"Where do you come from then? You've not been in town before.
What is your father?"

"My father's dead, sir. I come from Oulton. My father was rector
there."

"Ah," he said quietly. "Now give this penny to the bear-ward."

While I was giving the penny to the keeper, the strange man edged
among the lookers-on, apparently watching the bear's antics, till
he was just behind the pickpocket's accomplice. Watching his
time, he seized the boy from behind by both wrists.

"This boy's a pickpocket," he cried aloud. "Stop that other boy.
He's an accomplice." The other boy, who had just taken a purse,
started to run, letting the booty drop. A boatman who was going
towards the river, tripped him up with an oar so that he fell
heavily. He lay still where he had fallen (all the wind was
knocked out of him) so that he was easily secured. The boy who
had been seized by the bearded man made no attempt to get away.
He was too firmly held. Both boys were then marched off to the
nearest constable where (after a strict search), they were locked
into a cellar till the morrow. The crowd deserted the bear-ward
when the cry of pickpockets was raised. They followed my
mysterious friend to the constable's house, hoping, no doubt,
that they would be able to crowd in to hear the constable bully
the boys as he searched them. One or two, who pretended to have
missed things, managed to get in. The bearded man told me to come
in, as he said that I should be needed as a witness. The others