It took a few tries to get his voice to work. "No," he said, surprised that Thorne, whom he had known all his life, could ask with a straight face.

"Alright then," Thorne said sensibly.

It couldn't be, Selwyn knew. There's no way they've come all the way from Penrith and just turn around and walk back for a declaration of innocence.

"We're all here," Selwyn's father told them. "You mean last night? All four of us were here all night – me, the boy, his mother and his grandmother. We will all testify for him. ”

This sent a shudder down his back, and Selwyn tried to disguise himself as driving away a fly. He defiantly crossed his arms over his chest.

"Good," Thorne said. "Go back to the village and explain everything to Bowden. See if there's anything you know that can help us determine who killed him. ”

People outside of Thorne don't seem so convinced, so reasonable.

"I just explained it to you," his father said. "As for the others: any number of people would be glad that Farrow is dead." He looked directly at Linton, perhaps to apologize for speaking ill of the deceased in front of his relatives, or to remind everyone that Linton was a man who had to benefit from Farod's death—and that he would now be the closest surviving relative of the wealthy but aged miller.

Linton spat on the ground, looking like he wanted to spit on them.

Thorne said, "Listen, Rowe, let Selwin and we explain for himself. Bowden is a reasonable person. But his daughter was crying and continued to ......"

Bowdoin. It was Anora's father, and Selwyn knew that he was accused because of Anora. Throughout the summer, he and Farrow fought for Anora's attention and affection, and in the end, Anora chose Farrod. Two weeks ago, the two young men got into a fight in the street in front of everyone. Well, to be more precise, Selwyn tried to fight, and Farrowd - bigger, taller, stronger - unceremoniously threw him into the garbage heap as if Selwyn were about ten years old, much to the amusement of onlookers. So now, apparently, everyone thinks that he has gone further in the fight.

"The girl sued him?" Selwyn's father asked, because he had never thought of Anola. Selwyn was shocked by the idea.

"No," Thorne said. "I told you that it happened at night: no one saw anything. Derian didn't hear anything, the sound of the waterwheel and his half-deaf voice. It looks like the killer climbed in through the window. Let the boy come and talk, Selwyn. Fix this now. Do you think you're doing this to help? ”

Eventually—both relieved and frightened—his father nodded, and walked away from the shovel.

"Good," Thorne told him. "Okay. Now go to the house and tell Nerda and her mom that you'll be back before dinner. Linton and the other two or three looked like they were about to protest, but Thorne nodded and encouraged, "Go on." ”

Selwyn's father put his arm around Selwyn's shoulders, and the two turned and walked towards the house.

So they jumped up from behind.

Selwyn slammed to the ground, lying face down in the dirt, not having time to raise his hands to stop the fall. Someone put his knee against the back of his neck and shouted, "Take away his hand, take away his hand!" ”

Selwyn's hands were pulled behind his back and someone took the rope, which proved that the well-founded Thorne was a liar and had been plotting something like this.

Most of them went after his father: how many people would it take to take down a seventeen-year-old boy who was too short, too skinny, had only fought in one battle and lost the match? But there were so many people piled on his father that Selwyn couldn't even see him. Still, he was fine, he must be fine, because Selwyn heard him cursing.

"Selwyn," Thorne said, "I swear: if you cause us any trouble, I'll let them go ahead and hit you in the head, and we'll drag you back." Selwyn is fine. "Thorne didn't check on after he'd already said it, he's a trusted friend." We just don't want any of you to do anything stupid. Selwyn. "Selwyn's father is still struggling." Selwyn. ”

In the end, they took Selwin and his father's rag wrapped around the handle of the shovel and used it as a mantra for both of them, replacing the earthy taste in Selwin's mouth with the smell of sweat and earth.

On top of the gag, his father's eyes looked scared, which was the worst thing that could happen, because Selwyn had never seen his father scared before.

Selwyn was dragged to his feet, and did not push in the direction of the village as roughly—or mildly—as he had before. He was worried about his mother, who would come to them if they didn't come back for lunch.

He stopped, put his feet on the road, and anxiously looked back at the way they had come. Someone slammed him on the back of the head, so hard that his knees went limp. At the same time, he was pushed again. But someone grabbed him and told him to stay upright, and they made him walk.