leave his hat and coat behind him?” asked Miss Smith.

“He may be only exploring the hotel,” said Mrs. Winter. “Don’t be so restless, Bertie; sit down.”

The colonel’s eye was furtively photographing every article of furniture in the room; it lingered longest on Mrs. Winter’s wardrobe-trunk, which was standing in her room. Randall had been despatched for a hot-water bottle in lieu of one which had sprung a leak on the train; so the trunk stood, its door ajar.

[85]“Maybe he is doing the Genevra stunt in there—is that what you are thinking?” she jeered. “Well, go and look.”

[85]

Light as her tone was, she was not unaffected by the contagion of anxiety about her; after a moment, while Rupert was looking at the wardrobe-trunk, and even profanely exploring the swathed gowns held in rigid safety by bands of rubber, she moved about the rooms herself.

“There isn’t room for a mouse in that box,” growled the colonel.

“Of course not,” said his aunt languidly, sinking into the easiest chair; “but your mind is easier. Archie will come back for dinner; don’t worry.”

“How could he get by me?” retorted the colonel.

“Perhaps he went into one of the neighboring rooms,” Miss Smith suggested. “Shall I go out and rap on the door of the next room on the left?” On the right the last room of the party was a corner room.

“Why, you might,” acquiesced Aunt Rebecca; but Mrs. Melville cut the ends of her words.

“Pray let me go, Aunt Rebecca,” she begged, suiting the action to the words, and was out of the door almost ahead of her sentence.

[86]The others waited; they were silent; little flecks of color raddled Mrs. Winter’s cheeks. They could hear Millicent’s knock reverberating. There was no answer. “Telephone to the adjacent rooms,” proposed the colonel.

[86]

“I’ll telephone,” said Mrs. Winter, and rang up the number of the next room. There was no response; but when she called the number of the room adjoining, she seemed to get an answer, for she announced her name. “Have you seen a young lad?” she continued, after an apology for disturbing them. “He belongs to our party; has he by chance got into your room? and is he there?” In a 

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