reference to the matter, and all the
time the conviction grew stronger within him that, however appearances
might be against him, Connors was no more guilty than he was himself.
At length he could not keep silence, and burst out with,--

"John Connors never stole the bag. I'm sure he didn't."

His fervent declaration of faith in the storeman's innocence roused a
laugh, and one of the clerks turned upon him with the question,--

"What do you know about it any way that you're so sure as to who didn't
do it?"

Instantly there came up in Terry's mind the scene at home, and the
mysterious gold dropping from his father's pockets. What did he know
about it indeed? Far more perhaps than he cared to tell just then.
Regretting that he had spoken, he made no answer; and noticing his
confusion, the clerk, attributing it to his being so sharply
challenged, added good-humouredly,--

"Never mind, Terry; we're a good deal of the same opinion. We don't
think Connors is the man to do such a thing, and there must be a
mistake somewhere."

As soon as he got home Terry told his mother of Connors' arrest, and
Mrs. Ahearn, eager to seize upon any other explanation of the affair
than one which would involve her husband, said persuasively,--

"Now then, Terry, ye'll not be saying anything about your father till
ye find out some more, will ye, darlint?"

Poor Terry was in a sadly perplexed state of mind. He firmly believed
in Connors' innocence; yet he was by no means sure of his father's
guilt, and, without being able to explain to himself why, he had
haunting suspicions as to Morley. How he longed to have a talk with
Mr. Hobart! But his friend was away, and there was no one else in whom
he had the same confidence, or to whom he could go for the counsel he
so sorely needed.

Black Mike did not show himself in Blind Alley that night, greatly to
the relief of both Terry and his mother, for they dreaded seeing him in
their then state of mind. The two had a long talk before going to bed;
but it did not make the future much clearer, although the more he
thought over the matter, the more strongly Terry felt that he was not
doing right in withholding the information about his father.

Immediately on his arrival at the office next morning he was told not
to go out anywhere, as he would soon be particularly wanted, and
presently he learned that he was to appear in the police-court as a
witness at the preliminary examination of Conno