oom no sound of occupation but
the waiting breakfast-table in the middle of the floor, and the nurse
seated at one of the windows with the impatient child at her knee.

"'Your master and mistress sleep late,' I said.

"'Yes, sir, they were up late last night,' she replied while twisting
the child's golden ringlets around her fingers, in pure idleness, for
they did not need curling.

"I went away and staid away for about an hour, and then returned to the
sitting-room. No sound from the bedroom yet. No change in the
sitting-room, except that the nurse had taken a seat at the corner of
the table with the child on her lap, and was feeding him from a bowl of
milk and bread.

"'Your master and mistress not up yet?' I ventured to say.

"'No, sir, and no sign of them; I am giving little Crowy his supper, and
am going to put him to bed. And if the bell don't ring by that time, I
shall make bold to knock at the door and wake them up. Because, sir, I'm
getting uneasy. Something might be the matter, though I don't know
what,' said the girl, anxiously.

"'So am I, I wish you would. And when your master has breakfasted, tell
him I wish to be permitted to wait on him,' I said to the girl, and I
left the room for the tenth time, I do suppose, that day."

"Well!" eagerly exclaimed Sybil.

"Well, madam, in less than an hour from that time, one of the waiters
came to me with looks of alarm, and said that something must have
happened in number 90, for that the lady's maid had been knocking and
calling loudly at the door for the last ten minutes without being able
to make herself heard within."

"Oh!" breathed Sybil, clasping her hands.

"Madam, I hurried to the spot. I joined my efforts to those of the
terrified maid to arouse the sleepers within the chamber, but with no
effect. The maid was almost crazy by this time, ma'am."

"'Oh, sir, are they murdered in their bed?' she cried to me.

"'Murdered? No, but something has happened, and we must force open the
door, my good girl,' I said by way of calming her. You may well judge,
sir, that I did not send for a locksmith; but with a crowbar, hastily
procured from below, I hoisted the door from its hangings and effected
an entrance."

"And then? And then?" breathlessly inquired Sybil, perceiving that the
landlord paused for a moment.

"We found the room in the utmost confusion. Chests of drawers,
clothes-presses, boxes, and so forth, stood wide open, with their
contents scatte