ay."

"Do I understand aright, from your defence of the boy, that you mean to
forgive him and take him back!"

"Certainly!" said the doctor.

"Grayson, you amaze me! But if I prove to you that you are utterly
wrong, and that the young dog is an arrant thief, what then?"

"Then," said the doctor, "I'm afraid I should have to--No, I wouldn't.
I would try and reform him."

"Well," said Sir James, "if you choose to be so ultra lenient, Grayson,
you must; but I feel that I have a duty to do, and as soon as we have
had our wine I propose that we have the prisoners here, and listen to
what they have to say."

"Prisoners?"

"Yes. What else would you call them?"

Before the doctor could stand up afresh in Dexter's defence a waiter
entered the room.

"Beg pardon, sir, but your groom says would you be good enough to step
upstairs?"

"Bless my heart!" cried the doctor. "Is it a relapse?"

He hurried up to the room where Dexter had been sleeping, to find that,
instead of being in bed, he was fully dressed, and lying on the floor,
with Peter the groom holding him down.

"Why, what's the matter!" cried the doctor, as he entered the room
hastily, followed by Sir James.

"Matter, sir?" said Peter, "matter enough. If I hadn't held him down
like this here I believe he'd 'a' been out o' that window."

"Why, Dexter!" cried the doctor.

The boy struggled feebly, and then, seeing the futility of his efforts,
he lay still and closed his eyes.

"Went off fast asleep, sir, as any one would ha' thought," said Peter.
"And seeing him like that I thought I'd just go down and fetch myself a
cup o' tea; but no sooner was I out o' the room than he must have
slipped out and dressed hisself--shamming, you know--and if I hadn't
come back in the nick o' time he'd have been gone."

The doctor frowned, and Sir James looked satisfied, as he gave him a
nod.

"Going to run away, eh!"

"Yes, Sir James," said the groom; "and it was as much as I could do to
hold him."

"Get up, Peter," said the doctor.

The groom rose, and Dexter leapt up like a bit of spring, and darted
toward the door.

But Sir James was close to it, and catching the boy by the arm he held
him.

"Take hold, of him, my man," he said; "and don't let him go."

Peter obeyed, getting a tight grip of Dexter's wrist.

"Now, you give in," he whispered. "It's no good, for I shan't let go."

"Bring him down," said Sir James sternly.

Peter shook his head warningl