“You are frightening Mrs. Hare, sir.  Don’t you see that she knows nothing of it—­that the very report of such a thing is alarming her into illness?  But—­allow me to inquire what it may be that Locksley said?”

“I met him at the gate,” retorted Justice Hare, turning his attention upon Mr. Carlyle.  “He was going by as I reached it.  ’Oh, justice, I am glad I met you.  That’s a nasty report in the place that Richard has been here.  I’d see what I could do toward hushing it up, sir, if I were you, for it may only serve to put the police in mind of by gone things, which it may be better they should forget.’  Carlyle, I went, as I tell you, to knock him down.  I asked him how he could have the hardihood to repeat such slander to my face.  He was on the high horse directly; said the parish spoke the slander, not he; and I got out of him what it was he had heard.”

“And what was it?” interrupted Mr. Carlyle, more eagerly than he generally spoke.

“Why, they say the fellow showed himself here some time ago, a year or so, disguised as a farm laborer—­confounded fools!  Not but what he’d have been the fool had he done it.”

“To be sure he would,” repeated Mr. Carlyle, “and he is not fool enough for that, sir.  Let West Lynne talk, Mr. Hare; but do not put faith in a word of its gossip.  I never do.  Poor Richard, wherever he may be—­”

“I won’t have him pitied in my presence,” burst forth the justice.  “Poor Richard, indeed!  Villain Richard, if you please.”

“I was about to observe that, wherever he may be—­whether in the backwoods of America, or digging for gold in California, or wandering about the United Kingdom—­there is little fear that he will quit his place of safety to dare the dangerous ground of West Lynne.  Had I been you, sir, I should have laughed at Locksley and his words.”

“Why does West Lynne invent such lies?”

“Ah, there’s the rub.  I dare say West Lynne could not tell why, if it were paid for doing it; but it seems to have been a lame story it had got up this time.  If they must have concocted a report that Richard had been seen at West Lynne, why put it back to a year ago—­why not have fixed it for to-day or yesterday?  If I heard anything more, I would treat it with the silence and contempt it deserves, justice.”

Silence and contempt were not greatly in the justice’s line; noise and explosion were more so.  But he had a high opinion of the judgment of Mr. Carlyle; and growling a sort of assent, he once more set forth to pay his evening visit.

“Oh, Archibald!” uttered Mrs. Hare, when her husband was half-way down the path, “what a mercy that you were here!  I should inevitably have betrayed myself.”

Barbara turned round from the window, “But what could have possessed Locksley to say what he did?” she exclaimed.

“I have no doubt Locksley spoke with a motive,” said Mr. Carlyle.  “He is not unfriendly to Richard, and thought, probably, that by telling Mr. Hare of the report he might get it stopped.  The rumor had been mentioned to me.”