“I’m heartily glad to hear it!” said the deacon, astonished and gratified. “As I said before, his falsehood about Phineas, and his standing out so about it, seemed to me worse than anything else. I rejoice if he has owned up.”
“I’m ready to own everything that I’ve done wrong; but that is different. I wasn’t going to say anything about it; but if Mrs. Chatford meant that, when she said I had come to make acknowledgments, why, she is mistaken. I spoke nothing but the truth about Phineas, and you’ll know it some day, and then, maybe, you’ll be sorry for having accused me of lying!” Jack struggled hard to control his feelings, but now, having said this, he began to cry.
“Phineas! I told Phineas to come here,” said Mrs. Chatford, “and now where has he gone?”
“I saw him sneaking off to the barn,” said Mr. Pipkin. “He don’t seem to hanker arter a meetin’ with Jack, dono why!”
Mrs. Chatford was agitated; and the deacon appeared strangely disturbed.
“It hurt me worse than anything,” Jack resumed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, “to have you think I would try to get out of a scrape by flinging the blame on to anybody else, and then lying about it. And that’s the hardest part for me to get over. But it’s natural you should think so. I don’t blame you. I can wait for you to find out the truth; you will some time. I’ve no ill-will against Phin, either; but I don’t want to see him or have anything to do with him. So don’t call him. I know just what he would say.”
“Well, well!” said the deacon, walking up and down the path in great trouble of mind. “No doubt, no doubt! You may be honest. It’s a strange misunderstanding! I hope it will be explained some day.” But it was plain to see that the good man’s prejudice against the boy was far from being overcome.
Meanwhile Moses went to the barn to find Phineas.
“What are ye sneaking off here for?” he cried. “Why don’t you go and see Jack, and own up to your lie about him? It’s your best way now.”
“Hain’t told any lie!” muttered Phineas. “Come out here to watch Lion, fear he’d get away.”