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"I had rather not answer it."

"But you must," said Lawyer Tools.

"By all means," said the justice.

"May be you'd let me bear the blame if I didn't?" said the boy, with tears.

"It don't look very much like guilt," said one and another, whispering through the crowded hall.

"May it please the court," said Lawyer Ketchum, "if the boy ran through the snow, in preference to taking a beaten path where his tracks would not be seen, it appears to me he had some good reason for so doing other than the consciousness of guilt."

"Oh, ho!" said Tools; "impressions and opinions are of no consequence. The boy had a reason for not taking the path. Now I want him to disclose it."

"I had rather not," said the boy, with his head down.

Mr., Haddock whispered Mr. Ketchum, and Mr. Ketchum whispered Tools, and they both conferred with the justice to the following purport: That the justice should kindly assure the boy of his favor, and lead him to disclose what he knew. So Justice Stout put on his best appearance, and calling the boy a little nearer him, told him that he need be under no apprehension that any body would hurt him if he told what he knew, and assured him that every body in the room was his friend!

Jims said he wasn't afraid "of being hurt."

"What are you afraid of?" inquired the justice.

"Who said I was afraid of any thing?" he asked.

"True, but we all thought so," said Mr. Ben Stout.

"I don't want to hurt him -- I ain't afraid of being hurt."

"Who do you mean by 'him,' my boy?"

"I mean Dick Bunce."

"Whew!" exclaimed Tools, and it was noticed that Dick Bunce looked blank and trembled.

"Well, what of him -- how can he be hurt?"

"I saw him!" -- said the boy.

"It's a lie, d--- you!" shouted a voice in the crowd, and Dick Bunce, pale and trembling, stood forth before the assembly. Captain Bunce cast an uneasy glance around him. The people scarcely breathed.

"Well, my boy, tell us now all you know."

"Speak the truth!" said a low, solemn voice near him, and Jims immediately stood up straight and firm, and said in a clear voice: "I was going round the corner into the path, when I saw a man come out through the bars stealthily, and take the path before me directly to wards the house. I turned into the snow, because I didn't want to have him see me."

"Did you know him?"

"Yes, I knew him at once."

"Who was that man?"

"The truth now, boy," said Tools.

"Dick Bunce!"

"Spotted him, by George!" said Nelson Smith to Ralph Newton, as he noticed how Dick colored, trembled, perspired, and finally sat down.

"Call Doctor Murdock," said Lawyer Ketchum.

"What do you want of Doctor Murdock, Ketchum -- you ain't sick, I hope?"

"We want to know whether the doctor has any practice in his profession dark evenings, away from home," said the other limb of the law.

"Doctor Murdock, were you out on professional business the evening of this fire?"

"I believe I was, sir."

"Did you have occasion to ride by Captain Bunce's that evening?"

"Yes, sir, on my return home."

"What time in the evening was that, doctor?"

"Not many minutes after nine o'clock."

"And can you state any thing in relation to this fire?"

"That is," interposed Lawyer Tools, "did you or did you not notice that the barn was on fire?"

"No, I did not observe any fire."

"Good -- you should say the barn was not on fire!"

"I saw no fire -- no light."

"Every thing remained quiet?" continued Tools.

"Yes, so far as I noticed about the barn. But there were people in the road -- "

"No matter about 'people in the road,' there are always people going and coming in our streets and highways -- no fire, you say?"

"None that I observed."

"All right, doctor; any thing further, Ketchum?"

Mr. Ketchum said "Yes -- did you see the boy Jims on the road, or about the premises, as you rode by that evening?"

"Not to my recollection."

"Did you see the girl Roxy, or Mag Davis, or any of the poor-house folks, wandering about?"

"I remember passing 'old Dan,' as they call him, about fifty or a hundred rods below, with a bag or something of the kind on his shoulder."

"Dan, eh?" said Tools.

"Dan!" said Justice Stout. "Did Dan burn the barn? Oh, excuse me! -- er -- all right -- go on, gentlemen." The justice seemed to be a little lost for some reason.

"You are sure it was Dan?" inquired Lawyer Ketchum.

"Yes, for I spoke to him, and offered him a seat."

"Oh, well, of course the doctor knew him -- why puzzle the doctor on a self-evident point?" said Tools. "And that was all, I suppose?" he continued -- "nothing seemed out of place -- nothing new -- nothing terrible going on, was there, doctor?"

"That was all, except this, if I remember right: Just as I got against Captain Bunce's -- my mare walking along -- a man suddenly ran acrost the road, from the barnside to the other, just ahead of me, and frightened the mare so that she darted out one side and nearly upset me. I, however, reined her in; and just then I heard the man, in a rather hoarse and rough voice that I recognized, exclaim, 'The d -- l!'"