Black, pausing, betrayed his indignation with a gesture, while Chatterton laughed in aggressive fashion.
"Considering my worthy neighbors' prejudices, I think there was something in that last remark," he said.
Just then Lilian, who may have overheard part of the colloquy, appeared in an opening in the tall hedge.
"Did you convict the malefactor, Mr. Black?" she asked.
"No," said that gentleman ruefully. "Unfortunately we did not, although I'm thinking that we did our best."
Lilian smiled a little, and Chatterton's eyes twinkled as he glanced at her encouragingly.
"Was that quite in accordance with the spirit of our glorious constitution?" she asked.
"Eh?" said Black sharply. "What's this I'm saying; and I see ye are laughing at me. I mean his guilt was manifest, but a friend of yours showed considerable audacity, forby a trace of talent, in his efforts to release him. Ye will mind that it's a principle of British justice to give even a poacher fair play, my dear young lady."
"So I was always taught," Lilian replied artlessly.
Thomas Chatterton chuckled again, and pointed toward a man who, in turn, passed through the opening in the hedge.