Silence again, as at the first inquiry. Matters were becoming serious, and folks began to be uneasy about the dear doctor: it was not his custom to absent himself at meal-times. They sent to ask the porter if Manceau had gone out to attend some sick person in the village. The porter had not seen Manceau. "I believe he is drowned!" I said.... "Poor fellow!" "Why should he be?" asked Madame Collard. "Because yesterday evening he proposed a bathing party to us; but we slept so well we missed meeting him in his room as arranged. As we did not turn up, he must have gone alone to bathe." "Oh, good gracious!" exclaimed Madame Collard, "the poor doctor! he cannot swim." A chorus of lamentations went up from the ladies at these words, by the side of which the wailing of the Israelites in exile was a trifle. It was settled that Manceau should be searched for immediately after the meal was over. "Good!" said de Leuven in a whisper to me,--"I will take the opportunity while everybody is out to write my verses in Louise's album." "And I," I replied, "I will stand sentinel at the door to prevent your being disturbed." Everything happened as had been arranged. The whole beehive of the castle swarmed into the garden. The older men--M. de Leuven the father, M. Collard, M. Méchin--stayed in the drawing-room to read the newspapers. Hippolyte played billiards with Maurice. De Leuven and I went upstairs to Louise's room, which was next to M. Collard's, and whilst I watched on the landing, he wrote his four lines in the album. He had scarcely finished the last, when we heard loud shouts, and upon going to look out of the window, we saw Louise and Augustine running towards the castle. Cécile, who was braver, had remained stoutly where she was, and had looked towards the river with more curiosity than alarm. "Bravo!" said I to Adolphe, "Manceau has made his appearance." We quickly went down. "A ghost! a ghost!" cried Louise and Augustine; "there is a ghost in the river!" "Oh! my God," said de Leuven--"can it be that the spirit of poor Manceau is already borne down below?"