"No, I have not seen him since last night," said Lesparre. "You see, the Don and I made all arrangements yesterday afternoon, and I came down to the island to superintend the placing of the fireworks in the evening. I spent the night down here, and have not gone back to the house since I left it after dinner yesterday evening. The Don has not spoken to me to-day, and, for all that I know about him, he may not have come to his own fête."
Lesparre said this in a jocular manner, as though he had made quite an impossible supposition; but Mather seemed to catch an idea from it.
"By Jove! I begin to think so myself," he exclaimed, as if confirming a thought which had already occurred to him.
Just then Judge Morgan, dressed to represent the Fat Boy of the Pickwick Papers, rang a large bell, which could be heard all over the island, and the guests began flocking into the dancing-hall, preparatory to unmasking and having a grand march into the dining-room. When all were present, the bustle and talk quieted down, and all looked expectantly for the Don to give the signal for unmasking. Several of the intimate friends of the host had assembled on the dais at the head of the hall; and each of these looked at the others to see which among them was the Don. At last, Mather stepped forward and addressed the whole company:
"Ladies and gentlemen, somewhere among us are the host and hostess of this, the most elegant entertainment ever given in Gloster; they have been successful not only in producing here a fairy spectacle of unequaled beauty, but also in effectually hiding themselves from discovery in their assumed characters. So far as I know, not any person present can state positively the disguise of either Don Pedro or Donna Lucia. Am I right? If any one has discovered either of them, I ask him to let us all know it before the signal for unmasking is given."
Mr. Mather waited a moment amid profound stillness, but no one replied to his request.
"Well, now," he continued, "I respectfully call upon the Don and Donna to come forward to the dais, assume their rightful positions as host and hostess, and give the order to unmask."
Alas! he was calling upon a pair of unfortunate travelers, who were then far on their way to New York, one in irons, and the other in tears. There was no answer nor movement among the gay masqueraders, and whispers of wonder began to run through the throng.
"Oh! come, Don Pedro," said Judge Morgan, whose appetite called loudly to be satisfied, "you have shown that your disguise defies discovery; now come forward and take your place. You can laugh at our dullness all you please, but don't keep us in suspense any longer."
Still there was no reply, and the astonishment of all the guests began to assume a form of vague suspicion. At length, Mather again spoke up, in a husky voice: