"There must be something wrong," said the old lady to herself, "or she would not have been in such a hurry to run away. If she had only waited and told me all, I might have done something for her. She is young and very pretty. It's a thousand pities, whatever it is. I'm sorry she did not wait another minute. She took my breath away when she stood up. I thought she was going to make a scene. I did not intend her to go. I only wanted the address to write to her friends. There's something wrong, and it's a thousand pities, a thousand pities."
CHAPTER VIII.
[ON THE TRACK.]
The Duke passed quickly by Anne in the little hall, and went into the room where Miss Traynor sat in the dim light of a single lamp. As he entered, she had been sitting with her head bowed upon her chest. She had not uttered an exclamation on reading Marion's brief note. She had not wept a tear since. It was now ten o'clock. Half an hour ago that note had come. It lay on the table beside her. She had put on her spectacles to read it, and had forgotten to take them off. As the young man entered the room, she looked up.
"Miss Traynor! Miss Traynor, what is this Anne tells me? Is it true Marion has left the house?"
"What?" said she.
"Anne tells me that Marion has left the house, and that you do not know where she is, and that she said she is not coming back."
"Anne told me she was not in the house, and I got that note a while ago."
She pointed to the table.
He took up the note and read it. Then he sat down without a word, and for a long time there was unbroken silence.