innocent!"

"So do I," exclaimed Emily.

"Hookie!" ejaculated Sim Gwynn, who had been sitting in silence, with
his eyes and mouth wide open, but rather nervous when the battle seemed
to be going against me.

I wanted to cry myself, for I felt that my brother was very hard upon
me. While the others were reaching conclusions through their feelings
alone, he was taking the common-sense view of the case. The facts were
stubborn, as I had been obliged to acknowledge before; and all I could
bring to attest my innocence was my simple word. But the conference was
interrupted by the coming of the family physician, who had been sent for
to see Emily. She and her father left the room.

Clarence went over the history of the robbery again; and the more he
considered, the more dissatisfied he became with me. Dear Flora pleaded
for a more gentle judgment, and told him how ill Ham and Mrs. Fishley
treated me.

"I don't blame you for leaving the Fishleys," he added. "I blame myself
for permitting you to remain there, after you complained of them; but I
had just been taken into partnership with my employers, and I could not
well be absent. But I do blame you for leaving them with a stain upon
your character. Something must be done immediately. I will not permit
them to think you are guilty, unless you are so. If you are guilty, you
are no brother of mine."

"I am not guilty," I protested.

"Then you must prove it."

"I can't prove it."

"Are you willing to take your oath before God, in court, that you saw
Ham Fishley take the money and burn the letter?"

"I am."

"Very well. Then you shall go to Torrentville, and face your accusers."

"I am willing to do what you think is best."

"I can't believe you are guilty of this crime; but you were foolish to
run away from it."

"I will write to the person who gave me the money, and he may do as he
pleases about helping me out of the scrape."

"My business is nothing compared with this matter, and I will go with
you. Now, where is this raft?"

He wished to see it, and Sim and I went with him to the levee.

CHAPTER XXIV.

UP THE RIVER.

Clarence called a dray, and had all Flora's things conveyed to the house
he was fitting up as his residence. The raft and its apparatus he sold,
and he gave me the money. This was the end of the craft which had
brought us on our voyage of seventeen hundred and fifty miles. We
returned to the house of Mr. Goodridge in the afternoon.