Young
as he was, his instinct told him that the best liar is he who makes
the smallest amount of lying go the longest way -who husbands it too
carefully to waste it where it can be dispensed with. The simplest
course would be to say that he had lost the watch, and was late for
dinner because he had been looking for it. He had been out for a
long walk- he chose the line across the fields that he had actually
taken- and the weather being very hot, he had taken off his coat and
waistcoat; in carrying them over his arm his watch, his money, and his
knife had dropped out of them. He had got nearly home when he found
out his loss, and had run back as fast as he could, looking along
the line he had followed, till at last he had given it up; seeing
the carriage coming back from the station, he had let it pick him up
and bring him home.
This covered everything, the running and all; for his face still
showed that he must have been running hard; the only question was
whether he had been seen about the Rectory by any but the servants for
a couple of hours or so before Ellen had gone, and this he was happy
to believe was not the case; for he had been out except during his few
minutes' interview with the cook.
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