it so happened, though vivian did not know it, that he was seen riding with jack the carrier by a boy named jarvis, connected with milton school.

jarvis was a toady to simon, and strove to ingratiate himself with dr. musgrave by carrying him tales of his schoolmates.

hidden behind the shrubbery, jarvis saw the carrier’s cart with bell as passenger.

he had been to bolton to call on an aunt.

on his return to the school he heard of vivian bell’s disappearance.

jarvis congratulated himself on being the first to carry news of his missing scholar to the head master.

in crossing the campus he fell in with simon.

“what’s the news, simon?” he asked.

“bell has run away!”

“do you know where he has gone?”

“no; but pa’ll catch him, i’m sure of that. i{107} wouldn’t like to be in his shoes then, i can tell you!”

“didn’t anybody see him go?”

“no; i had just told him pa wanted to see him in the office, and i supposed he would report there. i’ll tell you who knows something about his going away.”

“who is it?”

“rawdon. he was with him, and i feel sure that he put bell up to running away.”

“very likely. bell’s a milk-and-water chap. he wouldn’t dare to run away unless someone put him up to it. have you any idea in what direction he went?”

“no.”

“humph!”

“what do you mean by your mysterious manner. do you know anything about his going away?”

“well, i might have found out something,” answered jarvis.

“if you know anything it’s your duty to tell me right off,” said simon, imperiously.

jarvis, in general, acquiesced in anything that simon said, but he was aware of the importance of the information he had to offer, and chose to get all the credit himself.

“why is it my duty to tell you?” he asked.{108}

“so that i may tell pa.”

“it will do just as well if i tell him.”

“no, it won’t. you tell me, and i will go to the office at once and tell pa.”

“there is no need to trouble you, simon. whatever there is to tell i can tell myself.”

“i don’t believe you’ve got anything to tell,” said simon, cunningly.

“nothing much, only that i saw bell when he was running away.”

“where did you see him?” asked simon, eagerly.

“that’s what i am ready to tell your father.”

simon made another attempt to obtain the information, but failing, he escorted jarvis to the office of dr. musgrave.

“pa,” he said, bustling in, “there’s some news of bell.”

“what is it?” asked the master, looking up from the desk.

“jarvis saw him running away.”

jarvis, who had followed simon into the office, now pressed forward.

“well, jarvis, what have you to tell?” asked the doctor.

“this afternoon i saw bell riding over the bolton road with jack hunt, the carrier.”{109}

“ha! that man is in it! i am not surprised. his influence over my pupils is very demoralizing. he will get into trouble if he is not very careful.”

“can’t you have him arrested, pa?” said simon, who had a grievance of his own against the independent carrier.

“that depends on his connection with the affair. in what direction was the carrier going?”

“toward bolton, sir.”

“did he or bell see you?”

“no, sir. i was hiding behind the hedge.”

“what else did you see?”

“bell had a bundle with him.”

“ha! a bundle of clothes, no doubt! what time was this?”

jarvis mentioned the hour.

“he must have started about the time i told him to go to your office, pa.”

“probably. simon, do you know where the carrier lives?”

“yes, pa.”

“what time does he get back from bolton?”

“about six o’clock.”

“very well; go there at that time and ask him to step around to see me.”

“all right, pa.”

this was an errand which simon enjoyed. he{110} reached the carrier’s house just as jack was unharnessing his horse.

“i say, jack,” he began, “pa wants to see you right off.”

“does he?” returned the carrier. “you can tell him where i am. if he will come round here he can see me.”

“he wants to see you at his office.”

“well, i haven’t time to go there. my supper is waiting for me. do you know what he wants to see me about?”

“yes; it’s about bell. he was seen riding with you this afternoon.”

“oh, he was, was he? did you see him riding with me?”

“no, but jarvis did; so there’s no use of your denying it.”

“i don’t deny it. master bell is always welcome to ride with me, but i wouldn’t take you on my cart, nor yet that jarvis.”

“i say, you’d better be careful. pa ain’t going to have you help his boys run away.”

“who’s run away?” asked jack, innocently.

“why, bell, of course. you don’t mean to say you didn’t know it?”

“master bell run away! you don’t mean it!{111} why should he run away from such a kind man as your father?”

“because he was a bad boy. he always disobeyed the rules,” said simon, sharply.

“you don’t mean to tell me so! and i thought he was such a good, quiet boy.”

“where did you leave him?”

“where did i leave him? i didn’t leave him anywhere. he left me.”

“where was it?”

“on the road.”

“did he tell you where he expected to spend the night?”

“he might, and again he mightn’t. i am so forgetful that i never minds what’s told me. it just goes into one ear and out of the other.”

finding he could get no certain information out of the carrier, simon started to go, threatening him with arrest for conniving at the escape of vivian bell.

“you don’t really think your pa would have me arrested, do you, simon?” asked the carrier, pretending to be very much frightened.

“you just see!”

“you’ll speak a good word for me, won’t you? you see it would be bad for my business to be arrested.”{112}

“you ought to have thought of that,” said simon, under the impression that jack was weakening. “your only course is to tell pa all you know about bell, and just where he’s gone.”

“i remember now he told me where he was going.”

“where?” asked simon, eagerly.

“to london.”

“to london!” repeated simon, in disgust. “why, he’d have to walk all the way!”

“i don’t know anything about that.”

“why didn’t you turn right round and bring him back to the school? pa’d have given you a sixpence.”

“would he, now?”

“yes; i am sure he would.”

“i can’t leave my business for any such trifle as a sixpence. besides, it wasn’t any of my business carrying back your father’s runaway scholars.”

“perhaps you’ll change your mind, mr. jack.”

“i’ll make one promise.”

“what’s that?”

“if i ever see you running away i’ll carry you back.”

simon did not deign a reply to this, but turning on his heel walked out of the yard.{113}

as he left, he said: “you’d better go round and see pa after supper.”

“he knows where he can find me,” returned the carrier, in a sturdy tone.

arrived at the school, simon went at once to his father’s study, and reported that the carrier would not obey his command.

“never mind, simon,” said dr. musgrave. “the grocer has just been here and told me that bell is staying at giles glover’s farm. i shall go for him to-morrow morning.”