its fourth member, Justice Elijah Dwight, who, at the moment Perez
entered the room, was being withheld by the combined strength of his
agonized wife and daughter from sallying forth with a rusty Queen's
arm to defend his mansion. His wig was disarranged with the struggle,
and the powder shaken from it streaked a countenance, scholarly enough
in repose no doubt, but just now purple with the three-fold wrath of
one outraged in the combined characters of householder, host, and
magistrate.

"Your honors," said Perez, "the people will not be satisfied without
your written promise to hold no more courts till their grievances are
redressed. I will do what I can to protect you, but my power is
slight."

"Who is this fellow who speaks for the rabble?" demanded Dwight.

"My name is Hamlin."

"You are a disgrace to the uniform you wear. Do you know you have
incurred the penalties of high treason?" exclaimed the justice.

"This is not the first time I have incurred those penalties in behalf
of my oppressed countrymen, as that same uniform shows," retorted the
other. "But it is not now a question of the penalties I have incurred,
but how are you to escape the wrath of the people," he continued
sharply.

"I shall live to see you hung, drawn and quartered for treason, you
rascal," roared Dwight.