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“Curse you, thon infamous sea-hound, do
youdare make this false charge againgt me ?”
hoarsely eried the baronet. -
“Jt is not false, Sir Grey, for I saw what
I say.” .
“ And you havo spread this chargo against
mo ?” eagerly asked the baronet. .
“Not to a soul have I mentioned it, for it
was no affair of mine, and on account of
sweet Lady Eve, I didn’t want you to bo
disgraced ; but I know of what Ispenk, and
in the trouble of the old folks at home I
come to you and ask for money to help them
out.”
“Though the charge is utterly false, I am
willing to help you, my man, so how much
do you want ?” and the whole manner of the
baronet changed.
“A little matter to you, sir, but a big one
to me, of a hundred and thirty pounds.”
The baronet gave a sigh of relief, for ho
had expected to be most freely bled, and
said :
“You shall have it, my man, I will give
you a bill of exchange on London for the
amount to-morrow, if you will call on me,
and a few pounds of gold for spending
money for yourself,”
“No, Sir Grey, I wouldn’t touch a dollar
of your gold for myself, and if I ever can,
will pay you back what I get for the old
folks.
“ Good-day, sir, and I will eall to-morrow,
thank" you, sir,” and the seaman walked
away, by the cliff path, leaving Sir Grey
Alstone standing in painful meditation, lean-
ing against the rustic arbour, 3
lor several moments he stood thus in
silence, Leon St. Vale, from his secret
retreat, gazing fixedly upon his face, and
then he started as two persons emerged
from the garden shrubbery and confronted
him,
CHAPTER VIL
THE SLAVE OF A SIN,
ayy two persons who appeared upon
J: ¢ the scene were a servant from the
oman mansion, escorting a man dressed in
a sailor suit, and who was the one who had
been in seeret conference with Licutenant
Lomax at the inn,
‘A sailor man to seo you, sir, and I
brought him to find you, as he said it wag
very important,” said the servant.
“All right, Lemuel, I will look after him
now,” and as Sir Grey spoke he turned his
eyes upon the stranger.
The start that he gave was scen by St.
Vale, as was also a certain pallor of the
CAPTAIN EBONY,
face, showing that the man Was rio stranger
to him, * 4
“I havo come again, Sir Grey,” said the
man, with a sinister smile, as soon as the
servant was out of hearing.
“So I see, and for what reason, fellow ?”
was the haughty response of the baronet.
* For money, of course,” was the insolent
reply, :
“ You cannot have it.”
“ Cannot ?” :
“ Shall not, if you like the, words better.”
The man smiled, and the baronet con-
tinued:
“IT kept my contract with you, and owe
you nothing.”
“ But good-will.”
“T do not owe you that.”
‘After all that I did for you?”
‘You saved me some money once, and I
paid you for it.” .
“Sir Grey Alstone, your father sold some
land once and got paid for it, giving o writ-
ten bill of sale to the purchaser, until it
could be recorded,
“On the way homo that purchaser fell
from his horse dead, and I carried him into
my father’s house and found upon him the
paper which I kept.
“By a strange coincidence your father .
was thrown from his horse and killed the
sane day, and I gave you the paper, and you
resold the land for a large price and paid
me a pittance. :
‘Now you are rich, and 1 come to you for
money,”
“ You cannot get it.”
“You have a fortune.”
“It is my daughter’s, not mine,”
“ But you are squandering it, Sir Grey.”
“Leave me, Robert Brent, or I will have
my servants come and hurl you from this
cliff,” cried the baronct, savagely,
“Twill not leave, and you dare not carr
out your threat, Sir Grey.”
“Do you dare me, villain ?”
“ Yes.”
Sir Grey seemed about to call aloud for
help, when the look in the face of the man
deterred him, it was so full of daring and ~~
devilish cunning,
“Why do you not carry. out your threat,
Sir Grey Alstone ?’sneered Brent.
“TI wish no seene,”
“You fear to have one, and I will tell you
why—you fear me.”
“T fear you!” said the baronet, with sar-
casm,
“Yes, for I hold a sceret of yours, and
you are my slave.”
“Bah! what proof have you that I resold
the land my father had been paid for ?” said
Sir Grey, contemptuously,
“Ido not refer to the land transaction,
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