"Do you think so?" said Paul, not being able to resist the suggestion. "And yet, do you know, some of them did not appear to me to look very—very good-natured, now."
"A more manly, pleasant, and gentlemanly set of youths never breathed!" said the Doctor, taking up the cudgels for his boys, and, to do him justice, probably with full measure of belief in his statement. "Curious now that they should have struck you so differently!"
"They certainly did strike me very differently," said Paul. "But I may be mistaken."
"You are, my dear sir. And, pardon me, but you had no opportunity of testing your opinion."
"Oh, pardon me," retorted Paul grimly, "I had indeed!"
"A cursory visit," said the Doctor, "a formal inspection—you cannot fairly judge boys by that. They will naturally be reserved and constrained in the presence of an elder. But you should observe them without their knowledge—you want to know them, my dear Mr. Bultitude, you want to go among them!"
It was the very last thing Paul did want—he knew them quite well enough, but it was of no use to say so, and he merely assented politely.
"And now," said the Doctor, "with regard to your misguided boy. I have to tell you that he is here, in this very house. I tracked him here, and, ten minutes ago, saw him with my own eyes at one of your windows.
"Here!" cried Paul, with a well-executed start; "you astonish me!"
"It has occurred to me within the last minute," said the Doctor, "that there may be a very simple explanation of his flight. I observe you are giving a—a juvenile entertainment on a large scale."