“Yes, on de first October! Ole Marse Colonel, he done gone to Baltimo’ to take her out’n school when de holidays come, an’ dey’s gwine for a trip to Lunnun or Europ’, or some o’ dem dere outlandish savidge parts o’ de worl’, an’ dey’s gwine to be gone all de summer; but dey’s comin’ back in de fall; dat is, ef so be de cannibals out in dem dere parts don’t kill an’ eat ’em fust! I fink it’s downright dange’ous an’ a temptin’ o’ Providence to leave one’s ’spectable home an’ go traipsin’ off to dem dare igno’nt places—Lunnun an’ Europ’, and de like!” exclaimed Laban, in a tone of disgust and abhorrence. “Miss de la Vera going to Europe!” said David Lindsay, to himself rather than to Laban. “Hi! what I tell you, boy? Yes, gwine to Europ’ long o’ Marse Colonel Discrepancy! Gwine to see de savidges what lib across de big sea. Dare now, yer got it. I calls it a downright fiyin’ inter de face ob Providence. I does! What he fink, de Lord A’mighty put de big sea a rollin’ ’tween we an’ de cannibals for he to go an’ sail across it on a big ship out’n contrariness?” said Laban. “Is Miss Agrippina to be one of the party?” inquired the young man. “No. Miss Aggravater is gwine to stay here to watch the workmen. Miss Aggravater gwine indeed! Catch her at it! Wish she was, dough! She might go, ’dout any danger. Cannibals wouldn’t eat her, leastways not if dey wa’n’t uncommon hungry.” David Lindsay said no more, but mused, as he helped to land the goods. “Dere’s an’ arckman an’ a decorum an’ a skippin’ gardener comin’ down by de stage-coach to-morrow,” explained Laban, meaning the architect, decorator and landscape gardener engaged by Colonel de Crespigney to transfigure the dreary promontory and its prison-like buildings into a habitable home for the young heiress. “And a precious deal ob money it is a gwine to cost, too, wherever it comes from, which I do ’spects it’ll be out’n Miss Glo’s own fortin’, for Marse Colonel Discrepancy hasn’t got too much to tro’ away, dat I knows.” Laban was mistaken. He had been misled by appearances. Marcel de Crespigney, leading his hermit life at the promontory, never receiving company and never going from home except when he went to take his ward from school, spent little money, had few wants, and lived like a very much poorer gentleman than he really was. Hence, in the years he had spent at the promontory, the revenues from the fisheries, though not large, had been left to accumulate until they had reached a round sum, which he determined to invest in the restoration and improvement of Promontory Hall, to make his home as attractive as possible to his beautiful and beloved ward. The goods brought to the wharf were all landed and stored away in the old dilapidated store-house, and then the schooner sailed away, and David Lindsay crossed the point to the fishing landing and set about his own especial work.