In the meanwhile, the examination of the culprit proceeded; but, as we can not hope to convey to the reader a description of the affair as it happened, to the life, we shall content ourselves with a brief summary.  The chair went on rapidly enumerating the sundry misdeeds of the Yankee, demanding, and in most cases receiving, rapid and unhesitating replies—­evasively and adroitly framed, for the offender well knew that a single unlucky word or phrase would bring down upon his shoulders a wilderness of blows.

“You are again charged, Bunce, with having sold to Colonel Blundell a coffee-pot and two tin cups, all of which went to pieces—­the solder melting off at the very sight of the hot water.”

“Well, lawyer, it stands to reason I can’t answer for that.  The tin wares I sell stand well enough in a northern climate:  there may be some difference in yours that I can’t account for; and I guess, pretty much, there is.  Now, your people are a mighty hot-tempered people, and take a fight for breakfast, and make three meals a day out of it:  now, we in the north have no stomach for such fare; so here, now, as far as I can see, your climate takes pretty much after the people, and if so, it’s no wonder that solder can’t stand it.  Who knows, again, but you boil your water quite too hot?  Now, I guess, there’s jest as much harm in boiling water too hot, as in not boiling it hot enough.  Who knows?  All I can say is, that the lot of wares I bring to this market next season shall be calkilated on purpose to suit the climate.”

The chairman seemed struck with this view of the case, and spoke with a gravity corresponding with the deep sagacity he conceived himself to have exhibited.

“There does seem to be something in this; and it stands to reason, what will do for a nation of pedlers won’t do for us.  Why, when I recollect that they are buried in snows half the year, and living on nothing else the other half, I wonder how they get the water to boil at all.  Answer that, Bunce.”

“Well, lawyer, I guess you must have travelled pretty considerable down east in your time and among my people, for you do seem to know all about the matter jest as well and something better than myself.”

The lawyer, not a little flattered by the compliment so slyly and evasively put in, responded to the remark with a due regard to his own increase of importance.

“I am not ignorant of your country, pedler, and of the ways of its people; but it is not me that you are to satisfy.  Answer to the gentlemen around, if it is not a difficult matter for you to get water to boil at all during the winter months.”

“Why, to say the truth, lawyer, when coal is scarce and high in the market, heat is very hard to come.  Now, I guess the ware I brought out last season was made under those circumstances; but I have a lot on hand now, which will be here in a day or two, which I should like to trade to the colonel, and I guess I may venture to say, all the hot water in the country won’t melt the solder off.”