"Time for me to be off," he said. "Why are they so long? I want to see Dick before I go, but I can't wait much longer—"
He was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Vanya, the soldier who had gone to fetch Dick.
"He is not there!" he cried. "The boathouse is empty—except for the boat in which you came!"
Stepan and Milikoff stared at one another, aghast.
"This is Hallo's work!" said Stepan, furiously. "He has a grudge against this friend of mine! Ah, I see it all now, Milikoff—how he escaped! He went into the water—you are right! But tell me, now—was it near the boathouse?"
"Yes, now that I remember, it was."
"Then can't you see what happened? He dived and swam under the door. It would be easy enough for anyone who could swim at all well and knew the ground. Heavens, he must have been in there when we first came in with the boat!"
And now their dismay knew no bounds. Milikoff saw that Stepan was right; it was exactly what must have happened.
"I'm a dolt—a fool!" he cried, bitterly. "That I never thought to search the boathouse!"
"Who would have thought?" said Stepan. "But it is no time to think of what is done and can't be undone. Now, more than ever, I must go after him. I have to try to save my friend, and it is doubly imperative now that we should catch Hallo."