I should know," added Jorian oracularly,
"for I was brought up along with a chough. He and I were born the same
year, but he cut his teeth long before me, and wow! but my life was a
burden for years all along of him. If you had but a hole in your hose no
bigger than a groat, in went his beak like a gimlet; and, for stealing,
Gerard all over. What he wanted least, and any poor Christian in the
house wanted most, that went first. Mother was a notable woman, so
if she did but look round, away flew her thimble. Father lived by
cordwaining, so about sunrise Jack went diligently off with his awl, his
wax, and his twine. After that, make your bread how you could! One day
I heard my mother tell him to his face he was enough to corrupt
half-a-dozen other children; and he only cocked his eye at her, and next
minute away with the nurseling's shoe off his very foot. Now this Gerard
is tarred with the same stick. The parchments are no more use to him
than a thimble or an awl to Jack. He took 'em out of pure mischief and
hid them, and you would never have found them but for me."

"I believe you are right," said Ghysbrecht, "and I have vexed myself
more than need."

When they came to Peter's gate he felt uneasy.

"I wish it had been anywhere but here."

Jorian reassured him.

"The girl is honest and friendly," said he. "She had nothing to do with
taking them, I'll be sworn;" and he led him into the garden. "There,
master, if a face is to be believed, here they lie; and see, the mould
is loose."

He ran for a spade which was stuck up in the ground at some distance,
and soon went to work and uncovered a parchment. Ghysbrecht saw it, and
thrust him aside and went down on his knees and tore it out of the hole.
His hands trembled and his face shone. He threw out parchment after
parchment, and Jorian dusted them and cleared them and shook them. Now,
when Ghysbrecht had thrown out a great many, his face began to darken
and lengthen, and when he came to the last, he put his hands to his
temples and seemed to be all amazed.

"What mystery lies here?" he gasped. "Are fiends mocking me? Dig deeper!
There must be another."

Jorian drove the spade in and threw out quantities of hard mould. In
vain. And even while he dug, his master's mood had changed.

"Treason! treachery!" he cried. "You knew of this."

"Knew what, master, in Heaven's name?"

"Caitiff, you knew there was another one worth all these twice told.'

"'Tis false," crie