VANISHED.
After the withdrawal of the bride and her attendant from the
breakfast-table, the bridegroom and his friends remained a few moments
longer, and then joined Lady Belgrade and the bridesmaids in the
drawing-room.
They passed some fifteen or twenty minutes in pleasant social chat upon
the event of the morning, the state of the weather, and the political,
financial, or fashionable topics of the day.
In half an hour they felt disposed to yawn, and some surreptitiously
consulted their watches.
Then one of the bridesmaids, at the request of Lady Belgrade, sat down to
the piano and condescended to favor the company with a very fine wedding
march.
Three quarters of an hour passed, and then the Baron Von Levison--(Paul
Levison, the head of the great Berlin branch of the banking-house of
"Levison," had been ennobled in Germany, as his brother had been knighted
in England)--Baron Von Levison then inquired of the bridegroom what train
he intended to take.
"The tidal train, which leaves London Bridge Station at three-thirty,"
answered the duke.
"Then your grace should leave here in fifteen minutes, if you wish to
catch that train," said the baron.
The bridegroom spoke aside to Lady Belgrade.
"Had we not better send and see if Salome is ready? We have but little
time to lose."
"Yes," said her ladyship, who immediately rang the bell, and dispatched
a message to the young duchess's dressing-maid.
A few minutes elapsed, and an answer was returned to the effect that her
grace would be ready in time to catch the train.
The travelling carriage was at the door, and all the lighter luggage,
such as dressing-bags, extra shawls and umbrellas, were put in it.
And they waited full fifteen minutes, without seeing or hearing from the
loitering bride.
"I will go up to Salome myself," said Lady Belgrade, impatiently.
"No, pray do not hurry her; if we miss this train we can take the next,
and though we cannot catch the night-boat from Dover to Calais, we can
stop at the 'Lord Warden' and cross the Channel to-morrow morning,"
urged the duke.
"At least I will send another message to her, and let her know that the
time is more than up," said her ladyship.
And again she rang the bell and sent a servant with a message to the
lady's maid.
Full ten minutes passed, and then Margaret, the maid, came herself to the
drawing-room door, begged pardon for her intrusion, and asked to speak
with Lady Belgrade.
Lady Belgrade went out to her.
"What is it? The time is up! This delay is perfectly disgraceful. They
will never be able to catch the tidal train now--never!" said her
ladyship in a displeased tone.
"If you please, my lady, I am afraid something has happened," said the
girl, in a frightened tone.
"What do you mean?" inquired the dowager, sharply.
"If you please, my lady, I went up and found all the doors leading from
the corridor into her grace's suite of apartments locked fast. I knocked
and called, at first softly, then loudly, but received no answer. I
listened, my lady, but I heard no sound nor motion in the rooms."
"I will go up myself," said Lady Belgrade, uneasily.
And she hurried, as fast as her age and her size would permit, to the
part of the house comprising the apartments of the duchess. Three doors
opened from the corridor, relatively, into the boudoir, bed-room, and
dressing-room, which were also connected by communicating doors within.
Lady Belgrade rapped and called at each in succession, but in vain. There
was no response.
"She has fainted in her room! That is what has happened! This day of
fatigue and excitement has been too much for her, in the delicate state
of her health. Every one noticed how ill she looked when she came up
stairs. Margaret, there is a back door, you are aware, leading from your
lady's bath-room down to the flower garden. Go around and go up the back
stairs and see if that door is open--if so, enter the rooms by it and
open this," said her ladyship, never ceasing, while she talked, to rap
at and shake the door at which she stood.
Margaret flew to obey, and made such good haste, that in about two
minutes she was heard within the rooms hurrying to open the closed door.
In two seconds bolts were withdrawn, keys turned, and the door was
opened.
"How is she?" quickly demanded the dowager, as she stepped into the
dressing-room.
"My lady, I haven't seen her grace. If you please, perhaps she is in her
chamber," replied the maid.
Lady Belgrade bustled into the bed-room, looking all around for the
bride, then into the boudoir, calling on her name.
"Salome! Salome, my dear! Where are you?" No answer; all in the luxurious
rooms still and silent as the grave.
"This is very strange! She _may_ be in the garden," said her
ladyship, passing quickly into the bath-room, and descending the stairs
that led directly into a small flower-garden enclosed by high walls.
The garden was now dead and sear in the late October frost. No sign of
the missing girl was there.
"This is very strange! Can she have gone down into the drawing-room,
after all? I will see. There is no possibility of catching the tidal
train now. It is already three o'clock; the train leaves London Bridge
Station at three thirty, and it is a good hour's ride from Kensington!"
said Lady Belgrade, speaking more to herself than to her attendant, as
she came out of the rooms.
"Shall I go through the house and inquire if any one has seen her grace,
my lady?" respectfully suggested Margaret.
"Yes; but first shut and lock that garden door of your lady's bath-room.
It is not safe to leave it open," replied Lady Belgrade, as she again
descended the stairs.
As she entered the drawing-room, the young Duke of Hereward came to meet
her.
"I hope nothing is the matter. Salome was not looking strong this
morning. And this delay? I trust that she is well?" he said, in an
anxious, inquiring tone.
"Salome is not in her apartments. I have sent a servant to seek her
through the house. Her delay has made you miss the train, your grace,"
said Lady Belgrade, in visible annoyance.
"That does not much matter, so that the delay has not been caused by her
indisposition," said the young duke, earnestly.
"No indisposition could possibly excuse such eccentricity of conduct at
such a time. Salome is moving somewhere about the house, according to her
crazy custom," said Lady Belgrade.
"I really cannot hear that sweet girl so cruelly maligned, even by her
aunt," said the duke, with a deprecating smile.
As they spoke, the Baron Von Levison appeared and said:
"I should have been very glad to have seen you off, duke, and to have
thrown a metaphorical old shoe after you; but your bride seems to have
taken so long to tie her bonnet strings, that she has made you miss your
train. And now you can't go until the night express, and I really can't
wait to see you off by that. I have an appointment at the Bank of England
at four. God bless you, my dear duke. Make my adieux to my niece, and
tell her that if the men of her family had been as unpunctual as the
women seem to be, they never would have established banks all over
Europe."
And with a hearty shake of the bridegroom's hand, and a deep bow to Lady
Belgrade, the Baron Von Levison took leave.
His example was followed by the bishop and the rector, who now came up
and expressed regret at the inconvenience the bridegroom would experience
by having missed his train, but agreed that it was much better to know
that fact before starting for it, and having the long drive to London
Bridge Station and back again for nothing. And they extolled the comfort
of the night express, and the elegance of accommodations to be found at
the Lord Warden Hotel. And upon the whole, they concluded that his grace
had not missed much, after all, in missing the "tidal."
Then again they wished much happiness to attend the married life of the
young couple, and so bade adieux and departed.
There now remained of the wedding guests only the two bridesmaids and the
groomsmen.
These were grouped near one of the bay-windows, and engaged in a subdued
conversation.
The Duke of Hereward and Lady Belgrade still stood near the door, waiting
for news of the lingering bride.
To them, at length, came the maid, Margaret, with pallid face and
frightened air.
"If you please, my lady, we have searched all over the house and inquired
of everybody in it. But no one has seen her grace, nor can she be found."