privately warned by a good friend that my owners had decided to
prosecute me for willfully casting away the ship, and (crueler
still) for having stolen the missing diamonds. The second mate,
who had been in command of the vessel when she struck on the
rock, was similarly charged along with me. Knowing myself to be
innocent, I determined, of course, to stand my trial. My wonder
was, what Beljames would do. Would he follow my example? or, if
he got the chance, would he try to make his escape?

"I might have thought it only friendly to give this person a word
of warning, if I had known where to find him. We had separated
when the ship reached the port of Falmouth, in Cornwall, and had
not met since. I gave him my address in London; but he gave me no
address in return.

"On the voyage home, Beljames told me that a legacy had been left
to him; being a small freehold house and garden in St. John's
Wood, London. His agent, writing to him on the subject, had
reported the place to be sadly out of repair, and had advised him
to find somebody who would take it off his hands on reasonable terms.
This seemed to point to a likelihood of his being still in London,
trying to sell his house.

"While my mind was running on these recollections, I was told
that a decent elderly woman wanted to see me. She proved to be
the landlady of the house in which Beljames lodged; and she
brought an alarming message. The man was dying, and desired to
see me. I went to him immediately.

"Few words are best, when one has to write about one's own