The Crowned Skull

A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook Title: The Crowned Skull
Author: Fergus Hume eBook No.: 0200401.txt Edition: 1 Language:
English Character set encoding: ASCII Date first posted: June 2002
Date most recently updated: June 2002
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A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook
Title: The Crowned Skull Author: Fergus Hume

CONTENTS
I The Tent of Mystery II The Prophecy Fulfilled III Queer Evidence IV
The Will V After-Events VI Mrs. Krent's Diplomacy VII Retreat VIII
An Amateur Detective IX The Steward's Story X A Strange
Disappearance XI The Quarryman XII News XIII Mrs. Krent's Story
XIV An Unexpected Meeting XV Husband and Wife XVI The Letter
XVII Under the Earth XVIII A Discovery XIX What Happened Next
XX A Terrible Night XXI Anne's Defence XXII The Red Skull XXIII
Anak's Mother XXIV A Thorough Rascal XXV Disaster XXVI The
Deluge
Chapter I
The Tent of Mystery
Sir Hannibal Trevick was a personage at St. Ewalds. Certainly he
lacked money to support the dignity of his name, and therefore had
been compelled to let Trevick Grange to a South African millionaire,
and take up his abode in the Dower House at the Cornish
watering-place. But he came of an old and distinguished family, and
possessed to all appearances great force of character. Also, he was an
ardent churchman, and a philanthropist. Finally, he had a most
charming daughter, who was both clever and beautiful: two things not
invariably found together.
Dericka Trevick--her quaint Christian name was a source of wonder to
archaeologists, since it was that of the Babylonian fish-goddess, could
have figured as Titania at a fairy solemnity. She was small and slender,
golden-haired and blue-eyed, with a bright manner and a mercurial
temperament. Such a description gives an impression of insipidity and
shallowness. But Dericka was neither insipid nor shallow. Her will was
strong, her judgement quick and unerring, and she ruled the Dower
House. Sir Hannibal obeyed her, although he saved his dignity by
pretending that such obedience was but fatherly kindness, which could
refuse nothing to his household fairy. She dominated the mild, lean
governess, Miss Warry, who had taught her everything, and she kept a

tight hand over the three domestics who formed Sir Hannibal's modest
establishment. In spite of her looks and manner Dericka was strong,
and could have passed for an Elizabeth or Catherine in embryo.
All the same, she was popular, and therefore all the young men of St.
Ewalds were bound to her chariot-wheels. But she favoured none of
these as they were too bucolic and tame. Her heart had been given for
over six months to a smart young barrister from London, who was
called Oswald Forde. Sir Hannibal approved, for Forde was a rising
man, and might yet become a K. C. or a judge; but as yet there was no
open engagement. Dericka was only twenty, and Forde twenty-seven,
so there was time enough for a mutual experiment as to whether they
would suit one another before before attempting matrimony.
Forde came to St. Ewalds to bask in the smiles of beauty whenever he
could manage, and thus found himself at the fete given by Sir Hannibal
in aid of the Fishermen's Chapel, which was being built on a
promontory just outside the town. It was a splendidly warm autumn day,
and the spacious grounds of the Dower House were occupied by all the
fashion and wealth of the place. The square, ugly building--it was
Georgian and comfortable--looked out over the waters of St. Ewalds
Bay, and possessed garden far too large for the size of the mansion.
These sloped down to a fringe of ragged rocks, barricading smooth
stretches of sand upon which broke the white Atlantic billows. What
with foreign plants and native trees, and late blooming flowers of all
kinds bordering the green lawns, the place was very lovely, and the
tents erected here and there for the fete made it look like an