When the half dozen women were left in the parlor, they drew their chairs together and fell into a confidential talk. Miss Sibby inquired more particularly into the nature of Mrs. Force’s illness; and Wynnette, with her brusque frankness, told the truth—that the shock of hearing of Roland Bayard’s arrest and imprisonment, under the charge of piracy, had made the lady ill. Miss Sibby just stared with incredulous amazement. “Roland Bayard! My Roland—charged with piracy? Why, it is all a funny mistake, you know, that must soon be set right! And that old gay deceiver, Gideon Grandiere, to go and tell me that he was boarding on Capitol Hill, when he was in prison there! What did he do it for? Was he afeared of scaring me about my own Roland? Why, Lor’, sez I, when I know my boy is innocent, sez I, I know his innocence is gwine to shine forth like the sun at midday, sez I, and make his accusers ashamed, sez I.” Here it was felt to be right Miss Sibby should be told of the real state of the case. And so she had to hear all about the taking of the _Kitty_ by the _Argente_; when the skipper and his mate were made prisoners by the pirate, who set the former at liberty on the coast of Cornwall, and kept the latter a captive on board the _Argente_; and then of the capture of the _Argente_ by the _Eagle_, and the bringing of the prize into port with the pirate captain and his first officer on board; and, finally, the identification of the two prisoners as Angus Anglesea, alias Capt. Silver, and Roland Bayard, alias Craven Cloud; and the alleged paternal claim of the former upon the latter, which now closed the lips of the claimed son from saving himself by testifying against the self-styled father. Miss Sibby’s eyes opened, her brows raised, and her chin dropped in sheer horrified amazement. “Why, them’s all lies!” she indignantly exclaimed. “Abel Force knows they’re lies! Why don’t he go and tell the boy better? As to that Anglesea a-turning out to be no Anglesea at all, no English gentleman at all, and no military officer at all, but just a pirate, after being a thief and a forger, I’m not a bit surprised at that. No more would I be surprised if he was found out to be Old Scratch himself, allowed to come on earth in the human form in these very bad times. But as for anything going amiss with my boy on account of his being stuffed with lies about that pirate being of his own father, it shan’t be done! Me and Abel Force will put a stop to that! Abel Force knows who that boy’s father is; and I have my suspicions. There shan’t be a hair of his head hurt! Mind that!” said the old lady, shaking her head. “Oh, Miss Sibby!” pleaded little Rosemary, clasping her hands prayerfully, and raising her large blue eyes to the speaker’s face. “Can you—will you—save Roland?” “Abel Force can, and he will, or I’ll know the reason why!” replied Miss Bayard.