! " 
 
 '' The man must have been a fool ! " said 
 Mr. Lisle emphatically, now speaking for 
 the first time. 
 
 "Aye, a fool about a pretty face, like 
 
EXPECTATION. 41 
 
 many another," growled the doctor. *' There 
 was no denying her beauty ! The pure 
 Greek type ; her figure a model, every 
 movement the poetry ot motion. She was 
 cockney born, though ; her father a Glreek 
 refugee, conspirator, whatever you hke, and 
 of course, a Prince at Athens, and the de- 
 scendant of Princes, according to his own 
 tale — meanwhile a fourth-rate painter in 
 London, whose Princess kept lodgers ! Well, 
 Mrs. Denis was very clever with her pen, 
 and made capital imitations of her husband's 
 signature ! She borrowed freely from the 
 Soucars, she ran bills in all directions, 
 she had a vice in common with her kins- 
 folk of Crete, and she was the prettiest 
 woman in India ! Luckily for Denis (I 
 say it with all respect to her ashes), she 
 died after a short but brilliant social 
 career, leaving him this girl, and some 
 enormous debts. The fact of the matter 
 was, Tom was a ruined man. — And all these 
 years, between his father's affairs and his 
 wife's liabihties, his life has been a long 
 
42 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 battle, and poor as he was, and no doubt iS, 
 lie never could say no, to a needy friend ; and 
 I need scarcely tell you, that people soon 
 discovered this agreeable trait in his 
 character!'* 
 
 " It's a pity he has not a little more 
 moral courage, and that he nev&r studied the 
 art of saying ' no,' " remarked Mr. Lisle 
 dryly; ''it's merely a matter of nerve, and 
 practice." 
 
 '' It's not that, exactly," rejoined Dr. 
 Parks, '' but that he is too much afraid of 
 hurting people's feelings, too simple and un- 
 selfish. I hope this girl who has come 
 out, will stand between him and this greedy 
 world ! " 
 
 " / should have thought it ought to be the 
 other way." 
 
 '' So it ought, but you see what Denis is 
 yourself," turning and appeahng to Jim 
 Quentin. '' Go over to him to-morrow 
 morning, and tell him that you are at your 
 wits' ends for five hundred rupees, and he 
 ^ will hand it out to you like a lamb." 
 
EXPECTATION. 43 
 
 *' I only wish lambs ■wevQ in the habit of 
 handing out five hnndred rupee notes, I'd 
 take to a pastoral life to-morrow ! '* returned 
 Mr. Quentin fervently, casting a woeful 
 thought to the many long bills he owed in 
 Calcutta, London, and elsewhere. 
 
 '* Let us hope Miss Denis will have some 
 force of character," said Dr. Parks; ''that's 
 the only chance for him ! A strong will, like 
 her mother's, minus her capabilities for making 
 the money fly, and a few other weaknesses ; 
 and here," halting and holding out his hand, 
 '' our roads part." 
 
 "Xo, no. Not a bit of it," replied Mr. 
 Quentin, taking him forcibly by the arm. 
 "You just come home and dine with us, 
 doctor, and tell a few more family histories." 
 
 Dr. Parks was a little reluctant at lirst, 
 declaring that he was due elsewhere, that it 
 was quite impossible, &c., &c. 
 
 " It's only the Irwins, I know, and they 
 will think you have stopped at Ross — it will 
 be all right. Come along." 
 
 Thus Dr. Parks was led away from the path 
 
44 
 
 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 of duty, and down the road approaching 
 Mr. Quentin's bungalow; — he was rather 
 curious to see the menage; that was the 
 reason why he had been such an unresisting 
 victim to Mr. Jim's invitation, — Mr. Jim 
 rarely entertained, and much preferred sitting 
 at other people's boards, to dispensing hospi- 
 tality at his own. 
 
 Dinner was excellent — well cooked, well 
 served. Dr. Parks, who was not insensible 
 to culinary arts, was both surprised and 
 pleased ; he had known his host for many 
 years, had come across him on the hills and 
 on the plains, on board ship, and in the 
 jungle ; they had a host of acquaintances in 
 common, and after a few glasses of first- 
 rate claret, and a brisk volley of mutual 
 reminiscences and stories. Dr. Parks began 
 to tell himself that '' he was really very fond 
 of Apollo Quentin, after all, and that he was 
 one of the nicest young fellows that he 
 knew ! " And what about the man who sat 
 at the foot of the table ? Hitherto he had 
 not been able to classify this Mr. Lisle, nor 
 
EXPECTATION. 45 
 
 had lie been so mucli interested in the 
 matter, as other, and idler, people. He had 
 seen him often coming and going at Aber- 
 deen, and had nodded him a friendly '^ Good- 
 morrow," and now and then exchanged a 
 few words with him ; his clothes were 
 shabby, his manner reserved ; Dr. Parks 
 understood that he was a broken down 
 gentleman, to whom Quentin had given 
 house-room, and, believing this, he could 
 not help feeling that he was performing a 
 gracious and kindly action in noticing him, 
 and " doing the civil," as he would have 
 called it himself, to this beggarly stranger ! 
 But now, when he came to look at the 
 fellow, his appearance was changed. What 
 wonders can be worked by a decent coat ! 
 Seen without his slouch hat, and rusty Karki 
 jacket, he was quite another person ; and 
 query, was that reserved manner of his 
 humility ? Dr. Parks noticed that there was 
 nothing subservient in his way of speaking 
 to Quentin ; quite the reverse ; that far from 
 holding a subordinate position in the estab- 
 
46 A BIRD OF FASSAGE. 
 
 lishment, servants were more prompt to attend 
 on him, than on any one else, and sprang to 
 his very glance ; that he, more than Quentin, 
 looked after his (Dr. Parks') wants, and saw 
 that his ]3late and glass were always re- 
 plenished to his liking, in which duties 
 Apollo (who was a good deal occupied 
 with his own dinner and speculations on 
 Miss Denis's appearance,) was rather slack. 
 "When the meal was over, and the silent, 
 bare-footed servants had left the room, 
 cigars and cigarettes were brought out, and 
 conversation became general, Mr. Lisle had 
 plenty to say for himself — when he chose — 
 had travelled much, and had the polished man- 
 ners and diction of a man who had mixed 
 with good society. Dr. Parks scrutinized 
 him narrowly, and summed up his age to be 
 a vear or two over thirty — he looked a good 
 deal younger without his hat ; his hair was 
 black as the traditional raven's wing, slightly 
 touched with grey on the temples, his eyes 
 were deep-set, piercing, and very dark, there 
 was a humorous twinkle in them at times. 
 
EXPECTATION. 47 
 
 that qualified tlieir general expression — wliich 
 was somewhat stern. On the whole, this Lisle 
 was a handsome maa; in quite a different 
 style to his vis-d-vis Apollo (who lounged 
 with his arm over the back of his chair, and 
 seemed buried in thought), he was un- 
 doubtedl}^ a gentleman, and he looked as if 
 he had been in the service. All the same, 
 this was but idle speculation, and Dr. Parks 
 had not got any *' forrader" than any one else. 
 
 The pause incident to '^ lighting up " 
 lasted for nearly five minutes, then Mr. 
 Quentin roused himself, filled out a bumper 
 of claret, pushed the decanter along the 
 table, and said, — 
 
 '' Gentlemen, fill your glasses. I am 
 about to give you a toast. Miss Denis — 
 her very good health." 
 
 "What!" to Dr. Parks. "Are you not 
 going to drink it. " Come, come, fill up, fill 
 up." 
 
 " Oh, yes. I'll honour your toast, I'll 
 drink it," he replied, suiting the action to 
 the word. " And now I'll follow it up 
 
48 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 by what you little expect, and that's a 
 speech." 
 
 ''All right, make a start, you are in the 
 chair ; but be brief, for goodness' sake. What 
 is the text ? " 
 
 " The text is. Do not flirt with Miss 
 Denis." 
 
 "Oh, and pray why not, if she is pretty, 
 and agreeable, and appreciative ? " 
 
 '' You know what I told you this very 
 evening. She is a mere school-girl, an in- 
 experienced child, she is Denis's one ewe 
 lamb, she is to be his companion, the prop 
 of his old age ; if you have any sense of 
 chivalry, spare her." 
 
 '^ Spare her ! " ejaculated Mr. Quentin 
 with a theatrical gesture of his hand. " One 
 would think I was a butcher, or the public 
 executioner ! " 
 
 *'I know," proceeded Dr. Parks, "your 
 proclivities for tender whisperings, bouquet- 
 giving, and note-w^ritirig, in short the whole 
 gamut of your attentions, and that they 
 never mean anything, but too many forlorn 
 
EXPECTATION, 49 
 
 maidens have learnt to their cost, you most 
 agreeable, but evasive young man," nodding 
 towards Lis host with an air of pathetic 
 expostulation. 
 
 " I say, come now, you know this is ridi- 
 culous," exclaimed Mr. Quentin, pushing 
 his chair back as he spoke. But Dr. Parks 
 was in the vein for expounding on his friend's 
 foibles, and not to be silenced. 
 
 ''You know as well as I do your imbecile 
 weakness for a pretty face, and that you can- 
 not resist making love to every good-looking 
 girl you see, until a still better-looking drives 
 her out of your fickle heart." 
 
 '' Go on, go on," cried his victim ; " you 
 were a loss to the Church." 
 
 *' Of course," continued the elder gentle- 
 man, clearing his throat, " I can readily 
 imagine that for you — a society man before 
 anything — these regions are a vast desert, you 
 are thrown away here, and are figuratively 
 a castaway, out of humanity's reach. And 
 now fate seems induced to smile upon you 
 once more, in sending you a possibly pretty 
 
 VOL. I.. B 
 
50 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 creature to be tlie sliarer of your many 
 empty hours. If I thought you would be 
 serious, I would not say anything; or if this 
 girl was a hardened veteran of a dozen 
 seasons, and knew the difference between 
 jest and earnest, again I would hold mj 
 peace ; but as it is, I sum up the whole sub- 
 ject in one word, and with regard to Helen 
 Denis, I say, donH.'^ 
 
 '' Hear hear," cried his friend, hammering 
 loudly on the table. Doctor, your eloquence 
 is positively touching; but you always 
 ivere the ladies' champion. All the same you 
 are exaggerating the situation, I am a most 
 innocent, inoffensive — " 
 
 " Come now, James Quentin ; how about 
 that girl at Poonah that you made the talk 
 of the station ? How about the girls you pro- 
 posed to up at Matheran and Murree ; what 
 about the irate father who followed you to 
 Lahore, and from whom you concealed yourself 
 behind the refreshment-room counter ? Eh ! " 
 
 "Now, now, doctor, I'll cry peccavi. 
 Spare me before Lisle." 
 
EXPECTATION. 51 
 
 Who lay back in liis chair smoking a cigar, 
 — and looking both bored and indifferent. 
 
 '' You don't go in for ladies' society on 
 Eoss?" said Dr. Parks, addressing him 
 abruptly. 
 
 '• I — no — " struggling to an erect posture, 
 and knocking the ash off his cigar. '^ I only 
 know one lady o^er there, and she is a host 
 in herself." 
 
 '' You mean Mrs. Creery ? " 
 
 " Yes, I allude to Mrs. Creery." 
 
 And at the very mention of the name, 
 they all three laughed aloud. 
 
 " And how about Miss Denis, Quentin ? 
 you've not given your promise," said Dr. 
 Parks once more returning to the charge. 
 
 " I'llpromise you one thing, doctor," drawled 
 the host, who was beginning to get tired of 
 his persistence. '^ I'll not marry her, now 
 that you have let me behind the scenes about 
 her bewitching mother, and I'll promise you, 
 that I'll go over and call to-morrow, and see 
 if I can discover any traces of a Grecian an- 
 cestry in Miss Denis's face and figure." 
 E 2 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
52 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 '* You are incorrigible. I might as well 
 talk to the wall; there's only one hope for 
 the girl, and that's a poor one." 
 
 '' Poor as it is, let us have it." 
 
 " A chance that she may not be taken, like 
 twenty-three out of every two dozen, with 
 fickle Jim Quen tin's handsome face ! " 
 
 ''Where has Lisle gone to?" he added, 
 looking round. 
 
 '' Into the verandah, or to bed, or out to 
 sea I The latter is just as likely as anything ; 
 he did not approve of the conversation, he 
 thinks that ladies should never be discussed," 
 and he shrugged his shoulders expressively. 
 
 "Quite one of the old school, eh?" said 
 the elder gentleman, raising his eyebrows 
 and pursing out his under-lip. 
 
 '' Quite," laconically. 
 
 " By-the-bye, Quentin, I daresay you will 
 think I'm as bad as Mrs. Creery, but wlio is 
 this fellow Lisle, and what in the name of 
 all that's slow is he doing down here? — eh, 
 who is he?" leaning over confidentially. 
 
 '' Oh, he fishes, and shoots, and likes the 
 
EXPECTATION. 53 
 
 Andamans awfully. — As to who lie is, — lie is 
 simply, as you see, a gentleman at large, and 
 his name is Gilbert Lisle." 
 
 Thus Dr. Parks, in spite of his superior 
 opportunities, was foiled ; and returned to 
 his own abode, no wiser than any of his 
 neighbours. 
 
54 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 
 
 "And I am something curious, being strange." 
 
 Cymbeline. 
 
 The morning after lier arrival Helen Denis 
 found herself alone, as her father was occu- 
 pied with drills and orderly-room till twelve 
 o'clock, when they breakfasted. 
 
 She went out into the verandah, and looked 
 about her, in order to become better ac- 
 quainted with the situation of her new home. 
 The bungalow stood a little way back from 
 the gravel road, that encircled the whole 
 island, and was shaded by a luxuriant crimson 
 creeper ; a hedge of yellow flowers bordered 
 the path leading up to the door, and between 
 the house and the sea, was a clump of thick 
 cocoa-nut palms, that stood out in bold 
 relief against the deep cobalt background 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 
 
 55 
 
 of the sky. Jays, parrots, and unfamiliar 
 tropical birds were flitting about, and from 
 the sea a faint breeze was wafted, bearing 
 strange, fragrant odours from the distant 
 mainland ; a light haze lay over the water, 
 betokening a warm meridian. A few white 
 clouds slumbered in the hot heavens over- 
 head ; and save for the hum of insects 
 and birds, and a distant sound of oars 
 swinging to and fro in the rowlocks, the 
 place was as silent as a Sunday morning in 
 the country, when every one has gone to 
 church. — At first Helen stood, and then she 
 sat down on the steps to contemplate this 
 scene, which formed the prelude to a new 
 epoch in her life — she gazed and gazed, and 
 seemed afraid to move her eyes, lest the 
 vision should escape her. She sat thus 
 without moving for fully half an hour. 
 
 " Well, what do you think of it all, young 
 woman ? '' from a voice behind her, 
 caused her to spring up, and she found 
 her father standing there, in his white uni- 
 form, with his sword under his arm. 
 
56 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 " Ob, papa ! I never, never saw anytliing 
 like it; I never dreamt or fancied there 
 could be sucb a beautiful spot — it's like 
 fairyland! like an encbanted country, like " 
 — ber similes running sbort — '' like Robinson 
 Crusoe's island." 
 
 "Rather different to Brompton, eh? I 
 suppose you bad not much of a view there ? " 
 
 "View!" she exclaimed; " if there bad 
 been one, we could not see it ; for in the 
 first place we were shut in by high, dirty 
 brick walls, and in the second, all the lower 
 windows were muffled glass ; there was one 
 window at the end of the schoolroom that 
 overlooked the road, and though it was 
 pretty high up, it was all painted, but some 
 one had scratched a little space in it, right 
 in the middle, and often and often, when I' ve 
 been saying my lessons, or reading transla- 
 tions in class, every idea has been sent right 
 out of my head, when I've looked up at that 
 pane and seen an eye watching us — it always 
 seemed to be watching me ! but of course 
 that was imagination ; it used to make me 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 5 7 
 
 feel quite hysterical at times, and many a 
 bad mark it cost me ! " 
 
 " Well, you are not likely to get any bad 
 marks liere," said lier father, laying Lis 
 hand on her shoulder as he spoke ; '' and you 
 think you will like Port Blair? " 
 
 ''Like — why it seems to me to be a kind 
 of paradise ! I wonder half the world does 
 not come and live here,'* she replied emphati- 
 cally. 
 
 To this remark ensued a rather long silence, 
 a silence that was at length broken by a 
 noise as strange to Helen's ears, as the lovely 
 scene before her was to her still admiring 
 eyes ; this noise was a loud, fierce, hoarse 
 shout, something like an angry cheer. She 
 glanced at her father with a somewhat height- 
 ened colour, and in answer to her startled 
 face he said, — 
 
 *' Those are the convicts ! they leave off 
 work at twelve o'clock, they are busy on the 
 barracks just now. Stay where you are, and 
 you will see them pass presently." 
 
 The approach of the convicts was he- 
 
58 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 raided bj a faint jingling of chains that 
 gradually became louder and louder; and 
 in a few moments the gang came in 
 sight, escorted by four burly, armed 
 warders. Helen drew back, pale and awe- 
 struck, as slie watched this long, silent 
 procession, file past, two and two, all clad 
 in the same blue cotton garment, all 
 heavily manacled, otherwise there was 
 but little resemblance amon^: them. There 
 passed, the squat Chinaman, chained to the 
 tall, fiery Pathan, (who flung as he went by, 
 a glance of bitter hatred and defiance at the 
 two European spectators) ; they were in turn 
 followed by a brace of tattooed Burmans, 
 who seemed rather cheerful than otherwise; 
 then a few mild Hindoos, then more Arabs, 
 more Burmans, more fierce Rohillas, more 
 mild Hindoos ! 
 
 Helen stood almost breathless, as they 
 glided by, nor did she speak, till the very 
 last sound of clanking chains had died away 
 in the distance. 
 
 " Poor creatures ! I had forgotten tliem } " 
 
FmST IMPRESSIONS. 59 
 
 she said; " tliis j)lace is no paradise to 'a 
 prisoner.' " 
 
 ''Poor creatures!" echoed her father, 
 '' the very scum and sweepings of her 
 Majesty's Indian Empire — poor murderers, 
 poor robbers, poor dacoits ! " 
 
 " And why are they in chains ? such heavy 
 cruel-looking chains ? " 
 
 " Because they are either recent arrivals 
 or desperate characters, the former probably ; 
 the worst of the ' poor creatures ' are not kept 
 in Ross, but colonized in other gaols on the 
 mainland, or at Viper." 
 
 '' And are there many here on Ross ? " 
 
 " About four thousand, including women, 
 but some of these, have tickets-of-leave, 
 and only go back to ' section' — section is a 
 delicate way of putting it — at night ; many of 
 them are our servants." 
 
 '' Our servants, papa ! " 
 
 " No, I am speaking of the settlement, 
 but our boatmen, our water-carrier, and — I 
 may as well break it to you at once — our 
 cook, are each and all, people who Lave a 
 
6o A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 past, that does not bear close inquiry ! 
 And now, my dear, shall we go in to break- 
 fast ? " 
 
 It was a delightful change from his usual 
 solitary meal, to liave that bright, pretty 
 face sitting opposite to him ; he watched her 
 intently for some minutes — she was pouring 
 out tea Avith all the delight of a child. 
 
 " I've never done it before, papa ! " she ex- 
 claimed as she despatched his tea-cup ; " be 
 sure you don't let Sawmy know, or he will 
 despise me. — Of course being at school, I 
 never got a chance. Miss Twi gg herself 
 presided over the hot-water, and then in the 
 holidays I had much better tea, but I never 
 made it." 
 
 ''Ah, your holidays, Helen, that is what 
 puzzled me so much about your Aunt Julia. 
 I understood that you were always to spend 
 your vacation with the Platts." 
 
 "I did once, when I was small; and I 
 do not think they liked me, so after a lapse 
 of five years they tried me again — I sup- 
 pose to see if 1 was improved, but these 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 6 1 
 
 holidays were even worse than the others. I 
 have a quick temper, and I got into fearful 
 trouble." 
 
 ''How?" 
 
 " Oh, it's a very old story, and I hope 
 and trust, that I have more command of my 
 feelings now. I remember I was in the room 
 at afternoon tea, rather by accident, for I 
 usually took that refreshment in " — lowerinor 
 her voice to a stage whisper — '' the kitchen ! 
 My cousins are a good deal older than I 
 am — they were grown up then, I perfectly 
 recollect, though they declare they were 
 not—'' 
 
 "Well, but it is not a question of your 
 cousins' age, but of some domestic fracas that 
 you were about to tell me." 
 
 '' Yes, I'm always wandering from the 
 point. I recollect it was a Sunday afternoon, 
 some gentlemen were calling, and they noticed 
 me, and talked to me, and I was flattered, and 
 doubtless pert; they asked Cousin Clara 
 who I was, and where I, and my classic 
 profile came from ? and Aunt Julia told them 
 
62 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 that I was lier poor brotlier's child, and added 
 something about — about — no matter." 
 
 Helen had never heard a word with regard to 
 her other parent, save that she was a beautiful 
 Greek, who had died young. Her picture she 
 had seen, and this in itself was sufficient, for 
 her to idealize her, and adore her memory — 
 for Azalie Denis, had the face of an angel ! 
 " She — no, I won't tell you what she said ! but 
 I have never forgotten it ; in a passion of rage 
 and scarcely knowing what I was doing, I 
 snatched up a cup of scalding tea, and flung 
 it in Aunt Julia's face. Yes ! cup and all ! 
 You may imagine the commotion ; you can 
 believe that I was in disgrace. I was led 
 solemnly from the room, and locked away in 
 a lumber-closet upstairs, where I remained 
 for the rest of my vacation. Each day I was 
 asked to apologize, and each day 1 said ' I 
 I'oovbi^ so there I stayed, till I went back to 
 school. Ere leaving, I was taken down to 
 my aunt's apartment, and told that I was 
 a wicked, bad, abominable child, and that 
 I would come to an untimely end ; and then 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS, (>i 
 
 Cousin Clara took up a pair of big scissors, 
 and seizing my beautiful thick plait of hair, 
 sawed, and hacked it off, close to the nape 
 of my neck ! " 
 
 '* What ! cut off your hair ! " exclaimed 
 Colonel Denis, roused to sudden animation. 
 
 " Yes ; though I screamed and struggled, 
 it was of no use, I well remember the appear- 
 ance of my poor pigtail in Clara's hand ! 
 Well ! after tliis you will not be surprised 
 to hear, that I was never asked to Upper 
 Cream Street again, — and I was not sorry. 
 I never could get on with Aunt Julia ; I'm 
 so glad that you are not a bit like her, papa ! 
 She used to make me shake in my shoes." 
 
 *•' And how do you know that I won't do 
 the same ? " he asked with a smile. 
 
 " I'm sure you won't ! Have another cup 
 of tea, do please." 
 
 " It's strange that we have so few re- 
 lations," he said, obediently passing his cup 
 as he spoke. '' Besides your Aunt Julia, 
 there's only my sister Cliristina, — she has 
 been an invalid for years, and never writes." 
 
64 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 '' Ts not she married to a queer Irishman 
 who Hves at a place with a ridiculous name 
 
 Crow-more ? And Aunt Julia won't have 
 
 anything to do with her ? " 
 
 •'Yes, your Aunt Julia did not approve of 
 the match. This Sheridan was a kind of 
 professor, that Christina met abroad, a 
 most dreamy, unpractical genius, with a 
 magnificent head, and a brogue that you 
 could cut with a hatchet. After living for 
 some years in a small German town, they 
 went over to Ireland, and there they reside on 
 a property that was left to him. I write 
 now and then" (and he might have added, 
 enclose a cheque), " but Christina never sends 
 me a line. — I'm afraid they are very badly 
 off," shaking his head as he stirred his 
 
 tea. 
 
 "•' Now tell me something about this de- 
 lightful place, papa ! I've been reading a 
 o-ood deal about it, I mean the Andamans. 
 They were first taken possession of in 1789 
 by the British Government, or rather East 
 India Company, were abandoned in 1796, 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 65 
 
 and resumed in 1858, the year after the 
 Mutiny ; don't I know it all nicely ? " 
 
 *'You know a great deal more about it 
 than I do." 
 
 '' This is Ross, is it not ? " 
 
 " Yes, the other settlements are scattered 
 about. People come over here to church, to 
 shop, to play tennis, and to hear the news." 
 
 *' And are there many other people — I 
 don't mean convicts and soldiers ? " 
 
 " There are about fifty men, and fifteen 
 or sixteen ladies. No doubt you will have a 
 good many visitors to-day." 
 
 " Oh, papa ! you don't mean it — not to 
 call on mel " 
 
 "Yes, of course; who else would they 
 come to see ?" 
 
 " It makes me feel quite nervous, the 
 palms of my hands are cold already ; only 
 six weeks ago I was doing French compo- 
 sition and Grerman translation, and not 
 daring to speak above my breath without 
 leave. And now all at once I am grown 
 up ! I am to receive visitors, I may wear 
 
 VOL. I. E 
 
66 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 what I like, and," with an interrogative 
 smile across the table, " do as I jplease ? " 
 
 '' As long as you don't throw cups of tea 
 at people, my dear." 
 
 " Now, papa, I'm very sorry I mentioned 
 that, if you are going to use it against me ! 
 But, do tell me something about the fifteen 
 ladies, — and who are likely to come and 
 call?" 
 
