But then, it was wrong to keep silent, wrong! wrong! wrong!

The word went echoing through his mind like the stern sentence of some high court; conscience again pushed her way to the front, and the struggle in the boy’s heart went on with a fierceness that was terrible.

Suddenly the door was opened from the inside, and Bachelor Billy stood there, shading his eyes with his hand and peering out into the darkness.

“Ralph,” he said, “is that yo’ a-stannin’ there i’ the rain?  Coom in, lad; coom in wi’ ye!  Why!” he exclaimed, as the boy entered the room, “ye’re a’ drippin’ wet!”

“Yes, Uncle Billy, it’s a-rainin’ pirty hard; I believe I—­I believe I did git wet.”

The boy’s voice sounded strange and hard even to himself.  Bachelor Billy looked down into his face questioningly.

“What’s the matter wi’ ye, Ralph?  Soun’s like as if ye’d been a-cryin’.  Anything gone wrong?”

“Oh, no.  Only I’m tired, that’s all, an’—­an’ wet.”

“Ye look bad i’ the face.  Mayhap an’ ye’re a bit sick?”

“No, I ain’t sick.”

“Wull, then, off wi’ the wet duddies, an’ we’ll be a-creepin’ awa’ to bed.”

As Ralph proceeded to remove his wet clothing, Bachelor Billy watched him with increasing concern.  The boy’s face was white and haggard, there were dark crescents under his eyes, his movements were heavy and confused, he seemed hardly to know what he was about.

“Has the lawyer said aught to mak’ ye unhappy, Ralph?” inquired Billy at last.

“No, I ain’t seen Mr. Sharpman.  He wasn’t in.  He was in when I first went there, but somebody else was there a-talkin’ to ‘im, an’ I went out to wait, an’ w’en I got back again the office was locked, so I didn’t see ’im.”

“Ye’ve been a lang time gone, lad?”

“Yes, I waited aroun’, thinkin’ maybe he’d come back, but he didn’t.  I didn’t git started for home” till just before it begun to rain.”

“Mayhap ye got a bit frightened a-comin’ up i’ the dark?”

“No—­well, I did git just a little scared a-comin’ by old No. 10 shaft; I thought I heard a funny noise in there.”

“Ye s’ould na be oot so late alone.  Nex’ time I’ll go wi’ ye mysel’!”

Ralph finished the removal of his wet clothing, and went to bed, glad to get where Bachelor Billy could not see his face, and where he need not talk.

“I’ll wait up a bit an’ finish ma pipe,” said the man, and he leaned back in his chair and began again his slow puffing.

He knew that something had gone wrong with Ralph.  He feared that he was either sick or in deep trouble.  He did not like to question him too closely, but he thought he would wait a little before going to bed and see if there were any further developments.

Ralph could not sleep, but he tried to lie very still.  A half-hour went by, and then Bachelor Billy stole softly to the bed and looked down into the lad’s face.  He was still awake.