"Well, my friend; what can I do for you?" he asked.
"I cam' to see aboot Ralph, sir; Ralph as lives wi' me."
"Oh! are you Buckley? William Buckley?"
"I am, sir. I want to know when saw ye the lad last?"
"Why, about eleven o'clock yesterday. He came up on the noon train, didn't he?"
"I ha' no' seen 'im."
"Haven't seen him!" exclaimed Sharpman, in a voice expressive of much alarm. "Haven't seen him since when, man?"
"Not sin' yester-mornin', when I said 'good-by' till the lad, an' went t' the breaker. I got scared aboot 'im, an' cam' to look 'im oop."
Bachelor Billy had become infected with Sharpman's alarm.
"Well, we must look him up," said the lawyer, putting on his hat, which he had just laid aside, and taking up a light overcoat. "Come, we'll go down to the station and see if we can learn anything of him there."