Murders > Tales for the farmers' ingle-neuk

5
to detect the guilty person.’ My eyes were
steadily fixed on Robert Stewart during this
speech, and I observed his face turn red and
pale by turns. The marks of guilt were visible,
I thought, on his countenance; hut when
Mr Thomson ceased speaking, he had recovered
himself sufficiently to exclaim, hat good ill
that do! D’ye think the man that killed the lass
wad hae the face to come here ? or, if he was
here, how could you find him out by the sted o’
his foot ? A hunder folk may ha'e shoon o’ the
I same size, and if made by ae shoemaker, they
may be o’ the same shape too. It may mak’
innocent folk suspected, and will do mair ill than
good; sae for my part I vvinua consent till’t.
Come let us be off lads/ As he spoke, he pull¬
ed some of his companions by the arm, and tur¬
ned towards the gate with the intention o.
making his escape. ‘The first man that leaves
the church-yard before he is examined,’ cried
Mr Johnson from among the crowd, ‘will be
taken up as a suspected person, and committed
to jail. I have the authority of the sheriff for
saying so.’ A murmur of approbation succeed¬
ed ns speech, and Stewart turned back in-*
Itimidated, and seated himself on a grave-stone at
a little distance, folding his arms across his
breast, and kicking his heels against one of the
feet of the stone, in order to appear very much
at his ease. As soon as silence was obtained,
Mr T tOMSON, in a few simple words, refuted
Stewart’s objections, and at the same Tme
held up to public view Mr Johnson’s drawing