Walking by himself, Ralph pondered upon the fact that, after all, if any one had hinted to him what he had hinted to his chum he would have been just as hurt and indignant. And now that he was cleared it would be manly and nice to go and ask him to be friends again.
"He can hardly do anything if I don't give him the chance," he told himself. "I will do it as soon as I get back to school on Monday."
His head full of the tracks of lame horses and light traps, he had taken his way across towards Stow Wood, the scene of that tragedy--for tragedy he believed there had surely been--and as he walked over the common he reflected that those marks had led away in the direction of Great Stow; and in Great Stow or just beyond it, Lord Elgert lived.
And then, as he walked along, his eyes thoughtfully fixed upon the ground, he stopped suddenly. Surely things were going strangely to-day; for, coming on top of old Simon's words, here was the track of the lame horse again!
"I will follow it this time," said Ralph to himself.
And he set forward rapidly. There was plenty of both light and time this afternoon, and if the tracks led to hard roads he would go on and search beyond them.
But he did not have very far to go this time, though he gained but little for his trouble. The other side the common, and close to Stow Wood, he came upon the vehicle he had followed--a light trap, truly, and drawn by a pretty little mare; and with it were three men, one in the uniform of a constable and the others in ordinary dress.
The question was absurd, perhaps, but he blurted it out without thinking; and the men turned and regarded him with mingled surprise and amusement.
"And what has that to do with you, if you please?" said one--the one in uniform.
And what could he say? Whatever the other two were, one was a constable; and surely a constable was sufficient evidence that he had followed a wrong trail!
"You seem to have a liking for asking questions, young gentleman," said one of the other men. "Now, suppose that we ask you one? Have you seen any one out here--any one that seemed as if they were trying to hide? We are looking for a prisoner of ours, who escaped some time back, and who, we believe, is hiding in this locality. Have you seen any suspicious character about?"