THE ISLAND OF THE STAIRS

The Flight from the Place of Horror

The
Island of the Stairs

By CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY
Author of “The Island of Regeneration,� “As the
Sparks Fly Upward,� “The West Wind,� Etc.

With Four Illustrations By
THE KINNEYS

A. L BURT COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
114-120 East Twenty-third Street - - New York
Published by Arrangement with A. C. McClurg & Company

Copyright
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1913
Published November, 1913
Copyrighted in Great Britain

This story is affectionately
dedicated to my far-off adventurous
Brother-in-law,
E. S. BARRETT

EDITOR’S NOTE

In order to safeguard the reputation of that worthy seaman and most gallant gentleman who writes this memoir, the editor thereof deems it proper to call attention to the fact that Master Hampdon has described accurately the Island of Mangaia of the Cook, or Hervey, group in the South Seas. It is still completely encircled by the unbroken barrier reef, over which the natives ride in their light canoes. The stairs still exist despite the earthquake to which Master Hampdon refers—and other upheavals which may have followed—and are still traversed by the feet of curious, if infrequent, visitors. For the rest, such altars and platforms as he and his little lady found still abound in the South Seas. Also on Easter Island, and on others, too, such statues of the grotesque and hideous “Stone Goddes� as he describes may be seen. Who made them and why, as well as when they were put there, are as much mysteries today as they were when, in that far-off time, Master Hampdon and his lady sailed those then unknown seas in that brave little barque The Rose of Devon.

C. T. B.

Mount Vernon, N. Y.

ILLUSTRATIONS

BOOK I
WITHIN THE CASTLE WALLS
The Bequest of the Old Buccaneer

THE ISLAND OF THE
STAIRS

CHAPTER I
WHEREIN I BAIT THE LIVING OVER THE DEAD

I CANNOT say that I was greatly surprised when I stumbled across the body of Sir Geoffrey in the spinney, which is not for a moment meant to convey the impression that I was not shocked. Many times before that morning in my long and adventurous life I had, as I have often since, seen many people die in all sorts of sudden and dreadful ways, in all parts of the globe, too. And in some cases where the sufferer was past hope and the suffering great, I have prayed for the good mercy of a quick end; but never, even under such circumstances, have I been able to look upon death philosophically, at least afterwards. The shock is always there. It always will be, I imagine; indeed I would not have it otherwise. I hope never to be indifferent to the passing of that strange mysterious thing we call life. But I digress.

Truth to tell, I had expected that Sir Geoffrey would come to some such sad end, therefore, I repeat that I was not surprised; but as I stood over him in the gray dawn, looking down upon him lying so quietly on his back with the handsome, silver-mounted, ivory-handled dueling pistol, with which he had killed himself, still clasped in his right hand, I was fascinated with horror. I was younger then and not so accustomed to sudden death as I have become since so many years and so much hard service have passed over my head.

And this was in a large measure a personal loss. At least I felt it so for Mistress Lucy’s sake, and for my own, too. Sir Geoffrey had been my ideal of the fine gentleman of his time. I liked him much. He had often honored me with notice and generally spoke me fair and pleasantly.

In his situation some men would have blown out their brains—and there would have been a singular appositeness in the action in his case—but Sir Geoffrey had carefully put his bullet through his heart. It was less disfiguring and brutal, less hard on those left behind, less troublesome, more gentlemanly! I divined that was his thought. He was ever considerate in small matters.

The red stain that had welled over the fine ruffled linen, otherwise spotless, of his shirt and the powder marks and burns still visible thereon in spite of the dried blood, all indicated clearly what had happened. The pistol was a short one, heavy in build, made for close work, else he could never have used it so effectively. For the rest, he was clad in his richest and best apparel. His sword lay underneath him, the diamond-studded hilt protruding. He must have fallen lightly, gently, I thought, because his body lay easily on its back and his dress was not greatly disturbed.

I guessed that he was glad enough, after all, that the end had come, for his countenance had not that look of pain, or horror, or fear upon it, which I have so often seen on the face of the dead. His features were calm and composed. Evidently he had not been dead long. I remember the first thing I did was to reach down and gently close his eyes. I shall never forget them to my dying day. They were dreadfully staring. As I bent over him for this purpose I noticed that he had something in his left hand. That hand was resting lightly by the hilt of his sword as if he had stood with his left hand on his sword in that gallant defiant position which I had often enough seen him assume, when he pressed the trigger with his right hand. As he had fallen, his hand had been lifted a little away from the sword and in his fingers there was a paper. A nearer look showed it to be an envelope. I drew it away and, glancing at it, saw that it was addressed to Mistress Lucy. Thrusting it in the pocket of my coat, I rose to my feet.

At that instant I heard steps and voices. Now I had nothing on earth to fear from anybody. The death of Sir Geoffrey was too obviously a suicide for anyone to accuse me, even if there had been any reason whatever for bringing me under suspicion. The letter which I carried in my pocket addressed to Mistress Lucy would undoubtedly explain everything there was to explain. Something, however, moved me to seek concealment. I am a sailor, as you will find out, and act quickly in an emergency by a sort of instinct. On the sea men have little time for reflection. The crisis is frequently upon one with little or no warning, and generally it must needs be met on the instant and without deliberation.

