“Papa, has anything happened?”

“No, nothing new has happened; but I am dreadfully disturbed by some things which Mr. Taggett has been doing here in the village.”

“I thought Mr. Taggett had gone.”

“He did go; but he came back very quietly without anybody’s knowledge.  I knew it, of course; but no one else, to speak of.”

“What has he done to disturb you?”

“I want you to be a brave girl, Margaret,—­will you promise that?”

“Why, yes,” said Margaret, with an anxious look.  “You frighten me with your mysteriousness.”

“I do not mean to be mysterious, but I don’t quite know how to tell you about Mr. Taggett.  He has been working underground in this matter of poor Shackford’s death,—­boring in the dark like a mole,—­and thinks he has discovered some strange things.”

“Do you mean he thinks he has found out whoi killed Mr. Shackford?”

“He believes he has fallen upon clews which will lead to that.  The strange things I alluded to are things which Richard will have to explain.”

“Richard?  What has he to do with it?”

“Not much, I hope; but there are several matters which he will be obliged to clear up in order to save himself from very great annoyance.  Mr. Taggett seems to think that—­that”—­

“Good heavens, papa!  What does he think?”

“Margaret, he thinks that Richard knew something about the murder, and has not told it.”

“What could he know?  Is that all?”

“No, that is not all.  I am keeping the full truth from you, and it is useless to do so.  You must face it like a brave girl.  Mr. Taggett suspects Richard of being concerned, directly or indirectly, with the crime.”

The color went from Margaret’s cheek for an instant.  The statement was too horrible and sudden not to startle her, but it was also too absurd to have more than an instant’s effect.  Her quick recovery of herself reassured Mr. Slocum.  Would she meet Mr. Taggett’s specific charges with the like fortitude?  Mr. Slocum himself had been prostrated by them; he prayed to Heaven that Margaret might have more strength than he, as indeed she had.

“The man has got together a lot of circumstantial evidence,” continued Mr. Slocum cautiously; “some of it amounts to nothing, being mere conjecture; but some of it will look badly for Richard, to outsiders.”

“Of course it is all a mistake,” said Margaret, in nearly her natural voice.  “It ought to be easy to convince Mr. Taggett of that.”

“I have not been able to convince him.”

“But you will.  What has possessed him to fall into such a ridiculous error?”