“That is most extraordinary and it must be investigated,” said Mr. Lyon, in a musing and anxious manner, as the boy finished the tale. “But,” he added, turning sternly to the two servants, “how came you, you cowardly brutes, to leave your young mistress alone in the house to-night after such an alarm? I feel inclined to part with you both.”
“Oh, sir,” said Leo, “I begged my mistress to allow me to stay in the house to keep guard, I did, indeed, sir; but she wouldn’t so much as hear of it. She said how she wouldn’t interfere long of your arrangements, sir; and so she ordered me to go back to the stables and take care o’ the hosses.”
“And indeed, master, indeed, sir,” put in Pina, “I did say to my mist’ess wasn’t her safety of more ’count than the dumb brutes; but she wouldn’t hear to me, no more’r to Brother Leo.”
“And so she sent you both out of the house!” exclaimed Mr. Lyon, frowning darkly.
“Indeed she did, sir,” answered Pina.
“And remained in it alone?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Leo.
“Humph!” growled Mr. Lyon, and his anger was diverted from his offending servants to his neglected wife. An insane suspicion took possession of him, and he mentally connected the mysterious face at the window, with the circumstance of Drusilla’s sending her servants from the house, and he drew an inference which nothing but the madness of jealousy could have inspired, and he hurried on at a pace which even his agile young servants found it hard to keep up with.
They went around to the back door and opened it, and Mr. Lyon, calling his servants to follow him through the house, groped his way along the dark back passages to the octagon hall and up the stairs to his wife’s chamber, which was dimly lighted by a night-taper on the mantle-piece and a smouldering fire in the grate. The room was vacant and evidently had not been occupied since the morning.
“Where can she be?” he inquired, and in an accession of anxiety he hurried through the other rooms of the upper story; but found them all empty.