Sir Geoffrey lay on the side of the path which ran through the spinney and beyond him the coppice thickened. The path twisted and turned. From the sound of the footsteps, I judged that men were coming along it. I instantly stepped across the body and concealed myself behind a tree trunk in the leafy foliage of the undergrowth. I could see without being seen, and hear as well.

The approaching footsteps might belong to some of the gamekeepers, to a stray poacher, to some of the servants of the castle, or to someone who, like myself, had been abroad in the gray dawn and had been attracted to the spot by the sound of the shot, although they approached over leisurely for that. I was prepared for any of these things but I did not expect that any of the guests of the castle would make their appearance at that hour. The footsteps stopped. Two men, one of whom had been pointed out to me as Baron Luftdon in the lead followed by another who was strange to me, suddenly appeared. A voice which I recognized as the baron’s at once exclaimed in awe-struck tones:

“By gad, he’s done it!�

“Yes,� drawled the other, whose cold blooded calmness was in marked contrast with the unwonted excitement of the first speaker, “I rather expected it.�

“Here’s a pretty affair,� said the first man.

“Oh, I don’t know,� said the second indifferently, “it might be worse.�

“Worse for him? Great heavens, man, he’s dead!�

“Worse for us.�

“What d’ ye mean? I don’t understand.�

“Well, for instance, he might have shot himself before we—ah—plucked him.�

“Oh, I see,� returned my lord with a rather askant glance at his companion, for which I almost respected him for the moment.

The two stepped a little nearer. The first speaker, Lord Luftdon, one of the young bloods who had been having high carouse with Sir Geoffrey for the past week at the castle, bent over him.

“There’s no doubt about his being dead, I suppose?� he asked after a brief inspection.

“Good gad, no,� replied the second man with a contemptuous laugh. “Where are your wits, man? He must have held the muzzle of the pistol close to his breast. See how his shirt is burned and powder blackened. He must have died instantly.�

“I suppose you are right.�

“Well,� continued the drawler nonchalantly—as for me I hated them both but the latter speaker the more if possible, for reasons which you will presently understand—“this relieves me greatly.�

“What do you mean?�

“You are very stupid this morning, mon ami,� returned the other, gracefully taking a pinch of snuff and laughing again with that horrible indifference to the dead man who had been his host and friend.

“After such a night as we had, to come thus suddenly upon—this—’tis enough to unsettle any man,� muttered Luftdon apologetically.

“Pooh, pooh! man, you’re nervous.�

“Well, I don’t know how it relieves you. And after all’s said and done, Wilberforce was a gentleman, a good player and a gallant loser, and I liked him.�

“Exactly, I liked him too, well enough. And he lost his all like a gentleman.�

“And you got it, at least most of it.�

“Patience, my friend, you had your share, you know,� returned the other with his damnable composure.

“I don’t know but I’d give it back to have poor old Geoff with us once again,� retorted Luftdon with some heat.

“That is a perfectly foolish statement, my buck,� returned the other, philosophically taking snuff. “Somebody was bound to get it; Wilberforce has been going the pace for years; we happened to be in at the death, that’s all.�

“Well, how does it relieve you, then? Do you think Wilberforce would have attempted to get you to support him?�

The drawler laughed.

“Of course not, this�—he pointed to the dead body—“is proof enough of the spirit that was in him; but of course, I cannot marry the girl now.�

“You can’t?�

“Certainly not. Her father a bankrupt and a suicide—�

“But the castle and this park?�

“Mortgaged up to the hilt. Speaking of hilts—� he stooped down and daintily avoiding contact with the corpse, drew from the scabbard the diamond-hilted sword—“this belongs to me. It’s worth taking. You remember he staked it last night on the last deal.�

“Good God, man,� protested the first speaker, “don’t take the man’s sword away. Let him lie with his weapons like a gentleman.�

“Tut, tut, you grow scrupulous, it seems. We will provide him a cheaper badge of his knighthood, if necessary,� returned the other lightly.

“And about the girl?�

“’Tis all off.�

“You will have some trouble breaking your engagement with her, I am thinking.�

“Not I. To do her justice, the wench has the spirit of her father. A whisper that I am—er—disinclined to the match will be quite sufficient.�

“Aye, but who will give her that whisper?�

“We will arrange that some way. Truth to tell, I am rather tired of the minx, she bores me with her high airs. She does not know that she is penniless and disgraced. And as for her good looks—’tis a country beauty after all.�

“Poor girl—� began Luftdon, whose face, though bloated and flushed and seamed with the outward and visible evidences of his evil life, still showed some signs of human kindness.

At that point I intervened. I could bear no more. When they spake so slightingly of my little mistress it was more than I could stand. I burst out of the brush and stood before them—mad, enraged all through me. I will admit that I lacked the composure and breeding of that precious pair. What I had heard had filled me with as hot an indignation as ever possessed the soul of man, and with every moment the fire of my resentment burned higher and more furiously. They started back at my sudden appearance, in some little discomfiture, from which he of the slower speech the more speedily recovered. He was the greater man, and eke the greater villain. The younger, the one with the red face, looked some of the discomposure he felt. The other presently leered at me in a deliberate and well intentioned insulting way and began:

“Now who may you be, my man, and what may you want?�

“Who I may be matters nothing,� said I, “but what I want matters a great deal.�

“Ah! And what is it that you want that matters so much?�

“In the first place, that sword.�

“This?� asked the sneering man, holding Sir Geoffrey’s handsome weapon lightly by the blade and smiling contemptuously at me.

