IN THE CAUSE OF A WOMAN To say that Mademoiselle Gautier was extremely anxious over her young charge's disappearance would be to state the case with ludicrous mildness.

She was frantic, she was frenzied with anxiety.
All the evening and half the night she was literally dancing with suspense, intermingled with fits of despair that reduced her, while they lasted, to a state of absolute collapse.

Before midnight all Valpre knew that the little English _demoiselle_ was missing, and all Valpre scoured the shore for her in vain.

Some of the fishermen put out in boats and continued the search by moonlight as near the rocks as it was possible to go.

But all to no purpose.
When the moon went down, they abandoned the quest; but at dawn, when the tide was on the turn, they were out again, searching, searching for a white, drowned face and a mass of red-brown hair.