"Well, Betsy," said Gilbert, with a stern, determined face, "this is
what I shall do. I am satisfied that Barton is connected, in some way,
with Sandy Flash. What it is, or whether the knowledge will help us, I
can't guess; but I shall force Barton to tell me!"

"To tell me. That might do, as far as it goes," she remarked, after a
moment's reflection. "It won't be easy; you'll have to threaten as well
as coax, but I guess you can git it out of him in the long run, and
maybe I can help you here, two bein' better than one, if one is but a
sheep's-head."

"I don't see, Betsy, that I need to call on you."

"This way, Gilbert. It's a strong p'int o' law, I've heerd tell, not
that I know much o' law, Goodness knows, nor ever want to, but never
mind, it's a strong p'int when there's two witnesses to a thing,--one to
clinch what the t'other drives in; and you must have a show o' law to
work on Alf. Barton, or I'm much mistaken!"

Gilbert reflected a moment. "It can do no harm," he then said; "can you
go with me, now?"

"Now's the time! If we only git the light of a farden-candle out o' him,
it'll do me a mortal heap o' good; for with all this rakin' and scrapin'
for nothin', I'm like a heart pantin' after the water-brooks, though a
mouth would be more like it, to my thinkin', when a body's so awful dry
as that comes to!"

The two thereupon took the foot-path down through the frozen fields and