Within the mansion much of the silence and gloom of the preceding night prevailed. Breakfast had been prepared as usual, but the appointed hour had passed unheeded, a significant fact in a household of such rigid regulation. By and by, however, a rustle upon the staircase announced the appearance of Mrs. Effingham.
Meeting a servant upon the way, the lady inquired where she should find Mr. Drummond; the man replied that he was closeted in the library with his young master, Hubert.
Thither she went directly, entering suddenly, and surprising the young gentlemen in the depths of earnest conversation.
"You have seen Romaine?" they inquired simultaneously.
"Yes, I have just left her."
"How is she?"
"Apparently safe."
Thereupon a strained silence ensued, during which Drummond led Mrs. Effingham to a divan and seated himself beside her, while Hubert watched the pair with an intentness that reflected the motive of his interrupted conversation with his future brother-in-law.
Colston Drummond was the first to break the silence.
"How do you find Romaine?" he asked.