your aunt's sake, for your dead father's sake, FORGET all!
That wretched man has fled with his wounded hirelings--let his sin
go with him. But the village is alarmed--the brethren may be here any
moment! Neither question nor deny what I shall tell them. Fear nothing.
God will forgive the silence that leaves the vengeance to His hands
alone!" Voices and footsteps were heard approaching the chapel. Brother
Seabright significantly pressed her hand and strode towards the door.
Deacon Shadwell was first to enter.

"You here--Brother Seabright! What has happened?"

"God be praised!" said Brother Seabright cheerfully, "nothing of
consequence! The danger is over! Yet, but for the courage and presence
of mind of Sister Appleby a serious evil might have been done." He
paused, and with another voice turned half-interrogatively towards her.
"Some children, or a passing tramp, had carelessly thrown matches in
the underbrush, and they were ignited beside the chapel. Sister Appleby,
chancing to return here for"--

"For my fan," said Cissy with a timid truthfulness of accent.

"Found herself unable to cope with it, and it occurred to her to give
the alarm you heard. I happened to be passing and was first to respond.
Happily the flames had made but little headway, and were quickly beaten
down. It is all over now. But let us hope that the speedy clearing out
of the underbrush and the opening of the woods around the chapel will
prevent any recurrence of the alarm of to-night."

*****

That the lesson thus reiterated by Brother Seabright was effective, the
following extract, from the columns of the "Whale Point Gazette," may
not only be offered as evidence, but may even give the cautious reader
further light on the episode itself:--

STRANGE DISCOVERY AT WEST WOODLANDS.--THE TAMALPAIS MYSTERY AGAIN.

The improvements in the clearing around the Sidon Chapel at West
Woodlands, undertaken by the Rev. James Seabright, have disclosed
another link in the mystery which surrounded the loss of the Tamalpais
some years ago at Whale Mouth Point. It will be remembered that the boat
containing Adams & Co.'s treasure, the Tamalpais' first officer, and
a crew of four men was lost on the rocks shortly after leaving the
ill-fated vessel. None of the bodies were ever recovered, and the
treasure itself completely baffled the search of divers and salvers. A
lidless box bearing the mark of Adams & Co., of the kind in which their
treasure was usuall