apable of any mischief, that some of them were bound
to get a first-class thrashing, and worst of all that he, the Count,
knew who would get it, and that he was about to give evidence in an
instant with the utmost candour and elegance of manner. When his glance
lighted on Speug it was with such a cheerful and unhesitating
recognition that Speug was almost abashed, and knew for certain that for
him at least, there could be no escape; while Howieson, plunging into
arithmetic of his own accord for once, calculated rapidly what would be
his share of the broken glass. Neither of them would have denied what he
did to save himself twenty thrashings; but they shared Bulldog's disgust
that a free-born Scot should be convicted on the evidence of a
foreigner, whom they always associated in his intellectual gifts and
tricks of speech with the monkey, which used to go round seated on the
top of our solitary barrel-organ.

"When it is your pleasure, sir," said Bulldog sternly; and there was a
silence that could be felt, whilst Speug already saw himself pointed out
with the Count's cane.

The shutters went suddenly down on the Count's face; he became grave and
anxious, and changed from a man of the world, who had been exchanging a
jest with a few gay Bohemians, into a witness in the Court of Justice.

"Assuredly, monsieur, I will testify upon what you call my soul and
conscience," and the Count indicated with his hand where both those
faculties were contained. "I will select the boy who had audacity, I
will say profanity, to break the windows of my good friend and hostess,
Madame Jamieson."

The Count gave himself to the work of selection, but there was no longer
a ray of intelligence in his face. He was confused and perplexed, he
looked here and he looked there, he made little impatient gestures, he
said a bad French word, he flung up a hand in despair, he turned to
Bulldog with a frantic gesture, as of a man who thought he could have
done something at once, and found he could not do it at all. Once more
he faced the school, and then Speug, with that instinct of acute
observation which belongs to a savage, began to understand, and gave
Howieson a suggestive kick.

"As a man of honour," said the Count with much solemnity, "I give my
testimony, and I declare that I do not see one of the boys who did
forget themselves yesterday and did offer the insult of an assault to
Madame's domicile."

And it would have been curious if he had