t credible that she
had refused Mr. Grandcourt? Lady Flora Hollis, a lively middle-aged
woman, well endowed with curiosity, felt a sudden interest in making a
round of calls with Mrs. Torrington, including the rectory, Offendene,
and Quetcham, and thus not only got twice over, but also discussed with
the Arrowpoints, the information that Miss Harleth was gone to
Leubronn, with some old friends, the Baron and Baroness von Langen; for
the immediate agitation and disappointment of Mrs. Davilow and the
Gascoignes had resolved itself into a wish that Gwendolen's
disappearance should not be interpreted as anything eccentric or
needful to be kept secret. The rector's mind, indeed, entertained the
possibility that the marriage was only a little deferred, for Mrs.
Davilow had not dared to tell him of the bitter determination with
which Gwendolen had spoken. And in spite of his practical ability, some
of his experience had petrified into maxims and quotations. Amaryllis
fleeing desired that her hiding-place should be known; and that love
will find out the way "over the mountain and over the wave" may be said
without hyperbole in this age of steam. Gwendolen, he conceived, was an
Amaryllis of excellent sense but coquettish daring; the question was
whether she had dared too much.

Lady Flora, coming back charged with news about Miss Harleth, saw no
good reason why she should not try whether she could electrify Mr.
Grandcourt by mentioning it to him at the table; and in doing so shot a
few hints of a notion having got abroad that he was a disappointed
adorer. Grandcourt heard with quietude, but with attention; and the
next day he ordered Lush to bring about a decent reason for breaking up
the party at Diplow by the end of another week, as he meant to go
yachting to the Baltic or somewhere--it being impossible to stay at
Diplow as if he were a prisoner on parole, with a set of people whom he
had never wanted. Lush needed no clearer announcement that Grandcourt
was going to Leubronn; but he might go after the manner of a creeping
billiard-ball and stick on the way. What Mr. Lush intended was to make
himself indispensable so that he might go too, and he succeeded;
Gwendolen's repulsion for him being a fact that only amused his patron,
and made him none the less willing to have Lush always at hand.

This was how it happened that Grandcourt arrived at the _Czarina_ on
the fifth day after Gwendolen had left Leubronn, and found there his