Lansdowne stood, by the side of her
mother, gazing after the fire, placed her hand lightly on his arm, and
asked, "Can you tell me where Mr. Somers is to be found?"

"Mr. Somers! yes,--Ned. Where is he?" he exclaimed, turning, half
bewildered by her question, and looking in her face.

In an instant, the solicitude her features expressed, passed into his
own, the same sudden presentiment of evil possessed him.

Drawing Adele's arm hurriedly into his, he said, "please go with me to
seek him".

Hastening along, they went from one to another, making inquiries. It
appeared that Mr. Somers had not been seen for several hours.

Immediately, the whole company took the alarm and the search for him
commenced.

John and Adele, after fruitless efforts among the houses, at length
took their way to the river bank. As they were hastening forward, a
woman standing upon a rock overhanging the path they pursued, told
them that Mr. Somers brought herself and children over in the boat,
just at dark,--that she had not seen him since, and she remembered
now, that she did not see him come up from the river after he landed
them.

"Lead us to the spot where you left the boat", said Adele. "Go on as
quickly as you can".

The woman descended from her perch upon the rock and plunged before
them into the path.

"I remember now", she said with sudden compunctions, at her own
selfish indifference, "that the gentleman looked pale and seemed to be
dreadful tired like".

Neither John nor Adele made reply, and the woman hurried on. In a few
minutes, a sudden turn in the path brought them to the little cove
where the boat still lay.

The woman first caught sight of the wan face in the bottom of the
boat, and uttered a scream of horror. The lips of the others were
frozen into silence by the dread spectacle.

Scarcely a moment seemed to have passed, before John rushed down into
the water, reached the boat, raised thence the lifeless form, bore it
to the shore and laid the dripping head into the arms of Adele, who
seated herself on the grass to receive it.

"Go quickly", she said to the woman, "go for Dr. Wright. I saw him
only a moment ago. Find him and bring him here".

John threw himself upon his knees and began chafing Mr. Somers's
hands. "He is dead! he is dead!" he whispered, in a voice, hoarse and
unnatural with fear and anxiety.

"Let us hope not", said Adele in a tone of tenderness. "Perhaps it is
only a swoon. We will convey h