After all the fatigues and adventures of the day before, Charles slept well — long pleasant dreams of roaming in sunny places on summer days fell to his happy lot — and so he was not pleased when he found himself shaken by the shoulder.

It was William come to wake him. Charles was at once alarmed to see him there, and started up, saying —

“Is anything the matter, Will? is my father ill?”

“The master’s well, I trust, Master Charles. I want to tell you something that I want others to find out for themselves.”

“What is it?” said Charles, seriously alarmed, for he had had his suspicions lately, though he had dreaded to give them a name.

“Ellen is gone!”

“My dear lad,” said Charles hurriedly, “what makes you think so? Since when have you missed her?”

“Since yesterday afternoon.”

“Have you been in her room?”

“Yes. She has not been to bed, and the window is open just as it was yesterday morning at bed-making time.”

“Hush — wait! There may be time yet. Go down and saddle two horses at once. I will tell you what I know as we ride, but there is not time now. Tell me only one thing, Is there any one she would be likely to go to at Coombe?”

“No one that I know of.”

William departed to get the horses. Charles had suddenly thought of the solitary female figure he had seen passing along the dizzy sheep-path the day before, and he determined to follow that till he lost sight of it.

“For the poor dear girl’s sake — for the honour of the old house — I wonder who is at the bottom of all this? I must tell Marston,” he said, when he was out on the landing. “George, tell them to get me some coffee instantly. I am going out hunting.”

Marston thought as Charles did. The right thing to do would be to follow her, see that she wanted for nothing, and leave her brother with her for a time. “He won’t quarrel with her now, you’ll see. He is a good fellow, mind you, Charles, though he did lose his temper with her that night.”

So they rode forth side by side into the wild winter’s morning. The rain had ceased for a time, but the low dark clouds were hurrying swiftly before the blast, and eddying among the loftier tors and summits. The wind was behind them, and their way was east, across the lofty downs.

“William,” said Charles at last, “who is at the bottom of this?”

“I don’t know. Master Charles. If I did there would be mischief, unless it was one of two.”

“Ay, Will, but it ain’t. You don’t think it is Cuthbert?”

“No, no! He, forsooth! Father Mackworth knows, I believe, more than we do. You do not suspect him?”

“Certainly not. I did, but I don’t now. I suspect he knows, as I said, more than we do. He has been speaking harshly to her about it.”

They had arrived at the hill round which Charles suspected he had seen her pass the day before. It was impossible to p............