“Oh, Luke,” she said sorrowfully, “how terrible it is to have you here!”

“Don’t be troubled, mother,” said Luke.  “We both know that I am innocent, and I rely on God to stand by me.”

“Luke,” said Mr. Beane, “though I am a bank trustee, I am your friend and believe you innocent.  I will act as your lawyer.”

“Thank you, Mr. Beane.  I shall be very glad to accept your services.”

The preliminary proceedings were of a formal character.  Then Miss Melinda Sprague was summoned to testify.  She professed to be very unwilling to say anything likely to injure her good friends, Luke and his mother, but managed to tell, quite dramatically, how she first caught a glimpse of the tin box.

“Did Mrs. Larkin know that you saw it?” asked the squire.

“She didn’t know for certain,” answered Melinda, “but she was evidently afraid I would, for she shut the trunk in a hurry, and seemed very much confused.  I thought of this directly when I heard of the bank robbery, and I went over to tell Luke and his mother.”

“How did they receive your communication?”

“They seemed very much frightened.”

“And you inferred that they had not come honestly by the tin box?”

“It grieves me to say that I did,” said Melinda, putting her handkerchief to her eyes to brush away an imaginary tear.

Finally Melinda sat down, and witnesses were called to testify to Luke’s good character.  There were more who wished to be sworn than there was time to hear.  Mr. Beane called only Mr. Hooper, Mr. Tomkins and Luke’s Sunday-school teacher.  Then he called Luke to testify in his own defense.

Luke told a straightforward story—­the same that he had told before—­replying readily and easily to any questions that were asked him.

“I submit, Squire Duncan,” said Mr. Beane, “that my client’s statement is plain and frank and explains everything.  I hold that it exonerates him from all suspicion of complicity with the robbery.”

“I differ with you,” said Squire Duncan, acidly.  “It is a wild, improbable tale, that does not even do credit to the prisoner’s invention.  In my opinion, this mysterious stranger has no existence.  Is there any one besides himself who has seen this Roland Reed?”

At this moment there was a little confusion at the door.  A tall, dark-complexioned stranger pushed his way into the court-room.  He advanced quickly to the front.

“I heard my name called,” he said.  “There is no occasion to doubt my existence.  I am Roland Reed!”

CHAPTER XIV

AN IMPORTANT WITNESS

The effect of Roland Reed’s sudden appearance in the court-room, close upon the doubt expressed as to his existence, was electric.  Every head was turned, and every one present looked with eager curiosity at the mysterious stranger.  They saw a dark-complexioned, slender, but wiry man, above the middle height, with a pair of keen black eyes scanning, not without sarcastic amusement, the faces turned toward him.