[begin page 247]
Hendon forced back a smile, and bent down and whispered in the king’s ear—
“Softly, softly, my prince, wag thy tongue warily—nay, suffer it not to wag at all. Trust in me—all shall go well in the end.” Then he added, to himself: “Sir Miles! Bless me, I had totally forgot I was a knightⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation! Lord,Ⓐalteration in the MS how marvelous a thing it is, the grip his memory doth take upon his quaint and crazyⒶalteration in the MS fancies! . . . . . . An empty and foolish title is mine, and yet it is something to have deserved it; for I think it is more honorⒶalteration in the MS to be held worthy to be a spectre-knightⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐhistorical collation Ⓐemendation in his Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows, than to be held base enough to be an earlⒶalteration in the MS in some of the real kingdoms of this world.”Ⓐalteration in the MS
The crowd fell apart toⒶalteration in the MS admit a constable, who approached and was aboutⒶalteration in the MS to lay his hand upon the king’s shoulder, when Hendon said—
“Gently, good friend,Ⓐalteration in the MS withhold your handⒶalteration in the MS—he shall go peaceably;Ⓐalteration in the MS I am responsible for that. Lead on, we will follow.”
The officer led, with the woman and her bundle; Miles and the king followed after, with the crowd at their heels. The king was inclined to rebel; but Hendon saidⒶalteration in the MS to him in a low voice—
“Reflect, sire—your laws are the wholesome breath of your own royalty;Ⓐalteration in the MS shall their source resist them, yet require the branches to respect them? Apparently one of these laws has been broken; when the king is on his throne again, can it ever grieve him to remember [begin page 248] that when he was seemingly a private person he loyally sunkⒶhistorical collation the king in the citizen and submitted to its authority?”
“Thou art right; say no more; thou shalt see that whatsoever the king of England requiresⒶalteration in the MS a subject to suffer under the law, he will himself suffer while he holdeth the stationⒶalteration in the MS of a subject.”
When the woman was called upon to testify before the justice of
[begin page 249] moved , protected by his ignorance. The judge meditated, during an ominousⒶalteration in the MS pause, then turned to the woman, with the question—
“What dostⒶalteration in the MS thou hold this property to be worth?”
The woman curtsied and replied—
“Three shillings and eightpenceⒶemendation, your worship—I could not abate a penny and set forth the value honestly.”
The justice glanced around uncomfortably upon the crowd, then nodded to the constable and said—
“Clear the court and close the doors.”
It was done. None remained but the two officials, the accused, the accuser, and Miles Hendon. This latter was rigid and colorless, and on his forehead big drops of cold sweat gathered, broke and blendedⒶalteration in the MS together, and trickled down his face. The judge turned to the woman again, and said, in a compassionate voice—Ⓐalteration in the MS
“’Tis a poor ignorant lad, and mayhap wasⒶalteration in the MS driven hard by hunger, for these be grievousⒶalteration in the MS times for the unfortunate; mark you, he hath not an evil face—but when hunger driveth—Good woman!Ⓐalteration in the MS dost know that when one steals a thing above the value of thirteenⒶalteration in the MS pence ha’penny the law saith he shall hang for it!”
The little king started, wide-eyed with consternation,Ⓐalteration in the MS but controlled himself and held his peace; but not so the woman. She sprang to her feet, shakingⒶalteration in the MS with fright, and cried out—
“OⒶhistorical collation, good lack, what have I done! God-a-mercy, I would not hang the poor thing for the wholeⒶalteration in the MS world! Ah, save me from this, your worship—what shall I do, what can I do?”
The justice maintained his judicial composure, and simplyⒶalteration in the MS said—
“Doubtless it is allowable to revise the value, sinceⒶalteration in the MS it is not yet writⒶalteration in the MS upon the record.”
“Then in God’s name call the pig eightpence, and heaven bless the day that freed my conscience of this awesome thing!”
Miles Hendon forgot all decorum in his delight; and surprisedⒶalteration in the MS the king and wounded his dignity, byⒶalteration in the MS throwing his arms around him and hugging him. The woman made her grateful adieux and started away with her pig; and when the constable opened the door for her, he followed her out into the narrow hall. The justice proceeded to write in his record book. Hendon, always alert, thought he would like to know why the officer followed the woman out; so he slipped softly into the duskyⒶalteration in the MS hall and listened. He heard a conversation to this effect—
[begin page 250]“It is a fat pig, and promises good eating;Ⓐalteration in the MS I will buy it of thee; here is the eightpence.”
“Eightpence, indeed!Ⓐalteration in the MS Thou’ltⒶemendation do no such thing. It cost me three shillings and eightpence, good honest coin of the last reign, that old Harry that’s just dead ne’er touched norⒶhistorical collation tampered with. A fig for thy eightpence!”
“Stands the wind inⒶalteration in the MS that quarter? Thou wast under oath, and so swore falsely when thou saidstⒶalteration in the MS the value was but eightpenceⒶemendation. Come straightway back with me before his worship, and answer for the crime!—and then the lad will hang.”
“There, there, dearⒶalteration in the MS heart, say no more, I am content. Give me the eightpenceⒶemendation, and hold thy peace about the matter.”
The woman went off, crying;Ⓐalteration in the MS Hendon slipped back into the court room, and the constable presently followed, after hiding his prize in some convenient place. The justice wrote a while longer, then read the king a wise and kindly lecture,Ⓐalteration in the MS and sentenced him to a short imprisonmentⒶalteration in the MS in the common jail, to be followed by a public flogging.Ⓐalteration in the MS The astoundedⒶalteration in the MS king opened his mouth and was probably going to [begin page 251] order the good judge to be beheaded on the spot; but he caught a warning sign from Hendon, and succeeded in closing his mouth again before he lost anything out of it. Hendon took him by the hand, now, made reverence to the justice, and the two departed in the wake of the constable toward the jail. The moment the street was reached, the inflamedⒶalteration in the MS monarch halted, snatched away his hand,Ⓐalteration in the MS and exclaimed—
“Idiot, dost imagine IⒶalteration in the MS will enter a common jail alive?”
Hendon bent down and said, somewhat sharply—
“Will you trust in me? Peace! and forbear to worsen our chances with dangerousⒶalteration in the MS speech. What God wills, will happen; thou canst not hurry it, thou canst not alter it; therefore wait, and beⒶalteration in the MS patient—’twill be time enow to rail or rejoice when what is to happen has happened.”*Ⓐalteration in the MS
See *Notes to Chapter 23Ⓐalteration in the MS at end of volume. [begin page 252]
[blank verso]