accuse you of having
assaulted him. It is absurd. But no; I overhear him say to Meester
Rogers in the masters' hall that he has evidence, he has evidence--ho!
ho! it is absurd."

Railsford had not much difficulty after his talk with Arthur last night
in guessing where this evidence was likely to be, and whence it
proceeded. If that was the whole of the trouble he had to face, he
could have afforded to laugh with monsieur. But the doctor's question
still rang in his ears. That, he could not get round or avoid.

"Bickers no doubt believes he is right," said he, "but, as you say,
monsieur, he is absurd--I wish he had been allowed to say what he wanted
at the last meeting, when I wasn't there."

"But, _mon ami_, it would be unfair. Let him say it to your face, and
you stand up and say to him to his face, it is one--what you call it,
one very big lie."

"Well, I will do my best," said Railsford, smiling. "It is a wretched
business altogether."

"It is strange it is a secret still. I have my thoughts often, friend
Railsford. I sometimes think of this boy, and sometimes of that boy; I
have even said to myself, Why do we look only in Meester Railsford's
house? Why could it not be--for I see boys of all the houses--why could
it not be perhaps one of Meester Beekaire's own boys? They hate him--I
wish Branscombe would come back. I think if he did, I would ask him."

Railsford shifted his chair uneasily, and suddenly changed the
conversation.

"How are the little girls?" asked he.

Poor monsieur! It was easy to turn him from any subject by a question
like this. His eyes glistened at the mere mention of their names, and
as he sat there and talked about them, with their portraits lying on the
breakfast-table before him, Mr Bickers, Branscombe, even Railsford
himself vanished out of sight, and his world held nothing but just those
three little absent girls of his far away in his beloved France.

Railsford was tempted more than once during the day to absent himself
boldly from the masters' meeting in the evening, and allow matters to
take whatever course they chose in his absence.

"After all," he said to himself, "the fatal question will be put sooner
or later, and then I must go down."

"Probably," said the bolder spirit within him; "but keep your feet,
Railsford, my brave fellow, as long as you can."

So he braced himself up to the ordeal, and walked across at the
appointed time, calm and collected, det