"He has not been there. Jack was reading in the kitchen----"
"And Jim was with him. Jim wandered out, and we cannot find any trace of him."
"Hm! . . . Ah! . . ." And the grim old head nodded thoughtfully over another pinch of snuff. "Well, I don't really see what we can do to-night, Mr. Eager. If, as you suggest, he is lying hurt somewhere in the sand-hills, it would take an army to find him, even in the daytime. We must wait and see. If we don't find him"--hopefully--"if he is gone for good, I shall feel myself under deepest obligation to him or to whoever is concerned in the matter. It leaves us only one boy to deal with--the wrong one, of course--but still, only one."
"If the other has been purposely removed, as is possible, it is, of course, in order to foist upon us the one who has no right to the position. There could be no other reason. You follow me?"
"I follow your reasoning, of course; but at present we have not the slightest reason to suppose he has been purposely removed. He may be lying in the sand-hills unable to get home."
"In which case he will have a very bad night," said Sir Denzil, as a fury of wind and rain broke against the windowpanes--"a very bad night."
"Keep an eye on that old witch's face downstairs. You may learn something from it if you catch her unawares."
Eager slept little that night for thinking of the missing boy. His anxious mind travelled many roads, but never touched the right one.
Soon after daybreak he was on his way to Knoyle, but returned disappointed, and went on to Carne with a faint hope in him still that Jim might have returned during the night.
"Any news of him, Mrs. Lee?" he asked anxiously, through the kitchen door.
"Noa," said the old lady stolidly. "We none seen nowt on him." And her face was as unmoved as a gargoyle, and the gleam of her little dark eyes struck on his like the first touch of an opponent's foil.
"What on earth can have taken the boy? I've been up to Knoyle, but they know nothing of him there."
"I'll turn out all the men I can get, and we'll rake over the sand-hills."
As he turned to go, Jack came trotting in.
"I d'n know what's come of him," he said; "I've been everywhere I can think of."
"I'm going to get all the help I can, and we'll search through the sand-hills, Jack."