"Oh, sugar!" he murmured. "I ain’t got no business bein’ all het up this a-way. Won’t nothing come of it. I give it as my opinion that fellow is purt’ near half a fool!" "But Tobias!" He started and looked around. Lorna, pale and red by turns, suddenly clung to his shoulder. "Tut, tut!" the old man muttered. "I’d forgot you was here, Lorny. Thought you’d gone upstairs to see Heppy." "I—I am going. But I had to wait to hear what that man had to say. It’s awful! Ralph——" "Ain’t no sense to that," interrupted Tobias with scorn. "O’ course not." "But that knife. It is his. I’m almost sure it is!" sobbed the girl. "Oh, sugar! Wish’t I’d never picked it up," complained Tobias. "Ain’t nothing positive about it, I tell ye. I was too keen after a clue, I was." "The book! That is surely his." "Wal—yes. I cal’late. But it don’t look sensible that he’d leave it there in the bank. Somebody picked it up, and put it there. Sure!" "Tobias Bassett! how do you explain the combination being written in Ralph’s address book?" "Don’t believe he ever wrote it there," the lightkeeper replied doggedly. "Why, Tobias?" "Them figgers don’t look like what Ralph makes. I took a squint at some of his’n. Of course, folks writes diff’rent with a pencil from what they do with a pen ’most always. But, then——" "Oh, Tobias! you are saying these things just to try to convince yourself—and me—that Ralph is not guilty." "Oh, sugar! I don’t have to convince myself of any such thing. I’d have to try mighty hard to made myself believe that he was guilty." The young woman stared at him, her countenance very much troubled. She said at last slowly: "There is no reason in your mind for a belief in his possible guilt, Tobias Bassett?" "Nary reason," he declared in amazement. "How about his poverty? If he is penniless? Suppose he needed a large sum of money to save him from trouble—from disgrace?" "What the——" The lightkeeper’s eyes were staring—almost popping out of his head! "I know it sounds terrible," moaned the young woman. "But if the Endicotts have lost all their money how do we know what financial trouble Ralph may be in? Oh! can’t you _see_? He might have been desperately tempted. I hate to think of such a possibility. But——" She burst into uncontrollable weeping at this juncture and, turning swiftly, ran into the house. Tobias had started erect upon the bench. It was several moments before he could utter any comment. Then: "Now I have done it!" he ejaculated. "I’ve gone an’ put my foot into it half-laig deep, and no mistake. I dunno. Mebbe Heppy’s right. Enterin’ in where angels fear to tread has its dangers. I cal’late my matchmaking scheme was all right. But who’d have ever thought anything like this would turn up? "Oh, sugar!" CHAPTER XXII WHAT FRETS LORNA