st as
Daniel Barnett caught sight of him, and having marked the spot, waited
till the old man had gone away. He then searched for, found the pear,
and leaving it untouched, quietly watched at dinner-time, saw old Tummus
secure the treasure, pocket it, and he was going off when Barnett
accosted him with--

"What have you got there?"

"Pear," said the old man stubbornly, as Barnett tried to snatch it from
his pocket.

"Now I know where the fruit goes. Why, you thieving old scoundrel.
I'll soon put an end to this."

"Scoundrel yourself!" cried the old man fiercely. "Smart a man as you
are, Dan Barnett. I never set myself to steal another man's love and
harassed him till he went and drowned hisself, if you didn't go behind
and throw him into the tank you won't have cleaned."

"Why, you lying old villain!" roared Barnett.

"Lying, eh?" retorted old Tummus; "it's a lie then that you shoved they
orchards off the shelf, I s'pose, and made believe it was poor John
Grange. A lie, perhaps, as you laid the scythe for the poor blind man
to walk on and cut hisself."

"Yes, a lie," cried Barnett, turning white.

"Then you tell it, for I see you do it, I did, and saved him from
crippling hisself for life. But we've had enough o' this. I goes
straight to Missus Mostyn and tells her all I know."

"Mrs Mostyn is here, sir," said a sharp, stern voice, "and has heard
all you have said."

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

In the scene which followed, when the two men saw their mistress
standing before them, that lady acted the part of judge.

"I told the old man he might take the pear," she said to Daniel Barnett
sternly. "But you, sir," she cried, turning upon old Tummus, "how dare
you make such horrible charges against my gardener?"

"Begging your pardon, my lady, Mrs Mostyn," said old Tummus, "I'm as
much your gardener as Dan Barnett, mum. What I says I sticks to. He
was allus agin' poor John Grange, and if he arn't made an end on him,
what I says is this here--wheer is he?"

Mrs Mostyn for answer pointed to the gate.

"Go," she said quietly, "you do not know what you are saying. When you
are ready to apologise to Mr Barnett for what you have said, come to
me. Till then you had better stay away from the grounds."

Old Tummus raised the mellow pear, which he still held in his pocket,
dashed it with all his might upon the ground, and then stumped away with
head erect.

Mrs Mostyn stood watching the old man for a fe