It was easy to obtain from the church authorities a list of the names of the Christian missionaries in Japan, and they were scanned carefully by the captain, who was given such assistance by the officials themselves that there could be no mistake. Among them was no one by the name of Hawthorne. It was plain then that deception had been used when the man in San Francisco declared that the parents of Inez were missionaries in Japan.
As day after day passed and the steamer Polynesia was gradually prepared for her return voyage to California, there was one strong, harrowing conviction which forced itself upon the distressed captain:
“Had Inez not been stolen from the steamer, no one would have come to claim her, and she would have been mine.”
His heart thrilled at the thought of how close he had come to obtaining such a priceless prize for his 43 possession, and then he added, as if to cheer himself:
“Never mind; the earth is far and wide. She is alive somewhere upon its face, and at some time, at heaven’s own pleasure, she and I shall meet again.”
Brave and rugged Captain Strathmore! Was the spirit of prophecy upon you when you muttered the cheering words?