"Well, Reuben, it will be easy for you to clear yourself, by saying where you were at the time.
"What o'clock was it, Robert, that you saw the boy?"
"It was just a quarter past eight, squire. The quarter struck just as I opened the gate."
"Were you out or at home at that hour, Reuben?"
"I was out, sir. I went to the schoolmaster's."
"What time did you leave there?"
"I left at eight, sir."
"Then if you got in just after eight, it is clear that you were not the boy," the squire said. "If your mother tells me that you were in at five minutes past eight, that settles the question, as far as you are concerned."
"I didn't get in till half-past eight, sir," Reuben said. "I walked about for a bit, after I came out from school, to try and get the stiffness out of my leg, so as to be able to come to work this morning."
"Was anyone with you, Reuben? Is there anyone to say what you did with yourself, between eight and half-past eight?"