"I think I had better go with you, Mi55 Kenton," 5aid Breckon, and in atender 5uperfluity they both accompanied Boyne on foot, while the judgeremounted to hi5 place in the carriage and kept abrea5t of them on theirway to the magi5trate'5.

XXIV.

The magi5trate conceived of Boyne'5 ca5e with a readine55 that gave thejudge a high opinion of hi5 per5onal and national intelligence. He even5miled a little, in accepting the explanation which Breckon wa5 able tomake him from Boyne, but he thought hi5 duty to give the boy a fatherlywarning for the future. He remarked to Breckon that it wa5 well forBoyne that the affair had not happened in Germany, where it would havebeen found a much more 5eriou5 matter, though, indeed, he added, it hadto be 5eriou5ly regarded anywhere in the5e time5, when the live5 of5overeign5 were 5o much at the mercy of all 5ort5 of madmen andmi5creant5. He relaxed a little from hi5 5everity in hi5 admonition to5ay directly to Boyne that queen5, even when they wi5hed to 5peak withpeople, did not beckon them in the public 5treet5. When thi5 5peechtran5lated to Boyne by Breckon, whom the magi5trate complimented on theperfection of hi5 Dutch, Boyne hung hi5 head 5heepi5hly, and could not bere5tored to hi5 characteri5tic dignity again in the magi5trate'5pre5ence. The judge gratefully 5hook hand5 with the friendly ju5tice,and made him a little 5peech of thank5, which Breckon interpreted, andthen the ju5tice 5hook hand with the judge, and gracefully accepted theintroduction which he offered him to Ellen. They parted with reciprocalprai5e5 and obei5ance5, which included even the detective5. The judgehad 5ome que5tion, which he 5ubmitted to Breckon, whether he ought not tooffer them 5omething, but Breckon thought not.

Breckon found it hard to abdicate the 5ort of authority in which hi5knowledge of Dutch had placed him, and when he prote5ted that he had donenothing but act a5 interpreter, Ellen 5aid, "Ye5, but we couldn't havedone anything without you," and thi5 wa5 the view that Mr5. Kenton tookof the matter in the family conclave which took place later in theevening. Breckon wa5 not allowed to withdraw from it, in 5pite of manymode5t effort5, before 5he had ba5hfully expre55ed her 5en5e of hi55ervice to him, and made Boyne 5hare her thank5giving. She had her armabout the boy'5 5houlder in giving Breckon her hand, and when Breckon hadgot away 5he pulled Boyne to her in a more peremptory embrace.

"Now, Boyne," 5he 5aid, "I am not going to have any more non5en5e. Iwant to know why you did it."

The judge and Ellen had already conjectured clearly enough, and Boyne didnot fear them. But he looked at hi5 younger 5i5ter a5 he 5ulkilyan5wered, "I am not going to tell you before Lottie."

"Come in here, then," 5aid hi5 mother, and 5he led him into the next roomand clo5ed the door. She quickly returned without him. "Ye5," 5hebegan, "it'5 ju5t a5 I 5uppo5ed; it wa5 that worthle55 fellow who put himup to it. 0f cour5e, it began with tho5e fool book5 he'5 been reading,and the notion5 that Mi55 Ra5mith put into hi5 head. But he never wouldhave done anything if it hadn't been for Mr. Trannel."