A young man had left the ballroom an hour before, carrying an unconscious girl in his arms.
He had told the doorkeeper that she was his sister, that she had fainted in the crowd, and that he was going to put her in his carriage, and take her home.
When the man described the beauty of the unconscious girl, the soft white silk gown, and the long golden curls, the agonized senator could no longer doubt that his darling had been kidnaped by some villain, and carried off to some terrible unknown fate.
It was terrible to think that such a thing could be in that gala scene among those thousands of joyous people, and in that blaze of light and splendor. It was like a sword in her father's heart.
His face grew ashen, his eyes blazed, and he swore the most terrible revenge on the fiend who had stolen Precious.
"Oh, my darling, my darling, this news will break her mother's heart!" he groaned.
"But she has another daughter left to comfort her," ventured the elegant young Englishman.
"Yes, we have Ethel. She is a good daughter, but Precious was our favorite, our darling."
"But why? Miss Winans is very charming," cried Lord Chester, a little jealous for the beautiful girl he admired so much.