e once more in their yellow and
purple glory. The day was sunny, and the rich autumnal glow spread
itself over the walls of the old castle, the forest, the rocks, and the
sea, and the island and its surroundings seemed to the little family to
be more beautiful than ever.

Mrs. Carleton was engaged in decorating the green parlor with flowers
and trailing plants, which Miss Vyvyan and Cora had gathered for that
purpose. The two latter had gone down among the trees near the beach to
get the last basketful of moss to complete the work of adornment.

"Quick, Trefethen, quick, hand me my gun; see those birds, what an
immense flight of them," shouted a strong masculine voice within a few
yards of the trees which concealed them from view, and which also
prevented them from seeing from whom the voice came.

"Don't fire," cried Miss Vyvyan, instantly catching up Cora in her arms
as she used to do in the child's baby days.

"Don't fire," she repeated, "there are people here who are coming out of
the woods on that side," at the same time, forcing her way among the
trees, in the direction from which the voice came; and taking the
advantage of making an inspection without being seen herself.

Cora caught sight of two figures standing on the open ground between the
forest and the sea.

She clasped Miss Vyvyan's neck more tightly and whispered softly, "Look,
Anna, there are two papas."

Miss Vyvyan paused, and looking between the branches she saw a tall,
finely grown gentleman in the full military uniform of a colonel of the
British army. By his side stood a man of smaller stature who wore the
blue coat of a sea captain of that period. As the sunlight fell upon the
bright scarlet uniform, the gold laced hat, the gold epaulets and the
handsome scabbard which contained the colonel's sword, the child gazed
in great amazement, not unmixed with admiration.

As we have already said, Cora was born brave, and like her mother
struggled to keep up a calm courage through any emergency; but the poor
little heart trembled a little when she said,

"Anna, I think he is a very pretty papa, but why does he wear that
sword? Louisita used to wear a sword," she added.

"We are safe, Cora; he will not hurt us. He wears the uniform of our
king. He would help us if we wanted him to."

"Shall we go to him?" said the child.

"Yes; we must so that we can tell your mama what sort of persons are on
the island."

A few more steps took them out of t