peered in at the window.
Ralph pushed his way through them and into the house. In the kitchen
were the men from Gaskarth and many more. On a chair near the cold
hearth, where no fire had been kindled since he last saw it, sat Sim
with glassy eyes. His neck was bare and his clothes disordered. At his
back stood Rotha, with her arms thrown round her father's neck. His
long, thin fingers were clutching her clasped hands as with a vise.

"You must come with us," said one of the strangers, addressing the
tailor. He was justice and coroner of the district.

Sim said nothing and did not stir. Then the young girl's voice broke
the dreadful silence.

"Come, father; let us go."

Sim rose at this, and walked like one in a dream. Ralph took his arm,
and as the people crowded upon them, he pushed them aside, and they
passed out.

The direction of the company through the gray mist of that morning was
towards the place where the body lay. Sim was to be accused of the
crime. After the preliminaries of investigation were gone through, the
witnesses were called. None had seen the murder. The body of the
murdered man had been found by a laborer. There was a huge sharp stone
under the head, and death seemed to have resulted from a fracture of
the skull caused by a heavy fall. There was no appearance of a blow.
As to Sim, the circumstantial evidence looked grave. Old Wilson had
been seen to pass through Smeathwaite after dark; he must have done so
to reach his lodgings at the tailor's house. Sim had been seen abroad
about the same hour. This was not serious; but now came Sim's
landlord. He had called on the tailor the previous morning for his
rent and could not get it. Late the same night Sim had knocked at his
door with the money.

"When I ax't him where he'd come from so late," said the man, "he
glower't at me daiztlike, and said nought."

"What was his appearance?"

"His claes were a' awry, and he keep't looking ahint him."

At this there was a murmur among the bystanders. There could not be a
doubt of Sim's guilt.

At a moment of silence Ralph stepped out. He seemed much moved. Might
he ask the witnesses some questions? Certainly. It was against the
rule, but still he might do so. Then he inquired exactly into the
nature of the wound that had apparently caused death. He asked for
precise information as to the stone on which the head of the deceased
was found lying.

It lay fifty yards to the south of the bridge.

Then