An audience was demanded by
Ready-Money Jack, who had detected the prisoner in the very act of
sheep-stealing on his domains, and had borne him off to be examined
before the Squire, who is in the commission of the peace.
A kind of tribunal was immediately held in the servants' hall, a large
chamber, with a stone floor, and a long table in the centre, at one
end of which, just under an enormous clock, was placed the Squire's
chair of justice, while Master Simon took his place at the table as
clerk of the court. An attempt had been made by old Christy to keep
out the gipsy gang, but in vain, and they, with the village worthies,
and the household, half filled the hall. The old housekeeper and the
butler were in a panic at this dangerous irruption. They hurried away
all the valuable things and portable articles that were at hand, and
even kept a dragon watch on the gipsies, lest they should carry off
the house clock, or the deal table.
Old Christy, and his faithful coadjutor the gamekeeper, acted as
constables to guard the prisoner, triumphing in having at last got
this terrible offender in their clutches. Indeed, I am inclined to
think the old man bore some peevish recollection of having been
handled rather roughly by the gipsy, in the chance-medley affair of
May-day.
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