When they entered Reuben's bedroom, Mr. Akenside bade the man search it thoroughly. The room was so small that the search did not take long. Beneath the bed was a hamper. Reuben had received it from home in the autumn, full of rosy apples. When he last saw it, the hamper was empty. But now, as the man's eye fell on it and he tried to draw it out, he found it so heavy, that he had difficulty in moving it. He opened the hamper, and within, closely packed in straw, were several of the small metal goods manufactured in Mr. Akenside's works. "What is the meaning of this, Reuben?" asked Mr. Akenside sternly. Reuben shrank back terrified, dismayed, too overwhelmed to speak. He could hardly believe his eyes. How came those things there, in his hamper, beneath his bed? He tried to speak, but the words came broken by sobs, and Mr. Akenside might well mistake his agitation for guilt, as he exclaimed, "Indeed, sir, I know nothing about it; I did not put them there." "That will not do," said Mr. Akenside; "you cannot expect me to believe that." Certainly things looked very bad for Reuben Roy. Even old Samuel, when he saw the things that had been found in his room, was convinced of his dishonesty. And to furnish another link in the evidence against him, a rusty key was found beneath the rug, which fitted the lock of the storehouse. There seemed no longer any reasonable ground to doubt his guilt. But in vain Mr. Akenside urged the lad to make full confession of the wrong he had done. Reuben had nothing to confess. But his silence appeared to prove his obduracy. Mr. Akenside hesitated how to deal with him. But at last he said: "For the sake of your father and mother, Reuben, I will not prosecute you. But, of course, after what has happened, I cannot keep you in my service, nor can I give you a character that will help you to gain another situation. You have brought your life to a sorry pass. May God have mercy on you, and save you from sinking yet lower!" A strange flash came into Reuben's eyes. In the midst of this sore trouble, the thought of God gave him strength. "I don't wonder, sir," he said, quietly and respectfully—"I don't wonder that you think me guilty of stealing those things. But God knows I never touched them, and that I never saw that key till you found it under the rug. I can trust in God. He has sent me this trial, and He will make my innocence clear in His own time." Mr. Akenside was staggered by Reuben's manner. Was it indeed innocence, or was it the most cunning hypocrisy? Unable to decide, he left the lad without another word. And Reuben began to gather his things together preparatory to quitting the gatehouse. [Illustration] CHAPTER VIII. A TIME OF TRIAL.