Four years passed away, and they filled four more ships, one with
ivory, one with musk, one with cloves, and one with nutmegs.
But when these ships were all loaded a terrible tempest arose. The
ships were all of them sunk, with their cloves and nutmeg, and musk and
ivory, and coral and sandal-wood and conchs. But the ship with the
Three Companions struck on an island reef, buried them safe ashore, and
itself broke in pieces.
This was the famous Island of Cards, where lived the Ace and King and
Queen and Knave, with the Nines and Tens and all the other Members--
according to the Rules.
III
Up till now there had been nothing to disturb that island stillness. No
new thing had ever happened. No discussion had ever been held.
And then, of a sudden, the Three Companions appeared, thrown up by the
sea,--and the Great Debate began. There were three main points of
dispute.
First, to what caste should these unclassed strangers belong?
Should they rank with the Court Cards? Or were they merely lower-caste
people, to be ranked with the Nines and Tens ? No precedent could be
quoted to decide this weighty question.
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