ept out of the
dead lady's grave at nightfall, glided to Madge Figgy's chair, and then to
the chest in the cottage, and nothing could stop it.

At the end of three months, when the people of the Cove were feeling they
could not bear this thing any longer, there came to Madge's cottage one
day a curiously dressed stranger. From his appearance all who saw him
concluded that he was a foreigner, but from what part of the world he came
no one could tell, for never a word escaped his lips.

Madge Figgy's old husband, who was home alone when the stranger arrived,
was very nearly scared to death. Firstly because the sight of a stranger
always frightened any of that wicked crew, and secondly because of the
man's signs and curious gesticulations. Old Figgy thought that he was a
madman, sure enough.

After some time, though, and a good many signs and misunderstandings,
the old man gathered that the stranger wished to see the graves of the
poor souls who went down in the wreck of the Portuguese Indiaman.
Old Figgy put on his cap readily enough to show him the way, only too
thankful to get him out of the house; but as soon as ever they had started
on the right road, the stranger did not need any further guidance,
he walked on by himself straight to the hollow, and making his way direct
to the grave of the Portuguese lady he threw himself on it passionately,
and broke into the most violent outburst of grief imaginable.

For some time old Figgy stood watching him in astonishment, until the
foreigner, looking up, caught sight of him, and signed to him to go away;
then returning to the grave, again, he threw himself on it once more and
stayed there weeping and moaning until nightfall.

When darkness crept on up rose the little blue flame from the grave as
before, but, instead of going to Madge Figgy's chair it made its way to
the cottage, and gliding on to the chest, gleamed there with twice its
usual brilliancy.

The foreigner, who had followed the flame closely, went, without let
or hindrance from the old witch or anyone, straight to the chest,
and clearing away with one sweep all the rubbish and lumber which were
piled on it, opened it as if he had known it all his life, picked out
everything in it that had belonged to the lady, then, without touching
anything else that the chest contained, closed it again, and, after giving
liberal gifts to every wrecker in the place, departed as mysteriously as
he had come.

Anything of