pon. Mr. Drummond, Mr. Brown, the officers
of the blockade-runner, and Mr. Hobart gave their evidence one after
another, while Terry listened to every question and answer as though
his own life depended upon the result. His mind was in a state of the
utmost distress and indecision. His turn would come soon. How much
should he tell? No one could have any idea of what he knew. Must he
betray his father, or had he the right to maintain silence?

Never in his life before had he been brought face to face with so
perplexing a moral problem, and his early training was indeed a poor
preparation for its right solution. Indeed, had he been left to decide
it by the standards of that training, it would have been quickly done;
but during his short stay with Mr. Sargent in Boston a new view of life
had come to him, in the light of which he saw his duty as he had never
done before.

He looked longingly at Mr. Hobart, for he felt that a good talk with
him would be a wonderful help in straightening matters out; but there
was no chance of that now, and he had come no nearer a decision when he
heard his name called by the clerk.

Dazed, and trembling in every limb, he entered the witness box, and
took tight hold of the front rail, for it seemed as though his knees
would sink under him. In consideration of his youth and manifest
perturbation, the prosecuting attorney questioned him very gently and
briefly as to what he knew, and Terry having told about seeing the bag
locked up in the desk, hoped that the ordeal was over.

But to his dismay Mr. Morton now took him in hand, adjusting his gold
spectacles so as to look straight through them into the boy's face; and
assuming a very confident air, as though he knew all about it, the
renowned cross-examiner said,--

"Come now, Master Ahearn, you're a bright-looking lad, and no doubt you
think a good deal. Have you been thinking much about this wonderful
black bag?"

Terry started, and the colour deepened on his already flushed cheeks.
Had he been thinking about it? What else indeed had occupied his
thoughts since first he heard of the robbery?

His keen eye observing the boy's confusion, Mr. Morton, who as a matter
of fact had intended simply to play with him for a few minutes while he
collected his own thoughts, for the case seemed going hard against his
client, began to suspect that possibly the extent of Terry's knowledge
had not yet appeared; so, changing his manner from one