he, too, had not seen the man clearly, but he had seen him before, in company with another; the two had come to his yard that afternoon to ask for work and been refused, as they wanted no more hands.
"Well, what had happened then ?" He had hammered at two or three doors as he ran past, among them that of the police-constable, and himself had run on, in time to hear the prisoner's footsteps run up the lane leading to the barn.

He had stopped then as he was out of breath, and as he thought they would have the man now, since there was no exit from the lane except through Mr.Patten's farm-yard, and if he'd gone that way they'd have heard the dogs.
Finally the police-constable corroborated the entire story, and added that he, in company with the foreman and two other men, had "proceeded" to the barn immediately, and there had found the prisoner, who was pretending to be asleep, with the tin of salmon (produced and laid on the table) hidden inside his jacket.

He had then taken him into custody.
"Was there any one else in the barn ?" Yes--two persons, who gave the names of George and Gertie Trustcott.
These were prepared to give evidence as to the prisoner's identity, and as to his leaving and returning to the barn on the evening in question, if the magistrate wished....

Yes; they were present in court.
* * * * * The General began to turn a little testy as the constable finished.

He seemed a magistrate who liked to be paternal, and he appeared to grow impatient under the extraordinarily correct language of the policeman.
He turned to Frank--seeming to forget all about the two witnesses not yet called--and spoke rather sharply: "You don't deny all that?
You plead guilty, eh ?" "Yes, sir," said Frank, gazing at the very pink salmon emblazoned on the tin.
"Why did you do it ?" "I was hungry, sir." "Hungry, eh?
An able-bodied lad like you?
Can't you work, then ?" "When I can get it, sir," said Frank "Eh ?...