," said Hetty.

"What should we take the flour for?" cried Rifle, indignantly.

"No, my dears, I do not suspect you, and I am sorry to make the charge,
for I have always thought Shanter lazy, but honest."

"Why, you don't mean to say you believe poor old Shanter would steal
flour, do you, aunt?" said Rifle, indignantly.

"I regret it very much, my dear, but the flour has been stolen, some
spilled on the floor, and there were the prints of wide-toed feet in the
patch."

"Here, hi! Shanter, Tam o'!" cried Rifle. "Coo-ee!"

The black came running up with glistening face.

"Plenty mine come fast," he said.

"Here," cried Norman; "what for you come along steal flour?"

"Mine baal teal flour," cried the black, indignantly.

"Aunt says you have, two or three times."

"Baal teal flour," cried the black again.

"There, aunt," said Norman; "I told you he wouldn't."

"But I'm sure he did, my dear, for there were the marks of his black
feet."

"Baal teal flour," cried Shanter again; and drawing himself up he was
turning away, but Norman caught his arm.

"Look here, Shanter," he said. "You brother. Baal go in storehouse."

"Yohi," said the black, nodding. "Big white Mary pialla. Shanter carry
tub."

"Then you have been in the storehouse sometimes."

"Yohi. Baal teal flour."

He wrenched himself free and walked away.

"I don't believe he took it, aunt," said Norman.

"Nor I," said the others eagerly.

"Well, I wish I was sure, my dears, as you are, for I don't like to
suspect the poor fellow."

"But if he had taken it, aunt," cried Rifle, "he is such a big stupid
boy of a fellow he couldn't have kept it secret. He'd have made a lot
of damper at a fire in the scrub, and asked us to come and help to eat
the nasty stuff all full of ashes."

"Well," said Aunt Georgie, drawing her lips tight, "we shall see.
Nobody else could have stolen it but the black or German."

"What, old Sourkrout?" cried Tim, laughing. "Oh, aunt!"

"And it's oh, Artemus!" said the old lady. "For I do wish you boys
would not be so fond of nicknames."

"All right, aunt."

The incident passed off and so did Shanter, for he disappeared
altogether for a couple of days, and was a good deal missed.

"Never mind," said Norman, "he'll come back loaded with grubs, or bring
honey or 'possums."

"I believe he is too much offended to come back," said Tim. "No fellow,
whatever his colour may be, likes to be called a thief."

"N