“That,� answered I with equal scorn.

I am accustomed to move quickly as well as to think quickly, and before he knew it, I had it by the hilt and but that he released the blade instantly I would have cut his hand as I withdrew it. He swung round and clapped his hand on his own sword, a fierce oath breaking from his lips, his face black as a thundercloud.

“Don’t draw that little spit of yours,� I said, “or I will be under the necessity of breaking your back.�

I towered above both of them and I have no doubt that I could have made good my boast. Yet, to do him justice, the man had the courage of his race and station. He faced me undaunted, his hand on his sword hilt.

“Would you rob me of mine own, Sirrah?� he asked more calmly if not less irritatingly.

“I might do so, and with justice,� I replied. “You had no hesitation in robbing the living or the dead.�

“Zounds!� cried the other man, touched on the raw of a guilty conscience apparently, “’twas in fair play. We risked each what we had and Sir Geoffrey lost.�

“Yes, I see,� I replied. “Having paid you with everything else, and possessing nothing beside, he had to throw away his life in the end. I heard what you said. You wonder how Mistress Wilberforce is to learn the situation—you who have doubtless once borne the reputation of a man of honor! You wonder who is to tell her that you discard her. I will.�

“That is good, well thought of, yokel,� said the drawler with amazing assurance, and keeping his temper in a way that increased mine, “I could not have wished it better. As for your reflections upon me they interest me not at all. You are doubtless some servant of the house—�

“I am no man’s servant,� I interrupted in some heat.

“Somebody born on the place who probably cherishes a peasant’s humble admiration for the lady of the manor,� he continued.

I displayed the red ensign in my weather-beaten cheeks at this. I never was good at the dissimulation that goes on in polite society and I never could control my color for all I am bronzed with the wind and spray of all the seas, to say nothing of tropic suns.

“Ah,� he laughed sneeringly, taking keen note of my confusion, “see the red banner of confession in the brute’s face, Lord Luftdon.�

“I see it, of course,� said the other, whose frowning face was far redder than my own, though from drink—“but I must confess that personally I don’t like the allusion.�

“That for your likes, Luftdon,� cried the other as contemptuous of his companion as of me apparently. “Tell her, my man, tell her. Tell her that she is a beggar and her father a suicide, and that I have all her property without her. She can go to your arms or those of any other she fancies. She is not meet for the Duke of Arcester.�

So this was Arcester! I had heard of him, as I had of Luftdon, two of the most debauched, unprincipled rakes, idlers, fortune hunters, gamblers, men-about-town, in all England. But of the two he bore much the worse reputation. Indeed, no one in that day surpassed him in baseness and villainy. But that he was a duke, he had been branded, jailed, or even hanged long since in England. But I cared nothing for his dukedom. As he spoke thus slightingly of my lady, I stepped closer to him and struck him with the palm of my hand. I suppose a gentleman would have tapped him lightly but not being of that degree I struck hard across the face, not so hard as I might have, to be sure, for I could doubtless have killed him, but hard enough to make him reel and stagger. His sword was out on the moment but before he could make a pass I wrenched it from him, broke the blade over my knee and hurled the two pieces into the coppice.

“I can match you with swords,� said I, coolly enough now that the issue was made and the battle about to be joined. “I have fought with men, not popinjays, in my day, all over the world, and I know the use of the weapon; but I would not demean myself, being an honest man though no gentleman, much less a duke, by crossing blades with such a ruffian.�

“By God!� cried the duke furiously, “I will have you flogged and flung into the mill pond, I will clap you in jail, I will—�

“You will do nothing of the sort,� said I, composedly. “There is no man on the estate who would not take my part against you, especially when I repeat what you have said about Mistress Lucy. They love her and they loved him. With all his drink and extravagance he was a good master and you have been a bad friend.�

“And who would believe you?� queried the duke, whose anger was at a frightful height in being thus braved and insulted. In his agitation he tore at his neckcloth and almost frothed at the mouth like a man in a fit—I doubt he had ever been so spoken to before. “’Twould be your word against mine, you dog, and—�

“For the matter of that, my word will not be uncorroborated,� I interrupted swiftly.

“What d’ ye mean, curse you?�

“This gentleman—�

“By gad,� said Lord Luftdon, decisively, responding to my appeal more bravely than I had thought, “you are right to appeal to me and you were right to strike Arcester. ’Fore God, I’m sorry for the girl and for Sir Geoffrey and ashamed for my—my—friend.�

“Would you turn against me in this?� asked the duke, surprised at this amazing defection.

“I certainly would,� answered the other with dogged courage.

“God!� whispered his grace hotly, fumbling at the empty sheath, “I wish I had my sword. I’d run the two of you through!�

“There is Sir Geoffrey’s sword,� said Lord Luftdon, who did not lack courage, it seemed, clutching his own blade as he spoke and making as if to draw it.

