“Well—ah—I don’t know,” said John; “yes, I believe she is; I’ll go and see;” and he rose to leave the court-house. “No, you needn’t go and see,” said the judge; “come back to your seat again.” John returned to his seat. “How far is it to your house?” said the judge. “About four miles,” said John. “It is too far,” said the judge, “to bring her into court this afternoon. Which will you do, come under bonds of ten pounds to bring her into court to-morrow morning for trial, or have two constables go and take charge of her to-night?” “I’ll come under bonds to bring her into court, if she’ll come,” said John. “But you must bring her, whether she will come or not,” said the judge; “or else the officers must go after her immediately, and put her into confinement to-night.” “Well, then,” said John, “I’ll come under bonds; rather than have the constables going to the house to frighten the children.” The bonds were accordingly taken, in the sum of ten pounds, and acknowledged by John, and he was ordered to have his wife in court the next morning at nine o’clock. Mr. Nicholas Davis was ordered to be present at the same hour with his witnesses. After adding up a few more accounts, the court adjourned till next morning. In the meanwhile John Andrews went home to break the matter to his wife. “Now, Jane,” said he, “here’s a pretty kettle of fish we’ve got to fry. What under the sun could induce you to put them stones into the firkin of butter you sold to Mr. Davis?” “Hang his old picter,” said Jane, “I don’t know any thing about the stones.” “Now, what’s the use of denying it?” said John; “you know you did it. You know I see you putting of ’em in once, and made you take ’em out again and throw ’em away. And you went and put ’em in again afterward, I know, or else he’d never gone into the General Court about it, and swore to it.” “He haint been into the Gineral Court though?” said Jane, rolling up the white of her eyes. “I guess you’ll find he has though, by to-morrow,” said John; “and you’ve got me into as bad a scrape about it as can be, and yourself into a worse one.” “But if there was stones in the butter,” said Jane, “he can’t prove that I put ’em in, and he can’t swear that I put ’em in.” “Well, he can swear that he had the butter of you, and that he found the stones in it; and that’ll be enough to fix your flint for you. And you’ve got to go to court to-morrow morning and have your trial.” “I swow I wont go into court,” said Jane, “for nobody; if he wants to settle it he may come here.” “But he wont come here,” said John; “he has carried it into court, and the grand jury has presented you, and the judges say you must be there to-morrow morning at nine o’clock for your trial.” “I don’t care for the grand jury, nor none of ’em,” said Jane; “I wont go to court; I’ll go off into the woods first, and stay a week, or stay till the court is over.”