dark Ned walked up to
Varley and knocked at Bill's door.

On hearing who it was Bill threw on his cap and came out to him. For a
minute the lads stood with their hands clasped firmly in each other's
without a word being spoken.

"Thank God, Maister Ned," Bill said at last, "we ha' got thee again!"

"Thank God too!" Ned said; "though I think I would rather that it had
gone the other way."

They walked along for some time without speaking again, and then Ned
said suddenly:

"Now, Bill, who is the real murderer?"

Bill stopped his walk in astonishment.

"The real murderer!" he repeated; "how ever should oi know, Maister
Ned?"

"I know that you know, Bill. It was you who wrote that letter to Mr.
Wakefield saying that the man who did it would be at the trial, and
that if I were found guilty he would give himself up. It's no use your
denying it, for I knew your handwriting at once."

Bill was silent for some time, It had never occurred to him that this
letter would be brought home to him.

"Come, Bill, you must tell me," Ned said. "Do not be afraid. I promise
you that I will not use it against him. Mind, if I can bring it home to
him in any other way I shall do so; but I promise you that no word shall
ever pass my lips about the letter. I want to know who is the man of
whose crime the world believes me guilty. The secret shall, as far as he
is concerned, be just as much a secret as it was before."

"But oi dunno who is the man, Maister Ned. If oi did oi would ha' gone
into the court and said so, even though oi had been sure they would
ha' killed me for peaching when oi came back. Oi dunno no more than a
child."

"Then you only wrote that letter to throw them on to a false scent,
Bill? Who put you up to that, for I am sure it would never have occurred
to you?"

"No," Bill said slowly, "oi should never ha' thought of it myself; Luke
told oi what to wroit, and I wroited it."

"Oh, it was Luke! was it?" Ned said sharply. "Then the man who did it
must have told him."

"Oi didn't mean to let out as it waar Luke," Bill said in confusion;
"and oi promised him solemn to say nowt about it."

"Well," Ned said, turning sharp round and starting on his way back to
the village, "I must see Luke himself."

Bill in great perplexity followed Ned, muttering: "Oh, Lor'! what ull
Luke say to oi? What a fellow oi be to talk, to be sure!"

Nothing further was said until they reached Luke's cottage. Ned knocked
and entered