accident. When the news arrived last night, it was too late to
telegraph, and so he asked me to come here this morning in his motor in
order to bring Mrs. Pargeter back to Paris. He proposes that she should
accompany him to England to-day by the twelve o'clock train."

An expression of deep bewilderment crossed Madame de Lera's face. For
the first time since she had glanced at Vanderlyn, she became aware that
she was in the presence of a man who was suffering under some keen
stress of feeling. She became oppressed with a great misgiving. What did
his presence here this morning, his strange unreal words, signify? What
was the inward meaning of this sinister comedy? It was of course clear
that the secret elopement had not taken place. But then, where _was_
Mrs. Pargeter?

She cast a long searching look at Laurence Vanderlyn. The American's
face had become expressionless. He seemed tired, like a man who had not
slept, but the look she thought she had surprised,--that look telling of
the suppression of deep feeling, of hidden anguish,--had gone. The fact
that she did not know how much Vanderlyn knew she knew added to Madame
de Lera's perplexity. She was determined at all costs not to betray her
friend.

"I regret to inform you," she said, quietly, "that Mrs. Pargeter is not
here. It is true that I was expecting her to come yesterday. But she
disappointed me--she did not come. Does no one know where she is?" She
threw as great an emphasis as was possible in the impassive French
language into her question.

Vanderlyn avoided her perplexed, questioning glance. "Since yesterday
evening," he answered, "all trace of Margaret Pargeter has been lost.
She seems to have left her house about six o'clock, and then to have
disappeared--utterly. The servants believed," he added, after a pause,
"that she was coming straight to you; she had, it seems, taken some
luggage to the station the day before, and seen personally to its
despatch."

There was a pause; neither spoke for some moments, and Madame de Lera
noticed that Vanderlyn had not asked her if Peggy's luggage had arrived
at her house.

"Then, Monsieur, it is surely clear," she exclaimed at last, "that there
has been an accident, a terrible accident to our poor friend! I mean on
her way to--to the station. But doubtless that thought has also occurred
to you--if not to Mr. Pargeter--and you have already made all necessary
enquiries?"

Vanderlyn, from being pale, flushed deepl