brought over from the lockup and thrust into
the three little "detention rooms" below the court, he was there
with Dollops and Ducroix, observing with wonder that groups of
evil-looking fellows of the Apache breed were hanging round the
building as he approached, and that later on others of the same
kidney slipped in and took seats in the little courtroom and kept
constantly whispering one to the other while they waited for the
morning session to begin.

"Gawd's truth, guv'ner, look at 'em--the 'ole blessed place is alive
with the bounders," whispered Dollops. "Wot do you think they are
up to, sir? Makin' a rush and settin' the pedler free when he comes
up before the Beak? There's twenty of 'em waitin' round the door if
there's one."

Narkom made no reply. The arrival of the magistrate focussed all eyes
on the bench and riveted his attention with the rest.

The proceedings opened with all the trivial cases first--the
night's sweep of the dragnet: drunks and disorderlies, vagrants
and pariahs. One by one these were brought in and paid their fines
and went their way, unheeded; for this part of the morning's
proceedings interested nobody, not even the Apaches. The list was
dragged through monotonously; the last blear-eyed sot--a hideous,
cadaverous, monkey-faced wretch whose brutal countenance sickened
Narkom when he shambled up in his filthy rags--had paid his fine, and
gone his way, and there remained now but a case of attempted
suicide to be disposed of before the serious cases began. This latter
occupied the magistrate's time and attention for perhaps twenty
minutes or so, then that, too, was disposed of; and then a voice
was heard calling out for the unknown man arrested last night at the
Inn of the Seven Sinners to be brought forward.

In an instant a ripple of excitement ran through the little court.
The Apache fraternity sat up within and passed the word to the Apache
fraternity without, and these stood at attention--close-lipped,
dark-browed, eager, like human tigers waiting for the word to
spring. Every eye was fixed on the door through which that pretended
mute should be led in; but although others had come at the first
call, he came not even at the second, and the magistrate had just
issued an impatient command for the case to be called yet a third
time, when there was a clatter of hasty footsteps and the keeper of
the detention rooms burst into the court pale as a dead man and
shaking in every nerve.