Bob?" he added.

"The noos?--ah; that _good_ noos drove it all out o' my 'ead. Well, as
I wos agoin' to say, there's a great to-do down at the shed, 'cause it's
said that an awful lot o' thefts has bin goin' on of late at Bingly
station, and it's bin reported that some of the drivers or firemen are
consarned in it. An' d'ee know, father," continued Bob, suddenly
becoming grave and very earnest, "I heard one o' the men say that Will
Garvie is suspected."

There was a momentary deep silence, as if every one had received a
shock; then Mrs Marrot exclaimed "What say 'ee, boy?"

At the same time her husband demanded sternly, "Who said that?"

"I don't know, father. I was passing through the shed at the time and
didn't see who spoke, I only heerd 'im."

"Father," said Leo, over whose face a deep crimson flush had spread,
"_surely_ you don't for a moment believe it?"

"Believe it," replied John, "believe that my mate, Will Garvie, is a
thief? I'd as soon believe that my Molly was a murderer!"

The energetic driver here struck his fist so violently on the bed as to
cause his wounded side an acute twinge of pain. It had scarcely passed
away when the door opened and Will Garvie himself entered.

"Well, Jack," he said, going up to his friend's couch and taking his
hand, "how d'you feel now--better?"

The frank open countenance of the young man--albeit begrimed with smoke,
and his clear laughing blue eyes, were such a flat contradiction to the
charge which had been made against him that John looked up in his face
and laughed.

"Well, you _must_ be better, if that's the way you answer me!"

"Oh, I'm all right," said John, quietly; "leastwise I'm on the rails
agin, an' only shunted on to a sidin' to be overhauled and repaired a
bit. You've heard the noos, I fancy?"

"What of Bob's appointment?" said Will, glancing at Loo; for he knew
that anything that was for Bob's advantage gave her intense delight, and
he liked to watch her countenance in such circumstances--"of course I've
heard of that. Moreover, I've bin to the locomotive superintendent and
got leave to go over with him to-morrow and show him through the works,
along with any of his family that might want to go. I made a special
request for this, thinkin' that mayhap--"

He looked pointedly at Loo, and Loo looked pointedly at the pinafore
which suddenly claimed her undivided attention. Bob, before Will could
finish his sentence, broke in with--

"Now,