more than passing mention.

Down the drive and out into the mountain road clattered the three
horsemen. Lady Bazelhurst, watching at the window casement, almost
swooned with amazement at the sight of them. The capes of their
mackintoshes seemed to flaunt a satirical farewell in her face; their
owners, following the light of the carriage lamps, swept from view
around a bend in the road.

His lordship had met the duke in the hall, some distance from that
nobleman's room, and, without observing Barminster's apparent
confusion, commanded him to join in the pursuit. Barminster explained
that he was going to see how the cook was resting; however, he would
go much farther to be of service to the runaway sister of his host.

"She's broken-hearted," half sobbed the brother.

"Yes," agreed the duke; "and what's a broken leg to a broken heart?
Penelope's heart, at that. Demme, I can't find the cook's room,
anyway."

"It's in the servants' wing," said Cecil, anxious to be off.

"To be sure. Stupid ass I am. I say, old chap, here's Deveaux's door.
Let's rout him out. We'll need some one to hold the horses if we have
to force our way into Shaw's house."

The count was not thoroughly awake until he found himself in the
saddle some time later; it is certain that he did not know until long
afterward why they were riding off into the storm. He fell so far
behind his companions in the run down the road that he could ask no
questions. Right bravely the trio plunged into the dark territory
over which the enemy ruled. It was the duke who finally brought the
cavalcade to a halt by propounding a most sensible question.

"Are you sure she came this way, Cecil?"

"Certainly. This is Shaw's way, isn't it?"

"Did she say she was going to Shaw's?"

"Don't know. Evelyn told me. Hang it all, Barminster, come along.
We'll never catch up to her."

"Is she riding?"

"No--horses all in."

"Do you know, we may have passed her. Deuce take it, Bazelhurst, if
she's running away from us, you don't imagine she'd be such a silly
fool as to stand in the road and wait for us. If she heard us she'd
hide among the trees."

"But she's had an hour's start of us."

"Where ees she coming to?" asked the count, with an anxious glance
upward just in time to catch a skirmishing raindrop with his eye.

"That's just it. We don't know," said the duke.

"But I must find her," cried Lord Cecil. "Think of that poor girl
alone in this terrible place, stor