“The whole truth?”
“Lawk, sir, I don’t know the whole truth no more nor Pontius Pilate.”
“Girl! you know more than you choose to tell; but I will find a way to make you open your mouth,” said the doctor, sternly.
“And I won’t open my mouth no wider for nobody on earth, nor for nothing that can be done to me! I’ll be burked, and made a subject of, and ’natomized in a dissecting-room afore I’ll open my mouth any wider for anybody on earth! So there now!”
“Young woman, it is my duty to inform you that if you know anything of the escape of the prisoner, you can be made to divulge it,” said the magistrate.
“I don’t know nothing at all about it, and I won’t divulge anything about it,” said Miss Tabs, rather inconsistently. “I won’t! to save anybody’s life! And I’d like to see who’ll make me speak when I don’t want to speak! I’d like to see the Church and the State try to do it! or the army and navy try to do it! or the House of Commons and the House of Lords try! or the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Chancellor try! or all of them together try to make me speak when I don’t want to speak!”
“Or hold your tongue when you don’t want to hold it, you impudent creature!” exclaimed the doctor, in a rage.
“Well, I s’pose people can be imperent if they choose to take the consequences, can’t they? And here am I, ready to take the consequences. I s’pose you’ll do something dreadful to me! well, do it; here I am, ready to be made a wictim of, or a martyr of, or a ’natomy of! But I won’t speak! I won’t speak! I won’t! to please anybody.”
“You are speaking all the time, you wretch! You are deafening us with your speech, if you would only speak to the purpose,” said the doctor.
“Your words, young woman, betray that you do know more of this matter than you are willing to divulge,” said the magistrate, gravely.