 " "Well, there is Mrs. Creery ; she is the wife 
 of the head of the Foolscap Department, and 
 lives close to this. She — well," hesitating, 
 " she is a very energetic woman, but her " 
 — ^hesitating again — ''manner is a little 
 against her ! rather arbitrary, you know, 
 but we all have our faults. — Then there 
 is Mrs. Caggett; her husband has some 
 trade with Burmah, and his wife lives here 
 in preference to Moulmein. Miss Caggett 
 is our only young lady, and " — rather 
 dubiously — "you will see what you think 
 of her, Mrs. Home is the wife of the 
 colonel of this regiment — I'm only second 
 
FIJ^ST IMFRESSIOA^S. 6 7 
 
 fiddle you know ; you are certain to have a 
 kind friend in lier. Then there is Mrs 
 Durand, wife of Captain Durand of the 
 European detachment here; she is away just 
 now, and a great loss to the place. There are 
 several ladies at out- stations, whom you are 
 sure to like." 
 
 " I wish I was sure that they would like 
 m^," rejoined his daughter in rather a melan- 
 choly voice. " You must bear in mind, that 
 I am not accustomed to the society of grown- 
 up people, and I know that I have no con- 
 versation ! " 
 
 '''No conversation! and pray what have 
 we been having for the last three-quarters of 
 an hour ? " 
 
 '' Oh, that is quite different. I can talk 
 away to you by the week, but with strangers 
 what can 1 discuss ? — not even the weather, 
 for I don't know what happens here; it's 
 always fine, I suppose ? " 
 
 '' You will find plenty to say, I'll engage," 
 returned her father with emphasis, ''and I 
 F 2 
 
68 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 liave no doubt — " whatever lie was going to 
 add, was cut short bj the imperious rapping 
 of an umbrella on the wooden steps of the 
 verandah, and a shrill female voice calling 
 " Boy ! " 
 
MJSS DENIS HAS VISITORS. 69 
 
 CHAPTEH IV. 
 
 MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS. 
 
 " What's his name and birth % I cannot delve him to 
 the root." Shakespeare. 
 
 *' There is Mrs. Creery ! " exclaimed Colonel 
 Denis, starting up rather nervously. " She 
 has come to call first. Don't keep her 
 waiting." To Helen, who was hastily smooth- 
 ing her hair and pulling out her ruffles, 
 '^ You will do first-rate ; go into the drawing- 
 room, my dear." 
 
 "Yes, but not alone, papa! " taking him 
 by the arm. '' You will have to introduce us, 
 you must come with me." 
 
 You see she had begun to say must 
 already ! — Colonel Denis was by no means 
 reluctant, to present his pearl of daughters 
 to the visitor who had prognosticated 
 that she would be plain, and he was 
 sufficiently human, to enjoy that lady's 
 
70 A BIRD 01 PASSAGE, 
 
 stare of stolid astonishment, as slie took 
 Helen's hand, and kept it in hers for quite 
 a minute, whilst she leisurely studied her 
 face. 
 
 '' How do you do, Miss Denis ? had you a 
 good passage ? " 
 
 '' Very good, thank you," replied the young 
 lady demurely. 
 
 " I see," sitting down as she spoke, and 
 specially addressing Colonel Denis, "that 
 you haye had new curtains, and [purdahs, 
 put up, and have actually bought that white 
 marble table, that Kursandoss had so long 
 on hand ! How much did you give for it ? " 
 
 ''One hundred rupees," replied the par- 
 chaser in a guilty voice. 
 
 '•' Heavens and earth ! " casting up hands 
 and eyes, " did any one ever hear of such 
 folly ! it is not worth thirty. Miss Denis, it's 
 a good thing that you have come out to look 
 after your father, he is a most extravagant 
 man ! " 
 
 Helen thought that this was a pleasantry, 
 and laughed immoderately. Mrs. Creery was 
 
MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS. 71 
 
 really most amusing, — but how oddly slie was 
 dressed ! She was quite old, in Helen's eyes 
 (in truth she was not far from fifty), and yet 
 she was attired in a white muslin polonaise 
 trimmed with rose-coloured bows, and wore 
 a black sailor's hat, with the letters Bacchante 
 stamped in gold upon the ribbon ! Mean- 
 while the elder lady had been taking a great 
 deal of interest in Miss Denis's pretty morn- 
 ing-dress ; she had come to the conclusion 
 that the pattern w^as too complicated to be 
 what is called "carried away in her eye," 
 and was resolved to ask for it boldly, — and 
 that before she was many days older ! 
 
 " You may go up to the mess," she said, 
 playfully dismissiug her host with a wave of 
 her plump, mittened hand. " I want to have 
 a chat with your daughter alone. I came to 
 see her — you are no novelty 1 " 
 
 " Now, my dear, we shall be quite com- 
 fortable," she said, as Colonel Denis meekly 
 took his departure. '' Did you find him 
 much changed ? " she continued, lowering 
 her voice mysteriously. 
 
72 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 " A little, but not " — smiling — '' nearly as 
 mucli changed as I seem to liim ! " 
 
 '' How much is lie going to allow you for 
 tlie housekeeping ? " 
 
 Helen assured her questioner that the 
 subject had not even been considered. Mrs. 
 Creery on hearing this was visibly disap- 
 pointed, and said rather tartly, — 
 
 " Well, don't listen to anything under five 
 rupees a day — you could not do it less. The 
 Durands spend that ! The Homes say they 
 manage on four, but that's nonsense, and the 
 children could not be half fed. Maybe your 
 father will still leave it to Ram Sawmy, but " 
 — with sudden energy — " you must not hear 
 of that — the man is a robber ! " 
 
 " He has been twenty years with papa," 
 ventured Helen. 
 
 " So much the worse for your father's 
 poclcet,^^ returned Mrs. Creery emphatically. 
 " I suppose you have brought out a number 
 of new gowns ? What have you got ? " 
 
 " I have a white silk, and a black silk,'* 
 replied Helen with some exultation in her 
 
MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS. 73 
 
 own mind, for they were her first silk 
 dresses. 
 
 "Both perfectly useless here!" snapped 
 the matron. 
 
 " A riding-habit." 
 
 *' Stark, staring madness ! There's not a 
 horse between this and Calcutta — unless a 
 clothes-horse ! What else ? " 
 
 " A cashmere and plush costume." 
 
 " You may just send it back to England, 
 or throw it away." 
 
 Helen paused aghast. 
 
 "Well, well — go on, go on — that's not 
 a//, surely?" 
 
 "I have some pretty cottons and muslins, 
 and a tennis-dress." 
 
 " Come, that's better, and when are your 
 boxes to be opened ? " 
 
 '' This afternoon, if possible." 
 
 " Oh, well, I'll come down and see your 
 things to-morrow, I may get some new ideas, 
 and we are a little behindhand with the 
 fashions here," waving once more her mit- 
 tened hand. "And now to turn to another 
 
74 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 subject ! It's a great responsibility for a 
 young girl like you to be placed at tlie head of 
 even a small establishment like this ! I am 
 older than you are " (it was quite superJBluous 
 to mention this fact), '' I know the world, and 
 I wish to give you a word of caution." 
 
 Helen became crimson. 
 
 '' I hope you are a steady, sensible girl." 
 
 " I hope so, Mrs. Creery," raising her chin 
 in a manner well known to Miss Twigg, — a 
 manner betokening insurrection. 
 
 " There now, don't be huffy ! I mean to 
 be your friend. I would have come down 
 and stayed here for the first week or two, 
 to set you going, if your father had asked 
 me, as you have no lady in the house ; how- 
 ever, I've spoken to him most seriously. 
 All the men in the place will of course be flock- 
 ing to call, and turning your head with their 
 silly compliments. As a rule they are not a 
 bad set of young fellows ; but Mr. Quentin and 
 Captain Rodney are the only two, who 1 
 should say were in a position to marry, — the 
 
MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS 75 
 
 otliers are just paupers. Butterflies ! OH, 
 and yes " — here lier voice became liollow and 
 mysterious — '' I must put you on your guard 
 against a Mr. Lisle." 
 
 "A Mr. Lisle!" eclioed Helen, opening 
 her eyes very wide. 
 
 " Yes, Lisle, don't forget the name. He 
 seldom comes over, he lives at Aberdeen 
 with Mr. Quentin — lives on him I should 
 say," correcting herself sharply. '' He came 
 here a few months ago — goodness knows 
 from where. It is generally believed that 
 he is in hiding — that he is under a cloud ; 
 he is poor as a rat, has no visible means of 
 livelihood, and is as close as wax about his 
 past. However, Mr. Quentin shields him, 
 keeps his secret, and there is nothing more 
 to be said except this — don't yoic have any- 
 thing to say to him, he may have the impu- 
 dence to call, but indeed, to give him his due, 
 he does not push. It is a most unpleasant 
 feeling, to have this black sheep living in the 
 neighbourhood at all, I wish he was well out 
 
76 A BIRD 01 PASSAGE. 
 
 of the settlement ! " shaking her head ex- 
 pressively. 
 
 Helen, amazed at Mrs. Creery's volubility, 
 sat staring at her in speechless surprise. 
 Why should she take such pains to warn 
 her against a man, who she admitted did not 
 push, and whom she was not likely to see ? 
 Another knocking in the verandah, and a 
 rather timid voice calling '' Boy ! " announced 
 the arrival of a second visitor, and Mrs. 
 Creery rose, saying, — 
 
 "You will be coming up to the General's 
 tennis this evening, and we shall meet again, 
 so I won't say good-bye," then casting one 
 last searching glance round the apartment, 
 she, as if seized by some after-thought, 
 hurried across, coolly pulled back the purdah 
 (door-curtain), and looked into the dining- 
 room, *' Nothing new iliere^ I see," dropping 
 the drapery after a long, exhaustive stare ; 
 " nothing but a filter ! Well, an revoir,^' and 
 nodding approvingly at Helen, she finally 
 took her departure. 
 
MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS. 77 
 
 The new arrival was a complete contrast 
 to tlie parting guest; a pale, faded, but still 
 pretty little woman, with imploring dark 
 eyes (like a newly-caught fawn), attired in 
 a neat white dress, a solar topee, and re- 
 spectable gloves. She was Mrs. Home, the 
 wife of Colonel Denis's commanding officer, 
 and the mother, as she plaintively informed 
 Helen, of no less than nine children ! 
 
 " They make me so dreadfully anxious, 
 dear Miss Denis, especially the seven at 
 home. I live on tenter-hooks from mail- 
 day to mail-day. Imagine my feelings 
 when they were all in measles last spring ! " 
 
 But this was a feat beyond Helen. 
 
 " You have two here ? " she asked politely, 
 after a pause. 
 
 " Yes, Tom and Billy. Your father is so 
 fond of them, and they wanted so much to 
 come and see you. But I told them you 
 would think them a trouble — and the first 
 call too ! " 
 
 Helen eagerly assured her visitor that they 
 
7$ A BIRD OJ^ PASSAGE. 
 
 would have been most welcome, and rush- 
 ing impulsively out o£ the room, returned 
 with a box of chocolate -creams she had 
 purcliased for her own delectation ; which she 
 sent to the young gentlemen with her best 
 love, requesting that they would come and 
 call as soon as possible. This gift, and 
 message, completely won their mother's heart. 
 At first she had been a little doubtful, a 
 little in awe, of this pretty, fashionable- 
 looking girl, but now she became much 
 warmer in manner, and said, — 
 
 " You know, my dear, I'm not a society 
 lady, I have no time for gaiety, even if I 
 were fitted for it; between sewing for my 
 boys and girls at home, and my letters, and 
 my housekeeping, not to mention Tom and 
 Billy, I never seem to have a spare moment. 
 I came down here early on purpose, hoping 
 to be the first to welcome you, but I was 
 late after all ! " and she smiled deprecatingiy. 
 "Your father is such a very dear friend of 
 ours, that I feel as if I had a kind of claim 
 on you, and hope you won't stand on cere- 
 
MISS DENIS HAS VISITORS. 
 
 79 
 
 mony witli us, but come to see us as often as 
 you can. AYill you? " 
 
 '' I shall be very glad indeed, thank you." 
 
 " You see, you and I being tlie only ladies 
 in the ' Puggarees ' too, — it is a kind of 
 bond, is it not ? If I can help you in any 
 way about your housekeeping, be sure you 
 let me know, won't you ! I am an old cam- 
 paigner of fifteen years' standing, and every- 
 thing, of course, is quite new to you. You 
 and your father, I hope, will come up and 
 dine with us quietly to-morrow night, and 
 then you and I can have a very nice long 
 chat." 
 
 Helen thanked Mrs. Home for her invita- 
 tion, and said that if her father was not 
 engaged, she vfas sure they would be most 
 happy to accept it. 
 
 '' And now, my dear," said the little lady, 
 rising, " I must really go ! the Dhoby has 
 been waiting for me at home this half-hour, 
 I know, and I have all the clean clothes to 
 sort, so I will wish you good-bye. May I 
 kiss you ? " holding Helen's hand, and look- 
 
8o A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 ing at her with tiQiid, appealia.g eyes. Helen 
 became rather red, but smiled assent, there- 
 upon the salute was exchanged, and Mrs. 
 Home presently took her departure. 
 
 After this visit, there was a long interval. 
 Colonel and Miss Denis were equipped and 
 ready to start for the Greneral's tennis-party, 
 when Sawmy brought in another card ; a 
 small one this time, bearing the name of 
 ''Mr. James Quentin." The card was 
 almost instantly followed by that gentleman, 
 looking as if he had just stepped out of a 
 bandbox. Having cordially wrung his host's 
 hand, and been presented to his daughter, 
 he seated himself near the young lady, placed 
 his hat on the floor, and commenced to 
 discuss the climate, her passage, &c., sur- 
 veying the new arrival critically at the same 
 time. " She was much prettier than he 
 expected," he said to himself as he summed 
 her up ; '* her profile was not classical, but 
 it would pass;' her eyes were fine in shape 
 and colour, though their expression was 
 rather too merry for liis taste ; he imagined 
 
M/SS DENIS HAS VISITORS. 8i 
 
 that she had plenty of sph^its, and but a 
 meagre supply of sentiment. Her complexion 
 was perfect, but of course that would not 
 last three months ! " On the whole, he was 
 most agreeably surprised, and her dainty 
 dress, and ladylike deportment, were as 
 refreshing to his eyes, as a spring of water to 
 a traveller in the desert ! The shape of her 
 hat, the fit of her long gloves, her brilliant 
 colour, and pure English accent, all mentally 
 carried him back to the Park once more — 
 his Mecca ! Yes, the fall of Miss Denis's 
 draperies, the very lace in her ruffles, were 
 each a source of gratification to her visitor, 
 who had a keen eye for such things, and was 
 a connoisseur in toilettes. He told himself 
 emphatically that this young lady was " no 
 end of a find ! " but, aloud, he politely 
 inquired if Colonel and Miss Denis were 
 going up to the tennis. They were. Well, 
 he was going too — a sudden resolution — 
 and might he be permitted to accompany 
 them ? 
 
 Mr. James Quentin felt an additional 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
82 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 sense of importance, as he strolled np the 
 narrow path towards the General's grounds, 
 personally conducting Miss Denis (coollj 
 leaving her father to bring np the rear 
 alone, as the pathway was too narrow to 
 permit of three abreast), and he honestly 
 believed, that the young lady beside him, 
 could not be launched into settlement 
 society, under happier, or more distin- 
 guished, auspices. 
 
WHAT IS SHE LIKE 2 83 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 WHAT IS SHE LIKE ? 
 
 " So sweet a face, such angel grace, 
 In all that land had never been." 
 
 Helen found her reception a most trying 
 ordeal. She was very cordially welcomed by 
 the General, who instantly came forward 
 to meet her, and escorted her towards Mrs. 
 Creery ; she ran the gauntlet of two 
 groups of men, who were standing on 
 the tennis-ground, ostensibly discussing the 
 recent mail, but naturally watching the new 
 arrival, who was the cynosure of every 
 eye, as she passed by; and approached a 
 row of seats on which the ladies — a still 
 more formidable phalanx — were seated in 
 state. Mrs. Creery (who occupied the social 
 throne in the shape of a stuffed arm-chair) 
 now rose majestically, and, like Cedric the 
 G 2 
 
8^ A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 Saxon, advanced two steps, saying in her 
 most dulcet company voice, '' Very glad you 
 have come, Miss Denis, I am charmed to 
 welcome you to Port Blair ! " 
 
 Helen blushed vividly. Was this august, 
 this almost regal, individual, the same who had 
 questioned, exhorted, and warned her, a few 
 hours previously ? She could scarcely believe 
 it ! But this was merely her ignorance. 
 That visit had been made in a private 
 capacity, here Mrs. Creery was in a public 
 and responsible position — that of chief lady 
 of the station. 
 
 She now took Helen's hand in hers, and 
 proceeded to present her to her immediate 
 circle. 
 
 "Mrs. Caggett, let me introduce Miss 
 Denis." 
 
 Mrs. Caggett rose, made a kind of plunge, 
 intended for a curtsey, and subsided again, 
 muttering incoherently. 
 
 " Miss Denis, Mrs. Graham. Mrs. Gra- 
 ham is our musician. She sings and plays 
 most beautifully ! " 
 
IVHAT IS SHE LIKE 1 85 
 
 Mrs. Graham, who was a pretty brunette, 
 with, lovely teeth, shook hands with Helen, 
 and smiled significantly, as much as to say, 
 ** You must not mind Mrs. Creery." 
 
 "• Miss Denis, Mrs. King. — Mrs. King has 
 a nice little girl, and lives at Viper." 
 
 ''Miss Denis, Mrs. Logan, our autho- 
 ress." Poor Mrs. Logan blushed till the 
 tears came into her eyes, and said, — 
 
 " Oh, Mrs. Creery, please don't." 
 
 " Nonsense, nonsense ! Miss Denis, slie 
 has written the siveetest poetry — one really 
 exquisite ode, called, let me see, ' The 
 Lifer's Lament,' and numbers of charming 
 sonnets ! You must get her to read them 
 to you, some day." 
 
 Alas for Mrs. Logan ! who in a moment 
 of foolish expansiveness had mentioned her 
 small poems (under the seal of secrecy) to 
 another lady, and had, to her horror, '' awoke 
 and found herself famous ! " 
 
 "Mrs. Manners, Miss Deuis," and she 
 paused, as if deliberating on what she could 
 possibly say for Mrs. Manners ? 
 
86 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 "Please don't mind about me, Mrs. 
 Creery/' exclaimed that lady. '' You know 
 that I neither play, nor sing, nor write 
 poetry." 
 
 Mrs. Manners was a sprightly person, 
 regarded by Mrs. Creery with suspicion 
 and dislike, and she now glowered on her 
 menacingly. 
 
 " I am very glad to see Miss Denis, and I 
 hope she will overlook my numerous defi- 
 ciencies ! " quoth Mrs. Manners unabashed. 
 
 All the ladies had now been, as it were, 
 "told off," excepting Miss Caggett, who ap- 
 proached and squeezed Helen's fingers, and 
 looked up in her face, and said, — 
 
 " So thankful, dear, that you have come ! 
 It's so wretched for me, being the only girl 
 in the settlement. You can't think how I 
 have been looking forward to ^/ws," another 
 squeeze. 
 
 Miss Lizzie Caggett was small in person 
 (and mind) and had a very pretty little figure, 
 black hair, bright, reddish-brown eyes, an 
 ugly nose, and an almost lipless mouth, gar- 
 
WHAT IS SHE LIKE ? 87 
 
 nished wifcli beautiful teeth. She liad been 
 born in India, bad had three years at school 
 in England, and been '' out " for a consider- 
 able number of seasons. She danced like a 
 sylph, talked Hindostani like a native (and 
 it was whispered that she gossiped with her 
 ayah in that language), dressed extravagantly, 
 was as lively as a Frenchwoman, and suffi- 
 ciently nice-looking to be considered a beauty 
 — where she was the only unmarried lady 
 among fifty men. 
 
 She had a shrewd eye to the main chance, 
 and never allowed her feelings to betray her, 
 save, alas ! in the case of James Quentin ! 
 
 He, from sheer lack of something to do, 
 had been wont to spend his idle hours in Miss 
 Caggett's society. She was amusing and 
 lively, and said such deliciously spiteful things 
 of other women, and told capital stories, 
 accompanied by vebement gesticulation with 
 her tiny hands. She had also a nice little 
 voice, — and it came to pass that they sang 
 duets together, and walked on the pier by 
 moonlio-ht alone ! 
 
A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 Mr. Quentin meant notMng, of course, and 
 at first Lizzie quite understood this, but bv 
 degrees her strong foothold of common sense 
 sHpped away from under her feet, and sh^ 
 fell desperately in love with the blue-eyed 
 gay deceiver, and naturally tried to convince 
 herself that it was mutual ! She steeled her- 
 self to see him pay a little attention to the 
 risiug sun — Miss Helen Denis — they would 
 all do that, but when the novelty had worn off, 
 things would right themselves, and fall back 
 into their old places — meaning that Mr. Quen- 
 tin would fall back into his, i.e. at her side. 
 Mrs. Creery had previously broken the news 
 to her that '' Helen Denis was nice-looking, 
 and beautifully dressed," but she was by no 
 means prepared for the face, and figure, she 
 beheld coming up the walk ; and James 
 Quentin in attendance already, — actually 
 before she was twenty-four hours on the 
 island ! However, she made a brave struggle, 
 and bit her lips, and clenched her small 
 hands, and broke into a smile. She had 
 made up her mind to be the bosom friend 
 
WHAT IS SHE LIKE? 89 
 
 (outwardly), and, if possible, tlie confidant of 
 this tall, shy-looking Denis girl ! 
 
 After all, who could expect her to be 
 pleased, to see a young and pretty rival 
 monopolizing every one's attention, and 
 thrusting her into the background ? 
 
 When all the introductions had been 
 effected, a game of tennis was got up, and a 
 number of little Andamese boys, in white 
 tunics and scarlet caps, came forward from 
 some lurking-place, to field the balls ; and the 
 settlement band, which was stationed at the 
 end of the plateau, struck up their latest 
 waltz, and presently the entertainment was 
 in full swing. Every one played tennis, even 
 Mrs. Creery,whowas old or young as it suited 
 her at the moment — old enough to ask ques- 
 tions, to give advice, and to lay down the 
 law, and to be treated with unquestioning 
 deference and deep respect; sufficiently young 
 to waltz, to wear sailor hats, and to disport 
 herself at tennis. Helen had been the cLam- 
 pioness player at Miss Twigg's, and played 
 well. Lizzie Caggett's sharp eyes noted this> 
 
90 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 and after a little while slie challenged her to 
 a sing:le set there and then. 
 
 Yainlj did Helen decline to pick up the 
 gauntlet, yainlj did she beg to be excused ; 
 Mrs. Creerj threw the weight of her autho- 
 rity into the scale, and the match was to 
 come off immediately. 
 
 " A capital idea, a match between the two 
 girls," she remarked to the General; "there 
 will just be time for it before tea." 
 
 Before Helen could realize her position, a 
 ball was thrust into her hand, a crowd had 
 gathered around, and she alone stood vis-a-vis 
 to Lizzie Caggett on the tennis-ground. It 
 was one thing to play in Miss Twigg's back- 
 garden, with no spectators but Miss Twigg's 
 girls, but quite another affair when one of 
 the principals in a contest, before forty com- 
 plete strangers, and pitted against a deter- 
 mined-looking antagonist, who knew every 
 inch of the courts, and was firmly resolved to 
 try conclusions with this brilliant visitor ! 
 
 And so the match began, the assembled 
 bystanders watching each game intently, and 
 
WHA T JS SHE LIKE ? 91 
 
 hanging expectant on the issue of each, 
 stroke. The excitement grew intense, for 
 the ladies were well-matched, the play was 
 brilliant, and the games hard fought. Helen 
 served well, and had a longer reach of arm 
 than her challenger, but the other played with 
 an energy, a vivacity, and if one might say so, 
 a spitef ulness, — as if the issue of the contest, 
 was a matter of life and death. She scored 
 the first game, Helen the second, and third, 
 and during a rally in the latter, the new 
 arrival was loudly clapped. This incited 
 Miss Caggett to extraordinary exertions. 
 She played with redoubled fire, her teeth 
 were set, her eyes gleamed across the net, 
 she served as though in hopes that she would 
 strike her opponent in the face ; she flitted up 
 and down her court, springing and bounding, 
 like a panther in a cage ! Her style Avas by 
 no means graceful, but it was effectual, 
 during the last two games she wearied out 
 Helen, with her quick, untiring onslaught, 
 playing the final, and conquering game, with 
 an exuberance of force, that was almost 
 
92 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 fierce ! When it was over, she threw down 
 her bat and clapped her hands, and cried, — 
 " Oh, I knew I could beat yon." This was 
 not, strictly speaking, polite, but her triumph 
 was so great, she really could not refrain 
 from this little song o£ victory. In her own 
 heart, she had made a kind of test of the 
 match, and told herself that, if she conquered 
 the new-comer in this, she would be in- 
 vincible in other things as well ! 
 
 After this exciting struggle, tea and re- 
 freshments were served in a rustic summer- 
 house. Mrs. Creery's dog Nip — who had 
 occupied his mistress's chair as deputy, and 
 eyed the cake and bread and butter with 
 demure rascality, — was now called upon to 
 vacate his place, whilst his owner dispensed 
 tea and coffee, and servants carried round 
 cakes and ices. As Helen was partaking of 
 one of the latter, her late antagonist accosted 
 her and said, — 
 
 *' Come and take a turn with me, dear. 
 All the men are having ' pegs,' and I do so 
 want to have a chat with you." 
 
