ped
behind the boy for a moment and beckoned him.

"Well, Gustav?" said he impatiently.

"Ah, _mon ami_," said the Frenchman, putting a little bunch of early
violets into the tutor's hands, "vill you give 'im zese from me? 'Tis
all I can send. But he will love zem for the sake of me and ze little
Francoise. Adieu, adieu, _mon cher ami_."

It took not a minute; but in that time Tom had wandered serenely on,
never dreaming that his protector was not close at his heels. Nor did
he discover his mistake till he found himself half-way up Piccadilly,
enlarging to a stranger at his side on the excellence of the evening's
performance. Then he looked round and missed his companion. The
pavement was crowded with wayfarers of all sorts, some pressing one way,
some another. Among them all the boy could not discover the stalwart
form of Mr Armstrong. He pushed back to the hall, but he was not
there. He followed one or two figures that looked like his; but they
were strangers all. Then he returned up the street at a run, hoping to
overtake him; but in vain.

He knew nothing of London; he did not even know the name of the hotel;
he had no money in his pocket.

He was, in short, lost.

As for Mr Armstrong, not seeing his charge at the door, he had started
to run in the direction of the hotel, which was the opposite direction
to that taken by Tom. Seeing no sign of the prodigal, he too returned
to the hall, just after Tom had started a second time on the contrary
tack; and so for an hour these two played hide and seek; sometimes
almost within reach of one another; at others, with the whole length of
the street between them.

At last the crowd on the pavement thinned, and the tutor, sorely
chagrined, started off to the hotel, on the chance of the boy having
turned up there. No Tom was there. Tom, in fact, was at that moment
debating somewhere about a mile and a half away whether he should not
try to make his way to the "Oriana" at the Docks, and remain quietly
there till claimed. What a joke it would all be when he _was_ found!
What an adventure for his first night in London!

It was not very easy even for Tom Oliphant to derive much amusement from
these philosophical reflections, and he looked about him rather dismally
for some one of whom to inquire his way.

A seedy-looking person was standing under a lamppost hard by, trying to
light a cigarette in the wind. Tom decided to tackle him.

"Please can you tell