The Island School — page 33: what you’re looking at

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24 There were many signs of approval, but no cheering, as he finished. They all felt that would be out of place at that solemn time. The gathering broke up into parties, the men in a body together, and con- versing in whispers, and the boys sauntering up and down, softly conversing. They could have but one theme that day—the untimely death of Stephen Stebbing. Jim Gordon returned to the house with the object of again seeing its head, and he turned his steps _ towards the private room of the schoolmaster. “The youngsters were very quiet,” thought Jim, “but they are aroused, and have all the bitterness if more quiet than a nest of hornets disturbed by a stranger. Now, if ! can only get at exactly who and what we have to fight, I think that we can give a ‘good account of ourselves.” CHAPTER X. NAPOLEON WILL NOT FIGHT.—FUNERAL OF THE UNDER-MASTER. KNOCK at the door, and a request to come in, brought Jim into the presence of Mr. Napoleon Farrell. He had his wife with him close to his side, and they were about to open a box stand- ing on the table hard by. “Oh, it is you, Gordon,” said Mr. Farrell, miserably. You have been of great use in this sad emergency. Quiteahelp. This is poor Stebbing’s box. We were about to. open it to see if we could find any clue to his friends or relations.” “You did not know them, sir?” exclaimed Jim, surprised. “No, nor even where he came from,” seh Golinaater. ‘Perhaps he had none, poor fellow!” said Mrs. Farrell, wiping a tear from her eye. “Shall I come in again, sir, later on?” asked Jim. ‘By no means,” said Mr. Farrell; “it will be as well, perhaps, if you are here—in case of any valu- ables.” He had the key of the box, and he opened it, On raising the lid a quantity of well-worn clothes, neatly laid away, was disclosed. Having lifted them out in a body, Mr. Farrell found a heap of small things, such as lonely men collect and keep.: There were knives, pencil-cases, wooden boxes, cases of drawing instru- ments, a variety of other things, and a bundle of letters, “1 thought it might be. said the | and standing erect. THE ISLAND SCHOOL, The latter were opened out and spread upon the table. But a-.glance at them showed they would not be at all helpful. The ink was faded, and the dates of many years before. ‘They were probably the precious letters of early life. There is nothing to help us,” said Mrs. Farrell. “‘ Poor fellow! he either outlived or lost all his friends.” Jim, who had been a silent watcher of the examina- tion of the box and its contents, looked casually about him, and discover-d t:at on the floor there was some- thing worthy of his aitention. It was a letter, recently written, and had, to all appearance, been dropped out from the heap of clothes in the act of removal from the box. It was a thought—an inspiration, perhaps—that Jed him to drop his handkerchief upon the letter, pick up both together, and transfer them to his pocket without calling the attention of the schoolmaster or his wife to its existence. That done, he came to the business that brought him thither. It was to ask for directions concerning the funeral of Stephen Stebbing. “T hope you will forgive me, sir, for being importu- nate,” he said, ‘but nobody else seems to take the initiative,” ‘It is my duty to give directions,” said the school- master, thrusting his hand into the breast of his coat “For the time, Gordon, you can be my aide-de-cong, conveying my orders to the outer world. Ido not think, grievous as this affair is, that it will call for any extraordinary action on my part. The probability is that he met his death at the hand of some robber who had landed for a brief spell on our shores. It is still more probable that, having committed this deed in haste, the man has fled and will not return.” “ But surely, sir, you will search the island as far as you are able ?” ‘“‘No, Gordon, no. And should you see anyone about—but of course you will not—it is not possible.” “TY should think, sir,” said Gordon, with a curled lip, “ that any stranger discovered on the island ought to be arrested and commanded to give an account of himself. It is your island, sir, held by authority of the Spanish Government. You will, at the least, report this terrible crime?” “Yes; I will see to it.anon. An account of it shall be sent ee our people at home.” Jim looked from the schoolmaster to his wife. The latter looked almost as much puzzled as Jim himself at the extraordinary supinéness of the schoolmaster. “There may be need for action,’ pursued Mr. Farrell, “but it must not be hasty. A true general is always deliberate in his movements.” “ And you are one born to it,” murmured Mrs, Farrell, regarding him with unbounded admiration. micbooks.co