We sat in silence until the bell rang, looking at the morning sun on the lake.  I was a little anxious to learn the state of Farrar’s feelings in regard to Miss Trevor, and how this new twist in affairs had affected them.  But I might as well have expected one of King Louis’s carp to whisper secrets of the old regime.  The young lady came to the breakfast-table looking so fresh and in such high spirits that I made sure she had not heard of the Celebrity’s ignoble escape.  As the meal proceeded it was easy to mark that her eye now and again fell across his empty chair, and glanced inquiringly towards the door.  I made up my mind that I would not be the bearer of evil news, and so did Farrar, so we kept up a vapid small-talk with Mr. Trevor on the condition of trade in the West.  Miss Trevor, however, in some way came to suspect that we could account for that vacant seat.  At last she fixed her eye inquiringly on me, and I trembled.

“Mr. Crocker,” she began, and paused.  Then she added with a fair unconcern, “do you happen to know where Mr. Allen is this morning?”

“He has gone over to Mohair, I believe,” I replied weakly.

“To Mohair!” she exclaimed, putting down her cup; “why, he promised to go canoeing at ten.

“Probably he will be back by then,” I ventured, not finding it in my heart to tell her the cruel truth.  But I kept my eyes on my plate.  They say a lie has short legs.  Mine had, for my black friend, Simpson, was at that instant taking off the fruit, and overheard my remark.

“Mr. Allen done gone for good,” he put in, “done give me five dollars last night.  Why, sah,” he added, scratching his head, “you was on de poch dis mornin’ when his trunks was took away!”

It was certainly no time to quibble then.

“His trunks!” Miss Trevor exclaimed.

“Yes, he has left us and gone to Mohair,” I said, “bag and baggage.  That is the flat truth of it.”

I suppose there is some general rule for calculating beforehand how a young woman is going to act when news of this sort is broken.  I had no notion of what Miss Trevor would do.  I believe Farrar thought she would faint, for he laid his napkin on the table.  She did nothing of the kind, but said simply: 

“How unreliable men are!”

I fell to guessing what her feelings were; for the life of me I could not tell from her face.  I was sorry for Miss Trevor in spite of the fact that she had neglected to ask my advice before falling in love with the Celebrity.  I asked her to go canoeing with me.  She refused kindly but very firmly.