d take me to Morwick."

We decided on telegraphing to the hotel. I was writing the message, and
Naomi was looking over my shoulder, when we were startled by a strange
voice speaking close behind us.

"Oh! that's his address, is it?" said the voice. "We wanted his address
rather badly."

The speaker was a stranger to me. Naomi recognized him as one of the
neighbors.

"What do you want his address for?" she asked, sharply.

"I guess we've found the mortal remains of John Jago, miss," the man
replied. "We have got Silas already, and we want Ambrose too, on
suspicion of murder."

"It's a lie!" cried Naomi, furiously--"a wicked lie!"

The man turned to me.

"Take her into the next room, mister," he said, "and let her see for
herself."

We went together into the next room.

In one corner, sitting by her father, and holding his hand, we saw
stern and stony Miss Meadowcroft weeping silently. Opposite to them,
crouched on the window-seat, his eyes wandering, his hands hanging
helpless, we next discovered Silas Meadowcroft, plainly self-betrayed
as a panic-stricken man. A few of the persons who had been engaged in
the search were seated near, watching him. The mass of the strangers
present stood congregated round a table in the middle of the room They
drew aside as I approached with Naomi and allowed us to have a clear
view of certain objects placed on the table.

The center object of the collection was a little heap of charred bones.
Round this were ranged a knife, two metal buttons, and a stick
partially burned. The knife was recognized by the laborers as the
weapon John Jago habitually carried about with him--the weapon with
which he had wounded Silas Meadowcroft's hand. The buttons Naomi
herself declared to have a peculiar pattern on them, which had formerly
attracted her attention to John Jago's coat. As for the stick, burned
as it was, I had no difficulty in identifying the quaintly-carved knob
at the top. It was the heavy beechen stick which I had snatched out of
Silas's hand, and which I had restored to Ambrose on his claiming it as
his own. In reply to my inquiries, I was informed that the bones, the
knife, the buttons and the stick had all been found together in a
limekiln then in use on the farm.

"Is it serious?" Naomi whispered to me as we drew back from the table.

It would have been sheer cruelty to deceive her now.

"Yes," I whispered back; "it is serious."

The search committee conducted its p