“No,� said I, master of the situation as I meant to be, “there shall be no more fighting over the dead body of Sir Geoffrey. You and Lord Luftdon can settle your differences elsewhere. I am glad for his promise to tell the truth in case you attempt to carry out your threat and I am just as grateful as if it had been necessary.�

“On second thought, there will be no further settlement,� said Luftdon, regaining his coolness and thrusting back into its scabbard his half-drawn blade. “His grace and I are in too many things to make a permanent difference between us possible.�

“I thought so,� I replied.

“By gad,� laughed Luftdon, “I like your spirit, lad. Who are you, what are you?�

“The late gardener’s son.�

“Do they breed such as you down here in these gardens?�

“As to that, I know not, my lord. I am a sailor. I have commanded my own ship and made my own fortune. I come back here between cruises because I am devoted to—�

“The woman!� sneered the duke, and I marveled at the temerity of the man, seeing that I could have choked him to death with one hand.

“Mention her name again,� I cried, “and you will lie beside your victim yonder!�

“Right,� said Luftdon approvingly.

“I come back here because I am fond of the old place. Lord Luftdon, it is my home. My people have served the Wilberforces for generations. Their forebears and mine lie together in the churchyard around the hill yonder. You can’t understand devotion like that,� said I, turning to the duke, “and ’tis not necessary that you should.�

“And indeed what is necessary for me, pray?� he sneered.

“That you and Lord Luftdon leave the place at once.�

“Without speech with my lady?�

“Without speech with anyone. There is a good inn at the village. I will take it upon myself to see that your servants pack your mails and follow you there at once.�

“I will not be ordered about like this,� protested the duke blusteringly.

“Oh, yes you will,� said Luftdon. “The advice he gives is good. We have nothing more to do here.�

“No,� said I bitterly, “you have done about all that you can. The man is dead but the woman’s heart will not be broke because of you. Now go.�

“If I had a weapon,� said Arcester slowly, shooting at me a baleful and envenomed glance, “I believe I would even send one of his faithful retainers to accompany Sir Geoffrey.�

I never saw a man who was more furiously angry, baffled, humiliated than he. As for me, I was glad of his rage. If I had known any way to make him more angry and humiliated I confess I would have followed it.

“Don’t be a fool, Arcester,� said the other; “you’ve got everything you wanted in this game and ’tis only just that you should pay a little for it. What’s your name, my man?�

“Never mind what it is.�

“Are you ashamed of it?�

“Hampdon!�

“Master Hampdon, you may not be a gentleman,� said Luftdon, “but by gad, you are a man, and here’s my hand on ’t.�

He had played a man’s part, so I clasped it.

“You will be embracing him next, inviting him to your club, I suppose,� said Arcester in mocking contempt.

“No,� said Luftdon, sarcastically, “he would not be congenial company for you and me, neither would we be for him. He seems to be an honest man. Let’s go.�

And so they went down the path, leaving me not greatly relishing my triumph, for now I had to tell Mistress Lucy all that had happened. I had to say the words that would tell of the loss in one fell moment of her father, of her property, and of her lover. I was greatly puzzled what to say and how to say it, for Mistress Lucy Wilberforce was no easy person to deal with at best.

CHAPTER II
WHICH SHOWS HOW I BROKE THE NEWS

THE path from the spinney to the ancient castle which antedated King Henry VIII, and which in its older parts goes much farther back into the past, led through the park full of noble oaks and beeches, many of them older even than the ancient and honorable family which now, alas, bade fair to lose them all forever. As I trudged over it with lagging footsteps, misliking my duty more and more as the necessity for discharging it drew closer, I caught a glint of rapidly moving color on the long driveway that led from the lodge to the steps of the hall. The scarlet of my lady’s riding coat as she galloped up the tree bordered road, it was that attracted my attention. I quickened my pace and we arrived at the steps leading up to the terrace at the same instant. She was alone, for she had either chosen to ride unaccompanied, as was her frequent custom, or else, being the better mounted, she had left her groom far behind.

I stood silent before her with that curious dumbness I generally experience—even at this day—when first entering her presence, while she drew rein sharply. She was a little thing compared to me, small compared even to the average woman, but in one sense she was the biggest thing I had ever confronted. No burly shipmaster had ever impressed me so, not even when I was a raw boy on my first cruise. I actually looked upon her with a feeling of—well, shall I say awe?—mingled with other emotions which I would not have breathed to a soul. The chance hit by the Duke of Arcester had brought the color to my cheek and it takes something definite and apposite to bring the color to a bronzed, weather-beaten cheek like mine, which has been thrust into the face of wintry seas and exposed to tropical suns all over the globe. That is the way I thought of her. I was almost afraid of her! I, who feared nothing else on land or sea! What she thought of me was of little moment to her.

It was Mistress Lucy’s regular habit to take a morning gallop every day. It was that usual custom that caused her to look so fresh and young and beautiful, that put the color in her cheek and the sparkle in her eye. Although she had left her father playing hard late the night before when she had gone to bed, there had been nothing in that to cause her to intermit her practice. Poor girl, she had left her father doing that more nights than she could remember in her short life, and I suppose she had become used to it, to a certain extent, at any rate.

