and long earrings were
unquestionably Spanish. A string of pearls encircled her throat, and
there were numerous rings upon her fingers. The very contrast added
immeasurably to the horror.

"She is alive! Surely she is alive?" the words were sobbed into my
ear, trembling from Dorothy's lips, as though she could barely utter
them. I stared into her face, the sight of her terror, arousing me
from stupor.

"Alive! No, that is impossible!" and conquering a repugnance, such as
I had never before experienced, I touched the figure with my hand,
"The flesh is like stone," I said, "thus held lifelike by some magic
of the Indies. I have heard of such skill but never before realized
its perfection. Good God! she actually seems to breathe. What can it
all mean? Who could the woman be? And why should her body be thus
carried about at sea. Is it love, or hate?"

"Not love, Geoffry. Love would never do this thing. It is hate, the
gloating of revenge; there can be no other answer--this is the end of
a tragedy."

"The truth of which will never be known."

"Are you sure? Is there nothing hidden with her in there to tell who
she was, or how she died?"

There was nothing, not a scrap of paper, not even the semblance of a
wound exposed. The smile on those parted lips had become one of
mockery; I could bear the sight no longer, and rose to my feet,
clasping Dorothy close to me, as she still gazed down in fascination
at the ghastly sight.

"We will never know. The man who could tell is dead."

"Captain Paradilla?"

"Who else could it be? This was his schooner, and here he alone could
hide such a secret. There is nothing more we can learn, and the horror
unnerves me. Hold the light, dear, while I replace the lid of the
chest."

It required my utmost effort to accomplish this, yet I succeeded in
sliding the heavy covering back inch by inch, until it fell finally
into place. I was glad to have the thing hidden, to escape the stare
of those fixed eyes, the death smile of those red lips. It was no
longer a reality, but a dream of delirium; I dare not think, or
speculate--my only desire being to get away, to get Dorothy away. My
eyes swept about through the confusing shadows, half expecting to be
confronted by other ghosts of the past, but all they encountered were
the indistinct outlines of casks and boxes, and the hideous hairy
figure of the ape, outstretched upon the deck. The candle fluttered in
the girl's shaking hand, the yello