They found Major Crosbie waiting for them in a private room at the governor’s house. As he was somewhat irregular in offering them the information of which he was possessed, he was too strict a disciplinarian to receive them in an official apartment. Within the precincts of his private residence he felt himself at liberty to talk as he pleased. A conscience capable of such reasonable differentiation is most valuable in an official.
He waved aside in a graceful way Mr. Wingfield’s expression of gratitude for the invitation to this interview.
“There is no need to say a word on this point, Mr. Wingfield,” he said. “Your case is a most curious one.”
Jack confessed that he had heard it so described.
“A very curious one. It had been for nearly a week in the papers before I had a chance of hearing anything about it; but when I heard the name Marcus Blaydon I at once recollected some particulars which had come under my notice officially in connection with that man Blaydon. You are aware that it is part of my duty to read not only those letters which the prisoners in my charge write to persons outside, but also those which are received for themselves. Now, Blaydon received while in this prison four letters, all of which had been addressed to him at Prangborough, where, as you doubtless know, he lived.”
Priscilla assented. Prangborough was the town in which her Aunt Emily lived.
“They had been addressed to him at Prangborough, and from there were forwarded to the prison. I find by reference to my official diary that three of them came from apparently the same correspondent and were posted at the same place—London in Canada; they were signed ‘Lucy.’ The fourth was from a man, evidently a captain in the merchant service, named Horace Lyman. It had been posted at Sunderland, and was received by me a short time before the expiration of the man’s term of imprisonment.”
“That is the letter which would be of importance to us if it told us what is the present address of Captain Lyman,” said Jack.
Major Crosbie shook his head.
“You cannot expect a letter written nearly seven months ago to state positively what is the writer’s address to-day,” said he with a laugh. “But the contents of that letter made it clear that the writer and his correspondent were not on the best terms; and that the reason of this was the ill-treatment by Blaydon of the writer’s sister, whose name was Lucy.”