now, from her relief at hearing that someone besides herself
believed the boy to be innocent.

"I don't know what I shall do without you, Mrs. Whitney," Mrs.
Shrewsbury said, when the widow recovered her composure. "I shall
miss you dreadfully. Is it quite settled that you will go?"

"Quite settled, Mrs. Shrewsbury. I wouldn't stop in the squire's
house for an hour longer than I could help, after his believing
Reuben to be guilty of poisoning his dog, and not believing the boy
when he said he had nothing to do with it. He ought to have known
my boy better than that. And he coming up only the other day, and
pretending he felt a kindness for my dead husband."

"I think the squire was too hasty, Mrs. Whitney," the schoolmaster
said. "But you see, he did not know Reuben as we do; and I think,
if you will excuse my saying so, you have been a little hasty, too.
The squire came in to me to tell me about it, and I could see he
was not satisfied in his mind, even before I gave him my positive
opinion that Reuben was innocent; and I do think that, if you had
not given Mrs. Ellison notice so sharply, the squire would have
taken back his words; and said that at any rate, as there was
nothing absolutely proved, he would hold his judgment in suspense
until the matter was cleared up."

"And having everyone pointing the finger at my boy in the meantime!
No, thank you, Mr. Shrewsbury, that would not do for me. I was not
a bit hasty. Mrs. Ellison came in here prepared to talk to me about
Reuben's wickedness; I saw it in her face, so I wouldn't let her
open her lips. If she had, I should have given her a piece of my
mind that she wouldn't have forgot, in a hurry."

"I can quite understand your feelings, Mrs. Whitney," the
schoolmaster said, "and I have no doubt I should have acted as you
did, if a son of mine had been suspected in the same way. Still, I
think it's a pity; for if Reuben had stayed here, there would have
been more chance of the matter being cleared up. However, we won't
talk about that now. Now tell me, what are your plans?"

Mrs. Whitney told her visitors what she had determined upon. As
Lewes was only four miles off, the schoolmaster said that he and
his wife would sometimes come over to see her; and that he hoped
that Reuben, whatever trade he was apprenticed to, would still go
on with his studies. He would give him any advice or assistance in
his power.

The next day Mrs. Whitney and Reuben moved, with all the