"Oh, papa! my poor papa!" he cried, pressing close to his sister.
As for Miss Grant, she listened with clasped hands, and did not utter a word until the story was ended, when she said,—
"Oh, madam, the document! the document!"
"I no longer have it, my dear child," replied Lady Helena.
"You no longer have it?"
"No; for the very sake of your father, Lord Glenarvan had to take it to London; but I have told you all it contained, word for word, and how we succeeded in discovering the exact meaning. Among these remains of the almost effaced words the water had spared some characters. Unfortunately the record of the longitude had altogether been destroyed, but that was the only missing point. Thus you see, Miss Grant, the minutest details of this document are known to you as well as me."
"Yes, madam," replied the young girl; "but I would like to have seen my father's writing."
WAITING FOR THE VERDICT.
"Well, to-morrow, perhaps, Lord Glenarvan will return. My husband desired to submit this indisputable document to the authorities in London, to induce them to send a vessel immediately in search of Captain Grant."