led by the man Gable, whose mental
infirmities were of such a nature as to render him unfit to be at large
in a civilised community. The Mercury was informed that all the young
ruffians who had taken part in the sticking-up incidents were in custody,
and would appear in the police court on the following morning.

Mrs. Haddon, who still believed Dick's strange reserve and lack of
spirits to be due to his fear of the law and the dread prospect of having
to appear in court, endeavoured indirectly (and very cleverly, as she
imagined) to ease his mind. She did not wish him to think he had done no
wrong, or that she did not regard his conduct as most reprehensible; but
his mute misery appealed to her motherly heart, and she heaped derision
on those 'fool men' who had been deluded by the silly pretence of a pack
of boys, and who would be the laughing-stock of the whole countryside
when the truth was made known in court and the magistrates abused them
for cowards and simpletons. This was comforting to Dick; but in truth he
thought little of the pending court case, and it gave him no concern even
when he found himself in the troopers' hands. His secret weighed heavily
upon him, and the sight of Mrs. Hardy, erect and brave and composed as
ever, but with traces of suffering in her face that the boy could not
fail to detect, brought home to him an aspect of the case that he had not
considered up to now. Her son Frank was a prisoner suffering for a crime
committed by Ephraim Shine: in protecting Shine for Christina's sake he
must sacrifice Mrs. Hardy, Frank, and Harry.

The problem tried Dick sorely, but he had plenty of time to think it over
and he determined to wait for Harry's story. He must be true to Chris in
any case, and he knew her love and admiration for her father were deep
and sincere. He could not understand it: he admitted to himself that
affection for such a man as the searcher was quite absurd and uncalled
for; but he knew full well that the blow would fall upon the girl with
crushing force, and his heart fought for her, and every romantic impulse
he cherished bade him be leal and bold in the cause of the queen of her
sex. In the end he resolved that if Harry had not recognised his
assailants he would warn Shine in some way, and when the searcher had
made good his escape he would tell the whole truth. This, according to
his boyish logic, was fair treatment to all parties, so the resolution
brought him some peace of m