The woman made her grateful adieux and started away with her
pig; and when the constable opened the door for her, he followed her
out into the narrow hall. The justice proceeded to write in his
record-book. Hendon, always alert, thought he would like to know why
the officer followed the woman out; so he slipped softly into the
dusky hall and listened. He heard a conversation to this effect:
'It is a fat pig, and promises good eating; I will buy it of thee;
here is the eightpence.'
'Eightpence, indeed! Thou'lt do no such thing. It cost me three
shillings and eightpence, good honest coin of the last reign, that old
Harry that's just dead ne'er touched nor tampered with. A fig for
thy eightpence!'
'Stands the wind in that quarter? Thou wast under oath, and so
swore falsely when thou saidst the value was but eightpence. Come
straightway back with me before his worship, and answer for the
crime!- and then the lad will hang.'
'There, there, dear heart, say no more, I am content. Give me
the eightpence, and hold thy peace about the matter.'
The woman went off crying; Hendon slipped back into the courtroom,
and the constable presently followed, after hiding his prize in some
convenient place. The justice wrote a while longer, then read the king
a wise and kindly lecture, and sentenced him to a short imprisonment
in the common jail, to be followed by a public flogging. The astounded
king opened his mouth and was probably going to order the good judge
to be beheaded on the spot; but he caught a warning sign from
Hendon, and succeeded in closing his mouth again before he lost
anything out of it.
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