re's my hand, kiss it once and
begone.' Forthwith Tom, seizing her wrist with his left hand, says: 'I
have got you now, and will never let you go till you swear to become my
wife.' 'Never,' said the lady, 'will I become the wife of one thief,'
and strives with all her might to pull her hand free, but cannot, for the
left hand of Tom is more strong than the right of other man. Thereupon
Tom with his right hand draws forth his sword, and with one dreadful
shout does exclaim,--'Now will you swear to become my wife, for if you
don't, by God's blood and nails, I will this moment smite off your hand
with this sword.' Then the lady being very much frightened, and having
one sneaking kindness for Tom, who though he looked very fierce looked
also very handsome, said,--'Well, well! a promise is a promise; I
promised to become your wife, and so I will; I swear I will; by all I
hold holy I swear; so let go my hand, which you have almost pulled off,
and come in and welcome!' So Tom lets go her hand, and the lady opens
her door, and before night they were married, and in less than one month
Tom, being now very rich and Lord of Ystrad Feen, was made justice of the
peace and chairman at quarter session."

"And what kind of justice of the peace did Tom make?"

"Ow, the very best justice of the peace that there ever was. He made the
old saying good: you must get one thief to catch one thief. He had not
been a justice three year before there was not a thief in Shire Brecon
nor in Shire Car, for they also made him justice of Carmarthenshire, and
a child might walk through the country quite safe with a purse of gold in
its hand. He said that as he himself could not have a finger in the pie,
he would take care nobody else should. And yet he was not one bloody
justice either; never hanged thief without giving him a chance to reform;
but when he found him quite hardened he would say: 'Hang up de rogue!'
Oh, Tom was not a very hard man, and had one grateful heart for any old
kindness which had been sewn him. One day as Tom sat on de bench with
other big wigs, Tom the biggest wig of the lot, a man was brought up
charged with stealing one bullock. Tom no sooner cast eye on the man
than he remembered him quite well. Many years before Tom had stole a
pair of oxen, which he wished to get through the town of Brecon, but did
not dare to drive them through, for at that very time there was one
warrant out against Tom at Brecon for something