“Yes, Darcy’s all right, Darcy’s all right.” His glasses seemed to be blurred and he had to take them off and polish them before he could see right again. “He needn’t have confessed that at all. It was all over and forgot. But still, I like him better for it. Great stuff in him!” Then Joyce summoned courage. “Will he have trouble again, with this other trial? What will be the penalty? Will he have to go to prison?” “Oh, no, oh, no! Nothing like that,” said the Judge hastily. “Oh, no, he’ll just have to pay a penalty. Probably about five hundred dollars or something like that, according to the amount of stuff handled. Know how much it was, Dan?” “About,” said Dan gruffly. “Great boy, Darcy!” said the Judge emphatically. “He’ll be all right this morning. Case comes off before noon, doesn’t it, Dan? Where’s my note book?” “Yes, before noon,” said Dan, and then they both went out and Joyce, with relieved heart, went to singing and playing on the old tinpanny, yellow-keyed square piano, singing with all her heart, the song they sang that night in the meeting: “Free from the law, O sinner, receive it, Free from the law, O brother, believe it--!” and Mrs. Peterson, up in her room making her bed and plumping up the pillows, said to herself happily: “Bless her dear little heart. I wish we could keep her here.” * * * * * Darcy came home with Judge Peterson at noon to lunch. He seemed a new Darcy. His face was alight, and his smile was joyous. He did not talk much during the meal, but what he said rippled with humor, and kept them all in gales of laughter. The new gravity that was upon him when he was silent sat well there, and gave him an air of one who had found a solid foundation. As they arose from the table he looked at Joyce and said in a tone that every one could hear: “Miss Joyce, it’s a gorgeous afternoon and I thought perhaps you’d like to take a walk through some of the old paths. I have something I’d like to tell you, and if you don’t mind being seen in company with a law-breaker like me we might stroll down to the old woods.” Joyce looked up with her face flooded with glory: “Oh, but you’re not under the law now, you know,” she said brightly. “No, not in any sense, thank the Lord,” said Darcy reverently. “Not even under the law of the land.”