"

"Geoffrey," said Elaine, "won't you show us the old pirate's
letter--we're all interested in it, now."

"Certainly, I will!" he said. "I'll show you the letter, and where I
found it, and anything else you want to see. Nothing is locked,
to-night."

They went over to the escritoire. Croyden opened the secret drawer, and
took out the letter.

"A Message from the Dead!" he said, solemnly, and handed it to Elaine.

She carried it to the table, spread it out under the lamp, and Davila
and she studied it, carefully, even as Croyden and Macloud had
done--reading the Duval endorsements over and over again.

"It seems to me there is something queer about these postscripts," she
said, at last; "something is needed to make them clear. Is this the
entire letter?--didn't you find anything else?"

"Nothing!" said Croyden.

"May I look?" she asked.

"Most assuredly, sweetheart."

"It's a bit dark in this hole. Let me have a match."

She struck it, and peered back into the recess.

"Ah!" she exclaimed. "Here is something!--only a corner visible." She
put in her hand. "It has slipped down, back of the false partition.
I'll get it, presently.--There!"

She drew out a tiny sheet of paper, and handed it to Croyden.

"Does that help?" she asked.

Croyden glanced at it; then gave a cry of amazed surprise.

"It does!" he said. "It does! It's the key to the mystery. Listen!"

The rest crowded around him while he read:

"Hampton, Maryland.
"5 Oct. 1738.

"Memorandum to accompany the letter of Robert Parmenter, dated 10
May 1738.

"Whereas, it is stipulated by the said Parmenter that the Jewels
shall be used only in the Extremity of Need; and hence, as I have
an abundance of this world's Goods, that Need will, likely, not
come to me. And judging that Greenberry Point will change, in
time--so that my son or his Descendants, if occasion arise, may
be unable to locate the Treasure--I have lifted the Iron box,
from the place where Parmenter buried it, and have reinterred it
in the cellar of my House in Hampton, renewing the Injunction
which Parmenter put upon it, that it shall be used only in the
Extremity of Need. When this Need arise, it will be found in the
south-east corner of the front cellar. At the depth of two feet,
between two large stones, is the Iron box. It contains the
jewels, the most mar