"Oh, it's nothing!" he said carelessly. "Don't all stare at me as though I were some sort of natural curiosity, please. I feel a bit queer, but it's passing off. I think, if Miss Milly will allow me, I'll go and sit down in the other room by myself for a few minutes." "I'll come with you!" exclaimed Cecil, springing up. "Poor old chap!" "No, don't, please!" protested de Cartienne. "I would rather be alone; I would indeed. I shall be all right directly." He quitted the room by another door, and we three were left alone. Cecil and Miss Milly began a conversation in a low tone, and I, feeling somewhat _de trop_, took up a local newspaper and affected to be engaged in its contents. After a few minutes, however, Cecil remembered my existence. "By the bye, Milly," he said, "Morton was asking you whether you had not a photograph of your father. There's one in the sitting-room, isn't there?" She nodded. "Well, we'll go and look at it and see how Leonard is. He looked uncommonly seedy, didn't he? Come along, Morton." We crossed a narrow passage and entered a small parlour. Miss Hart walked up to the mantelpiece and Cecil and I remained looking round. "Hallo!" he exclaimed. "Leonard isn't here; I wonder where----" He was interrupted by a cry of blank surprise from Miss Hart. "What's the matter now? How you startled me, Milly!" he exclaimed, hurrying to her side. "What is it?" "Why, the photograph!" "What about it?" "It's gone!" CHAPTER XXVII. LEONARD DE CARTIENNE. We all three stood and looked at one another for a moment, Milly Hart with her finger still pointing to the vacant place where the photograph had been. Then Cecil broke into a short laugh. "We're looking very tragical about it," he said lightly. "Mysterious joint disappearance of Leonard de Cartienne and a photograph of Mr. Hart. Now, if it had been a photograph of a pretty girl instead of a middle-aged man, we might have connected the two. Hallo!" He broke off in his speech and turned round. Standing in the doorway, looking at us, was Leonard de Cartienne, with a slight smile on his thin lips. "Behold the missing link--I mean man!" exclaimed Cecil. "Good old Leonard! Do you know, you gave us quite a fright. We expected to find you here and the room was empty. Are you better?" "Yes, thanks! I'm all right now," he answered. "I've been out in the yard and had a blow. What's Milly looking so scared about? And what was it I heard you say about a photograph?" "Father's likeness has gone," she explained, turning round with tears in her eyes. "It was there on the mantelpiece this afternoon and now, when we came in to look at it, it has gone!" "I should think that, if it really has disappeared," de Cartienne remarked incredulously, "the servant must have moved it. Ask her."