g freed, our prisoner lifts his head and makes a slight reverence to
Moll, but with little gratitude in his look, and places himself at the
end of the table facing us, who are at the other end, Moll sitting
betwixt Don Sanchez and me. And there, setting his hands for support
upon the board, he holds his head up pretty proudly, waiting for what
might come.

"Who are you?" asks Moll, in a tone of authority.

He waits a moment, as if deliberating with himself whether to speak
fairly or not, then, being still sore with his ill-treatment, and
angered to be questioned thus by a mere girl (he, as I take it, being a
man of thirty or thereabouts), he answers:

"I do not choose to tell. Who I am, what I am, concerns you no more than
who and what you are concerns me, and less since I may justly demand by
what right these fellows, whom I take to be your servants, have thus
laid hands on me."

"How do you answer this?" asks Moll, turning to Simon.

Then Simon told very precisely, as if he were before a magistrate, how
this man, having been seen lingering about the Court several days, and
being without home or occupation, had been suspected of felonious
purposes; how, therefore, he had set a watch to lay wait for him; how
that morning they had entrapped him standing within a covert of the park
regarding the house; how he had refused to give his name or any excuse
for his being there, and how he had made most desperate attempt to
escape when they had lain hands on him.

"Is this true?" asks Moll of the prisoner.

"Yes," says he.

Moll regards him with incredulous eyes a moment, then, turning to Simon,
"What arms had he for this purpose that you speak of?" says she.

"None, mistress; but 'twould be a dread villain verily who would carry
the engines of his trade abroad in daylight to betray him." And then he
told how 'tis the habit of these poachers to reconnoitre their ground by
day, and keep their nets, guns, etc., concealed in some thicket or
hollow tree convenient for their purpose. "But," adds he, "we may
clearly prove a trespass against him, which is a punishable offence, and
this assault upon me, whereof I have evidence, shall also count for
something with Justice Martin, and so the wicked shall yet come by their
deserts." And with that he gives his fellows a wink with his one eye to
carry off their quarry.

"Stay," says Moll, "I would be further convinced--"

"If he be an honest man, let him show thee his hand," say