venience. You see how crowded the court is. You are quite welcome to find a place here, too, if you can.'

6

Per

And so

Thank you, Sir,' said Israel, that is sufficient. sonally I don't care a straw about the matter.' saying, he showed by his quiescent attitude, he did not intend to try his chances for a place on the bench.

The summons first issued was first about to be enquired into, when Israel again raised his voice, and remembering the hint given by his lawyers, who were shocked by the 6 Sir,' he said

'Your worship will, I am sure, permit me to say that the two assaults charged are in effect one affair; and therefore, to get at the bottom of it, it is necessary you should first hear my charge against Mr. Williams, as that alone can explain his having the opportunity to bring a charge against me.'

Then fancying from their behaviour and what few words he could catch, that they were about to ignore his demand, he said in a loud voice, that rang through the court

'He horsewhipped my boy, and I horsewhipped him; therefore you'll be putting the cart before the horse if you begin with his charge, and not with mine!'

Again Mr. Williams, as if determined to support with dignity an undignified position, interposed; and added his wish that Mr. Mort's charge should be first gone into, and for doing which his lawyer whispered he might lose the

cause.

"Where is the boy?' asked the chairman, thus putting a question to Israel that Israel had put to himself many times during the last few minutes, and with increasing anger every time.

I am expecting him, every minute,' replied Israel. 'I fear some accident has happened to the vehicle.'

There was at this period some little confusion and noise at one of the smaller doorways leading into and out of the court, which at first was supposed to be merely the effect of the pressure; but it soon appeared that a man, with his hat elevated to keep it out of harm's way, was struggling to pass through the dense mass of the people, and reach the place where Israel was.

At last he managed to catch Israel's eye, and was at once recognised as the driver who had been sent to fetch Mrs. Mort and David.

With some effort, aided by the officers of the court, Israel got to him, and heard with blank astonishment that the driver found no one in the house, and that after waiting some minutes he judged they must have gone by some other conveyance.

6

'Were you after your time?' demanded Israel harshly. 'No, rather before it,' replied the man, as the neighbours will tell you.'

The neighbours, had they seen them go? Did you ask?'

'Yes, but no one had seen them.'

Israel knew at once his cause was lost. He was before hostile judges. His wife and son were alike absent, and were the only parties who could have proved the character and amount of the original injury.

Suddenly he remembered the doctor; and called out. in a loud voice,

Is Dr. Jolliffe here?' There was no response. Israel's case was hopeless.

Still he hesitated not a moment to demand a postponement of the enquiry, and was very curtly interrupted by Mr. Griffith Williams's counsel, who treated the demand as absurd, and appealed to the Court to proceed with their charge-the only real one, no doubt, though Mr. Mort had tried to hoodwink them, while getting up some trivial or imaginary case.

The chairman decided promptly to go on, and leave it to Israel to proceed at some future day if he pleased with his own complaint as an independent case.

The counsel called witness after witness who had been present at the encounter on the previous evening, and their evidence was clear against Israel that he had been lying in wait, that he had compelled Mr. Griffith Williams, in selfdefence, to the only hostile act committed by the latterthe spurring his horse with the intention of forcing his way past, and that he had then been struck most savagely,

knocked off his horse, and again lashed severely, before they could get to him, and interpose.

Israel looked at each witness in succession, as if he had the power of searching their very hearts, but declined to cross-examine, or ask any questions.

The evidence against him being ended, he was asked what he had to say.

'Nothing,' he replied, but this: I have told you before, and I tell you again, he treated my boy most cruelly -and this I could have proved if you had thought proper to wait!' Then as if for a moment stung into entire abandonment of all that ordinarily strong self-control that he was master of, he dashed his heavy fist down upon the table before him, and his voice rang clear and loud through the court, as he exclaimed, ‘And I will prove it yet-but not before you, unjust judges that you are! There is the true criminal, sitting among you--one of yourselves-and I was a fool to come here, and expect to be righted. End the farce if you please, and let me go!'

This was not a very prudent speech to make, and it naturally made every magistrate on the bench, biassed perhaps before, decidedly hostile now; and inclined to punish him severely, that is to say, with imprisonment for a longer or shorter period.

But there was something in the man's earnest conviction and indomitable fearlessness, that suggested there might be truth in his allegation about the boy; and that if so, it behoved the Court to be careful how it gave way to the influence of his insolent and disrespectful speech and behaviour.

So after taking him to task for this, and darkly hinting at what they might have done, the chairman said that on the whole they were inclined to suppose, from various circumstances that had not come formally before them, that Israel had laboured under the impression of his boy having received some severe injury from the prosecutor, and therefore they should simply inflict a fine upon him of twenty pounds, and the costs.

Israel drew out a well-filled purse, paid the clerk his

demand, and deigning not another word or look to anyone, hurried away as fast as he could, the spectators making a lane for him, and gazing in his face with real interest, while one man ventured to say to him as he passed

'Well done, master, thou'st hit 'em hard!'

'Ha, Lewis, is that thee!' In another minute he was gone, and Mr. Griffith Williams was shaking hands with his brother magistrates, and being now condoled with on his wound, and now congratulated on his verdict, according to the mood and disposition of the speaker.

CHAPTER XXVI.

BY THE SEA MARGE.

By the time Israel Mort had got into the cool air of the street (which was so refreshing, that almost unconsciously he took off his hat, and stood bareheaded in the soft rain that was falling), he had forgotten the irritations of his contest and failure with Mr. Griffith Williams-the disappointment of seeing the sweet morsel of revenge or justice snatched from his lips- the loss to his pocket through the fine and the heavy costs-for he already feared some other and greater calamity awaited him.

Prompt as usual in decision, when he had had the opportunity of slowly thinking the matter out beforehand, he, after a brief pause before the court-house, put on his hat; and went not the way he had intended, into the lower part of the town to make enquiries, but straight back to his inn, there to saddle his horse, the ostler being busy, and ride off homewards as fast as his mare could carry him.

He reviewed on the way his late talk with David and his wife, and seemed to feel a certain satisfaction in it, for it showed him there was nothing to be feared in that direction.

Practically he felt sure it was either some monstrous

act of stupidity on the part of his wife, or else-Well, he he could get no further. The whole business was as inexplicable as it had been injurious.

Could any friend who was driving the same way have called at his house before the man he sent, and persuaded them to go with him, and had the vehicle come to grief in some cross country road that might have been taken to shorten the distance?

Such were the thoughts, fears, and hopes of Israel Mort, who was quite forced out of his usual self by this annoying circumstance, and seemed no longer the same

man.

At every solitary house he passed he made enquiries but always with the same negative result, and it was not till he was near home that he could get the least information.

As he passed the little post office, around which was congregated some half a score of gossips, chattering loudly, he noticed there was a sudden hush, and that all eyes were turned upon him.

For a moment he fancied they knew something, and that it was too serious for anyone to volunteer to speak, till he remembered where and on what business he had been, and that they knew he must have just come from the court; and he was inclined to curse his own increasing stupidity and perturbation of mind, which disinclined him to speak to them.

However he stopped, and said carelessly, 'Has anyone seen my wife and son lately?'

There was no answer for a moment, and the people addressed looked one at another, as if each suggested somebody else should reply.

'Are you all deaf?' asked Israel, this time with his old harshness of tone. Martin, is that you?'

'Aye, aye, it's me sure enough!'

'Is there anything the matter, that they are stricken dumb?'

'Well, we hope not, we hope not. But it seems Bill Barclay met Mrs. Mort and David going towards the sea,