reakfast, beneath the shade
of a wide veranda overlooking a beautiful and luxuriant garden. The
Governor arose as I came forward, looking very much surprised at my
boldness in so forcing my presence upon his privacy. As for Mistress
Pamela, I beheld her eyes grow wide and her face as white as marble, and
thereby knew that she had recognized me upon the instant.

I came direct to the table, and drawing forth the jewel, still wrapped
in the yarn (for my agitation had been so great that I had not thought
to unroll the covering from the stone), I laid it upon the table, with
my hands trembling as though with an ague.

"What does all this mean?" cried the Governor. "Who are you, and what do
you want?" For I was mightily changed in my appearance by the rough life
through which I had passed, and he did not recognize me.

But I only pointed to the ball of yarn. "Open it," I cried; "for God's
sake, open it!"

I saw a sudden light come into Mistress Pamela's eyes. She clasped her
hands, and repeated after me, "Open it, open it!" The Governor himself
seemed to be impressed by our emotion; for, instead of troubling himself
to unwind the yarn, he snatched up a bread-knife and cut through the
strands, so that they fell apart, and the jewel rolled out upon the
white linen table-cover.

The Governor gazed upon it as though thunderstruck. Presently he slowly
raised his eyes and looked at me. "What is this?" said he.

In the mean time I had somewhat recovered from my excessive emotion.
"Sir," said I, "it is the Rose of Paradise."

"And you?"

"I am Captain John Mackra."

The Governor grasped my hand, and shook it most warmly. "Sir," said he,
"Captain Mackra, I am vastly delighted to find you such a man as my
niece has always maintained you to be. The little rebel has led me a
most disturbed and disquieted life ever since I was constrained to order
you back to England under restraint. I now leave you a captive in her
hands, trusting to her to give you a famous dish of tea, whilst I go and
consign this great treasure to some place of safe-keeping. I shall soon
return, for I am most impatient to hear your narrative of those events
which led to the recovery of this stone."

So saying, he turned and left us, bearing the Rose of Paradise with him,
and I sat down to a dish of tea with Mistress Pamela.

When the Governor returned he had first to listen to other matters than
those concerning the Rose of Paradise; for, with his consen