Mellen went to the door and opened it, checked the girl's cry of astonishment with a gesture, and said: "Miss Elsie is very ill--go downstairs at once, and let there be no noise in the house." Vic crept away in frightened silence; Mellen followed her into the hall, gave orders to one of the men servants to get a horse ready, went into the library and wrote a dispatch to his physician in the city, and came out again. By the time the man was starting off to the station, Clorinda and several of the servants, to whom Victoria had communicated her tidings, were assembled in the hall. In consultation they forgot their awe of the master, and asked a thousand eager questions, which he answered with brief sternness. "Go back to your places, all of you," he said; "Miss Elsie is asleep, and must not be disturbed till the doctor arrives." "Is missus wid her?" demanded Clo. He turned upon her with a frown which made her spring back as if she had received an electric shock, and entirely checked any further desire to question him where his wife was concerned. He turned towards the stairs again, but Dolf interposed with one of his profound bows. "'Scuse me, sar, but de brekfus is on de table." Self-restraint must be kept up; whatever suspicions might arise when the fact of Elizabeth's disappearance became known in the house, this proud man would not expose himself to the curious eyes of his menials. He went into the breakfast-room, drank the coffee Dolf poured out with a skillful hand, pretended to eat a few morsels, then pushed his chair back and hurried up to Elsie's chamber--he could not trust himself yet in the presence of his servants. Below stairs all sorts of stories were rife. Victoria peeped into Elsie's room and came down with the information that "She lay dar like a beautiful corpus!" Everybody groaned in concert, but she added new astonishment by saying: "And missus ain't nowhars about. She ain't in Miss Elsie's room, and she ain't in her own, and her bed ain't been touched all night." Clorinda began to nod her turban with a sapient air. "What did I tell yer!" cried she. "Now what did I jist tell yer." "But whar can she be?" wondered Dolf. "What do yer s'pose has happened, Miss Clorinda?" "'Nuff's happened," returned Clo, "and more'n 'nuff! I told yer de tunderbust would break, an it has." They urged and entreated her to speak; but it was difficult to speak when she literally knew nothing, so she contented herself with going about her work with unusual energy, while the rest stood around and watched her, deeming this an occasion when idleness was to be taken quite as a matter of course. Clo nodded her head, muttered to herself, and made dreadful confusion among her pots and pans, exciting her fellow-servants to a fearful pitch by her air of mystery, but not a word would she speak beyond vague and appalling hints.