ished particularly to see him, and he and
Frank were ushered straight into the master's study. He shook hands with
Captain Bayley, whose acquaintance he had made while Frank had boarded
with him, and then looked at Frank; for a minute he did not recognise
him, then he exclaimed in surprise, "Frank Norris!"

"Yes, it's I, sir," Frank said; "I don't ask you to take my hand, for
you believe me guilty of the crime of which I was accused here. I can
only say now, as I said then, that I am innocent. I know now that I was
a fool to run away instead of facing it out, but I was desperate,
because every one thought me guilty."

"Your schoolfellows did not, Norris," Mr. Richards said. "I don't think
that I did, even at first; a few hours afterwards I almost knew you were
innocent, and had you not run away I could have gone far to prove it."

Frank gave an exclamation of joy, and Captain Bayley exclaimed
indignantly--

"Then why did you not prove it, sir? Why did you allow my nephew to
remain with the foul disgrace on his name?"

"I did not act without consideration," Mr. Richards said calmly. "Norris
had gone, and I resolved if he returned again to say what I had learned;
but my proofs were not absolute. We had made, it seemed to me, a
terrible mistake, and I did not wish to cause ruin to another boy unless
it was absolutely necessary to do so to clear Norris. Now that he has
returned I can no longer hesitate; but before I begin I must ask you
both whether your suspicions have fallen on any one else?"

"It is not suspicion, sir, it is certainty," Captain Bayley said; "we
have no doubt whatever that the whole thing was the work of Frank's
rascally cousin, Fred Barkley. He was, you know, a sort of rival of
Frank for my favour, and he had reason to believe that I had determined
that Frank should inherit the larger portion of my property; thus he had
a motive for bringing disgrace on him. It was just as probable that he
should have stolen the money and sent it to Frank as that Frank should
have stolen it himself; so far it seemed to me that it might lie between
either of them.

"What has settled the case in my mind is that I have learned that Fred
was intrusted with a letter by Frank to me, declaring his innocence,
which, as you know, I never doubted until Frank left without writing to
me. That letter I never received, and I believe that it was suppressed.
In the second place it was Fred who persuaded his cousin to take that
r