"And the other man of mystery--who was he?"
"Some child of misfortune. He was befriended by the tinker and did
errands for him."
"He took the money to Trove that night the latter slept in the
woods?"
"And, for Darrel, returned to Thompson his own with usury.
Thompson was the chief creditor."
"With usury?"
"Yes; for years it lay under the bed of Darrel. By and by he put
the money in a savings bank--all but a few dollars."
"And why did he wait so long, before returning it?"
"He tried to be rid of the money, but was unable to find Thompson.
And Trove, he lived to repay every creditor. Ah, sir, he was a man
of a thousand."
"That story of Darrel's in the little shop--I see--it was fact in a
setting of fiction."
"That's all it pretended to be," said the old man of the hills.
"One more query," said the other. He was now mounted. "I know
Darrel went to prison for the sake of the boy, but did some one set
him free?"
"His own character. Leblanc came to love him--like the other
prisoners--and, sir, he confessed. I declare!--it's daylight now
and here I am with the lantern. Good-by, and Merry Christmas!"
The other rode away, slowly, looking back at the dim glow of the
lantern, which now, indeed, was like a symbol of the past.
* * * * * *