"Fo' de lan' sake, seh," said Melissa, unable longer to restrain her wonder, "what you see in Miss Joyce's shoe to stare at hit dat erway?"
What, indeed? But the Captain did not reply directly; he handed the little shoe back to Melissa, saying:
"I hear Sam coming; but I haven't heard yet where the ladies were last night—at a ball, perhaps?"
"Oh, no, seh; dey wuz at Miz Farquier's 'ception."
"To be sure. And Miss Westbrook was feeling badly and came home before her mother.... Wait there, Sam; I'll be ready for you in two seconds.... That's how she happened to find her father, isn't it?"
"Yes, seh," was the reply; and Melissa proceeded to tell all she knew of the circumstance.
Further than that the hour was late, she did not know when Miss Westbrook returned from the Farquier reception. The young lady had come up the stairs alone, roused her maid, and inquired for her father, who had been feeling ill for a week or more, and upon being informed that he was still in the library, she went at once downstairs again. The rest was confusion in the darkey's mind.
"So Miss Westbrook came upstairs before entering the library?" asked the Captain.
"Oh, yes, seh; she suttenly did."
"How do you know that?"