“How do you account for the candle being gone?” asked the constable.
Again no answer.
“Now, look here,” said he. “You’re a little maid, and I don’t want to deal hard with you. If you can give me an explanation of your conduct as will satisfy, why, I’ll not proceed to extremities. But I must say that things look ugly. If you was innocent, you could say so.”
“I am innocent.”
“Then how came the rick to be fired?”
Kate made no reply. She was trembling, and nervously plucking at her light shawl, tearing away and unravelling the fringe.
“You alone had the lantern. It wasn’t Mrs. Redmore now’eh?’or her husband?”
“Oh no, no!” replied Kate eagerly. “She had nothing to do with it. She had gone away along the lane, some time before”’She halted.
“Oh! you know how the fire arose?”
Kate gave no reply.