Only one round was left, and that was deferred by mutual consent when the clerk called out "Thomas White!" Our heroes sat up in their seats and fixed their eyes on the dock.
In a moment Tom White, as rollicking as ever, but unusually sober, stood in it, and gazed round the place in a half-dazed way.
As his eyes came down to the front public bench, our heroes' cheeks flushed and their eyes looked straight in front of them.
Duffield and Raggles, on the contrary, being the victims of no pangs of conscience, after looking hurriedly round to see that neither the magistrates, the police, nor the usher observed them, winked recognition at their old servant in distress.
This was too much for Dick.

These two fellows who weren't "in it" at all were backing Tom up in public, whereas his "Firm," who were in it, and had come down for the express purpose of looking after the prisoner, were doing nothing.

"Better nod," he whispered.
And the "Firm" nodded, shyly but distinctly.
Tom White was not the sort of gentleman to cut his friends on an occasion like this, and he, seeing himself thus noticed, and recognising, in a vague sort of way, his patrons, favoured the front public bench with five very pronounced nods, greatly to the embarrassment of the young gentlemen there, and vastly to the indignation of the police and officials of the court.
"Order there, or the court will be cleared!" cried the clerk, in a tone of outraged propriety; "How dare you ?" Our heroes, not being in a position to answer the question by reason of their tongues being glued to the roofs of their mouths, remained silent, and tried as best they could to appear absorbed in the shape of their own boots.
"If such a thing occurs again," persisted the clerk, "their worships will take very serious notice of it." "Their worships," who had not a ghost of an idea what the clerk was talking about, said "very serious," and asked that the case might proceed.
It proceeded, and under its cover our agitated heroes gradually raised their countenances from their boots, and felt their hearts, which had just now stood still, beating once more in their honest bosoms.
For any one not personally interested, the case was prosy enough.
A solicitor got up and said he appeared for Tom's three partners, who charged him with pledging the _Martha_ and appropriating the money, whereas the _Martha_ belonged to the four of them, and Tom had no right to raise money on her except by mutual consent.
The three partners and the pawnbroker were put into the witness-box, and gave their evidence in a lame sort of way.
Tom was invited to ask any questions he desired of the witnesses, and said "Thank'ee, sir," to each offer.

He had nothing that he "knowed of to ask them.

He was an unfortunate labouring man that had lost his living, and he hoped gentlemen would remember him." He accompanied this last appeal with a knowing look and grin at the occupants of the front public bench, who immediately blushed like turkey cocks, and again dropped their heads towards their boots.
"Have you anything to say about the disappearance of the boat ?" said the clerk, shuffling his notes.
"Only, your worship," said the solicitor, "that on the 4th of June last the _Martha_ disappeared from her berth on the beach, and, as White disappeared at the same time and refuses to give an account of himself at that particular time, the prosecutors are convinced he removed the boat himself." In support of this very vague charge a policeman was called, who gave a graphic account of the beauties of the moonlight on the night in question, and of how he had seen, from his beat on the Parade, a figure move stealthily across the sands to the place where White's boat was supposed to be.