. The next I recollect is that the big policeman
signed to us to follow him, and we were marched away.

Then we were in a whitewashed cell, a door was banged to, and we heard
the bolts shot.

For a few minutes I stood there as if stunned, but was brought back to
myself by Esau.

"Well," he said loudly, "this is a nice game."

"Oh, Esau!" I said weakly.

"Yes, it is `Oh!'" he cried. "What will my mother say?"

I could not answer--only look at him in the dim light hopelessly, and
feeling in my mental and bodily pain as if everything was over for me in
this world.

To my horror Esau burst into a heavy fit of laughter, and sitting down
he rocked himself to and fro.

"What a game!" he cried; "but, I say, you didn't half give it to him."

"Oh, Esau!" I cried, "it's horrible."

"For him," he replied. "I say, I'm precious stiff and sore though; did
he hurt you very much?"

"Yes; my arms ache, and my ear bleeds. Esau, we shall never be able to
go back."

"Hooray!" cried my companion defiantly. "Who wants to? But that isn't
the worst of it; he will not pay us our wages."

"No," I said; "and we shall be punished."

"Then it's a jolly shame; for he ought to be punished for hitting us. I
say, can't we have a summons against him for assaulting us?"

"I don't know," I said, wondering. "How my head does ache!"

"Some one coming," whispered Esau.

For there were heavy footsteps, and the bolts were drawn. Then the door
opened, to show the inspector and the big policeman.

"Here, boy," said the former roughly, "let me look at your ear."

I was holding my handkerchief to the place, which was bleeding a good
deal.

"Better have the doctor," he said.

"What, for that! Only wants bathing and some sticking-plaster."

He smiled.

"Well, we shall see," he said, looking at me curiously. "What did you
do with the money?"

"What money?"

"That Mr Dempster said you took."

"He didn't take any!" cried Esau indignantly. "He knocked us about, and
we hit him again, and he got the worst of it."

"Oh, that's it, is it? Come, my lad, that's not true."

"It is, sir, indeed," I said earnestly.

"But look at your handkerchief. Seems to me you got the worst of it."

"Oh, that's nothing," I said.

"You had a regular scrimmage, then?"

"Yes, sir," I said; and I told him exactly how it happened.

"Humph!" ejaculated the inspector, when I had finished, "I dare say you
will not get more than seven years."