postponed the final settlement of the purchase-money till the next day.
I was thus master of the vessel, which I felt sure was destined to serve
Peschiera's infamous design. But it was my business not to alarm the
count's suspicions; I therefore permitted the pirate crew he had got
together to come on board. I knew I could get rid of them when
necessary. Meanwhile, Frank undertook to keep close to the count until
he could see and cage within his lodgings the servant whom Peschiera had
commissioned to attend his sister. If I could but apprehend this
servant, I had a sanguine hope that I could discover and free your
daughter before Peschiera could even profane her with his presence. But
Frank, alas! was no pupil of Machiavelli. Perhaps the count detected his
secret thoughts under his open countenance, perhaps merely wished to get
rid of a companion very much in his way; but, at all events, he contrived
to elude our young friend as cleverly as you or I could have done,--told
him that Beatrice herself was at Roehampton, had borrowed the count's
carriage to go there, volunteered to take Frank to the house, took him.
Frank found himself in a drawing-room; and after waiting a few minutes,
while the count went out on pretence of seeing his sister, in pirouetted
a certain distinguished opera-dancer! Meanwhile the count was fast back
on the road to London, and Frank had to return as he could. He then
hunted for the count everywhere, and saw him no more. It was late in the
day when Frank found me out with this news. I became seriously alarmed.
Peschiera might perhaps learn my counter-scheme with the yacht, or he
might postpone sailing until he had terrified or entangled Violante into
some---In short, everything was to be dreaded from a man of the count's
temper. I had no clew to the place to which your daughter was taken, no
excuse to arrest Peschiera, no means even of learning where he was. He
had not returned to Mivart's. The Police was at fault, and useless,
except in one valuable piece of information. They told me where some of
your countrymen, whom Peschiera's perfidy had sent into exile, were to be