Miss Carlaw, who had asked a casual question as to why rooms had not been taken at the Bell, and had been informed that those she had formerly occupied were engaged, presented herself punctually at the hour appointed for dinner, supported by Comethup. The captain was in something of a flutter, and kept trotting in and out of the room and holding whispered consultations with Homer. 'Linda had not arrived, and Comethup glanced more than once anxiously at his watch. At last Miss Carlaw, seated in the chair of state and leaning her chin upon her stick, faced round upon him a little impatiently. "Punctuality is a virtue, my dear boy," she exclaimed, "and that lady-love of yours is twenty minutes late. I can understand modesty and shyness and all that kind of thing, although I don't think I ever suffered with those complaints myself; but the captain's dinner is spoilt, and I'm ravenously hungry. I think you had better go and look for her." Comethup gladly seized the opportunity. "Wouldn't it be better," he said, as he was going out of the room, "if you went on with dinner? 'Linda will only feel a thousand times more nervous if she thinks you have been waiting; whereas, if I bring her in quite in an ordinary way--well, she won't feel so embarrassed." "Oh, these lovers!" ejaculated Miss Carlaw. "Well, I suppose you're right; so I'll ask the captain to have dinner in at once. And you're both young--just make her run for it." Comethup ran at top speed to the house, and went plunging through the garden and up the steps to the balcony. Scarcely waiting to knock, he flung open the long window and stepped into the room. Mrs. Dawson was there, not sewing quietly as usual, but pacing up and down the room. She stopped in her walk for a moment and faced him. "'Linda!" he exclaimed. "Is she ready?" "I have not seen her for some hours," replied the woman. "Not seen her? But I----" She took a note from the table and held it out to him. "I found this here just now; it is addressed to you. I had been out, and came back and found it here." There seemed a dreadful silence about the house and in the room; the very noise of the ripping of the envelope seemed to hurt him. He pulled the letter out, and came forward to the light to read it. And this is what he read: