He stared at the house for a long time in silence, but no idea
came to him, and it was with a feeling of hopelessness that he recrossed
the bridge and rejoined the troops.
"I am glad to see you back, sir," Bull said, heartily. "I have been in a
funk all this morning that something might happen to you."
"It has all gone off quietly. I will now tell you and Macwitty what my
business here is. I may need your help, and it is a matter in which none
of the Portuguese would dare to offer me any assistance."
"I think they would do maist anything for you, sir," Mac-witty said. "They
have that confidence in you, they would go through fire and water if you
were to lead them."
"They would do almost anything but what I want done now. I have a cousin,
a young lady, who is an heiress to a large fortune. Her father is dead,
and her mother, a wealthy land-owner, has had her shut up in a convent,
where they are trying to force her, against her will, to become a nun. She
is kept a prisoner, on bread and water, until she consents to sign a paper
surrendering all her rights. Now, what I want to do is to get her out. It
cannot be done by force; that is out of the question. It is a strong
building, and even if the men would consent to attack a convent, which
they would not do, all the town would be up, and we should have the whole
populace on us.
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