on about the place which it had never been
accustomed to wear. No cattle were to be seen in the neighbouring
meadow. Many of the fences were thrown down. There were no fowls in
the farm-yard. No pigeons circled around the barn. An ominous silence
reigned over the place. Still he went on. He felt that he must speak
to his friend. Yet it seemed to him almost cruel to utter the words
which he had to say.

"You must be prepared for a disappointment, my dear sir. I fear that
the former inhabitants of the place have left it. We may, however, be
able to learn where they have gone."

The ground was now sufficiently hard to enable them to gallop on. On
reaching the front door he threw himself from his horse and struck
loudly against it. A hollow sound was the only answer returned. He
lifted the latch, for the door was unlocked. He gazed round the room
where the dame and Elizabeth had been accustomed to sit, after the chief
labours of the day were over, with their distaffs or spinning-wheels--
that very room where he had last parted from the young girl! The
lighter articles of value had been removed, though the heavy pieces of
furniture still remained in their places, thickly covered with dust. It
was evident that for many months no one had entered the house. Green
mildew was on the walls. The very floors were covered with damp.

Poor Monsieur de Mertens sank down on a seat, overcome by the bitter
disappointment which he experienced. Jack endeavoured to re-assure him,
by telling him that he knew several persons in the neighbourhood, and
that he should probably be able to ascertain from them where Master
Pearson and his family had gone. Before leaving the house, however, he
would go over every part of it, to try and discover any thing which
might give them the desired information.

The examination of the house was a very melancholy one, for not a sign
could he discover to afford the wished-for clue. One of the rooms was
locked. He hesitated about attempting to break it open. At length, on
searching around, he found a bunch of keys. They had evidently been
dropped by accident, and unintentionally left behind. Among them he
discovered the key which opened the door of the closed room. He at
first almost dreaded to enter, though he could scarcely tell why. At
length he mustered courage. He breathed more freely when he found that
the room was simply filled with bedding and bed-clothes and household
imple