The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-11-24
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.
Who had done this thing-Philip
Trevor or his white-faced wife? JAG
queline was a prisoner. She raped
sharply on the door, but no n came
to open. The window offered no aid,
as a leap from the second story to the
rocks that surrounded the house was
clearly impracticable. She might
shout for help, but would that method
avail? Besides, she was too proud
to raise an cutlery, and awaited de-
velopments.
They came an hour later. A key
turned in the lock, the door was
opened from without and the man
Peter stepped over the threshold and
deposited a breakfast tray upon a ia
BILE within reach.
Sir" said Jacqueline, rising from
her chair in pale indignation, what
Is the meaning of this outrage?"
Peter WINGED. His jackal nature
recognized her Unreasonable super
iority and was confused and cowed
by it.
"No outrage is meant, MISS he
~stammered, ''but opinions have got
divided in this house. Some thinks
you must leave Deadman's, and 9TH
trs thinks you must stay. Till the
question is decided you'll have to
keep to these four walls. Here's your
breakfast, and I hope you'll find it to
your liking. The cook will come to-
take away the dishes. You needn't
try to talk to her, for she's a Portu-
guese woman from the Western Is
lands. She don't understand nice
English like yours-moreover, she's
had orders not to hear you"
With an audible chuckle he went
out and turned the key upon her. JAG
queline drank a little chocolate, but
could eat nothing. The situation was
incomprehensible. Who had put her
under lock and key and for what pur-
pose? Philip Trevor? Highly i'm
probable. His wife? Only last night
the alabaster woman had begged her
to leave the island without delay. !
Presently the Portuguese cook of
whom Peter had spoken stalked into
the chamber. She was a swarthy,
stolid woman, as heavy of feature as
an Indian squaw.
Good morning" said the prisoner.
A grunt was the only reply. Plainly
no help vas to be obtained from the
cook. The Portuguese arranged the
room, and finally decamped without a
single word, carrying the tray with
her, and carefully locking the door on
the captive.
Time dragged YEARLY. Never had
J%acqueline known such interminable
hours. At 1 o'clock the Portuguese
came again with lunch, but to JAG
queline's question she still answered
nothing. 1t was az useless to talk to
her as to a dead woman. Our hero
ine stood at the window and looked
out on the sea ard rocks till the sight
sickened her. What would Doris
what would Teddy Craven say, could
they know of her present plight? The
afternoon was dragging to a dismal
close when certain odd, muf1ed
sounds in her immediate vicinity at
tracted Jacqueline's attention. Was
some rat gnawing the ceiling? She
listened, but could make nothing of
the noise, though she continued to
hear it till darkness gathered. Then
the swarthy Portuguese brought in
her dinner, and removed it almost un-
fac5nI ovid tho r-sror1~ -,11 Lea
alone for the night. Hardly had the
cooks heavy step died in the passage
when Jacqueline heard three distinct
raps on the wall of her chamber. She
sprang to her feet. The sounds
seemed to proceed from the head of
her bed. A closet opened there.
Breathlessly she a and looked into
it.
The place was large and roomy.
but full of a fine, choking dust that
filled Jacqueline's nostrils and blinded
her eyes so suddenly that she could
hardly discern the extraordinary
spectacle of a human face thrust
through a big, ragged hole in the wall
of the closet. Hush" whispered
the voice of Vic. I've been tinker
ing here the best part of the after
noon-didn't you hear me? Lor', I'm
about strangled! Lucky for me
there was only laths and plaster to
dig out. I've caught most of it in
my apron. Come, miss, you've got
tn squeeze through this hole. Pcs
out your belongings first, and then
I'll give you such help as l can
.!acqueline obeyed. This humble
friend had come to her rescue at a
critical moment. She thrust her outer
garments and travelling Dag into Vic's
keeping. :9d then proceeded to make
the passage herself. 1t was neither
pleasant nor easy, but Vic stood by
and assisted. hauling so valiantiy on
the captive that J%acqueline was we'll
nigh dismembered. At last she strug-
gled through the hole. and found her
self in another closet-the counter
part CT the one LEFT behind. A par