d)
"and you will be very comfortable on board. You'll have the entire cabin
to yourselves, as Lester will take up his quarters in the deck-house."

Half an hour later he was giving Lester his final instructions.

"You will not leave Sydney till either you hear from me or see me. I
may follow you in the _Loelia_ in a month. But no one else is to know
this--not even Mrs. Brabant."

"You may depend on me," replied Lester.

"I know it well. Goodbye, Lester."

*****

That evening the _Loelia_ sailed from Levuka. Pedro Diaz had been
transferred from the _Maritana_ and was now mate of the cutter.

As night came on, and the green hills of Ovalau Island changed to
purple, Brabant turned suddenly to his officer.

"Come below, Pedro, I want to talk to you."

The Chileno followed him in silence, and the two men remained conversing
in almost whispered tones for some time.

"Tell me," asked the Chileno, fixing his dark eyes on the captain's
face; "when did you first begin to suspect?"

"From the very first day that I saw her and Danvers together. He
betrayed himself--fool that he is--by being too formally polite to her,
before me."

"And then you read this letter of his to her. How did you get hold of
it?"

"I was coming back from my bathe in Totoga Creek about six in the
morning. Went into Manton's for a few minutes' rest and a smoke.
Danvers's door was open, and though he was not in the room, I could hear
his voice talking to Manton. I stepped inside to sit down and wait for
him. He had been writing a letter, which was but half finished. It was
to my wife, and began, 'My darling Helen.'"

"Ah-h-h!" said Diaz, in a savage, hissing whisper.

"I left it there, strolled out into the dining-room where Manton and
Danvers were having their morning coffee. I joined them, and chatted
with them for half an hour. Then I went home, and told Minea what to
do when the letter came. It was delivered by Danvers's native servant.
Minea met him at the garden gate. He asked if I was in. She said I was
out; he gave her the letter, and told her to give it to her mistress,
who was still in bed. The girl brought it to me to where I was waiting.
I opened it, took a copy of it, and gave it back to her to give to her
mistress."

He paused, and then smiled grimly at the Chileno. Then he smoked on in
silence.

"You will kill them both?" asked Diaz.

"I don't think so, Pedro. I must wait. And you will stand to me?"

The officer's hand