n clock on the chimney-piece, and his old gold watch that he
never wears in the table-drawer! No, sir. That gentleman was master's
friend to some extent; but he was a stranger to me, and if he'd been a
royal duke I shouldn't have done it."

"Then, what did you do?" said the Colonel.

"Took him into the theaytre lecture-room, sir, where there's little
tables, and the young gentlemen writes out their exercises. That's what
I did, sir," said Wrench triumphantly; and he looked hard at his master,
who sat shaking his head at him solemnly.--"What! Wasn't that right,
sir?" cried Wrench.

"Oh Wrench, Wrench, Wrench!" said the Doctor. "And you left him there,
with the staircase close at hand leading right up to the corridor and
the young gentlemen's dormitories?"

Wrench's jaw dropped, and one hand went slowly up to the back of his
head and began to scratch.

"Well," continued the Colonel; "and how long did this gentleman stay?"

"I don't know, sir. Not half an hour--I'd swear to that. I gave him
long enough to write a letter, and then I come back to see if he was
ready to go."

"Let me protest," cried Morris indignantly. "No such letter was written
for or delivered to me; that I declare."

"Pray be calm, sir," said the Colonel judicially. "You can ask this man
any questions when I have done with him.--Now, my man, go on. Did you
find this gentleman where you left him?"

"Yes, sir."

"And he gave you a letter to deliver to Mr Morris?"

"No, sir," cried Wrench sharply. "I'd forgotten all about it till you
began arxing me questions like this. When I come in he got up in a
disappointed sort of way and began tearing up the letter he had written
quite small, and throwing it into the waste-paper basket. `It's no use,
my lad,' he said. `I can't say in a letter one-hundredth part'--I ain't
sure, sir, he didn't say a thousandth-part--`of what I want to tell Mr
Morris. I'll stay in the town to-night, and come and see Mr Morris in
the morning.'"

"And did he come and see Mr Morris in the morning?"

Morris half-rose in his chair, but sat down again.

"No, sir; and I haven't seen him from that day to this, though I had
often seen them together before."

"That will do, my man," said the Colonel quietly.--"Now, Mr Morris; you
wish to ask this man some questions?"

"Yes, sir," cried Morris springing up.--"Now, Wrench, did you ever tell
me that Professor Barclay called when I was absent?"

"No, sir. I suppos