She nodded carelessly, yet kindly to me. It was her habit, that careless kindness. When she was a little girl and I had been a great boy we had played together familiarly enough—children caring little for distinctions of rank, I have observed—but that habit was long since abandoned. Then she looked about for her groom. The steps that led to the terrace were deserted. Sir Geoffrey of late had grown slack in the administration of affairs on account of his troubles, therefore no attendant was at hand. Like master, like man! I suspected that the servants had kept late hours, too. Indeed they probably plundered Sir Geoffrey in every way and he, seeing that all was gone or going, perhaps shut his eyes to their peculations. They might as well get what was left as his creditors. Mistress Lucy after that first nod stared at me frowning.

“Master Hampdon,� she said at last, “since nobody else seems to be about, suppose you attempt the task.�

She loosed her little foot from the stirrup and thrust it out toward me. I am nothing of a horseman. I was very early sent off to sea and I have a sailor’s awkwardness with horses. Naturally I did not know how a lady should be dismounted from her horse. I had never attempted the thing and I did not recall ever to have seen it done, otherwise I might have managed, for I am quick enough at mechanical things; but her desire was obvious and I must accomplish it the best I could. I stepped over to her, disregarding her outthrust foot, for all its prettiness, seized her about the waist with both hands, lifted her bodily from the saddle and set her down gently on the gravel. She looked at me very queerly and gave a faint shriek when her weight came upon my arms. Indeed, I have no doubt that I held her tightly enough through the air.

“I dare say there is not a man among my father’s friends or mine, who could have done that, Master Hampdon,� said she, smiling up at me a little and looking flushed and excited.

“’Tis no great feat,� said I stupidly enough, “I have lifted bigger—�

“Women!� flashed out Mistress Lucy slightly frowning.

“Things,� I replied.

“It amazes me,� she said. “I have never been dismounted that way before. However, I remember you always were stronger than most men, even as a boy. There seem to be no grooms about, the place is wretchedly served. Will you take my horse to the stables?� she asked me.

There was a certain flattery to me in that request. If I had not shown her how strong I was, in all probability she would have thrown me the bridle and with a nod toward the stables to indicate her wishes would have left me without a word. Now it was different. I took the bridle, not intending, however, to take the horse around, not because I disdained to do her any service but because I had other duties to discharge more important than the care of horses.

“Have you seen my father this morning?� she asked as I paused before her and then, not giving me time to answer, looked up at the sun. “But of course not,� she continued, a little bitterly, “he probably only went to bed an hour or two since and ’tis not his habit to rise so early as you and I.�

As luck would have it, while she spoke a sleepy groom chanced to come round the house. I flung the reins to him, bade him take the horse away and turned to my lady.

“Madam,� said I, my voice thickening and choking, “as it happens, I have seen your noble father this morning.�

There was something in my voice and manner, great stupid fool that I was, that instantly apprised her that something was wrong. With one swift step she was by my side.

“Where?�

“In the spinney.�

“When?�

“But just now.�

“What does he there at this hour?�

“Nothing.�

“I don’t understand.�

“Sir Geoffrey—� I began racking my brains, utterly at loss what to say next and how to convey the awful tidings.

She made a sudden step or two in my direction, then turned toward the coppice, her suspicions fully aroused.

But now I ventured upon a familiarity, that is, I turned with her and caught her by the arm before she could take a step.

“I will see him myself,� she began resolutely.

“Madam,� said I swiftly, “you cannot.�

“Master Hampdon,� she said, “something dreadful has happened.�

I nodded.

This was breaking it gently with a vengeance, but what could I do? She always did twist me around her little finger and I was always more or less helpless before her. I admit that. I am still, for that matter, although she will not have it so.

“What is it? Is my father—what is he doing in the spinney? He never rises at this hour.�

“Mistress Wilberforce,� I said, “you come of a brave stock and the time for your courage is now.�

“Is my father dead?� she asked, after a sudden, awful stillness.

I nodded while she stared at me like one possessed.

“Killed in a duel?� she whispered. I shook my head.

“Would to God I could think so,� I replied.

“You mean that he was—murdered?�

“Mistress,� said I bluntly, seeing no other way, “he died by his own hand.�

“Oh, my God!� she cried, clapping her hands to her face and reeling back.

I caught her about the waist. She had no knowledge that she was held or supported, of course; all her interest and attention were elsewhere. She did not weep or give way otherwise. She was a marvelous woman and her self-mastery and control amazed me, for I knew how she had loved her father.

“When? Why?� she gasped out.

“I was early awake and abroad,� I answered—and I did not tell her it was my habit to see her gallop off for that morning ride, for even a glimpse of her was worth much to me—“and I heard a shot in the spinney. I hurried there and found Sir Geoffrey—�

“Dead?�

“Stone dead, mistress, with a bullet in his heart.�

“Let us go to him.�

“No,� said I, and I marveled to find myself assuming the direction as if I had been on the deck of my own ship, “that you cannot. It is no sight for your eyes now. I was coming to the castle to tell you and to send the servants to fetch—him. Meanwhile, do you go into the hall and summon your women and—�

“I will do what you say, Master Hampdon,� she whispered, very small, very forlorn, very despairing. “My father, oh, my good, kind father!�

She turned, and I still supporting her, we mounted the steps of the terrace. Suddenly she stopped, freed herself, and faced me.

