"Don't look so scared, mother," he replied, soothingly. "He has gone now."
"Oh, my boy, how could you?" she went on, half in reproach, and yet secretly admiring his courage.
"I wouldn't have done it had he not cast a slur on your fair name, mother. I might have stood what he said against me, but I'll never allow any one to say one word against you, never."
And the look he gave her out of his honest eyes showed that he meant what he said.
"But the squire! What will he do now?"
"I don't care what he does. We haven't done wrong, so what can he do?"
"He is influential."
"So is Mr. Carrington, and Bart Haycock, and a half-dozen others that are our friends."
"He evidently feels certain that you had something to with the post office robbery."
"He is down on us, mother, just as I told him. I wish I knew why," and Ralph grew more calm and more thoughtful as he spoke.