WHAT IS SHE LIKEl 
 
 93 
 
 *' "Well," now taking her arm affection- 
 ately, " tell me what jou think of the place ? " 
 
 '^ I think it is beautiful," returned Helen 
 with enthusiasm. *' I've never seen any- 
 thing like it. Of course I've seen very little 
 of the world, and am not a good judge, but 
 I scarcely think that any scenery could 
 surpass it," glancing over towards Mount 
 Harriet as she spoke, and dreamily watching 
 the peacocks sailing homewards. 
 
 This speech was a disappointment to Miss 
 Caggett, who was in hopes that she would 
 have called it an " unearthly, outlandish, 
 savage hole, a gaol ! " And then she would 
 have imparted this opinion to the settlement 
 at large, — and such an opinion would have 
 scored a point against Miss Helen. 
 
 " Oh," she replied, '' you won't think it 
 delightful always. It's frightful in the mon- 
 soons, that is in the rains, you know. And 
 how do you like the people ? " 
 
 " I scarcely know them yet." 
 
 "Well, at least you know Mr. Quentin," 
 eyeing her sharply. 
 
94 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 ''Yes, I liave known him an hour,^^ slie 
 replied with a laugh. 
 
 '' He is nice enough," speaking with 
 assumed nonchalance, " but as you can see, 
 awfully conceited, isn't he ? " 
 
 Helen did not fall into the trap; if she 
 had. Miss Caggett would have lost no time 
 in giving Apollo the benefit of Miss Denis's 
 impressions with regard to him ! 
 
 She only said, " Is he ? " and, leaning her 
 elbows on the wooden railing that fenced in 
 the edge of the cliff, looked down upon the 
 sea. 
 
 '' A great many men are here from Aber- 
 deen and the out-stations," proceeded Miss 
 Caggett, with a backward jerk of her head, 
 '' but they did not come over altogether to 
 see youy 
 
 " I should hope not indeed," returned 
 Helen, reddening. 
 
 " No, the mail is in, so they kill two birds 
 with one stone," continued the other, coolly. 
 '' They are not a bad set, though they may seem 
 rough and unpolished to you, don't they ? " 
 
WHAT IS SHE LIKE ? 
 
 95 
 
 " Really, I am no judge ; I liave scarcely 
 ever spoken to a gentleman in my life." 
 
 " Gracious ! " ejaculated Miss Caggett. 
 ** You weren't in a convent ? " 
 
 " No ; but what amounted to the same 
 thing, I spent all my holidays at school." 
 
 " Oh, liov) slow for you ! AYell, you will 
 find this rather a change. There is Dr. 
 Malone, an Irishman, and very amusing, he 
 has any amount of impudence, and has 
 thought of a lovely name for Mrs. Creery — 
 Mrs. Query — isn't it splendid ? We all call 
 her that, for she never stops asking questions, 
 and we all have to answer them whether we 
 like it or not — all but one ; there is the 
 person, she never gets anything out of, he is 
 too close even for her, and clever — I grant 
 him that, — much as I detest him ! " 
 
 " And who is this clever man that baffles 
 Mrs. Creery ? " 
 
 " A Mr. Lisle, a genteel loafer, a hanger-on 
 of Mr. Quentin's ; he actually has not got the 
 money to pay his passage back to Calcutta, 
 and so he is obliged to stay. His manners 
 
96 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 are odious, polite to rudeness, if you know 
 what that means ? and he has eyes that seem 
 to look down into your inmost thoughts, 
 and laugh at what they see there ! I hate 
 him, though he is extremely anxious to be 
 civil to me, and, in fact, I don't mind telling 
 you in confidence, that he is a great admirer 
 of mine, — but it's by no means mutual. What- 
 ever you do, have nothing to say to him. I 
 need not tell you, that I never speak to him 1 " 
 
 " We cannot permit you two young ladies 
 to monopolize each other in this fashion," 
 said the General, approaching with a telescope 
 in his hand. '' Would you like to look at some 
 of the islands through this glass, Miss 
 Denis ? I can introduce you to several this 
 fine clear evening. Havelock looks quite 
 close ! " 
 
 " It seems to be very large," she said, after 
 a long struggle with the focus. 
 
 " Well, yes, it is ; we will take you there 
 some day in the Enterprise if you like. The 
 Enterprise is the station steamer." 
 
 " Thank you, I should like it very much 
 
WHAT IS SHE LIKE? 
 
 97 
 
 indeed, if it is safe — I mean, if tlie people are 
 safe," she replied rather anxiously. 
 
 " Oh! you will see very little of the natives. 
 They are a curious set ; it is almost impossible 
 to get at them, or to tame them." 
 
 '^ Have you ever tried ? " 
 
 "Yes; we once had a young fellow from 
 Havelock, as it happened ; we showed him 
 every kindness, gave him the best of food, 
 loaded him with beads and every old tall hat 
 on the island, but it was all of no use ; he 
 just fretted like a bird in a cage, and re- 
 gularly pined away of home sickness. — He 
 used to sit all day long, gazing, gazing over 
 the sea in the direction of his home, and one 
 morning when they went to see him, they 
 found him sitting in his usual attitude, his 
 face turned towards Havelock — quite dead ! " 
 
 ''Poor, poor fellow!" said Helen, with 
 tears in her eyes ; ''how coidcl you be so 
 cruel, how could you have had the heart to 
 keep him ? " 
 
 " My dear young lady, it was not a matter 
 of heart, but of duty." 
 
 VOL. I. H 
 
98 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 Mr. Quontin's quick ear caught the sig- 
 nificant word lieart. Surely the General was 
 never going to enter the lists against him, 
 although he was unmarried and ehgible 
 beyond dispute ? Leaning his elbows on the 
 rail at the other side of Miss Denis, he resolved 
 to make a third — welcome or otherwise — and 
 said, — ■ 
 
 '' You are talking of the natives, sir ? They 
 are certainly most mysterious aborigines, for 
 they do not resemble the Hindoos on one 
 side, nor the Malays on the other. They 
 are more like stunted niggers — you never see 
 a man above five feet, some not more than 
 four." 
 
 "Niggers, yes," replied the General ; "there 
 is some idea that they are descendants of the 
 cargo of a slaver that was wrecked among 
 these islands ; other people think, that they 
 hail from New Guinea." 
 
 '' They have very odd customs, have they 
 not? " asked Helen. 
 
 " Yes," replied tbe General ; " their mode 
 of sepulture, for instance, is peculiar. When a 
 
WHAT IS SHE LIKE 1 99 
 
 man dies, tliey simply put liis body up a 
 tree." 
 
 (" Whence tlie slang term ' up a tree,' I 
 suppose," muttered Mr. Quentin soiio voce.) 
 
 " And when the fowls of the air have picked 
 his bones, they remove the remains, and 
 present his skull to the widow, who wears it 
 round her neck, slung to a string." 
 
 '' But will freely part with it at any time," 
 added Dr. Malone, who had now joined the 
 group, " ay, even in the early days of her 
 affliction, in consideration of a bottle of 
 rum." 
 
 "And pray what about the men?'^ in- 
 quired Helen, jealous for her sex. 
 
 " Oh, their tastes are comparatively 
 simple," responded the doctor; " they are all 
 a prey to a devouring passion for — you will 
 never guess what — tall hats ! I believe some 
 firm in Calcutta drives a brisk trade with 
 this place and the Mcobars, bartering old 
 tiles for cocoanuts. When a chief dies, he 
 can have no nobler monument in the eyes of 
 his survivors, than a pile of tall hats impaled 
 H 2 
 
100 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 above his grave. They are almost the only 
 article they care about, and I suppose they 
 have an idea, that it endows them with 
 dignity and height, besides the hat, a few 
 rags, and a necklace of human finger-bones, 
 and their costume is complete." 
 
 '' They have another weakness," put in the 
 General — " dogs. We get rid of all the 
 barrack curs in that way." 
 
 "What! \^o eaiV almost screamed Miss 
 Denis. 
 
 '' No, no, they are very much prized — 
 merely to look at. I wish to goodness 
 we could export that brute of Mrs. 
 Creery's ! " 
 
 *' She would far sooner be exported 
 herself ! " said Dr. Malone. " What was his 
 last feat, sir ? " 
 
 " I wish I could believe that it was his 
 last," returned the General angrily. '^ The 
 other day, when Mrs. Creery was dining up 
 at my place, she unfortunately shut him up 
 in the drawing-room, and for sheer spite at 
 missing the meal, he tore up a valuable fur 
 
WHAT IS SHE LIKE ? loi 
 
 rug, gutted the seats of two chairs, and ate 
 the best part of the last army list ! Yes, you 
 may laugh, Miss Denis, and it certainly 
 sounds very funny — but you don't know, 
 Nip." 
 
 "No, but I do," cried Dr. Malone. " He 
 lies down and feigns death if he sees a larger 
 dog coming in the distance, and will murder 
 any unfortunate pup of half his size; some 
 dogs have a sense of chivalry, generosity, 
 gratitude, but he is a hrute ! " 
 
 '' Yes," chimed in Mr. Quentin, " if things 
 are not going to his liking, he adjourns to 
 Creery's dressing-room, and devours a couple 
 of pairs of boots ; that is to say, tears and 
 gnaws them to pieces, just to mark his sense 
 of injury. If they only disagreed with him ! 
 — but they don't, and Creery can't even have 
 the poor satisfaction of licking him; for 
 whenever Nip, sees him arming himself 
 with a stick, he at once fastens on his leg, 
 believing the first blow to be half the 
 battle ! " 
 
 *' A portrait from life ! " exclaimed Dr. 
 
I02 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 Malone. " I wish I might be allowed a shot 
 at him at 100 yards ! " 
 
 " I wish you might ; and if you do get the 
 chance, I'll wink at it," returned the General ; 
 "he is an insufferable nuisance — a savage, 
 mean, mischievous, lazy, cowardly — " 
 
 " Now, now. General," cried Mp's mistress, 
 coming across the grass in a swimming 
 walk, her arms dangling loosely at her sides, 
 " What is all this wonderful laughing about ? 
 and who are you abusing — man, woman, or 
 child ? It's seldom that you say a word against 
 any one ! Come, who is it ? Shall I guess 
 who is mischievous, lazy, and mean ? Now 
 really you might let me into the secret, when 
 it's known to Miss Denis. Can it be any 
 one in Eoss ? Dear me ! " — with sudden 
 animation,—" I have it ! — it's — " 
 
 Of course she was just about to exclaim 
 "Mr. Lisle," when the General hastily in- 
 terrupted her, saying, "We were not 
 talking scandal; it was merely a little 
 joke of ours" — looking appealingly at Dr. 
 Malone and Helen, who were choking 
 
WHAT IS SHE LIKE ? 103 
 
 with suppressed laughter — indeed the very 
 raiHngs behind the former were shaking 
 dangerously, — " it was only a miserable 
 jest, Mrs. Creery," reiterated the Gleneral, 
 nervously (seeing that her mind was bent 
 on dragging the secret from his bosom), 
 " that was all, really, you know. And, by 
 the way," lowering his voice, and speaking 
 confidentially, " I wanted to consult you 
 about something — about getting up a little 
 dinner for Miss Denis." 
 
 To be consulted, and by the General, was 
 much to Mrs. Creery's mind ! so she imme- 
 diately walked aside with him, prepared to 
 give her whole attention to the discussion. 
 It now was nearly eight o'clock, and people 
 were leaving. Helen was escorted to her 
 own door by Dr. Malone, and Mr. Quentin, 
 Colonel Denis once more bringing up the 
 rear, but this time he had a companion — Miss 
 Caggett. Mr. Quentin lingered below the 
 steps of the verandah, and squeezed Helen's 
 fingers as he took a very reluctant leave of 
 her. He half hoped that he would Lave been 
 
104 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 earnestly requested to honour tliem with his 
 company at dinner, but this hope was doomed 
 to disappointment, he was dismissed by 
 Colonel Denis with a careless nod ! Later on, 
 as Helen sat alone in the verandah, and 
 looked out over the sea, recalling the 
 scenes of this most wonderful, eventful 
 day, and dwelling on all the new faces she 
 had seen, and the strange things she had 
 heard, it is an extraordinary, but veracious 
 fact, that — with the perversity common to 
 her sex — she cast more than one thought 
 to a man she had been twice warned against 
 in the same afternoon, in short, Mr. Quentin's 
 pauper friend, Gilbert Lisle. 
 
 Meanwhile Mr. Quentin had been rowed 
 over to Aberdeen, had climbed the hill in 
 capital spirits, and with a healthy appetite ; 
 and had found his companion already at home, 
 reposing in an arm-chair in front of the 
 Bungalow, smoking. He fully expected to 
 be severely cross-examined about his visit, 
 and on the subject of Miss Denis, and was pre- 
 
IVBAT IS SHE LIKE 
 
 ^05 
 
 pared to enter into the fullest details, and to 
 paint tlie ladj in the richest tints, but, alas ! 
 a disappointment awaited him. Lisle never 
 once referred to Ross — much less to the young 
 lady. He had had a big take of fish, and 
 had caught three bottle-nosed sharks off the 
 Red Buoy — bait, hooks, and nets, engrossed 
 his mind entirely. 
 
 Mr. Quentin was seriously affronted. Was 
 ever such callousness known ? could such 
 indifference be matched ? Indifference that 
 would not even take the trouble to ask such 
 a simple question as '' What is she like ? " 
 
io6 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 QUEEN or THE CANNIBAL ISLANDS. 
 
 '' An eye like mine, 
 A lidless watcher of the public weal." 
 
 Tennyson, 
 
 Peehaps it would be as well, before goino^ 
 further witli this story, to dedicate a page 
 or two to a description of that very impor- 
 tant lady, Mrs. Creery. The gentleman who 
 occupied a position in the background as 
 '' Mrs. Creery's husband," was a hard-work- 
 ing, hard-headed Scotchman, who thoroughly 
 understood domestic politics, and the art of 
 holding his peace. He had come to Port 
 Blair soon after the settlement was opened 
 up, and had subsequently gone home, and 
 returned with a bride, a lady not, strictly 
 speaking, in her first youth^ — this was twenty 
 years ago. But let no one suppose that 
 
QUEEN OF THE CANNIBAL ISLANLS. 107 
 
 Mrs. Creery had spent the whole of that 
 interval on Eoss. She had made several 
 trips to England, and had passed like a 
 meteor through the circles in which her 
 sister, Lady Grubb, was as the sun. Oh, how 
 utterly weary were Mrs. Creery's intimates 
 of those brilliant reminiscences — heard for 
 the thousandth time. Did they not, one and 
 all, detest the very name of " Grubb " ? 
 
 How was it, people asked each other, that 
 Mrs. Creery had reigned so long, and so 
 tyrannically at E-oss ? How came she to 
 occupy a position, from which nothing could 
 dislodge her — there had been mutinies, there 
 had been social risings, but they all had been 
 quelled. Even a lady who had positively 
 refused to go in to dinner, unless she was 
 taken in before Mrs. Creery, had been 
 quenched ! Circumstances had placed the 
 latter on the social throne, and not election 
 by ballot, much less the potent power of 
 personal popularity. The General was a 
 widower, the chaplain a bachelor, the next 
 senior officer unmarried also, the wife of 
 
io8 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 another was an invalid, and spent nearly all 
 lier time in the south of France (according 
 to Mrs. Creery, for south of France, read 
 lunatic asylum). She herself, was a woman 
 of robust constitution, and always ready to 
 say "present," consequently, the position 
 of leading lady in the settlement fell to her 
 happy lot ! She '' received " at the Greneral's 
 parties and dances, she occupied a chief place 
 at feasts, a front pew in church, and had a 
 whole programme to herself on band nights. 
 After all, there was not much in this, one 
 would imagine ; but Mrs. Creery thought 
 otherwise. The General, an urbane, and 
 popular elderly gentleman, was governor 
 over the Andamans, in the Queen's name ; 
 he was her Majesty's representative, and 
 held the lives of fifteen thousand convicts 
 in the hollow of his hand ; his dominions 
 stretched from the Cocos to Havelock, and 
 included even the distant Nicobars. As his 
 social coadjutor, Mrs. Andrew Creery con- 
 sidered that she shared all his other dignities, 
 and had gradually come to look upon herself 
 
QUEEN OF THE CANNIBAL ISLANDS. 109 
 
 as a species of crowned head, ruling not 
 merely the settlement, the Europeans, and 
 the convicts, but even the far-away savages 
 of the interior ! These royal ideas had 
 developed but gradually — a little germ (sown 
 by the first strains of " God save the Queen," 
 played as she accompanied the General to a 
 presentation of prizes) had thrown out roots 
 and suckers, and planted a sense of her own 
 dignity in her bosom, that nothing but death 
 could eradicate ! 
 
 Mrs. Or eery had no children, and ample 
 leisure, and with such a magnificent idea of 
 her social status, no one will be surprised to 
 hear, that she condescended to manage the 
 domestic concerns of all within her realms ! 
 She had come to look upon this as a sacred 
 duty, and viewed all comings, and goings, 
 with microscopic scrutiny. The position of 
 her house favoured this self-imposed super- 
 vision : it was close to the pier, had a good 
 back view of the bazaar, and the principal 
 road ran by her door, and consequently it is 
 no exaggeration to say, that nothing escaped 
 
no A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 her. From long practice she could tell at a 
 glance where people were going, as they ran 
 the gauntlet of her verandah ; if the Greneral 
 wore a " regulation " helmet, he was pro- 
 bably en route to an execution at Yiper (an 
 island five miles away) ; if his Terai, he was 
 bound for the new buildings on Aberdeen, or 
 to make semi-official calls ; if his old topee, 
 he was merely going out shelling. E-oss 
 was a small island, very thickly populated. 
 Mrs. Creery could easily make the circuit of 
 it in twenty minutes, and did so, at least 
 thrice in the twenty-four hours. 
 
 She had no home ties, no domestic tastes ; 
 she did not care for flowers, nor work ; never 
 opened a book, and looked upon shelling as 
 childish nonsense. Her one taste was for 
 poultry, her one passion, her dog "Mp," 
 and when she had fed her hens, collected 
 their eggs, given out daily stores, scolded 
 her domestics, she had nothing to occupy her 
 for the remainder of the day. After early 
 breakfast, she generally donned her well- 
 known topee, and sallied forth on a tour of 
 
QUEEN OF THE CANNIBAL ISLANDS, iii 
 
 inspection; to quote Captain Eodney, who 
 could not endure lier, she " turned out " 
 each family at least once daily, and never 
 omitted " visiting rounds." She had by this 
 time pretty well exhausted Ross — and the 
 patience of its inhabitants — she knew every 
 one's affairs, and what they paid their ser- 
 vants (and what their servants said of them 
 in the bazaar), and what stores they got in, 
 just as well as they did themselves. 
 
 Mr. Lisle had undoubtedly baffled her, 
 (though she had not done with him yet,) 
 however, Helen Denis was a novelty, and 
 opened up an entirely new sphere of interest ; 
 therefore, ere nine o'clock on the day after 
 the tennis party, Mrs. Creery's umbrella was 
 once again heard imperiously rapping on the 
 steps of Colonel Denis's verandah. 
 
 '' You don't breakfast till twelve, I know," 
 she called out, " for I met your cook and 
 asked him, and it's only just nine " — this 
 to Helen, w^ho had come to the drawing- 
 room door. ''It's only just nine, and we 
 shall have a nice long morning to ourselves, 
 
112 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 and be able to look at your things comfort- 
 ably. Are you unpacking now ? " 
 
 Helen very reluctantly acknowledged 
 that she was — had just got all her boxes 
 open. 
 
 " Then I shall come, and help you," said 
 her visitor, laying down her umbrella, and 
 speaking as if she were conferring a great 
 -favour. '' You go first, and I'll follow." 
 
 She was quite as good as her word. There 
 she sat, with her hands on her knees, her 
 topee pushed well back (so as not to inter- 
 fere with her vision), in closest proximity to 
 Helen's largest trunk, and saw every article 
 separately taken out, and unfolded. Nothing 
 escaped her ; all she saw, she priced ; and all 
 she fancied, she tried on (or tried to try on), 
 and meanwhile she kept up a running fire of 
 comments somewhat in this style : — 
 
 *' So thaVs your black silk ; and trimmed 
 with lace, I declare ! most unsuitable for a 
 girl like you, quite ridiculous ! I shall speak 
 to your father, and if he likes, I don't mind 
 taking it off his hands. I dare say there is 
 
QUEEN OF THE CANNIBAL ISLANDS. 113 
 
 some letting out, and I'm rather in want of a 
 dress for my receptions." 
 
 " Yes," gasped Helen, who was kneeling 
 on the floor, " but I do not wish to part with 
 my black silk." 
 
 " What use is it ? You can't wear it," 
 irritably. '^ Every one would laugh at you, 
 if you came up to one of the ' at homes ' in a 
 gown like that, and saw me in a simple muslin ; 
 it's not suitable to your position — do you 
 understand that ? " 
 
 " I did not mean to wear it at tennis," 
 stammered Helen — who was a little cowed 
 by Mrs. Creery's eye ; " but Miss Twigg said 
 that it would be useful." 
 
 " Not a bit of it ! What does she know 
 about what would be useful ? " retorted the 
 lady rudely. 
 
 Miss Denis made no reply, but was firmly 
 resolved that nothing short of physical force 
 should part her and her very best dress. 
 Mrs. Creery said no more either, but deter- 
 mined to have a word with the Colonel by- 
 and-by, and also to give him her opinion of 
 
 VOL. I. I 
 
114 ^ ^/^^ OF PASSAGE. 
 
 the absurd extravagance o£ his daughter's 
 outfit ! 
 
 As she sat drawn up beside Helen's 
 trunks, whilst she unpacked, her perpetual 
 queries, '' What is this ? What did jou give 
 for that ? " were, to say the least of it, trying. 
 However, her victim was but recently eman- 
 cipated from school, had a wholesome awe 
 of her elders, and a remarkably sweet temper, 
 so the whole inspection passed off quite 
 smoothly, — and entirely to Mrs. Creery's 
 satisfaction. 
 
 " I saw you talking to Lizzie Caggett last 
 evening," she remarked, as she arranged 
 her topee at the mirror, and dodged her 
 profile in a hand-glass. "What was she 
 saying to you ? " 
 
 " She was asking me, what I thought of 
 the place ? " 
 
 " Well, don't tell her much — that's my 
 advice to you ! She is certain to come here 
 borrowing your patterns, but don't lend her 
 one ! I shall be really angry with you, if 
 you do " (this came well from a lady who 
 
QUEEN OF THE CANNIBAL ISLANDS. 115 
 
 was carrying off the promise of half a dozen). 
 And little did Helen know the large reading 
 a Dirzee gives to the term " taking a pattern.'' 
 It means, that he rips np seams, punches 
 holes in the material with his gigantic 
 scissors, and turns a new garment insicle out, 
 and upside down, with as little ceremony as 
 if it were an old thing that was going to 
 the rag-bag. At present, ignorance was 
 bliss. Mrs. Creery's convict Dirzee was 
 coming down that very afternoon, to carry 
 away Helen's two prettiest, and freshest, 
 costumes ! 
 
 " Now," continued the elder lady, '' mind 
 what I say about Lizzie Caggett ; she has 
 dozens of dresses, and is head over ears 
 in debt in Calcutta, not to speak of the 
 bazaar here — I know myself, that she owes 
 Abdul Hamed two hundred rupees, — and do 
 not encourage her in her wicked extra- 
 vagance." 
 
 Then walking to the window, she cried out 
 rapturously-, " What a view ! ! Why, I had 
 no idea of this ; you can see every Hi of the 
 I 2 
 
1 1 6 A BIRD OF PASS A GE. 
 
 road — and there's the Greneral goiug up 
 Lome, and Mr. Latimer with him ! I sup- 
 pose he has asked him to breakfast — that's 
 the second time this week ! And here comes 
 Dr. Malone, running ; he has something to 
 tell him ! Oh, I must go ! Where's my 
 umbrelH ? Don't forget the dresses," and 
 without further adieux, Mrs. Creery was 
 flying down the steps, brandishing her arms, 
 and calling out in a shrill falsetto, — 
 
 " Stop, stop. Dr. Malone. I'm coming. 
 Wait for me ! " 
 
MR. QUENTINS PIANO. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ME. QUENTIN's piano. 
 
 " I have assailed her with music, but she vouchsafes 
 no notice." 
 
 Cijml)eUne. 
 
 Mail-day had come round once more, and 
 Helen could hardly believe that she had been 
 already six weeks on Ross, it seemed more 
 like six days. She had made the acquaintance 
 of almost everybody, had visited the main- 
 land, and Chatham and Viper ; had ridden 
 on a settlement elephant, had been to two 
 picnics, and dozens of tennis parties, and was 
 beginning to realize that she really was the 
 mistress of that pretty bungalow under the 
 palm-trees on the hillside. 
 
