day, and always as he sat in the court room watching the
prisoner and the Elder, looking from one set face to the other, he
tried to convince himself that Mary and Betty were right in their firm
belief that it was none other than Peter Junior who sat there with
that steadfast look and the unvarying statement that he was the
Elder's son, and had returned to give himself up for the murder of his
cousin Richard, in the firm belief that he had left him dead on the
river bluff.

G. B. Stiles sat at the Elder's side, and when Nels Nelson was brought
in and sworn, he glanced across at Milton Hibbard with an expression
of satisfaction and settled himself back to watch the triumph of his
cause and the enjoyment of the assurance of the ten thousand dollars.
He had coached the Swede and felt sure he would give his testimony
with unwavering clearness.

The Elder's face worked and his hands clutched hard on the arms of
his chair. It was then that Bertrand Ballard, watching him with
sorrowful glances, lost all doubt that the prisoner was in truth
what he claimed to be, for, under the tension of strong feeling, the
milder lines of the younger man's face assumed a set power of
will,--immovable,--implacable,--until the force within him seemed to
mold the whole contour of his face into a youthful image of that of
the man who refused even to look at him.

Every eye in the court room was fixed on the Swede as he took his
place before the court and was bade to look on the prisoner.
Throughout his whole testimony he never varied from his first
statement. It was always the same.

"Do you know the prisoner?"

"Yas, I know heem. Dot is heem, I seen heem two, t'ree times."

"When did you see him first?"

"By Ballards' I seen heem first--he vas horse ridin' dot time. It vas
nobody home by Ballards' dot time. Eferybody vas gone off by dot
peek-neek."

"At that time did the prisoner speak to you?"

"Yas, he asket me where is Ballards' folks, und I tol' heem by
peek-neek, und he asket me where is it for a peek-neek is dey gone,
und I tol' heem by Carter's woods by der river, und he asket me is
Mees Betty gone by dem yet or is she home, und I tol' heem yas she is
gone mit, und he is off like der vind on hees horse already."

"When did you see the prisoner next?"

"By Ballards' yard dot time."

"What time?"

"It vas Sunday morning I seen heem, talkin' mit her."

"With whom was he talking?"

"Oh, he talk mit Ballards' girl--Mees B