"They can come whenever they think proper," said the Count in a tone
of supreme indifference.

"No doubt they are waiting for us at the entrance to the inlet,"
suggested Captain Spade.

"Let them wait," grunted the wealthy nobleman.

Then he relapsed into his customary unconcerned impassibility.

Captain Spade's hypothesis was doubtless correct. The _Falcon_ had as
yet made no move towards the schooner, but would almost certainly do
so as soon as the latter reached the inlet, and the Count would have
to submit to a search of his vessel if he wished to reach the open
sea.

How was it then that he manifested such extraordinary unconcern? Were
Thomas Roch and Gaydon so safely hidden that their hiding-place could
not possibly be discovered?

The thing was possible, but perhaps the Count d'Artigas would not have
been quite so confident had he been aware that the _Ebba_ had been
specially signalled to the warship and revenue cutters as a suspect.

The Count's visit to Healthful House on the previous day had now
attracted particular attention to him and his schooner. Evidently, at
the time, the director could have had no reason to suspect the motive
of his visit. But a few hours later, Thomas Roch and his keeper had
been carried off. No one else from outside had been near the pavilion
that day. It was admitted that it would have been an easy matter for