letter felt
rather thin when I took it from the mantelpiece, but I had not the
faintest suspicion that it had been tampered with, and never gave the
matter a second thought. Yet she had intercepted the challenge," said
Roland, in a low tone.

But Miss Sibby overheard him, and answered:

"Yes, you young tiger, I did interslip it! And, if I hadn't interslipted
it, there'd 'a' been murder done, and the constable would have slipted a
pair of handcuffs on your wrists by this time--and both of you in jail for
murder! Yes, I mean you two young wolves in sheep's clothing, a-standing
up by the mantelpiece there and a-grinning like apes!"

"She'll exhaust the menagerie on us presently," said Le.

"Have you any more to tell us of this case?" inquired Mr. Force.

"Well, not much, squire. I tore off the challenge neat as anything, and
folded up the blank leaf in its own folds and put it back in the
hungwallop, and gummed it up all nice as wax, and nicer, too; and then my
scamp come down in his Sunday clothes, and took it up quick and put it in
his pocket, and off with him, without any suspicion that he was a-carrying
away a blank and a-leaving the challenge in my hands!"

"If you had wished to stop the duel, why hadn't you thrown the whole
letter into the fire?" demanded Roland.

"Because, my fine, young chanticleer, you'd a-gone right straight off to
Greenbushes and got another one writ, and took it to the colonel right
off. Whereas, my letting you go on a fool's errand give me time and chance
to come to the squire and fetch the evidence along with me. And, as it was
too late to start that night, and I knowed you couldn't fight the duel
till to-day noways, I waited until this morning, and I got up and eat my
breakfast by candlelight, and set off on my old mule for this place afore
sunrise. And I made the complaint to the squire here, and give him the
evidence, and called on him to make out a warrant and have you both took
up and fetched here, to answer for your misdeeds, and to be dealt with
according to law. And he did what I required on him, which was no more
than his duty, if you had been his own dear sons. And here you are! Yes,
you two there, standing agin' the mantelpiece! It is bad enough, the Lord
knows, sez I. But it is not so bad as murder and hanging, sez I, nor yet
the State prison, and working in chains! There, squire, I think that is
all I have got to say about this, and may the Lord have mercy on their
souls!"