The presence of Mrs. Cleigh--of course she's Mrs. Cleigh by this

time!--added to the zest. To bring her through with nothing more than

a scare! Odds, odds! Cleigh, on my word, the pearls would have been

of no value without the game I built to go with them. Over the danger

route! Mad? Of course I'm mad!

Four-year-old shell, the pearls of the finest orient! The shell

alone--in buttons--would have recouped Eisenfeldt. He was ugly when

he saw that I had escaped him. Threatened to expose you. But knowing

Eisenfeldt for what he is, I had a little sword of Damocles suspended

over his thick neck. The thought of having lost eight months'

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interest will follow him to Hades.

The crew gave me no more trouble. They've been paid their dividends

in the Great Adventure Company, and have gone seeking others. But

I'll warrant they'll take only regular berths in the future.

And now those beads. I'm sorry, but I'm also innocent. I have learned

that Morrissy really double-crossed us all. He had had a copy made in

Venice. The beads you have are forgeries. So the sixty thousand

offered by the French Government remains uncalled for. Who has the

originals I can't say. I'm sorry. Morrissy's game was risky. His idea

was to make a sudden breakaway with the beads--lose them in the

gutter--and trust to luck that we would just miss killing him, which

was the case.

Leaving to-night. Bought a sloop down there, and I'm going back there

to live. Tired of human beings. Tired of myself. Still, there's the

chart. Mull it over. Maybe it's an invitation. The lagoon is like

turquoise and the land like emerald and the sky a benediction.

* * * * *

A spell of silence and immobility. Not a word about his battle with Flint,

thought Jane. A little shiver ran over her. But what a queer, whimsical

madman! To have planned it all so that he could experience a thrill! The

tragic beauty of his face and the pitiable, sluing, lurching stride! She

sighed audibly, so did the two men.

"Denny, I don't know," said Cleigh.

"I do!" said Dennison, anticipating his father's thought. "He's a man, and

some day I'd like to clasp his hand."

"Maybe we all shall," said Cleigh. "But open the box, Jane, and let's

see."

Between the layers of cotton wool she found a single pearl as large as a

hazelnut, pink as the Oriental dawn. One side was slightly depressed, as

though some mischievous, inquisitive mermaid had touched it in passing.

"Oh, the lovely thing!" she gasped. "The lovely thing! But, Denny, I can't

accept it!"




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