Morning journal and courier., 1890-01-07

Oormorant had been weather bound in the
harbor of Port Ercole, an unimportant
town, about eighty miles north of Civita
Vecchia, for nearly week; there was abso-
lutely nothing to be seen there; but the hare
Dor was good one, and the weather outside
was decidedly ''dirty."
They had been cruising for about three
months in the Mediterranean, and meant to
prolong the cruise till spring. BERTHE Hep
burn was man, who, happy and contented
everywhere, was never 30 happy as on board
his own yacht, and he was more fortunate |
than many yacht owners in one respect, in
asmuch as his wife, pretty, charming Madgs
Hepburn, was as devoted to seafaring life as
he was himself.
She had not even grumbled over their
forced detention at Port Ercole, as so many
women would have done, and 1t was she
who had insisted on BERTHE keeping his en-
gagement to dine with the Vice Consul on
Christmas eve. That unfortunate gentle
man, whose life, passed among people with
round Of dull routine, was delighted to well
come the owner Of any stray yacht driven by
stress Of weather into the snug haven Of
Port Ercole, and, on the arrival of the Corr
morant, had come on board in state, to bid
them to dinner at the shabby house digni-
fed by the name of her Britannia Majesty's
Vice Consulate. Madge had sent an excuse,
y poKloCGly bIu0 OuOS tubb Udu CO1SA PAO-
vented her coming ashore in such weather:
but she would not hear Of her husband also
throwing over his engagement.
IT shall be all right, BERTHE" she said. 81
have no end of letters to write, wishing
everybody Happy New Years, and yon
won't be late." There was an utter absence
of joviality about the meal, oand she got
through # aa quickly as possible, much to
the, secret Joy Of the steward, who had
his own plans for his evenings amusement
ON hand.
.If you please, ma'am,' said he. as he
cleared the things away" I should like
to go ashore this evening, if you have no OBJ
jection."
"ohl No, certainly you are welcome to
CO."
eff you please, ma'am," said her maid five
minutes afterwards, "the captain says there
are great doings in the cathedral tonight,
and he will take me ashore to have look at
them, if you don't want me-"
"No, you can go by all means, Dunne,"
said her mistress; "but I'm afraid you'll get
very wet landing"
Their departure in the dinghey five min
utes after seemed to leave the yacht wonder
fully quiet. There was not q sound to be
heard but the drip of the rain on deck and
the moaning of the wind in the rigging.
The sailors were all snug in the foc'sle, but
no sound of voices came from thence, and
derelict as far as any life on board was con-
cerned.
Madge Hepburn, who was both Impress
ionable and imaginative was impressed by
the stiffness in spite of herself. eve must
keep each other company, Cheviot," said she
to the big b1ack-and-tan sheep-dog who lay
asleep on the cabin floor; but he refused alb
ner showed decidedly that he did not wish to
be disturbed, and, as his mistress would not
desist, he got up sulkily, stretched himself
half dozen times, and slowly and heavily
lurched out of the cabin, and up the compan-
ion, while a thump overhead q minute
later told Mrs. Hepburn he preferred the
cold and wet on deck to her society The
Cheviot had left her, and she had not noticed
bsfore how chilly the cabin had grown; had
the steward been on board she would have
had the stove relighted; she could settle to
nothing; the New Years letters were not to
be thought of; she ransacked the book
shelves, but she seemed to have read every
thing, and was not in the mood to re-read
even Rider Haggard or Rhoda Broughton.
ssThank goodness" }" said she, ''there goes
four bells; there is no good sitting in this
cold, gloomy cabin any longer. shall be off
to bed"
Her cabin was, indeed, pretty nest for
such pretty bird; on its futed hangings
twined roses and forget.me-nots, while
laughing ~cupids peeped from among the
flowers; all was dainty and delicate, but
somehow tonight II did not seem cheerful;
the lamp was nat burning so brightly as
usual, and, once safe in her pretty berth,
Madge could not see to read as she had in
tended.
She tried to sleep, but never felt more
wide awake, and now six bells are struck,
and she reflects with joy that in an hour at
latest her husband will be back. All fs
wrapped in stiffness. No sound falls on her
yachts side at her head, and the drip, drip,
of the rain on deck. But stay! that surely
is louder sound than the water that ripples
so close to her. It is too mufaed to be oars
all the same there is a distinct splash. and
sort of jar on the ships side. Madge sits up
to listen, and her sense of hearing seems to
become preternaturally sharpened; she hears
footstep, soft as velvet, on the deck, right
overhead. That is not the way BERTHE would
come on board, let alone the party who,
headed by the captain, had gone ashore.
Now she hears more footsteps, and then
OIL what is it that is going ona-there comes
low, deep grow1 from Cheviot, growl that
ends in an odd kind Of gurele, and a noise
of something heavy falling
Light steps seem to CROSS the deck and
come down the companion, and through the
keyhole of her door shines the faintest glim-
mer of light; in one moment she is out OF her
berth ard at her door-alasl Tit has no
key, and those in the yacht, whoever they
are, have got her at their mercy.
For few minutes the poor child feels
utterly confused, and then all of a sudden
her senses return to her; she rolls herself In
a long, dark boat cloak that is hanging on a
hook, puts out her light, and cautiously-for
her life depends on it-opens the door and
looks out
There is little bit of passage between her
aud the main cabin. from which comes dim
light; faint clash of metal can be heard, but
neither voice nor sound.
cabins and the passage is nearly pitch dark,
while there is always the friendly shelter of
one or two unused cabin doors
Shall she wait in her cabin, perhaps to be
caught like rat in the trap; or shall she
crawl along the passage, make dash for the
companion, and get on deck somehow to give
the alarm to the sailorss She elects to at-
tempt the latter.
Three ste ps and she is crouching at the
foot of the stair, and can see into the saloon.
On the floor, with his back to the door, one
man kneels, and she sees him filing an
empty bag with all the yachts silver. The
door of Bertie's dressing room Is open, and
another beetle-browsd and brawny italian
rufian has his hands on heap of sovereigns,
buo DrOk6u CASu UO4 Uoluk Ou tuo AOOE Nv
his feet. A third man is in the main cabin.
He is standing beside an open drawer, his
head partly turned away from the door, but
Madge feels he is the greatest danger, and
that at any moment he may look around.
As she stands there her eye falls on the
strong key that is in the lock of the main
cabin door. She can almost touch it. If
she did but reach it, could she lock them in
before they could stop hera Above all, would
the key turna She knows nothing about its
looking powers, and it might easily be rusty.
But Madge Hepburn is no coward and the
fighting blood of wild border strain runs
hotly in her veins. As she made up her
mind, she acted.
Concealment was now of NO use; she
sprang at the door, and as she did 40 the
third man turned and saw her. Two steps
and he was across the room, but one second
had suficed fer Madge. The door banged
to; the key was stiff indeed, but terror gave
her fingers strength she did not know they
possessed, and before the burglar actually
touched the door handle the bolt. shot home.
A volley of italian oaths and blow which
all but knocked panel out of the door fol-
lowed, but Madge seemed as II she had
wings to her feet.a She few on deck,
and nowa What is that which falls
on her ears but the blessed sound of oarsf
But alasl What is that black form that at
the same moment she sees stretched on the
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