 She was now great friends with Mrs. 
 Home, and solemnly engaged to Billy; she 
 saw Miss Caggett daily, and Mrs. Creery 
 
1 1 8 A BIRD OF PASS A GE. 
 
 almost hourly, and otlier people called with 
 complimentary frequency; notably Mr. 
 Quentin, who found many excuses for tarry- 
 ing in Miss Denis's drawing-room, and, re- 
 markable to relate, Miss Caggett invariably 
 contrived to drop in on the same occasions. 
 She was usually in the highest spirits, and 
 laughed, and smiled, and chatted as agreeably 
 as if she had not come on purpose to mount 
 guard over a recreant admirer, and by her 
 presence endeavour to modify his attentions 
 to her rival ! Mr. Quentin found her company 
 a bore ; how could, he settle down to read 
 poetry, or to talk vague sentimental follies, 
 whilst Miss Lizzie's sharp, shadeless eyes were 
 following every look and movement ? More- 
 over, she seasoned her conversation with dis- 
 agreeable remarks, uncomfortable questions, 
 and unpleasant insinuations. — Miss Denis was 
 musical, but at present she had no piano ; her 
 father had promised her a new one from Cal- 
 cutta after Christmas, but in the meantime 
 she must wait. Mr. Quentin was surprised to 
 find that he did not make as rapid strides in 
 
MR. QUENTIN'S PIANO. 119 
 
 Helen's good graces, as he usually did under 
 similar circumstances, but he accounted for 
 this amazing fact quite readily in his own 
 mind, and was not one whit daunted. In the 
 first place, she had but little sentiment in 
 her composition ; she was a sort of girl who, 
 if you invited her '' to come out and look 
 at the moon " in your company, would be 
 certain to burst out laughing in your face — 
 and yet it seemed to him that her own face 
 would make an admirable subject for a very 
 charming romance — she was so absurdly 
 matter-of-fact, so ready in turning off tender 
 speeches, and so provokingly inclined to 
 ridicule his most warranted compliments. 
 Of course she liked him — the reverse never 
 once dawned upon his arrogant brain — but 
 why was she so hard to get on with ? 
 Doubtless, Lizzie Caggett's haunting pre- 
 sence, handicapped him heavily ; but Rome 
 was not built in a day, and he had a grand 
 idea — nothing less than sending Miss Denis 
 over his piano as a loan — with a view to vocal 
 duets. His attentions to the young lady had 
 
I20 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 been very "marked" in Mrs.Creery's opinion; 
 lie was her shadow at all the ' at homes,' 
 no other man had a chance of speaking to 
 her; but iliis "attention," which Mrs. 
 Oreerj beheld coming up the pier, and 
 borne by twenty staggering coolies, threw 
 all his previous advances entirely into the 
 shade. 
 
 The good lady hurried on ahead, and burst 
 into Helen's drawing-room, breathless (the 
 umbrella-rapping stage was a ceremony of 
 the past), saying, — 
 
 " What do you think ? There is a piano 
 coming up the pier in charge of Mr. Quentin's 
 butler — twenty coolies carrying it, at eight 
 annas each ! Mr. Quentin is sending it over 
 to you — and, of course, it's all settled ? and," 
 aggrievedly, " I really think you might have 
 told me," and here she was obliged to pause 
 for breath. 
 
 Helen stared at Mrs. Creery; never had 
 she seen her so excited, was she going out of 
 her mind, and about a piano ? 
 
 " A piano, Mrs. Creery ? — what piano ? " 
 
MR. QUENTIN'S FIANO. 121 
 
 "A large square." 
 
 "And you say that Mr. Quentin is sending 
 it, but it is certainly not coming here.^^ 
 
 " But it is. I saw a note addressed to you 
 in tlie butler's hand." 
 
 " Well, it shall go back at once ; it is 
 some mistake. I don't know what papa 
 would say ! " 
 
 " Your father ! " scornfully, " as if he would 
 meddle, and as if your wishes are not his 
 law; besides, he knows it would be an 
 excellent match ! " 
 
 " Mrs. Creery," interrupted Helen, becom- 
 ing scarlet, ''please don't say such things; 
 it's no question of — of — what you hint, but 
 of this piano. What does it mean ? " 
 
 "It's the thin end of the wedge, thafs what 
 it means ? " 
 
 " It shall go back ! " 
 
 " Well, here it comes now at any rate," 
 said the elder lady triumphantly, as the 
 chanting, thin-legged bearers came staggering 
 along under the heavy piece of furniture, 
 with its wadded red cover ; and a big, bearded 
 
122 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 butler presented a note with a profound 
 salaam. 
 
 " Wait ! " cried Helen, making an impera- 
 tive gesture, tearing tlie envelope open. 
 *' Don't bring it up yet ! " 
 
 " What's all this ? " inquired her father, 
 appearing upon the scene at this juncture. 
 
 " A piano for your daughter from Mr. 
 Quentin," volunteered Mrs. Creery with in- 
 finite gusto. 
 
 "Here, papa," handing him the note, 
 " what am I to say ? " 
 
 *' You will have to keep it for the present, 
 I suppose," he answered rather reluctantly, 
 as he glanced over the missive; "you will 
 have one of your own soon." 
 
 Mr. Quentin's note ran as follows : — 
 
 "Dear Miss Denis, — Please do not be 
 alarmed at the size of the accompanying pack- 
 age, nor angry with me for my temerity in send- 
 ing it ; the piano is going to pieces over here, 
 with no one to play on or look after it, and 
 the hot winds on Aberdeen, are ruination to an 
 
MR. QUE N TIN'S PIANO. 123 
 
 instrument. You will be conferring a great 
 favour on me, if you will give it room, and 
 honour me by making use of it, until tlie 
 arrival of your own. I will crave permis- 
 sion to bring over a feiv songs, and we 
 might have a little practice occasionally. 
 If possible, I shall come across this afternoon. 
 '' Yours very sincerely, 
 
 " James Quentin." 
 
 Of course, when the matter was put in 
 the light of a favour to be conferred, there 
 was nothing for it, but to allow the instrument 
 to be brought in, and lodged in the drawing- 
 room. 
 
 Helen received the open note somewhat 
 mechanically from her father, and will it be 
 believed, that Mrs. Creery actually held out 
 her hand for the missive — just as If it were 
 quite a matter of course, that she should 
 peruse it also ? 
 
 Peruse it she did, and so slowly, that one 
 would imagine that she was committing it to 
 memory ; then she folded it up and returned 
 
124 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 it to Helen, saying rather tartly, " So you 
 are going to keep it, after all ? " 
 
 "Yes ! I suppose so." 
 
 "It's only an excuse of course ! You will 
 have him here singing, day and night, mark 
 my words ! However, I must allow, that 
 he has a sweet tenor, and I shall often drop 
 in for an hour," with which dire threat, 
 Mrs. Creery took her departure, and hastened 
 away to spread the last piece of news, viz. 
 " that it was all quite settled betwen Helen 
 Denis and Mr. Quentin ; he had sent her over 
 his piano, and written such a sweet note !" 
 
 To Miss Caggett this intelligence was a 
 painful shock, she never believed half of 
 what Mrs. Creery said, but the arrival of the 
 piano had been witnessed. What wrath and 
 anguish filled her mind, as she thought of 
 swains she had snubbed, and chances she 
 had thrown away, for that agreeable shadow, 
 that fickle, faithless, heartless, handsome 
 Jim Quentin ! But Lizzie was not easily 
 suppressed; in some respects she was as 
 dauntless as the Bruce ! 
 
MR, QUENTIN'S PIANO. 125 
 
 She put on her best hat, and Avent up and 
 listened to some solos and duets, that very 
 same afternoon ; and Mr. Quentin, whose 
 patience was almost threadbare, remarked 
 to her very significantly, — 
 
 " I like duets. Miss Caggett, as well as 
 any one, but I don't much care for trios ; 
 they are never so harmonious. I'm sure 
 you agree with me ! " 
 
 Lizzie turned pale. She understood, 
 though Helen did not — indeed, slie was ex- 
 ceedingly glad of Miss Caggett's society on 
 these occasions ; it took the too personal 
 edge off her visitor's remarks, and acted as 
 a wet blanket to his compliments. She 
 (Helen) was not quite sure whether he was 
 in jest or earnest at times, but she sin- 
 cerely hoped that it was the former. Strange 
 as it may appear, she was utterly indif- 
 ferent to the almost invincible Jim Quentin. 
 Why, she could not have told. She knew 
 that he was handsome, agreeable, and 
 showed a flattering penchant for her so- 
 ciety. More tban this, he had informed her, 
 
126 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 hundreds of times (indirectl}''), tliat lie ad- 
 mired her beyond words ! And yet, and 
 yet— 
 
 Miss Caggett was firmly resolved to punish 
 her recreant lover, and to humble him in the 
 eyes of his new Dulcinea ; so she smiled, and 
 showed all her teeth, and put her head on one 
 side, and tried to look playful, and said, — 
 
 " Mr. Quentin, you are a naughty man ! 
 What will Mr. Baines say when he hears you 
 have sent his new Collard and Oollard travel- 
 ling about the settlement ? " 
 
 Mr. Baines was the gentleman for whom 
 Mr. Quentin was acting. 
 
 ''He say?" colouring. "What is it to 
 him?" 
 
 " Only his property," laughing rather 
 boisterously. 
 
 Helen felt extremely uncomfortable. There 
 was an undercurrent of hostility in Miss 
 Caggett' s laugh, that now struck her for the 
 first time. 
 
 Mr. Quentin was not easily cowed, and 
 never had any hesitation about telling what 
 
MR. QUENTI.V'S PIANO. 127 
 
 Mark Twain calls a "stretcher!" and an- 
 swered quite promptly, — 
 
 '' I bought it from Bainos ; he was hard 
 up. So jou are not as wise as you imagined, 
 Miss Caggett." 
 
 Miss Caggett did not believe a word of 
 this. Men who come to '' act " for six months, 
 and have the use of a furnished house as a 
 matter of course, are not likely to purchase 
 the piano — especially when they can't ijlay ! 
 But what was the use of speaking out her 
 mind ? For once she was prudent, and held 
 her peace ; however, she cast a glance at Mr. 
 Quentin, that said volumes, and presently she 
 got up, and went away ; and when she had 
 departed, Mr. Quentin exclaimed, — 
 
 " How I wish that odious young woman — 
 or middle-aged woman — would not favour 
 us with so much of her society ; her presence 
 has a most irritating eifect on my nerves ! " 
 
 " I thought you and she were great 
 friends," said Helen calmly. " I am sure she 
 told me that at one time, you were with them 
 
128 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 every day, and dined, and boated, and sang 
 duets with lier." 
 
 "I suppose I was three times in their 
 liouse — I don't know what she will say next ! 
 However," anxious to turn to another subject, 
 " do not let us waste our time, or rather 
 my precious time over here, on such an in- 
 significant subject. Will you try over the 
 accompaniment of the Wanderer ? " 
 
 Mr. Quentin found himself so much out of 
 practice that he went across to Ross for an 
 hour's vocal exercise, about four times a week. 
 Latterly Mr. Lisle had listened with a gleam 
 of mockery in his eye, as his companion made 
 excuses for these frequent visits, and one 
 day Mr. Quentin up and spake boldly, — 
 
 " You are right to laugh at my talk about 
 books and music and new songs, when I say 
 that they are the errands that take me over 
 so often — of course, it's the girl herself ! " 
 
 " Oh, of course," sarcastically. 
 
 " I tell you what it is, Lisle — I'm really 
 serious this time ; and the queer part of it is, 
 
MR, Q UENTIJSrS PIANO. 1 2 9 
 
 that it's her cool airs and sliarp little speeclies 
 that have carried the citadel." 
 
 "What citadel?" raising his eyes, and 
 searching the other's face. 
 
 '' My heart, to be sure ! " 
 
 " Pooh ! your heart ! Why, that has been 
 taken as often as there are days in the 
 year." 
 
 " Merely a temporary occupation, my dear 
 sir, but this time it's a complete surrender. 
 'Pon my word, if she had any money, I'd 
 marry her to-morrow ! " 
 
 In answer to this remark, Mr. Lisle blew a 
 cloud of smoke into the air, and calmly ejacu- 
 lated the word, — 
 
 '^ Bosh ! " 
 
 " I never knew such a fellow as you are ! " 
 cried Apollo indignantly. " You have no 
 appreciation of sentiment ; you are as tough 
 and matter-of-fact as an old boot ! All you 
 care for are rough field sports, such as a long 
 day's shooting, hunting, or fishing, and then 
 to come home to your dinner, and sleep like 
 a dog." 
 
 VOL. I. K 
 
I30 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 " I only wish I could sleep like a dog ! " 
 rejoined tlie other, with a laugh. " What 
 with the gun and bugles, and those con- 
 founded peacocks, there is no such thing as 
 getting a wink of sleep after four o'clock." 
 
 "Now," continued Mr. Quentin queru- 
 lously, " I hate your style of life. You don't 
 care what clothes you wear, you tramp the 
 bush and over hill and dale with a gun on 
 your shoulder, on the off chance of a wild 
 pig, or a paltry brace of snipe ! Or you grill 
 by the hour in a boat, fishing for sharks and 
 sword-fish. Now give me instead — •^" 
 
 "Yes, I know exactly what I'm to give 
 you instead ; the refining charms of ladies' 
 society, vocal duets and afternoon tea. Far, 
 far pleasanter, is it not, to sit in a cool, shady 
 verandah, whispering soft nothings to a 
 pretty girl — I believe you said she ivas pretty 
 — than to be out in a boat blistering in the 
 sun, or tramping the woods gun on shoulder, 
 with a good average chance of being winged 
 oneself by an Andamanese arrow ! But let 
 me tell you, James Quentin, that your amuse- 
 
MR. QUENTIN'S PIANO. 131 
 
 ment is in reality tlie most dangerous of 
 the two, and, if Dr. Parks is to be believed, 
 you have already burnt your fingers 
 badly.'' 
 
 " Hang Dr. Parks ! I don't want to bear 
 about him, or any one else, except Helen 
 Denis." 
 
 " Helen Denis ! And does she not wish 
 to hear about any one but James 
 Quentin?" 
 
 Mr. Quentin smiled a seraphic smile that 
 inferred much ; his companion was not sur- 
 prised. Quentin was exactly the sort of fel- 
 low to please a young lady's fancy, naturally 
 he would seem to her, the very beau ideal of a 
 hero, with his low voice, heavenly blue eyes, 
 and handsome face ; but then she was not 
 aware that he did not stand the test of close 
 intimacy. Site had never heard him cursing 
 his chokra or his creditors — she never saw 
 him in raofo^ed moral dishabille ! 
 
 " Of course she does not know that this is 
 by no means your first tender effort at gal- 
 lantry ? — However, that is of no moment, 
 K 2 
 
132 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 Miss Caggett will undeceive her," tranquilly 
 remarked liis companion. 
 
 " Wliat a beastly ironical fellow you are. 
 Lisle ! First you rake up old Parks, and then 
 Lizzie Caggett. I wish she were in a sack 
 at the bottom of Eoss Harbour ! " blustered 
 Mr. Quentin. 
 
 " Because she represents a kind of 
 conscience in her own person ? Take care 
 that Miss Denis does not do the same some 
 day." 
 
 ''No fear," stoutly. " She is now a mere 
 child in many ways, full of delight with 
 everything about her, and with no more idea 
 of flirting than — " pausing. 
 
 "' I have," suggested his listener^ inno- 
 cently. 
 
 " I would be sorry to name her in the same 
 breath with you ; and that reminds me, that 
 more than once she has asked me questions 
 about Mr. Lisle ! " 
 
 ''Oh, of course, they all do that I " 
 
 " She has heard of you." 
 
 " From my good, kind friend, Mrs. Creery, 
 
J/i?. QUENTIN'S PIANO. 
 
 I'll bet a fiver, and I'll bet another, that she 
 has painted me as black as an Andamanese, — 
 and the devil himself would not be blacker." 
 
 *' Well, come over with me to-morrow, 
 and let Miss D. see, that you are not as bad 
 as you are painted." 
 
 *' What would be the use ? If she is all you 
 ijay, I might fall in love with her also ! and 
 that would be a very uncomfortable state of 
 affairs." 
 
 Mr. Quentin looked at him for a second with 
 a cool stare, and then burst out laughing. 
 
 " Well, upon my word ! you are the 
 queerest fellow I ever met, and that's saying 
 a good deal ; you can never be in earnest 
 for five minutes. Now look here, I want to 
 talk to you seriously about my money affairs. — 
 You see my governor is an old man, and when 
 he is laid in the family vault, I'll have a decent 
 little competence, but until tlien I cannot 
 keep myself, much less a wife ! I'm certain he 
 won't give me a halfpenny more allowance 
 than I have already. I've an uncontrollable 
 knack of spending coin, and running into 
 
134 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 debt ; but with tlie ftimily acres, I think I 
 might manage to rub along pretty welL" 
 
 '' So you might," agreed his listener. 
 
 " But then the governor may live till he is 
 a hundred?" 
 
 "So he may," again admitted the other 
 gentleman. 
 
 'Tor goodness' sake. Lisle, don't sit there 
 with your eyes half shut, driving me mad 
 with your ' so you might ' and ' so he may.' 
 Make a suggestion." 
 
 '' My dear sir, I cannot think of any to 
 offer. If you were an Earth Indian, you would 
 be all right ; you know they tie up their aged 
 as bait for wild beasts. Being a mere English- 
 
 man — " 
 
 Mr. Lisle never finished what he was about 
 to say ; for his companion sprang to his feet, 
 towered above him, glared at him for a second, 
 opened his mouth and endeavoured to speak, 
 — but failed ; and then flung out of the 
 apartment in a terrible passion. 
 
''/ JFAS JUS DEAREST LIZZIE!" 135 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 " I WAS HIS DEAREST LIZZIE ! " 
 
 '* Alas ! for pleasure on the sea, 
 And sorrow on the shore." 
 
 Hood, 
 
 Mes. Home's entertainments to lier friends, 
 generally took the form of a picnic or gipsy 
 tea, partly, we suspect, because these outings 
 were in great favour with Tom and Billy, and 
 partly because she had a knack of making these 
 "camp affairs," as Mrs.Creerycontemptuously 
 dubbed them, go off, to everyone's satisfaction. 
 She had now issued invitations for a tea at 
 J^orth Bay, where her guests were to ramble 
 about, and stroll on the beach, or botanize 
 in the jungle ; and two large boats left the 
 pier carrying the company, which comprised 
 the host, hostess, and family. Col. and Miss 
 Denis, Miss Caggett, Mr. Latimer, Dr. Parks, 
 
136 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 Dr. Malone, the Grahams from Chatham, 
 and the G-reens from Yiper. Mr. Quentin 
 did not patronize these rustic reunions, and he 
 was rather annoyed to find, that the Denises 
 were bent on going, and leant over the pier 
 as they were rowed away, looking unutter- 
 able reproaches at Helen — looks not lost 
 on Miss Caggett, who was sitting beside 
 her. It was an oppressive afternoon, even 
 at four o'clock the sky was molten and the 
 sea like oil, and Mr. Quentin shouted after 
 the pleasure party, — 
 
 " I would not be a bit surprised if you 
 people were in for a storm coming back — 
 jbetter not stay late." 
 
 " Storm ! what nonsense ! Why, the water 
 is like glass ! " exclaimed Mrs. Home. " He 
 merely says that, because he is not coraing 
 himself — though I asked him, and told him 
 he might bring Mr. Lisle, for I really do not 
 see, why he should be debarred from every- 
 thing." 
 
 " If he is debarred, it's his own fault," re- 
 joined Lizzie Caggett, accepting the challenge 
 
" / JVAS BIS DEAREST LIZZIE / " 137 
 
 in the absence of Mrs. Creerj in the other 
 boat. '' If he would only be open about 
 himself, no one would mind his poverty." 
 
 Mrs. Home looked sweetly incredulous, 
 and Miss Caggett continued, — 
 
 *' At any rate the chances are that he would 
 not come if he was asked. I don't suppose 
 he has any decent clothes, and he is more in 
 his element in the bush, or out in that white 
 boat of Mr. Quentin's, sailing among the 
 islands ; he half lives on the water, but," 
 with a peculiar laugh, " there is no fear of 
 his being drowned ! " 
 
 Miss liizzie was merciless to this mysterious 
 pauper, chiefly because she had an idea, that 
 he had talked his host out of certain matri- 
 monial designs, that were very near to her 
 heart. Jim Quentin's visits had been less 
 frequent, ever since he had given lodging to 
 this odious adventurer ! 
 
 Now Mrs. Home considered Mr. Lisle 
 inoffensive and gentlemanly-looking, and quite 
 entitled to keep his affairs to himself if he 
 chose, and she took up the cudgels at once, and 
 
138 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 the argument was waxing hot, when, luckily, 
 some one commenced to sing, and politeness 
 enforced silence. It was a long row to 
 Nortli Bay, fully eight miles, and it was past 
 five o'clock, when the party landed, and began 
 to walk about and stretch their rather cramped 
 legs, and to stroll along the beach with a care- 
 less eye to shells. — But this was not a hon6, 
 jide shelling trip. — Presently, in answer to a 
 whistle, with various degrees of alacrity they 
 flocked round Mrs. Home's well-spread table- 
 cloth, which was laid out on the moss under a 
 big Pedouk tree, and in a position, that com- 
 manded a fine view of the open sea; here every 
 one ate and drank, and were merry; and after- 
 wards they sang songs and gave riddles and 
 exchanged stories, well-known or otherwise, 
 and then by degrees they scattered once more, 
 and went up into the woods close by, in 
 couples or in small parties, and commenced 
 (the ladies especially) to tear down orchids, 
 that would be priceless in grey-skyed England; 
 to fill their hands and their baskets, with 
 enormous bunches of Eucharis lilies that 
 
" / JVAS ins DEAREST LIZZIE 
 
 39 
 
 carpeted the jungle. Helen was somewhat 
 surprised to find herself alone with Lizzie 
 Caggett, but this was a mere passing 
 thought, her whole attention was given to 
 the flowers ; she felt quite bewildered among 
 such an emharras de ricJiesse, and she paused 
 eyevj now and then to exclaim, and to gather 
 handfuls. She was also in ecstasies at the 
 love birds, honey-suckers, blue-jays and 
 golden orioles that flew " with a shocking 
 lameness " across their path. 
 
 Miss Caggett was accustomed to these 
 sights; her enthusiasm — if she had any — she 
 kept bottled up for the benefit of a male 
 companion, and did not trouble herself to 
 respond to Helen's raptures ; she had dogged 
 her, and purposely kept off Dr. Malone, 
 and singled her out as her own special 
 associate, in order that she, as she said to 
 herself, " might have it out with her here in 
 the jungle," where she could be as shrill 
 as she pleased, — yea, as one of the island 
 peacocks ! where she could give reins to her 
 wrath, and no one but her unsuspicious rival 
 
140 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 would be any the wiser ! — Now on Ross the 
 very walls had ears. 
 
 The two girls wandered along, one empty- 
 handed, and the other laden with spoils, till 
 they came to an opening in the forest, where 
 there was a very beautiful shallow pool, 
 apparently a spring. It was an unusual 
 sight, and Lizzie halted, and looked down 
 into it, and beheld the reflection of own her 
 figure, and of her, at present, very cross, 
 discontented, little face, as seen in a mirror 
 set in a lovely frame of ferns, and mossy 
 stones, and graceful grasses. 
 
 As she pondered over her own appearance, 
 and felt an agonizing thrill at the patent fact 
 that she was now beginning to look old ! a 
 bright young face came into view over her 
 shoulder — a bright young face that she hated 
 from the bottom of her heart ! No wonder 
 she was a prey to envy, as she gazed at 
 Helen's reflection, never had she looked 
 better, than in that soft white gown, with a 
 wreath of Eucharis lilies twined round her 
 sailor hat ! Lizzie stared, and noted every 
 
" / J FAS HIS DEAREST LIZZIE / " 141 
 
 item of that pretty yision, and felt a conviction 
 of her own powerlessness to crush the horrible 
 truth, that one of those two faces was lovely, 
 and smiling, and young, and that the other 
 was pinched, ill-tempered, and passee — and 
 that other her own ! Her day was on the 
 wane, the summer of her life — oh, that it 
 would come again ! she would sell her soul to 
 recall it ! — was gone. And in Helen Denis's 
 case, she had all her golden youth before her. 
 These bitter thoughts were too much for her 
 self-control, her face worked convulsively, 
 the corners of her mouth went down, and all 
 of a sudden she burst into tears ! Helen 
 was dismayed, she led her gently to a fallen 
 log of ebony, and implored of her to tell her 
 if she was ill, or what was the matter ? 
 
 The tears were but a summer shower, and 
 quickly spent, and Miss Caggett came to her- 
 self, dried her eyes, and said, " That it was 
 merely a slight nervous seizure, the result 
 of a racking headache, and meant nothing. 
 But," she added, ''I'm tired, and we may as 
 well rest here a while, there is no hurry." 
 
142 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 " Yer}^ well," agreed Helen, " I want to 
 settle these flowers, ttiey are in a most dread- 
 ful state," proceeding to arrange lier much 
 crowded basket. 
 
 " Then, whilst you arrange your flowers, 
 dear, I will tell you a story," said Lizzie, 
 now completely composed. 
 
 " Oh ! do, how nice of you ! I like stories, 
 and this" — looking round—" is the very 
 place for one. A ghost story." 
 
 " But mine is going to be a love tale," said 
 Miss Caggett briefly. 
 
 "I don't care for them so much," rejoined 
 Helen, sorting out orchids as she spoke. 
 '' HoY/ever, anything you like ! " 
 
 " Once upon a time there was a girl, and she 
 lived in the East Indies with her mother, her 
 name was Lizzie Caggett ; " she commenced. 
 Helen, who was kneeling at the log, using it 
 as a table for her flowers, looked up, as if she 
 did not believe her ears. " Her name, as I 
 tell you, was Lizzie Caggett, she was not a 
 great beauty like some people, — ^but she was 
 not bad looking. A young man came to 
 
/ IFAS HIS DEAREST LIZZIE ! 
 
