"Will you sit down?" she said, timidly, and she glanced at the card which she had brought back this time. It bore the name of Lorenzo A. Pinney, and in the left hand corner the words _Representing the Boston Events_. Mr. Pinney made haste to reassure her by a very respectful and business-like straightforwardness of manner; he did not forbid it a certain shade of authority. "I am sorry to disturb you, Miss Northwick. I hoped to have some conversation with you in regard to this--this rumor--accident. Can you tell me just when Mr. Northwick left home?" "He went up to the Mills, yesterday morning, quite early," said Adeline. She was in the rise of hope which she and Suzette both felt from the mere fact that Matt Hilary was on the way to hunt the horrible rumor to its source; it seemed to her that he must extinguish it there. She wanted to tell this friendly-looking reporter so; but she would not do this without Suzette's authority. Suzette had been scolding her for not telling her what was in the paper as soon as she read it in the morning; and they were both so far respited for the moment from their fear, as to have had some words back and forth about the propriety of seeing this reporter at all. Adeline was on her most prudent behavior. "Did you expect him back soon when he left?" Pinney asked respectfully. "Oh, no; he said he wouldn't be back for some days." "It's several hours to Ponkwasset, I believe?" suggested Pinney. "Yes, three or four. There _is_ one train, at half-past-twelve, I think," said Miss Northwick, with a glance at the clock, "that takes you there in three hours." "The early train doesn't connect right through, then?" "No; my father would have to wait over at Springfield. He doesn't often take the early train; and so we thought, when we found he wasn't at the Mills, that he had stopped over a day at Springfield to buy some horses from a farmer there. But we've just heard that he didn't. He may have run down to New York; he often has business there. We don't place any reliance on that story"--she gasped the rest out--"about--that accident." "Of course not," said Pinney with real sympathy. "It's just one of those flying rumors--they get the names all mixed up, those country operators." "They spelled the name two ways in different papers," said Adeline. "Father had no earthly business up that way; and he always telegraphs." "I believe the Mills are on the line of the Union and Dominion Road, are they not?" Pinney fell into the formal style of his printed questionings. "Yes, they are. Father could get the Northern express at Springfield, and drive over from Ponkwasset Junction; the express doesn't stop at the Falls." "I see. Well, I won't trouble you any farther, Miss Northwick. I hope you'll find out it's all a mistake about--" "Oh, I know it is!" said Adeline. "A gentleman--a friend of ours--has just gone up to Wellwater to see about it."