, in deepest agitation, "the print
of this little shoe, here--and there, and here again, right down to
the water's edge. Thank God--thank God! My Lady has had no accident.
She has gone with the sailors to the boat. Ah! here the tide has
come--we can see no farther."

"But why should she have gone with them?" came, after a moment, Sir
Adrian's voice out of the darkness. "Surely that is strange--and
yet ... Yes, that is indeed her foot-print in the sand."

"And if your honour will look to sea, he will perceive the ship's
lights yonder, upon the water. That is the captain's ship.... Your
honour, I must avow to you that I have concealed something from
you--it was wrong, indeed, and now I am punished--but that poor
Monsieur the Captain, I was so sorry for him, and he so enamoured. He
had made a plan to lift off Mademoiselle Madeleine with him to-night,
marry her in France; and that was why he came back again, at the risk
of his life. He supplicated me not to tell you, for fear you would
wish to prevent it, or think it your duty to. Mademoiselle had
promised, it seemed, and he was mad with her joy, the poor gentleman!
and as sure of her faith as if she had been a saint in Heaven. But My
Lady came alone, your honour, as I said. The courage had failed to
Mademoiselle, I suppose, at the last moment, and Madame bore a message
to the captain. But the captain was not able to leave his ship, it
seems; and, my faith," cried Mr. Potter; his spirits rising, as the
first ghastly dread left him, "the mystery explains itself! It is
quite simple, your honour will see. As the captain did not come to the
island, according to his promise to Mademoiselle--he had good reasons,
no doubt--Madame went herself to his ship with her message. She had
the spirit for it--Ah! if Mademoiselle had had but a little of it
to-night, we should not be where we are!"

Sir Adrian caught at the suggestion out of the depths of his despair.
"You are right, Renny, you must be right. Yet, on this rough sea, in
this black night--what madness! The boat, instantly; and let us row
for those lights as we never rowed before!"

Even as the words were uttered the treble glimmer vanished. In vain
they strained their eyes: save for the luminous streak cast by their
own beacon lamp, the gloom was unbroken.

"His honour will see, a boat will be landing instantly with My Lady
safe and sound," said Rene at last. But his voice lacked confidence,
and Sir Adrian groaned aloud.