They passed behind more shrubbery, and into the yard of a fine mansion. The soldiers had halted in perplexity. As quick as a flash Cara led them to where an iron gate led to a cellar under the house. They passed within, and the maid closed the gate and locked it from the inside. "A private school!" she whispered. "I worked here--years ago. Come on." She lighted a match and moved on through the cellar to a passage-way lined with rough stones, and quite narrow. The passage-way ended in a small, circular chamber, with a ladder leading to a closed trap-door overhead. "Here we are safe," said Cara. "Nobody ever knew of this but me and another girl. We discovered it when we were on a hunt one night. It is an old secret vault." Howard did not reply; but as Cara lighted a bit of candle she had extracted from her dress, he placed Estella on a couch to one side, which was musty with age. "We are safe for the time being," said Estella, after conversing with Cara in the maid's native tongue. "But we must make no sound while we are here, or we shall be overheard by the occupants of the seminary overhead." "You are not hurt?" he whispered, tenderly. "I would not have you suffer for my sake for the world!" "I felt exhausted, but I am better now. But had you not better take your letters?" and she held them out. In a trice he had them secreted in his clothes. They listened, and heard the soldiers make a demand at the school door, enter the building, and after a search around, go away. "Now, I suppose we can go," he said, some time after the last sound had died away. "But what will become of you, Estella?" "Oh, I will be safe enough now that I no longer carry the letters," she returned. "It was those that caused the trouble. That horrid captain was spying upon me, and observed me handling them when I was endeavoring to satisfy myself that they were safe. I believe he is in the employ of the custom-house inspectors." "Then I presume that in the morning you will leave Santiago for home," he went on, regretfully. "Yes." There was a deep silence between them. Cara had mounted the ladder, opened the trap-door which led behind a hedge, and was reconnoitering. "I shall be very sorry to part from you, Estella!"--he seized her hand and held it tightly--"very sorry indeed!" "You must come and see me," she replied, softly, as she turned pale--"that is, if you come to Marambo within a week." "I will certainly come, Estella." He suddenly caught her tightly in his arms. "Oh, Estella, don't you understand me? Perhaps I am impetuous, but I love you fondly, passionately--have loved you from the moment we first met on the steamer!" "Oh, Howard--Mr. Sherwood," she faltered, but could go no further.