Menelaus Winslow Groat, lighthouse keeper of Phoque King Light, waltzed into the sitting room where Minnie lay recuperating, startling both Augusta and William.

“What on earth-“ William began to exclaim.

“-I heard the screams earlier and decided to check on the poor lady,” Menelaus stated as he approached the sofa. “Looks like she’s not doing well at all. That bathing suit, however, does look nice on her. Very nice.”

Augusta stared at the stranger. “Who is this, William?” she asked. He was dressed very strangely and his wild beard did little to help his apperance.

William rose to his feet and quickly stood between Menelaus’s line of sight and his injured wife. “Just who let you in?” he demanded.

“The back door was open,” Menelaus shrugged. “Your daughter and nephew were outside but busy. I figured I’d see myself in and be less of an imposition on everyone.” He took a minute to look around the room. “I must say, the decorating decisions made in here…”

At that moment, Albert and Sophia raced into the room, having followed after Menelaus.

“Father, I told him not to…” Sophia began but saw the scene and didn’t know what more to say.

“She really is quite hurt,” the lighthouse keeper remarked, looking around William to continue to gaze upon Minnie. “I do suppose you’ve called for a doctor by now.”

“The sealman…” Minnie uttered, still far from lucid. A creepy smile crossed Menelaus’s face.

“Why, is she making mention of a sealman?” he remarked, turning around to lock eyes with Sophia. Sophia could feel a chill rush down her back. “Isn’t that just what you were speaking of yesterday, my lovely girl?”

“I…I…” Sophia didn’t know how to respond. It certainly was what she had been speaking of, but with the recent accusations between her and her father, it was a sore subject.

“Perhaps it isn’t just you that has seen one, then…” Menelaus continued. It appeared to Sophia that he almost gave her a wink- but why would he? Albert too caught the strange twitch of his eye, but remained quietly beside Sophia’s side.

“It is just her,” William stated, standing taller and crossing his arms. “Mr. Groat, my wife is not well. While I am sure your intentions were good, I must ask you to leave at once.”

Menelaus chuckled a little. “Oh yes, I understand. This is a family affair. As I said, I just wanted to check in and see how your wife was. I can see the answer to that is plain. I’ll take my leave, I suppose.”

“Jerome!” William called out to his butler.

“Yes sir?” Jerome’s voice came back.

“Please see Mr. Groat out.” William was not going to let the strange man be left to his own devices to exit. He had already entered the property uninvited.

“Mr. Groat?” Jaerome sounded confused. He was unaware of anyone by that name, let alone anyone apart from the family being present in the home. “I…I am currently on the phone to Dr. Gramheist. I will be right in, sir, once this call is concluded.”

Sophia blinked a moment. “’Dr. Gramheist?’” she repeated. “I know that name. Wasn’t it in the city papers recently?”

Menelaus kept his eyes on Sophia. “You are very beautiful when lost in thought, my dear.” The comment made Sophia tense up and Albert wish desperately he were a bolder man and that he had the courage to slap Menelaus for creeping out his beloved cousin.

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“Sophia,” Augusta said, looking to William, then to Menelaus, then to her niece, “maybe you’d like to take a seat over here, out of the way. You look a little tired.”

But Sophia’s mind was racing. “Wait,” she remarked, “Dr. Gramheist. Isn’t that the famous psychologist?”

“Sophia,” her aunt repeated, “maybe you want to take a seat…”

“Why would Minnie need a psychologist?” Sophia turned to her father. “Father, wouldn’t a general practitioner or local doctor from Portland be a better fit for Minnie right now? Summoning a psychologist all the way from the city will take so long too-“

“-Dr. Gramheist is coming for you, Sophia,” William stated, somewhat coldly, “he’ll help put an end to this sealman hysteria you’ve caused.”

Sophia looked at her father aghast.

“Father! Are you saying you think-“

“WELL NOW,” Menelaus shook his head as he raised his voice, “this is something. Is this how all the wealthy are? Any problem and they call in a specialist to fix it? But my my my- your father thinks you’re crazy?” He looked over to Sophia, but she was once again on the verge of tears.

“OH, FATHER, HOW CAN YOU THINK THAT?” Sophia wailed and again, as was becoming commonplace, took off running. This time she raced through the mansion and up the main staircase.

Albert debated chasing after her, but instead his eyes fell on Menelaus. The lighthouse keeper seemed to be watching Sophia run with almost a sense of glee. How could anyone be delighted by her suffering, Albert wondered. Menelaus was a very strange man.

“She’ll calm down,” William muttered under his breath, “she has to.”

“The…sealman…” Minnie uttered again.

“I must say, Mr. Dilly,” Menelaus remarked, “it would seem your wife is crazy too, if mentioning sealmen is enough to warrant a psychologist for your daughter.”

William shot the intruder a glance. “Jerome?” he called out again, “Mr. Groat is waiting for you.”

“You know,” Menelaus added casually, “Sharpy Island has a way about her. A way of rewarding the good and punishing the bad.”

“Huh?” William looked to Menelaus. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, nothing, just my observations as a humble lighthouse keeper from nearby,” Menelaus nonchalantly put his hands behind his back. “The sea, the island, this whole environment. It knows good from bad. Like I said before, those poor interior decorators met a terrible fate, but they had done bad things, particularly to the island’s original inhabitants.” He motioned to the sea life plastered to decoratively to the wall.

“Mr. Groat…”

“I’ve been at Phoque King Light so many years I believe the sea considers me one of her own. Your family, however, has only been here but a day. The Atlantic, Sharpy Island…it will sort out who is good and who is bad quickly. It always does.”

“Are…are you implying something?” Augusta asked.

Menelaus merely gave a half-grin and threw up his hands in a shrugging motion. “I suppose we’ll have to see. After all, you’re right- all this talking of sealmen is ridiculously. Of course it must be a sign of madness. But I will say I feel sorry for your poor lovely daughter, Mr. Dilly. To know her father has so little faith in her words must be devastating. How vulnerable she must be-“

Suddenly, Jerome walked into the room, his eyes growing large at the sight of Menelaus.

“-Forgive me, sir,” the butler stated, “I was unaware there was a visitor.”

“Who you will be showing out right now,” William said firmly, staring angerly at the uninvited man. Menelaus’s comments in light of the situation of his wife and of his daughter were not well-received.

“Well, I do hope your wife recovers soon,” Menelaus comedically bowed before the Dillys. “I will take my leave. If you need anything, be sure to shout or wave. I will continue to watch for your signal from my light house.”

With that, he and Jerome departed the room. Augusta let out an audible shiver.

“What a dreadful man,” she exclaimed, looking to Albert. “Why didn’t you stop him from coming in?”

“We tried, mother,” Albert protested, “but he wouldn’t listen.”

William remained quiet a moment as he stared at his wife. She was not doing well and, by extension, neither was he. Then something made him crinkle his nose.

“What’s that smell?” he asked, looking around, “it smells a bit like animal droppings in here.”

Albert looked to beside him where Sophia had stood minutes earlier. In the shape of her dainty shoe print was a brown spot; clearly she had tracked in some of the feces when the two had followed Menelaus inside. Augusta and William, however, did not seem to notice.

“It must have been that man,” Augusta said, shaking her head.

“He had no reason being here like that,” replied William, “stinking up this house with his hateful words and odors.”

Albert stepped slightly to his right to obscure the dirty print from the older couple’s sight. “Yes,” he remarked, agreeing with their theory, “It must have been the lighthouse keeper.”