"I will speak a good word for you, at any rate."
"That's right, Bob."
"I am going down into the State of Maine this time, and shall be gone three or four weeks."
"So much the better; I always wanted to go down that way."
Tom asked a great many questions about the business and the method of travelling, which Bobby's superior intelligence and more extensive experience enabled him to answer to the entire satisfaction of the other.
When they were within half a mile of the railroad station, they heard a carriage driven at a rapid rate approaching them from the direction of Riverdale.
Tom seemed to be uneasy, and cast frequent glances behind him. In a moment the vehicle was within a short distance of them, and he stopped short in the road to scrutinize the persons in it.
"By jolly!" exclaimed Tom; "my father!"
"What of it?" asked Bobby, surprised by the strange behavior of his companion.
Tom did not wait to reply, but springing over the fence fled like a deer towards some woods a short distance from the road.