"You may go and sit down, now, my dear; Nessa will make room for you, I daresay, on the sofa beside her."
He glanced over at Nessa as he spoke with such a comical expression of despair that they both nearly laughed, to Cousin Jane's intense indignation.
Mr. Blair, however, became grave again at once, and turned to Mr. Plunkett to listen to all the reasons he was urging in favor of some serious punishment being inflicted upon Murtagh. Too courteous to interrupt, Mr. Blair listened patiently till he had ceased speaking. But then instead of at once answering Mr. Plunkett, he turned to Murtagh and said:
"Murtagh, will you give me your word of honor that you were not at this fire, and that you did not in any way wilfully cause it?"
Murtagh had stood immovable while Mr. Plunkett was speaking; but his anger was at all times easy to melt, and there was a ring of trust and friendliness in his uncle's tone which made him look up straight into Mr. Blair's face with bright, fearless eyes and answer at once:
"Yes; I give you my word of honor."
"I believe you, my boy!" replied Mr. Blair.
The clouds vanished from Murtagh's face, and with a clear, sunny smile he looked across to Nessa for her congratulations.
"Plunkett," said Mr. Blair, "I feel how much truth there is in all you say, and if I could for a moment believe Murtagh guilty, I would leave it to you to decide his punishment. But though you have certainly evidence enough to justify an opinion, you do not prove his guilt, and I cannot help thinking that the presumptive evidence on the other side is strong enough to make it only just to Murtagh that we should believe him when he assures us on his word of honor that he is innocent." Mr. Plunkett was too much annoyed to be able altogether to retain his calm demeanor.
"Well," he replied, "I have nothing more to say. I believe him to be guilty, and that I shall continue so to do till some other person confesses to having committed the crime, without his help or instigation."