palia for many generations. Hearing this, I was less
inclined to resent the undeniable reserve and even surliness with
which they met my advances. I made allowance for their hereditary
attachment to the outgoing family; and their natural want of
cordiality toward the intruder did not prevent me from plying them
with many questions concerning my predecessors on the throne of the
island. My perseverance was ill rewarded, but I succeeded in learning
that the only member of the family on the island, besides the old
lord, was a girl whom they called "the Lady Euphrosyne," the daughter
of the lord's brother, who was dead. Next I asked after my friend of
the Optimum restaurant, Constantine. He was this lady's cousin once
or twice removed--I did not make out the exact degree of kinship--but
Demetri hastened to inform me that he came very seldom to the island,
and had not been there for two years.

"And he is not expected there now?" I asked.

"He was not when we left, my lord," answered Demetri, and it seemed
to me that he threw an inquiring glance at his brother, who added
hastily:

"What should we poor men know of the Lord Constantine's doings?"

"Do you know where he is now?" I asked.

"No, my lord," they answered together, and with great emphasis.

I cannot deny that something struck me as peculiar in their manner,
but when I mentioned my impression to Denny, he scoffed at me.

"You've been reading old Byron again," he said, scornfully. "Do you
think they're corsairs?"

Well, a man is not a fool simply because he reads Byron, and I
maintained my opinion that the brothers were embarrassed at my
questions. Moreover, I caught Spiro, the more truculent-looking of the
pair, scowling at me more than once when he did not know I had my eye
on him.

These little mysteries, however, did nothing but add sauce to my
delight as we sprang over the blue waters; and my joy was complete
when, on the morning of the day I had appointed, the seventh of May,
Denny cried "Land," and, looking over the starboard bow, I saw the
cloud on the sea that was Neopalia. Day came bright and glorious, and
as we drew nearer to our enchanted isle, we distinguished its features
and conformation. The coast was rocky, save where a small harbor
opened to the sea; and the rocks ran up from the coast, rising higher
and higher, till they culminated in a quite respectable peak in the
centre. The telescope showed cultivated ground and vineyards, mingled
wi