We had never trusted Mrs. Batchelder implicitly; and a long time
afterwards it came out that there was one sentence in that letter that
she had not read to us. It was this: "Don't say anything to any of them
about Halstead." Guessing that there had been trouble of some kind
between the boys, she was frightened; to shield Alfred she had hurried
over with the letter, and had tried to make us believe that the boys had
not gone off together.
Addison and I still thought that the boys had set out in company, though
we did not know what to make of Alfred's letter. We were waiting in that
disturbed state of mind, hoping to hear something from Alfred that would
clear up the mystery, when the old Squire came home.
"He has gone away, sir," Addison said at last, when the old gentleman
inquired for Halstead at supper.
"Gone away? Where? What for?" the old gentleman asked in much
astonishment; and then the whole story had to be told him.
The old Squire heard it through without saying much. When we had
finished, he asked, "Did you know that Halstead meant to go away?"
"We did not know for certain, sir," Addison replied.
"Still, you both knew something about it?"
"Yes, sir.
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