One of the Oxford boys started, "Three cheers for the baby! Hip, hip, hurrah!--rah!!--rah!!!" And then they fell naturally into "He's a jolly good fellow!" and yelled it at top of their voices, while they all joined hands and danced round us till their faces were all on fire, and all their pipes were out for want of breath to keep them going, and William Scorer's eyes were like to fall out of his head. They did not quite understand matters, but they saw there had been some mistake, and they were all very healthy and very happy. They could not forget Joseph, but they heartily forgave William for his brother's sins, and they vowed they would not have missed the fun for three times the amount of Joseph's little peculations. "What's it all mean, Mr. Sawyer, sir?" asked the bewildered William. "It means this, William, that that scamp of a brother of yours has let this house of mine some sixteen times over to sixteen different people, and all for about the same date, and that most of them have paid him a deposit. Hence----" and he waved his hand comprehensively over the throng. "Nay,--sure--ly!" said the little man, and it seemed to me that his stricken wonder was not absolutely untinged with admiration. There was nothing more to be said or done. Everybody recognised that fact. Joseph was not to be found, and William was not to blame. The stout little gentleman vowed he'd be something'd if he'd ever heard of such a something'd queer business before. The Strong Man looked regretfully at William, and wished he was Joseph just for five minutes or so. The solicitor recognised the fact that a case would not lie against little "Dot-and-carry-one," as he called him, so he put it in his pipe and smoked it, and by degrees the crowd thinned away, and left us in peaceable possession. The last to go were the three little old ladies, and from their manner I should say they were by no means convinced of the existence of William's brother Joseph. The Oxford boys, by the way, insisted on chairing little William to the "Blue Pig," down the Wilborough Road, and tried to induce him to enjoy himself, but as he declined to touch anything stronger than gingerbeer, there was no great harm done. Mr. Sawyer stayed a couple of days with us, and offered us the cottage free for next August, to make up for the annoyances we had suffered; and, unless we hear that William Scorer has been taken ill again, and that his brother Joseph has come to nurse him, we shall accept the invitation. [Illustration: "'THREE CHEERS FOR THE BABY! HIP, HIP, HURRAH!'"] [Illustration: "TWO'S COMPANY."] THE MEDICAL DETECTIVE AND HIS WORK. CRIMINALS CONVICTED BY THE MICROSCOPE. BY T. F. MANNING.