d first endeared its
dingy setting to the ironmaster's heart. But he had made the contact
permanent by falling in love with the young lady of the brush and marrying
her under all the guns of her countified kith and kin. And now she was a
stricken invalid, and their youngest-born was God knew where!

Of course there were no tidings of him at the school, where the now
distracted father spent a more explosive hour than he cared to think about
as he flew on to town in the car. He was afraid he had been very rude to
Mr. Spearman; but then Spearman had been rash enough to repudiate his
obvious responsibility in the matter. It was not his fault that the boy
went up to town so often to see his doctor and stay the night. He had his
own opinion of that arrangement, but it had become his business to see it
carried out. Mr. Upton got in a sharp thrust here, to which the
house-master retorted that if a boy of seventeen could not be trusted to
keep his word, he should like to know who could! Tony had promised him
faithfully to return that same night, failing friends whom he had
mentioned as certain to put him up; their names Mr. Upton was able to
demand at last as though they were so much blood; and he could not have
cursed them more freely if Spearman had been a layman like himself. But
that was all the information forthcoming from this quarter; for, happening
to ask what the head master thought of the affair, Mr. Upton was calmly
informed that it had still to reach his ears; at which he stared, and then
merely remarked that he was not surprised, but in such a tone that
Spearman sprang up and led him straight into the presence.

Now the Benevolent Despot of this particular seat of learning was an
astute pedagogue who could handle men as well as boys. He explained to
Mr. Upton that the safe-keeping of the unit was the house-master's
concern, but agreed it was time that he himself was made acquainted with
the present case. He took it as seriously, too, as Mr. Upton could have
wished, but quite as frankly from his own point of view as his two
visitors did from each of theirs. He had no doubt the boy would turn up,
but when he did it would be necessary for him to give a satisfactory
account of his proceedings before he could be received back into the
school.

"Bother the school!" cried Mr. Upton, diluting the anathema with
difficulty. "Let me find my lad alive and well; then you can do what you
like."

"But how do you pr