Part 3 (2/2)

In so small a town as Sydney then was Brandon could hope to learn all that could be learned about Cigole By casual inquiries he learned that the Italian had coent for a London house in the wool business He had bought up a considerable quantity which he was preparing to shi+p

Brandon could not help feeling that there was soht, on the other hand, why should he flaunt his na ain, why should he? Perhaps he thinks that I can not possibly know any thing about his name Why should I? I was a child when Despard was murdered It may be merely a similarity of names

Brandon froole, yet always the man seemed absorbed in business

He wondered to himself whether he had better confide his suspicions to Mr Compton or not Yet why should he? The old man would beco his wife and son

Could it be possible that the Italian after so many years could now afford any clehatever? Certainly it was not very probable

On the whole Brandon thought that this ht be, would be encountered best by hily If Mr Coole's fears by his clumsiness

Brandon felt quite certain that Mr Coole's presence in Sydney unless he himself told him For the old man was so filled with trouble at the loss of his partner that he could think of nothing else, and all his thoughts were taken up with closing up the concern so as to send forward remittances of ed for him to draw 2000 on his arrival at London, and threethe following year

Brandon had coole before he left, so that if the ht be bribed or otherwise induced to tell what he knew; yet thinking it possible that Cigole had designed to return in the sas would turn out As he could not help associating Cigole in his ht that whichever way he turned this man would try to follow hie in the shi+p _Java_, and two days before the vessel left he learned that Cigole had taken his passage in her also, having put on board a considerable quantity of wool On the whole Brandon felt gratified to hear this, for the close association of a long sea voyage would give him opportunities to test this er arising to hiole meant mischief, but had too much confidence in his oers to fear it

On the 5th of August the shi+p _Java_ was ready, and Mr Coood-by to Brandon

”God bless you, dear boy! You will find theproest in London I have brought you a parting gift,” said he, in a low voice He drew from his pocket a pistol, which in those days was less known than now--indeed, this was the first of its kind which had reached Australia, and Mr Compton had paid a fabulous price for it ”Here,” said he, ”take this to remember me by They call it a revolver Here is a box of patent cartridges that go with it It is from me to you And eful look which Brandon had never seen there before--”ive hies, and tell hiift of a broken-hearted father”

Brandon's face turned ghastly, and his lips see

”God bless you” cried Compton, ”I see by your face that you will do it

Good-by”

He wrung Brandon's hand hard and left the shi+p

About six feet away stood Cigole, looking over the stern and sh to hear what had been said, but he did not appear to have heard it Throwing his cigar into the water, he plunged his hands into his pockets, and began whistling a lively air

”Aha, Capitano,” said he, in a foreign accent, ”I have brought my wool off at last”

Brandon paced the deck silently yet watchfully

The good shi+p _Java_ went out with a fine breeze, which continued for so could be seen but the wide ocean In those few days Brandon had settled himself comfortably on board, and had learned pretty well the kind of life which he would have to lead for the next six months or so The captain was a quiet, amiable sort of a person, without etic and soe order of men

There was no chance, certainly, for one of those conspiracies such as Mr Co taken place on the _Vishnu_; for in his account of that affair he evidently believed that Uracao had been oat for the sins of the others

Brandon was soon on the best of terole it was different The fact of their being the only passengers on board ether; but Brandon found it difficult to pass beyond the extremest limits of formal intercourse Brandon himself considered that his purposes would be best served by close association with this ht draw soole baffled him constantly He was as polite and courteous as all Italians are; he had an abundance of remarks all ready about the state of the weather, the prospects of the voyage, or the health of the seamen; but beyond these topics it was difficult to induce hio Brandon stifled the resentment which he felt toward this man, in his efforts to break down the barriers of forht to draw him out on the subject of the wool trade Yet here he was baffled Cigole always took up the air of ato a rival in business, and pretended to be very cautious and guarded in his reh he feared that Brandon would interfere with his prospects This sort of thing was kept up with such great delicacy of ole's part that Brandon himself would have been completely deceived, and would have co more than a speculator in wool, had it not been for a certain deep instinct within hiard thisfar deeper than ed to baffle the most dextrous efforts and the e that he was an Italian, and had been in all parts of Italy, but carefully refrained fro where he was born He asserted that this was the first time that he had been in the Eastern seas He reole was a very co Italians He said that he had no acquaintances at all in England, and was only going there now because he heard that there was a good h much of his life had been passed in Marseilles, and hinted that he was a partner of a coole never made any advances, and never even uard for one instant Polite, s Brandon fairly in the face, he usually spoke with a profusion of bows, gestures, and co, in fact, that part which is always at once both the easiest and the safest to play--the non-committal, pure and perfect