I Say No

by Wilkie Collins

  CHAPTER XLVIII. INVESTIGATING.

  Having revived his sinking energies in the fruit garden, Mirabelseated himself under the shade of a tree, and reflected on the criticalposition in which he was placed by Francine's jealousy.

  If Miss de Sor continued to be Mr. Wyvil's guest, there seemed to be noother choice before Mirabel than to leave Monksmoor--and to trust toa favorable reply to his sister's invitation for the free enjoyment ofEmily's society under another roof. Try as he might, he could arriveat no more satisfactory conclusion than this. In his preoccupied state,time passed quickly. Nearly an hour had elapsed before he rose to returnto the house.

  Entering the hall, he was startled by a cry of terror in a woman'svoice, coming from the upper regions. At the same time Mr. Wyvil,passing along the bedroom corridor after leaving the music-room, wasconfronted by his daughter, hurrying out of Emily's bedchamber in such astate of alarm that she could hardly speak.

  "Gone!" she cried, the moment she saw her father.

  Mr. Wyvil took her in his arms and tried to compose her. "Who has gone?"he asked.

  "Emily! Oh, papa, Emily has left us! She has heard dreadful news--shetold me so herself."

  "What news? How did she hear it?"

  "I don't know how she heard it. I went back to the drawing-room to showher my roses--"

  "Was she alone?"

  "Yes! She frightened me--she seemed quite wild. She said, 'Let me be bymyself; I shall have to go home.' She kissed me--and ran up to her room.Oh, I am such a fool! Anybody else would have taken care not to losesight of her."

  "How long did you leave her by herself?"

  "I can't say. I thought I would go and tell you. And then I got anxiousabout her, and knocked at her door, and looked into the room. Gone!Gone!"

  Mr. Wyvil rang the bell and confided Cecilia to the care of her maid.Mirabel had already joined him in the corridor. They went downstairstogether and consulted with Alban. He volunteered to make immediateinquiries at the railway station. Mr. Wyvil followed him, as far as thelodge gate which opened on the highroad--while Mirabel went to a secondgate, at the opposite extremity of the park.

  Mr. Wyvil obtained the first news of Emily. The lodge keeper had seenher pass him, on her way out of the park, in the greatest haste. He hadcalled after her, "Anything wrong, miss?" and had received no reply.Asked what time had elapsed since this had happened, he was too confusedto be able to answer with any certainty. He knew that she had taken theroad which led to the station--and he knew no more.

  Mr. Wyvil and Mirabel met again at the house, and instituted anexamination of the servants. No further discoveries were made.

  The question which occurred to everybody was suggested by the wordswhich Cecilia had repeated to her father. Emily had said she had "hearddreadful news"--how had that news reached her? The one postal deliveryat Monksmoor was in the morning. Had any special messenger arrived, witha letter for Emily? The servants were absolutely certain that no suchperson had entered the house. The one remaining conclusion suggestedthat somebody must have communicated the evil tidings by word of mouth.But here again no evidence was to be obtained. No visitor had calledduring the day, and no new guests had arrived. Investigation wascompletely baffled.

  Alban returned from the railway, with news of the fugitive.

  He had reached the station, some time after the departure of the Londontrain. The clerk at the office recognized his description of Emily, andstated that she had taken her ticket for London. The station-master hadopened the carriage door for her, and had noticed that the young ladyappeared to be very much agitated. This information obtained, Alban haddispatched a telegram to Emily--in Cecilia's name: "Pray send us afew words to relieve our anxiety, and let us know if we can be of anyservice to you."

  This was plainly all that could be done--but Cecilia was not satisfied.If her father had permitted it, she would have followed Emily. Albancomforted her. He apologized to Mr. Wyvil for shortening his visit, andannounced his intention of traveling to London by the next train. "Wemay renew our inquiries to some advantage," he added, after hearing whathad happened in his absence, "if we can find out who was the last personwho saw her, and spoke to her, before your daughter found her alone inthe drawing-room. When I went out of the room, I left her with Miss deSor."

  The maid who waited on Miss de Sor was sent for. Francine had been out,by herself, walking in the park. She was then in her room, changing herdress. On hearing of Emily's sudden departure, she had been (as themaid reported) "much shocked and quite at a loss to understand what itmeant."

  Joining her friends a few minutes later, Francine presented, so faras personal appearance went, a strong contrast to the pale and anxiousfaces round her. She looked wonderfully well, after her walk. In otherrespects, she was in perfect harmony with the prevalent feeling. Sheexpressed herself with the utmost propriety; her sympathy moved poorCecilia to tears.

  "I am sure, Miss de Sor, you will try to help us?" Mr. Wyvil began

  "With the greatest pleasure," Francine answered.

  "How long were you and Miss Emily Brown together, after Mr. Morris leftyou?"

  "Not more than a quarter of an hour, I should think."

  "Did anything remarkable occur in the course of conversation?"

  "Nothing whatever."

  Alban interfered for the first time. "Did you say anything," he asked,"which agitated or offended Miss Brown?"

  "That's rather an extraordinary question," Francine remarked.

  "Have you no other answer to give?" Alban inquired.

  "I answer--No!" she said, with a sudden outburst of anger.

  There, the matter dropped. While she spoke in reply to Mr. Wyvil,Francine had confronted him without embarrassment. When Albaninterposed, she never looked at him--except when he provoked her toanger. Did she remember that the man who was questioning her, was alsothe man who had suspected her of writing the anonymous letter? Albanwas on his guard against himself, knowing how he disliked her. But theconviction in his own mind was not to be resisted. In some unimaginableway, Francine was associated with Emily's flight from the house.

  The answer to the telegram sent from the railway station had notarrived, when Alban took his departure for London. Cecilia's suspensebegan to grow unendurable: she looked to Mirabel for comfort, and foundnone. His office was to console, and his capacity for performing thatoffice was notorious among his admirers; but he failed to presenthimself to advantage, when Mr. Wyvil's lovely daughter had need of hisservices. He was, in truth, too sincerely anxious and distressed to becapable of commanding his customary resources of ready-made sentimentand fluently-pious philosophy. Emily's influence had awakened the onlyearnest and true feeling which had ever ennobled the popular preacher'slife.

  Toward evening, the long-expected telegram was received at last. Whatcould be said, under the circumstances, it said in these words:

  "Safe at home--don't be uneasy about me--will write soon."

  With that promise they were, for the time, forced to be content.

  BOOK THE FIFTH--THE COTTAGE.