Stranica 78 [78]
48
“Oh, he won’t speak out, won’t he?”
said Fang. “Very well, very well.
Where does he live ?”
«Where he can, your worship,” replied
the officer, again pretending to receive
Oliver’s answer.
“Has he any parents?” inquired Mr.
Fang.
‘ He says they died in his infancy, your
worship,” replied the officer, hazarding the
usual reply. —
At this point of the inquiry Oliver
raised his head, and, looking round with
imploring eyes, murmured a feeble prayer
for a draught of water.
“ Stuff and nonsense!” said Mr. Fang;
“don’t try to make a fool of me.”
“| think he really is ill, your worship,”
remonstrated the officer.
“] know better,” said Mr. Fang.
old gentleman, raising his hands instinc¬
tively; “he’ll fall down.”
“Stand away, officer,” cried Fang sav¬
age ; ‘let him, if he likes.”
Oliver availed himself of the kind per¬
mission, and fell heavily to the floor in a
fainting fit. The men in the office looked
at each other, but no one dared to stir.
c [ knew he was shamming,” said Fang,
as if this were incontestable proof of the
fact. ‘ Let him lie; hel soon be tired
of that.”
“ How do you propose to deal with the
case, sir?" mquired the clerk in a low
voice.
* Summarily,” replied Mr. Fang. “He
stands committed for three months,—hard
labour of course. Clear the office.”
The door was opened for this purpose,
and a couple of men were preparing to
the insensible boy to his cell, when
an elderly man of decent but poor appear¬
ance, clad in an old suit of black, rushed
hastily into the office, and advanced to the
bench.
“Stop, stop,—don’t take him away,—
for Heaven’s sake stop a moment,” cried
the new-comer, breathless with haste.
Although the presiding geniuses in such
an office as this exercise a summary and
arbitrary power over the liberties, the
name, the character, almost the lives
of his Majesty’s subjects, especially of the
rer class, and although within such
walls enough fantastic tricks are daily
played to make the angels weep thick
tears of blood, they are closed to the pub¬
sic, save through the medium of the daily
a Mr. Fang was consequently not a
ittle indignant to see an unbidden guest
enter in segh irrevéretőőttonásk
“What is this? Whois this? Turn
this man out. Clear the office,’ cried
Mr. Fang. 7
“T will speak,” cried the man; “I will
not be turned out —I saw itall. I kee
the book-stall. I demand to be sworn.
will not be putdown. Mr. Fang, you must
hear me. You dare not refuse, sir.”
The man was right. His manner was
bold and determined, and the matter was
growing rather too serious to be hushed
up.
“Swear the fellow,” growled Fang with
a very ill grace. § Now, man, what have
you got to say ?”
“This,” said the man: “I saw three
boys—two others and the prisoner here—
loitering on the opposite side of the way,
when this gentleman was reading. ‘The
robbery was committed by another boy. I
saw it done, and I saw that this boy was
perfectly amazed and stupified by it.”
| Having by this time recovered a little
breath, the worthy book-stall keeper pro¬
| ceeded to relate in a more coherent man¬
ner the exact circumstances of the rob¬
bery.
s Why didn’t you come here before?"
said Fang after a pause.
6] hadn’t a soul to mind the shop,” re¬
plied the man; “everybody that could
have helped me had joined in the pursuit.
I could get nobody till five minutes ago,
and I’ve run here all the way.”
“The prosecutor was reading, was he!"
inquired Fang, after another pause.
“ Yes,” replied the man, “the very book
he has got in his hand.”
“Oh, that book, eh?” said Fang. “Is it
paid for?"
c No, it is not,” replied the man, with
a smile.
6 Dear me, I forgot all about it!” ex¬
claimed the absent old gentleman, inno¬
cently.
“A nice person to prefer a charge
against a poor boy!” said Fang, with a
comical effort to look humane. “TI consi¬
der, sir, that you have obtained possession
of that book under very suspicious and
disreputable circumstances, and you may
think yourself very fortunate that the own¬
er of the property declines to prosecute.
Let this be a lesson to you, my man, or the
law will overtake you yet. The boy is
discharged. Clear the office !”
“D—me!” cried the old gentleman,
bursting out with the rage he had kept
down so long, “ D—me! [711—"
“Clear the office!” roared the magis¬
trate. ‘Officers, do you hear?! Clear
the office !”