“Lord Luftdon and the Duke of Arcester,� she explained, “they are staying at the castle; they must be notified.�

“Madam,� said I, “they already know it.�

“And why then have they left the duty of telling me to you? Where are they? Summon them at once.�

“They are gone,� I blurted out, all my rage at the duke reviving on the instant.

“Gone!�

“Having won everything from Sir Geoffrey they have left him alone in his death,� I retorted bitterly.

“Impossible!�

“I ordered them off the place,� I said bluntly.

“You!� she flashed out imperiously. “And who gave you the power to dismiss my—my father’s friends?�

“I heard what they said, being close hid myself in the coppice.�

“And what said they?�

“It concerned you, mistress.�

“The Duke of Arcester,� she promptly began, “is my betrothed husband. I will hear no calumny against him.�

“Madam,� I said, keenly aware that I had made no charges yet and wondering at her thought, “your engagement is broken.�

“Broken!� she cried in amaze.

“The duke declared himself to his friend to be too poor to marry the penniless child of a—disgraced man—his words, not mine, believe me.�

The awful death of her beloved father had been shock enough to her, but with this insult added I thought she would have swooned dead away. She turned so white and reeled so that I caught her again. I even shook her while I cried roughly,

“You must not give way.�

“It is a lie, a dastardly lie!� she panted out at last.

“It is God’s truth,� said I. “He repudiates you.�

“No man could be so base,� she persisted, “he swore that he loved me.�

“I would it were otherwise, madam, but he is gone, leaving that message for you.�

“And he made you his messenger?�

“I volunteered.�

“Why? Why?�

“Because he is a low coward.�

“And you stood by and let him insult me, your patron’s daughter, your mistress?�

Now so far as that went, I had got mightily little out of the late Sir Geoffrey’s patronage, but whatever duty I could compass I would gladly pay the little lady who stood before me.

“Mistress, you misjudge me. He had taken Sir Geoffrey’s sword, saying that he had won it with everything else. I took it from him. When he said those words about you I struck him across the face, no light blow, I assure you. When he grasped his own sword I wrenched it away from him, broke it, and cast it away. You may find the broken pieces in the spinney. I told him that you were meet for his betters and that you were well rid of him, and bade him begone.�

“In that,� she said in a certain strained way, “you acted as a loyal servitor of the house and I thank you.�

“I am to give orders to have his baggage sent to the inn at once,� said I.

“And Lord Luftdon?�

“He came to your defense as if he were still the gentleman he had once been. But he goes hence with his friend. His baggage will also follow him.�

“I will attend to that for them both,� said Mistress Lucy, growing strangely and firmly resolved again, and even I could guess the tremendous constraint she put upon herself. “Enough of Arcester. I am well rid of him and of his companion. Summon the servants to bring my father’s body to the castle. I suppose the crowner will have to be notified.�

“Yes,� said I. “I will see to that myself.�

“Of all my friends,� said she piteously, almost giving way, “you seem to be the only one left me, Master Hampdon.�

“I have been your faithful servant always, Mistress Lucy,� I answered as I ushered her into the hall.

CHAPTER III
IN WHICH I DELIVER A LETTER

I DELIVERED my little mistress to her woman who came at my call, and then I summoned the steward and butler and told them what had happened. In a moment all was confusion. But presently they brought the body of Sir Geoffrey back to the castle which was no longer his. As the duke had said, it was mortgaged to its full value. The unfortunate baronet had gambled away everything in his possession, the family jewels, the heirlooms of his daughter, and even the property that had been left to her by her dead mother, of which he was trustee. Everything that he could get his hands on had been sacrificed to his passion for play.

Following the inquest, and after a due interval to show a decent respect for the dead, there was a great funeral, of course, during which what little ready money there was available was of necessity spent. The gentry came for miles around, even Luftdon was there in the background, although Arcester had the decency to keep away. I was there, too, finding my place among the upper servants of the household. Although I was in no sense a servant of the house, being a free and independent sailorman and my own master, still I found no place else to stand. I was glad that I had taken that position for I happened to be immediately back of Mistress Lucy. From under her veil she shot a forlorn, grateful look at me as she came in, as if she felt I was the only real friend she had in that great assemblage of the gentry of the county and the tenants and dependents of the estate.

Sir Geoffrey, except Mistress Lucy, was the last of his race. The brave, fine old stock had at last been reduced to this one slender slip of a girl. Kith or kin, save of the most distant, she had none. Nor did she enjoy a wide acquaintance. She had never been formally introduced to society. Sir Geoffrey had loved her and had been kind enough to her in his careless, magnificent way, but she had been left much alone since the death of her mother some years before, and she had grown up under the care of a succession of wandering and ill-paid governesses and tutors. The neighboring gentry had assembled for the funeral with much show of sympathy but in my heart I knew that Mistress Lucy felt very much alone and I rather gloried in the position which made me, humble though I was, her friend. Well, she could count upon me to the death, I proudly said to myself. She would find I was always devoted to her and I solemnly consecrated myself anew to her service in her loneliness and bereavement.

