at six months in one of His Majesty's jails would do
him a world of good?"

"I deny that I used those words."

"Well, sir, that is a question of pure credibility. It is possible that
I may be in a position to prove to the satisfaction of the bench that
you did use them, and many others of an equally offensive character. Mr.
Wyatt naturally resented such language, which you had no more right to
address to him than you would have to address to me. If a magistrate
forgets his position, and abuses a prisoner in the language of a
fish-fag, he must expect to be answered in the same way by anyone of
spirit. You say that, thereupon, he became abusive and used murderous
threats? Now we should like to hear a little more about this. First of
all, let us hear the abuse, will you? Tell the court, if you please,
Mr. Faulkner, what were the abusive expressions," he added.

"He said, sir, that I was a disgrace to the bench."

There was a general laugh in the court, which was instantly repressed.
Mr. Faulkner's eyes ran furiously over the crowded benches.

"I must ask you to look at me, Mr. Faulkner," the solicitor said mildly.
"Well, he said that you were a disgrace to the bench. That is scarcely,
perhaps, as much a matter of abuse as one of private opinion. What did
he say next?"

"He said I was a curse to the whole neighbourhood."

"Again a mere matter of opinion."

"And after that that I was a sneaking, meddlesome, interfering old fox."

There was again a buzz of laughter, mingled with exclamations of "So you
are," "He wasn't far wrong;" upon which Colonel Chalmers directed the
constable to turn all the offending parties out of court. Some fishermen
nearest to the door were hustled out.

"Well, I am afraid that I must admit," Mr. Probert said, "that to call
you a meddlesome old fox was abusive, although nothing like so abusive
as to call a man a loafing young scoundrel. Now as to the threats."

"He said that I would be brought home one of these days with a bullet in
my body."

"That is purely a matter of prophecy, Mr. Faulkner, and not a threat,
unless he intended you to understand that it was he who would fire the
bullet. Do you mean to tell the court that you had any reason to suppose
that this young gentleman, whose reputation is untarnished, and who has
never had a charge brought against him except the ridiculous one that
has just been dismissed, intended to imply by those words that he
himself had any idea of taki