Even Rossie Bent had opened his eyes at Tom's simple, unboastful narrative of this exploit, and had followed Tom's finger on the office map as he traced that blazed trail from the wood's edge near the camp up through the forest and along the brook to the very summit of the frowning height, from which the nickering lights of Temple Camp could be seen in the distance.
"I'll bet not many people go up there," Roscoe had said.
So it was natural that when Tom looked back and thought of his career as a scout, of his rise from squalor and vicious mischief to this level of manliness and deserved honor, he should think of it as a trail--a good scout trail which he had picked up and followed. Down there in the mud of Barrel Alley it had begun, and see where it had led! To the platform of the Bridgeboro Lyceum where he, Tom Slade, would wear his Gold Cross, which every citizen at that patriotic Registration Day celebration might see, and would represent the First Bridgeboro Troop, B. S. A. in the town's welcome to the governor!
"It's good I didn't listen to Slats Corbett and Sweet Caporal," he mused. "I hit the right trail, all right. I bet if----"
The door opened suddenly, and Mr. Brown from the bank entered with another gentleman, who appeared greatly disturbed.
"Has Rossie Bent been up here to-day?" Mr. Brown asked.
"No, sir," said Tom. He felt his own voice tremble a little, and he realized that something was wrong.
"This is Mr. Bent," said Mr. Brown, "Roscoe's father. Roscoe hasn't been seen since last night, and his father is rather concerned about him."
"You haven't seen him--to-day?" Mr. Bent asked anxiously.
The two men looked soberly at each other, and Tom went over to the door of the private office, which stood ajar, and quietly closed it.
For the space of a few seconds Tom stood uneasily trying to muster the courage to speak.
"It--it wouldn't be any good to let a lot of people know," he said hesitatingly, but looking straight at Roscoe's father. "Mr. Burton only got here a few minutes ago, and he couldn't tell anything.--If you spoke to him, Miss Ellison would know about it too."
He spoke with great difficulty and not without a tremor in his voice, but his meaning reached the troubled father, who nodded as if he understood.