“Bridget!” he cried. “What has become of the ladder?”
But Bridget had already returned to the house.
“Drat that girl,” he muttered angrily. “Has she left me in the lurch?”
Then he bethought himself of his son.
“Septimus!” he cried, or rather roared.
“What is it, pa?” asked Septimus, who had gathered enough courage to return to the barn.
“Where is Bernard Brooks?”
“He’s ran away.”
“Has he taken the ladder with him?”
“He took it out of the barn.”