"I believe he went to East Africa, and from there he may have drifted to America.

The Colonel never hears from him." She picked up one of her letters which had not yet been opened.
"This," she said, "is from Frances Foster--you know her.

I'm sure it will contain news of the Challoner wedding." She tore open the envelope and Mrs.Ashborne turned again to her English newspaper.

Millicent sat looking out over the gorge, while her thoughts went back to a dimly lighted drawing-room in a small London apartment, where she was feeling very lonely and half dismayed, one evening soon after she had joined her father.

A few beautiful objects of art were scattered among the shabby furniture; there were stains of wine on the fine Eastern rug, an inlaid table was scraped and damaged, and one chair had a broken leg.