CHAPTER VII.

THE INCENDIARY.

Driving a nail—How to prevent 107 splitting—Wetting nails—Mr. Walker’s arrival—News—The stolen horse found—The suspected rogue—Clinton’s disclosures—Mr. Walker’s temper—A furious outbreak—Mrs. Davenport’s interference—Mitigating circumstances—Whistler’s courage reviving—Clinton’s threat—The folly of flying into a passion—Tears—Mr. Davenport—His regrets—Whistler’s generous confession—One of Clinton’s failings—His defence—Want of reflection—Thinking an action right does not make it so—Searching questions—Compulsory promises—They are binding, if right in themselves—Wrong promises not binding—The rule applied—Clinton convicted—Consequences of not thinking—A volunteer defence—The heads of the “brief”—The judgment softened—The lost horse—The lesson,