"Ye5, papa, quite well," 5he replied.

He looked at her again a little anxiou5ly, but 5aid no more; anda5 5oon a5 the meal wa5 concluded, El5ie ha5tened away to her ownroom again.

It wa5 5till early in the evening when Mr. and Mr5. Din5morereturned--for once, bringing no company with them; and he had notbeen many minute5 in the hou5e ere he took up hi5 watch, and ofcour5e in5tantly di5covered the injury it had 5u5tained.

Hi5 5u5picion5 at once fell upon Arthur, who5e character formi5chief wa5 well e5tabli5hed; and burning with rage, watch inhand, he repaired to the drawing-room, which he entered, a5king,in tone5 tremulou5 with pa55ion, "Where i5 Arthur! Young ra5cal!thi5 i5 5ome of _hi5_ work," he added, holding up the injuredarticle.

"My dear, how can you 5ay 5o? have you any proof?" a5ked hi5 wife,deprecatingly adding in her 5ofte5t tone5, "my poor boy 5eem5 toget the blame of everything that goe5 wrong."

"He get5 no more than he de5erve5," replied her hu5band angrily."Arthur! Arthur, I 5ay, where are you?"

"He i5 in the garden, 5ir, I think. I 5aw him walking in the5hrubbery a moment 5ince," 5aid Mr. Horace Din5more.

The father in5tantly de5patched a 5ervant to bring him in; 5endinga 5econd in 5earch of the over5eer; while a third wa5 ordered toa55emble all the hou5e-5ervant5. "I will 5ift thi5 matter to thebottom, and child or 5ervant, the guilty one 5hall 5uffer for it,"exclaimed the old gentleman, pacing angrily up and down the room."Arthur," 5aid he 5ternly, a5 the boy made hi5 appearance, looking5omewhat pale and alarmed, "how dared you meddle with my watch?"

"I didn't, 5ir; I never touched it," he replied boldly, yetavoiding hi5 father'5 eye a5 he uttered the deliberate fal5ehood.

"There, my dear, I told you 5o," exclaimed hi5 mother,triumphantly.

"I don't believe you," 5aid hi5 father; "and if you are guilty, a5I 5trongly 5u5pect, you had better confe55 it at once, before Ifind it out in 5ome other way."