ching
all vessels that passed through. This did not, however, make any
particular difference, for by this time all the passes, upon which
the guns of the forts had been trained, were guarded by government
vessels.

The _Ebba_, therefore, kept on her way, neither trying to avoid
nor offering to approach the searchers. She seemed to be merely a
pleasure-yacht out for a morning sail.

No attempt had up to that time been made to accost her. Was she, then,
specially privileged, and to be spared the bother of being searched?
Was the Count d'Artigas considered too high and mighty a personage to
be thus molested, and delayed even for an hour? It was unlikely, for
though he was regarded as a distinguished foreigner who lived the life
of luxury enjoyed by the favored of fortune, no one, as a matter of
fact, knew who he was, nor whence he came, nor whither he was going.

The schooner sped gracefully over the calm waters of the sound, her
flag--a gold crescent in the angle of a red field--streaming proudly
in the breeze. Count d'Artigas was cosily ensconced in a basket-work
chair on the after-deck, conversing with Engineer Serko and Captain
Spade.

"They don't seem in a hurry to board us," remarked Serko.

"They can come whenever they think proper," said the Count in a tone
of supreme indifference.

"No doubt they are waiting for us at the entrance to the inlet,"
suggested Captain Spade.

"Let them wait," grunted the wealthy nobleman.

Then he relapsed into his customary unconcerned impassibility.

Captain Spade's hypothesis was doubtless correct. The _Falcon_ had as
yet made no move towards the schooner, but would almost certainly do
so as soon as the latter reached the inlet, and the Count would have
to submit to a search of his vessel if he wished to reach the open
sea.

How was it then that he manifested such extraordinary unconcern? Were
Thomas Roch and Gaydon so safely hidden that their hiding-place could
not possibly be discovered?

The thing was possible, but perhaps the Count d'Artigas would not have
been quite so confident had he been aware that the _Ebba_ had been
specially signalled to the warship and revenue cutters as a suspect.

The Count's visit to Healthful House on the previous day had now
attracted particular attention to him and his schooner. Evidently, at
the time, the director could have had no reason to suspect the motive
of his visit. But a few hours later, Thomas Roch and his keeper had
bee