In spite of Benny's frequent little derelictions from the path he might have been expected to walk in, his mother was greatly surprised and troubled to hear that he had not arrived at his grandmother's, and, furthermore, that he had not been seen on the road. "Why, nothing could have tempted him to stay away from grandma's," said she. "Still," she added after a moment's reflection, "he _may_ have gone by the Brook road and met Johnny Barstow. If he has, and then stopped to do a little fishing, he would never think how the time was flying. I never saw a boy who had so little idea of time as Benny." "Wal," said 'Bijah, "we'll go down the brook road way 'n see 'f we c'n ketch this young trout." So they returned by the Brook, but found no Benny, and Johnny Barstow hadn't seen him. Every ray of the calm smile which usually shone in grandma Potter's face faded when she saw 'Bijah and the boys come back without Benny and heard of their fruitless search. She sat silently down in her rocking-chair, and her dear, sweet old face was pale. "'Bijah," said she at length, "you must take the colt and the light buggy and go--go somewhere--anywhere--everywhere, until you find him. No, boys, you can't go. 'Bijah mustn't be hindered." 'Bijah was at a loss where to go, but he obeyed directions, and went somewhere, anywhere, and it seemed as if he had been everywhere, and inquired at every house in and about Still Harbor, along the shore, in the woods and through the fields, but nobody had seen Benny since about nine o'clock that morning. At last he went again to see if Benny, perhaps, had got home. "What!" cried Mrs. Briggs, when she saw 'Bijah come the second time, "he hasn't come? You haven't found him? O, my boy, my boy!" "O, now, Mis' Briggs, don't you go to worry about Benny," said 'Bijah. "I never see a boy 't knew how to take care of himself better'n Benny. He'll turn up all right, you'll see." But in spite of his apparent cheerfulness, 'Bijah was a good deal troubled himself. Where _could_ Benny be, unless at the bottom of the Sound? 'Bijah in his search had already been to Mr. Briggs' store to inquire for Benny, and in starting to go there again, he met Mr. Briggs coming home. He and 'Bijah discussed the possibilities and probabilities of Benny's case, and Mr. Briggs agreed to send word over to grandma Potter if Benny came home, and 'Bijah agreed to come directly over and tell his father and mother if Benny should reach his grandmother's at the eleventh hour. The eleventh hour arrived, however, and still no Benny. The boys sat in the barn door and wondered in voices hushed almost to whispers, where Benny could be.