"You look ill, my boy, and no wonder," he said. "Fenella and I are to take a short cruise in the yacht before the autumn ends. You must come along with us." For the farmers and fishermen who had travelled long distances a meal had been provided in the barn--a kind of robustious after-wake for the Deemster, presided over by the elder and younger Robbie Creers. Alick Gell alone returned with Stowell to the house. In his black frock coat and tall silk hat he had walked back from the Church by Stowell's side, snuffling audibly but saying nothing. To Stowell's relief he was still silent through luncheon and for several hours afterwards. It was not until they were in the porch, and Gell was on the point of going, that anything of consequence was said. "What about Bessie?" asked Stowell. "Oh, Bessie?" said Gell (he looked a little confused) "Bessie's all right, I think. But there's trouble coming in that quarter, I'm afraid." "What trouble?" "As we were walking along Langness yesterday--I went down to tell her about the Deemster--we met Cæsar Qualtrough coming from the farm." "Qualtrough?" "You know--father of the young scoundrel who got us into that scrape at King William's." "I remember." "He's a friend of Dan Baldromma's, and Dan is a tenant of my father's and .... But good Lord, what matter! I've worse things than that to worry about." As Gell was going out of the gate, the night was falling and the stars were out, and he was saying to himself, "Does he really care for the girl, or is it only a sense of duty?" And Stowell, as he closed the door and went back into the house (empty and vault-like now, as a house is on the first night after the being who has been the soul of it has been left outside) was thinking, "I can't allow Alick to be my scapegoat any longer." But at the next moment he was thinking of Fenella. With mingled shame and joy he was asking himself what was being thought of the incident in the churchyard--by Fenella herself, by the Governor, by everybody. Next day the Attorney-General came with the will. Except for a few legacies to servants, the Deemster had left everything to his son. "So, with your mother's fortune, you are one of the rich men of the island, now, Victor. A great responsibility, my boy! I pray God you may choose the right partner. But" (with a meaning smile) "that will be all right, I think." During the next days Stowell occupied himself with Joshua Scarff, the Deemster's clerk (a tall, thin, elderly man wearing dark spectacles) in paying-off the legacies. Only one of these gave him any anxiety. This was Janet's, and it was accompanied by a pension, in case Victor should decide to superannuate her. Against doing so all his heart cried out, but something whispered that if Janet were gone it might be the easier for Bessie. Janet was in floods of tears at the possibility.