"Enough, enough. Come on, Macduff! Ah! Minnie, this is prime Jamaica; it's got such a—but I forgot; you don't understand nothin' about nectar of this sort."
The captain smoked in silence for a few minutes, and then said, with a sudden chuckle—
"Wasn't it odd, sister, that we should have found it all out in such an easy sort o' way? If criminals would always tell on themselves as plainly as Big Swankie did, there would be no use for lawyers."
"Swankie would not have spoken so freely," said Minnie, with a laugh, "if he had known that we were listening."
"That's true, girl," said the captain, with sudden gravity; "and I don't feel quite easy in my mind about that same eavesdropping. It's a dirty thing to do—especially for an old sailor, who likes everything to be fair and above-board; but then, you see, the natur' o' the words we couldn't help hearin' justified us in waitin' to hear more. Yes, it was quite right, as it turned out A little more tea, Minnie. Thank'ee, lass. Now go, get the case, and let us look over it again."
The girl rose, and, going to a drawer, quickly returned with a small red leather case in her hand. It was the identical jewel case that Swankie had found on the dead body at the Bell Rock!
"Ah! that's it; now, let us see; let us see." He laid aside his pipe, and for some time felt all his pockets, and looked round the room, as if in search of something.
"What are you looking for, uncle?"
"The specs, lass; these specs'll be the death o' me."
Minnie laughed. "They're on your brow, uncle!"