“He interfered with your stealing peaches yesterday, didn’t he?” demanded the father sternly. Lon hung his head; for he saw that his father knew all about the events of the day before. “Now, Wade Brooks, what did you do with the money you stole from the closet over the mantletry-piece?” said Swikes, coming to the question that was nearest to his heart. “I didn’t steal it,” replied Wade; and he began to wish the wallet was not in his pocket under the present circumstances: it was just his luck. “Who did steal it, then? You was gone from the garret before the fire broke out; and I knowed you had it when I found you was gone.” “Matt took it, and I saw him do it,” replied Wade; but he had no hope of making the farmer believe what he said. “I took it!” exclaimed Matt, with a violent show of indignation. “It’s an awful lie!” “I can’t believe you would take all that money from your own father,” added Swikes. “It don’t look reasonable to me.” “I didn’t do it, father: I wouldn’t do such a thing!” protested Matt, taking the cue his father gave him. “I didn’t know that you had lost any money. If anybody took it, Wade Brooks must have done it.” “There, Capt. Trustleton! I told you so!” exclaimed Swikes triumphantly. “I told you my boy wouldn’t do such a thing. He did not even know that the money was gone.” “Perhaps he didn’t know it; but boys who can set a barn on fire out of spite are not generally too good to tell lies; and, for the present, I am not inclined to believe what either of them may say,” replied Capt. Trustleton coldly. “Set a barn on fire, father!” exclaimed Lon, apparently as much astonished as Matt had been. “Who did such a thing, sir?” “Mr. Garlick says you and Matthew Swikes did.” “Why, father! I hope you didn’t believe such a thing!” protested Lon. “I am sorry to say that I did believe it; and I have not changed my mind much since. What are you doing down here in this boat?” “We only came down to take a sail,” replied Lon. “That’s all, sir,” added Matt. “You selected a strange time to take a sail,” said the captain, looking his son sharp in the eye, so that Lon hung his head. “Where were you going to?” “Only down to the Sound.” “And did you invite Wade Brooks to go with you?” “No, sir: he invited himself. We didn’t know he was in the boat till this morning.” “After he stole the money, he went down to the boat to sleep in the cuddy,” interposed Matt, who was anxious to convict Wade. “He was asleep in there when we started; and he was as ugly as sin this morning.” “That’s just the way it was done,” added Swikes. “I should like to hear the Brooks boy on that subject,” said Capt. Trustleton. “It don’t make no difference what the Brooks boy says. He don’t tell the truth; and he’s too cunning to tell you that he took the money,” protested Swikes. “How came you in the boat?” inquired the captain, turning to Wade.