unvisited, full of curiosity, which, like their appetites, was destined for the present to remain unsatisfied.

Meantime the unhappy father and mother gave themselves up to the most extravagant alarm and the most poignant sorrow. Mrs. Beverley remembered that her daughter had burst into tears when she was leaving her room, and had stretched out her arms to her at the same moment, as if for a last embrace, and now she could only interpret the gesture as betokening some strange resolve. Joan was gone from the house; the rain was pouring down in torrents; she had gone away secretly and on foot; whither had she fled, and with what motive?

A$

CHAPTER XLIX.

WHAT CAN IT MEAN?

Whoso shall telle a tale after a man,

He moste reherse as neighe as ever he can,

"Everich word.

Chaucer.

s soon as Mrs. Beverley's guests were gone, and she could compose herself sufficiently to decide upon any course of action, she took her daughter's maid on one side, and desired her to go quickly to Mr. Darville's rooms and to make inquiry there as quietly as possible, whether Miss Beverley had been seen or heard of; she was also to gain all the information that she could about the movements and whereabouts of the two gentlemen, Victor and Louis Darville. Neither of them had been at the counting-house for two or three days past, as she knew; but her husband could not tell her whether they were in London or not, or on what day the younger of them was to sail for America.

The maid hurried away full of importance, and hailing a cab,

drove to the end of the street in which the Darvilles' lodging was situated. There she alighted, and making her way on foot to the house, rang the area-bell. A servant looked up from the area and told her, before she had time to speak, that there was nebody at home.

Where are they all gone?" the maid inquired.

Missis is gone to a tea-party, and the gentlemen is gone to Liverpool" was the answer. "One of them is gone away for good and all, and the other is gone to see him off; so they are all gone."

You have not had any visitors here this evening, have yu?" the maid asked.

- No, never a creature, only the milk, and he did not come in." But I mean parlour visitors-gentlefolks?"

“No, there has not been a gentleman here all day." "Nor a lady?"

“No, nor a lady."

"If a lady should call," said the messenger, "you must send word to our place immediately; do you hear."

"Where is your place?"

“Mr. Beverley's, Mulberry Lawn. Don't you know it?"

"I have got nobody to send," said the servant, whose name was Kitty. "Missis is out, and how am I to keep my eye upon a lady as calls, if she walks away again? What is it all about, miss?"

"You must manage it somehow; it will be well worth your while; I don't know what our people would not pay if you were to bring them news of the lady. I should not wonder if there was to be a handbill out to-morrow offering a reward—a hundred pounds at least. The butler said something of the sort."

"La, miss, you don't say so!" cried Kitty, with a thrill of curiosity and excitement. "What lady is it?"

"I don't know whether I can trust you," said the other, who had already exceeded her commission very largely; "will you promise never to repeat it to anybody if I tell you? Well then, it's our young lady, Miss Beverley. She is missing, left her home; but there ;-I'm so put about I don't know what I say. Be sure you don't tell any one what I have named, and if you find out anything come directly to the Lawn and ask for me."

Kitty promised to do her best to earn the reward, and the maid having given her the address, departed. Kitty looked after her, and bethought herself what steps she could take, and whether it might not be as well to mention it to the policeman, whose form she noticed pacing slowly along on the other side of the street. It was well that he did not stop to speak to her, or she would probably have forgotten her promise of secrecy.

"I only wish the young lady would call," she said to herself. "I would ask her to walk in, and then turn the key upon her. Gone and run away, has she? What a way they must be in, poor things, at her home! I wish I could find her for them, and relieve their anxious minds. A hundred pounds! Oh my!"

But Kitty had no opportunity of putting her humane desire into execution. No lady called at the house that evening, and though she stood upon the area steps till a late hour, looking up the street and down it, no one whom she could with any show of reason arrest on suspicion of having run away from her parents passed the house.

The two Darvilles were gone, as Kitty had said, to Liverpool. They were detained there three or four days, and then Victor, having taken leave of his brother, returned by an early train to London. It was not much past noon when he arrived there, and he went direct to the counting-house. He had stayed away longer than he intended, and was anxious to report

181 1 M Benecker as soon as possible. But Mr. Beverley VS NA ŽEN, Lnd had not been at his post for three days. A Pagat İl Teached the rfce that something was wrong at the LAVA E DI paris were known, and in Mr. Darville's L'RIN THE Ể the decks had taken upon themselves to make MT DELS It was supposed that Mr. Beverley was unwell; Im f myting semons had been the matter they would no doula have been feed of it. Victor was uneasy at what he beard and fading that there were some matters which required Lada be write a business letter to Mr. Beverley, and enclosed with it a short and separate note, hoping that they TN È TÙ Dnd that there was no truth in the rumour which had reached him and that nothing had occurred to cause them ALANCY OF SOCIO. He begged particularly for a reply to this DICE AS WELL AS to the letter which it accompanied, and sent hoch by a special messenger, who was to bring back an answer.

Mr. Beverley wrote a reply, in business form, to the business letter; and sent with it a private note to Mr. Darville, thanking Lim for his inquiries, and assuring him that they were all well, and free from any such anxieties or troubles as he had referred to. After that Victor went to his desk again, with a heart much relieved; not altogether satisfied, perhaps, for there was always just a spark of hope in his breast that any change, any excitement, any misfortune even, might open the way to some fortunate result for him; and it was a little disappointing to be told that all things were going on in their usual course.

his alarm was removed; and after having attended to the most pressing matters in his department, he went home to his lodging, intending to begin regular work again on the following morning.

He had scarcely reached his room when his landlady, who had followed him up the stairs, with the maid Kitty at her heels, began in a confidential sort of manner,

"Have you heard anything about Mr. Beverley since you came back, sir?"

"No, nothing particular."

"Because such a strange thing happened the day before yesterday."

"What was it?"

Why, if you please, sir-" Kitty began.

Leave it to me, Kitty," said the landlady. "You can speak afterwards."

"Yes 'm," said Kitty, who was aggrieved at having her story taken from her, and feared that the hundred pounds might follow in the same direction; "but it was me as heard all about it, sir; and it was me as had to do with it; for missis was gone out to a tea-party that night; so of course I know best." "Tell me, then, Kitty."

But the landlady again thrust her on one side, and ordered her to go downstairs; and Victor, who was impatient to hear what was to be told, began to be in despair between them; for when one began the other interrupted her, and then they wrangled together, so that he could learn nothing from either of them.

"One at a time, for pity's sake!" he cried. "Tell your tale first," he said to the landlady; " and then Kitty shall tell it me all over again with full particulars."

"It is about Miss Beverley, sir." "What is the matter?

"No, sir; not ill, but-"

Tell me this instant. Is she ill?"

"Runn'd away, sir," Kitty interrupted; "runn'd away, and nobody can't tell where she's gone to."

"Her maid came round here the night before last," the landlady continued, "to ask if we had seen anything of her, as she had left her home."

"Left her home!"