To his surprise, he did not meet the children as soon as he had expected, and as he continued his route without seeing them, he began to be really alarmed.

He passed the halfway sign, and went nearly to the place where he had left them and had taken in the lame girl.
"There's something happened to them," he said to himself.

"My word! I knew those children ought not to be left to themselves! They're too full of mischief.

Like as not they've trailed off into the woods, and how can I ever find them ?" Wondering what he had better do, Pompton turned the car around, and slowly went back toward Pelton.

At every crossroad or side path into the woods he paused and shouted, but heard no response.