you,' he said. But he still looked so
white and faint that the lighthouse man and the others gave all their
attention to getting him warmed and dried, and at last they got him to
look a little better, though he declared he could not go to sleep.

'You can stay quiet any way,' said Mr. Mildmay. But Mr. Vane looked up
anxiously.

'My wife,' he said. 'She will be getting frightened, not about me
merely, but the child.'

'I will take the boat back at once and tell her,' said Mr. Mildmay; 'if
Williams can come with me, it won't take long. I'll run up to the
Rectory, and then we'll bring another man out to help to row us all back
again. I'll bring some wraps too. You think you'll be fit to go home in
an hour or so?'

'Certainly,' said Mr. Vane decidedly. 'I could not stay here.'

Mr. Mildmay reached the Rectory to find poor Mrs. Vane in a sad state of
fright. Biddy's absence had not been discovered for some time, as
Rosalys was busy with her mother, and Rough had not come in from school,
and everybody, if they thought about her at all, naturally thought she
was with some one else. For a girl of seven or eight should surely be
sensible enough to be left to herself for an hour in her own nursery or
schoolroom! But once the hue and cry after her began, it really did seem
as if there were cause for alarm. Every one had some new idea to
suggest, ending by Rough, who, as he came riding in on his pony and
heard the news, declared she must be hiding out of mischief.

But no--a very short search dispelled that possibility, and the pony had
to be saddled again for Rough to set off as fast as he could to Seacove
to inquire if the truant had perhaps followed Celestina home.

'And your father not in yet either,' said Mrs. Vane. 'Oh, Alie, what
_can_ be the matter? Can something have happened to him that Biddy has
heard of, and that has made her run off to him--poor Biddy, she is very
fond of papa. But if she has run away out of mischief, Alie--oh, _could_
she be such a naughty, naughty girl?'

Mrs. Vane was dreadfully excited. Alie had hard work to keep back her
own tears.

'Just as we were _so_ happy about the doll-house for her too,' Mrs. Vane
went on.

Rosalys gave a little sob.

'I _think_ perhaps she's at Celestina's,' she said. But in less time
than could have been expected back dashed Rough. No, Biddy was not, had
not been at Pier Street, but Celestina and her mother were following him
as fast as they could to the Re