from his agency
from that hour; and then came back to us like a conquering hero,
exulting in his own magnanimous firmness, which "had shown he was not
to be trifled with."

But he did not like it at all when Richardson came in trying to look
quite impassive, and said to Harold, "Some one wants to speak to you
sir."

Harold went, and returned without a word, except, "You are wanted too,
Lucy," and I was not equally silent when I found it was to serve on me
an order to appear as witness before the magistrates the next day, as
to the assault upon Bullock.

Eustace was very much annoyed, and said it was disgraceful, and that
Harold was always getting into scrapes, and would ruin him with all the
county people, just as he was beginning to make way with them--a
petulant kind of ingratitude which we had all learnt to tolerate as
"old Eu's way," and Dora announced that if he was put in prison, she
should go too.

It was only a Petty Sessions case, heard in the justice-room at
Mycening, and on the way the prisoner was chiefly occupied in assuring
the witness that there was nothing to be nervous about; and the squire,
that it would hurt nobody but himself; and, for his part, fine him as
they would, he would willingly pay twenty times as much to rid the
place of Bullock.

The bench--who sat at the upper end of a table--were three or four
Horsmans and Stympsons, with Lord Erymanth in the chair par excellence,
for they all sat on chairs, and they gave the like to Eustace and me
while we waited, poor Harold having put himself, in the custody of a
policeman, behind the rail which served as bar.

When our turn came, Harold pleaded "Guilty" at once, not only for
truth's sake, but as meaning to spare me the interrogation; and Crabbe,
who was there on Bullock's behalf, looked greatly baffled and
disappointed; but the magistrates did not let it rest there, since the
amount of the fine of course would depend on the degree of violence,
&c., so both Mrs. Jennings and I, and the doctor, were examined as
witnesses.

I came first; and at first I did not find the inquiries half so
alarming as I expected, since my neighbours spoke to me quite in a
natural way, and it was soon clear that my account of the matter was
the best possible defence of Harold in their eyes. The unpleasant part
was when Crabbe not only insisted on my declaring on oath that I did
not think Bullock meant to strike the old woman, but on my actually
repeating the ve