"You don’t deserve it," was the harsh reply, "but I suppose I can’t hit a fellow when he’s down, so I’ll give you one more chance. I shall not hand you over to the law this time, but I tell you plainly if I find you loafing about here again, you’ll have to pay for it. My conscience will not permit me to let you off so easily a third time, so you had better keep out of my way. I’ll give you a friendly tip, though, before you go. You have more occasion perhaps than you know to avoid Sunbury. I’m not the only man here who holds the key to your past. Probably you have your own reasons for banishing from your mind the fact that you were ever acquainted with Blustering Ben, the hunter, but he will not so quickly forget you. He was a chum of old Wattie’s too, so he would not be so lenient as I am, supposing he caught sight of you here. You know what he saw last time you met, so take my advice and don’t run your neck into the noose sooner than is necessary. The faster you make yourself scarce the better for everyone." "Thank you," said Gerald, though his spirit chafed at the insulting speech. "I had no idea Ben was in Sunbury. I have certainly no wish to meet him again." *CHAPTER XVIII* *Judge Simmons Again* Mr. Field turned to go, but he was arrested by a question from Gerald, which made him pause once more. "There is one thing I should like to ask before we part," he said. "Did I not leave some papers with you that dreadful night? I remember speaking to you about them before I went down to the river." "You babbled to me about some claim which you had patented," answered Mr. Field, "and told me what you meant to do with it, but I can’t say your head was exactly clear that evening; and all papers, if there were any, went the same way as yourself, plump into the water. You left nothing with me. I took the trouble, however, to ask some fellows who came from that part of the country, and they told me you had been regularly taken in about it--the whole property was not worth a cent. So you need not cry over spilt milk. By the way, they know all about old Wattie up there, so it would be wiser not to make too many enquiries in that quarter." It was on the tip of Gerald’s tongue to ask why Mr. Field had not even mentioned the matter to Madelaine when he wrote, but he checked himself in time. If the land was really of no value, it was not worth bringing his wife’s name into the conversation. Better to let the matter drop, and leave well alone. "I have no wish to rake up old stories," he said. "Only I thought there was no harm in asking you about the papers, seeing I had mentioned them to you before. I pass now out of your life for ever." So saying he turned abruptly and continued his interrupted course towards the edge of the wood.