“I’m very sorry, sir,” I said huskily; and then a feeling of indignation seemed to give me strength, and I continued, “What Esau Dean says is all true. Mr Dempster has behaved cruelly to us, and I could not stand still and see him beat Esau. I only tried to hold the stick so that he should not strike him, and then he hit me here, and here, and then I think I got hold of it, and—I don’t remember any more, sir. I’m very sorry now.”
“I ain’t,” said Esau defiantly.
“Do you want me to send you to prison, sir?” cried the old gentleman.
“No, sir.”
“Then hold your tongue. Any witnesses, constable?”
“No, Sir Thomas.”
“Humph! Well, really, Mr Dempster, from what I know of human nature, it seems to me that these lads have both spoken the truth.”
“Incorrigible young scoundrels, Sir Thomas.”
“No, no, no! Excuse me, I think not. A boy is only a very young man, and there is a great responsibility in properly managing them. The marks upon these lads show that they have had a very cruel attack made upon them by somebody. You confessed that you struck one of them. Well, I am not surprised, sir, that one took the other’s part. I say this, not as a magistrate, but as a man. You have to my mind, sir, certainly been in the wrong—so have they, for they had their remedy if they were ill-used by applying to a magistrate. So understand this, boys—I do not consider you have done right, though I must own that you had great provocation.”
“Then am I to understand, sir,” began Mr Dempster, in a very different tone of voice to that which he had before used, “that you are not going to punish these young scoundrels?”