in. When I was a young woman, Donna Inez was married
to Don Alphonzo in Madrid. She engaged me for her waiting woman. I was
married directly after to one of Don Alphonzo's sailors. We came to this
island in one of the Don's ships. The castle was most gorgeously
furnished with the spoils of almost every country in the world. I
thought Don Alphonzo was a great noble, so did my husband, for he was so
called in Spain, but soon my husband told me that the Don and all his
men were buccaneers. Donna Inez did not know the truth until after we
came here. We tried to get away, but that was impossible. The Don
brought the richest dresses and jewels to make the Donna like her home,
but he could not succeed. Many wrecks I have seen in just the same place
you were wrecked in; Don Alphonzo and his crew burned false signals at
night, they hoisted false colors by day, they drew the unfortunate ships
to their doom; the Don had a hundred men in this castle, ready to obey
his commands at any moment. They had uniforms and flags of many nations,
which they used as disguises and decoys. They robbed the vessels which
fell into their hands, they killed some of their crews, some they sold
into slavery, and others who refused to commit murder, they chained to
great stones down in the middle dungeon. That was called the 'dungeon of
death,' for they kept the men there until they died of starvation, and
when they died, they threw their bodies into the well. My husband, Juan,
was put into that dungeon, because he would not kill a Spanish boy who
was taken prisoner, but Donna Inez made the Don release him, for we
thought Juan would help us to get away. The Donna had promised to give
him half of her jewels, if he would find some way to get us back to
Spain, but he made himself powerless, he soddened his brain, he murdered
his manly feelings; he was once good and brave and I loved him with all
the intensity and devotion of a true woman, but he learned to value
strong drink more than my affection, he killed my love, he drowned it in
the fiery cup, and I grew to despise and loath him. Don Alphonzo was
worse than Juan, for he had so much learning and so much power and he
turned it all to a bad use. He blasted other lives by his own evil
example. Out of his wickedness grew the curse which fell upon me, but
he has met with retribution."

"Poor Louisita," said Mrs. Carleton, speaking very gently, "What can I
do for you?"

"Nothing," she replied. "Let me tell