But he would not. "No, no! my dear lady, you must not—cannot. I only knew it by the ring!"
Then he made me sit down again, whilst he replaced the firewood; and then, with the utmost quietness, we set out to return, I holding the lantern in one hand, and with the other clinging to his arm (for the apparition that had been my guide before was gone), and he carrying the awful relic in his other hand. Once, as we were leaving the yard, he whispered—
"Look!"
"I see nothing," said I.
"Hold up your lantern," he whispered.
"There is nothing but the dog-kennel," I said.
"Miss Dorothy," he said, "the dog has not barked tonight!"
By the time we reached home, my mind had fully realized the importance of our discovery, and the terribly short time left us in which to profit by it, supposing, as I fully believed, that it was the first step to the vindication of George's innocence. As we turned into the gate, Robert, who had been silent for some time broke out—
"Miss Dorothy! Mr. George Manners is as innocent as I am; and God forgive us all for doubting him! What shall we do?"