"Miss Tetson's orders, sir," replied the man, gravely. The doctor laughed boisterously, and Hicks blushed. While Hemming and Scott devoured boiled eggs, muffins; and coffee, with Smith waiting on them with a revolver in his pocket, Hicks retired to another room, out of sight of temptation. The poor fellow felt that seven eggs and a plate of muffins would be as nothing in his huge emptiness. He opened one of the upper front windows, and knelt by the sill, rifle in hand. His thoughts were gloomy. The beef tea had only sharpened his appetite and dampened his spirits. Outside, the dawn was quickly strengthening, filling the beautiful gardens with magic, inviting light. He thought of the little fountain in front of the bench, and of the lonely crane. Suddenly he heard the brisk padding of hoofs on the drive, and the colonel, followed by a trooper, rode up to the great steps. With pardonable caution, Hicks protruded his head from the window, and addressed the Brazilian politely. The stout horseman saluted, and spoke thus, in what he fondly considered to be English: "Señor, a good morning to you, my friend. I here have a letter, humbly which I wish a delivery in the hands of General Hemming." He smiled up at the man in the window, evidently vastly pleased with his speech. It was not often that he attempted the language of these aliens. "If you will kindly request the gentleman with you to poke the letter under the door, I shall be delighted to deliver it to the general," replied Hicks, with a wan grin. The colonel blinked sleepily, for he had been up late, assisting at the writing of the letter, and emptying bottles. "Have no tremble, señor," he said, "for see,--I am as a sheep, mild." "I know nothing of sheep, colonel," replied Hicks, "and all is not wool that looks greasy." The soldiers below looked puzzled, and Hicks felt sorry that they were his only audience. Presently the colonel spoke to his man in Portuguese, and passed him a long, white envelope. The little trooper advanced upon the doorway. "Thank you, sir," cried Hicks, and bowed, as he turned from the window. But the colonel called him back. "A moment, señor," he said; "I will inquire of the conditions of the ladies, with most respectable regards." "Thank you, they are very well," said Hicks, and hurried away. When Hicks gave the letter to Hemming, that self-possessed gentleman and the doctor were smoking, with their chairs pushed back, and Smith was eating muffins with surprising rapidity. "A letter to you?" queried Scott. "Then they must know of Tetson's escape." "Possibly," said Hemming, and opened the paper. At first he smiled, as he read. Then, of a sudden, he wrinkled his brows, stared, and looked up. "What is that stranger's name?" he asked, sharply. "Cuddlehead, sir," replied Smith, promptly. "I doubt it," retorted the other, "for I have reason enough to remember this handwriting."