"Lord Linleigh," she asked, "do you see the gleam of the lamplight under the door? The night lights are still burning."
Then he looked a little startled.
"Mattie," he said, hurriedly, "young ladies live so fast nowadays; do you think Doris takes opiates of any kind—anything to make her sleep?"
"I do not think so," she replied.
Then again, with all his force, the earl called to her, and again there was no response.
"This is horrible," he said, beating with his hands on the door. "Why, Mattie, Mattie, it is like the silence of death."
"Shall you break the door open?" she asked.
"No, my dear Mattie," he said, aghast; "is there any need? There cannot be anything really serious the matter; to break open the door would be to pre-suppose something terrible. How foolish I am! There is the staircase—I had forgotten that." He stopped abruptly and turned very pale. "Surely to Heaven," he cried, "nothing has happened through that staircase door being left open? I always felt nervous over it. Stay here, Mattie; say nothing. I will run round."
As he passed hurriedly along he saw Earle, who, looking at his face, cried:
"What is the matter, Lord Linleigh?"