s the dearest of dogs, and I will tell you
some day how I found him. Come here, Turk, and give your hand to this
lady, she is a very great friend of your master."

Turk gravely approached and offered his paw, which Alice took
cautiously, Frank's report of his doings being by no means encouraging.
Turk, satisfied now that there was no occasion for his interference,
threw himself down at full length upon the hearthrug, and Alice turned
to Frank.

"I am so glad you are coming home again."

"And I am glad to be coming home again," Frank said, "or rather I shall
be when this matter is quite cleared up."

"I should not bother any more about it," Alice said decidedly. "Uncle
Harry and I are all quite, quite sure that you had nothing to do with
that horrible business, and that ought to be quite enough for you."

"It isn't quite enough, Alice," he said, "although it is a very great
deal; but we need not talk about that now. Oh, here is uncle."

In the course of the day Alice heard of the new light which had been
thrown on the matter by the discovery that Frank had written to protest
his innocence, which letter had never come to hand, and that it was Fred
who had urged Frank to fly and had supplied him with money to do so.

"I always knew he was at the bottom of it," Alice said decidedly. "I
always said it was Fred. But I hope, Frank, you or uncle don't mean to
take any steps to get him into trouble. I hate him, you know, and always
have; still, I think he will be punished enough with the loss of the
money he so wickedly tried to gain."

"I think so too, Alice; he has behaved like a scoundrel of the worst
kind, but, for my part, I am quite content to leave him alone. Still, we
must if possible prove that I was innocent."

"But we all know you are innocent, Frank. Uncle never would have doubted
it if it had not been for the stories Fred told."

"Yes, Alice; but all the fellows at Westminster were told I was guilty.
I shall be constantly meeting them in the world, and all my life this
blot will hang to me if it is not set straight. When we get home I shall
go back to the School and see if I cannot hit on some clue or other. Of
course if Fred would confess it would be all right, but, after all, we
have not a shadow of real proof against him. We have only our suspicion,
and the fact that the letter did not come to hand; and if he faces it
out, and declares he posted it all right, who is to gainsay him? Letters
have gone wr