"Pray, calm yourself, madam."
"I cannot wait, squire. You have news of Ralph! The poor boy has been—has been——"
She could get no further.
"His body has not yet been found, Mrs. Nelson."
"Then he is dead!" she shrieked, and fell forward in a swoon.
Fortunately a neighbor arrived just at this moment, and this good woman, aided by the squire, soon revived the widow. At the end of ten minutes she sat up in a chair, her face as white as a sheet.
"Tell me—tell me all," she gasped out.
"There is not much to tell, unfortunately," returned the squire, smoothly. "I was up to the islands in company with others, and I found strong evidence that made me believe that Ralph fell over the cliff."
"Then he was killed!" burst out the neighbor.
"Most likely, Mrs. Corcoran. The cliff is more than a hundred feet high, and the rocks below are sharp."