. He would
free Alvarado and bring him down upon Morgan. He chuckled with fiendish
delight as he limped along. He had his revenge now; it lay in the hollow
of his hand, and 'twas a rare one indeed. Mercedes being bound again,
the little party marched across the beach and the bodies of the priest
and the nun were left alone while the night tide came rippling up the
strand.

Scarcely had the party disappeared within the gate of the fort when the
priest slowly and painfully lifted himself on his hands and crawled
toward the woman. While the buccaneer had talked with the abbess he had
returned to consciousness and had listened. Bit by bit he gathered the
details of her story, and in truth he knew it of old. By turning his
head he had seen the crucifix on the young man's breast and he also had
recognized it. He lay still and silent, however, feigning death, for to
have discovered himself would have resulted in his instant despatch.
When they had gone he painfully crawled over to the body of the poor
nun.

"Isabella," he murmured, giving her her birth name, "thou didst suffer.
Thou tookest thine own life, but the loving God will forgive thee. I am
glad that I had strength and courage to absolve thee before I fell. And
I did not know thee. 'Tis so many years since. Thy son, that brave young
captain--I will see thee righted. I wonder----"

He moved nearer to her, scrutinizing her carefully, and then, with an
apology even to the dead, the old man opened the front of her gown.

"Ay, ay, I thought so," he said, as his eye caught a glimpse of a gold
chain against her white neck. Gently he lifted it, unclasped it, drew it
forth. There was a locket upon it. Jewels sparkled upon its surface. She
had worn it all these years.

"_O, vanitas vanitatum!_" murmured the priest, yet compassionately.
"What is it that passes the love of woman?"

He slipped it quietly within the breast of his habit and then fell
prostrate on the sand, faint from pain and loss of blood. Long the two
figures lay there in the moonlight while the rising tide lipped the
shining sands. The cool water at last restored consciousness to one of
the still forms, but though they laved the beautiful face of the other
with tender caresses they could not call back the troubled life that had
passed into peaceful eternity. Painfully the old priest raised himself
upon his hands and looked about him.

"O God!" he murmured, "give me strength to live until I can tell the
st