But Mrs. Richards indignantly objected to this proceeding.
“Let them alone,” she said, angrily; “they will not thank you for your trouble, and doubtless would refuse to return if you should succeed in finding them. I am sure they have shown precious little gratitude for what we have already done for them. Uncle Jacob says in his note that it has been very unpleasant for him here, and if such is the case, let him go where he will fare better if he can find such a place. As for that proud-spirited, independent girl, I never want to see her again; I am glad to be rid of her.”
Mr. Richards did not reply to this tirade, but he felt very sorrowful, for every day only seemed to reveal some new trait of selfishness and heartlessness in his wife, which served to detract from his respect for her.
Nothing of all this, however, was mentioned before their guests, and when after breakfast Lord Carrol sought his host in the library to make further arrangements for an interview with Star, he was astonished and dismayed by the intelligence which he received regarding her secret departure with Mr. Rosevelt.
“Have you any idea where they can have gone?” he asked, with a very pale, anxious face.
“Not the slightest,” Mr. Richards answered, “and I am deeply concerned about the affair. You will believe me, I am sure, when I tell you that I admire Miss Gladstone exceedingly, although I am obliged to confess with shame that her sojourn with us has not been made as pleasant as it might have been.”
Mr. Richards made this confession with a lowering brow and in a stern tone.
“I judged that she was not happy here from something that she dropped last night,” Lord Carrol said, gravely. “And,” he added, with evident embarrassment, “it is a delicate topic to touch upon, but I believe plain dealing is best—she also stated that it is generally believed in your household that I am here as a suitor for Miss Richards’ hand. I trust, however, that there has been no such misunderstanding as this. I enjoyed a very pleasant month at Long Branch with both your wife and daughter. Perhaps I sought their society more than might have been deemed proper unless I had serious intentions; but this was owing to the fact that I discovered Mrs. Richards to be of English birth, and knowing something of her friends abroad, it seemed to become a bond between us, out of which a friendship naturally sprung. Mrs. Richards very kindly invited me to make one of a party here, and I accepted her invitation—I give you my word of honor upon it—with only thoughts of friendship and the pleasure of meeting congenial company, and with the intention, if she ever came abroad, of returning her hospitality in the same spirit. I hope—I trust, my dear sir, that my coming here thus has not been misconstrued, or placed Miss Richards in an awkward position.”
The young man’s face shone with a look of real concern as he concluded, and Mr. Richards was convinced that, notwithstanding his wife had asserted that he would propose to Josephine, he had never entertained any serious intentions regarding her.
“It is all right, my young friend,” he responded, heartily, and feeling great respect for him for his straightforwardness. “I am satisfied that you have been perfectly honorable, although I must confess that I was greatly astonished last night to learn that Star was the object of your affection. I regret sincerely the misunderstanding that has arisen between you, but we will do what we can to find the missing girl, and I trust that then it will not take long to effect a reconciliation.”