An awful dread of Snippy’s reception of his news filled Mr. Fairfield with consternation, but, as he thought, since his own daughter was lost, as well as Snippy’s young charge, his own grief was as great as hers. And try as he would to rely on Patty’s bravery, and capability in an emergency, he shuddered to think of those two girls, carried swiftly through the night, alone, unprotected, and wondering why he did not return to them.
It was some comfort to realise that the kind old Italian pair were with them. Had Mr. Fairfield known that they left the train at Parma, he would have been racked with a worse anxiety. But he hoped that wherever they all were, the quartette were together, and his faith in the kindly old people was such that he felt sure they would look after the girls some way.
So he arrived in Venice a sad, crushed man, and stepped into the beautiful gondola sent to meet him by the Royal Danieli Hotel without a glance at the canals, the bridges, the buildings, and the lights, that are so fascinating to the newcomers to Venice.
With his head bowed in his hands he made the trip to the hotel, and went in to find Nan and Snippy awaiting him in the reception room.
“Where are the girls?” cried Nan, gaily, as she greeted her husband, little thinking of anything more serious than that they had paused outside to look at the scene, or something like that.
“Have you our own rooms, all right?” said Mr. Fairfield, abruptly.
“Yes, Fred,” said Nan, wondering at his manner.
“Then let us go to them at once,” he said, and so grave was his face that, without another word, Nan led the way, and the three went up the magnificent ducal staircase, to their rooms on the next floor. Here, in a few frank statements, Mr. Fairfield told his story. As he concluded, Snippy’s eyes flashed fire, and she glared at him.
“You have lost Miss Flo!” she exclaimed. “I trusted her to your care!”
“Mrs. Postlethwaite,” said Mr. Fairfield, and the fact of his using her name made Snippy pause to listen, “when my own daughter is also lost, you cannot fairly say I betrayed a trust. I admit my culpability in the matter, but I think in this very grave emergency we must all do what we can to find the girls, and not give way to useless recrimination.”