l looking cottage. I believe my preserver of this
morning lives there. Wouldn't it be lovely to go and beg him to give us
all tea?"

"Charming!" the Princess declared, sitting up amongst her cushions. "I
should love to see him, and tea is the one thing in the world I want to
make me happy."

Cecil de la Borne stood silent for a moment or two, looking steadfastly
at the whitewashed cottage upon the island. It seemed impossible, after
all, to escape from Andrew!

"The man lives there alone, I believe," he said. "I don't suppose there
is any one to get us tea. He would only be embarrassed by our coming,
and not know what to do."

Jeanne smiled reflectively.

"I do not think," she said, "that it would be easy to embarrass Mr.
Andrew. However, if you like we will put it off to another afternoon,
on one condition."

"Let me hear the condition at any rate," Cecil asked.

"That we go straight back, and that you show us that subterranean
passage," Jeanne declared.

"Agreed!" Cecil answered. "I warn you that you will find it only damp
and mouldy and depressing, but you shall certainly see it."

The girl moved toward the side of the boat, and stood leaning over,
with her eyes fixed upon the island. Standing on the small grass plot
in front of the cottage she could see the tall figure of a man with his
face turned toward them. A faint smile parted her lips as she watched.
She took out her handkerchief and waved it. The man for a moment stood
motionless, and then raising his cap, held it for a moment above his
head. The boat sped on, and very soon they were out of sight. She stood
there, however, watching, until they had rounded the sandy spit and
entered the creek which led into the harbour. There was something
unusually piquant to her in the thought of that greeting with the man,
whose response to it had been so unwilling, almost ungracious.

CHAPTER VIII

"Not another step!" the Princess declared. "I am going back at once."

"I too," Forrest declared. "Your smuggling ancestors, my dear De la
Borne, must indeed have loved adventure, if they spent much of their
time crawling about here like rats."

"As you will," Cecil answered. "The expedition is Miss Jeanne's, not
mine."

"And I am going on," Jeanne declared. "I want to see where we come out
on the beach."

"This way, then," Cecil said. "You need not be afraid to walk upright.
The roof is six feet high all the way. You must tread carefully,
though. Th