Ay, but the minutes were fast growing into hours, and Salome did not re-appear.
The maid returned once more from her fruitless search.
"Indeed, I beg your pardon, my lady; but we cannot find her grace, either in the house or in the garden," she said, with a very solemn courtesy.
"Now this is really beyond endurance! I suppose I must go and look for her myself," answered Lady Belgrade, rising in displeasure.
"Will you let me accompany your ladyship?" gravely inquired the duke.
Lady Belgrade hesitated for a few moments, and then said:
"Well,--yes, you may come. We will go down stairs first."
They descended to the first floor, and went through the dining-room, sitting-room, library and little parlors; but without finding her they sought.
Then they ascended to the next floor and went through the picture-gallery, the music-room, the dancing-saloon, the hall, and lastly, the three drawing-rooms, in case that she might have returned there while they were absent. But their search was still without success.
Then they ascended to the upper floors, and looked all through the handsome suites of private apartments, but still without discovering a trace of the missing bride.
And so all over the house, from bas.e.m.e.nt to attic, and from central hall to garden wall, they went searching in vain for the lost one.
The dowager and the duke returned to the drawing-room and looked each other in the face.
The dowager was stupefied with bewilderment. The duke was pale with anxiety.
The mystery was growing serious and alarming.
"What do you think of it, Lady Belgrade?" inquired the duke.
"I cannot think at all. I am at my wit"s end," answered the lady. "What do _you_ think?" she inquired, after a moment"s pause.
"I think--that we had better call the servants up, one at a time, and put them separately through a strict examination," answered the duke.
Lady Belgrade rang the bell.
A footman appeared in answer to it.
"Examine him first, your grace," said the lady.
The duke put the young man through a strict catechism, without satisfactory results. John was the hall footman, whose business it was to answer the street-door bell and announce visitors. And he a.s.sured his grace that no one had entered or left the house that morning, to _his_ knowledge, except the wedding party and their attendants.
The hall-porter was next summoned and examined, and his report was found to correspond exactly to that of the footman.
The butler was sent for and questioned, but could throw no light on the mystery of the lady"s disappearance.
The pantry footman was next called up. His duty was to wait on the butler and attend the servants" door, to take in provisions delivered there. And the first plausible clue to the mystery of Salome"s disappearance was received from him.
"Yes, my lady," he said, "there have been a stranger to the servants"
door this morning--an elderly old widow woman, my lady, dressed in black, and werry much in earnest about seeing her grace; would take no denial, my lady, on no account; which compelled me to go to her grace"s lady"s-maid, Miss Watson, my lady, and send a message to her grace,"
said the young footman.
"Did the d.u.c.h.ess see this strange visitor?" inquired the duke.
"Miss Watson come down and seen her first, your grace, and told her how she mustn"t disturb the d.u.c.h.ess. But the visitor was so dead set on seeing her grace, and used such strong language about it, that at last Miss Watson took up her message and in a few minutes come back and took up the visitor."
"She did? And what next?" inquired Lady Belgrade.
"Please, my lady, there was nothing next. In about an hour Miss Margaret brought the elderly old lady down, and I showed her out of the servants"
door."
"Did she leave the house alone?" inquired the duke.
"Yes, your grace, just as she came, alone."
"Go and tell Margaret Watson to come here," said Lady Belgrade.
The man bowed and retired.
In a few minutes the girl made her appearance again.
"How is it, Watson, that you did not mention the visitor you showed up into your lady"s room this morning?" inquired Lady Belgrade, in a severe tone.
"If you please, my lady, I did not think the visitor signified anything,"
meekly answered the maid.
"How could you tell _what_ signified at a time like this?"
"I beg pardon, my lady; but it was the time itself that made me forget the visitor."
"Who was she? What time did she come? What did she want?" sharply demanded the lady.
"Please, my lady, she said her name was Smith, or Jones, or some such common name as that. I think it was Jones, my lady. And she lived on Westminster Road--or it might have been Blackfriars Road. Least-ways it was one of those roads leading to a bridge because I remember it made me think of the river."
"Extremely satisfactory! At what hour did this Mrs. Smith or Jones, from Westminster or Blackfriars, come?" inquired Lady Belgrade.
"Just as her grace went up to her room to change her dress. She had just finished changing it when the woman was admitted."
"And now! what did the woman want of the d.u.c.h.ess?"
"I do not know, my lady. Her business was with her grace alone. And she requested to have me sent out of the room. I did not see the woman again, until her grace called me to show her, the woman, out again."
"And you did so?"
"Yes, my lady. And I have not seen the woman since. And--I have not seen her grace since, either, my lady."
"You may go now," answered Lady Belgrade.
And the girl withdrew.