ve from Mr Cookson, and I have found Tom
Bowling--I mean Buller's knife," said the former, addressing Dr
Jolliffe, who waved his hand towards Mr Elliot in silence, and frowned.

"Wait a bit, my lad, do not be flurried," said the magistrate; "stand
there. Let him be sworn," he added to the clerk. And Simmonds took his
first legitimate oath.

Then he told the simple story which we know. And when he had done
Penryhn kissed the book in his turn and completed the chain of evidence.
It was really quite sufficiently clear, that unless yet another boy had
got out, and gone skating on the gravel-pits that night, taking Buller's
knife with him and losing it, that he himself had been there as he said;
and therefore that he was not in the coppice, two miles on the other
side of Weston. Lord Woodruff himself was convinced, and Buller was at
once discharged, everybody shaking hands with him.

"And, Buller," said Dr Jolliffe as they left the house, "as I hope that
the anxiety you have been subjected to by your own unlawful action will
prove sufficient punishment, I shall not take any further notice of your
breaking out that night. Let it be a lesson to you, that you cannot
engage in what is unlawful without assuming something which is common to
_all_ criminals, and running the risk of being mixed up with them."
Which was a beautifully mild preachee to take the place of floggee.

Tom Bowling received quite an ovation next day, and did not know what to
do with his popularity. He was ready enough to skate now, but a thaw
came, and there was no other chance afforded that term.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

A HOLIDAY INVITATION.

A week before the Christmas holidays a boy named Gould came up to
Crawley and said, "I wish you would come and stay with me a week or so
this Christmas at my father's place in Suffolk, Nugget Towers. The best
of the shooting is over, the partridges being very wild by now, and it
is not a pheasant country, as there are no woods to speak of. But there
are a good many snipe down towards the river, so you had better bring
your gun. Besides we will have a day's partridge driving, for there are
plenty, if you could only get at them. And there is a pack of foxhounds
that meets about ten miles off once a week at least, and some harriers
close by. I generally go out with the harriers. We can give you a
mount; you do not ride above twelve stone I should say, do you?"

"No, I should think not, but I have not been