d yet," the commissioner said, coldly. "I was about
to observe that if more evidence was wanting this would complete it;"
and bending down, he inserted his arm in a barrel that was partially
filled with rice, and to our utter consternation, held up to our view a
sheath knife covered with blood.

"Perhaps your friends can account for the presence of this knife in
their store?" asked the commissioner, with a cold smile at the distress
that he saw upon our faces.

"We cannot," I answered. "We had two dozen of just such knives when we
commenced business, and sold the last one that we had yesterday."

"I will wager a hundred ounces that Follet put the knife in the barrel
when he visited the store this morning," cried the inspector,
dogmatically.

"Did you sell a knife of this pattern to Mr. Follet?" asked Sherwin,
turning to us.

Mr. Brown seemed to take fresh courage at the question, and we could see
that he was anxious for us to answer in the affirmative. Had we done so,
the commissioner would have been staggered with the coincidence, and our
dismissal have followed instantly.

But we disdained to lie even to save ourselves from incarceration, and
much to the disgust of Mr. Brown, and the triumph of the commissioner,
we replied without a moment's hesitancy,--

"Mr. Follet never purchased a knife at our store."

"Do you wish for more conclusive proof?" asked Mr. Sherwin.

"Proof?" echoed the inspector; "I hope that you don't call the finding
of the knife in that barrel proof. I do not believe that these young
men, the preservers of my life, would commit an outrage of the kind that
you charge them with for all the gold in Ballarat."

"Time will, perhaps, reveal the secret of the affair. Mr. Critchet may
live, and be able to give us a clew to his assailants; and until he
recovers or dies, I think that I shall be justified in committing your
friends to prison without bail."

The words of the commissioner fell upon our ears like a thunderbolt. A
dozen different ideas coursed through my brain, yet I was too much bowed
down with grief to attempt to form them into tangible shapes. And even
while I was thinking what would become of the store and contents during
our imprisonment, Mr. Brown broke the ominous silence.

"This is a case where bail can be readily given, if you will accept of
it, and any amount that you may name will be forthcoming," the inspector
said, addressing the commissioner.

"I have concluded not t