o diminutive black satin shoes were waiting on the hearth-rug. The
whole aspect of the room spoke of a sudden and precipitate flight.

"Bolted!" said Charles, when he had recovered his breath. "And so the
mystery is out at last! I might have known there was a woman at the
bottom of it. Unpremeditated, though," he continued, looking round. "She
meant to have gone to-morrow; but your recognition of that paper
frightened her, though she turned it off well to gain time. No fool
that! She had only an hour, and she made the most of it, and got off, no
doubt, while we were at dinner, by the 8.2 London train, which is the
last to-night; and after the telegraph office was closed, too! She knew
nothing could be done till to-morrow. She has more wit than I gave her
credit for."

"I distrusted her before, though I had no reason for it, but I never
thought she was gone," said Evelyn, trembling violently, and still
looking round the room.

"I knew it," said Charles, "from the moment I saw the light through the
key-hole. A key-hole with a key in it would not have shown half the
amount of light through it; and a locked door without a key in it is
safe to have been locked _from the outside_. Had she a maid with her?"

"No," replied Evelyn, "she used to come to me next door when she wanted
help--but not often--because I think she knew I did not like her, though
I tried not to show it."

"Well, we have seen the last of her, or I am much mistaken," said
Charles. "And now," he added, compressing his lips, "I suppose I must go
and tell Ralph."

"Oh, Ralph! Ralph!" gasped Evelyn, with a sudden sob; "and he was so
fond of her!"

"And so you distrusted her before, Evelyn? And why did you not mention
that fact a little sooner?"

"Without any reason for it? And when Ralph--Oh, I couldn't! I couldn't!"
said the girl, crimsoning.

Charles gazed intently at her as she turned away, pressing her hands
tightly together, and evidently struggling with some sudden emotion for
which there really was no apparent reason. She was overwrought, I
suppose; and indeed the exertion of breaking in the door had been rather
too much for Charles too; for, now that the excitement was over, his
hand shook so much that he had to put down the lamp, and even his voice
trembled a little as he said:

"I don't think Ralph is very much to be pitied. He has had a narrow
escape."

"Don't come down again, either of you," he continued a moment later, in
his usual vo