Besides, he belonged to the school of Bacon.

Barkilphedro turned towards the justice of the quorum, and said to him,—­

“Sir, be so good as to conclude this matter.  I am in haste.  A carriage and horses belonging to her Majesty await me.  I must go full gallop to Windsor, for I must be there within two hours’ time.  I have intelligence to give, and orders to take.”

The justice of the quorum arose.

He went to the door, which was only latched, opened it, and, looking silently towards the police, beckoned to them authoritatively.  They entered with that silence which heralds severity of action.

Master Nicless, satisfied with the rapid denouement which cut short his difficulties, charmed to be out of the entangled skein, was afraid, when he saw the muster of officers, that they were going to apprehend Ursus in his house.  Two arrests, one after the other, made in his house—­first that of Gwynplaine, then that of Ursus—­might be injurious to the inn.  Customers dislike police raids.

Here then was a time for a respectful appeal, suppliant and generous.  Master Nicless turned toward the justice of the quorum a smiling face, in which confidence was tempered by respect.

“Your honour, I venture to observe to your honour that these honourable gentlemen, the police officers, might be dispensed with, now that the wolf is about to be carried away from England, and that this man, Ursus, makes no resistance; and since your honour’s orders are being punctually carried out, your honour will consider that the respectable business of the police, so necessary to the good of the kingdom, does great harm to an establishment, and that my house is innocent.  The merry-andrews of the Green Box having been swept away, as her Majesty says, there is no longer any criminal here, as I do not suppose that the blind girl and the two women are criminals; therefore, I implore your honour to deign to shorten your august visit, and to dismiss these worthy gentlemen who have just entered, because there is nothing for them to do in my house; and, if your honour will permit me to prove the justice of my speech under the form of a humble question, I will prove the inutility of these revered gentlemen’s presence by asking your honour, if the man, Ursus, obeys orders and departs, who there can be to arrest here?”

“Yourself,” said the justice.

A man does not argue with a sword which runs him through and through.  Master Nicless subsided—­he cared not on what, on a table, on a form, on anything that happened to be there—­prostrate.

The justice raised his voice, so that if there were people outside, they might hear.

“Master Nicless Plumptree, keeper of this tavern, this is the last point to be settled.  This mountebank and the wolf are vagabonds.  They are driven away.  But the person most in fault is yourself.  It is in your house, and with your consent, that the law has been violated; and you, a man licensed, invested with a public responsibility, have established the scandal here.  Master Nicless, your licence is taken away; you must pay the penalty, and go to prison.”