The show and parade were over soon enough. The parson’s final words of committal were said. We left Sir Geoffrey in his place in the churchyard and went back to the hall, after which the company began to disperse. I had nothing to do at the time. No one paid any attention to me. I held myself above the servants and the gentry held themselves above me. I wandered into the hall and stood waiting. No one spoke to me save Lord Luftdon, who expressed a heart-felt regret that he had had anything to do with the final plundering of the unfortunate baronet, which in a measure had brought about this sorry ending to his career.

“You seem to be a man of sense, Master Hampdon,� he whispered, drawing me apart, after it was all over, “and I noticed the way Mistress Wilberforce looked at you when she first came in.�

“What do you mean?� I asked hotly, not liking to hear her name on his lips, and especially resenting what I thought was a reflection upon her.

“Nothing but the best,� he answered equably. “I have still unspent some of the proceeds of our last bout at the table with her father that could be conveyed to the lady, and—�

“She would burn her hand off rather than accept anything,� said I promptly.

“But, man, I wish to—� he persisted.

“It is not to be thought of.�

“You speak with authority?� he asked, looking at me strangely.

“I have known her from a child,� said I, “and her father before her. It is not in the breed to take favors, and—�

“But this is—er—restitution.�

“Did you win it fairly?� I asked.

“By God,� he answered, clapping his hand to his sword, “if another had asked me that I would have had him out.�

“Your answer?� I persisted, undaunted by his fierceness.

He smiled, his sudden heat dying out apparently as he realized how foolish it was to quarrel with me and discovered the meaning of my question.

“Of course we won it fairly. Sir Geoffrey was the most reckless and even the most foolish gambler I ever played with. We took advantage of that, but there was no cheating, Master Hampdon, no, on my honor, as I am a gentleman.�

“Under the circumstances then,� said I, “there is nothing further to be said.�

“But what will the poor girl do?� he demanded.

I shook my head. I did not know how to answer that question for I did not know what she would do. Nevertheless I was not a little touched and pleased with his interest and desire. Surely the man had some good in him still. Association with such a scoundrel as Arcester had not yet wholly ruined him.

“You should have thought of this before,� said I.

“Yes, I suppose so,� he admitted rather woefully.

“It is too late to make reparation now, although the wish does you honor, my lord.�

“Well, Hampdon, if you have a chance to tell her what I wanted,� he said, “please do. I should do it myself,� he continued, “only since her repudiation by that blackguard Arcester she will not admit me to speech. By gad—� he looked over at her where she stood in the doorway going through the dreary process of bidding farewell to the guests after the funeral meal that had followed the interment, “by gad, if I were a bit younger and not so confoundedly in debt I would marry the woman myself.�

“She is meet for a better man, my lord,� said I, exactly as I had answered the duke.

He looked at me curiously for a moment and then laughed loudly.

“Doubtless,� he said, “you may tell her that, too.�

With that he turned on his heel and walked away and I saw no more of him. I stood idle on the terrace until the last of the gentry had gone. As before, I did not know just what to do or just where to go. My position was most anomalous. I wanted to be of service, but how to offer myself without intrusion, I could not readily discover. It was my lady herself who solved the problem.

“Master Hampdon,� she began wearily, “will you come into the house? Master Ficklin, the lawyer, is here, waiting to go over my father’s papers with me. You have stood by me manfully, your people and my people have been—� she stopped a moment, “friends,� she added with kindly condescension, “for five hundred years. I have no one else with whom to counsel. Come with me.�

Sir Geoffrey’s will, as Master Ficklin read it, was a simple affair. It left everything of which he died possessed to his daughter. Unfortunately, he died possessed of nothing; the document was mere waste paper. Everything was mortgaged, every family portrait, even. Mistress Lucy appeared to have no legal right to anything in or out of the castle apparently, save the clothes she wore.

“Sir Geoffrey,� said Master Ficklin, endeavoring to put a good face on the matter, “was well meaning—most well meaning. Not only did he play high and long at the gaming table but he speculated also, for he was always trusting to recoup himself; in which event doubtless there would have been a handsome patrimony for his daughter.�

“You may spare me any encomiums of my father, Master Ficklin,� said Mistress Lucy very haughtily; “I knew his devotion and affection better than anyone possibly could.�

In her mind there was no double meaning to these brave words she uttered so quickly, although I listened amazed. To rob his daughter of her all in the indulgence of a wicked passion for gaming and speculation was no great evidence of devotion or affection, I thought. However, Master Ficklin was only putting the best face upon a sorry matter, and for that I honored him, for all my mistress’ haughty and imperious manner.

“The point is, however,� she continued, as Master Ficklin bowed deferentially toward her, “that I have nothing.�

“Nothing from your father, madam,� answered the man of law.

“But my mother’s estate?�

“I regret to say,� said Master Ficklin, “that most of it has been converted into money and—er—lost by your father. Strictly speaking he had no—er—legal right to dispose of your property and we might recover by suits at law from those—�

“I gave him the right,� interrupted Mistress Lucy quickly.

She had never given him any such right, of course, but she was jealous for the honor of her father and the family and I could only admire her action, although the plain, blunt truth ever appeals to me, let it hurt whom it may.

“In that case, there is nothing to be said or done,� returned the old attorney, who knew the facts as well as I.

