'ere lock-hup. I 'spect as it 'ull be the finest bit o' a trial as have
been fur many a day. I means to be there. And you'll come, won't yer,
Mr. Harris?"

"I'm sick o' the subject," said Harris.

"Oh no, you ain't, Mr. Harris; you 'ave a wery quiet manner, as his only
wot his right and becoming, but I can see yer hinterest in yer heyes.
You can't keep that good-natured, human look out o' yer heyes, Mr.
Harris; nor can yer help a-starting when yer sees me a-coming. Oh no,
yer may say wot yer likes, but ye're real interested in that pore,
misfort'nit Sue, I _knows_; so you will come to her shameful trial,
won't yer?"

In despair, and fearing any other reply, Harris promised.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

CINDERELLA WOULD SHIELD THE REAL THIEF.

After one of these interviews Pickles went home and consulted Sue.

"Cinderella," he said, "am I to act as yer prince or not?"

"I dunno wot hever yer means, Pickles."

"Well, my beauty, 'tis jest this--the Prince rescued Cinderella from her
cruel sisters, and I want ter rescue you from the arms of justice. You
has a wery shameful accusation hanging over you, Cinderella; you is, in
short, hiding from the law. I can set yer free. Shall I?"

Sue's plump face had grown quite thin during the anxieties of the past
month, and now it scarcely lighted up as she answered Pickles:

"I want ter be set free, but I don't want ter be set free in your way."

"'Tis the only way, Cinderella. The man, Peter Harris, is the guilty
party. He tuk that 'ere locket; he put it in yer pocket. I don't know
how he did it, nor why he did it, but I do know that no one else did it.
I have jest come from him, and lor' bless yer! I have had him on the
torture hooks. I made-b'lieve as you were to be tried next week, and I
axed him to come to the trial. I could a'most see him shivering at the
bare thought, but fur hall that he did not dare but say he'd come. Now,
Cinderella, ef you were to allow me to manage it, and I wer to get you
and he face to face, why, he'd jest have to confess. I'd have a couple
o' witnesses handy, and we'd write it down wot he said, and you'd be set
free. I'd manage so to terrify him aforehand that he'd have ter
confess----"

"And then he'd be put in prison?" said Sue.

"Why, in course; and well he'd deserve it. He's the right party to go,
fur he's guilty. Yes, shameful guilty, too."

"He couldn't manage to run away and escape afterwards?"

Pickles laughed. "You think as I'