but before the girl could reply,
Price who had come down to take my wraps said:

"I'll tell your ladyship presently."

As we were going upstairs she told me that the entire house-party had
that morning gone off on a cruise in Mr. Eastcliff's yacht, that they
would be away several days, and that Madame had left a letter for me
which was supposed to explain everything.

I found it on the mantelpiece in my boudoir under an open telegram which
had been stuck into the edge of the bevelled glass. The telegram, which
was addressed to me, was from Martin.

_"Expect to arrive to-morrow evening. Staying until Wednesday
afternoon. If not convenient wire Principal's House, King George's
College."_

"To-morrow'?"

"That means to-day," said Price. "The telegram came yesterday. Madame
opened it and she told me to say--"

"Let me read her letter first," I said.

The letter ran as follows:

_"My Dearest Mary,

"You will be astonished to find the house empty and all your
racketty guests gone. Let me explain, and if you are angry about
what has happened you must lay all the blame on me.

"Well, you see, my dear, it was arranged nearly a month ago that
before we left your delightful house we should make a little cruise
round your charming island. But we had not expected that this would
come off so soon, when suddenly and unexpectedly that silly Mr.
Eastcliff, who has no more brains than a spring chicken, remembered
that he had promised to visit a friend who has taken a shoot in
Skye. Result--we had to make the cruise immediately or not at all,
and yet behold! our hostess was away on an urgent call of sickness,
and what in the world were we to do without her?

"Everybody was in a quandary--that wise Mr. Vivian saying it would
be 'jolly bad form by Jove' to go without you, while Mr. Eastcliffs
'deelightfully vicked' little Camilla declared it would be
'vilaynous,' and your husband vowed that his Margaret Mary could
not possibly be left behind.

"It was then that a certain friend of yours took the liberty of
remembering that you did not like the sea, and that even if you had
been here and had consented to go with us it would have been only
out of the sweetness of your heart, which I've always known to be
the tenderest and most unselfish in the world.

"This seemed to satisfy the whole house a