ed.

"You can't come in here," was Mr. Raby's first word to Grace.

But she was prepared for this, and stood her ground. "Excuse me, dear
uncle, but I wish to see you administer justice; and, besides, I believe
I can tell you something about one of the prisoners."

"Indeed! that alters the case. Somebody give Miss Carden a chair."

She sat down, and fixed her eyes upon Henry Little--eyes that said
plainly, "I shall defend you, if necessary:" his pale cheek was flushing
at sight of her.

Mr. Raby arranged his papers to make notes, and turned to Cole. "The
charge against you is, that you were seen this night by several persons
engaged in an assault of a cruel and aggravated character. You, and two
other men, attacked and overpowered an individual here present; and,
while he was helpless, and on the ground, you were seen to raise a heavy
cudgel (Got the cudgel, George?)--"

"Ay, your worship, here 'tis."

"--And to strike him several times on the head and limbs, with all your
force."

"Oh, cruel! cruel!"

"This won't do, Miss Carden; no observations, please. In consequence
of which blows he soon after swooned away, and was for some time
unconscious, and--"

"Oh!"

"--For aught I know, may have received some permanent injury."

"Not he," said Cole; "he's all right. I'm the only man that is hurt; and
I've got it hot; he hit me with his hammer, and knocked me down like a
bullock. He's given me this black eye too."

"In self-defense, apparently. Which party attacked the other first?"

"Why they attacked me, of course," said Henry. "Four of them."

"Four! I saw but three."

"Oh, I settled one at starting, up near the forge. Didn't you find him?"
(This to George.)

"Nay, we found none of the trash but this," indicating Cole, with a
contemptuous jerk of the thumb.

"Now, don't all speak at once," said Mr. Raby. "My advice to you is to
say nothing, or you'll probably make bad worse. But if you choose to say
anything, I'm bound to hear it."

"Well, sir," said Cole, in a carrying voice, "what I say is this: what
need we go to law over this? If you go against me for hitting him with
a stick, after he had hit me with a blacksmith's hammer, I shall have to
go against you for shooting me with a gun."

"That is between you and me, sir. You will find a bystander may shoot
a malefactor to save the life of a citizen. Confine your defense, at
present, to the point at issue. Have you any excuse, as against this
youn