red for the boat returning, but not to
find an entire stranger pulling her. At all events, he let her come
within a couple of gunshots before calling down to the cabin and
giving the alarm. I had my legs up on a locker, and was taking a
siesta over a book--'Parkinson _On The Dog_'--and, by the way, we
were a set of fools not to bring a dog; but I ran up the companion in
a jiffy, and had the sense to catch up your spyglass as I went.
Goodfellow by this time had begun to dance about the deck in a
flutter. He had the tinder-box in his hand, and wanted to know if he
should touch off a rocket. I ordered him to drop it, and fetch me a
musket, which he did. By this time I could see that the man in the
boat was unarmed, so I put up the musket at the 'present,' got the
sight on him, and called out to know his business.

"The man jerked the cockboat round with her stern to the schooner--
these boats come right-about with a single twist--and says he, very
politely lifting his hat, 'You'll pardon me, ma'am, but (as you see)
I have borrowed your young friend's boat. My own was not handy, and
this seemed the quickest way to pay my respects.' 'Indeed?' said I,
'and who may you be?' 'My name, ma'am,' said he, 'is Beauregard--Dr.
Beauregard.' 'I never heard of you,' said I. 'That, ma'am, is
entirely my misfortune,' said he, lifting his hat again; 'but allow
me to say that I am the proprietor of this island, and very much at
your service.'

"Well, this was a facer. It never occurred to any of us--eh?--that
this island might have an owner. To tell the truth, I'm a stickler
for the rights of property, at home; but somehow the notion of an
island like this belonging to any one had never entered my head.
Yet the thing is reasonable enough when you come to think it over;
and, of course, I saw that it put an entirely different complexion
upon our business here."

"My dear Lydia," put in Mr. Rogers, impatiently, "the man's claim
must be absurd. Why, the island is right in the tropics!"

"You wouldn't have thought it a bit absurd if you had heard him,"
retorted Miss Belcher. "He appeared to be quite sure of his ground.
Very pleasant about it, too, he was; said that few visitors ever
honoured his out-of-the way home, but that as soon as any arrived he
always made it a matter of--of punctilio (yes, that was the word) to
put off and bid them welcome. He spoke with the slightest possible
foreign accent, but used admirable English