“I――I suffer from face-ache, and use it to prevent catching cold,” was the lame excuse, which brought forth a laugh. “I take it the boy is right,” said the conductor. “We will hand you over to the police at Landown,” and he pulled the cord to stop at the station which we were just approaching. “This is an outrage!” “I’ll run the risk. It’s against the law to be disguised.” Mr. Norton continued to bluster, but no one paid any attention to him. As soon as we had stopped at the railroad station the station-master was informed of what had happened. He brought forth a stout rope, and with this my guardian’s wrists were bound, despite his many protestations. Then the train rolled on, leaving me on the platform. Mr. Norton shook his fist in my face. “You shall suffer for this, Reuben!” he cried. “You will find it would have been better to have allowed me to escape.” A message was sent to the town constable and he soon appeared. He was a pleasant man by the name of Walters, and he said he would drive us back to Chester at once. He made a search of Mr. Norton’s clothing, and brought forth a carefully wrapped bit of paper, containing his share of the diamonds as they had been divided. Mr. Norton gave a deep sigh as the constable put the precious stones away where they would be safe; and he had very little to say as he walked away from the depot and got into a wagon that was to take us to Chester. But on the way he grew more communicative, and entered freely into conversation with the constable. “Yes,” he said finally. “I might as well own up. I am guilty, and so are three others.” “And who are the others?” asked Mr. Walters, who knew but little about the case. “Yates who was caught in Chester; a man named――well, I won’t give you his right name; and this boy here.” “This boy!” cried the constable. “I had nothing to do with it,” I put in warmly. “But he did,” went on Mr. Norton. “Now that he has seen to it that I am caught, I might as well tell the whole story. He had as much to do with it as any one.” “He doesn’t look like a bad boy,” ventured Mr. Walters. “Nevertheless, he is, and a deep one too. Why, he even stole one of the diamonds from the others before we had a chance to divide them evenly.” It made me feel pretty bad to have Mr. Norton hurl his insinuations at me in this fashion. Should he continue to do so, would I be able to make the judge and the people at large think that I was entirely innocent? “There is not one word of truth in what he says,” I cried. “Mr. Walters, he is a thoroughly bad man; and before his trial is over you will find it so.” “I am not speaking in defense of myself,” said Norton maliciously. “I know I have done wrong; but it was only because this boy and his two friends dragged me into it.” I was nearly dumfounded by this audacious assertion, but before I could utter a word Mr. Walters broke in,―― “Funny if the boy is guilty he didn’t skip out himself without trying to arrest you.”