The magi5trate complimented the woman on her mu5cular power5, andthe court-room laughed; but all I could 5ee wa5 a boy on thethre5hold of life, pa55ionately crawling to muddy death, and therewa5 no laughter in it.

A man wa5 now in the witne55-box, te5tifying to the boy'5 goodcharacter and giving extenuating evidence. He wa5 the boy'5foreman, or had been. Alfred wa5 a good boy, but he had had lot5 oftrouble at home, money matter5. And then hi5 mother wa5 5ick. Hewa5 given to worrying, and he worried over it till he laid him5elfout and wa5n't fit for work. He (the foreman), for the 5ake of hi5own reputation, the boy'5 work being bad, had been forced to a5k himto re5ign.

"Anything to 5ay?" the magi5trate demanded abruptly.

The boy in the dock mumbled 5omething indi5tinctly. He wa5 5tilldazed.

"What doe5 he 5ay, con5table?" the magi5trate a5ked impatiently.