His courage failed him, and he walked slowly, with bent head and heavy heart, the bearer of bad news.
Leisurely he climbed the steps, and the few stairs to his room.

There stood Lady Victoria under the gaslight, by the fire, looking at the clock.
"At last," she cried, "how _did_ you miss him ?" "Whom ?" asked her brother dejectedly.
"Why, Claudius, of course!" "Claudius is not come," he said in a low voice.
"Not come ?" cried Lady Victoria, "not come?
Why he has been here these two hours, with Margaret!" The Duke was fairly overpowered and worn-out with excitement, and he fell back into a chair.
"How the--" he began, but checked the expletive, which found vent elsewhere, as expletives will.

"Where the devil did he come from ?" "From Europe, I believe," said she.

"Don't swear about it." "Excuse me, Vick, I am bowled out; I was never so taken aback in my life.

Tell me all about it, Vick." And he slowly recovered his senses enough to appreciate that Claudius had really arrived, and that he, the friend who had taken so much trouble, had somehow missed him after all.
But he was honestly glad.
"I only saw him a moment, and I came in to your room to wait.