Brandon was very well pleased with this promise, and dropped the subject.
When all the family had retired, Squire Bates took from a secret drawer in his desk the mate of the missing sleeve button—its counterpart in every particular.
"I must get rid of this," he said. "In connection with that boy's story its discovery in my possession would be a damaging piece of evidence."
CHAPTER XII.
DEAN'S NEW PLANS.
The next morning Squire Bates rose half an hour before breakfast, and took a walk in the garden behind the house. He had his cane with him, which was unusual, as he was not leaving his own grounds. He proceeded to the lower end of the garden, and then, thrusting the point of the cane into the soft loam, made in this way a round hole, perhaps eight inches deep, into which he carefully dropped the solitary sleeve button, and then filled up the hole again.
"There," said he to himself in a tone of satisfaction, "that disposes of the button. Now Dean Dunham can say what he likes, he can't throw suspicion on me."
As he re-entered the house he met Brandon just coming downstairs.