nt to lay him there helpless, and so near death
that a feeling of awe fell upon those who watched and waited, and tried
to revive the victim of this last outrage.

It was a terrible feeling of helplessness that which pervaded the place.
There was nothing to do save bathe the wounded man's brow and moisten
his lips with a little of the smuggled spirit with which most of the
coast cottages were provided in those distant days. There was no blood
to staunch, nothing to excite, nothing to do but wait, wait for the
doctor's coming.

Before very long Farmer Tallington arrived, and as he encountered Dick's
eyes fixed upon him he turned very pale, and directly after, when he
bent over the squire's couch and took his hand, the lad saw that he
trembled violently.

"It's straange and horrible--it's straange and horrible," he said: "only
yesterday he was like I am: as strong and well as a man can be; while
now--Hickathrift, my lad, do you think he'll die?"

The wheelwright shook his head--he could not trust himself to speak; and
Dick stood with a sensation of rage gathering in his breast, which made
him feel ready to spring at Farmer Tallington's throat, and accuse him
of being his father's murderer.

"The hypocrite--the cowardly hypocrite!" he said to himself; "but we
know now, and he shall be punished."

The boy's anger was fast growing so ungovernable that he was about to
fly out and denounce his school-fellow's father, but just then a hasty
step was heard outside, and a familiar voice exclaimed:

"Where is my husband?"

The next minute Mrs Winthorpe was in the room, wild-eyed and pale, but
perfectly collected in her manner and acts.

"How long will it be before the doctor can get here?" she said hoarsely,
as she passed her arm under the injured man's neck, and pressed her lips
to his white brow.

"Hickathrift's lad went off at a hard gallop," said Farmer Tallington in
a voice full of sympathy. "Please God, Mrs Winthorpe, we'll save him
yet."

Dick uttered a hoarse cry and staggered out of the room, for the man's
hypocrisy maddened him, and he knew that if he stayed he should speak
out and say all he knew.

As he reached the little garden there was a step behind him, a hand was
laid upon his shoulder, another grasped his arm.

"I can't talk and say things, Dicky," said Tom in a low half-choking
voice; "but I want to comfort you. Don't break down, old fellow. The
doctor will save his life."

This from the so