t as well as we could, and with the help of other
of the monks, we carried him up to the guest-chamber, and put him to
bed. In about half an hour he recovered consciousness, and called me
to his side.

"'Pencil, paper,' he whispered.

"I handed him both. After several futile efforts he succeeded in
writing a few words. Then he folded up the note, and handed it to me.

"'If you will send it without delay,' he whispered, 'I will give one
hundred pounds to the monastery.'

"I never hesitated, for our funds were in a desperate state; but first
I glanced at the direction. It was addressed to--

PAUL DE VAUX, Esq.,
c/o The English Consul,
Palermo.

"I promised that it should be sent, and, as you know, it was. Then I
sent the others out of the room, and inquired about his hurt. He set
his lips firm, and shook his head.

"'It was an accident,' he faltered. 'No one was to blame.'

"I told him briefly that it was impossible. The nature of his wound
was such that it was clearly the work of an assassin. In a certain
sense we were the upholders of the law on the island, and I pointed
this out to him sternly. He only shook his head and closed his eyes.
Neither then nor at any other time could I gain from him one single
word as to his doings on that night. He would tell me nothing."

"You saw him going toward the castle," Paul interrupted. "Did you make
inquiries there?"

The priest shook his head slowly. "No, I made no inquiries," he
answered. "It was no matter for my interference. The castle, although
it is a huge place, was deserted save for a few native servants,
whose _patois_ was unintelligible to me. There were only two who dwelt
there--the old Count himself, and one other--to whom I could have
gone. Several nights after your father's illness I left the monastery,
and tried to see the Count. He would not even have me admitted, and on
my return, your father, who had guessed the reason of my absence, sent
for me. He judged of the ill success of my mission, by my face, and
he instantly appeared relieved. He then called me to the bedside, and
made me an offer. He would give me, as a further contribution to our
exhausted funds, a large sum of money on this condition--that I took
no further steps in any direction towards ascertaining the nature of
his accident, as he chose to call it, and that