"Oh, all there was to tell, miss—about the poor lady who died up at the house and little Miss Coral. He'd heard something of it before from the shipowners, I reckon. He's gone off in a grand hurry now—to find Mr. Hollys, I suppose."
"Oh, Joe, what a wonderful thing!" cried Beryl. "He must be Coral's uncle. How surprised she will be to hear it! I must run and tell her."
And Beryl scrambled over the rocks with perilous haste in her eagerness to join Coral. Her mind was thrown into such a state of wonder and excitement by the news she had heard that she could not pause to think how it might affect her own personal history.
Miss Burton and Coral were astonished to hear what she had to tell them. Little Coral looked frightened. Her uncle had become a sort of mythical personage to her, and she had never thought that he would really appear.
"We had better go home at once, Beryl, and tell your father what you have heard," said Miss Burton.
So they hurried to the house as quickly as possible, and surprised Mr. Hollys with their intelligence. Beryl had hardly finished repeating to her father what Joe had told her, when there came a loud ring at the house-bell.
"There he is!" cried Beryl excitedly. "I knew he would soon come for Coral."
"But he won't take me away, will he?" asked Coral, looking dreadfully distressed.
"Not to-day, certainly, my child; don't look so alarmed," said Mr. Hollys kindly, as he took up the card a servant now brought him, and read on it the name of Robert Harvey. "You ought to be glad your uncle has come."
But Coral felt anything but glad as Miss Burton hurried her upstairs to be made presentable by Lucy. A little later a servant was sent to bring Coral to the drawing-room. Coral's face grew white.