bance! A most dangerous disturbance!

_Mr. H_. Gentlemen of the Jury, in confirmation of my remarks on the
spirit that is abroad, I call your attention to the riot which has just
taken place, endangering, I doubt not, the life of his lordship, and your
own lives, gentlemen, so valuable to--to--to--in short, to yourselves.
Need I point out to you at any length, then, the danger of allowing
criminals, offenders against the sacred rights of property, to go at
large? This incident speaks for me, and I have now nothing to do but let
the witnesses speak for themselves. Gentlemen of the Jury, I do not ask
you to convict on insufficient evidence; but I _do_ ask you not to be
swayed by any false sentiment bearing reference to the so-called
smallness of the offence, or the poverty of the offender. The law is
made for the poor as well as for the rich, for the rich as well as for
the poor. The poor man has no more right to shelter himself behind his
poverty, than the rich man behind his riches. In short, gentlemen of the
Jury, what I ask you in all confidence to do, is to do justice and fear
not.--I call Sergeant Sticktoit.

[SERGEANT STICKTOIT _sworn_.

_Mr. H_. Well, sergeant, you saw this woman steal the loaves?

_Sticktoit_. Yes, sir.

_Mr. H_. All of them?

_St_. Yes, all.

_Mr. H_. From different shops, or from one?

_St_. From three different shops.

_Mr. H_. Yes, just so. (_Aside_: Then why the devil did he say from one
shop when his evidence was taken before?) (_To_ ST.) You were an eye-
witness of that? You noticed her take all three loaves?

_St_. (_Aside_: He wants me to say from three different shops; I'm sure I
don't know why. Anyhow, I'll say it--and swear it.) (_To the Court_)
Yes, I was an eye-witness of the deed; (_pompously_) I followed her, and
then I took her.

_Mr. H_. Yes, then you took her. Please tell the Court how.

_St_. (_Aside_: Let's see, what did we agree was the likeliest way?) (_To
Court_) I saw her take the first loaf and hide it in her shawl; and then
the second one; and the second one tumbled down into the mud; and she
picked it up again and wiped it with her shawl; and then she took the
third; and when she tried to put that with the two others they all three
tumbled down; and as she stooped down to pick them up it seemed the best
time to take her, as the two constables had come up; so I took her.

_Mr. N_. Yes; you took her.

_St_. And she cried.

_Mr.