The
third day after Kathleen's departure, Frederick turned up missing. A
week passed before the detectives found him in Washington, penniless,
half-starved but valiant. He had run away from home to find Kathleen,
for, in his fickle heart, he had come to realise that it was she whom
he loved and not old Miss Fairweather at all. Extreme hunger and an
acute attack of home-sickness dampened his ardent regard for the
distant Kathleen, for the time being at least, and he was quite
content to return to Seawood, where, after all, he could have all he
wanted to eat and at the same time reflect audibly on the fact that he
was a real hero.
Envy induced Wilberforce to run away a few days after Frederick
returned with his great tales of adventure, privation and gallantry.
He got no farther from home than White Plains, and was back at Seawood
before nine o'clock at night on the day of his flight, yet he had
enjoyed so many hair-raising experiences, rescued so many lovely girls
from all manner of perils, and soundly thrashed so many unprincipled
varlets, that even Melissa's narratives became weak and puerile when
put up against the tales he told to his pop-eyed brothers and sisters.
Pages:
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323