"Don't believe him, ma'am. I saw him take it," said Vincent virtuously.
Poor Tom looked from one to another; but all faces were unfriendly. It was a critical time for him.
CHAPTER XVII.
TOM'S ARREST.
To one who is scrupulously honest a sudden charge of dishonesty is almost overwhelming. Now, Tom was honest, not so much because he had been taught that honesty was a virtue, as by temperament and instinct. Yet here he saw himself surrounded by hostile faces, for a crowd soon collected. Not one believed in his innocence, not even the lady, who thought it was such a pity that he was "so young and yet so wicked."
"Will somebody call a policeman?" asked Vincent.
A policeman soon made his appearance. He was a stout, burly man, and pushed his way through the crowd without ceremony.
"What's the row?" he inquired.