“I do not know,” said Richard, and nobody doubted that he told the truth.

“It had begun to darken before we came up from the river.” said Charlotte Benson.  “The clouds were rising rapidly as we came in.  It will be a fearful tempest.”

“Are the windows all shut?” said Sophie to the servant.

“I should think so,” exclaimed Kilian.  “The heat is horrid.”

“Yes, it is suffocating,” said Richard, getting up.

As he went out of the dining-room, some one, I think Henrietta, said, “Well, I hope Mr. Langenau will get in safely; he was out on the river when we were on the hill.”

The storm was so sudden and so furious that everybody was concerned at hearing this; even Kilian made some exclamation of alarm.

“Does he know anything about a boat?” he asked of Richard, who had paused in the doorway, hearing what was said.

“I have no idea,” said Richard, shortly, but he did not go away.

“It isn’t the sail-boat that he has, of course,” said Kilian, thoughtfully.  “He always goes out to row, I believe.”

“Why, no,” said Charlotte Benson, “he’s in the sail-boat; don’t you remember saying, Henrietta, how bright the gleam of the sunset was on the sail, and all the water was so dark?”

Kilian came to his feet very suddenly at these words.

“That’s a bad business,” he said quickly to his brother.  “I’ve no idea he can manage her in such a squall.”

Sophie gave a little scream, and Charlotte and Henrietta both grew very pale, as a frightful shock of thunder followed.  The wind was furious, and the unfastened shutters in various parts of the house sounded like so many reports of pistols, and in an instant the whole force of the rain fell suddenly and at once upon the windows.  Somewhere some glass was shattered, and all these sounds added to the sense of danger, and the darkness was so great and so sudden, that it was difficult to realize that half an hour before, the sunset could have whitened the sails of a boat upon the river.

“I’m afraid it’s too late to do much now,” said Kilian, stopping in front of his brother in the doorway.

“What’s the use of talking in that way,” returned Richard in a hoarse, low voice.  “If you hav’nt more sense than to talk so before women, you can stay at home with them,” he continued, striding across the hall, and picking up a lantern that stood in a corner near the door.  Charlotte Benson caught up one of the candles from the table, and ran to him and lit the lamp within the lantern.  Sophie threw a cloak over Kilian’s shoulders, and Henrietta flew to carry a message to the kitchen.  Richard pulled a bell that was a signal to the stable (the stable was very near the house), and in almost a moment’s time two men, beside Kilian, were following him out into the tempest.  We saw their lanterns flicker for an instant, and then they were swallowed up in the darkness.  The fury of the