 43 
 
 Port Blair, paid her marked attention, fell in 
 love witli her, and she with him, he gave her 
 songs and presents, he wrote her heaps of 
 letters, he told her that he could not live 
 without her ; his name was James Quentin ! " 
 She paused, and Helen got up slowly from 
 her knees, and stood in front of her — her 
 heart was beating rather fast, and her colour 
 was considerably brighter thanusual. '' A girl 
 arrived at Port Blair, named Helen Denis, and 
 he, man-like, paid her attention at first, be- 
 cause she was neio^ — he half lives at her house, 
 he is always at her side, and " (viciously) " he 
 has made her the talk of the whole place, 
 he ! " — also rising and suddenly, dropping the 
 narrative form, for plainer speaking, — '' is a 
 hypocrite, he told you a lie about that piano ! 
 it belongs to Mr. Barnes, he has pretended 
 to you that he scarcely knew me. Scarcely 
 ever was out of our house, is nearer the 
 truth ! One thing he can't deny, and that is 
 his own hand- writing, look here," draggingout 
 a thick packet of letters, tied with blue ribbon, 
 " you can read them if you like." '' You 
 
144 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 won't!" in answer to a scornful gesture. 
 " Then there," tossing them violently on the 
 ground, where they fell with a heavy thud, 
 and the ribbon coming undone, lay scattered 
 about like a pack of cards. 
 
 Miss Caggett after this outbreak paused, 
 and folded her arms akimbo, but her eyes 
 were gleaming, and her lips working convul- 
 sively. 
 
 Helen was thunderstruck, never had it 
 dawned upon her till now, that she had come 
 and seen, and conquered, this furious lady's 
 lover ; the sudden announcement, gave her a 
 shock and for some seconds she was speech- 
 less. 
 
 <c There," proceeded Miss Caggett, point- 
 ing to a letter at her feet, " three months ago 
 I was his dearest Lizzie, and now you are his 
 dearest Helen," and she laughed like a 
 hyena. 
 
 "You are altogether mistaken, and quite 
 wrong ! " cried her companion, speaking at 
 last ; " I am nothing to him but an ordinary 
 acquaintance, and I don't think you should 
 
" / J FAS HIS DEAREST LIZZIE ! " 145 
 
 repeat these terrible things about him to me. 
 You can't care very mucli for him, or you 
 would not say that he is a hypocrite, and 
 does not speak the truth ! As to his making 
 me the talk of the place, I am quite distressed 
 to hear that Port Blair is so hard up for a 
 topic!" Helen was very angry, and her 
 face was an open book, in which every emo- 
 tion that swayed her, was eloquently ex- 
 pressed. Mr. Quentin was utterly indifferent 
 to her, (and this fact gave her a considerable 
 advantage, over Miss Caggett;) besides being 
 angry, she was disgusted, and looked down 
 upon her opponent, with a glance of un- 
 mistakable scorn. 
 
 " Of course you will iell him all I have 
 said ! " exclaimed Lizzie, with an hysterical 
 smile. 
 
 "Oh! of course," — ironically. 
 
 Miss Caggett was filled with a horrible 
 fear, that she had overshot her mark, 
 (which had been merely to blacken Mr. 
 Quentin to Helen, to arouse her ire, and 
 take advantage of the ensuing quarrel, and 
 
 v^^.. I. i^ 
 
146 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 coolness, and once more ingratiate herself 
 with her late adorer.) But who would have 
 expected Miss Denis to be supremely ironical, 
 and scornful; and to have taken the news 
 in this very strange way ; — for Lizzie be- 
 lieved that no girl living could be indif- 
 ferent to James Quentin. — Instead of tearing 
 her hair, and weeping, and denouncing him, 
 she was quite unmoved. She had even spurned 
 his letters ! hateful, cold-blooded thing ! 
 
 " Shall you tell him all I have said about 
 him ? " she reiterated defiantly. 
 
 " Your suggestion is of course prompted 
 by what you would do 7/owse// under similar 
 circumstances," returned her companion in a 
 cutting tone. 
 
 " Do you pretend that you don't like 
 him ? " demanded Miss Caggett. " That you 
 never told me, you thought him handsome ; 
 do you pretend that you are not in love with 
 him, and have lured him away from me ? " 
 
 " I pretend nothing ; I do not even pre- 
 tend to be his friend before his face, and 
 then abuse him unmercifully behind his back ! 
 
" I WAS HIS DEAREST LIZZIE / " 147 
 
 And," now pointing with tlie tip of lier 
 shoe, ^' there are your letters ! I advise you 
 not to leave them here, for the amnsement of 
 some picnic party ! And I request that you 
 will never speak to me in such a way again, 
 nor mention the name of your friend Mr. 
 Quentin." 
 
 So saying, Helen picked up her basket, 
 turned her back on Lizzie, and walked off 
 into the jungle in a rather stately fashion; 
 never once looking back at the little figure 
 on the log ; (if she had done so, she would 
 have seen that little figure, shaking a tiny 
 menacing fist in her direction ; but ignorance 
 was bliss, and she rambled on mechanically, 
 her mind not a little disturbed by the recent 
 " scene.") Lizzie Caggett was not a nice 
 girl — not a lady — and as to Mr. Quentin, 
 she had never quite trusted his dreamy blue 
 eyes. Now she came to ponder over the 
 subject, his stories were often a bad fit, one 
 tale did not exactly match another, he forgot 
 what he had said previously, and although he 
 had angrily disowned Miss Caggett, yet she 
 L 2 
 
148 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 had noticed one Mezzo Soprano song among 
 his music, on which was scribbled in pencil, 
 " Lizzie, with J.'s love." Deeply occupied in 
 unravelling various new ideas, the young 
 lady strayed further and further into the 
 wood, occasionally stopping to cull some too 
 tempting flower or fern — and pondering as 
 she plucked. She was extremely reluctant 
 to go back to the company, and to face Miss 
 Caggett, after their late conversation, but a 
 sudden cessation of birds' notes, a duskiness, 
 and a little chill wind, warned her that it 
 was really time to retrace her steps. She 
 had come further than she imagined, and it 
 was fully half an hour ere she had extricated 
 herself from among the trees, and once more 
 gained the open space looking down upon 
 the shore. But what was this ? To her as- 
 tonishment the beach was deserted. There 
 was no sign of living creature to be seen 
 (save the dying embers of the gipsy fire) and, 
 did her eyes deceive her, or did she really 
 behold, two heavily laden boats steadily 
 rowing back to Ross ? (indeed one was already 
 
" / IVAS HIS DEAREST LIZZIE ! " 149 
 
 a mere speck on the water), and she had 
 been left behind ! ! At first she could not 
 realize her position ; she, the chief guest — in 
 whose honour the party had been given — she 
 forgotten, and abandoned, to pass the night 
 on that terrible desolate mainland alone ! 
 She ran to a rock, jutting out far into the 
 water, and waved her parasol, and screamed, 
 and called, but the boats were far beyond ear- 
 shot, and the awnings were up. 
 
 She stood looking after them like a modern 
 Dido, with strange, fixed, despairing eyes, 
 then turned and gazed behind her at the 
 thick, black, and now forbidding-looking 
 forest, that loomed all round her, and en- 
 compassed the shore. She sat down on the 
 rock, locked her arms round her knees, and 
 watched the two heartless boats till they 
 were quite out of sight. This operation lasted 
 for some time, and when there was nothing 
 further to be seen in the direction of Ross, 
 she turned her face towards the open sea, 
 and beheld, to her horror, a large canoe 
 coming rapidly in her direction ! It was 
 
I50 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 still at some distance, but she knew that the 
 build of the boat was not European, nor 
 did Europeans go out boating in tall hats. 
 She did not wait for a closer inspection ; 
 she fled — fled for dear life — right up into the 
 much dreaded forest, and dashed among the 
 underwood like a mad creature ; in a certain 
 thick covet she threw herself down, and 
 there she lay panting like a hunted hare. 
 From her hiding-place, she could see the 
 savages ; they paddled close into shore, 
 attracted by the smoke of the fire that had 
 boiled Mrs. Home's mild domestic kettle ! 
 They came in a big, red war-canoe, and were 
 about fifty in number ; one or two remained 
 in the canoe, the rest sprang over the side, 
 and waded to land — followed by a whole 
 legion of dogs. They swarmed round the 
 fire, and found but little to repay their visit, 
 beyond a box of matches, which was 
 evidently a great prize ! There were several 
 monster fish caught by Mrs. Creery's boatmen, 
 — and left behind as worthless — these they 
 tore to pieces, and devoured raw. A tin 
 
" / JVAS HIS DEAREST LIZZIE / " 151 
 
 of Swiss milkj and half a loaf of bread Avere 
 also discovered and shared. Whilst they sat 
 round the embers in a circle, and greedily dis- 
 cussed these rarities and the fish, Helen, with 
 every nerve in her body throbbing, and her 
 heart nearly bounding out of her bosom, Avas 
 presented by her own vivid memory with 
 that scene in Eobinson Crusoe, where he sees 
 the savages sitting round a fire, and feasting 
 on their human victims ! Supposing they 
 were to discover her, and kill her, and eat 
 her? At this moment she nearly shrieked 
 aloud, for a large, red dog, a kind of pariah, 
 (who, unknown to her, had been sniffing 
 among the underwood, ) now suddenly thrust 
 up his head close to hers, and gazed at her 
 in amazement for some seconds ; luckily for 
 Helen, instead of breaking at once into a 
 loud " bay," and triumphantly announcing 
 his *' find," — he was evidently one of the 
 barrack curs whom the General had colonized; 
 he had seen a European before, — and probably 
 understood English ! ! At first, when she 
 whispered in a faltering voice, '' Ob, Toby 
 
152 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 Toby, like a dear, good dog, go away, and 
 don't betray me," lie tookno notice,but merely 
 stood staring with his round, yellow eyes. 
 However, when emboldened by desperation, 
 she said, " Hoosh ! be off ! " and made a 
 movement as though to pick up a stone — 
 he fled ! 
 
 But what if a less educated animal were 
 to discover her ? if he did, she was lost. — She 
 lay in her hiding-place scarcely daring to 
 breathe, the very sound of her own heart 
 seemed appalling; indeed, it stood quite 
 still for some seconds, when — the fish beiug 
 despatched — the aborigines stood up and saun- 
 tered back to their canoe, and several of them 
 pointing at the jungle, seemingly suggested a 
 ramble in that direction ! But these enter- 
 prising spirits had no weight, and Helen, 
 although fainting with terror, noticed that a 
 fat old man, in a huge cocked hat (evidently a 
 person of much authority), waved bis hands 
 withdecision towards the horizon; and making 
 gestures at the big bank of clouds that were 
 gathering there, peremptorily collected all 
 
" / JFAS BIS DEAREST LIZZIE / " 153 
 
 his party, who immediately swarmed out into 
 the canoe, followed by their pack of dogs, 
 and paddled away as swiftly and as suddenly 
 as they had come — and Helen breathed a deep 
 sigh of relief, when she was once more left 
 upon the mainland, entirely alone ! 
 
154 A BIRD OF PASSAGE 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. 
 
 " The storm is up, and all is on the hazard." 
 
 Julius Ccesar. 
 
 Me. Lisle had been out boating far beyond 
 Nortb Bay ; but a sombre sultry afternoon, 
 and the ominous silence that precedes a 
 tropical storm, had warned him to steer home- 
 wards. He had heard of the awful tornadoes 
 that occasionally churned these seas into 
 white mountains, that dashed wrecks around 
 the islands; that the storm god in torrid 
 regions was a terrible sight when aroused, 
 and that a sunny, sleepy afternoon had been 
 known to develop into a howling hurricane 
 in less than an hour. Moreover, that tragic 
 tales of boats blown out to sea, or capsized 
 with all hands, were but too well known at 
 Port Blair. 
 
A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. 155 
 
 Tlie sky was now so inky black that it 
 could scarcely look blacker, low muttering 
 thunder was heard from behind the clouds, and 
 an occasional red flash shot along the horizon. 
 The breeze was rising steadily, and a quick 
 cool ripple was on the water. On the whole, 
 Mr. Lisle said to himself that there was 
 every prospect of a very dirty night, and the 
 sooner that he was under the lee of Ross the 
 better. Passing a kind of cove in North Bay, 
 he happened to notice a long white object 
 in the now gathering dusk : it seemed to be 
 near the shore, and was probably a blighted 
 tree. Luckily, he looked again, and observed 
 that it moved. Could it be a human figure, at 
 that hour ? — quite impossible ! But, although 
 moments were precious, he resolved to give 
 the thing, whatever it was, a chance ; and to 
 take a nearer view and to accomplish this, he 
 was obliged to steer in closer to the land, 
 which he did — to his boatmen's unconcealed 
 uneasiness. Yainly did they scowl, and point 
 expressively to the storm that was coming 
 up so rapidly ; he assured them that this delay 
 
156 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 would be but momentary; a few vigorous 
 strokes, and they were sufficiently near to 
 make out, that the seemingly blighted 
 tree, was the figure of a European woman, 
 in a white dress ! In two or three seconds 
 they had touched the beach, and Mr. Lisle 
 sprang out of the boat, waded through the 
 water, and another instant brought him to 
 the side of a trembling, distracted girl, 
 whom he had never seen before, but who 
 nevertheless accorded him a half-frenzied, 
 though silent welcome ! 
 
 Helen, after she had seen the last of the 
 war canoe, had once more ventured down to 
 the shore. The dark thick tropical jungle, 
 seemed to stifle her, and, for all she knew, 
 might be swarming with, wild beasts ! The 
 solitude was something appalling, and the 
 silence! — (save for queer outlandish sounds in 
 the forest every now and then, which caused 
 her to tremble violently.) Her position may 
 not seem so very terrible to some people, — 
 who will say, *' She knew she was sure to be 
 fetched in the morning ; " but a night alone 
 
A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. 157 
 
 upou that savage coast, was enough to make 
 even a stout-hearted man feel nervous, 
 much less a girl like Helen, and by this time, 
 she was completely unhinged. As she sat 
 staring into the gloom, she suddenly made 
 out a boat, positively a European boat, with 
 three people in it, — and for the first time her 
 hopes rose. She waved her arms frantically, 
 and she ran up and down the beach like a 
 demented creature. She was seen, and they 
 were coming. Oh, the relief of that moment ! 
 For the first time during these dreadful hours, 
 tears rolled down her cheeks. 
 
 The boat came in as close as it could, and 
 a man jumped out of it, and approached her 
 rapidly. Stranger as he was, she rushed to 
 him, seized his arm, and tried vainly to 
 speak, but her whole frame was shaken with 
 convulsive sobs. 
 
 ''What is it? What does it mean? "he asked. 
 as she clung to him, like a drowning person. 
 
 '' It's a — pleasure party," she stammered 
 out. "I was gathering flowers, and was left 
 behind. Oh, take me with you! Takemehome!" 
 
158 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 " Come on, tlien," — an Bnglishman's usual 
 formula; " I'll take you back to Eoss. But 
 we must look sharp," speaking rather 
 brusquely. What if this tearful, frightened 
 young lady were to go into hysterics, or to 
 faint in his arms? that would be a nice 
 business ! 
 
 Without a single word, but with obedient 
 alacrity, she followed him to the edge of the 
 sea, — and something told her, that she was 
 walking in the wake of the notorious illr. Lisle, 
 
 " I'd better carry you through the surf," 
 he said, turning at the water's edge; and coolly 
 putting his arm around her, he was just 
 about to lift her on the spot, but, with 
 flaming cheeks, she thrust him aside, saying, 
 '' Thanks, no ; I'll manage it myself." 
 
 '' Oh, all right," he returned, indifferently, 
 '' but I think you are foolish ! What's the good 
 of two people getting wet, when one will do?" 
 now wading outtothe boat through surf, which 
 took the young lady up to her knees. He 
 got in first, helped her in afterwards, and, 
 making a sign to the impatient boatmen to 
 
A DAMSEL IN DISTJ^ESS. 159 
 
 raise the sail, he said to his dripping com- 
 panion, " There is going to be a bit of a 
 blow " (a mild way of putting it), "but we 
 shall have it with us, we shall be home in 
 no time," he added, in a tone of assumed 
 cheerfulness. 
 
 In a few seconds they were gliding along 
 over the water, before a nice stiff breeze, and 
 Helen found time to collect her senses, and 
 to relate her adventures — at first in rather 
 a broken, husky voice, but latterly with more 
 composure. 
 
 And lest the reader should all this time 
 be angrily blaming Colonel Denis, and Mrs. 
 Home, I here beg to state that each believed 
 Helen to be in the other's boat — a thought 
 for which they were indebted to Miss Caggett. 
 
 The rising wind and threatening sky, made 
 prudent Mrs. Home collect her party, and 
 start; being under the impression that 
 Helen would return with her father. When 
 the people belonging to number two boat 
 were mustered, and inquiries were made 
 for Miss Denis, Miss Caggett assured them that 
 
i6o A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 slie had long since departed with Mrs. Home, 
 and liad been quite animated in declaring that 
 " there was no mistake about the matter, as 
 she and Miss Denis had been walking in the 
 woods together." She also displayed quite a 
 feverish eagerness to be off ! — for reasons 
 which we can easily understand. (Miss 
 Lizzie had picked up her letters and pocketed 
 them, and sauntered down to the beach, 
 and there had joined the company, and come 
 to the conclusion that a night's solitary re- 
 flection among the tall Gurgeon and Pedouk 
 trees would do her rival a world of good ! 
 " How easy," she said to herself, " to say 
 afterwards, that I must have made a mis- 
 take — every one is liable to make mis- 
 takes!*') Thus reassured, the picnic party 
 took their places in the second boat, and no 
 search or calling acquainted Helen of their 
 departure; and consequently, she was left 
 behind, thanks to Miss Lizzie Caggett. 
 
 The small white gig which had picked off 
 the young lady, now flew before the wind, 
 and Helen's new acquaintance sat with the 
 
A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. t6i 
 
 tiller-ropes in his hands, and his gaze bent 
 apprehensively on the south. 
 
 '' I suppose I may as well introduce my- 
 self," he said presently. " My name is Lisle. 
 Perhaps you have heard of me?" he added 
 expressively — at least to his listener, his 
 words seemed to have an ironical, significant, 
 tone ! 
 
 Helen muttered a faint affirmative. 
 
 '' And you, I think, must be Miss Denis ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " And were you really afraid of the 
 savages ? " 
 
 " I never was so much frightened in all my 
 life, I thought I should have dieciy 
 
 " I see a good deal of them, knocking about 
 the islands. They are not such bad fellows, 
 and I doubt their cannibalism." 
 
 " I should be sorry to trust them," re- 
 turned Helen, shuddering. 
 
 " You are cold, I see, and wet, of course, 
 but that was your own fault. Here," sud- 
 denly removing it, " you must take my coat," 
 throwing it over her knees, where it remained 
 
 VOL. I. M 
 
i62 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 all the time, in spite of lier anxious disclaim- 
 ing. After this there was a long gap in the 
 conversation. 
 
 Mr. Lisle nndoubtedly possessed what the 
 French call, " a talent for silence." "How 
 grave he looked ! " thought Helen. How 
 fast they were going ! How frightfully down 
 on one side ! The wind was getting louder 
 and louder, till it reached a kind of hoarse 
 scream : the dusk had suddenly given place 
 to Egyptian gloom, and Helen felt sure (as 
 she sat with her hands tightly locked in 
 her lap, and her heart beating very quickly) 
 that they were having more than a mere 
 " blow " as they tore through the water ! 
 All at once, the first splash of a cold, salt 
 wave dashed over the boat, and drenched 
 her so unexpectedly, that she could not 
 refrain from a stifled exclamation ; but this 
 was the only time that she lost her self- 
 control. She sat motionless as an image, and 
 neither moved nor spake, not even when a 
 shrieking gust carried her hat away, and 
 whirled it into the outer darkness : and the 
 
A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, 163 
 
 storm loosened her long hair, and flung it to 
 the wind to play with. How they flew np 
 the water mountains, and were hurled down 
 like a stone into the corresponding valleys ! 
 If they were to be drowned, she hoped that 
 it might be soon; this present suspense was 
 torture. All was so black — an awful opaque 
 blackness — the roar of the tempest the only 
 sound; it came in furious gusts, then died 
 away, whilst wave after wave, swept over the 
 boat ; and now the lowrumble of thunder burst 
 suddenly into one frightful peal, that seemed 
 to shake ih.Q very sea itself : a blinding flash lit 
 up the gloom ; for a moment it was as daylight. 
 Helen involuntarily turned her eyes towards 
 her companion, and met his point blank. In 
 that second, their two souls seemed to recog- 
 nize one another; in his glance, she read in- 
 trepidity, coolness, and encouragement. She 
 at least was with a brave man, and might 
 die in worse company ! He, on his side, noted 
 the rigid figure of his passenger, her locked 
 hands, and firmly set lips ; she was no longer 
 the timid, shrinking creature he had dragged 
 M 2 
 
i64 yi BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 on board tlio ^\g less than an hour pre- 
 viously; she Tvas a heroine, capable of look- 
 ing death in the face, and Death's grim 
 visaofe was never closer to her than now. 
 Another, would have been shrieking and 
 clinging to him ; but this girl was nerved to 
 meet her fate alone, and he honestly respected 
 her fortitude. It was certainly just touch 
 and go, if they ever weathered Eoss Point, 
 but the boat was a stout one, and the sails 
 were new. The twinkling lights on the island 
 now came in view, how scornfully they 
 seemed to mock these four people, who were 
 struggling for life and death in the surround- 
 ing howling darkness ! 
 
 Another awful plunge into the hollows, 
 and a hissing of boiling waves, and a feeling 
 as of water closing all round them. It 
 seemed to Helen as if this was the end — they 
 had shipped a heavy sea, the boat reeled, 
 staggered, and made another effort — she was 
 not going to founder just yet. 
 
 The stricken boatmen shouted hoarsely to 
 
A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. 165 
 
 one another, and baled in the dark, Helen 
 crept unconsciously closer to the steersman, 
 and during a lull in the blast, she said, — 
 
 " You can swim, Mr. Lisle, of course, and 
 if you escape, will you take a message from 
 me to," — with a sob — '' poor papa." 
 
 " No I won't," he answered roughly. 
 
 " But I shall be drowned, I know," and 
 she caught her breath at the chilling thought. 
 
 '' If you are, I shall be drowned ioo^ you 
 may be sure of that. If I am saved, you 
 may rely upon it, that you will be saved also. 
 We will sink or swim together. — If she does 
 capsize, don't lose your head, and don't cling 
 to mC; whatever you do ; trust me, and I'll 
 take care of you ; but I hope it's not going to 
 come to that," he added ; then, after a long 
 silence and another blinding sea, he exclaimed, 
 " Thank God, we are over the worst, and 
 under the lee of Ross ! " 
 
 • • . • • 
 
 It was still quite bad enough, but they 
 were no longer exposed to the full fury of 
 
i66 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 the liurricane ; in another ten minutes they 
 were being violently washed np and down 
 against the soaking pier, in the presence of 
 a crowd of anxions faces, who were peering 
 over, amidst the glare of torches and general 
 excitement. The first person to greet them 
 was Colonel Denis, — looking like a man of 
 seventy, and scarcely able to articulate. 
 
 " Oh, Helen," he cried, as he seized his 
 tottering J, dripping daughter, '' this has 
 nearly killed me ! Only an hour ago we 
 missed you, and you were sighted from the 
 look-out just before dark, and I never 
 believed that any boat could live in that," 
 pointing his hand at the black hissing sea. 
 As Helen and her father stood thus together 
 on the steps — she trying to realize that she 
 was safe, and he, most thankfully doing the 
 same — the white boat showed signs of shoving 
 off. 
 
 '' You are not going over to Aberdeen 
 now," shouted Colonel Denis, descending, 
 and making a futile grab at the gunwale 
 " Are you a madman ? " 
 
A BAMS EL IN- DISTRESS. 167 
 
 ''It's not so bad inside, between tlie 
 islands," roared the other in reply. " Good 
 night." 
 
 " Papa, stop him ! Mr. Lisle," shrieked 
 Helen, '' come back — come back, Mr. Lisle." 
 The idea of any one putting out again, among 
 those tumbling waves, seemed to her nothing 
 less than suicidal ; but the white boat was 
 already gone, — lost almost instantaneously in 
 the surrounding darkness. 
 
 ''It's not so risky between this and Aber- 
 deen, Miss Denis," said Dr. Malone, "and Lisle 
 is a capital sailor. But what a grand fright 
 you have given us all, and what a terrible 
 trip you must have had ! " 
 
 Miss Denis made no reply, she staggered 
 up to the top of the steps, and stood upon 
 the pier, in the light of half a dozen torches ; 
 a strange figure, in a dripping dress, with 
 her long hair covering her as a kind of 
 mantle, — and hanging far below her waist, in 
 thick dark masses. 
 
 " Take her home, and put her to bed at 
 once," said Dr. Malone, " and give her a 
 
i68 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 warm drink, and don't let any one worry her 
 with questions," (doubtless lie was thinking 
 of Mrs. Creery), " to-morrow morning I will 
 call, and she will be all right, and will tell us 
 how it happened that she let us go off with- 
 out her." 
 
