his searching eyes full upon
Ralph's honest features.

"No, sir, Mrs. Hanson just let me in."

Squire Paget seemed relieved to hear this. His conversation with Dan
Pickley had been both important and private, and he was afraid Ralph might
have overheard more than he wished to become public.

"So you wish to see Percy?" he went on, after a short pause. "Is there
anything special?"

"Yes, sir."

"What is it?"

"Excuse me, but I would like to speak to Percy first."

The squire drew up his lower lip and looked plainly annoyed.

"I do not allow my son to have any secrets from me, so you might as well
speak out, Nelson," he observed, abruptly.

"I came to see Percy about a twenty-dollar bill which belonged to me, and
which he obtained," returned Ralph, boldly.

"A twenty-dollar bill of yours Percy obtained? Why, Nelson, what do you
mean? Come into the library."

"I mean what I say, Squire Paget," said the young bridge tender, following
the great man of the village into the apartment mentioned. "Percy had a
twenty-dollar bill belonging to me and he passed it off on Mr. Dicks, the
storekeeper."

"But he could not have known it was your bill if he spent it."

"He ought to have known it was mine, sir."

"Give me the particulars of this matter," was Squire Paget's short
response.

In as few words as possible the young bridge tender told of the row on the
bridge, and of what had followed. While he was speaking the squire grew
excited, and paced up and down nervously. He could hardly wait for Ralph to
finish.

"See here, Nelson, this is preposterous, absurd! My son is above such a
thing!" he cried.

"So I hoped, sir. But I have only stated the plain facts."

"It is a tissue of falsehoods, young man! Wait till I hear Percy's side of
the story. The idea! my son has enough spending money without resorting
to--to such unlawful means of obtaining more."

"Well, it is my twenty-dollar bill that he gave to Mr. Dicks," said Ralph,
doggedly.

"Where did you obtain the bill?"

"A gentleman gave it to me for assisting him out of the water, after his
sloop had been wrecked against the stonework of the bridge."

"That is a likely story! As if twenty-dollar bills were flying around so
thickly!"

"I am telling the truth, sir."

"Who is the gentleman?"

"He is from New York, and is up here on a vacation."

"I can hardly believe he gave you so much money."

"He did, and I can prove it."

"Well, be that as it m