always been."

That seemed a very long answer to impatient Dawkins and she clipped it
short by asking:

"Then, Ma'am, where do you suppose she is?"

"What? Do you mean that she isn't in her own place?"

"No, Ma'am, nor sign of her; and it's terr'ble strange, 'pears to me.
I don't like the look of it, Ma'am, I do not."

"Pooh! don't make a mystery out of it, my good woman!" replied Miss
Tross-Kingdon, yet with a curious flutter in her usually stern voice.
Then she considered the matter for a moment, finally directing:

"Go to the hospital wing and ask if she's there with Gwendolyn. She's
been so sorry for the girl and I noticed her slipping out of Assembly
with a plate full of the things Mr. Gilpin brought. I don't remember
her coming back, but she was certainly absent when her violin was
asked for. Doubtless, you'll find her there, but be careful not to
rouse any of the young ladies. Then come back and report."

Dawkins tip-toed away, glad that she had told her anxiety to her
mistress. But she was back from her errand before it seemed possible
she could be, her face white and her limbs trembling with fear of--she
knew not what!

"If it was any girl but her, Ma'am! That keeps the rules better nor
any other here!"

"Hush, good Dawkins. She's all right somewhere, as we shall soon
discover. We'll go below and look in all the rooms, in case she might
be ill, or locked in some of them."

"Yes, yes, Ma'am, we'll look. Ill she might really be after all them
nuts an' trash, but locked in she can't be, since never a lock is
turned in this whole house. Sure the Bishop wouldn't so permit, seeing
that if it fired any time them that was locked up could not so easy
get out. And me the last one down, to leave all in the good order you
like."

"Step softly still, Dawkins. It would take very little to start a
panic among our many girls should they hear that anything was amiss."

Each took a candle from the rack in the hall and by the soft light of
these began their search below, not daring to flash on the electric
lights whose brilliance might possibly arouse the sleepers in the
house. Dawkins observed that the Lady Principal, walking ahead, was
shaking, either with cold or nervousness, and, as for herself, her
teeth were fairly chattering.

Of course their search proved useless. Nowhere in any of those first
floor rooms was any trace of the missing girl. Even closets were
examined while Dawkins peered behind the furnitu