sitting on a chair placed at the upper end of the court, "we
are sorry to trouble you, but we must ask you to go into the
witness box.

"I wish to ask you," he went on, when she had taken her stand in
the box, "how it was you at once connected the initials with the
prisoner?"

"Because he had at one time lived in the village, and was employed
assisting our gardener. He was discharged on suspicion of having
poisoned a watchdog which had bit him; and as the three dogs about
the place had all been poisoned, on the night when the house was
broken into, his name had been in my mind and, on seeing the
initials, I naturally recognized them at once."

There was a deep silence in the court, when Mrs. Ellison gave her
evidence. Hitherto the impression had been rather favourable to the
prisoner. His story, though strange, had been by no means
impossible and, if true, would have completely accounted for the
finding of the tools, which were the only evidence against him. The
evidence of Mrs. Ellison, however, entirely altered the complexion
of the case.

Reuben had stood, quiet and composed, during the hearing. His
countenance had evinced no surprise or emotion, when the tools were
produced. He had, indeed, upon thinking the matter over before
coming into court, come to the conclusion that the tools, which he
had in a small basket at the time he was attacked, had been found
in or near the house; having been left there purposely, by Tom
Thorne, in order to throw suspicion upon him. Their production,
therefore, was no surprise to him.

A slight shade had passed over his face when Mrs. Ellison entered
the witness box. Glancing at the squire as she gave her evidence,
Reuben saw that Mr. Ellison looked greatly vexed and annoyed. As
before, at the conclusion of the evidence of each witness, Reuben
was asked if he had any question to put. He hesitated for a moment
and then, as before, replied in the negative.

Again the magistrates consulted together.

"Mr. Ellison, we shall be obliged if you will enter the witness box
again. In your former evidence, Mr. Ellison, you said nothing in
any way relating to the prisoner; but it now seems you had a
previous acquaintance with him. Will you tell the court what it
is?"

"I have not much to say," the squire said. "As a boy he lived in
the village with his mother, a most respectable person; and widow
of Jacob Whitney, a miller in a good way of business, who, as it
may be in your memory,