At her master's call she had appeared in the verandah above us as we
mounted the last terrace towards the house, and had stood there
watching our ascent with no trace of surprise, or, indeed, of any
emotion whatever, on her black, inscrutable face. Her eyes met mine
as though she had never seen me before. To her care Dr. Beauregard
had given over the still unconscious Glass, and, with a sign to Mr.
Rogers and Mr. Goodfellow to follow her with their burden, she had
led the way through the house to the bedroom at the back.
There, in a bed between spotlessly clean sheets, they had laid the
patient, and been dismissed by her. It was she who, less than ten
minutes later, had brought our tea to us in the verandah, and with
our tea many little plates heaped with small cakes and sweetmeats--
all fresh, as though she had been expecting us for hours, and could
command the resources of a city. I kept a sharp look-out, but of the
strange lady--the lady of the graveyard--I could detect no trace.
Nothing indicated her presence, unless it were the dainty feminine
furniture of the drawing-room.
"I've a strong sense of the right of property," said Miss Belcher,
sipping her tea and touching the oilskin wrapper, which lay in her
lap unopened as Captain Branscome had handed it to her; and so has
Jack Rogers here. You tell me, sir, that you hold Mortallone by
grant, and doubtless you can show your title."
"Willingly, madam." Dr. Beauregard rose, and stepped to the French
window. "You can read Spanish?" he asked, turning there and pausing.
"Not a word", answered Miss Belcher. The Doctor smiled. "It would
impart nothing it you could," said he, with a smile, "for I will own
to you frankly that Mortallone has always been under suspicion of
containing treasure, and in the grant all treasure-trove is expressly
reserved. I cannot say," he added, smiling again, "that I have
strictly observed the clause; but, as between you and me, it legally
disposes of my claim."
"Thank you," said Miss Belcher; "but I don't own an equally tender
conscience towards Governments." Here Mr. Rogers winked at me, for
as a patron of smugglers Miss Belcher enjoyed some reputation, even
for a Cornish landowner. "We will leave Government out of the
question; but as proprietor--lord of the manor, as we should say at
home--you have a right to your share; and that, by English law--which
I suggest we follow--is one-third."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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