the butler walked into the sitting room. he had a big red nose and stammered a bit, but he had always been a faithful servant.
outside, night had fallen, and a cold wind blew through the ancient trees that surrounded the old house.
a man is here to see you, madam, the butler announced.
a man, babe? not a gentleman?
i would say by no stretch of the imagination a gentleman, madam. i tried to dissuade him, but he is most obstreperous. i thought of summoning bailey but he is laid up with the gout, so i thought it better -
very well, show the creature in. wait - this is the 5th of june, is it not?
indeed it is, madam.
yes, i had forgotten. show this individual in by all means. you have done right, babe.
lady amelia did not add, you have done well by accident, but you have done well.
babe departed , and quickly returned with the individual who was by no stretch of the imagination a gentleman.
what a foul looking creature, lady amelia thought. of course, i may be prejudiced, as he is here to divest me of my inheritance.
the visitor was short and square, wearing a ragged brown suit two sizes too big for himself. he had a high collar which almost covered his face. he carried a large carpetbag which looked to have been made from a faded old rug of oriental design. he did not carry his hat, if he had one, in his hand.
it was this last circumstance which most disconcerted lady amelia.
please state your business, sir, she addressed him as civilly as she could.
permit me to introduce myself first, the visitor replied with what might have been a smile (for his face was mostly hidden by his high collar). my name is horatio limbo, and i was, until recently, the third mate and ship’s doctor on the pirate ship bucephalus, commanded by none other than the redoubtable captain william kidd.
so you are not a lawyer, nor yet a lawyer’s clerk? lady amelia replied in astonishment.
why, no, whatever gave you that idea?
that is neither here nor there, lady amelia answered stiffly. what then is your business, sir?
i have a message for you from your nephew uriel, who was a shipmate of mine on the bucephalus.
uriel! that worthless scamp! i am afraid i have not thought of him for many years.
but he apprently thought of you, as he charged me to give you this message.
and is this message in writing?
no, i shall have to relate it, and it is rather long.
i see. tell me, does this message involve some sort of buried treasure?
why, of course, what else would it be about? the man calling himself horatio limbo looked around the sitting room.
please be seated, sir. would you like a cup of tea?
i would prefer a glass of grog.
i do not believe i have any grog on the premises.
well then, i accept your generous offer of a cup of tea,
lady amelia rang for babe the butler.
but babe was nowhere to be found.
he had taken to the highway.
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