CHAPTER XI.

CLOSE

upon the hour of noon the whole village was suddenly electrified with the ghastly news. No need of the as yet undreamed-of telegraph; the tale flew from man to man, from group to group, from house to house, with little less than telegraphic speed. Of course the schoolmaster gave holiday for that afternoon; the town would have thought strangely of him if he had not.

A gory knife had been found close to the murdered man, and it had been recognized by somebody as belonging to Muff Potter— so the story ran, And it was said that a belated citizen had come upon Potter washing himself in the " branch " about one or two o'clock in the morning, and that Potter had at once sneaked off suspicious{{center|101