left the house, and alone returned to her home. When her lover,
shortly afterwards, searched through the rooms for her, she was
nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Clara?" he asked of one and another. The answer was--

"I saw her here a moment since."

But it was soon very apparent that she was nowhere in the rooms now.
Fisher moved about uneasy for half an hour. Still, not seeing her,
he became anxious lest a sudden illness had caused her to retire
from the company. More particular inquiries were made of the lady
who had given the entertainment. She immediately ascertained for him
that Clara was not in the house. One of the servants reported that a
lady had gone away alone half an hour before. Fisher did not remain
a single moment after receiving this intelligence, but went direct
to the house of Clara's aunt, with whom she lived, and there
ascertained that she had come home and retired to her room without
seeing any of the family.

His inquiry whether she were ill, the servant could not answer.

"Have you seen anything of Clara yet?" asked the friend of Mears,
with a smile, as they met about an hour after they had disturbed the
peace of a trusting, innocent-minded girl, "just for the fun of it."

"I have not," replied Mears.

"Where's Fisher?"