“I forget,� she went on, “just how much of my mother’s property was devoted to—to our needs, by my father and myself.�

“There is left in my hands, madam, a matter of some two thousand pounds out at interest which you, being now of full age—�

“I was eighteen on my last birthday.�

“Exactly, so that the two thousand is at your present disposal.�

“In what shape is it?�

“It is invested in consols.�

“Can they be realized upon?�

“Instantly.�

“To advantage?�

“Most certainly.�

“I thank you, Master Ficklin, for your provident care of my little fortune. It is most unexpected,� she faltered, almost overwhelmed at the sudden realization that she was not altogether a pauper.

“Believe me, Mistress Lucy, it is a happiness to do anything for you,� said the old attorney, rising and gathering up his papers, and bowing low before her. “My father, and his father before him served the estates of the Wilberforces, and for how many generations back I know not. You may command me in everything. A temporary loan, or—�

“Thank you, Master Ficklin,� said Mistress Lucy, “you touch me greatly, but I need nothing at present. My father made me an allowance and generally paid it. It was a generous one; living alone as I did I could not spend it all. I have a few hundred pounds in my own name at the bank, and with that for temporary use and my mother’s legacy I shall lack nothing.�

“But where will you live, Mistress Lucy?�

“It matters little,� she answered listlessly.

“My sister and I,� said the old attorney, “live alone in the county town. The house is large. If you would accept our hospitality until your future is decided we should be vastly honored.�

“Master Ficklin—� began my lady.

“I know that the accommodations are poor,� interrupted the attorney hastily, “and we are humble folk, but—�

“I accept your kindly proffer most thankfully,� was her prompt reply. “I have been invited to various homes here and there in the county, but those who invited me have sought to convey a favor to me by their courtesy and I prefer to go to you.�

“Good,� said Master Ficklin briskly. “That is settled then. No one has either a legal or a moral claim to your clothes or personal belongings or such jewelry as you have been accustomed to wear or have in your possession. You may pack everything of that sort and take away with you any little keepsake. In fact, I am empowered by those who held the mortgage to tell you that the pictures of your father or mother or anything strictly personal they waive their claim to.�

“Thank you,� said Mistress Lucy, “I shall take but small advantage of their generosity.�

“I know that,� answered Master Ficklin, “and now I will return to the town. If you will be ready about six o’clock—� it was then about two—“I will return and fetch you to our home.�

“I shall be ready. Good-by.�

The little lawyer bent over her hand and left the room. I had sat dumb and silent during the whole interview, although I had listened to everything with the deepest interest. As usual it was she who broke the silence when we were alone again.

“Master Hampdon,� she began, “to what a sorry pass am I reduced! What shall I do now?�

“My lady,� said I, “the sorriest part of the pass to which you have been brought is that you have in me such a poor counselor, a rough sailor, but one who would, nevertheless, give his heart’s blood to promote your welfare, or do you any service.�

Now as I said that I laid my hand on the breast of my coat and as I bent awkwardly enough toward her—I could not even bow as gracefully as the little attorney just departed—I felt the paper which I had taken from Sir Geoffrey’s hand and which I had entirely forgot in the hurry and confusion of the days that had followed his death. I stood covered with surprise and shame at my careless forgetfulness, and stared at her.

“What is it?� she asked, instantly noting my amaze.

“I am a fool, madam, a blundering fool,� said I, drawing forth the paper. “Here is a letter addressed to you which I should have delivered at once,� I continued extending it toward her.

“To me? From whom?� she asked.

“Your father.�

“My father!� she exclaimed.

“Yes, I took it from his dead hand that morning and thrust it into the breast of my coat and forgot it until this very moment. It may be vital to your future, my carelessness may have lost you—�

“It can lose me nothing,� said the girl with unwonted gentleness. I looked for her to rate me sharply, as I deserved, for my forgetfulness, but she was in another mood. “I can read it now with more composure and understanding than before,� she went on.

She tore open the envelope as she spoke and drew forth a letter, unfolded it, and there dropped from it a little piece of parchment which I instantly picked up and extended to her. But she was so engrossed in the letter that she did not see my action and paid no attention to my outstretched hand.

CHAPTER IV
SHOWS HOW TWO PIECES OF PARCHMENT WERE FITTED TOGETHER

UNDER the circumstances, therefore, and without a thought that my action might be considered a possible violation of confidence, I looked at the parchment I held in my hand. It was evidently the half of a larger sheet which had been torn in two. The right half was in my possession. A glance showed me that it was a part of a rudely-drawn map, apparently of an island, although, lacking the other half, of that I could not be quite certain. Being a seafaring man, I was familiar with maps and charts of all sorts but I must admit that I had never seen a map that looked exactly like that one. It was lettered in characters which were very old and quaint, and some figures in the upper right-hand corner appeared to indicate a longitude. The outlines of the map and the letters and figures were all very dim and faded and a longer and closer inspection than I could give it then would be needed to show just what they were.

My lady’s letter was a short one, for she looked up from it presently, her eyes filled with tears, the first I had seen there, and for that reason I was glad she could enjoy this relief. I suppose the fact that she was so alone and had no one else induced her to confide in me. At any rate, she extended the paper to me.