l, to Pequot,--and to
heaven; coming back again and again to the diamonds and to the image
that was in the centre of them. No wonder her grave sweet face was
remarked as being even graver and sweeter than usual; and the doctor at
last devoted himself to breaking up its quiet. He took her into the
library to finish the Rhododendrons--ostensibly--but in reality to get
rid of the stiff circle in the other room. The circle followed; but no
longer stiff; under the influence of the cold weather and the big fires
and good prompting, their spirits got up at last to the pitch of acting
charades. Miss Harrison brought down her stores of old and new finery;
and with much zeal and success charades and tableaux went on for some
length of time; to the extreme amusement of Faith, who had never seen
any before. They did not divert her from watching for the sound of Mr.
Linden's return; but it came not, and Miss Essie expected and hoped
aloud in vain. The hour did come, and passed, at which such gatherings
in Pattaquasset were wont to break up. That was not very late to be
sure. The Stoutenburghs, and the De Staffs, and finally Mr. and Mrs.
Somers, went off in turn; and Faith was left alone to wait; for she had
refused all offers of being set down by her various friends.

It happened that Mr. Linden had been, by no harmful accident but simply
by the untowardness of things, delayed beyond his time; and then having
a good distance to drive, it was some while after the last visiters had
departed when he once more reined up Jerry at the door. No servant came
to take him, and Mr. Linden applied himself to the bell-handle. But
there seemed a spell upon the house--or else the inmates were
asleep--for ring as he would, no one came.

To fasten Jerry and let himself in were the next steps--neither of
which took long. But in the drawing-room, to which he had been ushered
in the beginning of the evening, there was now no one. The lights and
the fires and the empty chairs were there; that was all. Mr. Linden
knew the house well enough to know where next to look; he crossed the
hall to a room at the other side, which was the one most commonly used
by the family, and from which a passage led to the library. No one was
here, and the room was in a strange state of confusion. Before he had
well time to remark upon it, Faith came in from the passage bearing a
heavy marble bust in her arms. The colour sprang to her cheeks; she set
down Prince Talleyrand q