anner. "I give you my
word as a gentleman that I will follow you willingly wherever you lead
me, but I desire that my wife, the duchess, shall not be informed of my
arrest until I have gone."

"How, my lord, you are willing to thus abandon your wife without telling
her of your sad situation?"

"Yes, because of reasons known to me alone, and then I would spare
myself farewells, which must always be distressing."

"My orders concern you alone, my lord," said the colonel; "you are free
to act as seems best to yourself, as far as the duchess is concerned.
Nothing could be easier, it seems to me, than to do what you propose. If
your wife is astonished at your departure, you can plead the imperative
necessity of a journey of some days' duration to St. Pierre. As to my
presence here, you can easily explain that. We will go, and your boat
will take us to the Barbadoes."

"Doubtless, doubtless," said the embarrassed Gascon, for he saw a number
of dangers in the proposition which the colonel made. "Doubtless my
departure might be easily explained so, but to give my orders to the
negroes, to cause a commotion in the house, would attract my wife's
attention. She is extremely timid and is alarmed at everything. Your
presence here would arouse her suspicions, and they would necessarily
lead up to the painful scene which I would avoid at all cost."

"But, then, my lord, what shall we do?"

"There is a sure way, sir; however dangerous may have been the road by
which you have arrived, let us follow it; we will leave the island by
the same method by which you reached it. Once at the Barbadoes I will
inform my wife of my abduction--the cruel abduction which separates me
forever from her; and you will swear to me that she shall not be
disturbed after my departure."

"Unfortunately, my lord, what you propose is impossible."

"How is that?"

"I came by way of the pearl diver's cavern, my lord."

"Well, can we not leave by the pearl diver's cavern?"

"Is it possible that you are ignorant, my lord, of the secret
communication which exists between this cavern and the abyss which
surrounds your park?"

"I am entirely ignorant as to it, but if this communication exists, can
we not use it to leave by?"

"That is impossible, my lord; no one can enter the cavern except by
allowing the waves to precipitate him to the bottom of a subterranean
lake, after having descended a cataract."

"And in order to get out of this cavern?"

"You