“Much obliged, old man,” said Croyden, “but a wire will do it—they’re all listed on New York.”
“Will you lose much, if you sell now?” asked Macloud. He wished Croyden would let him pay the entire amount.
“Just about even; a little to the good, in fact,” was the answer.
And Macloud said no more—he knew it was useless. 304
At Ashburton, they found Captain Carrington pacing the long hall, in deep distress—uncertain what course to pursue, because there was no indication as to what had caused the disappearance. He turned, as the two men entered.
“The detectives are quizzing the servants in the library,” he said. “I couldn’t sit still.—You have news?” he exclaimed, reading Croyden’s face.
“I have!” said Croyden, and gave him the letter.
He seized it. As he read, concern, perplexity, amazement, anger, all showed in his countenance.
“They have been abducted!—Davila and Miss Cavendish, and are held for ransom!—a fabulous ransom, which you are asked to pay,” he said, incredulously. “So much, at least, is intelligible. But why? why? Who are Robert Parmenter’s Successors?—and who was he? and the jewels?—I cannot understand——”
“I’m not surprised,” said Croyden. “It’s a long story—too long to tell—save that Parmenter was a pirate, back in 1720, who buried a treasure on Greenberry Point, across the Severn from Annapolis, you know, and died, making Marmaduke Duval his heir, under certain conditions. Marmaduke, in turn, passed it on to his son, and so on, until Colonel Duval bequeathed it to me. We searched—Mr. Macloud and I—for three weeks, but did not find it. Our secret was chanced upon by two rogues, who, with their confederates, however, are under the conviction we did find it. They 305 wanted a rake-off. I laughed at them—and this abduction is the result.”