What was he doing on the water at night?
For it must have been he with a light.
Then a terrible suspicion flashed across him, and the vague ideas began to shape themselves and grow solid.

Suppose it was Farmer Tallington who had been guilty of-- Dick made a strong effort at this point to master his wandering imagination, and forced himself to think only of what he really knew to be the fact, namely, that Farmer Tallington was out somewhere, and that the squire was out too.
"My father must have come to meet yours, Dick," whispered Tom at that point.

"I know they suspect there's something wrong, and they have gone down to watch the drain, or to meet Mr Marston." "Yes," said Dick, in a tone which did not carry conviction with it.
"That must be it." "What shall we do?
Go back to bed ?" "Ye-es, we had better," said Dick thoughtfully.

"I say, Tom, we have done quite right.

We couldn't have gone away." "Hist! did you hear that ?" For answer Dick strained out of the window.