ness willingly settled himself off to sleep, his eyes being
half-closed as the doctor shut the door.

"Well, sir," cried Macey, eagerly, as the doctor entered the
drawing-room, "he's all right in the head again, isn't he?"

"I don't think there's a doubt of it, my lad," said the doctor. "You
are going close by, will you ask the policeman to come down?"

"Yes; I'll tell him," cried Macey, eagerly.

"No, no, leave me to tell him. I would rather," said the doctor,
"because I must speak with some reserve. It is not nice to arrest
innocent people."

"But I may tell Mr Syme and Gilmore?"

"Oh, yes, you can tell what you know," replied the doctor; and,
satisfied with this concession, Macey rushed off.

As he reached the lane leading to the rectory, habit led him up it a few
yards. Then recollecting himself, he was turning back when he caught
sight of Distin and Gilmore coming toward him, and he waited till they
came up.

"It's all right," he cried. "Vane knows all about it now, and he told
me and the doctor who it is that he has to thank for the knocking
about."

"What! he knows?" cried Distin, eagerly; and Gilmore caught his
companion's arm.

"Yes," he cried, catching Distin's arm in turn, "come on with me."

"Where to?" said Distin, starting.

"To the police--to old Bates."

Distin gave Macey a curious look, and then walked on beside him, Macey
repeating all he knew as they went along toward Bates' cottage, where
they found the constable looking singularly unofficial, for he was in
his shirt-sleeves weeding his garden.

"Want me, gents?" he said with alacrity as he rose and looked from one
to the other, his eyes resting longest upon Distin, as if he had some
doubt about him that he could not clear up.

"We don't, but the doctor does," cried Macey. "I've just come from
there."

"Phee-ew!" whistled the constable. "They been at his fowls again? No;
they'd have known in the morning. Why--no--yes--you don't mean to say
as Mr Vane's come round enough to say who knocked him about?"

"The doctor told me to tell you he wanted you to step down to see him,"
said Macey coolly; "so look sharp."

The constable ran to the pump to wash his hands, and five minutes after
he was on the way to the Little Manor.

"I'm wrong," he muttered as he went along--"ever so wrong. Somehow you
can't be cock-sure about anything. I could ha' sweered as that
yallow-faced poople had a finger in it, for it looked as straight