Then she closed the book, and looked up in
surprise.

"How long Undine takes to read that letter!" she said to herself, in
some surprise.

Another ten minutes slipped away, but Miss Jessie was accustomed to
waiting patiently--she had done little else for the past eight years.

"Susie must have kept the child for something," she decided, and settled
comfortably back in her chair to await Undine's return.

But it was not like her sister-in-law to detain Undine without sending
some explanation; neither was it like the girl to remain away so long.
At the end of another ten minutes Miss Jessie began to be a little
curious.

"What can be the matter?" she said uneasily, her thoughts reverting to a
possible accident to her brother, who had gone to try some new horses
that afternoon. "I think I'll wheel myself back to the house and find
out."

But at that moment she caught sight of her sister-in-law coming towards
her across the lawn. Mrs. Graham was looking cheerful and serene as
usual, and carried some sewing in her hand.

"I thought I would come and join you," she said, as soon as she was
within speaking distance. "It's much too lovely to stay in doors.
Where's Undine?"

"I don't know," said Miss Jessie, "I thought she was with you. She went
in half an hour ago, to read Marjorie's last letter, which I had
forgotten to show her, and hasn't come back since."

"I haven't seen her," said Mrs. Graham, looking a little annoyed, "but
then I have been in the kitchen with Juanita. Undine ought not to go off
like this, and leave you alone so long."

"She never did such a thing before," said Miss Jessie, anxiously. "I
wish you would go and see where she is, Susie."

"Oh, she is all right, I am sure," Mrs. Graham maintained, but she
turned back towards the house, nevertheless, for it had also occurred to
her that it was unlike Undine to neglect her duty.

There was not a sound to be heard when Mrs. Graham reached the house and
although she called Undine several times, she received no answer.

"Where can the child be?" she said, beginning to feel a little
frightened, and she hurried to Undine's room. The door was open, and her
first impression was that the room was empty. She was turning away
again, more and more puzzled by the girl's mysterious disappearance,
when her eye was caught by a heap of something white lying on the floor
by the window, and in another moment she had hurried forward, with an
exclamation of dismay