as much bewildered as poor Mary
with the strange discovery; his father a great landed proprietor, one of
the first men in the county, universally respected--in the first
society! his mother, as he knew by Mary's letters written long ago,
courted and sought after, loved and admired! If he had made a
resolution--a promise he might say--when a mere child that he would take
the onus of the deed upon his own shoulders, to protect his father, then
a poacher and in humble life, how much more was it his duty, now that
his father would so feel any degradation--now that, being raised so
high, his fall would be so bitter, his disgrace so deeply felt, and the
stigma so doubly severe! "No, no," thought Joey, "were I to impeach my
father now--to accuse him of a deed which would bring him to the
scaffold--I should not only be considered his murderer, but it would be
said I had done it to inherit his possessions; I should be considered
one who had sacrificed his father to obtain his property. I should be
scouted, shunned, and deservedly despised; the disgrace of my father
having been hanged would be a trifle compared with the reproach of a son
having condemned a parent to the gallows. Now I am doubly bound to keep
to my resolution; and come what may the secret shall die with me:" and
Joey slept soundly that night.

The next morning Mr Trevor came into his cell.

"I have seen your sister, Rushbrook," said he, "and at her request, have
come to assist you, if it is in my power. She has been here since, I
have been informed, and if so, I have no doubt that she has told you
that you must have no secrets with your lawyer: your legal friend and
adviser in this case is your true friend: he is bound in honour to
secrecy, and were you to declare now that you were guilty of this
murder, the very confidence would only make me more earnest in your
defence. I have here all the evidence at the coroner's inquest, and the
verdict against you; tell me honestly what did take place, and then I
shall know better how to convince the jury that it did not."

"You are very kind, sir; but I can say nothing even to you, except that,
on my honour, I am not guilty."

"But, tell me, then, how did it happen."

"I have nothing more to say, and, with my thanks to you, sir, I will say
nothing more."

"This is very strange: the evidence was strong against you, was the
evidence correct?"

"The parties were correct in their evidence, as it appeared to them.