The high, steep cliffs of the
headland sloped gradually away in the distance, till the country could
be seen green and fertile in the sunshine.

The opening to the caves lay in a narrow ravine. A great pool of water
stretched from wall to wall, but Jack took Estelle in his arms, and made
his way to the cave on upstanding bits of rock. Estelle thought it very
dangerous, but it was very charming.

They found themselves in a vast vaulted place, from the roof of which
there was a continual dripping sound. Dark as the rock was, bright
patches of colour shone out here and there, almost like splashes of
gaudy paint. Lighting a bit of candle he had in his pocket, Jack showed
Estelle that they were not little dried cherries and green olives, as
one might suppose, but sea-anemones.

Sea-anemones? Where had she heard of them before? Somebody wanted her to
have some? But who?

'Come this way, Missie,' said Jack, interrupting her confused thoughts.
'Take care how you tread. It's slippery, I can tell you.'

Indeed it was, and very careful steering was necessary. The little girl
clung nervously to her companion's hand, as they made their way through
wet sand, over rocks covered with green seaweed and slime, and gravel
lying under a thin stream of water. Jack appeared to be quite
indifferent to all these inconveniences. Careful to lift Estelle over
the worst places, he was utterly regardless of his own dripping
condition.

At the further end they entered a smaller cave, quite dry, except for a
little rivulet gurgling through it. So clean and white was the sand, so
sweet and fresh the air from the great hole in the roof, whence the
light came streaming in, that Estelle danced about in the merry fashion
of her days at the Moat House. Jack watched her, smiling, and when she
sat down quite tired, he dropped on the sand beside her, and told her of
the great storms that drove the mighty waves into these caverns, and of
the strange things they carried in with them--how ships were wrecked on
the cruel rocks, and how he had once sheltered ten or twelve persons in
this very cave, and others in the Hospice de la Providence, till the
storm went down.

'Are these caves called----?' asked Estelle.

'The Treasure Caves. They are almost forgotten now, because the sea is
so rough in these parts that folk seldom venture here. The tide, too,
comes up quickly, and might cut them off, particularly if they don't
know their way about. At full tide