She turned her head and explored with earnest gaze the people around.  She could see distinctly by the intense red light, nearly every countenance there, but did not recognize that of Mr. Somers.  A painful anxiety immediately seized her, which she strove in vain to conceal.  She approached near where Mr. Lansdowne stood, by the side of her mother, gazing after the fire, placed her hand lightly on his arm, and asked, “Can you tell me where Mr. Somers is to be found?”

“Mr. Somers! yes,—­Ned.  Where is he?” he exclaimed, turning, half bewildered by her question, and looking in her face.

In an instant, the solicitude her features expressed, passed into his own, the same sudden presentiment of evil possessed him.

Drawing Adele’s arm hurriedly into his, he said, “please go with me to seek him”.

Hastening along, they went from one to another, making inquiries.  It appeared that Mr. Somers had not been seen for several hours.

Immediately, the whole company took the alarm and the search for him commenced.

John and Adele, after fruitless efforts among the houses, at length took their way to the river bank.  As they were hastening forward, a woman standing upon a rock overhanging the path they pursued, told them that Mr. Somers brought herself and children over in the boat, just at dark,—­that she had not seen him since, and she remembered now, that she did not see him come up from the river after he landed them.

“Lead us to the spot where you left the boat”, said Adele.  “Go on as quickly as you can”.

The woman descended from her perch upon the rock and plunged before them into the path.

“I remember now”, she said with sudden compunctions, at her own selfish indifference, “that the gentleman looked pale and seemed to be dreadful tired like”.

Neither John nor Adele made reply, and the woman hurried on.  In a few minutes, a sudden turn in the path brought them to the little cove where the boat still lay.

The woman first caught sight of the wan face in the bottom of the boat, and uttered a scream of horror.  The lips of the others were frozen into silence by the dread spectacle.

Scarcely a moment seemed to have passed, before John rushed down into the water, reached the boat, raised thence the lifeless form, bore it to the shore and laid the dripping head into the arms of Adele, who seated herself on the grass to receive it.

“Go quickly”, she said to the woman, “go for Dr. Wright.  I saw him only a moment ago.  Find him and bring him here”.

John threw himself upon his knees and began chafing Mr. Somers’s hands.  “He is dead! he is dead!” he whispered, in a voice, hoarse and unnatural with fear and anxiety.

“Let us hope not”, said Adele in a tone of tenderness.  “Perhaps it is only a swoon.  We will convey him to some shelter and restore him”.  And she wrung the rain from his curls of long brown hair.