"I shall go at once," Lois replied. "I am so glad you have come for me, as I was almost frantic wondering what was going on."
As they made their way toward the Haven Jasper told Lois more about
Betty and her state of agitation.
"What is the cause of it, do you suppose?" Lois asked. "Do you think it is in connection with Mr. David?"
"Not altogether, I am quite certain. There is something else on her mind. She might explain to you what it is when she would tell no one else."
They had just reached the gate leading to the Haven when Andy Forbes, accompanied by several men, swung up the road.
"I must leave you now," Jasper told Lois, "and assist in the search."
"Please let us know as soon as you find any trace of Mr. David," Lois replied. "I shall stay with Betty for a while."
It was quite light now, and as the men walked along the road they searched most carefully every nook and corner, but all in vain.
"He is not anywhere here," Andy remarked. "But he may have wandered into the woods along that old winter road. I suggest that we follow it for a while. He may be wandering about in there. We can comb the woods if he's not on the road."
The men moved very quietly, keenly alert, each hoping to make the discovery first. To Jasper there seemed something uncanny about the way they moved so silently onward at that weird morning hour. A spirit of depression came upon him, and his companions appeared like enemies. He felt that in some unaccountable way they believed that he was to blame for all the trouble, and that he should have taken more care of the old man.