Anything wrong, sir ?" as Sir Norman gave a violent start and caught Hubert by the arm.
"Nothing! Where did they carry her to?
What did they do with her?
Go on! go on!" "Well," said the watchman, eyeing the speaker curiously, "I'm going to.
They went along, down to the river, both of them, and I saw a boat shove off, shortly after, and that something, with its head in a shawl, lying as peaceable as a lamb, with one of the two beside it.

That's all--I went asleep about then, till you two were shaking me and waking me up." Sir Norman and Hubert looked at each other, one between despair and rage, the other with a thoughtful, half-inquiring air, as if he had some secret to tell, and was mentally questioning whether it was safe to do so.

On the whole, he seemed to come to the conclusion, that a silent tongue maketh a wise head, and nodding and saying "Thank you!" to the watchman, he passed his arm through Sir Norman's, and drew him back to the door of Leoline's house.
"There is a light within," he said, looking up at it; "how comes that ?" "I found the lamp burning, when I returned, and everything undisturbed.
They must have entered noiselessly, and carried her off without a struggle," 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 is 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.