 But how that came to pass, was never 
 clearly explained up to the present day — 
 people had their suspicions — but suspicions 
 go for very little. 
 
 Miss Denis carried out Dr. Malone's instruc- 
 tions to the letter. — She went home, and went 
 to bed, and fell sound asleep. One thing 
 she did, which he had not prescribed, — 
 
 She dreamt of Mr. Lisle ! 
 
MR. LISLE FORGETS HIS DINNER. 169 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ME. LISLE FOKGETS HIS mXNER. 
 
 " A little fire is quickly trodden out, 
 "Which, being suffered, rivers caunot quench." 
 
 Henry VI. 
 
 Miss Denis was none the worse for lier 
 adventure tlie next morning, and was called 
 upon to give a full, true and particular 
 account of lierself to Mrs. Creery and Mrs. 
 Home, also Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Green 
 (who had prudently stayed all night on Ross) . 
 No one could imagine how the mistake had 
 occurred, and all these ladies talked volubly 
 together on the subject, and it afforded the 
 island a nine days' wonder — though that w^as 
 not saying much ! Mrs. Creery was certainly 
 most thankful that Helen (she now called 
 her by her Christian name) had been brought 
 back in safety, but she was by no means as 
 
I70 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 well pleased at the means to wliicli tliey owed 
 lier restoration. 
 
 " Of course, my dear Helen, you need not 
 notice liim," she said, apropos of Mr. Lisle; 
 " just let your father thank him, or send a 
 message by Mr. Quentin. That will be 
 ample ! " • 
 
 Mr. Lisle having made Aberdeen with some 
 difficulty, had toiled up hill, closely followed 
 by the shivering boatmen, in quest of glasses 
 of rum. He was cold, and stiff, and exhausted ; 
 both mind and body had been strung to their 
 utmost tension for the last three hours, and 
 he sank into a Bombay chair in the verandah, 
 and threw off his soaking hat, with a sense of 
 thankfulness and relief. There he remained 
 for a long time in his wet clothes, staring 
 out on the black, ragged-looking clouds, 
 through which a very watery moon was 
 vainly trying to assert herself. Mr. Quentin 
 was dining elsewhere, and Mr. Lisle kept 
 dinner waiting, till it was his good pleasure to 
 partake of that meal. (Eastern cooks are 
 accustomed to a meal being put back or 
 
MR. LISLE FORGETS LlIS DINNER. 171 
 
 forward an liour or so according to their 
 masters' whims ; these sudden orders never 
 ruflQe their composure, whilst in England 
 such proceedings would cause domestic 
 revolutions.) For more than an hour, Mr. 
 Lisle lay back in the comfortable chair 
 which he had first occupied, as a mere 
 momentary resting-place ; evidently he had 
 something out of the common to occupy his 
 thouolits. How lono' was it since he had 
 spoken to a lady ? (Apparently Mrs. Creery 
 went for nought.) His mind reviewed but 
 cursorily his morning's sport, dwelt a 
 short time on the various incidents of 
 that terrible sail, and rested finally for a 
 considerable period on the contemplation of 
 his lady passenger ; he could see her before 
 his mental vision quite distinctly noii\ as 
 she stood on the pier steps, with her soak- 
 ing, clinging dress, her streaming hair, and 
 colourless face, on which the torches threw a 
 blinding light ; see her stretching out her 
 hands, and calling after him in a tone of 
 agonized appeal, — 
 
7 2 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 '' Mr. Lisle, come back ! Come back, Mr. 
 Lisle!" It was a curious fact, — lie said to 
 himself, witli a rather cynical grin — that this 
 was positively the very first invitation he 
 had ever received to Ross ; and the circum- 
 stance seemed to amuse him not a little. 
 
 After a while, he began to think that he 
 was rather a fool, sitting there mooning in 
 his wet clothes, and he rose and stretched 
 himself, and went into the house, and 
 having changed his garments, sat down to 
 his solitary meal. He and Jim Quentin met 
 at breakfast as usual ; the latter was 
 generally too much engrossed with his own 
 proceedings, to take any vivid interest in his 
 companion's pursuits — to do as little work 
 as possible, to get as much novel-reading, 
 cigarette-smoking, and physical and mental 
 ease, was the bent of his mind, and his 
 thoughts were solely centred in himself, and 
 his own arrangements. 
 
 He never troubled his head about Lisle's 
 " manias ;" fishing, and boating, and shooting 
 were all bores to him, involving far too 
 
MR. LISLE FORGETS HIS DINNER. 173 
 
 mncli bodily exertion, and discomfort. He 
 took all his partner's adventures for granted, 
 and never expected that these were of a 
 more thrilling description, than the capture of 
 a big shark, or the slaughter of a wild hog. 
 
 " What a gale that was last night ! " he 
 said, as he languidly helped himself to 
 devilled kidneys. " By George ! the picnic 
 party must have found it pretty lively 
 coming back. It blew a hurricane ! But I 
 suppose they were in before that ? " 
 
 '' They were," assented Mr. Lisle — and 
 whatever else he was going to add, was 
 interrupted by the appearance of one of the 
 boatmen in his blue cotton suit, salaamino: 
 profoundly at the foot of the verandah 
 steps. He had something in his hand. 
 What? it was the miserable wreck of a 
 lady's smart, cream-coloured parasol ! A 
 jaunty article, that had tempted Helen's 
 fancy in a London shop- window, and was 
 now a mere limp rag, cockled and shrunken 
 with sea-water — having^ been thrown into the 
 bottom of the boat, and there forgotten. 
 
174 ^ BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 " Halloa ! " exclaimed Mr. Quentin. 
 ''■Whatistliat?" 
 
 " Miss Denises parasol, whicli was left in 
 the gig. I brouglit her back from ISTorth 
 Bay last night," replied his companion with 
 as much composure, as if it were a part of 
 his daily programme. 
 
 The other made no immediate reply, but 
 turning half round in his chair, surveyed 
 him steadily for some seconds. 
 
 '' Yon brought her back ? " he repeated 
 incredulously. " And why, in the name of 
 all that's extraordinary ? " 
 
 " For the very excellent reason that she 
 wished to be my passenger," returned Mr. 
 Lisle, coolly. 
 
 *' I hate riddles "—irritably. '' What the 
 deuce do you mean ? " 
 
 " I mean that Miss Denis was left behind 
 by her party owing to some very queer mis- 
 take, that I happened to be sailing by, like 
 Canute the king, and that she hailed the 
 boat, and we took her off." 
 
 " Quite romantic, upon my word " — with a 
 rather forced laugh. '' Well," after a pause. 
 
MR. LISLE FORGETS HIS DINNER, 175 
 
 " now that yon iiaye seen her, what do you 
 think of her ? " 
 
 " How can I tell you ? It was as dark as 
 pitch, I only had a glimpse of her now and 
 then by lightning." 
 
 " Yes ; and that glimpse ? " 
 
 " Showed me that she had heaps of hair. 
 She did not scream or make a fuss, but kept 
 quiet, for which I was really grateful." 
 
 " And did you have any talk ? " 
 
 " Talk ! My good sir, are you aware that 
 we were out in that hurricane between seven 
 and eight o'clock last night, and that it 
 was by God's mercy, we escaped with our 
 lives?" 
 
 " I daresay you would like to improve 
 the acquaintance now you have seen her — 
 Eh ? Come, tell the truth ! " 
 
 Mr. Lisle made no reply, this question had 
 hit the goal ; he certainly did feel a curious 
 and unusual interest in this girl. All the 
 same, he made up his mind that this novel 
 sensation would wear off within the next 
 twenty-four hours, and whether or no, he did 
 not mean to yield to it. 
 
175 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 Mr. Quentin crossed to Ross alone, some- 
 what to liis own surprise ; and Helen, as she 
 listened to his condolences, felt rather an odd 
 little twinge of disappointment, for she had 
 half expected that for once, he would have 
 been accompanied by his mysterious com- 
 panion ! To-day her smiles were not as re- 
 sponsive, nor her laughter as ready as usual. 
 — Her keen-witted visitor did not fail to notice 
 this, — also a curious abstraction in her manner. 
 She was partly thinking of Mr. Lisle (with an 
 interest that surprised herself), and partly re- 
 calling to her mental eye, that little pink figure 
 seated on the log, with a face convulsed with 
 passion, and dozens of love-letters scattered 
 round her on the moss ! 
 
 About a week later Colonel Denis met Mr. 
 Lisle in the Bazaar, and insisted on his 
 accompanying him home, and being there 
 and then presented to his daughter. 
 
 " She wants to thank you herself ; only for 
 you, she believes that she would have lost her 
 wits ; only for you, she would have had to pass 
 a whole night on that coast alone." 
 
AIR. LISLE FORGETS HIS DLNNER. 177 
 
 Vainly did liis captive mutter '' that it was 
 notliing, that he was only too glad to have 
 had the opportunity," &c. Colonel Denis was 
 not to be denied, and he led him off, nolens 
 volens, to make formal acquaintance with the 
 island beauty at last. 
 
 Miss Denis was sitting on the steps of the 
 bungalow, feeding a tame peacock, but as she 
 saw her father approaching with a visitor in 
 tow, she stood up, rather shyly, to receive 
 them. She looked quite different to-day 
 (naturally). Her dress was soft, cream-white 
 muslin, a heavy Indian silver belt encircled 
 her slender waist, her hair was bound round 
 her head in thick plaits, her countenance 
 was serene — and marvellously pretty. It 
 struck Mr. Lisle' s artist eye, that she and her 
 pet peacock would make a very effective pic- 
 ture, with that glimpse of blue sea, and palms, 
 as their background. 
 
 Of course she had a conviction that this 
 spare, sunburnt man, following her father, 
 was the redoubtable bete noir, who, although 
 she had been two months in the settlement, 
 
 VOL. T. i\ 
 
178 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 she had never yet met with face to face, 
 save in the doom, on that eventful even- 
 
 ts 
 
 mg 
 
 After a little talk about the storm, and the 
 picnic, they adjourned indoors, and sat in 
 the shady drawing-room, whilst Sawmy 
 brought in afternoon tea. 
 
 " How do you like this part of the world, 
 Miss Denis?" asked her visitor. "No 
 doubt you are tired of the question by this 
 time?" 
 
 " I like it extremely, so much that I 
 believe I could live here all my life." 
 
 Mr. Lisle smiled incredulously, and 
 slightly raised his brows. 
 
 '^ Yes," in reply to his expression. 
 ^' Where could you find a more lovely spot, 
 a kind of earthly Paradise ? " 
 
 " And a land where it is always after- 
 noon," quoted her companion, " but you will 
 probably get tired of it in six months, and 
 be glad enough to stretch your wings." 
 
 " No, indeed" — indignantly — '^ why should 
 I? I have everything I want here, and 
 
MR. LISLE FORGETS HIS DINNER. 179 
 
 every wish fuliillecl ? " She paused, became 
 exceedingly red, as if she were afraid she 
 had been too gushing to this stranger. 
 
 '' I am filled with amazement, and respect, 
 Miss Denis, you are the only person I have 
 ever come across, who admitted that they 
 w^ere now, in the actual present, absolutely 
 contented, and had no unsatisfied cravings, 
 but perhaps yours is a contented mind ? " 
 
 *' No, I have not been contented elsewhere, 
 but here it is different, — here I have my 
 home, and papa — " 
 
 She hesitated, and her listener mentally 
 added, — 
 
 (''And JimQuentin!") 
 
 " And I think perpetually fine weather, 
 and beautiful surroundings, and liberty, go 
 a long way towards making one feel as I do. 
 Every morning when I wake, I have an im- 
 pression that something delightful is going 
 to happen during the day." 
 
 " Jim's visit, of course," thought her com- 
 panion. " A sure sign that she is in love," 
 but he merely said aloud, — 
 -\ 2 
 
i8o A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 "It's well you mentioned liberty, for I 
 fancy that scenery and sunshine go a sliort 
 way with those beggars " — pointing to a 
 group of brown convicts, who were now 
 wending silently down the road. " Do you 
 not find everything very different out here, 
 to what it is at home ? " 
 
 " Yes ; but I had no home, I was always 
 at school. Papa and I have so few be- 
 longings, — but I am quite forgetting all this 
 time, that I have not offered you a cup of 
 tea." 
 
 Mr. Lisle watched her as she busied herself 
 among the spoons and saucers, and thought 
 what a nice child she was, and what a shame 
 it would be, to let Jim Quentin break her 
 heart ! 
 
 '' You see a good deal of Quentin," he re- 
 marked rather suddenly ; but her colour did 
 not rise as she handed him his tea, nor did 
 the cup rattle in the saucer at the mention 
 of that potent name. She met Mr. Lisle's 
 keen interrogative glance, with the utmost 
 composure ; how different he seemed without 
 
MR. LISLE FORGETS HIS DINNER. i8i 
 
 Ins hat, and liow strange it was, that it had 
 never occurred to any one to mention that 
 Mr. Lisle was handsome ! The circumstance 
 came home to her quite unexpectedly, as 
 she now noticed his well-shaped head and 
 profile ; true his skin was tanned brown by 
 the sun, his hair was touched with grey 
 upon the temples, — but in her heart, she 
 there and then discovered, that he had a far 
 more striking face than irresistible "Apollo," 
 Quentin ! 
 
 " I am taking this to papa," she said, 
 rising, " he sits in the verandah, you 
 see." 
 
 " Yes, I see " — receiving the cup from her 
 hand and carrying it out to his host who was 
 absorbed in a blue document. (Mr. Quentin 
 had trained him to efface himself in this 
 fashion, for to be quite frank, he could not 
 stand that gentleman's society, much less his 
 songs and sentimental speeches.) 
 
 "I suppose," said Mr. Lisle, as he passed 
 the piano, — Helen's own property, — '' that 
 that is Quentin' s last new ditty," indicating a 
 
i82 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 piece on tlie music stand. " I know it's just 
 in his line, ' Told in the Twilight.' 
 
 *' Yes." 
 
 *' I'm sure it gives him great pleasure coming 
 over here, and listening to your music ? " 
 
 "I believes he derives some enjoyment 
 from his own singing also," she replied, 
 demurely, — remembering the hours that she 
 had toiled over his accompaniments. '' Are 
 you musical ? " 
 
 " In theory only, not in practice. I am 
 very fond of listening to a string band, or to 
 good instrumental performers, but as far as 
 I'm concerned myself, I cannot play on a 
 comb, much less a Jew's-harp ! " 
 
 " I see " — glancing at some books — " that 
 you read. Miss Denis. May I ask where you 
 get your literature ? " 
 
 " Some from the library at Calcutta, — some 
 from Mr. Quentin." This latter announce- 
 ment was a shock. 
 
 '' Ah ! — I daresay his contributions are 
 more entertaining than instructive ! So you 
 read French novels ? " 
 
JiA'. LISLE FORGETS HIS DLNNER.' 183 
 
 "Oh, no!" — becoming scarlet — "I liave 
 never read any except a few French stories. 
 Miss Twigg picked out. Mr. Quentin merely 
 lends me books of poetry and magazines, 
 more solid reading I get elsewhere." 
 
 " Why do you read solid books ? " 
 
 " Chiefly to discover my own deplorable 
 ignorance, I live and unlearn," — and she 
 laughed. 
 
 '* Really " — also smiling — '* as how ? " 
 
 ''Well, for instance, until last week I was 
 under the impression that America had been 
 discovered by Christopher Columbus, m the 
 year 1492." 
 
 " I fancy that most people are still labour- 
 in 2^ under the same delusion." 
 
 ''But it is quite wrong" — shrugging her 
 shoulders — " it was found by Buddhist priests 
 in the fourth century, at least so says a book 
 tliat I have just finished, and there does not 
 seem to be the smallest doubt upon the 
 question in the author's mind." 
 
 "Miss Denis," said her listener, gravely, 
 " your reading is too deep for me, and I shall 
 
1 84 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 be quite afraid of you. The next time I see 
 you, you will be telling me that it is all a 
 mistake about the battle of Waterloo, that 
 there was no such person as Queen Elizabeth, 
 and that Ireland was first discovered by the 
 Japanese." 
 
 Helen laughed immoderately, and then 
 said, — 
 
 " Why Ireland of all places ? " 
 
 " I don't know, unless because it is gene- 
 rally the unexpected that happens with 
 regard to that country." 
 
 " Have you ever been there ? " 
 
 " Yes, frequently ; I've an uncle in the 
 Emerald Isle, who has carried on an ink 
 feud for years with my father, — but is gra- 
 cious enough to me." 
 
 '' And I've an aunt there, who is the 
 very reverse, for she never answers papa's 
 letters ! " 
 
 " Then supposing we make an exchange 
 of relatives ? " suggested Mr. Lisle. 
 
 Colonel Denis was quite astonished to hear 
 so much animated conversation and laughter 
 
MR. LISLE FORGETS HLS DLNNER. 185 
 
 ill his neiglibourhood, and could not see why 
 he should not have a share in whatever was 
 going on; but sbortl}^ after he made his ap- 
 pearance Mr. Lisle took his leave ; and. Helen 
 was really amazed, when she saw by the little 
 clock, that bis visit had lasted almost an. 
 hour ! 
 
 *' A very gentlemanly, agreeable man, no 
 matter ii^lio he is," said her father, after he 
 had sped the parting guest ; " Eh, Nell ? " 
 
 "■ Yes, papa." 
 • *' And 1 don't believe with Mrs. Creery, that 
 he is one of our fellow-countrymen, who are 
 obliged to roam the world over, — owing to 
 their invincible ignorance of the number of 
 kings, which go to a pack of cards," added 
 Colonel Denis as he picked up a newspaper, 
 and subsided into an arm-chair. 
 
 Mr. Lisle imparted the history of his visit 
 to his host that same evening after dinner. 
 
 ** And. what do you think of her now you 
 haveseenher in daylight?" asked. Mr. Jim, who 
 seemed anxious to have his friend's verdict. 
 
1 86 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 "Oh, that she is a pretty girl, of course 
 unspoiled as yet, and charmed with her sur- 
 roundings, and immensely delighted at 
 finding herself grown up, and mistress of 
 that bungalow, — which is her doll's house so 
 far." 
 
 *' And do you think she likes me ? " 
 
 " Yes ; of course I did not put the delicate 
 question point blank as your deputy, but I 
 daresay she does; for her own sake I hope 
 she won't get any further than liking ! " 
 
 '' You are frankness itself, my dear fellow, 
 and ivhj ? " 
 
 " Because she is much too good for you, 
 and you know it ! You have been in love 
 about fifty times already, and for pure lack 
 of something to do, are thinking of offering 
 the shell of your heart to this pretty penniless 
 child. She would accept it, — if she cared for 
 you, — ail grand serieux, and give hers in 
 return, for always ; but you, once your little 
 entrade was played out here, — say in three 
 months, — would sail away, leave her, and 
 
MR. LISLE LOR GETS LIIS ELA'.VER. 187 
 
 forget lier ! You have done it to dozens 
 according to your own confession ; — why not 
 
 again 
 
 P>j 
 
 The expression of tolerant amusement on 
 his hearer's face, rapidly gave way to indig- 
 nation, and he said, with much asperity, — 
 
 " This is vastly fine ! You are uncommonly 
 eloquent on behalf of Miss Helen's maiden 
 affections ; you beat old Parks in a common 
 walk ! One would imagine that I was some 
 giant Blunderbore who was going to eat 
 her ! Or that — " and he paused, and blew a 
 cloud of smoke into the air. 
 
 '* Or what ? " asked the other quietly. 
 
 " That you meant to enter the lists your- 
 self, since you will have it." 
 
 Mr. Lisle picked a crumb off the cloth, and 
 made no reply, and his companion pro- 
 ceeded, — 
 
 " But of course you know as well as I do 
 myself, that such an idea for yo7i., would be 
 all the same as if you went and hanged your- 
 self out of the big tree in Chatham ! " 
 
1 88 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 To this Mr. Lisle said nothing, but smoked 
 on for a long time in dead silence. At last 
 he got up, threw his napkin over the back of 
 his chair, and said, gravely, — 
 
 " If you are really in earnest for once, and 
 hope to win the girl, and marry her, — well and 
 good. I believe you will have all the luck 
 on your side; if on the other hand, you 
 merely intend to seize such a rich oppor- 
 tunity for amusing yourself, and playing 
 your old game — " 
 
 ^' What then ? " demanded Jim with a lazy 
 challenge in his eye. 
 
 "You will see what then?" rejoined the 
 other, standing up and looking at him fixedly, 
 with his hands grasping the back of his 
 chair. He remained in this attitude for fully 
 a minute, and neither of them spoke ; then 
 he turned abruptly, walked out into the 
 back verandah, and down the steps, and 
 away in the direction of the sea-shore. 
 
 Mr. Quentin took his cigar out of his 
 mouth, leant his head on one side, and lis- 
 
MR. LISLE FORGEIS II LS DINNER. 189 
 
 tened intently to Ins fast receding footsteps. 
 
 When tlieir final echo had died away, he 
 
 resumed his cheroot, with a careless shrug 
 
 of his shoulders. 
 
 "Did Lisle mean to threaten him ? " 
 It certainly looked uncommonly like it. 
 
190 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE FINGER OF FATE ! 
 
 " Gigantic shapes and shadows gleam. 
 Portentous through the night." 
 
 Longfellow, 
 
 Feom this time forward, Mr. Lisle occasionally 
 accompanied liis companion to Ross, and 
 listened to the band, and was even to be met 
 with at tennis parties, in brave defiance of 
 Mrs. Creery's frowns, and Miss Oaggett's 
 snubs. Helen noticed that be was tabooed, 
 and lost no opportunity of speaking to him 
 or smiling on him — but such opportunities 
 were rare. Mr. Quentin had a way, ac- 
 quired by long practice, — of elbowing away 
 all intruders from the vicinity of those whom 
 he delighted to honour ; and effectually intro- 
 duced his own large person between Helen 
 and any other swains, that might seek her 
 
THE FINGER OF FATE ! . 191 
 
 society; — in short, he monopohzecl her com- 
 pletely. Mr. Lisle had entirely abandoned 
 photography, shooting, and sailing, for the 
 very poor exchange of the role of a dis- 
 passionate spectator. Why did he come to 
 Eoss to see what he did not like ? his 
 friend's handsome face bent over the beauti- 
 ful Miss Denis, eliciting her smiles and merry 
 laughter. Naturally, like most lookers-on, 
 he saw a good deal — the envious outer circle 
 of young men, and Miss Caggett, who had long 
 ago made a truce with Helen, but who loved 
 her as little as of yore, and was about as fond 
 of her as any lady could be, who beheld her 
 rival appropriating her own special property 1 
 Still, she figuratively folded her enemy to 
 her bosom, and smothered her feelings won- 
 derfully, — but Mr. Lisle fathomed them. 
 Perhaps he had a fellow-feeling for her, who 
 knows ? It appeared to him, that the citadel 
 of Miss Denis's heart was carried at last ; and 
 who could wonder, that an inexperienced 
 school-girl would long hold out against 
 the artillery of Mr. Quentin's attractions ; 
 
192 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 attractions that had proved irresistible to so 
 many of her sex ! No, he noticed that she 
 coloured, and looked conscious whenever he 
 appeared, and was not that a sure symptom 
 that the outer fosse was taken ! Little did 
 he imagine, that the unfortunate young lady 
 felt exactly as if she were helplessly entan- 
 gled in the web of a huge spider, that she 
 would have given worlds, to rid herself from 
 this ever-hovering, ever overshadowing pre- 
 sence, — that so effectually kept any one she 
 wished to speak to aloof and out of reach. 
 Her natural good nature, and politeness, 
 prevented her from actually dismissing him, 
 and she had not the wit, or the experience to 
 get rid of him otherwise. — She had indeed 
 ventured on one or two timid hints, but with 
 regard to anything touching another person's 
 wishes, Mr. Jim had no very keen percep- 
 tions ; and with respect to his own company 
 being anything but ever welcome, he would 
 not have believed Miss Denis, even if she had 
 told him so in the plainest terms ! Why 
 should she be different to the rest of her 
 
THE FINGER OF FATE! 193 
 
 sex; they all liked him! So Mr. Quentin 
 kept his station by her side, by his own wish, 
 and by public concurrence. He immediately 
 joined her whenever she appeared, carried her 
 bat, her shawl, or her band programme, held 
 her tea-cup, walked home with her, and 
 visited her three or four times a week. It was 
 too tiresome, that he should be her invariable 
 companion, and vainly had she endeavoured 
 to break her chains, but he was older, and 
 more experienced, than she was, — and 
 thoroughly understood the art of making lier 
 conspicuous, and himself immovable ! Little 
 did Mr. Lisle guess, that Miss Denis would 
 have much perferred him as a companion. 
 Alas ! the world is full of contrariness. 
 
 Mr. ^Quentin appreciated Helen, because 
 she was difficult to fascinate, Helen appre- 
 ciated Mr. Lisle, because he held himself aloof, 
 and never gave any one the chance of 
 acquiring that familiarity, which notably 
 breeds contempt ! and Mr. Lisle was greatly 
 surprised to find, that he was exceedingly 
 envious of his friend, that he admired Helen 
 
 VOL. T. o 
 
194 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 Denis more than any girl lie had ever seen ! 
 But he admired, and stood afar off; no 
 thought of disloyalty to James Quentin. 
 No arriere ;p6nsee of that motto, ''All's fair 
 in love and war," ever entered his mind, he 
 was only sorry, as he said to himself, that he 
 was too late ! 
 
