e,
its solitude, and its dark?

"I will go to bed and try to sleep," she said. "It is but a few hours.
My husband is certain to be here in the morning."

She rose, laughed at herself for starting on some slight noise in the
quiet house--old Andrews locking up the front door, probably--snuffed
her candle to make it as bright as possible, and prepared to go
up-stairs.

A light knock at the door.

"Come in, Andrews. The fire is all safe, and I shall vanish now."

She said this without looking round. When she did look she was somewhat
surprised to see, not the butler, but Marmaduke Dugdale. It was odd,
certainly, but then Duke had such very odd ways, and was always turning
up at impossible hours and in eccentric fashion. He looked eccentric
enough now, being thoroughly drenched with rain, with a queer, scared
expression on his face.

Agatha was amused by it. "Why, what a late visitor! The children are
gone home hours ago, though they waited ever so long for 'Pa.' Have you
been all this while at Mr. Trenchard's?"

"I haven't been there at all."

Agatha smiled.

"Don't'ee laugh--now don't'ee, Mrs. Harper." And Duke sat down, pushing
the dripping hair from his forehead, pulling his face into all sorts of
contortions, until at last it sunk between his hands, and those clear,
honest, always beautiful eyes, alone confronted her. There was that in
their expression which startled Agatha.

"What did you come for so late, Mr. Dugdale?"

"What did I come for?" he vaguely repeated. "Now don't'ee tremble so. We
must hope for the best, my child."

Agatha felt a sudden stoppage at the heart which took away her.
breath. "Tell me--quick; I shall not be frightened;--he is coming home
to-morrow."

"My dear child!" muttered Duke again, as he held out his hands to her,
and she saw that tears were dropping over his cheeks.

Agatha clutched at the hands threateningly--she felt herself going wild.
"Tell me, I say. If you don't--I'll"------

"Hush--I'll tell you--only hush!--think of poor Anne! And there's hope
yet. Only they have not come into Southampton-roads--and last night
there was a fire seen far out at sea--and it might have been a ship, you
know."

Thus disconnectedly Marmaduke broke his terrible news. Agatha received
them with a wild stare.

"It's impossible--totally impossible," she cried, uttering sounds
that were half shrieking, half laughter. "Absolutely, ridiculously
impossible. I'll not believe it--not a word