Margaret wiped her eyes, and tried to talk about something else, but suddenly she burst out afresh.
"Please, Mr. Bell, let me tell you about it--you could perhaps help me a little; no, not help me, but if you knew the truth, perhaps you could put me to rights--that is not it, after all," said she, in despair at not being able to express herself more exactly as she wished.
Mr. Bell's whole manner changed. "Tell me all about it, child," said he.
"It's a long story; but when Fred came, mamma was very ill, and I was undone with anxiety, and afraid, too, that I might have drawn him into danger; and we had an alarm just after her death, for Dixon met some one in Milton--a man called Leonards--who had known Fred, and who seemed to owe him a grudge, or at any rate to be tempted by the recollection of the reward offered for his apprehension; and with this new fright, I thought I had better hurry off Fred to London, where, as you would understand from what we said the other night, he was to go to consult Mr. Lennox as to his chances if he stood trial. So we--that is, he and I,--went to the railway station; it was one evening, and it was just getting rather dusk, but still light enough to recognize and be recognized, and we were too early, and went out to walk in a field just close by; I was always in a panic about this Leonards, who was, I knew, somewhere in the neighbourhood; and then, when we were in the field, the low red sunlight just in my face, some one came by on horseback in the road just below the field-style on which we stood.--I saw him look at me, but I did not know who it was at first, the sun was so in my eyes, but in an instant the dazzle went off, and I saw it was Mr. Thornton, and we bowed"----
"And he saw Frederick of course," said Mr. Bell, helping her on with her story, as he thought.
"Yes; and then at the station a man came up--tipsy and reeling--and he tried to collar Fred, and over-balanced himself as Fred wrenched himself away, and fell over the hedge of the platform; not far, not deep; not above three feet; but oh! Mr. Bell, somehow that fall killed him!"

Margaret wiped her eyes, and tried to talk about something else, but suddenly she burst out afresh.
'Please, Mr. Bell, let me tell you about it. If you knew the truth, perhaps you could put me to rights - though that is not quite it,' said she, in despair at not being able to express herself exactly.
'Tell me all about it, child.'
'It's a long story; but when Fred came, mamma was very ill, and I was afraid that I might have drawn him into danger; and we had an alarm just after her death, for Dixon met someone in Milton - a man called Leonards, who had known Fred, and seemed tempted by the reward offered for his capture. So I thought I had better hurry off Fred to London, to consult Mr. Lennox about his chances if he stood trial. He and I went to the railway station; it was dusk, but still light enough to see, and we were too early, and went out to walk in a field close by. I was in a panic about this Leonards. When we were in the field, at sunset, someone came by on horseback in the road alongside, and I saw him look at me, but I did not know who it was at first, the sun was so in my eyes, but then I saw it was Mr. Thornton, and we bowed-'
'And he saw Frederick, of course,' said Mr. Bell, helping her on.
'Yes; and then at the station a man came up - tipsy and reeling - and he tried to collar Fred, and over-balanced himself as Fred wrenched himself away, and fell over the edge of the platform; only about three feet; but oh! Mr. Bell, somehow that fall killed him!'
