ill indeed be yery happy; and yet, do you know, Mrs. Marston,
that she always said you were not dead, although when month after month
passed by, and a most careful search had been made of all the islands
within a radius of six hundred miles, and no trace of the _Lupetea_ was
found, Mr. Raymond himself lost all hope."

"How long was it before Mr. Raymond knew of what had occurred on board
that night off Lotofanga?" she asked.

"Mrs. Raymond herself told him on the following afternoon, when, to his
astonishment, she arrived at Samatau in a native beat. It seems that
after Hutton landed them--she, little Loise, and Olivee--on the reef,
they were met by a party of natives who were returning from a fishing
excursion. These people at once took them to the village, where, of
course, they were very kindly treated.

"Mrs. Raymond, who was half mad with anxiety for you, asked the chief
to provide her with a boat to return to Samatau and tell her husband of
what had happened. They left after an hour's rest and almost foundered
in the same squall which overtook the _Lupetea_. However, they reached
Samatau a little before sunset. Raymond at once sent Meredith and Rudd
to Apia to charter two or even three local schooners to sail in search
of the _Lupetea_, and for over a month whilst I was there a most
unremitting search was kept up, and letters were sent all over the
Pacific asking the traders at the various islands to keep a good
look-out either for the schooner or any wreckage which might come
ashore.

"I arrived at Samatau in the _Esmeralda_ about a fortnight after Villari
left there, and found Mrs. Raymond alone and distracted with fear for
your safety. During the following week, one of the schooners which
were out searching for you returned. Raymond was on board. He had been
searching through the windward islands of the Fiji Group, but without of
course finding a trace of the missing vessel. On the way back, though,
they spoke a Tahitian barque, whose captain told them that the bodies of
Hutton and the four men who were with him had been found on the reef at
Savai'i a few days after the scoundrels had put Mrs. Raymond ashore at
Lotofanga. The boat had evidently been driven ashore during the stormy
weather which prevailed for three or four days afterwards.

"After remaining ashore for a day only, Raymond again sailed--this time
to make a search among the Friendly Islands; and I, with Mr. Rudd and
Overseer Lorimer to assist