sal of the watches and other articles he took from travelers, and
White's premises had then been thoroughly searched by the constables;
but as nothing suspicious was found, and there was only the unsupported
confession of the highwayman against him, he had got off scot free.

"I don't think you will get anything out of him, Mr. Porson," the
constable said. "The fact that he has been trusted by these fellows
shows that he is not a man to peach upon those with whom he deals;
and in the next place he would know well enough that if any one were
convicted of stealing this book he would be liable to a prosecution as
receiver; and though we could scarcely get a conviction against him, as
we could not prove that he knew that it was stolen, it would do him no
good."

The boys all stood up in a line. "I will look at 'em, sir," White said;
"but, as I have told you, I should not know the man as I bought that
book from, from Adam. Anyhow none of these little ones couldn't be
he. If it weren't a man, he were as big as a man. You don't suppose an
honest tradesman would buy an expensive book like that from a kid."

So saying he placed a pair of horn spectacles on his nose and walked
round the line.

"I don't see any one here whose face I ever see before as far as I
knows; but bless you, the man as I bought it of might have had hair
all over his face, and I be none the wiser looking at him across that
counter of mine in the dark."

"Thank you," Mr. Porson said; "then it is of no use troubling you
further. I have got my book back; but I confess that this affords me but
small gratification in comparison to that which I should feel if I could
unravel this mystery."

The discovery of the book reopened the interest in the matter, and
nothing else was talked of that evening in the playground.

"Ripon," Ned said, putting his arm in that of the head boy, "I want
to tell you a thing that has been in my mind for the last three weeks;
mind, I don't say that there's anything in it, and I hate to think harm
of any one. There is another thing; he and I ain't good friends. If
it hadn't been for that I should have spoken to you before; but I was
afraid that it would look like a piece of dirty spite on my part; but I
do think now that as head boy you ought to know, and I want your advice
whether I ought to say anything about it or not."

"What a long winded chap you are, Sankey! What is it all about?"

"Well, you know, Ripon, when we got up th