CHAPTER XXXVIII.
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.
“Mr. Carter, can you spare me a couple of days?” asked Philip.
“Certainly, Phil,” answered the old gentleman. “May I ask how you wish to dispose of the time?”
“I would like to go to Planktown to see my friends there. It is now some months since I left the village, and I would like to see my old friends.”
“The desire is a natural one. Your home is broken up, is it not?”
“Yes, but I can stay at the house of Tommy Kavanagh. I know he will be glad to have me.”
“It is strange that your step-mother and her son have left no trace behind them,” said Mr. Carter thoughtfully. “It looks suspicious, as if they had some good reason for their disappearance.”
“I can't understand why they should have left Planktown,” said Philip, appearing puzzled.
“Is the house occupied?”