d I announced my decision. When he heard it
the stout burglar exhibited no emotion. His expression indicated that,
having been caught, he expected to be sent to jail, and that was the end
of it. Perhaps he had been through this experience so often that he had
become used to it. The tall man, however, took the announcement in a
very different way. His face grew dark and his eyes glittered. "You are
making a great mistake," he said to me, "a very great mistake, and you
will have to bear the consequences."

"Very good," said I, "I will remember that remark when your trial comes
on."

The behaviour of the young man was unexceptional. He looked upon us with
a face full of happy gratitude, and, as he thanked us for the kind
favour and the justice which we had shown him, his eyes seemed dim with
tears. Aunt Martha was much affected.

"I wonder if his mother is living," she whispered to me. "A wife is a
great deal, but a mother is more. If I had thought of her sooner I would
have spoken more strongly in his favour. And now you should untie him at
once and let him go home. His wife must be getting terribly anxious."

The young man overheard this last remark.

"You will confer a great favour on me, sir," he said, "if you will let
me depart as soon as possible. I feel a great repugnance to be seen in
company with these men, as you may imagine, from wearing a mask on
coming here. If I leave immediately I think I can catch the first train
from your station."

I considered the situation. If I did what I was asked, there would be
two bound burglars to guard, three women and a child to protect, an
uncertain stranger at liberty, and only David and myself to attend to
the whole business. "No, sir," said I, "I shall not untie you until the
officers I sent for are near at hand; then I will release you, and you
can leave the house by the back way without being seen by them. There
are other morning trains which will take you into the city early
enough."

"I think you are a little hard on him," remarked Aunt Martha, but the
young man made no complaint.

"I will trust myself to you, sir," he said.

The officers arrived much sooner than I expected. There were five of
them, including the Chief of Police, and they were accompanied by
several volunteer assistants, among whom was the milkman who had been
my messenger. This morning his customers might wait for their milk, for
all business must give way before such an important piece of si