CHAPTER VII.

REUBEN'S STORY IS DISCREDITED.

WHEN Reuben came to himself, he did not at first realize that he was not waking as usual in his bed. He was very cold; his head ached sorely, and he felt bruised all over. Then he became aware that the surface on which he lay was very hard, then that a chill wind was blowing over him. With that he raised himself on his elbow, not without difficulty, for he felt strangely stiff, and lo! he was in the yard, and the factory buildings were all about him.

For a few moments Reuben felt utterly bewildered. But gradually the events of the early morning came back to him. Only the fact of his being stretched there in the yard made him sure that it was not all a bad dream. For everything about him looked as usual. The cart and the men had disappeared, nor was there any sign of their having been there. He raised himself from the ground with difficulty. The movement made him feel ill, and everything seemed to swim before his eyes. But presently he began to feel better, and was able to make his way back to the gatehouse.

Old Samuel was already down, and was busying himself about the breakfast, wondering the while that Reuben, who generally undertook the preparation of this meal, still lingered upstairs. He had just discovered to his astonishment that the house door was unbolted, when the appearance of Reuben, pale and dishevelled, coming in from the outside, astonished him still further. But the story Reuben had to tell, seemed to the old man scarcely credible. Mr. Savage in the yard before five o'clock in the morning, with a horse and cart, and a strange man engaged in carrying goods away! There must be some mistake.

"You did not dream it all, did you, lad?" he asked, not unkindly, laying his hand on Reuben's hot forehead. "You don't look at all well, and you feel feverish. Are you quite sure, now, that you did not dream it all?"

"Dream it!" exclaimed Reuben, feeling indignant that, after all he had gone through, his story should be thus received. "How could I dream such a thing? Do you think I do not know Nat Savage when I see him? Ask him yourself, if he was not in the yard last night. And as for my looking ill, I may well do that after the fall I had. Look at my forehead; it's bleeding still."

"Yes, yes, poor lad, you've had a fall, that's plain enough," said the old gate-keeper feelingly. "Have you ever heard your mother say whether she's known you walk in your sleep?"

"I never walk in my sleep," said Reuben impatiently. "I tell you that as soon as I saw the light and guessed that there were persons in the yard, I hurried on some clothes and went out."

"Yes, yes, I know," said Samuel, with a smile which nettled Reuben. "But it passes my comprehension how any one could have got into the yard without my hearing them. But go and lie down, lad, if you can't eat any breakfast. A little sleep will do you good. I shall not open the gates for half an hour yet, and if you don't feel well enough to get up then, lie still a little longer. I'll tell Mr. Akenside how it is."

"Oh, I mean to tell Mr. Akenside everything myself, as soon as he comes," returned Reuben.

"Very well, very well," replied the old man, in the tone of one who would humour a whimsical patient; "but go and get a little rest whilst you can."

And Reuben was glad to take his advice, for his head ached terribly, and he felt good for nothing.

He had not lain long on his bed ere he fell fast asleep. Finding him sleeping soundly when he came to look at him a little later, old Samuel let him sleep on, for he felt sure Reuben would not be fit for work if he were roused. As the gate-keeper stood at his post taking the names of the workpeople as they passed into the works, Mr. Savage came in. Samuel looked at him curiously. But the foreman wore his usual stern, inflexible look, which revealed nothing.

"Mr. Savage," said Samuel.

Savage turned sharply at the sound of his name.

"Well," he said—he was always curt of speech—"what is it?"

"I suppose you wasn't in the yard at five o'clock this morning?"

"What! I! In the yard at that hour? I should rather think not. I have enough of the place by daylight, without wanting to come here in the dark."

"So I thought," said the old man, with a grin.

"Then what do you mean by asking me such a question?"

"Oh, it's that lad Reuben. I believe he is brain-sick. He came in this morning with such a story—how he had seen a light in the yard, and had gone out and found you, if you please, with a cart carrying away goods. It's my belief that he walked out in his sleep under the influence of a delusion. That poor girl's accident yesterday upset him very much. He has a tender heart, has Reuben."

"I hope that may be the explanation," said Savage grimly. "But I am very much afraid that story is a wicked invention, made with the purpose of hiding his own ill-deeds at the expense of my character. If I am not mistaken, you are deceived in that lad, Samuel."

"I hope you 'are' mistaken, then," said Samuel, "for I never felt more confidence in any lad. It seemed to me more like a delirious dream than anything else. For how could you get into the yard without my hearing you? And then to charge you of all persons with carrying off the goods!"

"Yes; it's a most incredible story," said Savage. "As if any one could pass the gatehouse without rousing you! But you'll see; he will try to pass it off as truth. Where is he now?"

"In bed. I told him to stay there. He does not seem fit for work."

