cried Philip viciously.

"No, you did not, young gentleman," said Mr Solomon sternly; "but I saw you cut two bunches of grapes one evening--the Muscat of Alexandria--and take them away."

"Oh what a wicked story!" cried Philip, angrily.

"Call it what you like, young gentleman," said Mr Solomon; "but it's a fact. I meant to speak to Sir Francis, for I hate the choice fruit to be touched till it's wanted for the house; but I said to myself he's only a schoolboy and he was tempted, and here are the young gentleman's nail scissors, Sir Francis, that he dropped in his hurry and left behind."

As Mr Solomon spoke he handed a pair of pearl-handled scissors--a pair of those spring affairs with a tiny knife-blade in each handle--and in the midst of a dead silence laid them on the table before Sir Francis.

"Those are not mine," said Philip hastily.

"Humph!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Sir Francis, picking them up and examining them. "I shall have to order you out of the room, man, if you make that noise,"

he cried, as he turned to Ike.

"I weer on'y laughin', your worship," said Ike.

"Then leave off laughing, sir," continued Sir Francis, "and have the goodness to tell me what you were doing down the garden. Were you collecting moths with a dark lantern?"

"Me, your honour! not I."

"What were you doing, then?"

"Well, your honour's worship, I was having a bit of a sleep--tired, you see."

"Oh!" exclaimed Sir Francis. "Now, look here, Grant, you knew that man was down the garden."

"Yes, Sir Francis."

"And didn't you go to join him?"

"Yes, Sir Francis."

"To get a lot of my pears?"

"No, Sir Francis."

"Then why did you go?" he thundered.

I was silent.

"Do you hear, sir?"

"Yes, Sir Francis."

"Then speak, sir."

I remained silent.

"Will you tell me why you went down the garden to join that man?"

I looked at poor Ike, and felt that if I spoke it would be to get him discharged, so I preferred to remain silent, and said not a word.

"Will you speak, sir?" cried Sir Francis, beating the table with his fist.

"I can't tell you, Sir Francis."

"You mean you won't, sir?"

"Yes, Sir Francis."

"Why not tell the whole truth, Grant?" said Mr Solomon, reproachfully.

"Because I can't, sir," I replied sadly.

"Be silent, Brownsmith," cried Sir Francis fiercely.

"He's too good a mate to tell," said Ike stoutly. "Here, I may as well make a clean breast of it, and here it is. I'm an old soldier, sir, and--well, theer, it got hold of me at dinner-time. 'Stead of having anything to eat I had a lot to drink, having had some salt herrin' for breakfast, and I suppose I took too much."

"Herring, my man?"

"No, your worship, beer; and I went to sleep down among the bushes.

There, that's the honest truth, Mr Brownsmith's brother. Fact as fact."

"I believe you, Ike," said Mr Solomon. "He's a very honest workman, Sir Francis."

"Thank ye; I call that handsome, I do," said Ike.

"Stop! this is getting very irregular," cried Sir Francis. "Now, Grant, once more. Did you not go down the garden thinking you would get some of those pears?"

"No, Sir Francis."

"To meet that man, and let him take them away?"

"No, Sir Francis."

"Do you mean to tell me, sir, that you did not go down to join that man?"

"I did go down to join him, Sir Francis," I replied. "I saw him asleep and tipsy in among the black currants and I left him there, and took this key to-night to wake him up and let him out by the gate in the wall."

"Why not through the coach-yard?"

"Because I was afraid he would meet Mr Solomon Brownsmith, and get into disgrace for drinking."

"Thankye, Mars Grant, thankye kindly," said Ike.

"Silence!"

_Plop_!