"One of the servants has disappeared, my lord."

"Disappeared? How? When?"

"Perhaps I'm making too much of it, but this murder has that upset me
that I'm afraid of my own shadow and I says to myself, says I: 'Don't
wait; go and tell his lordship at once and he'll know whether it is
important or not.'"

"You did perfectly right. But who has disappeared?"

"Priscilla Prentice and perhaps she hasn't disappeared at all. This is
how it is: The day before yesterday----"

"The day of the murder?" asked Cyril.

"Yes, my lord. Prentice came to me and asked if she could go to Newhaven
to see a cousin she has there. The cousin is ill--leastways so she told
me--and she wanted as a great favour to be allowed to spend the night
with her, and she promised to come back by the carrier early next
morning. It seemed all right, so I gave her permission and off she goes.
Then yesterday this dreadful thing happened and Prentice went clean out
of my head. I never thought of her again till breakfast this morning
when Mr. Douglas says to me: 'Why, wherever is Miss Prentice?' You could
'ave knocked me down with a feather, I was that taken aback! So I says,
'Whatever can 'ave happened to her?'"

"When she heard of the murder, she may have taken fright. She may be
waiting to return to the castle till the inquest and funeral are over,"
suggested Cyril.

"Then she ought at least to have sent word. Besides she should have got
back before she could have heard of the murder."

"You had better send to the cousin's and find out if she is there. She
may have been taken ill and had nobody to send a message by."

"We none of us know whereabouts this cousin lives, my lord."

"Newhaven is not a large place. It can't be difficult to find her."

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