."

"Yes," commanded Stephen, "and tell him not to hurry on our account.
Come, Caro, come! You're not pining for his society. Well, wait then!
_I_ won't!"

He marched angrily out of the room. His sister hesitated, her wish
to follow complicated by a feeling of duty to a guest, no matter how
unwelcome. The butler reappeared, looking puzzled.

"He's not there, miss?" he said.

"Not there? Not in his room?"

"No, Miss Caroline. I knocked, and he didn't answer, so I looked in and
he wasn't there. His bed's been slept in, but he's gone."

"Gone? And you haven't seen him?"

"No, miss. I've been up and about since half past seven, and I can't
understand where he could have got to."

The door of the hall opened and shut. Edwards darted from the library.
A moment afterwards Captain Elisha strolled in. He was wearing his
overcoat, and his hat was in his hand.

"Good mornin', Caroline," he hailed, in his big voice. "Surprised to see
me, are you? Ho! ho! So was the Commodore. He couldn't understand how
I got in without ringin'. Well, you see, I'm used to turnin' out pretty
early, and when it got to be most seven o'clock, I couldn't lay to bed
any longer, so I got up, dressed, and went for a walk. I fixed the door
latch so's I could come in quiet. You haven't waited breakfast for me, I
hope."

"No; it is ready now, however."

"Ready now," the captain looked at his watch. "Yes, I should think so.
It's way into the forenoon. You _have_ waited for me, haven't you? I'm
awfully sorry."

"No, we have not waited. Our breakfast hour is nine. Pardon me for
neglecting to tell you that last evening."

"Oh, that's all right. Now you trot right out and eat. I've had mine."

"Had your breakfast?"

"Yes, indeed. When I'm home, Abbie and I usually eat about seven, so I
get sort of sharp-set if I wait after that. I cal'lated you city folks
was late sleepers, and I wouldn't want to make any trouble, so I found
a little eatin' house down below here a ways and had a cup of coffee and
some bread and butter and mush. Then I went cruisin' round in Central
Park a spell. This _is_ Central Park over across here, ain't it?"

"Yes." The girl was too astonished to say more.

"I thought 'twas. I'd been through part of it afore, but 'twas years
ago, and it's such a big place and the paths run so criss-cross I got
sort of mixed up, and it took me longer to get out than it did to get
in. I had the gen'ral points of the compass, and I guess I c