Page:Tales for the farmers' ingle-neuk (2).pdf/5

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to detect the guilty person'. My eyes were steadily fixed on Robert Stewart during this speech, and I observed his face turn red and pale by turns. The marks of guilt were visible, I thought, on his countenance; but when Mr Thomson ceased speaking, he had recovered himself sufficiently to exclaim, 'What good 'ill that do! D'ye think the man that killed the lass wad hae the face to come here? or, if he was here, how could you find him out by the sted o' his foot? A hunder folk may ha'e shoon o' the same size, and if made by ae shoemaker, they may be of the same shape too. It may mak' innocent folk suspected, and will do mair ill than good; sae for my part I winna consent till't. Come let us be off lads.' As, he spoke, he pulled some of his companions by the arm, and turned towards the gate with the intention of making his escape. 'The first man that leaves the church-yard before he is examined,' cried Mr Johnson from among the crowd, 'will be taken up as a suspected person, and committed to jail. I have the authority of the sheriff for saying so.' A murmur of approbation succeeded his speech, and Stewart turned back intimidated, and seated himself on a grave-stone at a little distance, folding his arms across his breast, and kicking his heels against one of the feet of the stone, in order to appear very much at his ease. As soon as silence was obtained, Mr Thomson, in a few simple words, refuted Stewart's objections, and at the same time held up to public view Mr Johnson's drawing