[begin page 253]
The short winter day was nearly ended. The streets were deserted, save for a few random stragglers, and these hurried straightⒶalteration in the MS along, with the intent look of people who were only anxiousⒶalteration 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 norⒶhistorical collation the leftⒶtextual 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 hadⒶalteration 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—“theⒶalteration 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 patienceⒶalteration in the MS till hisⒶalteration in the MS breath was spent; then saidⒶalteration in the MS—
“I have a liking to thee, friend, and would not willingly see thee
“There—have I set it forth correctly?—should notⒶalteration in the MS I be able to set it forth correctly before the judge, ifⒶalteration 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 nathlessⒶalteration 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, fidgetedⒶemendation, spat out an oath or two, then cried out—
“Hold, hold, good sir—prithee wait a little—the judge! why, man, he hathⒶalteration 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.
“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’enⒶalteration 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 seizedⒶemendation goods worth above thirteen penceⒶalteration 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’rtⒶemendation wise and reasonable. And thou’ltⒶemendation restore the pig?”
“I will, I will indeed—nor ever touch another, though heaven send it and an archangelⒶalteration in the MS fetch it. GoⒶalteration in the MS—I am blind for thy sake—I see nothing. I will say thou didst break in andⒶalteration 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 thisⒶalteration in the MS poor lad, and will shed no tears and break no jailer’sⒶalteration in the MS bones for his escape.”