nable excuse for
leaving this house as quickly as may be, but before you go, I insist
upon knowing what has become of Lord Ronald."

Cecil turned towards his brother angrily.

"I am sick of hearing about Engleton!" he declared. "I tell you that he
left here, Andrew, on Wednesday morning, and caught the 9-5 train to
London, or at any rate to Peterboro'. Whether he went north, south,
east, or west, is no concern of ours. We only know that he promised to
come back and has not come."

"There is more to be learnt then," Andrew answered. "How did he get to
Lynn Station that morning?"

"In the motor car," Cecil answered.

"Who drove it?" Andrew asked.

"Major Forrest," Cecil answered.

"It is a lie!" Andrew declared. "The car never went a hundred yards
beyond the gates. I know that for a fact."

Again there was silence. The Princess intervened.

"Mr. Andrew," she began--"I beg your pardon, Mr. De la Borne--supposing
Lord Ronald did wish to keep his departure and the manner of it a great
secret, why should it trouble you? You don't suppose, I presume, that
there has been a fight, or anything of that sort?"

"I only know," Andrew answered, "that the brother of one of my dearest
friends has disappeared from this house, after spending several days in
the company of a man of bad reputation. That is quite enough for me. I
am determined to get to the bottom of the matter."

"It is a very little matter, after all," the Princess said calmly.
"Perhaps--"

She hesitated, and looked at the two other men.

"Perhaps," she continued slowly, "it would be as well to tell you the
truth."

"If you do not, madam," Andrew answered, "it is more than probable that
I shall speedily elicit it."

Both Forrest and Cecil seemed stricken speechless, and before they
could recover themselves the Princess had commenced her story, talking
with easy and convincing fluency.

"Lord Ronald," she said, "did leave here at the time you and the Duke
have been told, and Major Forrest did try to drive him in the motor to
Lynn Station. When he found that that was impossible, that they could
not get the engine to go, Lord Ronald left his luggage here and walked
to Wells. That is the last we have heard of him. He asked that his
luggage should be sent to his rooms in London, and we sent it off the
next day. He left here on good terms with everybody, but he told us
distinctly that the business on which he was summoned away was of a
very unpleasant natu