said Sam to himself; "and then they'll have a go at the apples.
I knows it's them youngsters. Now, then," he said, for Harry and Philip
just came up in the midst of the old man's soliloquy, "now, then,
where's all them nuts?"

"Get out," said Harry, "we never touched them. But it's no use to tell
such an old unbeliever as you are. We didn't touch them; did we, Phil?"

Phil followed his brother's example, and strenuously denied the
impeachment; but Sam would not be convinced, and went muttering and
grumbling away to his work, while Philip stood with tears in his eyes,
for he could not bear the idea of his word being doubted. Harry did not
mind it much; but Philip was obliged to go behind the large clump of
laurustinus and pull out his handkerchief and blow his nose a great
deal, and wipe the eyes that would brim over.

"What's the matter, Philip?" said his father, who had come up
unobserved.

Philip could not speak for a moment, for the tears would come faster,
and a round sob seemed to stick in his throat, and would not go either
up or down. At last, however, he told his father the cause of his
tears; and Mr Inglis was very angry, saying that he would not have the
honour of his boys doubted, for he had perfect reliance in their word,
knowing that they had always been truthful; and therefore he would not
have another word said about the walnuts; and the consequence was, that
Mr Sam came in for a very sharp reprimand that morning; but, for all
that, he looked at the boys the next half-hour, when he met them, as
much as to say, "I know you got the walnuts," though he did not say so.

But old Sam was wrong, as was, sad to state, _very_ soon proved; for the
next day being very wet, the walnuts were not thrashed, the weather
necessitating the nut harvest being deferred for another day.

Upon the following morning, while Mr and Mrs Inglis and their sons
were sitting at breakfast, Mr Inglis knit his brows, for old Sam,
without studying the lesson upon decorum that his master had given him
but a few days before, burst into the breakfast-room again, but this
time through the French window opening on the lawn.

"Sam," said Mr Inglis, sternly, "what can--" but he interrupted himself
upon seeing that the old man was all in a tremble, and that the
perspiration stood in great drops upon his forehead. "Why, what is it,
man, speak out!"

But Sam could not speak out, for he was too excited, and though his lips
moved no sou