l me nothin' as had pleased me better," said the miller.
"'T is a weight off me--an' off him I reckon. Now you 'm answered, my
son; you can telegraph back as you corned wi' your auld handcuffs tu
late by hours, an' that the man's on his way to give hisself up."

"I've only got your word for it."

"An' what better word should 'e have?" piped Billy, who in the space of
half a minute had ranged himself alongside his master. "You to question
the word o' Miller Lyddon, you crooked-hearted raven! Who was it spoke
for 'e fifteen year ago an' got 'em to make 'e p'liceman 'cause you was
tu big a fule to larn any other trade? Gert, thankless twoad! An' who
was it let 'em keep the 'Green Man' awpen two nights in wan week arter
closin' time, 'cause he wanted another drop hisself?"

"Come you away," said the Inspector to his constable. "Ban't for the
likes of we to have any talk wi' the likes o' they. But they'll hear
more of this; an' if theer's been any hookem-snivey dealin's with the
Law, they'll live to be sorry. An' you follow me likewise," he added to
his son, who stood hard by. "You come wi' me, Ted, for you doan't do no
more work for runaway soldiers, nor yet bald-headed auld antics like
this here!"

He pointed to Mr. Blee, then turned to depart.

"Get off honest man's land, you black-bearded beast!" screamed Billy.
"You 'm most like of any wan ever I heard tell of to do murder yourself;
an' auld as I be, I'd crawl on my hands an' knees to see you scragged
for 't, if 't was so far as the sun in heaven!"

"That's libel," answered Mr. Chown, with cold and haughty authority;
"an' you've put yourself in the grip of the Law by sayin' it, as you'll
knaw before you 'm much aulder."

Then, with this trifling advantage, he retreated, while Lamacraft and
Ted brought up the rear.

"So theer's an end of that. Now us'll fall to wi' no worse appetites,"
declared Miller. "An' as to Will," he added, "'fore you chaps go, just
mind an' judge no man till you knaw what's proved against him. Onless
theer's worse behind than I've larned so far, I'm gwaine to stand by
un."

"An' me, tu!" said Mr. Blee, with a fine disregard for his recent
utterances. "I've teached the chap purty nigh all he knaws an' I ban't
gwaine to turn on un now, onless 't is proved blue murder. An' that
Chown 's a disgrace to his cloth; an' I'd pull his ugly bat's ears on my
awn behalf if I was a younger an' spryer man."

CHAPTER XVII

SUSPENSE

The fa