 • • • • • 
 
 The Settlement band played twice a week 
 in the little public gardens on Eoss, and their 
 strains were an irresistible summons to all 
 the (free) inhabitants. One special after- 
 noon, we notice Mrs. Home holding animated 
 converse with Mr. Latimer, in his cool, black 
 alpaca coat ; we see Mrs. Oreery enthroned on 
 a sofa (which she always provided) alone, 
 clad in a gorgeous combination of colours, 
 that could only have been achieved by a 
 daring soul ! "We observe Helen and Miss 
 Caggett in company — the latter had apolo- 
 gized for her outbreak. " It would not c?o," 
 she said to herself, " to be on bad terms with 
 the Denis girl, she was too popular, all the 
 men would be on her side, Captain Rodney, 
 
THE FINGER OF FATE! 195 
 
 Mr. Green, and that ugly Irishman, Dr. 
 Malone ; wretches who were always praising 
 her rival in her hearing ! A day or two after 
 the storm, she had gone to Helen, and begged 
 and implored her to forget a certain scene 
 between them in the forest above North Bay ; 
 declared that she would be miserable for life 
 if Helen was not her friend, that she would 
 rather have her little finger, than Mr. Quen- 
 tin's whole person, that she would sooner 
 marry the typical crossing-sweeper than him, 
 and that she had been very cross and bad- 
 tempered, and hoped that Helen would forget 
 an occasion that it would make her blush to 
 recall ! This was very fine, but lulio had 
 ever seen Miss Caggett blush ? However ^ 
 Helen was quite ready to accept the olive- 
 branch, and, like the school-boys, to say 
 "Pax." 
 
 There was a considerable gathering at the 
 band, including " Mr. Quentin and Co.," as 
 Mrs. Creery humorously called them. On 
 band nights, the former usually reclmed on 
 the sward, literally and figuratively at Helen's 
 
 2 
 
196 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 feet, but to-niglit this butterfly was occupied 
 (in quite a temporary manner) with a nice- 
 looking widow, who bad come over from 
 Rangoon to pay a visit to her sister, Mrs. 
 King, at Viper. People were walking about 
 in couples, standing in groups, and sitting 
 down in rows. Mrs. Creery (who did not 
 appreciate the solitude of greatness) nodded 
 to Helen to approach, and take a place beside 
 her, saying, rather patronizingly, as she 
 accepted the invitation, " So I hear that your 
 little bachelor's dinner went off quite nicely, 
 and that everything was eatable except the 
 ice pudding ! " 
 
 Helen felt annoyed, '' quite nicely " was in- 
 deed but faint praise, after all the trouble she 
 had taken, and the success that she flattered 
 herself she had achieved. 
 
 She made no reply, but became rather red. 
 
 "And you had Mr. Quentin, of course, and 
 the General, and Mr. Latimer, and Dr. Parks. 
 What champagne did you give them ; from 
 the mess, or the bazaar ? " 
 
 "Bazaar champagne! Oh, Mrs. Creery" 
 
THE FINGER OF FATE ! 197 
 
 — indignantly — " there is no sucli thing, is 
 there?" 
 
 " Yes, and why not ? I b eh eve no one can 
 tell the difference between it, and that expen- 
 sive stuff at the mess. I declare — " her 
 attention suddenly distracted to another 
 quarter — '' look at Mr. Lisle, in a respectable 
 suit of clothes" — glancing over to where that 
 gentleman was talking to three men. 
 
 '' Billy ! " she screamed to one of Mrs. 
 Home's little boys, " go over to Mr. Lisle, 
 and tell him that I want him at once." 
 "Fancy" — turning to Helen and speaking in a 
 tone of pious horror — '' those men are Euro- 
 pean convicts, tickets of leave, and allowed 
 to use the garden and library — a very unwise 
 indulgence. I quite set my face against it, 
 and so I've told the General. Of course 
 no decent person would speak to the wretches; 
 no one but a man like Lisle! " 
 
 "What have they been sent here for?" 
 asked her companion. 
 
 '* One for forgery, one for stabbing a 
 man, in a sailor's row in Calcutta, and one 
 
198 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 was, lie says, sent here by mistake ; but most 
 of them say iliai I AYell," raising lier voice, 
 " Mr. Lisle permit me to congratulate you on 
 your choice of companions." 
 
 '' Poor creatures ! They never have the 
 chance of exchanging a word with any one 
 but each other, it pleases them, and does me 
 no harm. Lots of worse fellows are at large, 
 — and prospering ! " 
 
 ''Oh, pray don't excuse yourself, Mr. 
 Lisle. Birds of a feather — you know the 
 adage." 
 
 " Yes, thank you, Mrs. Creery," making an 
 inclination of such exaggerated deference, 
 that Helen now understood what Miss 
 Caggett meant, when she said that he was 
 polite to rudeness. " You sent for me, Mrs. 
 Creery ? " — interrogatively. 
 
 " Yes, because I did not choose to see you 
 talking to those jail birds ! You can talk to 
 me instead." 
 
 Here was alluring invitation ! 
 
 '' Of course you know Miss Denis — but 
 only recently. You were late in welcoming 
 her to Port Blair!" 
 
2 HE FINGER OF FATE! 199 
 
 " I haye tlie pleasure of knowing Miss 
 Denis, but as to welcoming her to Port Blair, 
 such a proceeding would be altogether pre- 
 sumptuous on my part, and no doubt she 
 received a welcome, from the proper quarter." 
 And he once more bowed himself before Mrs. 
 Creery. 
 
 Helen could scarcely keep her countenance 
 when she met his eyes, and hastily turned off 
 her smiles by saying, — 
 
 '' I am sorry you could not dine with us 
 last night." 
 
 '' Mr. Lisle never dines out," replied the 
 elder lady, speaking precisely as if she was 
 Mr. Lisle' s interpreter. 
 
 ''Quentin is talking of getting up a dinner," 
 he said, " in fact he is rather full of it." 
 
 " Dinner ! Well, don't let him give it till 
 full moon. I hate crossing in the dark, and 
 be sure it is on a mutton-day ! " said the 
 elder lady authoritatively. (JST.B. Mutton 
 was only procurable once a week.) 
 
 " I will remember your suggestions, but 
 a good deal depends on the butler, and liis 
 inclination. He is rather an imperious 
 
2 0O A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 person, we have but little voice in the 
 domestic arrangements." 
 
 *' You! " — scornfully — " of course not; but 
 I should hope that Mr. Quentin is master of 
 his own house." 
 
 '' He leaves all to Abraham, and generally 
 everything has turned out well, — except per- 
 haps the writing of the menu ! Last time, 
 people were a little startled on glancing over 
 it, to see that they were going to partake of 
 ' Roast lion and jam pupps.' " 
 
 Helen laughed delightedly, but the elder 
 lady gravely said, '' Oh, roast loin and jam 
 puffs. "Well, that's the worst of not having 
 a lady in the house. Such mistakes never 
 happen in my establishment ! " 
 
 '' "Would you like to take a turn now. 
 Miss Denis ? " said Mr. Lisle, glancing at her 
 as he spoke. 
 
 " I daresay she would, and so would I,'* 
 returned Mrs. Creery briskly, rising and walk- 
 insf at the other side of him, an honour for 
 which he was by no means prepared. 
 
 " What is that unearthly noise? '* inquired 
 
THE FINGER OF FATE ! 
 
 Helen ; *' wliai are those sounds that nearly 
 drown the band ? '' 
 
 *' Yes; reminds me of a pig being killed," 
 rejoined Mr. Lisle; *'biit it is merely the 
 Andamese school-children on the beach. This 
 is the day that their wildb parents come to 
 see them ; they arrived this morning in a 
 big canoe, and doubtless brought all kinds 
 of nice, wholesome, dainty edibles for their 
 young people. They are sitting in a circle, 
 whooping and yelling, real hona fide 
 savages ! Would you like to come out and 
 see them ? " 
 
 " Certainly not," exclaimed Mrs. Creery, 
 indignantly. 
 
 At this moment they were joined by the 
 General and Captain Rodney, who bad just 
 entered the gardens. 
 
 '* Have you heard anything more about 
 that fellow, sir ? " inquired Mr. Lisle. 
 
 " No ; nothing as yet, but Adams and 
 King are doing their best. I fancy he has 
 taken to the busb." 
 
 " Oh ! then in that case, the Andamese 
 
2C2 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 will soon bring him in," observed Mr. 
 Latimer. '' That, or starvation ; roots and 
 berries won't keep soul and body together, 
 though many have tried the experiment." 
 
 " What ! wliai is all this about ? What 
 do you mean ? " inquired Mrs. Creery, ex- 
 citedly. 
 
 *' Oh ! rather a bad business at Hadow 
 last night. One of the convicts killed a 
 warder, and has got away," replied the 
 General. 
 
 " How did it happen ? " 
 
 "It seems that this fellow, Aboo Salt, a 
 Mahomed an, has always been an unusually 
 bad lot. A few months ago, he nearly beat 
 out the brains of another convict with his 
 hoe, merely excusing himself on the plea 
 that he was tired of life, and wanted to be 
 hanged. However, as his victim recovered, 
 we were unable to oblige him, and he was 
 heard to say that he would do for a white 
 man next time ! Last night, just before 
 they went to section, he was missed, and 
 one of the warders was sent to look for him ; 
 but as he did not return, a general search 
 
TFIE FINGER OF FATE! 
 
 was made, and the warder was found on liis 
 face among tlie reeds, stabbed througli the 
 heart, and Aboo was still missing." 
 
 "I'm glad he is on the mainland!" 
 ejaculated Mrs. Creery, with a shudder. '' I 
 would not change places with Mrs. Manners 
 for a trifle ! " 
 
 '' Then he is not so desirous of being 
 executed as you imagined," said Mr. Lisle. 
 '' He did not give himself up." 
 
 '' Not he ! " rejoined the General. '' Life 
 is sweet; his threats meant nothing." 
 
 ''Perhaps he has gone off to sea," sug- 
 gested Colonel Denis. " I know they have 
 all a foolish notion that those far-away 
 islands are India, and that the steamboat 
 that brings them here, merely goes round 
 and round for a few days to deceive them, 
 — they being below under hatches." 
 
 '' No fear of his taking to the water, 
 Colonel," replied the Greneral. " I have put 
 a stop to that little game with the boats, and 
 no convict crew can now take out a boat, 
 unless the owner, or some European, is with 
 them. The rascals went off with no end of 
 
20; A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 boats, and got picked up at sea as ship- 
 wrecked lascars, &c. Two even got so far 
 north as London, in the affecting character 
 of ' castaways.' " 
 
 " And how did they fare there ? " inquired 
 Helen. 
 
 " In princely style, by their own account, 
 they would like to repeat the visit ; they were 
 fed and clothed and feted and supplied with 
 money ; they actually went to the theatre, 
 and had their photographs taken — the last 
 a fatal snare — but they were vain ! The 
 moment they landed in Bombay, thanks to 
 their photos., the police wanted them, sent 
 them back to us,— and here they are ! " 
 
 '' Yes, the boats were a great temptation ; 
 but now they go off on logs," said Mr. 
 Latimer, " and even take to the sea in 
 chains ; the Malays, especially, can swim 
 like fisb. However, their fellow-convicts are 
 getting too sharp for them : the reward of 
 five rupees puts them on their mettle." 
 
 *' Too much on their mettle, sometimes ! " 
 protested Mrs. Graham, who had joined the 
 group. '' Last monsoon, my boatmen nearly 
 
THE FINGER OE FATE ! 
 
 205 
 
 capsized the boat one evening I was return- 
 ing from church. What between the run- 
 away's struggles to escape, and their 
 determination to land him, once or twice we 
 were all within a point of going over. My 
 screams and expostulations were quite 
 useless ! " 
 
 " The natives are very sharp after con- 
 victs, too," said the Greneral, " and I'll 
 double the reward this time ; it's not pleasant 
 to leave such a scoundrel as Aboo Sait 
 loafing round the settlements, — especially as 
 he is armed ! " 
 
 " Miss Denis," turning to Helen, '' there 
 is a very singular object in the sky to-night, 
 which I'm sure you have never seen ; we 
 call it Moses' Horn. Lisle, you should 
 take her up the hill, and let her see it before 
 it fades. I've a lot of work to do, and I'm 
 going home," (to Helen) " or I would not 
 depute any one to exhibit this rather rare 
 sight." 
 
 In compliance with the General's sug- 
 gestioji, Helen and Mr. Lisle left the little 
 gardens together (despite Mrs. Creery's 
 
A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 angry signals to tlie former), and walked up 
 to tlie flag-staff, and surveyed ttie sea and 
 sky, and beheld a long purple streak extend- 
 ing from the south, and pointing as it were 
 directly to the island. It was very sharply 
 defined, and gigantic in size, and had to 
 Helen rather an awful, and supernatural 
 appearance. 
 
 ^'Itis shaped like a finger," she said at 
 last. " I never saw anything so strange ! " 
 
 " Yes, the finger of fate," agreed her com- 
 panion, '' and if I were superstitious, I would 
 say that it was pointing straight at us. 
 Perhaps there may be some remote connec- 
 tion between our planets; perhaps they are 
 identical." 
 
 As they stood gazing, the phenomenon 
 gradually melted away before their eyes, and 
 was replaced by the moon, which now 
 rose out of the sea like a huge fire 
 balloon ! 
 
 " The moon is irrepressible out here," 
 remarked Mr. Lisle, " she seems always to 
 the fore." 
 
THE FINGER OF FATE ! 207 
 
 "So mucli tlie better," replied Helen, 
 " these Eastern niglits are splendid. I 
 wonder, by the way, why the moon has always 
 been spoken of by the feminine gender." 
 
 " As the Lady Moon ? Oh ! that question 
 is easily answered : — Because she is never 
 the same two days running." 
 
 " Now, Mr. Lisle, I call that rude — a base 
 reflection on my sex. I don't believe we are 
 half as changeable as yours. 
 
 " ' One foot on sea and one on shore, 
 To one thing constant never.' 
 
 Pray, to whom does that refer ? " and she 
 looked at him interrogatively. 
 
 " I could give you a dozen quotations on 
 the other side, but I will spare you ; it is my 
 opinion that women are as changeable as 
 weathercocks." 
 
 " An opinion founded on your own expe- 
 rience?" 
 
 '* Well, no, I am wise ; 1 profit by the 
 experience of my friends." 
 
 '' Oh ! " rather scornfully, " second-hand 
 things are never valuable ! " 
 
2o8 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 Mr. Lisle laughed and said, " Well, don't 
 let us quarrel. What did we start with ? Oh ! 
 the moon ;" and gazing over at that orb, he 
 added, " I, too, can repeat poetry, Miss Denis, 
 and this seems just a fitting place to quote. 
 
 "'Larger constellations burning — mellow moons and 
 happy skies ; 
 Breadths of tropic shade, and palms in clusters — 
 knots of paradise.' " 
 
 This was an apt quotation, and exactly 
 illustrated the scene before them. The loud 
 striking of a clock aroused these two people 
 from a rather reflective silence ; it recalled 
 them sharply from day dreams to the dinner- 
 hour ! And, after a little desultory con- 
 versation, they retraced their steps, and re- 
 joined the crowd in the gardens just as the 
 band was playing '' God Save the Queen." 
 
THE WRECK. 209 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE WEECK. 
 The direful spectacle of the wreck. 
 
 TemiwM. 
 
 It may be among the facts not generally 
 known, that the Andaman seas and shores 
 are wealthy in shells ; and people who grum- 
 ble at being despatched to do duty at the 
 settlement are usually consoled by their 
 friends (who are not accompanying them,) 
 saying, " Oh, it's a charming place ! if you 
 have a taste for conchology, you will have 
 any quantity of shelling." 
 
 In most cases, the shelling is angrily re- 
 pudiated, and yet the chances are, that once 
 arrived upon the scene of action, and stimu- 
 lated by general example and keen emulation, 
 the new-comers will develop into the most 
 unwearying, rabid, and greedy, of shellers ! 
 
 VOL. I. r 
 
A BIRD OF FASSA GE. 
 
 When I say a greed j sbeller, I refer to 
 an individual who, when tide, wind and moon 
 favours, will secretly take boat, and steal 
 away to the most likely parts of Corvyn's 
 Cove, or some favourite reef at Navy Bay, 
 and there reaping a rich and solitary har^ 
 vest, return with barefaced triumph, and 
 swagger, dripping up the pier, between two 
 lines of outraged acquaintances, with a 
 shameless air of, — 
 
 '' Ah, ha ! see what I have got ! " 
 From the General, down to Billy Home, 
 every one went shelling at Port Blair, and 
 some of these "shell maniacs" (as Mrs.Creery 
 dubbed them) had superb and valuable collec- 
 tions. There was as much excitement and 
 competition over a day's quest, as would be 
 expended on covert shooting or salmon fish- 
 ing at home. It was not merely a frivolous 
 picking up of pretty objects ; it was a nqv^ 
 serious business. The finder of the rarest 
 shells was the hero of the hour : the owner 
 of "ring" cowries was a person of re- 
 pute ! 
 
THE WRECK. 211 
 
 Behold, tlien, one afternoon, a few days 
 after tlie band, two large rowing-boats wait- 
 ing at the pier for sliellers ! and kindly notice 
 the party coming down to embark. An in- 
 experienced eye would naturally assume that 
 they were all going to bathe, for each indi- 
 vidual carries a bag and a couple of bath 
 towels — to put round the back of their heads 
 as they stoop in the sun. Their garments 
 are whole, indeed, and quite good enough for 
 the occasion, but how faded, and shrunken, 
 and cockled with sea-water! Their boots — 
 but no, we will draw a veil over these. To 
 be brief, the appearance of the company is 
 the reverse of distinguished. In a few short 
 happy hours they will return : they will be all 
 soaking in water from the waist downwards. 
 (Luckily, wading about in the nice, warm 
 sea is rather pleasant after the first plunge, 
 and people in the excitement of shelling are 
 insiduously drawn in deeper and deeper still.) 
 Yes, by six o'clock, if all goes well, we shall 
 see the company of shellers, returning like a 
 party of half drowned rats ; but there will be 
 p 2 
 
A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 no shyness, no reluctance, in their progress up 
 the pier; without the least diffidence, they 
 will run the gauntlet of all the idlers, with an 
 air of lofty pride, born of the noble spoils 
 they usually carry. Have they not in their 
 bags such treasures as '' woodcocks," '' stair- 
 cases," '' tigers," and " poached eggs " ! We 
 spare the reader the Latin names of these 
 rarities. 
 
 To-day, the General (a keen sheller,) is 
 going, also Mr. Latimer, Captain Rodney, 
 Dr. Parks, Miss Caggett, Dr. Malone, Colonel 
 Home, Colonel and Miss Denis, and last, but 
 by no means least, Mrs. Creery (and Nip). 
 She does not condescend to shell, but 
 she goes on principle, as she rarely suffers 
 an expedition to leave Ross without her 
 patronage. 
 
 Colonel Denis and his daughter came 
 hurrying down, just as the party were about 
 to descend the steps. 
 
 '' Good gracious, Helen ! " cried Mrs. 
 Creery, '* you are never going to shell in 
 
THE WRECK. 213 
 
 that dress!" speaking exactly as if it were 
 her own property. 
 
 " No, no," shaking her head, and exhibit- 
 ing a small block and paint box. " Have you 
 forgotten that you are to leave me on the 
 wreck to sketch ? ' ' 
 
 '* Oh, true, so we are. Well, get in, do I 
 My dear, you are keeping us all waiting." 
 
 In another two minutes the boats were full, 
 and rowing away across the water with long, 
 steady strokes ; then up the estuary, be- 
 tween the wooded hills of Mount Harriet 
 on one hand, and Hadow — where the lepers 
 were kept — at the other, past the little isle of 
 Chatham, where, according to a legend (for 
 which I wilJ not vouch), eighty convicts 
 were hanged on yon old tree, one May 
 morning, and round the bend, till they were 
 in siQfht of the wreck, a lars^e three-masted 
 ship, stranded on the muddy shallows, cast 
 away there, by some terrible cyclone as it tore 
 its way up the Bay of Bengal. Her history 
 was unknown, for she was already there when 
 the Andamans were opened up, where she 
 
214 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 came from, and what had been the fate of her 
 crew and passengers — would never now be 
 learned. From her rigging, it was guessed that 
 she was of American build, — but that was all. 
 Even in the brilliant afternoon light, she 
 appeared grey and weird, with her skeleton 
 gear aloft, and her dark, wide-open ports, look- 
 ing like so many hollow eyes, as she lay among 
 the tall bullrushes, sheathed in seaweed. Her 
 cabins and deck were intact, and she had been 
 used as a hulk in former years, till, being the 
 scene of a ghastly tragedy, and other prisons 
 having been built, she was once more aban- 
 doned to the barnacles and the rats. She 
 seemed much larger, and more awe-inspiring 
 at close quarters ; and as they rowed under 
 her stern, Helen, in her secret heart, was 
 rather sorry, that she had been so determined 
 to spend two hours upon the wreck alone ; 
 that all the way dow^n she had jeered and 
 laughed at Dr. Malone's warnings of cock- 
 roaches and ghosts. HoAvever, there was 
 no possibility of changing her mind now^ 
 
THE WRECK. 215 
 
 especially with Lizzie Caggett's inquiring 
 eyes bent upon her — Lizzie, who was 
 mentally revelling in the prospect of the 
 undivided attentions of all Miss Denis' ad- 
 mirers, for the next two hours ! 
 
 " Now that it has come to the pinch, I 
 believe you are afraid," she remarked, witii 
 a malicious smile. 
 
 The only reply that Helen vouchsafed to 
 this taunt, was by immediately standing up. 
 Greatly to her surprise, Mrs. Creery also 
 rose, saying, — 
 
 '' I think I'll go with you ! Nip is fond 
 of sniffing among old timber, and he hates 
 shelling, like his mistress," 
 
 No one clamoured against ihciv departure, 
 and Helen was for once in her life glad of 
 Mrs. Creery's society, and grateful to Nip. 
 The two ladies were presently helped over 
 the side, (Nip being cautiously carried up by 
 the scruff of his neck,) and the party were 
 left by themselves To the last. Dr. Malone 
 pressed Helen to "think better of it, a 
 
2i6 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 quarter of an hour will be more than ample, 
 you will see." 
 
 At this prophecy, she merely shook her 
 head, and showed her sketch-book. 
 
 '^ I should not Avonder if we find you both 
 in the rigging, when we come back ! " he 
 shouted, as the boat rowed off, and making a 
 speaking-trumpet of his hands, he added, 
 " she's full of rats ! " 
 
 As the sound of oars grew fainter and 
 fainter, Helen went to the bows, from 
 whence she hoped to make her sketch, and 
 stood silently looking at the view — at the 
 wooded hills casting deep shadows into the 
 glassy water, at the arm of the sea they 
 had just come up, and out in the open ocean 
 like a green gem in a silver setting — the 
 distant island of Ross. It was undoubtedly, 
 as Mr. Latimer had suggested, a capital place 
 for a sketch, and she must lose no time, 
 and make the most of the light whilst it 
 lasted. So she got out her paint-box and im- 
 mediately set to work ; but, — and here I 
 
THE WRECK. 217 
 
 appeal specially to artists, — is it easy to draw, 
 with a large solar topee thrust over your 
 right shoulder, and a voice perpetually in 
 your ear, saying, — 
 
 '' Oh, you are not making Ross nearly 
 high enough ! Surely that point is never 
 meant for Hopetown ? those trees are too far 
 apart ; and Chatham is crooked ! " 
 
 Helen was almost beside herself, every 
 stroke was rudely criticized, and Mrs. Creery 
 emphasized her remarks with her chin, which 
 was nearly as sharp as that of the Ducbess 
 in Wonderland. At length she turned her 
 attention elsewhere, much to her victim's 
 relief, and began to investigate, and poke 
 about among old spars and rubbish. 
 
 After a delightful respite, Helen heard 
 her calling out, — 
 
 " I see a little boat coming this way, with 
 two men in it — no, one man is a dog ; 
 it's from Navy Bay, and is sure to be Mr. 
 Manners'. I'll wave and beckon him here, 
 for it's very dull for me ! " 
 
 Accordingly Mrs. Creery' s handkerchief 
 
2i8 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 (wliicli was the size of an ordinary towel,) was 
 seen being violently agitated over the side, 
 and met with an immediate response, for 
 tlie little boat rowed by one man, with one 
 dog passenger, was soon within easy hail. 
 
 " I do declare," cried Mrs. Creery 
 peevishly, " if it is not that odious Mr. Lisle ! 
 I never wanted liim'' However, wanted or 
 not, he was already alongside, looking up at 
 the bulwarks expectantly. 
 
 "Oh! it's you, Mrs. Creery! can I be of 
 any service to you ? " 
 
 '^ I thought it was Mr. Manners," she called 
 down in an aggrieved tone. '' I never dreamt 
 of its being ijoiil However, yoa may come 
 up," speaking precisely as if she were in her 
 own verandah. 
 
 Mr. Lisle did not look as if he was going 
 to seize this niggardly invitation ; on the 
 contrary, he took a firmer hold of the sculls, 
 glanced over his shoulder, and was evidently 
 about to depart, when Mrs. Creery casually 
 remarked, as if it were a mere afterthought, — 
 
 " Oh ! by the way. Miss Denis is here too, 
 sketchino'." 
 
