Val rang the bell. "Has Lord Hartledon come in?" he asked, when the butler appeared.
"No, sir."
"And dinner's spoiling, isn't it, Hedges?" broke in the dowager.
"It won't be any the better for waiting, my lady."
"No. I must exercise my privilege and order it served. At once, Hedges, do you hear? If Hartledon grumbles, I shall tell him it serves him right."
"But where can Hartledon be?" cried Captain Dawkes.
"That's what I am wondering," said Val. "He can't be on the river all this time; Carteret would have seen him in coming home."
A strangely grave shade, looking almost like a prevision of evil, arose to Dr. Ashton's face. "I trust nothing has happened to him," he exclaimed. "Where did you part company with him, Mr. Carteret?"
"That's more than I can tell you, sir. You must have seen—at least—no, you were not there; but those looking on must have seen me get ahead of him within view of the starting-point; soon after that I lost sight of him. The river winds, you know; and of course I thought he was coming on behind me. Very daft of me, not to divine that the boat had been removed!"
"Do you think he passed the mill?"