Many people came down when they saw the approaching launch, amongst them relatives of the servants, together with friends. These took charge of the homeless wanderers, and gradually the whole household disappeared up the winding road to find shelter. Before they departed Basil informed them that within a week he would return to Hendle and attend to their needs, as he had inherited the property. Although the young man was a favourite, the dispossessed were too miserable to raise a cheer, and departed with sad faces and hanging heads. Their world was in ruins, and save what they stood up in, all were without money or home. But the promise made by their new master that he would look after them cheered them not a little. Akira, after he had walked round the desolation with Basil and Patricia, asked them to return to the pier. Here, he had seats brought up from the launch, and they sat down to hear what he had to say. His first speech rather surprised them, used as they were becoming to the happening of the unexpected. "I am sorry that all this has occurred," he said seriously, waving his hand towards the ruins; "but I had to bring it about." They looked at one another and then at the speaker, believing, and with some reason, that he was crazy. "How could you possibly bring it about?" asked Mr. Dane in a sceptical tone. "The Mikado Jewel brought it about." "Oh!" Patricia winced; "are you going to talk more of this occult nonsense?" "Can you call it nonsense in the face of this, Miss Carrol?" "That is an accident owing to the late rains." "Quite so, and that is what the world will consider it. But I can tell you differently. It happened because the Mikado Jewel was in the house." "It was not!" said Basil imperatively, and would have gone on talking, but that Patricia stopped him. "It _was_ in the house," she said quickly, "only Mr. Colpster--poor man!--asked Theodore and myself to say nothing about it." Basil cast a glance at the red heaps. "Then it is buried under this rubbish," he said disdainfully; "for all its occult power, it couldn't look after itself! "I looked after it," said Akira quietly. "It is now on board the yacht, and I am taking it back to Japan to restore it to the Temple of Kitzuki." "How did you get it, Akira?" "Pentreddle, by my desire, took it from the Squire when he went last night to accuse Theodore, your brother, of murder." "He did not tell me that," said Basil involuntarily. "I asked him not to, as I wished to tell you myself. I am sorry to bore you with occult talk, Miss Carrol, but I think you would like to understand the reason for the Jewel being at Beckleigh at all." "You sent it to Mr. Colpster?" "Yes, I did. To punish him for daring to have it stolen from Kitzuki." "But he didn't wish it stolen. He was angry that Harry should steal it."