"That's right!" and Savage hurried away.

After sleeping for a couple of hours, poor Reuben woke, feeling refreshed. He rose and dressed quickly. The discovery of the morning weighed upon his mind, and he could not rest till he had told all to Mr. Akenside. As he went downstairs, he heard the clock strike ten, and was dismayed to think it was so late.

"Well, lad," said Samuel cheerfully, "do you feel all right now?"

"Yes, all right, thank you," said Reuben, and hurried out, as if on his way to work.

As he passed one of the workshops, Reuben was surprised to see Nat Savage standing within, giving orders in his usual sharp manner. He cast a suspicious glance at Reuben, but made no attempt to stay him.

Reuben made his way to the office, where he hoped at this hour to find Mr. Akenside; nor was he disappointed. Mr. Akenside's voice it was that bade him enter in response to his knock.

"Oh, it's you, Reuben Roy, is it?" said Mr. Akenside. His voice was cold and stern.

But Reuben did not observe it. He was too full of the disclosure he had to make. He began his story tremulously, but he had not got to the end when Mr. Akenside checked him.

"That will do, Reuben Roy," he said sternly. "It is a very ingenious fabrication, no doubt, but you cannot deceive me by it. I am sorry to say that Mr. Savage has just told me of the discovery he has made that some one has managed to gain an entrance into the storehouse and carry off some of the goods, and that he suspects you of being the thief."

For a few moments Reuben was too astounded to speak.

"'Me!'" he exclaimed at last. "Mr. Savage dared to say he suspected me! Why, I saw him myself, last night, removing things from the warehouse."

"No more lies, if you please, Reuben," said Mr. Akenside sadly; "you cannot suppose that I should believe your word rather than that of Nathaniel Savage, who has been my faithful servant for more than twenty years."

"But, sir, I am telling you the very truth," said Reuben desperately; "God knows it is no lie."

"There, there, that will do," said Mr. Akenside. "If it be indeed the truth, Reuben, you will not mind our searching your room at the gatehouse."

"Search it, by all means, if you wish, sir," said Reuben eagerly. "You will not find anything there that does not belong to me."

"Very well; I shall be glad to satisfy myself that it is so," said Mr. Akenside. "So we will go to your room at once, Reuben."

As they passed out of the office, Mr. Akenside called one of the men to accompany him.

Reuben, his face flushed with indignation, led the way, eager to clear himself of the imputation of dishonesty.

When they entered Reuben's bedroom, Mr. Akenside bade the man search it thoroughly. The room was so small that the search did not take long. Beneath the bed was a hamper. Reuben had received it from home in the autumn, full of rosy apples. When he last saw it, the hamper was empty. But now, as the man's eye fell on it and he tried to draw it out, he found it so heavy, that he had difficulty in moving it. He opened the hamper, and within, closely packed in straw, were several of the small metal goods manufactured in Mr. Akenside's works.

"What is the meaning of this, Reuben?" asked Mr. Akenside sternly.

Reuben shrank back terrified, dismayed, too overwhelmed to speak. He could hardly believe his eyes. How came those things there, in his hamper, beneath his bed? He tried to speak, but the words came broken by sobs, and Mr. Akenside might well mistake his agitation for guilt, as he exclaimed, "Indeed, sir, I know nothing about it; I did not put them there."

"That will not do," said Mr. Akenside; "you cannot expect me to believe that."

Certainly things looked very bad for Reuben Roy. Even old Samuel, when he saw the things that had been found in his room, was convinced of his dishonesty. And to furnish another link in the evidence against him, a rusty key was found beneath the rug, which fitted the lock of the storehouse. There seemed no longer any reasonable ground to doubt his guilt.

But in vain Mr. Akenside urged the lad to make full confession of the wrong he had done. Reuben had nothing to confess. But his silence appeared to prove his obduracy.

Mr. Akenside hesitated how to deal with him. But at last he said: "For the sake of your father and mother, Reuben, I will not prosecute you. But, of course, after what has happened, I cannot keep you in my service, nor can I give you a character that will help you to gain another situation. You have brought your life to a sorry pass. May God have mercy on you, and save you from sinking yet lower!"

A strange flash came into Reuben's eyes. In the midst of this sore trouble, the thought of God gave him strength.

"I don't wonder, sir," he said, quietly and respectfully—"I don't wonder that you think me guilty of stealing those things. But God knows I never touched them, and that I never saw that key till you found it under the rug. I can trust in God. He has sent me this trial, and He will make my innocence clear in His own time."

Mr. Akenside was staggered by Reuben's manner. Was it indeed innocence, or was it the most cunning hypocrisy? Unable to decide, he left the lad without another word.

And Reuben began to gather his things together preparatory to quitting the gatehouse.

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