Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-11-30
THE BLACK PEARL.
CHAPTERlIv.
A New Use for n Tooth.
Ir..t...t s.a... Ia. a.lN

was shaken to its centre by quite un-
precedented tragedy.
1t was heralded by the apparition OF
Mrs. Bounceall, many shades yellower
than usual, who hurried up to the side Of
the ships surgeon, and whispered some
thing in his ear which had the effect Of
making Inn start up rs suddenly as If he
had swallowed snake.
A few seconds after his departure the
captain was summoned away, and after q
longer interval-perhaps ten minutes-a
MILDLY put his head in ut the door, and
said, "WIll Mr.. Chesterton step aft,
please"
As Cecil quilted the table in compli.
ance with the request, expectation and
alarm rose to tiptoe and quivered on ten
terhooks.
At the head of the stairs conducting to
the women's quarters, the captain await
ed him. He looked so shocked, that his
opening words came like IN anti climax
to Cecils aroused fears.
"Your pearl is found, " he said. "Some-
thing horrible has happened "
"Found horrible p Cecil repeated, I'M
able to account for such an association of
terms. "What do you mean?"
"Come and see, said the captain, lead
ing the way below; and the next thing
Cecil was conscious of was OF finding
himself in private cabin, inhaling
powerful odor of sal-volatile and brandy,
and with hammock opposite him in
which lay the Indian ayah. No longer an
ayah, however. Musieeda had done with
social distinctions She was dead.
A thrill of horror ran through Cecil's
veins as he caught sight of the once beau
tiful face, contorted, purple and rigid.
"Shc was choked with this. l removed
it from the windpipe a few minutes ago, )"
said the surgeon, indicating something
that lay in the palm of his hand.
1T must have got loose and slipped
down her throat whilst she was asleep"
The object which met Cecil's gaze was
n double tooth of extraordinary size and
glistening Wilderness.
"Horrible !" he calculated and as he
uttered the word his eyes met the cap
tain's, and there flashed into his memory
that other word which had been associa-
ted with this one Evidently the captain
remembered too, for he beckoned Ches-
terton to his side, and taking the tooth
between his thumb and finger, pressed q
tiny notch in the gold setting. Immedi-
ately the part that fitted against the gum
flew open like a spring lid, disclosing q
hollow like box.
Come nearer the light, and look in
SIDE" said the captain, withdrawing to
the window.
Chesterton followed, took n long, amaz-
ed look, and then reeled dizzily back
against the wall of the cabin.
Reposing in the hollow of the cavity
was the Black Pearl
What Seshaya Sastri had failed to do
by brute force and the assassin's steel, n
woman's skill had accomplished for him ;
and but for a fatal and unforeseen acct
dent the talisman of Jodhpore would soon
have been in the hands OF the last Of that
| treacherous house.
Among Musieeda's possessions were
found letters and documents in Hindus-
lance, which identified her Enthusiastically
with that sister of Seshaya Sastri who
had welded Baluran's son. The mystic
rious dread with which her features had
inspired Chesterlon was explained at last.
Beyond any possibility of doubt the flow
er of Indian zenanas had abdicated her
princess state and issued from her i'm
prcgnnble seclusion to recover the tails
manic jewel of her race and just when
success had crowned her sacrifice she per
ished.
Poor Musjeeda mot the first martyr,
nor the last, in IN unworthy cause. Hei
remains were taken ashore and buried at
Alexandria, and her possessions were
sealed up, to be returned to Tricomalee
by the next packet.
Now, at length, Chesterton felt he
might breathe freely. His enemy's Par.
THAN shaft had missed him, and with Q
continent between them, surely he could
not spend another.
At Alexandria the Warren Hastings go
q fresh accession of passengers. Among
them was pleasant, chatty old gentle
man, with long fringe Of white hail
resting on his coat-collar, proclaimins
him follower Of one Of the art profes
sions. His name was Mr.. Foljambe, nnt
his calling that of musical antiquarian
and critic. He came direct from the mu
scum and Boulak, whore for the pas
three months lie had been employed il
assisting Monsieur Mnspero to transcrib'
some scores OF Coptic music, written oil
papyrus, and discovered recently will
other culiosi.ics in tomb ut Bokhara.
There is no place for striking up &c
quaintanceships like the deck of a steam
er and that the students Of Oriental ar
and Oriental literature should soon fut
each other ont, and be mutually pleased
with the discovery, must seem the mos
natural thing in the world.
Mr.. Foliambe and Cecil sat or strollet
about together by the hour, telling, ant
hearing told, these records of the pas
with which each was most familiar.
The eight days passage from Alexan
dria to Malta, aud from Malta to Mar
settles, wero so full of pleasure as t.
atone entirely to Cecil for preceding dis
/ agreeable experiences. Both gentlcme
were bound for Paris, so they left tn
Warren Hastings at Marseilles, and con
tinued together the overland journey t.
the capital of pleasure. Pleasure, how
. ever, was not the object primarily sough
by either of the travelling contrcres.
Mr.. Foliambo went to Paris to be pre-
5 sent at the production of n new operf
and Cecil t. pay his respects to the I'm
s Gle who had stood to him in the stead of
father, being, indeed, almost tho onl
relative he had.
The Reverend Septimus Chesterton wa
n bachelor, sixty-five years of age, occr
plying the position of chaplain to tn
British Embassy-as kind and good n
old man as could be met with in day
< march, and warmly attached to his erudit
s nephew, of whom he was immensel
4 proud, aud to whom, in point of intellec
r he was immeasureably inferior. He n
c ways asked what progress Cecil had mac
S in his studies, and praised him for his di
+ igence but his remarks showed how fl
Ii he was from having any intelligent con
S prehension of what the studies embrace
1t is never good for n young man to !
consciously superior to his elders. 1t il
dnces self-sufliciency, and dries up IL
8 spring Of natural confidence. Cecil c
lie tecmed his uncle as one of the best
men but he never revealed to him Ii
pondcrings, nor consulted him on al
problem not purely practical. For syI
pathy of thought aud intellectual advi
y, he went to Mr.. Foliambe, as eight mont