Scamp and I: A Story of City By-Ways

would have been the same. Well, he _had_ apersonal interest in the great race, and had come out to meet somefriends who were returning from Epsom, he had given the small boy only apassing thought. When violently knocked by him, he had believed it tobe accidental, and caused by the eagerness and swaying of the crowd--hiswas not a suspicious nature. No, he had felt no hand in his pocket--andknew nothing of any robbery until the policeman showed him his own purseand watch in the elder prisoner's hand. Though obliged to the constablefor his zeal, he must add he thought it _shameful_ that such a thingcould happen in any well-governed land!

  "Will you tell us precisely what your purse contained, and describe itsappearance?" asked Mr Vernon.

  "I can do that to the letter," replied the angry man. "I am not likelyto forget my own purse or my own money."

  "We must ask you to confine your remarks to answering the questions putto you," interfered the magistrate. "How much did your purse contain,and what kind of purse was it?"

  "The purse you wish me to describe, and which I repeat I _can_ describe,was a green Russian leather one, with silver fastenings. It contained(I know to a farthing what it contained) five sovereigns in gold, ahalf-sovereign, two florins, and sixpence, besides in one pocket acheque for twenty pounds on the City Bank. The cheque was not signed."

  The purse being opened, and its contents found to answer to thisdescription, it was handed back to the old gentleman, who was thenrequested to describe his watch; and on his doing so, and also gettingback this property, he became much more gracious, and retired, with hisanger considerably cooled, to his former place beside the little womanin black.

  "If you have a watch, ma'am, hold it safely," he whispered to her."Even here, and surrounded by the officers of the law, we are not safefrom the light fingers of these young ruffians."

  Just then there was a bustle, and a movement of fresh interest in thecourt. Another witness was appearing.

  Led by the hand of Constable 21 B. a little girl was led into thewitnesses' box, a little girl with an old woman's face, grave, worn,pale. At the sight of this witness Dick changed colour violently, andeven Jenks gave way to some passing emotion.

  For an instant a pair of sad dark eyes gazed steadily at both the boys.They were speaking eyes, and they said as plainly as possible--"I cannotsave you. I would help you, even _you_, Jenks, out of this, but Icannot. I have come here to speak the truth, and the truth _will_, thetruth _must_ do you harm."

  Flo, with all her deep ignorance, had one settled conviction, that noone was ever yet heard of who told a lie in the witnesses' box.

  "How old is the little girl?" asked Mr Vernon.

  The question was repeated to her.

  "Don't know," she answered promptly.

  "Have you no idea, child? try and think!"

  "No, I doesn't know," said Flo. Then she added after a pause, "_Mother_knowed me age, and she said ef I lived till this month (ain't this monthJune?) as I'd be nine."

  "Nine years old," said the magistrate, and the clerk of the court took anote of the fact.

  "Now, little girl, what is your name?"

  "Darrell."

  "Darrell, do you know the nature of an oath?"

  "Eh?" questioned Flo.

  "Do you know who God is? You have got to take a solemn oath to God thatyou will speak nothing but the truth while you stand there."

  "Yes," said Flo, "I'll on'y speak the truth."

  "Do you know about God?"

  "Mother used to say `God 'elp me.' I don't know nothink else--'cept'bout Heve," she added after another pause.

  "What do you know about Eve?"

  "She wor the first thief, she wor. She prigged the apple off God'stree."

  A laugh through the court; but the odd little figure in mother's oldbonnet never smiled, her eyes were turned again reproachfully on Dick--he was following in the footsteps of "Heve."

  "You may administer the oath," said the magistrate to the usher of thecourt, and then the Bible was placed in Flo's hands and the well-knownsolemn words addressed to her.

  "The Evidence you shall give to the court, shall be the truth, the wholetruth, and nothing else but the truth, so help you God."

  "Yes," answered Flo.

  "Kiss the book," said the usher.

  She did so gravely, and handed it back to him. "Now, Darrell, justanswer the questions put to you, and remember you are on your oath tospeak the truth. Who are these boys? Do you know them?"

  "Yes, yer Washup."

  Flo had heard Mr Vernon spoken to as "Your Worship," and had adoptedthe name with avidity.

  "What are they called?"

  "Little 'un's Dick--t'other Jenks."

  "Which of the two is your brother?"

  "Little chap."

  "Do you live together--you and your brother and Jenks?"

  "Yes; number seven, Duncan Street."

  "Have you a father and mother?"

  "No. Father fell from a 'ouse and wor killed--he wor a mason; andmother, she died a year ago. We 'ad Scamp wid us too," added Flo;"leastways we 'ad till the night o' the Derby."

  "Who is Scamp?"

  "My dawg."

  A laugh.

  "Do not mind about your dog now, Darrell," said the magistrate. "Tellme how you live."

  "'Ow I lives? Course I lives on wittles; and when I can't get wittles Ilives on nothink."

  "Mr Vernon means, what do you do to earn money?" explained theconstable.

  "Oh! I translates."

  "You translate!" said Mr Vernon, raising his eye brows in wonder thatanything literary should find its way to Flo's hands; "I did not knowthat you could read."

  "No, more I can--I knows nothink 'bout `read and pray.' I never wasglad to see that 'ere day. No--I translates; and ef they is down at the'eel, and bust at the sides, and hout at the toes, wy I makes 'em asgood as new fur hall that."

  "She cobbles old boots and shoes, your Worship," explained the amusedconstable. "They call it translating down in Duncan Street."

  "Oh! Does your brother translate also, Darrell?"

  "No, yer Washup; Dick 'ave a broom and crossin'. 'Ee wor doin' a tidylot lately wid 'is broom and crossin'."

  "Now remember you are on your oath. How did you spend your time on theDerby Day?"

  "I sold small dolls to the gents."

  "Were you with your brother and the other prisoner?"

  "No, yer Washup. Jenks 'ee said as we worn't to keep company."

  "Did he tell you why?"

  "'Ee said as we'd do better bis'ness apart. 'Ee was in the blackin'line, and Dick in the fusee line."

  "Where were you at the time of the Robbery?"

  "Close ahint Jenks and Dick."

  "Did they see you?"

  "No."

  "What were they doing? what did you see them do?"

  "Dick, 'ee 'ad a funny little red nose on, and 'ee capered about, andplayed the fiddle."

  "Well, go on."

  "The people, they was pressing hevery way, and the folks was cheerin',wen--hall on a sudden--"

  "Well?"

  "Dick--'ee gave a great leap in the hair, and down 'ee come slap-bang'gainst that 'ere gent," pointing to the red-faced gentleman; "andJenks--"

  "What about Jenks? Don't forget your oath, Darrell."

  "I'm not a forgettin'--I'm a comin' to Jenks. No, Jenks," suddenlyturning round and addressing him, "I wouldn't tell on you ef I wasn'tstandin' yere where no lies was hever spoke. 'Ee stepped forrard assoft as soft, and pulled hout a purse and a watch hout o' the gent'spocket."

  "Are these the watch and purse?"

  "Yes."

  The clerk of the court then read over Flo's evidence, and as she couldneither read nor write, she was shown how to put her mark to the paper.

  "You may go now," said the magistrate; "I don't wish to ask you anythingfurther."

  Constable 21 B. took her arm, but she struggled against him, and heldher ground.

  "Please, yer Washup, I 'ave spoke the truth."

/>   "Indeed, I hope so."

  "May the little chap come 'ome wid me, and I'll--" But here officialauthority was called to interfere, and Flo was summarily ejected fromthe witness-box.

  She found a seat at the other side of the little woman in black,