The two
letters for "Royson" were from Forbes. They bore different dates. The
first stated that Sir Henry Royson was seriously ill, and had given
urgent instructions that his nephew was to be brought to his bedside.
"I have reason to believe," wrote the lawyer, "that your uncle has
sustained some shock, perhaps arising from the sudden receipt of
intelligence hitherto withheld from him, and I would fail in my duty if
I did not urge you to cast aside all other considerations and return to
England at once."
The second letter was even more explicit. "The person from whom I have
received information of your whereabouts," said Mr. Forbes, "has called
on me to-day, and the facts he has laid before me demand your earnest
consideration. He is assured that the treasure-hunting expedition you
have joined is a compound of piracy and rascality, in which Mr.
Fenshawe is a dupe, having been misled by a man who has incurred the
gravest suspicion of felony. The Italian Government is taking steps to
procure this person's arrest, and, whether or not the charges brought
against him be substantiated, it is an assured thing that the movements
of the _Aphrodite_ will be watched, with a view towards the armed
prevention of any landing from her in Italian territory.
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