Roland Reed bowed slightly, advanced to the table, took a bunch of keys from his pocket, and inserting one of the smallest in the lock easily opened the box.

Those who were near enough, including the justice, craned their necks forward to look into the box.

The box contained papers, certificates of stock, apparently, and a couple of bank-books.

“The box missing from the vault contained government bonds, as I understand, Squire Duncan?” said the lawyer.

“Yes,” answered the justice, reluctantly.

“Are there any government bonds in the box, Mr. Reed.”

“You can see for yourself, sir.”

The manner of the witness toward the lawyer was courteous, though in the tone in which he addressed the court there had been a scarcely veiled contempt.

“I submit, then, that my young client has been guilty of no wrong.  He accepted the custody of the box from the rightful owner, and this he had a clear right to do.”

“How do you know that the witness is the rightful owner of the box?” demanded the justice, in a cross tone.  “He may have stolen it from some other quarter.”

“There is not a shadow of evidence of this,” said the lawyer, in a tone of rebuke.

“I am not sure but that he ought to be held.”

“You will hold me at your peril, Mr. Duncan,” said the witness, in clear, resolute tones.  “I have a clear comprehension of my rights, and I do not propose to have them infringed.”

Squire Duncan bit his lips.  He had only a smattering of law, but he knew that the witness was right, and that he had been betrayed by temper into making a discreditable exhibition of himself.

“I demand that you treat me with proper respect,” he said angrily.

“I am ready to do that,” answered the witness, in a tone whose meaning more than one understood.  It was not an apology calculated to soothe the ruffled pride of the justice.

“I call for the discharge of my young client, Squire Duncan,” said the lawyer.  “The case against him, as I hardly need say, has utterly failed.”

“He is discharged,” said the justice, unwillingly.

Instantly Luke’s friends surrounded him and began to shower congratulations upon him.  Among them was Roland Reed.

“My young friend,” he said, “I am sincerely sorry that by any act of mine I have brought anxiety and trouble upon you.  But I can’t understand how the fact that you had the box in your possession became known.”

This was explained to him.

“I have a proposal to make to you and your mother,” said Roland Reed, “and with your permission I will accompany you home.”

“We shall be glad to have you, sir,” said Mrs. Larkin, cordially.

As they were making their way out of the court-room, Melinda Sprague, the cause of Luke’s trouble, hurried to meet them.  She saw by this time that she had made a great mistake, and that her course was likely to make her generally unpopular.  She hoped to make it up with the Larkins.