d lay there unconscious of the wind and rain, and
knowing nothing of my own bodily inconveniences. How long this lasted
I never had an opportunity of knowing, but I was awakened at last by the
grasp of a hand upon my shoulder, and tried to rise, half-blinded by the
dazzling rays of a lantern, which was swinging close before me. There
were a dozen men upon the ground, attracted by the story the driver
had told, and among them was a local medical man, who had had the
old-fashioned prescience to charge a big flask with brandy. I was
glad enough to get a pull at its contents, and the doctor having gone
carefully over me and pronounced that no bones were broken, I was lifted
with a good deal of trouble into his dog-cart, and at my own request was
driven on to Richmond. It was long after midnight when we got there,
but after a good deal of knocking and ringing we made our way into
the Talbot Hotel, where I secured a comfortable bedroom; and when my
sprained wrist and dislocated ankle had been put into cold compasses by
the doctor, I was got to bed. I passed an uneasy night, afflicted mainly
by the thought of Violet's bewilderment about me, and in the morning I
scrawled a note to her, telling her where I was, and asking her to send
me word that she had received my message. I was more damaged than I had
fancied, and the mere writing of the letter with my injured hand was a
tough task. The messenger I despatched knew Scarfell House, and told me
that it had been bought by General Sir Arthur Rollinson a dozen years
ago, but had lately been very rarely used, though an old house-keeper
and a general servant were always left in charge of the place. The man
came back in an hour, and to my annoyance and surprise told me that
Miss Rossano had left at an early hour that morning. Lady Rollinson had
driven down from London in great apparent haste, and had taken the young
lady back to town with her. I lay raging and helpless half the day, not
knowing what to do in this unexpected posture of affairs; but at length,
being myself unable to move, and unlikely, according to the doctor's
statement, to leave my room for a week to come, I resolved, as a last
resource, on sending a message to Hinge, on taking him completely into
my confidence, and setting him to work to find out in what direction
Lady Rollinson had spirited her ward.

It was late in the afternoon before he came, and the good fellow was
full of sympathy about my accident, and was disp