ntered the little
office, but the boy was gone. Both stood gazing about the little
space. It was absolutely impossible for anybody to be concealed
there. There was no available hiding-place except under the table,
and the cat occupied that, and his eyes shone out of the gloom like
green jewels.

"I don't see him," said Carroll.

Then Anderson turned upon him.

"Sir," he said, with a kind of slow heat, "I am at a loss as to what
to attribute your tone and manner. If you doubt--"

"Not at all, my dear sir," replied Carroll, with a wave of the hand.
"But I am told that my son is in here, and when, on entering, I do
not see him, I am naturally somewhat surprised."

"Your son was certainly in this room when I left it a moment ago, and
that is all I know about it," said Anderson. "And I will add that
your son's visit was entirely unsolicited--"

"My dear sir," interrupted Carroll again, "I assure you that I do not
for a moment conceive the possibility of anything else. But the fact
remains that I am told he is here--"

"He was here," said Anderson, looking about with an impatient and
bewildered scowl.

"He could not have gone out through the store while we were there,"
said Carroll, in a puzzled tone.

"I do not see how he could have done so unobserved, certainly."

"The window," said Carroll, taking a step towards it.

"Thirty feet from the ground; sheer wall and rocks below. He could
not have gone out there without wings."

"He has no wings, and I very much fear he never will have any at this
rate," said Carroll, moving out. "Well, Mr. Anderson, I regret that
my son should have annoyed you."

"He has not annoyed me in the least," Anderson replied, shortly. "I
only regret that his peculiar method of telling the truth should have
led me unwittingly to occasion your wife and daughters so much
anxiety, and I trust that you will soon trace him."

"Oh yes, he will turn up all right," said Carroll, easily. "If he was
in your office a moment ago, he cannot be far off."

There was the faintest suggestion of emphasis upon the "if."

Anderson spoke to the elderly clerk, who had been leaning against the
shelves ranged with packages of cereal, surmounted by a flaming row
of picture advertisements, regarding them and listening with a
curious abstraction, which almost gave the impression of stupidity.
This man had lived boy and man in one groove of the grocer business,
until he needed prodding to shift him momentarily