Day broadened, the sun arose, and its first rays struck them as they
stood upon the heights behind the chapel, looking all over the
wilderness.

"In the name of Heaven, now what are we to do?" exclaimed Lyon Berners,
speaking more to himself than to another.

Joe was standing, leaning upon his stick in an attitude of the deepest
despair. But suddenly he raised his head, and a gleam of light shot over
his dark face, as he said:

"I tell you what we can do, Marster: where she's took to, we can find
out at all ewents. I say where she's took to, for she never went of her
own accords."

"Heaven help my poor darling! no; she never did. But how do you think
you can trace her, Joe?"

"This a-way! I'll take the freshest of them horses, and ride home as
fast as I can for life and death; and I'll snatch up her little dog as
has been pining away ever since she left, and I'll bring it here and
make it smell to the bedclothes where she lay, and then put it on the
scent, to lead us the way she went."

"Eureka, Joe! The instinct of faithful affection, in man or brute,
sometimes puts pure reason to the blush by its superior acumen,"
exclaimed Mr. Berners.

"I don't know no more 'n the dead what you're a-talking about, Marster;
but that's the way to find out where Miss Sybil was took," answered
practical Joe.

"Come, then, we will go at once and look at the horses. I think, Joe,
that one of your cart horses would be better to take, as they have not
been so hard worked as ours," said Mr. Berners, as they ran down the
steep to the thicket in the rear of the chapel, where they had left
their horses.

In a very few minutes Joe had selected and saddled his horse, and stood
ready to start.

"I needn't tell you to be prudent, Joe, and to drop no hint of your
errand," said Mr. Berners.

"Well, no, you needn't take that there trouble, Marse Lyon, 'cause you'd
be a-cautioning of Joe, as is cautious enough a'ready. Good-morning,
Marse Lyon. I'll be at Black Hall afore the fam'ly is well out of bed,
and I'll be back here with the little dog afore you have time to get
unpatient," said Joe, climbing into his saddle and riding away.

Mr. Berners returned to the chapel, where he found the fire smouldering
out, but everything else in the same condition in which he had left it
when he went in pursuit of Sybil.

Far too restless to keep still, he walked up and down the length of the
chapel, until he was fairly tired out. Then he went to