Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

ELLEN'S FLIGHT. 117
CHAPTER XIX.
ELLEN'S FLIGHT.
AFTER all the fatigues and adventures of the day before,
Charles slept well, -long pleasant dreams of roaming in sunny
places on summer days fell to his happy lot, - and so he was not
pleased when he found himself shaken by the shoulder.
It was William come to wake him. Charles was at once
alarmed to see him there, and started up, saying,"Is anything the matter, Will? is my father ill?"
" The master's well, I trust, Master Charles. I want to tell
you something that I want others to find out for themselves."
"What is it?" said Charles, seriously alarmed, for he had had
his suspicions lately, though he had dreaded to give them a name.
" Ellen is gone!"
"My dear lad," said Charles hurriedly, "what makes you
think so? Since when have you missed her?"
" Since yesterday afternoon."
" Have you been in her room?"
"Yes. She has not been to bed, and the window is open just
as it was yesterday morning at bed-making time."
" Hush - wait! There may be time yet. Go down and saddle two horses at once. I will tell you what I know as we ride,
but there is not time now. Tell me only one thing. Is there
any one she would be likely to go to at Coombe?"
" No one that I know of."
William departed to get the horses. Charles had suddenly
thought of the solitary female figure he had seen passing along
the dizzy sheep-path the day before, and he determined to follow
that till he lost sight of it.
" For the poor dear girl's sake — for the honor of the old
house - I wonder who is at the bottom of all this? I must tell
Marston," -he said, when he was out on the landing. " George,
tell them to get me some coffee instantly. I am going out hunting."
Marston thought as Charles did. The right thing to do would
be to follow her, see that she wanted for nothing, and leave her
brother with her for a time. "He won't quarrel with her now,
you'11 see. He is a good fellow, mind you, Charles, though he
did lose his temper with her that night."
So they rode forth side by side into the wild winter's morning.