ANOTHER SEARCH.
Half-past eight o'clock in the morning. The gong had sounded, and we had all assembled in the library for prayers. All but Aleck, who, for the first time since he had been with us at Braycombe, was not in his usual place.
My father missed him, and turned to ask me where he was.
"I expect he has gone out, papa," I replied; "he meant to go down to the shore to look for his boat."
"If you please, sir," said Bennet the footman, "I saw Master Gordon quite early this morning, maybe about six o'clock; he telled me he was going down to look after the ship."
Family prayer was concluded and breakfast began, and still Aleck did not appear. As he had no watch, it was not surprising that he should mistake the time to a certain extent; but we all wondered he should be so very late, and at last my father began to feel uneasy. "He must have been a long way off not to have heard the eight o'clock bell," he said; "yet he's a careful boy; it seems unlikely he should come to any harm."
"Run out on the lawn, Willie," suggested my mother, "and take a good look round; perhaps he may be in sight."
But although I put a liberal interpretation upon the direction, and not only ran out upon the lawn, but also down the drive for a little way, and up the overhanging bank, from which we could got a sight far off towards the White-Rock Cove, I could see nothing of my cousin, and returned breathless to the dining-room without the tidings that my parents expected.
The post had come in whilst I was out, and my father was engaged in the perusal of a letter from Uncle Gordon, reading little bits of it aloud to my mother as he went on. "Just starting for the Pyrenees ... need send no letters for a fortnight ... address Poste Restante, Marseilles, after this; the constant change of air has done wonders," &c. &c. When the letter was finished, I saw there was one enclosed for Aleck, which according to custom I laid upon his plate, repeating, at the same time, that I had looked in every direction, but could see nothing of my cousin.
"He must have gone down to the lodge, and perhaps Groves kept him, finding it was late, and gave him something to take," said my mother. Whereupon my father rung the bell, and desired Bennet to go down at once to the lodge and inquire whether Master Gordon had been there, whilst in the mean time I finished my breakfast, and was sent to the school-room to get my lessons ready for Mr. Glengelly.
It was not long before my father came to me. "Willie," he said, "I can't understand what has kept Aleck, and I fear he may have hurt himself, and not be able to make his way home; so I am going out at once to look for him, and you must help me."
There was something rather dignified in being thus spoken to by my father, and, had it not been for the secret load, of which I dared not tell him, but which already began to weigh with additional heaviness on my heart, I should have felt somewhat elated at finding myself of importance.
My father continued in a quick, decided manner: "Leave your lessons, and run off at once to the lodge. If you find Ralph anywhere about, so much the better, he can go with you; in any case you and George could manage to get the little boat round to the White-Rock Cove, keeping in shore as nearly as George thinks safe, and keep a sharp look-out all the way along for your cousin.—Stay; on second thoughts Rickson shall run down to the Cove too, in case Ralph is not to be found; you will want another hand."
I did not need twice telling, but was off in an instant, and, breathless with excitement, reached the lodge a few minutes after.
My story was soon told, and George lost no time in getting out the smallest of our boats, and with Ralph, who happened, as George said, to be fortunately "handy" on the occasion, we started upon our search. I could not help thinking of the morning before, and its search, but the excitement now kept up my spirits; it was something so new to be thus suddenly dismissed from lessons, and trusted to help in what was evidently considered a matter of some anxiety; why they should be so anxious I did not trouble myself to reflect, having little idea but that Aleck had wandered further than he intended, and perhaps experienced some difficulty on his way home.
We glided along quickly and pleasantly enough, past the first inlet, and the second, from our own Cove, scrutinizing all the banks, and rocks, and shady nooks, so familiar through many a wild exploring of ours; to reach the third we were obliged to stand out a considerable distance to sea, as the promontory bounding the White-Rock Cove on this side stretched far beyond the other rocky buttresses, making one of the most prominent land-marks in that part of the south coast. It was underneath its shelter that we had lunched the day before, and as we passed by the broad, flat stone in the little creek, the conversation we had had there repeated itself again and again in my mind.
It was about half-past eleven o'clock when we had cleared this point, and George gave the order to haul down sail.
"It's best to take to the oars now, Master Willie; we'd be a long while at it if we tacked—Now, Ralph, pull steady—You'll be about right if you keep her head straight for the White-Rock, Master Willie"—I was at the helm—"ease her, ease her a bit; more to port, sir, more to port—now steady again—now ship oars—the tide's running in pretty fast, and will carry us in." George's commands, thus given at intervals as we doubled the promontory and made for the Cove, alone broke silence, until, having shipped oars, there was nothing particular for him to do, and then all at once his tongue seemed unloosed. "Poor boy," he said, "it would be a sad day to us all if aught has happened amiss to him, and his parents too off in foreign parts. How cut up he was about his bit ship yesterday, but it matters little if he is safe to-day. I mind now he told me just afore we parted yesterday, that he thought it was quite possible our little ship might have driven ashore here. But I hope he hasn't been rash in trying to climb where it's dangerous even for an active boy like him."
"He told me last night," I said, "that he meant to look all along the shore as far as this. Papa said we were to come here just in case—"
We were getting close into shore now, and Ralph, standing up in front of me, held his oar to push us off from the rocks until we reached our usual place for landing. George sat facing me, so that Ralph was the only one who was able to see well ahead at the moment. There was something in his manner which startled me, as he bent down all at once and simply said, "Grandfather!" George turned round in a moment, and his short ejaculation and smothered "Oh!" confirmed me in a terrible fear they had made some discovery, and almost at the same instant, leaning forward, I could see my cousin lying prostrate on the beach just by the White Rock, at the bottom of a steep part of the cliff, and scarcely a foot from the water's edge.
I felt my knees shaking, as I tried to rise and could not; tried to speak, and the words died on my lips; then, for a moment, buried my face in my hands, and gasped out presently, "He's dead." I thought for a moment that I should die too, the sense of utter, hopeless, unbearable misery seemed so terrible.
