with a
pompously expressed hope that he would see me again after his reputation
was cleared, when his attention as well as my own was diverted by seeing
William's slouching figure appear in the barn door and make slowly
towards us.

Instantly the Deacon forgot me in his interest in William's approach,
which was so slow as to be tantalizing to us both.

When he was within speaking distance, Deacon Spear started towards him.

"Well!" he cried; "one would think you had gone back a dozen or so years
and were again robbing your neighbor's hen-roosts. Been in the hay, eh?"
he added, leaning forward and plucking a wisp or two from my companion's
clothes. "Well, what did you find there?"

In trembling fear for what the lout might answer, I put my hand on the
buggy rail and struggled anxiously to my seat. William stepped forward
and loosened the horse before speaking. Then with a leer he dived into
his pocket, and remarking slowly, "I found _this_," brought to light a
small riding-whip which we both recognized as one he often carried. "I
flung it up in the hay yesterday in one of my fits of laughing, so just
thought I would bring it down to-day. You know it isn't the first time
I've climbed about those rafters, Deacon, as you have been good enough
to insinuate."

The Deacon, evidently taken aback, eyed the young fellow with a leer in
which I saw something more serious than mere suspicion.

"Was that all?" he began, but evidently thought better than to finish,
whilst William, with a nonchalance that surprised me, blunderingly
avoided his eye, and, bounding into the buggy beside me, started up the
horse and drove slowly off.

"Ta, ta, Deacon," he called back; "if you want to see fun, come up to
our end of the lane; there's precious little here." And thus, with a
laugh, terminated an interview which, all things considered, was the
most exciting as well as the most humiliating I have ever taken part in.

"William," I began, but stopped. The two pigeons whose departure I had
watched a little while before were coming back, and, as I spoke,
fluttered up to the window before mentioned, where they alighted and
began picking up the crumbs which I had seen scattered for them. "See!"
I suddenly exclaimed, pointing them out to William. "Was I mistaken when
I thought I saw a hand drop crumbs from that window?"

The answer was a very grave one for him.

"No," said he, "for I have seen more than a hand, through the loophole I
made