'You can stay quiet any way,' said Mr. Mildmay. But Mr. Vane looked up anxiously.
'My wife,' he said. 'She will be getting frightened, not about me merely, but the child.'
'I will take the boat back at once and tell her,' said Mr. Mildmay; 'if Williams can come with me, it won't take long. I'll run up to the Rectory, and then we'll bring another man out to help to row us all back again. I'll bring some wraps too. You think you'll be fit to go home in an hour or so?'
'Certainly,' said Mr. Vane decidedly. 'I could not stay here.'
Mr. Mildmay reached the Rectory to find poor Mrs. Vane in a sad state of fright. Biddy's absence had not been discovered for some time, as Rosalys was busy with her mother, and Rough had not come in from school, and everybody, if they thought about her at all, naturally thought she was with some one else. For a girl of seven or eight should surely be sensible enough to be left to herself for an hour in her own nursery or schoolroom! But once the hue and cry after her began, it really did seem as if there were cause for alarm. Every one had some new idea to suggest, ending by Rough, who, as he came riding in on his pony and heard the news, declared she must be hiding out of mischief.
But no—a very short search dispelled that possibility, and the pony had to be saddled again for Rough to set off as fast as he could to Seacove to inquire if the truant had perhaps followed Celestina home.
'And your father not in yet either,' said Mrs. Vane. 'Oh, Alie, what can be the matter? Can something have happened to him that Biddy has heard of, and that has made her run off to him—poor Biddy, she is very fond of papa. But if she has run away out of mischief, Alie—oh, could she be such a naughty, naughty girl?'
Mrs. Vane was dreadfully excited. Alie had hard work to keep back her own tears.
'Just as we were so happy about the doll-house for her too,' Mrs. Vane went on.
Rosalys gave a little sob.