“If I get hold of him, I’ll flog him within an inch of his life,” he muttered, between his closed teeth. “The ungrateful villain²! to make me such a return for supporting him in idleness all his life!”

 

But it is not so easy to find a particular person in a city of a million inhabitants, and Mr. Drummond was very much puzzled to know what to do, or where to go first. He might have sought the aid of the police, but, though deeply incensed³ against Joshua, he wished, rather, to inflict⁴ private punishment upon him.

 

“I won’t give him any allowance at all,” he said to himself. “I’ll let him get along without a penny, and see how he likes that! I wonder if he’s spent much of the money he stole from me?”

 

His face contracted with anguish⁵, as he thought that Joshua might squander⁶ the greater part of the money before he found him; or, worse still, lose it. His father had a contemptuous opinion of Joshua’s shrewdness, and thought it not at all unlikely that he would be robbed.

 

Not knowing where else to go, he walked toward the Astor House. Whenever he came to the city--which was not often--he was in the habit of stopping at Lovejoy’s Hotel, near by, and the force of habit led him thither⁷ now. At every step, he looked inquisitively⁸ about him; but no Joshua met his gaze. In fact, Joshua was walking about on Eighth avenue at this time, and about an hour later went to Central Park, where he made the surprising bargain of which we already know, so that there was very little chance of his father’s coming upon him for some hours, since it was not probable that it would occur to him to go to Central Park.

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