"Sure, an' it is, Heaven bless him!" put in Mrs. Corcoran.
"And where have you been, Ralph?" cried Mrs. Nelson, when she could again speak.
"I have been in New York. You would have heard from me before had not that villain stolen the letter I sent."
"Yes, villain, mother. Squire Paget is the blackest-hearted wretch in Westville."
"What's this, and to me!" ejaculated the squire.
"Yes, to you, Squire Paget, you mean, contemptible coward!" returned the boy, boldly. "Look at him, mother, and see him quail while I tell you of all he has done."
"I have done nothing," faltered the squire, but he looked as if he wished to sink through the floor.
"He hired two men to throw me over the cliff on Tree Top Island, and when they failed, he got one of the men to follow me to New York and try to put me out of existence there."
"Oh, Ralph, I cannot believe it!"