After which, while the Clerk of the Court coughed deprecatively in token that the Judge was due on the bench, the Judge’s right eye-lid, without in the least altering the expression of his face, closed slowly down over the steel-gray eye. Comforted, indeed rather happier than he had been since yesterday afternoon, Jim passed into the court room and took a seat at the rear. The rest of the audience counted no more than two dozen. Jim had never been in any sort of a court before, and he was a little disappointed at the almost casual way in which the cases were disposed of. But the offenses were all minor ones and so probably deserved little ceremony. The Judge--strangely enough, Jim didn’t yet know his name--sat very straight behind his desk and looked unemotionally stern and gave his verdicts in crisp, terse words. Jim began to be a little uneasy. It seemed to him that the Judge was absolutely unable to say “Discharged”! Instead, it was “Ten days in jail” or “You are fined fifty dollars” or “Sentenced to thirty days: sentence suspended.” The prisoners were a dejected looking lot until Webb Todd stood up in his turn. Webb was perhaps more rumpled and seedy-looking than his predecessors, but there were no signs of dejection about him. Indeed he had a rather jaunty air as he faced the Judge, in spite of his unshaven face and cheap, skimpy, frayed clothes. The Judge viewed him keenly and at greater length than usual. The charge was read. “What have you got to say for yourself, Webster?” asked the Judge. “Not much, your Honor,” Webb answered easily. “Just that I ain’t guilty. I’ve been here three or four days looking for work, but I ain’t a vagrant.” “Where did you work last?” “Manchester, New Hampshire, sir.” “How long ago?” “About a month. Nearly five weeks.” “How did you happen to come here?” “I was going to Norwalk. I got a job promised me in Norwalk. I got out of money and I had a friend here and I stopped to make a touch.” “Succeed?” “Yes, sir.” “When?” “Yesterday afternoon.” “Before that?” The Judge’s eyes bored hard. Webb stroked his chin. “A couple of days ago, sir.” “Why didn’t you go to Norwalk when you got the first money from this friend?” “I--I guess I felt lazy,” said Webb. He smiled engagingly, and the Judge frowned. “Where’s your home?” “New York City.” “Ever been in Maine?” “Yes, sir.” “Four Lakes?” Jim could see the sudden stiffening of Webb’s thin form at the far end of the room. “Yes, sir,” answered Webb after a moment. “As a matter of fact, Webster, that’s your home, isn’t it?” “It used to be, Judge. I--I guess I ain’t got any now.” The Judge stared intently at Webb for a long while across the desk, and, to his credit be it said, Webb returned the look unflinchingly. “If I let you off, Webster, will you promise me to leave this town before night and secure work inside of twenty-four hours?” “I’ll say so, Judge.” “Think you can secure work?” “I know it.”