ld be suspected and ill-treated for trying to spare Tom
the agony of having his father denounced and dragged off to jail.

Constables came and made investigations in the loose way of the time;
but they discovered nothing, and after a while they departed to do duty
elsewhere; but only to come back at the end of a week to re-investigate
the state of affairs, for a large low building occupied by about twenty
of the drainers was, one windy night, set on fire, and its drowsy
occupants had a narrow escape from death.

But there was no discovery made, the constables setting it down to
accident, saying that the men must have been smoking; and once more the
fen was left to its own resources.

Mr Winthorpe grew rapidly better after the first fortnight, and Dick
watched his convalescence with no little anxiety, for he expected to
hear him accuse Farmer Tallington of being his attempted murderer. But
Dick had no cause for fear. The squire told Mr Marston that he had
seen a light on the mere, and dreading that it might mean an attempt to
burn down some barn, he had gone out to watch, and he had just made out
the shape of a punt on the water when he saw a flash, felt the shock,
and fell helpless and insensible among the reeds.

This was as near an account as he could give of the affair, for the
injury seemed to have confused him, and he knew little of what had taken
place before, nothing of what had since occurred.

"But your life has been spared, Mr Winthorpe," said Marston; "and some
day I hope we shall know that your assailant and mine has received his
due."

"Ay," said the squire; "we must find him out, for fear he should spoil
our plans, for we are not beaten yet."

"Beaten! no, squire," said the engineer; "we are getting on faster than
ever, and the success of the project is assured."

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

AFTER A SPACE.

The time rolled on. The drain-making progressed, and for a while there
was no further trouble. Mr Winthorpe improved in health, but always
seemed to avoid any allusion to the outrage; and after the constables
had been a few times and found out nothing, and the magistrates of the
neighbourhood had held consultation, the trouble once more dropped.

Dick Winthorpe always lived in apprehension of being examined, and
pressed to tell all he knew, but his father never said a word, to his
great relief, and the matter died out.

"I can't take any steps about it," Dick said to himself, "if my fathe