THE WRECK. 219 
 
 Apparently this intelligence altered the 
 case, for the gentleman paused, rested on his 
 oars, and said rather nonchalantly, — 
 
 " Very well, I shall come aboard — since 
 you wish it so particularly ! " and, rowing 
 round, made fast his boat, and was soon 
 on deck, closely followed by a big brown 
 retriever. 
 
 " Oh, dear me ! " cried Mrs. Creery, lifting 
 up her hands. "So you have brought that 
 nasty dog ! he is sure to fight with Nip." 
 
 " Not he, I will be security for his good 
 conduct, And bow are you getting on, 
 Miss Denis ? " to Helen, who was shyly 
 hiding her drawing with her arm. 
 
 " Not at all well ; I am not accustomed to 
 sketching, and my attempt here is such a 
 libel on the view, that I am quite ashamed 
 to let you see it, but it" (apologetically,) 
 " seems a pity not to try and take away some 
 recollections of these lovely islands." 
 
 "Yes, you are quite right; and I shall be 
 very glad to give you some photographs, 
 that is, if you would care for them — they 
 don't give the colours, of course." 
 
2 20 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 (At this offer Mrs. Creery became rigid, 
 and gave a little warning cough.) 
 
 "But," taking up Helen's sketch, "this 
 is not at all bad ! Your perspective is a bit 
 out here, and you have not got the right 
 shade in the sea ! " 
 
 "I know it is all frightful; sea, and land, 
 and sky," returned Helen, colouring, " I am 
 sure you can draw, Mr. Lisle; please have 
 the charity to do something to it for me, and 
 make it look less like a thing on a tea-tray," 
 holding her box, and brushes, towards him 
 as she spoke. 
 
 Mr. Lisle, without another word, laid the 
 block upon the bulwarks, gazed for a moment 
 at the scene, and then dashed in two or three 
 effective strokes, with what even Mrs. Creery 
 (who had, of course, followed up the sketch,) 
 could see was a master's hand. 
 
 Helen's pale, meek, school-girl attempt 
 received in three minutes, another complexion; 
 with a few rapid touches, a glow of the 
 setting sun lit up the sky, and threw out in 
 bold relief the dark promontory of Mount 
 
THE WRECK. 221 
 
 Harriet ; a touch to the sea and it became sea, 
 (no longer mere green paper), palms, and 
 gurgeon trees, appeared as if by magic ; 
 Helen had never seen anything like the trans- 
 formation. She almost held her breath as she 
 gazed — not quite so closely as the elder lady, 
 whose topee was in its old place ; — why, the 
 drawing-master at Miss Twigg's, could not 
 paint a quarter as well as Mr. Lisle ; who 
 now looked at the view, with his head on 
 one side, and then glanced at Helen, amused 
 at the awe and admiration depicted on her 
 countenance. 
 
 " Yes, ihai^s more like it ! " cried Mrs. 
 Creery, encouragingly. " I told you, you 
 know," to Helen, " that your sea was too 
 green, and flat, and your perspective all 
 wrong ! I know a good deal about drawing 
 myself." (May she be forgiven for this fable !) 
 " My sister, Lady Grubb, is a beautiful artist, 
 and has done some lovely Decalcomanie vases; 
 but ^01^ paint very nicely, too, Mr. Lisle, really 
 quite as well as most drawing-masters ! " 
 Then, looking suddenly round, ''but all this 
 
222 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 time where is ISTip ? I do believe that he has 
 followed that horrible brute of yours down 
 into the cabins ! " 
 
 " Not at all likely, Mrs. Creery, you know 
 that they are not affinities ; Nip has followed 
 his own inquisitive impulses, for Hero," 
 moving aside, '• is here." 
 
 " Well, where can he be ? ' Nip, Nip, 
 Nip ? ' " walking away in search of her 
 treasure. 
 
 "He is not lo%t^ at any rate," muttered 
 Mr. Lisle, " no such luck." Then, in a louder 
 tone, " Is not this a strange, out-of- the- world 
 place ? " to Helen, who was watching his 
 busy brush, with childlike interest. " If I 
 had been suddenly asked about the Anda- 
 mans, a couple of years ago, I should have 
 been puzzled to say whether they were a 
 place, a family of that name, or something to 
 eat^ — wouldn't you ? " 
 
 " Not quite so bad as that," smiling. 
 
 " Oh, of course, pardon me — I forgot that 
 you are a young lady of most unusual 
 information." 
 
THE V/RECK. 
 
 " No, no, no, I knew liofcliing about them, 
 I candidly confess, till papa came liere." 
 
 '' They certainly well repay a visit," con- 
 tinued lier companion, painting away steadily 
 as he spoke, '' tliere is a sort of Arcadian sim- 
 plicity, a kind of savage solitude, an absence 
 of worry, and not tlie slightest liurry about 
 anytliing, that has wonderful charms forme." 
 
 '^ Then I suppose you are naturally lazy, 
 and would like to bask in the sun all day, and 
 have one person to brush away the flies, and 
 another to do your thinking." 
 
 " Miss Denis," suddenly looking up at her, 
 with mock indignation, ''you speak as if you 
 were alluding to one of the animals of the 
 lower creation ; — what have I done to deserve 
 this ? I deny the impeachment of laziness. 
 ' Coming, sir,' my servant, will testify that I 
 am out every morning at half-past five ; 
 neither am I idle, but I like to spend my 
 time in my own way, not to be driven hither 
 and thither by dinner gongs, and railway 
 bells, and telegrams. I like to pull my neck 
 out from under the social yoke, — to carry out 
 
224 A BIRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 your uncomplimentary simile, and figuratively, 
 to graze a bit ! " 
 
 Helen made no reply, but leant lier chin 
 on her hand, and looked down abstractedly 
 at the water for some time ; twice her com- 
 panion glanced np, and saw that she was 
 still buried in reflection. At last he said, 
 <'I would not presume to purchase your 
 thoughts. Miss Denis, but perhaps you will 
 be so generous as to share them with me ? " 
 
 " You might not like them ! Some of them 
 were about yourself," and she laughed rather 
 confusedly. 
 
 *' And may I not ascertain whether I 
 approve of them or not ? " 
 
 " You may, if you will promise not to be 
 offended." 
 
 " I promise in the most solemn manner ; I 
 swear by bell,book, and candle ; and I am very 
 much honoured that you should think of me 
 ai all ! " 
 
 "You are laughing at me, Mr. Lisle," she 
 said, colouring vividly ; divining a lurking 
 sarcasm in this speech. 
 
THE WRECK. 
 
 '' I am dumb, and indeed I have no 
 business to criticize you even in my thoughts, 
 much less to your face ! " — 
 
 '' Speak out plainly, Miss Denis," he inter- 
 rupted eagerly; ''let me have your views, 
 good and bad, or bad alone." 
 
 '' It is very presumptuous in me I know — I 
 am only a girl, and you are a great deal older 
 than I am — but it seems to me, tliat every one 
 has some place of their own in the world allot- 
 ted to them — some special duty to fulfil — "here 
 her listener glanced at her sharply, but her 
 eyes were bent unconsciously on the water, and 
 she did notnotehis gaze — "surely it is scarcely 
 right, to shirk one's share of all the toil, and 
 the struggling in the outer world, and the 
 chances of helping one's fellow- creatures, in 
 ways however small, — just for the selfish 
 pleasure of being securely moored from all 
 annoyances, among these sleepy islands ! " 
 
 She stopped, and looked up afc him rather 
 timidly, with considerably heightened colour, 
 and added, in answer to his unusually grave 
 face, and stare of steadfast surprise, — 
 
 VOL. I. Q 
 
2 26 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 '^ I can see tliat you think me a very imperti- 
 nent girl, and will never speak to me again ; 
 but you would have my thoughts, and there 
 they are, just as they entered my head ! " 
 
 " I think you are a brave and noble young 
 lady, Miss Denis, and you have taught me a 
 lesson that I shall certainly take to heart. 
 I cara'e^here for six weeks, and have stayed 
 nearly six months, enjoying this lotus-eating 
 existence, oblivious of my place in the world, 
 and my duty, — and I have duties elsewhere ; 
 thank you for reminding me of them, and 
 indeed my relations are beginning to think 
 that I am lost, or have fallen a prey to 
 cannibals." 
 
 Here was Mr. Lisle speaking of his belong- 
 ings and his plans for once, — oh, why was 
 not Mrs. Creery on the spot ? 
 
 However, she was not far off, and her 
 shrill cry of " Nip, Nip, Nip ! where are you, 
 Nip ? " was coming nearer and nearer. 
 
BLUE BEARD'S CHAMBER. 227 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 '' BLUE BEx^ED's chamber." 
 
 " I doubt some danger does approach you nearly." 
 
 Macbeth. 
 
 " He must be in the saloon ! " cried Mrs. 
 Creery. '' I've hunted the whole ship, and 
 I'm sure he has gone down. You," to Mr. 
 Lisle, " will have to go after him ; I dare 
 not, it looks so dark." 
 
 To explore the rat-haunted cabins of this 
 old hulk in search of ''Nip," was bj no 
 means an errand to Mr. Lisle' s taste; he 
 would infinitely have preferred to remain 
 sketching on the bulwarks, and conversing 
 with Helen Denis. However, of course he 
 had no alternative. Go he must ! Some- 
 what to his surprise, the young lady said, — 
 
 " I shall go too ; the ports are open, there 
 Q 2 
 
A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 will be plenty of light, and I want to inves- 
 tigate the cabins downstairs." 
 
 ''You bad much better not, mind! you 
 will only dirty your dress," urged Mrs. Creery 
 dissuasively, but Helen's slim white figure, 
 had already vanished down the companion- 
 ladder, in the wake of Mr. Lisle. 
 
 At first it was as dark as Erebus — after 
 coming out of the glare above — but as their 
 eyes became accustomed to the gloom, there 
 was sufiicient light from the open stern 
 windows, to show that they were standing in 
 a long narrow saloon, with numerous cabins 
 at either side. 
 
 " It looks quite like the steamer I came 
 out in ! " exclaimed the young lady. (Any- 
 thing but a compliment to a first-class P. 
 and 0.) '' That is to say, the length and 
 shape. There are tables, too ! " (These had 
 not been worth removing, and were fastened 
 to the floor.) 
 
 " It was used as a prison long ago, I 
 believe," said Mr. Lisle. 
 '' Yes, and—" 
 
''BLUE BEARD'S CHAMBERS 229 
 
 Helen was about to 'add that murder had 
 been done there, but somethinof froze the 
 sentence on her lips ; it seemed scarcely the 
 time and place to speak of iliai. 
 
 "Nip, Nip, Nip!" cried his infatuated 
 mistress, who had cautiously descended to 
 the foot of the stairs, holding her petticoats 
 tightly swathed round her. *' Where are you, 
 you naughty dog ? Ah ! " shrieking and 
 skipping surprisingly high, ''I'm sure that 
 was a rat ! " 
 
 " Not at all unlikely," rejoined Mr. Lisle, 
 rattling noisily along the wainscot with a bit 
 of stick — whilst Mrs. Creery hurriedly with- 
 drew up half a dozen steps, where she 
 remained plaintively calling " Nip, Nip, 
 Nip ! " Miss Denis had meanwhile been 
 looking out of the stern windows on the now 
 moonlit water, the tall bulrushes, and the 
 wooded shores ; and here in a few moments, 
 she was joined by her fellow-explorer, who 
 Avas examining something in his hand. 
 
 " See what I have found ! " he said. 
 " When I was hammering the old boarding 
 
230 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 just now, a plank fell ^way, and this thing 
 rolled out. I believe," wiping it in his hand- 
 kerchief as he spoke, and tendering it for 
 her inspection, ''that it is a woman's ring." 
 
 *' A ring ! so it is," returned Helen ; " and 
 it looks like gold." 
 
 " Oh, yes ! it's gold right enough, I fancy, 
 and must have belonged to one of the pas- 
 sengers of this ship." 
 
 " I wonder who wore it last," turning it 
 over. " I wish it could speak and tell us its 
 history, and how many years it is since it 
 was lost." 
 
 '' It was a woman's ring; you see it would 
 only just fit my little finger," observed Mr. 
 Lisle, putting it on as he spoke, " now try 
 it on yours." Helen slipped it on — it fitted 
 perfectly. 
 
 '' It is an old Posey or betrothal ring, — 
 at any rate it resembles one that my mother 
 used to wear ! " 
 
 " Helen and Mr. Lisle ! what are you 
 doing ? " screamed Mrs. Creery. " You are 
 chattering away there, and not helping me 
 one bit." She was standing on the 
 
''BLUE BEARD'S CHAMBERS 231 
 
 ladder exactly as they had left her. " You 
 have never searched in the cabins ! He may 
 be shut up in one of them ; try those opposite, 
 Helen ! Do you hear me ? " 
 
 Thus recalled to their duty, Mr. Lisle now 
 undertook to inspect one side of the saloon, 
 and his companion the other. — All the com- 
 partments that Helen had examined ^Ncre 
 empty so far, — but she came at last to one, 
 — with a closed door ! 
 
 " Take care ! it may be Blue Beard's 
 closet," suggested Mr. Lisle facetiously, as 
 he looked in and out of cabins in his own 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 Helen laughed, turned the handle and 
 entered, the moon shone clear through the 
 paneless port, and showed her a cabin exactly 
 similar to the others — ^just two wooden 
 worm-eaten bunks, and that was all. Behind 
 the door — ah ! a little song she was humming, 
 died away upon her lips, and she uttered a 
 stifled exclamation, as her startled eyes fell 
 upon a tall, powerful man in convict's dress, 
 in short, no less a person than Aboo Sait ! 
 In a twinkling, his grasp was on her throat, 
 
A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 crushing lier savagely against the ^vall. 
 Vain indeed were her struggles, he was 
 strangling her with iron hands ; his fierce, 
 turbaned face, was within an inch of hers, 
 she felt his hot breath upon her cheek ! She 
 could not scream or move, her hands fell 
 nerveless at her sides, her sight was failing, 
 hearing seemed to be the only sense that 
 had not deserted her ! she could distinctly 
 catch the faint, irregular lapping of the 
 water against the old ship's sides, and Mrs. 
 Oreery's querulous voice calling " Nip, Nip, 
 Mp ! " whilst slie was dying ! 
 
 "Well, have you found Blue Beard or 
 Nip?" demanded Mr. Lisle, pushing back 
 the door as he spoke. '' Good God ! " 
 
 In another instant, she was released ; she 
 breathed again. That awful grip was off 
 her throat, for with one well-delivered blow 
 Aboo's prey was wrenched from his grasp, 
 and he himself, sent staggering across the 
 cabin, but his repulse was merely momentary ; 
 the convict was armed with a knife ; — the 
 knife, — in a second it shone in his hand, and 
 
''BLUE BEARUS CHAMBERr 233 
 
 with a tigerish bound he flung himself on 
 the new comer. 
 
 And now within the narrow space of that 
 cabin, commenced such a struggle for life 
 and death as has seldom been witnessed. 
 Mr. Lisle was a middle-sized, well-made, 
 athletic Englishman, endowed with iron 
 muscles, and indomitable pluck — but he was 
 over-matched by the convict, in bone and 
 weight. Aboo was six foot two, as wiry as a 
 panther, as lithe as a serpent, and all his efforts 
 were edged by the fatal fact, that lie had 
 everything to gain, and everything to lose ! 
 
 The issue of this conflict meant to him, 
 liberty, and his very existence on one hand, 
 and Yiper Island, and the gibbet, on the 
 other. — Win he must, — since the stake was 
 
 his LIFE ! 
 
 They wrestle silently to and fro, finally 
 out of the cabin, locked in a deadly embrace. 
 The Englishman, though stabbed in the arm, 
 had succeeded in clutching the convict's 
 right wrist, so that for the moment, that 
 sharp gleaming weapon is powerless ! Aboo, 
 
234 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 on liis side, holds liis antagonist in a wolfish 
 grip by the throat — they sway, they struggle, 
 they slide and stagger, on the oozy floor of 
 the saloon. At the moment, the advantage 
 is with Aboo Sait — if he gets the chance, he 
 will strangle this Feringhee devil, and cut 
 the throat of that white-faced girl, — who is 
 still leaning against the cabin wall, faint and 
 breathless ! 
 
 But he has not reckoned on another 
 female ! A female, who has ceased to call 
 *'Nip, Nip, Nip, Nip," and has now rushed 
 up on deck Avith out- stretched arms, shrieking, 
 '' Mnrder ! murder ! murder ! " 
 
 " Fly, save yourself ! " gasped Mr. Lisle to 
 Helen, at the expense of an ugly wound in 
 the neck ; she cannot fly ; a kind of hideous 
 spell holds her to the spot, gazing on the 
 scene before her, with eyes glazed with horror. 
 Her very hair seems rising from her head, for 
 she is perfecty certain, that murder will be 
 done ; the convict will kill Mr. Lisle, and she 
 will be an involuntary witness of the awful 
 deed ! And yet she cannot move, nor shake 
 
''BLUE BEARD'S CHAMBERr 235 
 
 off tliis frightful nightmare : she is, as it were, 
 chained to her place. But hark ! her ears 
 catch distant singing, and the rise and fall 
 of oars. This familiar noise is the signal 
 of her release — the spell is broken. 
 
 " Th^y are coming, they are coming ! " 
 she screamed, and rushed upstairs, calling 
 " Help ! help ! help ! " She sees the boats 
 approaching steadily in the moonlight, but, 
 alas! their occupants are so entirely engrossed 
 in chaunting " Three Blind Mice," that her 
 agonized signals, and Mrs. Creery's piercing 
 cries, are apparently, unnoticed ! And whilst 
 they are singing, uliat is being done in that 
 dark cabin down below ? She thought with 
 sickening horror, of those two struggling 
 figures, of that gleaming, merciless knife, and 
 hurried once more to the head of the stairs. 
 As she did so, she heard the sound of a heavy 
 fall, and in another moment, fear thrown to 
 the winds, she was in the saloon. 
 
 Mr. Lisle had slipped upon the slimy 
 boards, made a valiant effort to recover, but, 
 overborne by the convict's superior weight, he 
 
236 A J^IRD OF PASSAGE, 
 
 fell, still locked in that iron embrace. In the 
 fall, the weapon had flown out of Aboo's hand, — 
 but only a short way, it was within easy reach ; 
 and now, Gilbert Lisle, your hour has come ! 
 He sees it in the criminal's face, he knows 
 that his life is to be reckoned by seconds, and 
 yet his eye, as it meets that malignant gaze, 
 never quails, though it seems a hard fate to 
 perish thus, in this old hulk, and at the hands 
 of such a ruffian ! With his knee pressed 
 down upon his victim's chest, a murderous 
 smile upon his face, Aboo stretched out a 
 long, hairy, cruel arm, to seize the knife, just 
 as Helen reached the foot of the ladder. 
 Like lightning, she sprang forward, pounced 
 on it, snatched at it, secured it — and running 
 down the cabin, flung it far into the sea, 
 which it clave with one silvered flash, and 
 then sank. 
 
 Miss Denis was not nearly so much fright- 
 ened now, — nay, she felt comparatively brave 
 since tliat was gone. She heard the near 
 sound of voices, and a noise of many steps 
 
''BLUE BEARD'S CHAMBERS 237 
 
 hurrying downstairs. There was a desperate 
 struggle. In three minutes Aboo, once more a 
 prisoner, with his arms bound in his turban, 
 was led up on deck, cursing and howling and 
 spitting like a wild cat. Here we behold Mrs. 
 Creery, the centre of an anxious circle, vohi- 
 bly narrating a story in which the personal 
 pronoun '' I " is frequently repeated ; and 
 Helen, quite broken down, and trembling from 
 head to foot, clinging to her father, looking 
 the picture of cowardice, as at the same 
 moment Mrs. Creery might liave sat for the 
 portrait of "Bellona" herself. 
 
 Miss Caggett (who had had a most satis- 
 factory afternoon) approached the former, 
 and examined her curiously. — She was 
 scarcely able to speak, and was shaking like 
 a, leaf, and at this instant the General and 
 Dr. Malone came up from the saloon, followed 
 by Mr. Lisle minus his hat, his coat in rags, 
 and his arm in a sling. Every one looked at 
 him for a moment in silence, and then a 
 torrent of words broke forth — words con- 
 veying wonder, sympathy, and praise. 
 
238 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 But lie, scarcely noticing the crowd, went 
 straight up to Colonel Denis, and said, " Sir, 
 I suppose you know that your daughter has 
 just saved my life ? " 
 
 " I — I — did not," he replied, astounded at 
 this rather abrupt address, '' I thought it 
 was the other way — that you saved hers ! " 
 
 " That fellow nearly strangled her ; I'm 
 afraid she got a fearful shock." 
 
 " Miss Denis," addressing her in a lower 
 voice, " words seem but feeble things after 
 such a deed as yours ; but believe me, that 
 I shall never forget what your courage, and 
 presence of mind, have done for me to- 
 day." 
 
 " No, no," she answered in a choked voice, 
 shaking her head, '' it was you — ijoiiy More 
 she could not utter, as the recollection of 
 her recent ordeal flashed before her, when 
 Aboo had his deadly clutch upon her throat. 
 She turned away, and hiding her face against 
 her father's arm, burst into tears. 
 
 " What a queer, hysterical creature ! " re- 
 marked Miss Caggett, soiio voce to Dr. 
 
BLUE BEARD'S CHAMBER: 
 
 !39 
 
 Malone. " All this fuss, just because Mr. Lisle 
 caught a convict, and the convict tore his coat ! " 
 
 " I think there was more in it than that," 
 objected her listener. '' The man nearly 
 strangled her, and he was armed ; somehow 
 she got hold of the knife, and threw it away. 
 The story is all rather conf ased as yet — but 
 she is an uncommonly plucky girl ! " 
 
 " She looks it," returned Lizzie with a 
 malicious giggle. 
 
 " And," continued Dr. Malone, not noticing 
 her interruption, " as for Lisle, I always 
 knew that he was a splendid chap." 
 
 This speech was not palatable to Miss 
 Caggett ; she tossed her head and replied, — 
 
 "I see nothing splendid about him; and 
 for that matter, Mrs. Creery says that she 
 saved everybody — " 
 
 " Oh, of course," ironically. '' I can tell 
 you this much, that it's well for Mrs. Creery 
 that it was not an elegant, indolent fop that 
 happened to be aboard, like her friend Mr. 
 James Quentin ; if he had fallen foul of 
 Aboo, Aboo would have made short work of 
 
240 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 liim with his flaccid muscles and portly 
 figure ; it was ten to one on the convict, an 
 exceptionally powerful man — he was des- 
 perate, like a wolf in a cage, and he was 
 armed. However, Lisle is as hard as nails, 
 and a very determined fellow, and whatever 
 Mrs. Creery may choose to say, we owe her 
 valuable life to /wm." 
 
 '' He managed to save his own too," 
 snapped Lizzie, as if she rather regretted the 
 circumstance. 
 
 " Yes, but he has got a couple of very 
 ugly deep cuts. — One of them dangerously 
 near the jugular ! " 
 
 " It strikes me, as a very curious fact, 
 that within the last two months Mr. Lisle 
 and Miss Denis have been concerned in 
 two most thrilling adventures : they were 
 nearly drowned coming from Korth Bay — at 
 least so she says — and now they have been all 
 but murdered, a remarkable coincidence, and 
 really very funny." 
 
 " Funny ! Miss Caggett. I think it would 
 scarcely strike any one else, in a humorous 
 
''BLUE BEARDS CHAMBER:' 241 
 
 light ; it was a mere chance, and a lucky one 
 for Miss Denis, that she had Lisle to stand 
 by her on both occasions." 
 
 " She is welcome to him, as far as I'm 
 concerned,"retortedtheyoung]ady,waspishly. 
 
 Dr. Malone grinned, and thought of " sour 
 grapes," and wondered if Miss Denis was 
 equally welcome, to Apollo Quentin ? 
 
 All the shelling parfcy were now assem- 
 bled about the deck, awaiting a boat, 
 which had been signalled for from Viper, to 
 take charge of the criminal. Mrs. Creery 
 was still volubly expounding to one or two 
 listeners ; Helen was sitting down with her 
 face well averted from the direction of Aboo, 
 who, guarded by brother-prisoners (boatmen), 
 stood near the bulwarks, looking the very in- 
 carnation of impotent fury, and sullen despair. 
 His late opponent remained somewhat aloof 
 from the crowd, talking to Mr. Latimer; he 
 bore evident traces of the recent deadly 
 struggle, and leant against the weather- 
 beaten wheel-house, as if he was g]ad of its 
 support. It was many a year since the deck 
 VOL. I. R 
 
242 A BIRD OF PASSAGE. 
 
 of the old wreck had carried such a crowd 
 of passengers. After a considerable delay, 
 the expected boat and warders arrived, and 
 the writhing, gibbering criminal, was de- 
 spatched in chains to Yiper, having pre- 
 viously made several frantic efforts to throw 
 himself into the sea. — Mr. Lisle departed 
 in his own little skiff, accompanied by Dr. 
 Malone, and the brown dog, and the re- 
 mainder of the company re-embarked and 
 rowed back to Ross in unwonted silence; 
 there was no more singing, and even Mrs. 
 Creery was unusually piano. Mp, the im- 
 mediate cause of the search, and the strife, 
 and who had appeared in quite a casual 
 manner at the last moment, — now sat in 
 his mistress's lap, the picture of dignified 
 satisfaction — undoubtedly he considered him- 
 self the hero of the hour. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
lOKDON : 
 PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVIlTGTOIf, LIMITED, 
 
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