She held out her hand to him as she crossed the threshold. "I have done
my duty," he said, in low, earnest tones, "as I am a man of honour and
a soldier, Lady Eversleigh; I have done my duty, miserable as the
result has been."
"I can believe that," answered Honoria, gravely. "Your face tells me
there are no good tidings to greet me here. She is not found?"
The captain shook his head sadly.
"And there are no tidings of any kind?--no clue, no trace?"
"None. The constable of this place, and other men from the market-town,
are doing their utmost; but as yet the result has been only new
mystification--new conjecture."
"No; nor wouldn't be, if the constables were to have twenty years to do
their work in, instead of three days," interrupted Mr. Larkspur.
"Perhaps you don't know what country police-officers are? I do; and if
you expect to find the little lady by their help, you may just as well
look up to the sky yonder, and wait till she drops down from it, for of
the two things that's by far the most likely. I can believe in
miracles," added Mr. Larkspur, piously; "but I can't believe in rural
police-constables."
The captain looked at the speaker with a bewildered expression, and
Lady Eversleigh hastened to explain the presence of her ally.
"This is Mr. Larkspur, a well-known Bow Street officer," she said: "and
I rely on his aid to find my precious one.
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