room hastily.

"Miss Lambert, will you do me a favor? I cannot find Mrs. Sefton, and I
have no one else to ask."

"Certainly," returned Bessie, and she rose at once.

Mr. Sinclair looked pale and troubled, and his manner was extremely
nervous.

"Then will you be so good as to beg Edna to come down to me for a
moment; she has misunderstood--that is, I wish to speak to her--there is
a slight misconception. Edna has gone to her own room."

"I will go at once," exclaimed Bessie, feeling convinced by his manner
that something was very wrong. Edna must have quarrelled with him again.
She ran upstairs and knocked on Edna's door, but received no answer; it
was not locked, however, and after a moment's hesitation she entered.

Edna had evidently not heard her; she was standing by the window in her
walking-dress. As Bessie spoke to attract her attention, she turned
round and frowned angrily; something in her face made Bessie breathless
with apprehension.

"What do you want?" she asked harshly.

"Mr. Sinclair sent me," pleaded Bessie; "he is very anxious to speak to
you; he begs that you will come downstairs. He thinks that there is some
mistake."

"No, there is no mistake," replied Edna slowly; "you may tell him so for
me."

"Why not tell him yourself, Edna?"

"Because I have had enough of Mr. Sinclair's company this morning.
Because nothing would induce me to speak to him again. I thought I had
locked my door to prevent intrusion; but I suppose I forgot. Please give
him my message that there is no mistake--oh, none at all."

Bessie hesitated, but another look at Edna's face showed her that any
entreaty at this moment would be in vain, so she went out of the room
without another word.

Mr. Sinclair was standing just where she had left him; he looked at her
anxiously. Bessie shook her head.

"She will not come," she said sorrowfully.

"Will not? Did she give no reason--send no message?"

"Only that there was no mistake; she repeated that more than once.
Perhaps she will change her mind in a little while."

But Mr. Sinclair did not seem to hear her.

"No mistake! Then she meant it--she meant it!" he muttered, and his face
became quite changed. He had walked to the window, but he came back
again.

"Thank you, Miss Lambert. I am very much obliged to you," he said, as
though feeling he had been deficient in politeness; but before she could
reply he had left the room.

The gong sounded for luncheon directly a