was convinced by the step and figure that it was no one he knew,
that it was not one of the villagers or neighboring farmers. After
waiting until all was still, he went to the place where the man had
bathed, and searched with his hands on the sand and grass to see if he
had not dropped a cigar or stray coin or two: this petty covetousness,
when he had the watch and diamonds, betrays the limited nature of his
intelligence. He found nothing save the two towels which Captain
Heathcote had left behind; he took these and went back to his boat.
There, on the shore, the sound of a dog's sudden bark alarmed him; he
dropped one of the towels, could not find it among the reeds, and,
without waiting longer, pushed off his boat and paddled up the stream
toward home. This singular creature, who was bold enough to commit
murder, yet afraid to touch his booty for fear of rousing a ghost, has
been living on as usual all this time, within a mile or two of the
village where his crime was committed, pursuing his daily occupation of
fishing, and mixing with the villagers as formerly, without betraying
his secret or attracting toward himself the least suspicion. His narrow
but remarkable craft is shown in the long account he gives of the
intricate and roundabout ways he selected for spending the money he had
stolen. The purse itself, together with the watch, rings, and towel, he
buried under a tree behind his cabin, where they have lain undisturbed
until he himself unearthed them, and delivered them to the priest.

"For this notable confession was obtained by the influence of one of a
body of men vowed to good works, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church.
Croom was of the same faith, after his debased fashion, and in spite of
his weak mind (perhaps on account of it) a superstitious, almost craven,
believer.

"The presence of this rarely intelligent and charitable priest in
Timloesville at this particular time may be set down as one of these
fortunate chances with which a some what unfortunate world is
occasionally blessed. Resting after arduous labor elsewhere and engaged
in the rural amusement of fishing, this kind-hearted old man noticed the
degraded appearance and life of this poor waif of humanity, and in a
generous spirit of charity set himself to work to enlighten and instruct
him, as much as was possible during the short period of his stay. In
this he was successful far beyond his expectation, far beyond his
conception, like a labo