"This is a serious charge, that you without any provocation assaulted and maltreated my nephew." "I say it is all a lie, sir," James said fearlessly.
The squire uttered a short exclamation of surprise and anger.

He had been, at first, favourably impressed with the appearance of the young prisoner, though he had been surprised at seeing that he was younger than his nephew, for he had expected to see a much older boy.
"That is not the way to speak, sir," he said sternly, while the constable pressed a warning hand on James's shoulder.
"Well, sir, it's not true then," the boy said.

"It's all false from beginning to end, except that I did strike him first; but I struck him, not because he had thrown a great stone and broken my boat, but because he pushed a little girl who was with me down into the water." "She slipped down.

I never pushed her," Richard broke in.
"Hold your tongue, sir," the squire said sternly.

"You have given your evidence.