y duty. I
should advise you to say nothing at this period of the proceedings; but
if there is anything which you think of importance to say, and which
will give another complexion to the case, I am ready to hear it."

"I have nothing to say, sir," Ned said quietly, "except that I am wholly
innocent of the affair. As you may see by my face I was brutally beaten
by my stepfather on the evening before his death. I went out of the
house scarce knowing what I was doing. I had no fixed intention of going
anywhere or of doing anything, I simply wanted to get away from home. I
went on to the moors and wandered about, I suppose for some hours. Then
I threw myself down under the shelter of a pile of stones and lay there
awake till it was morning. Then I determined to go to the house of my
old nurse and to stop there until I was fit to be seen. In the afternoon
I heard what had taken place here, and that I was accused of the murder,
and I at once came over here and gave myself up."

"As you are not in a position to prove what you state," Mr. Simmonds
said, "we have nothing to do but to remand the case until this day week.
I may say that I have received a letter from Dr. Green saying that he
and Mr. Porson are ready to become your bail to any amount; but we could
not think of accepting bail in a charge of murder."

Ned bowed and followed the constable without a word to the cells. His
appearance had not been calculated to create a favorable impression.
His clothes were stained and muddy; his lips were swollen, his eyes were
discolored and so puffed that he could scarcely see between the lids,
his forehead was bruised and cut in several places. He had passed two
sleepless nights; his voice had lost its clearness of ring and was low
and husky. Mr. Simmonds shook his head to his fellow magistrate.

"I am afraid it's a bad case, Thompson, but the lad has been terribly
ill used, there is no doubt about that. It's a thousand pities he takes
up the line of denying it altogether. If he were to say, what is no
doubt the truth, that having been brutally beaten he put the rope across
the road intending to punish and even injure his stepfather, but without
any intention of killing him, I think under the circumstances of extreme
provocation, and what interest we could bring to bear on the matter,
he would get off the capital punishment, for the jury would be sure to
recommend him to mercy. I shall privately let Green and Porson, who
are evide