en who have committed the
crime; and that there was a way in which he might have heard and
probably had heard of the money; and then he was out and about that
very night."

"Still I can't believe it. If you knew the sort of people his father
and mother are." Captain Marrable could not but reflect that, if an
honest gentleman might have a swindler for his father, an honest
miller might have a thief for his son. "And then if you saw the place
at which they live! I have a particular interest about it."

"Then the young man, of course, must be innocent."

"Don't laugh at me, Walter."

"Why is the place so interesting to you?"

"I can hardly tell you why. The father and the mother are interesting
people, and so is the sister. And in their way they are so good! And
they have had great troubles,--very great troubles. And the place
is so cool and pretty, all surrounded by streams and old pollard
willows, with a thatched roof that comes in places nearly to the
ground; and then the sound of the mill wheel is the pleasantest sound
I know anywhere."

"I will hope he is innocent, Mary."

"I do so hope he is innocent! And then my friends are so much
interested about the family. The Fenwicks are very fond of them, and
Mr. Gilmore is their landlord."

"He is the magistrate?"

"Yes, he is the magistrate."

"What sort of fellow is he?"

"A very good sort of fellow; such a sort that he can hardly be
better; a perfect gentleman."

"Indeed! And has he a perfect lady for his wife?"

"Mr. Gilmore is not married."

"What age is he?"

"I think he is thirty-three."

"With a nice estate and not married! What a chance you have left
behind you, Mary!"

"Do you think, Walter, that a girl ought to wish to marry a man
merely because he is a perfect gentleman, and has a nice estate and
is not yet married?"

"They say that they generally do;--don't they?"

"I hope you don't think so. Any girl would be very fortunate to marry
Mr. Gilmore--if she loved him."

"But you don't?"

"You know I am not talking about myself, and you oughtn't to make
personal allusions."

These cousinly walks along the banks of the Lurwell were not probably
favourable to Mr. Gilmore's hopes.

CHAPTER XV.

THE POLICE AT FAULT.

[Illustration]

The magistrates sat at Heytesbury on the Tuesday, and Sam Brattle was
remanded. An attorney thus was employed on his behalf by Mr. Fenwick.
The parson on the Monday evening had been down at the m