partially
opened; and then, while his sons both rose to their feet, the Squire
himself suddenly entered the room. He looked round upon the assembled
company with a glance of shame and grief that went to the Curate's
heart. Then he bowed to the judges, who were looking at him with an
uncomfortable sense of his identity, and walked across the room to the
bench on which Gerald and Frank were seated together. "I beg your
pardon, gentlemen," said the Squire, "if I interrupt your proceedings;
but I have only this moment arrived in Carlingford, and heard what was
going on, and I trust I may be allowed to remain, as my son's honour
is concerned." Mr Wentworth scarcely waited for the assent which
everybody united in murmuring, but seated himself heavily on the
bench, as if glad to sit down anywhere. He suffered Frank to grasp his
hand, but scarcely gave it; nor, indeed, did he look, except once,
with a bitter momentary glance at the brothers. They were sons a
father might well have been proud of, so far as external appearances
went; but the Squire's soul was bitter within him. One was about to
abandon all that made life valuable in the eyes of the sober-minded
country gentleman. The other--"And I could have sworn by Frank," the
mortified father was saying in his heart. He sat down with a dull
dogged composure. He meant to hear it all, and have it proved to him
that his favourite son was a villain. No wonder that he was
disinclined to respond to any courtesies. He set himself down almost
with impatience that the sound of his entrance should have interrupted
the narrative, and looked straight in front of him, fixing his eyes on
Elsworthy, and taking no notice of the anxious glances of the possible
culprit at his side.

"I hadn't gone above a step or two when I see Mr Hayles at his door. I
said to him, 'It's a fine evening,'--as so it was, and the stars
shining. 'My Rosa aint been about your place, has she?' I says; and he
says, 'No.' But, gentlemen, I see by the look of his eye as he had
more to say. 'Aint she come home yet?' says Mr Hayles--"

"Stop a moment," said John Brown. "Peter Hayles is outside, I think.
If the Rector wishes to preserve any sort of legal form in this
inquiry, may I suggest that a conversation repeated is not evidence?
Let Elsworthy tell what he knows, and the other can speak for
himself."

"It is essential we should hear the conversation," said the Rector,
"since I believe it was of importance. I beli