g in her chair, but she
wakened quickly when Elsa spoke to her.

"It is another--accident; at the construction camp. Mr. Ballard had to
go immediately. Where is father?"

Miss Cauffrey put up her eye-glasses and scanned the various groups
within eye-reach. Then she remembered. "Oh, yes; I think I must be very
sleepy, yet. He went in quite a little time ago; to the library to lie
down. He asked me to call him when Mr. Ballard was ready to go."

"Are you sure of that, Aunt June?"

"Why--yes. No, that wasn't it, either; he asked me to excuse him to Mr.
Ballard. I recollect now. Dear me, child! What has upset you so? You
look positively haggard."

But Elsa had fled; first to the library, which was empty, and then to
her father's room above stairs. That was empty, too, but the coat and
waistcoat her father had worn earlier in the evening were lying upon the
bed as if thrown aside hurriedly. While she was staring panic-stricken
at the mute evidences of his absence she heard his step in the corridor.
When he came in, less familiar eyes than those of his daughter would
scarcely have recognised him. He was muffled to the heels in a long
rain-coat, the muscles of his face were twitching, and he was breathing
hard like a spent runner.

[Illustration: The muscles of his face were twitching, and he was
breathing hard, like a spent runner.]

"Father!" she called, softly; but he either did not hear or did not
heed. He had flung the rain-coat aside and was hastily struggling into
the evening dress. When he turned from the dressing-mirror she could
hardly keep from crying out. With the swift change of raiment he had
become himself again; and a few minutes later, when she had followed him
to the library to find him lying quietly upon the reading-lounge,
half-asleep, as it seemed, the transformation scene in the upper room
became more than ever like the fleeting impression of an incredible
dream.

"Father, are you asleep?" she asked; and when he sat up quickly she told
him her tidings without preface.

"Mr. Bromley is hurt--fatally, they think--by a fall from the path into
the lower canyon. Mr. Ballard has gone with the man who came to bring
the news. Will you send Otto in the car to see if there is anything we
can do?"

"Bromley? Oh, no, child; it can't be _Bromley_!" He had risen to his
feet at her mention of the name, but now he sat down again as if the
full tale of the years had smitten him suddenly. Then he gave his
dir