At this a noise was heard in the hall. Potts went out. The servants had been scouring the grounds as before, but with no result.
“No use,” said John. “I tried it with my dog. He went straight down through the gate, and a little distance outside the scent was lost. I tried him with Mrs. Compton too. They both went together, and of course had horses or carriages there.”
“What does the porter say?” asked Clark.
“He swears that he was up till two, and then went to bed, and that nobody was near the gate.”
“Well, we can’t do any thing,” said Potts; “but I’ll send some of the servants off to see what they can hear. The scent was lost so soon that we can’t tell what direction they took.
“You’ll never get her again,” said John; “she’s gone for good this time.”
Potts swore a deep oath and relapsed into silence. After a time they all went down to the bank.