I took it and read the words:
'Have you seen Gerald? Hilda.'
'Did you reply to this?' I asked, as I gave it back to her.
'At once—just the one word, "No."'
'Do you know this young man?' I asked.
'I have never even seen him, but I know that he bears a splendid reputation for manliness, sobriety, and studiousness. He was something of a bookworm at college, I believe, and has developed a taste for literature. You see, I have heard much of him. Oh, I am sure something has happened to him, some misfortune! You see, she had asked him to call upon me, and he would never have left Hilda—not to mention his parents and sister—five days in suspense if able to communicate with them.'
'If he is the person you describe him, surely not.'
She gazed at me a moment, as if about to reproach me for the doubt my words implied, and dropped her eyes. Then she answered quietly:
'The simple fact that John O'Neil, Hilda's father, has accepted him as his daughter's fiancé is sufficient for me. Mr. O'Neil is an astute lawyer and a shrewd judge of character; he has known the Trents for many years, and he already looks upon Gerald Trent as a son.'
'And Mr. O'Neil—where is he?'