Explanatory Notes
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Apparatus Notes
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CHAPTER 24

[begin page 253]

The short winter day was nearly ended. The streets were deserted, save for a few random stragglers, and these hurried straightalteration in the MS along, with the intent look of people who were only anxiousalteration in the MS to accomplish their errands as quickly as possible and then snugly house themselves from the rising wind and the gathering twilight. They looked neither to the right norhistorical collation the lefttextual note; they paid no attention to our party, they did not even seem to see them. Edward the Sixth wondered if the spectacle of a king on his way to jail hadalteration in the MS ever encountered such marvelous indifference before. By and by the constable arrived at a deserted market-square and proceeded to cross it. When he had reached the middle of it, Hendon laid his hand upon his arm, and said in a low voice—

“Bide a moment, good sir, there is none in hearing, and I would say a word to thee.”

“My duty forbids it, sir; prithee hinder me not, the night comes on.”

“Stay, nevertheless, for the matter concerns thee nearly. Turn thy back a moment and seem not to see: let this poor lad escape.”

“This to me, sir! I arrest thee in—”

“Nay, be not too hasty. See thou be careful and commit no foolish error”—then he shut his voice down to a whisper, and said in the man’s ear—“thealteration in the MS pig thou hast purchased for eightpence may cost thee thy neck, man!”

[begin page 254]

The poor constable, taken by surprise, was speechless, at first, then found his tongue and fell to blustering and threatening; but Hendon was tranquil,alteration in the MS and waited with patiencealteration in the MS till hisalteration in the MS breath was spent; then saidalteration in the MS

“I have a liking to thee, friend, and would not willingly see thee

the pig may cost thy neck, man!”
come to harm. Observe, I heard it all—every word. I will prove it to thee.” Then he repeated the conversation which the officer and the woman had had together in the hall, word for word, and ended with—

“There—have I set it forth correctly?—should notalteration in the MS I be able to set it forth correctly before the judge, ifalteration in the MS occasion required?”

The man was dumb with fear and distress, for a moment; then he rallied and said with forced lightness—

“Tis making a mighty matter indeed, out of a jest; I but plagued the woman for mine amusement.”

“Kept you the woman’s pig for amusement?”

The man answered sharply—

“Naught else, good sir—I tell thee ’twas but a jest.”

“I do begin to believe thee,” said Hendon, with a perplexing mixture of mockery and half-conviction in his tone; “but tarry thou here a moment whilst I run and ask his worship—for nathlessalteration in the MS, he being a [begin page 255] man experienced in law, in jests, in—”

He was moving away, still talking; the constable hesitated, fidgetedemendation, spat out an oath or two, then cried out—

“Hold, hold, good sir—prithee wait a little—the judge! why, man, he hathalteration in the MS no more sympathy with a jest than hath a dead corpse!—come, and we will speak further. Ods body! I seem to be in evil case—and all for an innocent and thoughtless pleasantry. I am a man of family; and my wife and little ones—List to reason, good your worship: what wouldst thou of me?”

“Only that thou be blind and dumb and paralytic whilst one may count a hundred thousand—counting slowly,” said Hendon, with the expression of a man who asks but a reasonable favor, and that a very little one.

bear me up, bear me up, sweet sir!”
[begin page 256]

“It is my destruction!” said the constable despairingly. “Ah, be reasonable, good sir; only look at this matter, on all its sides, and see how mere a jest it is—how manifestly and how plainly it is so. And even if one granted it were not a jest, it is a fault so small that e’enalteration in the MS the grimmest penalty it could call forth would be but a rebuke and warning from the judge’s lips.”

Hendon replied with a solemnity which chilled the air about him—alteration in the MS

“This jest of thine hath a name, in law—alteration in the MSwot you what it is?”

“I knew it not! Peradventure I have been unwise.alteration in the MS I never dreamed it had a name—ah, sweet heaven, I thought it was original.”

“Yes, it hath a name. In the law this crime is called Non compos mentis lex talionis sic transit gloria Mundi explanatory note.”

“Ah, my God!”

“And the penalty is death!”

“God be merciful to me, a sinner!”

“By advantage taken of one in fault, in dire peril, and at thy mercy, thou hast seizedemendation goods worth above thirteen pencealteration in the MS ha’penny, paying but a trifle for the same; and this, in the eye of the law, is constructive barratry,alteration in the MS misprision of treason, malfeasance in office, ad hominem expurgatis in statu quo explanatory note—and the penalty is death by the halter, without ransom, commutation, or benefit of clergy.”

“Bear me up, bear me up, sweet sir, my legs do fail me! Be thou merciful—spare me this doom, and I will turn my back and see naught that shall happen.”

“Good! now thou’rtemendation wise and reasonable. And thou’ltemendation restore the pig?”

“I will, I will indeed—nor ever touch another, though heaven send it and an archangelalteration in the MS fetch it. Goalteration in the MS—I am blind for thy sake—I see nothing. I will say thou didst break in andalteration in the MS wrest the prisoner from my hands by force.alteration in the MS It is but a crazy, ancient door—I will batter it down myself betwixt midnight and the morning.”

“Do it, good soul, no harm will come of it; the judge hath a loving charity for thisalteration in the MS poor lad, and will shed no tears and break no jailer’salteration in the MS bones for his escape.”

Historical Collation CHAPTER 24
  nor (MS)  ●  nor to (A, E, C) 
Editorial Emendations CHAPTER 24
  fidgeted (I-C)  ●  fidgetted
  seized (A)  ●  siezed
  thou’rt (A)  ●  thour’t
  thou’lt (A)  ●  thoul’t
Alterations in the Manuscript CHAPTER 24
 CHAPTER 24] the MS reads ‘Chap. 24.’; ‘24.’ follows canceled ‘20’.
 straight] interlined.
 anxious] followed by canceled ‘to get’.
 had] interlined.
 error”—then . . . ear—”the] originally ‘error—the’; ‘then . . . ear—’ interlined following the dash; the closing quotation marks following ‘error’ and the opening quotation marks preceding ‘the’ added.
 tranquil,] interlined above canceled ‘cool,’.
 patience] follows canceled ‘tranquil’.
 his] interlined above canceled ‘the man's’.
 said] follows canceled ‘he’.
 should not] interlined above canceled ‘would’.
 if] follows canceled ‘thu’.
 nathless] originally ‘natheless’; ‘e’ canceled.
 the . . . hath] originally ‘he hath’; ‘t’ added to ‘he’, and ‘judge! why, man, he’ interlined preceding ‘hath’.
 e'en] follows canceled ‘e’.
 a solemnity . . . him—] interlined above canceled ‘impressive solemnity—’.
 name, in law—] originally ‘name—’; the comma added and ‘in law’ interlined.
 have been unwise.] interlined above canceled ‘am lost!” ’.
 thirteen pence] follows canceled ‘three and eight- | pence’.
 barratry,] interlined above canceled ‘theft,’.
 archangel] interlined above canceled ‘angel’.
 Go] follows canceled ‘Out’.
 break in and] interlined.
 force.] followed by canceled closing quotation marks.
 this] interlined above canceled ‘yon’.
 jailer's] follows canceled ‘kee’.
Textual Notes CHAPTER 24
 nor the left] As in the manuscript. The first American edition reading, “nor to the left,” is rejected as a probable sophistication.
Explanatory Notes CHAPTER 24
  Non compos mentis lex talionis sic transit gloria Mundi] Nonsense Latin made up of well-known phrases—“Not of sound mind the law of retaliation so passes away the glory of the world.”
  ad hominem expurgatis in statu quo] More nonsense Latin: “to the man you cleanse in the existing state.”