lyn
again."

He stopped and his face got very red, for the door opened and Mrs.
Halliday and Bernard came in.

"I imagined we would find you here, but it looks as if you were
quarreling," Bernard remarked.

"We were quarreling," Dick admitted with strange calm, for he was
relieved that a chance to get rid of his load had come. It was his
duty to tell Jim and Bernard and he had been afraid. Now he could
leave matters to the head of the house.

"You are hot-blooded, Dick, but I don't imagine you would get angry
about nothing. May I inquire the grounds for the dispute?"

"I'll tell you if you will send for Jim. The thing touches him."

Bernard pressed an electric bell and Mordaunt said: "You will be very
sorry for this, Dick."

The bell rang and when a servant came Bernard said, "Tell Mr. Dearham
we would like to see him here."

CHAPTER XVII

DICK'S ACCUSATION

The party in the gun-room were silent while they waited for Jim. Mrs.
Halliday glanced at the others curiously and got a sense of strain.
Dick, looking disturbed but resolute, leaned against the table opposite
Mordaunt, whose face was rather white; Bernard occupied the bench by
the wall and his look was inscrutable. All was very quiet except for
the snapping of the stove and the occasional rattle of a cinder falling
through the bars. It was something of a relief when Jim came in and
Bernard turned on the light.

"Sit down, Jim," he said. "Dick has something to tell us that he
thinks you ought to hear. He hints that it is important."

"It is important," Dick replied. "The thing has weighed on me for some
time. In fact, the load is too heavy and I feel I must get rid of it.
I want to hand over my responsibility, and you are the head of the
house, sir."

"Very well," said Bernard. "The post has drawbacks. You had better go
on."

"Then I'll begin some time since; the night Lance and I met Jim at the
telegraph shack. We talked about England and Jim asked if we knew
Langrigg. There was an old French romance on a shelf and Lance read a
passage. He studied the book when Jim left the shack, and I found out
afterwards that Franklin Dearham's name was written across the front
page. You see what this implies, sir?"

"You mean Lance knew who Jim was, although you did not. When did you
find out?"

"I picked up the book one day at Langrigg. Lance was there. He
admitted that he had seen the writing at the telegraph shack."

Jim tur