The letter in the desk at his hand forbade that.
At his wits' end he had sent for Jack.

Jack had made a football half-back and a hockey forward out of Tony when everyone else had failed.

If anyone could divert him from that desperate downward course to which he seemed headlong bent, it was Jack.
In a few minutes Wickes returned with the report that on receiving an account of what had happened Jack had gone to look up Tony.
Mr.Maitland drew a breath of relief.
"Tony is all right for to-day," he said, turning to his work and leaving the problem for the meantime to Jack.
In an hour Jack reported that he had been to the Perrotte home and had interviewed Tony's mother.

From her he had learned that Tony had left the town, barely catching the train to Toronto.

He might not return for a week or ten days.