How you talk! Not guilty of it! Everybody knows he was guilty."

Mary, I give you my word--he was innocent."

I can't believe it and I don't. How do you know?"

It is a confession. I am ashamed, but I will make it. I was the only

man who knew he was innocent. I could have saved him, and--and--well,

you know how the town was wrought up--I hadn't the pluck to do it. It

would have turned everybody against me. I felt mean, ever so mean; ut I

didn't dare; I hadn't the manliness to face that."

Mary looked troubled, and for a while was silent. Then she said

stammeringly:

"I--I don't think it would have done for you to--to--One

mustn't--er--public opinion--one has to be so careful--so--" It was a

difficult road, and she got mired; but after a little she got started

again. "It was a great pity, but--Why, we couldn't afford it, Edward--we

couldn't indeed. Oh, I wouldn't have had you do it for anything!"

"It would have lost us the good-will of so many people, Mary; and

then--and then--"

"What troubles me now is, what he thinks of us, Edward."

The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg