eated with a big book before
him, which he was not reading, jumped up in a startled way.

"Vane Lee?" he cried.

"Yes: I'm very anxious about Vane. He was sent over to Lenby, this
afternoon and has not returned. I want to ask Macey and Gilmore if they
know anything of his whereabouts."

"But some one came long ago. They have not seen him since luncheon."

"Tut--tut--tut!" ejaculated the doctor.

"Not been back then?"

The doctor shook his head, and the rector suggested that he had stayed
at Lenby and half a dozen other things which could be answered at once.

"Would you mind sending for the lads to come down?"

"Certainly not. Of course," cried the rector; and he rang and sent up a
message.

"I don't suppose they are in bed," he said. "They always have a good
long gossip; and, as long as they are down in good time I don't like to
be too strict. But, my dear Lee. You don't think there is anything
serious?"

"I don't know what to think, Syme," cried the doctor, agitatedly.

"Is it an escapade--has he run off?"

"My dear sir, you know him almost as well as I do. Is he the sort of
boy to play such a prank?"

"I should say, no. But, stop, you have had some quarrel. You have been
reproving him."

"No--no--no," cried the doctor. "Nothing of the kind. If there had
been I should have felt more easy."

"But, what can have happened? A walk to Lenby and back by a boy who
knows every inch of the way."

"That is the problem," said the doctor. "Ah, here is someone."

For there was a tap at the door, and Macey entered, to look wonderingly
from one to the other.

"Aleck, my boy," said the doctor, "Vane is missing. Can you suggest
anything to help us? Do you know of any project that he had on hand or
of any place he was likely to have gone to on his way to Lenby?"

"No," said Macey, quickly.

"Take time, my dear boy, and think," said the rector.

"But I can't think, sir, of anything," cried Macey. "No. Unless--"

"Yes," cried the doctor; "unless what?"

"He was going to Lenby, you say."

"Yes."

"Well, mightn't he have stopped there?"

"No, no, my boy," cried the doctor, in disappointed tones, as Gilmore
came in, and directly after Distin, both looking wonderingly round. "We
sent there."

"Then I don't know," said Macey, anxiously. "He might have gone over
the bit of moor though."

"Yes," said the doctor; "he could have gone that way."

"Well, sir, mightn't he have been caught am