"Went off fast asleep, sir, as any one would ha' thought," said Peter.

"And seeing him like that I thought I'd just go down and fetch myself a cup o' tea; but no sooner was I out o' the room than he must have slipped out and dressed hisself--shamming, you know--and if I hadn't come back in the nick o' time he'd have been gone."

The doctor frowned, and Sir James looked satisfied, as he gave him a nod.

"Going to run away, eh!"

"Yes, Sir James," said the groom; "and it was as much as I could do to hold him."

"Get up, Peter," said the doctor.

The groom rose, and Dexter leapt up like a bit of spring, and darted toward the door.

But Sir James was close to it, and catching the boy by the arm he held him.

"Take hold, of him, my man," he said; "and don't let him go."

Peter obeyed, getting a tight grip of Dexter's wrist.

"Now, you give in," he whispered. "It's no good, for I shan't let go."

"Bring him down," said Sir James sternly.

Peter shook his head warningly at Dexter, and then, as Sir James and the doctor went down to their room, Peter followed with his prisoner, who looked over the bal.u.s.trade as if measuring the distance and his chance if he made a jump.

"Now," said Sir James, as the boy was led into the room; "stand there, sir, and I warn you that if you attempt to run away I shall have in the police, and be more stern. You, my man, go and tell the gardener to bring up the other boy."

Peter left the room after giving Dexter a glance, and the doctor began to walk up and down angrily. He wanted to take the business into his own hands, but Sir James was a magistrate, and it seemed as if he had a right to take the lead.

There was a painful silence, during which Dexter stood hanging his head, and feeling as if he wished he had been drowned, instead of being brought round to undergo such a painful ordeal as this.

Ten minutes must have elapsed before a scuffling was heard upon the stairs, and Bob Dimsted's voice whimpering--

"You let me alone, will yer? I never done nothing to you. Pair o'

great cowards, y'are. Don't knock me about, or it'll be the worse for yer. Hit one o' your own size. I never said nothing to you."

This was continued and repeated right into the room, Dan'l looking very severe and earnest, and holding on by the boy's collar, half-dragging him, while Peter pushed behind, and then closed the door, and stood before it like a sentry.

"You have not been striking the boy, I hope!" said the doctor.

"Strike him, sir? no, not I," said Dan'l; "but I should like to. Been a-biting and kicking like a neel to get away."

Sir James had never seen an eel kick, but he accepted the simile, and turning to Bob, who was whimpering and howling--"knocking me about"--"never said nothing to him"--"if my father was here," etc.

"Silence!" roared Sir James, in his severest tones; and Bob gave quite a start and stared.

"Now, sir," said Sir James. "Here, both of you; stand together, and mind this: it will be better for both of you if you are frank and straightforward."

"I want to go home," whimpered Bob. "Y'ain't no business to stop me here."

"Silence!" roared Sir James; and Bob jumped.

Dexter did not move, but stood with his eyes fixed to the floor.

"Now!" said Sir James, gazing fiercely at Bob; "you know, I suppose, why you are here."

"No! I don't," whimpered Bob. "And y'ain't no business to stop me. I want to go home."

"Silence, sir!" 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!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed 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 c.o.c.k'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."