Chapter 17

Some of Mrs. Sharp’s earliest thoughts, the next morning, were given to Caterina whom she had not been able to visit the evening before, and whom, from a nearly equal mixture of affection and self-importance, she did not at all like resigning to Mrs. Bellamy’s care.  At half-past eight o’clock she went up to Tina’s room, bent on benevolent dictation as to doses and diet and lying in bed.  But on opening the door she found the bed smooth and empty.  Evidently it had not been slept in.  What could this mean?  Had she sat up all night, and was she gone out to walk?  The poor thing’s head might be touched by what had happened yesterday; it was such a shock—­finding Captain Wybrow in that way; she was perhaps gone out of her mind.  Mrs. Sharp looked anxiously in the place where Tina kept her hat and cloak; they were not there, so that she had had at least the presence of mind to put them on.  Still the good woman felt greatly alarmed, and hastened away to tell Mr. Gilfil, who, she knew, was in his study.

‘Mr. Gilfil,’ she said, as soon as she had closed the door behind her, ‘my mind misgives me dreadful about Miss Sarti.’

‘What is it?’ said poor Maynard, with a horrible fear that Caterina had betrayed something about the dagger.

‘She’s not in her room, an’ her bed’s not been slept in this night, an’ her hat an’ cloak’s gone.’

For a minute or two Mr. Gilfil was unable to speak.  He felt sure the worst had come:  Caterina had destroyed herself.  The strong man suddenly looked so ill and helpless that Mrs. Sharp began to be frightened at the effect of her abruptness.

’O, sir, I’m grieved to my heart to shock you so; but I didn’t know who else to go to.’

‘No, no, you were quite right.’

He gathered some strength from his very despair.  It was all over, and he had nothing now to do but to suffer and to help the suffering.  He went on in a firmer voice—­’Be sure not to breathe a word about it to any one.  We must not alarm Lady Cheverel and Sir Christopher.  Miss Sarti may be only walking in the garden.  She was terribly excited by what she saw yesterday, and perhaps was unable to lie down from restlessness.  Just go quietly through the empty rooms, and see whether she is in the house.  I will go and look for her in the grounds.’

He went down, and, to avoid giving any alarm in the house, walked at once towards the Mosslands in search of Mr. Bates, whom he met returning from his breakfast.  To the gardener he confided his fear about Caterina, assigning as a reason for this fear the probability that the shock she had undergone yesterday had unhinged her mind, and begging him to send men in search of her through the gardens and park, and inquire if she had been seen at the lodges; and if she were not found or heard of in this way, to lose no time in dragging the waters round the Manor.

’God forbid it should be so, Bates, but we shall be the easier for having searched everywhere.’