!" roared Sir James again. "You do not know? Well, then,
I will tell you. You are before me, sir, charged with stealing a boat."

"Oh!" ejaculated Bob, in a tone of wondering innocence.

"And I perhaps ought to explain," said Sir James, looking hard at Dr
Grayson, and speaking apologetically, "that in an ordinary way, as the
boat was my property, I should feel called upon to leave the bench; but
as this is only a preliminary examination, I shall carry it on myself.
Now, sir," he continued, fixing Bob's shifty eyes, "what have you to
say, sir, for stealing my boat?"

"Stealing your boat!" cried Bob volubly; "me steal your boat, sir? I
wouldn't do such a thing."

"Why, you lying young dog!"

"No, sir, I ain't, sir," protested Bob, as Dexter slowly raised his head
and gazed at him. "It wasn't me, sir. It was him, sir. That boy, sir.
I begged him not to, sir; but he would do it."

"Oh, it was Dexter Grayson, was it?" said Sir James, glancing at the
doctor, who was gnawing his lip and beating the carpet with his toe.

"Yes, sir; it was him, sir. I was t'other side o' the river one day,
sir," rattled off Bob, "and he shouts to me, sir, `Hi!' he says, just
like that, sir, and when I went to him, sir, he says, `Let's steal the
old cock's boat and go down the river for a game.'"

"Well?" said Sir James.

"Well, sir, I wouldn't, sir," continued Bob glibly. "I said it would be
like stealing the boat; and I wouldn't do that."

"Oh!" said Sir James.

"Is this true, Dexter!" said the doctor sternly.

"No, sir. He wanted me to take the boat."

"Oh, my!" cried Bob. "Hark at that now! Why, I wouldn't ha' done such
a thing."

"No, you look a nice innocent boy," said Sir James.

"Yes, sir; and he was allus at me about that boat, and said he wanted to
go to foreign abroad, he did, and the best way, he said, was to steal
that there boat and go."

"Oh," said Sir James. "And what more have you to say, sir?"

"It isn't true, sir," said Dexter, making an effort to speak, and he
gazed angrily at his companion. "Bob here wanted me to go with him, and
he persuaded me to take the boat."

"Oh! only hark at him!" cried Bob, looking from one to the other.

"And I thought it would be like stealing the boat to take it like that."

"Well, rather like it," said Sir James sarcastically.

"And so I sent that letter and that money to pay for it, sir, and I
meant to send the rest if it wasn't quite enough."

"Ah!" ejac