in her
room.

"Where on earth can she be?" exclaimed Mrs. Clinton. Punctuality at
meals being so rigidly observed it was unprecedented that Cicely should
not have begun to dress at a quarter to eight. At ten minutes to eight
Mrs. Clinton was convinced that some accident had befallen her. At five
minutes to, she tapped at the door of the Squire's dressing-room.
"Edward," she called, "Cicely has not come home yet."

"Come in! Come in!" called the Squire. He was in his shirt sleeves,
paring his nails.

"I am afraid something has happened to her," said Mrs. Clinton
anxiously.

"Now, Nina, don't fuss," said the Squire. "What can possibly have
happened to her? She must be at the dower-house, though, of course, she
ought to be home by this time. Nobody in this house is ever punctual but
myself. I am always speaking about it. You _must_ see that the children
are in time for meals. If nobody is punctual the whole house goes to
pieces."

Mrs. Clinton went downstairs into the morning-room, where they were wont
to assemble for dinner. Dick was there already, reading a paper. "Cicely
has not come home yet," she said to him.

"By Jove, she'll catch it," said Dick, and went on reading his paper.

Mrs. Clinton went to the window and drew the curtain aside. It was not
yet quite dark and she could see across the park the footpath by which
Cicely would come from the dower-house. But there was no one there. Mrs.
Clinton's heart sank. She knew that something _had_ happened. Cicely
would never have stayed out as late as this if she could have helped it.
She came back into the room and rang the bell. "I must send down," she
said.

Dick put his paper aside and looked up at her. "It _is_ rather odd," he
said.

The butler came into the room, and the Squire immediately behind him.
"Edward, I want some one to go down to the dower-house and see if Cicely
has been there," Mrs. Clinton said. "I am anxious about her."

The Squire looked at her for a moment. "Send a man down to the
dower-house to ask if Miss Clinton has been there this afternoon," he
said, "and if she hasn't, tell him to go to the Rectory."

The butler left the room, but returned immediately with Cicely's
telegram. It was one minute to eight o'clock. He hung on his heel after
handing the salver to Mrs. Clinton and then left the room to carry out
his previous instructions. It was not his place to draw conclusions, but
to do as he was told.

Mrs. Clinton read the telegr