time his entire forgiveness if I had done it. I assured him, in the most
serious and solemn manner, that I knew nothing whatever of the money, that
it had made me very unhappy indeed, that I had had no sleep for the last
eight or ten nights, and had lost my appetite, and that I was become very
weak and ill; which illness he found, by feeling my pulse, was attended
with a very considerable fever. He proposed to take me home for a short
time, to restore my health; but this I objected to, as being likely to
give a colour to the charge. It was therefore settled that I should take
some medicine, prescribed by Mr. Stills[6], to calm my spirits and allay
my fever.

My father returned home almost broken-hearted, and I continued in the same
melancholy and hopeless state. However, in the evening of the next Sunday,
a boy came running up to me almost breathless, and declared that he had
discovered the thief, who had stolen the money. I eagerly entreated him to
explain himself--he answered that Charles Best, together with his brother
James, had just brought in a hatful of _Carraway Comfits_, which be said
he had bought with five shillings, given to him by his father. The Father
of these boys lived in the town, and they had been home on the Sunday, as
was usual, to dine with him. They had just returned from their visit,
about eight o'clock in the evening, and Charles, the eldest, the fellow
who had accused me of being the thief, had now brought these comfits in
his hat, saying that his father had given him _five shillings_, which he
had expended at once in this way. My friend directly declared that it was
a falsehood, that his father was a cursedly stingy old fellow, and that he
had never before returned with more than sixpence in his pocket; and he
added, suppose his father or any other person had given him _five
shillings_, it was very unlikely that he would lay it all out at once in
such a manner. I requested Best to show us his purse, to see if he had any
more money in it. This he declined to do; and, as his brother James began