ill."

The major at once complied with this request, and, after he had gone,
Captain Spillins said: "I shouldn't wonder if the old fellow played
out and left you in sole possession of the Princess, after all, Mr.
Peveril."

"Which Princess are you meanin', captain?" asked Mike Connell. "Sure
it seems to me there's two of them."

"Have a care, Connell," said Peveril, warningly. "Remember the
circumstances under which we are here."

"I beg your pardon, Mister Peril," exclaimed the Irishman, contritely;
"I'd near forgot that you was already bespoke."

A hot flush sprang to the young man's cheek, but ere he could frame a
reply Major Arkell reappeared, looking greatly worried.

"Boys," he said, "we've a very serious case on our hands, and one that
demands immediate action. The old man up-stairs is fairly out of his
head, besides being in a high fever. He needs medical attendance as
quickly as it can be got to him, and careful nursing. I have given him
an opiate, which I hope will keep him quiet for a while, and now I
propose to go to Red Jacket in the tug for a doctor and a nurse.
Captain Spillins will, of course, go with me, and we shall try to be
back by morning. In the meantime the poor young lady must not be left
alone, or with only that old aunty, who is nearly frightened out of
her wits, and so I think you, Peveril, ought to stay here with Connell
and do what you can. You are, in a sense, the proprietor here, you
know, and as Connell has also been here before, maybe the old man will
be more reasonable with you than he would be with entire strangers."

"I quite agree with you that some of us ought to stay here and do what
we can," said Peveril; "and, under the circumstances, I suppose
Connell and I are the ones to do so. At the same time, I haven't had
much experience in caring for madmen."

"No more have I," said Connell, "but I'll do me best, for sake of the
young lady, and maybe she'll forgive me for treating her the same as I
would a lad."

"And, major," added Peveril, "if you will kindly fetch my luggage from
the Trefethen's I shall be greatly obliged."

So the party separated; and, while two of them wended their way back
to the tug at Laughing Fish, the others prepared for the long vigil of
the night.

After the effect of the opiate had passed, their patient was seized
with paroxysms of raving and frantic efforts to leave his bed for the
purpose of protecting his property. At such times it required