o' your hat, I see."

"No, and I don't expect they ever will come out. It's good as two
dollars damage to me," he added, taking off the hat and looking at it
with a woeful face. "You're a little to blame for it, too, Tom."

"Me! You ongrateful critter," exclaimed Gladding, indignantly. "You
want me to give you a new hat, don't ye?"

"What made you ask if I'd got the warrant?"

"I never said no such a thing. I only said sort o' promiscuously, you
hadn't showed your document."

"Well, what was the use o' that? If you'd kept still there wouldn't
been no fuss."

"Who'd ha' thought you'd ha' gone to take a man without being able
to show your authority? Now I call that plaguy green, Basset. But who
stood by you when everybody else desarted you, and got you out from
under them rough boys, and helped you clean out o' the scrape? Darn it
all, Basset, you're the ongratefullest varmint I ever did see, when,
in a manner, I saved your life. Really, I did think, instead o'
blowing a fellow up in this way, you'd a stood treat."

"So I will," said Basset, who began to fancy he had found too much
fault, and was unwilling to lose his ally; "so come along into
Jenkins', and we'll take it on the spot. But you must give in, Tom,
your observation was unfortunate"

"Unfortunate for you," returned Tom; "but I guess Holden thought
'twasn't unfortunate for him. Howsomever, you'll let the old fellow
slip now, won't you?"

"Let him slip!" almost screamed the exasperated Basset, whom Tom's
manner of treating the subject was not calculated to mollify. "Let
him slip, you say. I'll see him, I'll see him"--but in vain he sought
words to express the direful purpose; language broke down under the
effort.

"Poh, poh," said Tom, "don't take on so, man--forget and
forgive--luck's been on his side, that's all."

"I tell you what," said Basset, "who do you think struck me the other
night?"

"Why, what could it be but Lanfear's ghost?"

"Don't talk to me about sperits; whose afraid o' them? But tell us one
thing, did you see Holden when you looked into the window!"

"What makes you ask?" said the cautious Tom, "supposing I did, or
supposing I didn't?"

"'Cause I know you didn't. Now it's my opinion," said Basset, lowering
his voice and looking round suspiciously as if he were afraid of an
action for slander should he be overheard, "that Holden himself made
the assault."

"That ain't possible," said Gladding, confidently. "You and Prime