, 1870-07-16

tAst Aelpny 4u!te aAu!uer. uStut1 euu Hooiu
te no more guilty Of i tllan sou would. It's
out OF all reaeon. And do you take care Of vour
tongue Look here, man, suppose took this
up, aa you want nc, aed It Was found TO have
been Cotton orseome other jail-bird that did il,
instead Of young Rymer, where would you be?
IN prison. for defamation of character it the
NsmerE chose to put you there. Be wise in
time, Lee, and eny no morer
" Il might have beeu Is YOU say, sir-Cot-
ton hin,self though Tn sure tL.t never
struck me-" returned Lee, vcering rounl to
the argument, IT One thing that made me be-
lieve il, WAS the knowing that Ben Rymer
might easily get access TO the letters"
have doubted it," contradicted the Squire.
" He'd be afraid to touch them because Of the
ease. Forgive you for coming up, you say ?"
added the Squire, as Lee rose with some hum
lie words Of excnae. 'f OF course will But
don't you forget that word OF this, dropped
in jeopardy. is cold to-day, isn't it :"
"Fnghtful cold, sir."
ssAnd ycu could come through it with this
improbable story! Use your sense, another
time, Lee. Here, Johnny; take Leo into the
Kitchen and tell them to give him some cold
handed him over, with the order, to Molly,
Who went into one OF her tautrums 1t it, for
she was in the midst OF pastry-making. The
Squire was sitting With hi head bent, looking
Us perple1ed al IN owl. when 1 got back 10 the
room.
tJohnny. shut the door. Something las rot
into my mind. Do you 1eco1Iect Thomas 1ls-
mer's coming up one evening and wanting to
give me hve-pouud note 7"
AQuite well, SIR
"Well. IL nm not 80 sure NOW that there's
nothing in this fresh tale"
OF the subbing fit in which had found Rymor
that same night in the ravine; and that had
known all along it teas the son who had done
ii.
"Dless my hearth" cried the Squire softly,
very much taken aback- SITS that, perhaps,
that has been making Ky1ner 80 Ill"
Ms11 Ms ssia 1t it Vas n;s, SLOWLY hnE id h% sir" ~
doing scapegrace Of a rascal! Johnny, how
thankful We ought to be when our Sons turn
cut well, and not i'll! But I think good many
turn out i'll now-4-iayB. II ever you should
live to have Sons, sir, take care how you bring
them up"
bring Den up we'll" vas my % answer. @ S' -
Yes; but did tho mother7' retorted the
Squire quick as lightning. More lies with
them than With tho father. Johnny. T4Ec care,
! sl1, who you chose for wife when the time
comes. Johnny, that Cotton must be an awful
II hopo he'll live to know it,"
Look here, ,we must hush this up cried the
lie room. nd not bring fresh pain On poor
Iymer for the world. You must forget that
you've told it me, Johnny"
t' Yes. that WILL
" Its only fve-pound note after a11. And
if it were fifty pounds, I'd not stir in it. No,
nor for FIVE hundred be hanged if 7 would.
1t is not me tbat would bring the world about
Thomas llyner's ears. knew his father and
respected him, johnny; though his sermons
Nere three-quafters OF an hour long, Il they
You and / must keep this close. And RI make
journey to Eimberlale when this snow
storms gone, Johnny nua frighten Jelf out
Of l.is lifo fer propagating ibol1ous tales"
That's where it ought 10 have ended. The
worst is, ''oughls don't go for much IN tho
worid aH perhaps every reader Of this paper
has learned to know
When Lee appeared the next morning with
the letters aa usual, I went out to him. He
dropped his voice to speak as he put them in
my haid.
They :. say Benjamin Rymez is OF, SIR"
Somewhere out of Timberdale.'
"OH for what ?"
4sI don't know, sir, Je1f accused NE Of having
carried tales there, and ca1led me iackass for
my pains. He said that what he had told me
wasn't meant to be repeated again, aud ought
cot to have gone cank1ng It about, specially to
true-"
las the Squire ssid, yesterday, you know,
Lee
s.Yes, sir, I answered Jelf that it couldn't
have been me that had gone canking to the
nyme1s, for had not az much as seen them
Any way, ho said, somebody bad, for they
knew Of it, and Benja1nin had gone OF in con
Eut cornerwise. It's his OWL fault why did he
t. II me II it wasn't true"
Lee went oH-iooking cross also. After
breakfast related this 10 the Squire. He
don't seem to like it, and walked about think
SJohnny, can't stir in it, you SEQ" ho said,
presently. "if it got abroad, people might
talk about corpromiaing felony, and al that
strt Of rubbish. You must 60. See Rymer,
aid make him understand without telling
him in 90 many words, you @ow-that theros
nothing to fear from me-, and he may call Ben
lead new life, Heaven forbid that I, having
sens myself, should be stumbling-block IN
tie way Of it"
It was striking IL when got to Timbardale.
Margaret said her father was poorly, having
gone out in the storm Of tho proyious day,
covering over the fire. In the last few
hours he seemed to have aged years. shut
the doors.
''what has happened ?" I whispered. 81
have come On purpose to ask 5ou:"
That which havo been dfeading ali
along" be said in quiet, hopeless way.
benjamin has run away. BE got some III
formation, it seems, from the landlord Of the
.flouGh Harrow, and VAS OF the next
hoaf;" y ;,.n no. ..o ..z.
yately, Mr. Rymer, to say that Bon might come
beck again, He has nothing to feaI,
Is Tie Squire knows it, then7r
"Yes, Lee came about it yesterday: Jelt
hsd talked to him. Mr. Todhetiey did not he
licre wordss. he blew up Lee like ANYTHING for
listening to euch tale; be means to blow up
5ef 3 f9E repeating ANYTHING said by vaga-
Of thinking. Indeed there's nothing to be
afraid Of. JeH 10 eating his words. The
world"
Rymer shook his head. He did not doubt
the squsre's friendly feeling, but thought il
atont it.
"Benjamin came to me yesterday morniugin
great furry, 6aSing something Was wrong,
ard he must absent hineelf- Was it shout
Il bank note, asked, and it was the first
s I'll sbbs bsie il 5sssEd M f Rvih had ssd ~, hsd b
given him a friendly hint Of what bad dropped
from the man Cotton-you we're in the ahop
thai 1rBt day when lie came in, Afr. JOHNNY
ard BeDia1nin was alarmed. Before had
ti,no to collect my thoughts, or say further,
hc was gone"
Where is he:"
" don't know; went round at once to
Jelf and the Old man told me all. Jelf knows
tie truth that is quite clear. He says he
has spoken only to Leo; is souy now for hav-
ing done that ) and he will hush 1t up as far
rs be can"
:" Then i viii be quite right, 11r. Rymer.
Why should you be taking it in this way ?"
am ~ was all he answered;
cntEht chill going round TO the Plough
and-hRrrow. So f6r as mental sickness goes,
We may battle will, it to the end, strength
from Above being lent to US; but .when it
takea bodily shapo-why there's nothing for
ii but giving in"
Even while we spoke, le was seized with
what seemed an ague fit. Head, aud legs.
and ny,,,a end toof1, md fta ,I,s!, t,o .,t 81