lf all
on his pins.

"'Keep your clapper shut, Hornblower,' returned the Squire, telling
Hornblower, how, if he doubted his capacity for the law business, he
would read him Haliburton's opinions, and convince him that they
precisely conformed with his. 'Remember you're in the presence of a
Justice of the Peace!' he added, as Hornblower replied by informing
him that so long as he was before him nothing more was necessary to
remind him of the fact. Then he begged the Squire to keep cool, and
not get into a fuzzle: and after he had bestowed some sharp retorts,
in not very fashionable language, which he hoped the Squire would not
take as personal, he made an explanation of the whole thing. 'Go on,'
rejoined the Squire, getting warmer and warmer.

"'Well,' returned Hornblower; 'first I motion to adjourn the Court and
go drink all round, at your store; after which I further motion that
Jacob and me go down into the cellar of your house--'

"'Into my cellar!' interrupted the Squire, suddenly: 'not a
step!--I'se settled the case, and there's no moving judgment.'

"Here Hornblower charged the Squire with having a suspicious quantity
of fresh herring in his own cellar. 'I don't say how they got there
this morning afore daylight, Squire,' said he, 'but there's a citizen
not far off what will.'

"'It's the ram--d----d'st false ever told against a gentleman of my
high standing!'

"'What is Squire?' interpolated Hornblower, keeping as cool as the
face of a March morning. Why!' returns the Squire, 'to say I stole 'em
myself!'

"'There can be no mistaking it Squire,' chimes in Hornblower; 'and the
stronger evidence is the fact of your being the only son of a man who
has yet preferred the charge of stealing them. Now, Squire, I'll
stake the schooner Virtue, that on proceeding into your cellar the
herring will be recovered and injured justice satisfied: just grant us
a warrant to search your cellar, Squire.' Here Hornblower looked
thunder and lightning at the Squire whose wrath and misgiving seemed
carrying out a sad conflict in his heart. The result was a strange
clatter of tongues. Notwithstanding the Squire's estimate of his own
popularity, the good people on the coast well understood his singular
process of doing up the law business. 'You'll get your straight ups to
jail, or pay the coin right down, Hornblower!' demanded the Squire,
making a flourish with his law-book, and preparing to adjourn for the
purpose of doing a sma