too young for them to take him, unless he looks a good deal
older than he is."

"Yes, I quite see that. At the same time that is the only thing that
occurs to us as likely for him to try."

"Not likely to take to the sea, sir?"

"Not at all likely from what we know of his fancies. Still he might do
that for a couple of years with a view to enlisting afterwards."

"How about going to the States or Canada?"

"That again is quite possible."

"Had he money with him, sir?"

"He had about five pounds in his pocket, and a gold watch and chain
that he had only had a few months, and could, I should think, get seven
or eight pounds for; but I do not see what he could do to get his living
if he went abroad."

"No, sir; but then young gents always have a sort of fancy that they can
get on well out there, and if they do not mind what they turn to I fancy
that most of them can. Is he in any trouble, sir? You will excuse my
asking, but a young chap who gets into trouble generally acts in a
different sort of way to one who has gone out what we may call
venturesome."

"No, he has got into no trouble," Captain Clinton said. "He has gone
away under a misunderstanding, but there is nothing whatever to make him
wish to conceal himself beyond the fact that he will do all he can to
prevent my tracing him at present. Here are half a dozen of his photos.
If you want more I can get them struck off."

"I could do with another half-dozen," the man said. "I will send them
down to men who act with me at Southampton, Hull, Liverpool, Glasgow,
and Plymouth, and will send two or three abroad. He might cross over to
Bremen or Hamburg, a good many go that way now. I will look after the
recruiting offices here myself; but as he is only sixteen, and as you
say does not look older, I do not think there is a chance of his trying
that. No recruiting sergeant would take him up. No, sir; I should say
that if he has no friends he can go to, the chances are he will try to
ship for the States or Canada. But what are we to do if we find him?"

Captain Clinton had not thought of this.

"Of course," the man went on, "if you gave an authority for me to send
down to each of my agents, they could take steps to stop him."

"No," Captain Clinton said after a pause, during which he had been
thinking that as he could not swear that Edgar was his son, he was in
fact powerless in the matter. "No, I do not wish that done. I have no
idea whatever of coercing hi