Of course, such a development could not be long concealed from the mistress of the house. As soon as Lucy had drunk a cup of tea and a faint shade of colour had come into her face, they told her that Clementina was nowhere to be found. Lucy was not flurried nor worried as she would have been a few weeks before. At present her soul had withdrawn into that sacred pavilion of sorrow where the petty clash of common troubles scarcely sounds. If things had gone wrong with Charlie, why wonder that everything else went wrong? Rather it seemed natural and just what might be expected! It was useless to call in outside aid till they had thoroughly explored the house. They went carefully through every room and closet, leaving Clementina’s locked chamber till last, as it had to be broken into, though its door offered very little resistance to Tom’s strong young arm. Miss Latimer was right. The room was empty! The bed had not been slept in. Clementina’s box stood in its accustomed place. It was locked, but the key was left in the lock. Lucy opened a little hanging cupboard. “She has gone away in all her best clothes,” she said. But why had she gone? And where? “Is anything missing?” asked Miss Latimer. Of course that could not be ascertained in a moment. Lucy felt little misgiving on this matter. “Whatever this means,” she said, “we know that Clementina comes of respectable folk—Mrs. Bray’s Rachel answers for that.” It was now impossible for Lucy to go to her class. It was equally necessary that Tom should present himself at the office, though he hoped that, when “the governors” heard about the sad news of yesterday and the trial of to-day, they might speedily release him. He undertook to conduct little Hugh to the Kindergarten, and to convey Mrs. Challoner’s excuses to the Institute, which last commission he accomplished with such simple directness that Lucy presently received a kindly hand-delivered note from the Principal, bidding her not to return to her duties till she felt fully equal to them—they would secure a satisfactory proxy. The two ladies’ investigations had bewildering results—quite of a piece with the bedroom key being taken away, and the keys left in the trunk. The tiny store of household silver was safe, and Lucy, running her eye over other household gods, missed nothing. The domestic arrangements had apparently been in good order until very near the end. But such movements as Clementina must have made during the previous day were most unaccountable. She had put butter among the loaf sugar, and had placed the saucepans on the dresser shelves! There was not a single potato in the house, though the day before she had asked for money to buy a week’s supply. The nice clean damask tablecloth and napkins which had been used at supper the night before were found crumpled up and thrust away with the blacking brushes. The bellows was in the bread-basket!