Fabian says that he will be home the last of this month."

CHAPTER XVIII.

A CRISIS AT ROCKHOLD.

Brother and sister went to Newport and spent a month. The Dean of Olivet
was in the town, but they never met him because they never went into
society. Toward the last of June, Corona proposed that they should go at
once to Rockhold.

The next morning brother and sister took the early train for New York.
On the morning of the second day they took the express train for
Baltimore, where they stopped for another night. And on the morning of
the third day they took the early train for North End, where they
arrived at sunset. They went to the hotel to get dinner and to engage
the one hack of the establishment to take them to Rockhold.

Almost the first man they met on the hotel porch was Mr. Clarence, who
rushed to meet them.

"Hurrah, Sylvan! Hurrah, old boy! Back again! Why didn't you write or
telegraph? How do you do, Cora! Ah! when will you get your roses back,
my dear? And how is his Majesty? Why is he not with you? Where did you
leave him?" demanded Mr. Clarence in a gale of high spirits at greeting
his nephew and niece again.

"He is among the Thousand Islands somewhere with his bride," answered
Cora.

"His--what?" inquired Mr. Clarence, with a puzzled air.

"His wife," said Cora.

"His wife? What on earth are you talking about, Cora? You could not have
understood my question. I asked you where my father was!" said the
bewildered Mr. Clarence.

"And I told you that he is on his wedding trip with his bride, among the
Thousand Islands," replied Cora.

Mr. Clarence turned in a helpless manner.

"Sylvan," he said, "tell me what she means, will you?"

"Why, just what she says. Our grandfather and grandmother are on the
St. Lawrence, but will be home on the first of July," Sylvan explained.

But Mr. Clarence looked from the brother to the sister and back again in
the utmost perplexity.

"What sort of a stupid joke are you two trying to get off?" he inquired.

They had by this time reached the public parlor of the hotel and found
seats.

"Is it possible, Uncle Clarence, that you do not know Mr. Rockharrt was
married on the thirty-first of last month, in New York, to Mrs.
Stillwater?" inquired Cora.

"What! My father!"

"Why should you be amazed or incredulous, Uncle Clarence? The
incomprehensible feature, to my mind, is that you should not have heard
of the affair directly from grandfather hims