Gilmour did not appear at breakfast the next morning. This was odd, as he had yet to miss a meal, and had appeared to enjoy his food even on the days when it was poorly cooked. There was still no sign of him long after the rest of the guests had drifted in and taken their seats, and when the breakfast hour had come and gone without him, Lewis remarked to Daniel how unusual this was. “Did he say anything about going out early?” “No,” Daniel said. “Of course, he doesn’t say much about anything, so I suppose it’s possible that he had an early appointment, although I don’t know where, since I’ve never been able to discover his business here in the first place.” It remained a sore point with Daniel that Mr. Gilmour had refused to confide in him. “I wouldn’t worry about it. He’ll probably be back in time for dinner.” But he wasn’t, and none of the other guests could recall when, exactly, they had last seen him.
