WALTER’S ALLEY. 71

after the cricket-ball, to be sure. You
have not forgotten that already, I suppose.”

Harry at once saw how nearly he had
betrayed his own secret. Conscience had
led him to mistake the meaning of a very
simple question, and another falsehood was
the consequence. ‘Of course, I knew you
meant that, Warbeck; but how could it
possibly lame me ?”

“Why, you might have sprained your
foot in getting down.”

Harry felt that he was treading on dan-
gerous ground, and that his wisest course
was to take refuge in silence.. Charles
Warbeck, who was a good-natured boy,
and who saw that, for some unexplained
reason, the subject was distasteful tor his
companion, did not pursue it further; and
they descended the stairs. together without
continuing the conversation.