They must have entered noiselessly, and carried her
off without a straggle," replied Sir Norman, with a sort of
groan,
"Have you searched the house - searched it well?"
"Thoroughly - from top to bottom!"
"It seems to me there ought to be some trace. Will you come back
with me and look again?"
"It is no use; but there in nothing else I can do; so come
along!"
They entered the house, and Sir Norman led the page direct to
Leoline's room, where the light was.
"I left her here when I went away, and here the lamp was burning
when I came back: so it must have been from this room she was
taken."
Hubert was gazing slowly and critically round, taking note of
everything. Something glistened and flashed on the floor, under
the mantel, and he went over and picked it up.
"What have you there?" asked Sir Norman in surprise; for the boy
had started so suddenly, and flushed so violently, that it might
have astonished any one.
"Only a shoe-buckle - a gentleman's - do you recognize it?"
Though he spoke in his usual careless way, and half-hummed the
air of one of Lord Rochester's love songs, he watched him keenly
as he examined it.
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