“It was early last week,” she explained, speaking quietly, in a voice that had been brought to a dead level by habitual restraint. “He went off to work as usual, after dinner, and said he would be back to supper. I don't know where he can be. He has never been a bad boy.”

Lizzie, now that so much trouble was going on about George, began to feel unusually sorrowful herself--was even moved to tears, and had to go into the other room and bustle about getting supper ready before she could bring her feelings under control.

“Mr. Halloran thought the best thing would be to go out and search for him,” said Miss Davies. “And he thought you could help--:--” She turned to him and finished by saying, “Won't you explain to Mrs. Craig?”

“Can you tell us,” he responded, “of some place in the neighbourhood that George has been in the habit of going to--some place where he has friends?”

Mrs. Craig shook her head. “No; when he was not working he was almost always at home.”

“But he surely had acquaintances. You see, Mrs. Craig, we must have some place to start from.”

She thought for a moment. “No; so far as I know, there was only one man in the neighbourhood who took the least interest in him. And he wouldn't know anything about this. We have not lived here so very long------”

“Who is this man?”

“Mr. Hoffman, on the corner. He has been kind to George, once or twice.”

Halloran rose, saying aside to Miss Davies, “I will speak to him and come back here,” and went out.

He found a stout German behind the bar in the corner saloon who proved, upon inquiry, to be Hoffman himself. He was a substantial sort of man, speaking excellent English, and representing, if one could judge from the neat, well-stocked bar, the clean floor, the geraniums in the windows, and the general air of thrift and order, what he might have been pleased to call a decent saloon. Halloran began without preliminary by asking Hoffman if he knew George Bigelow.

The saloon-keeper rested both hands on the bar and looked across it, scrutinizing him closely before answering.

“Yes, there is a boy of that name around here.”

“He disappeared from home last week and his family are worried about him. 

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