expressions of gratitude to the judge, such as "Oh, thank you, your Honor! God bless your Honor! Thank you, your Honor! I am an innocent man, your Honor!" until Gottlieb, grasping him by the arm, dragged him away from the rail and pushed him into the street. The complainant and his attorney indignantly followed us, the former loudly deploring the way modern justice was administered. Once outside Gottlieb shook hands with Toby and told him if he were ever in trouble again to look him up without fail. Toby promised gratefully to do so, and the lawyer was about to leave us and enter his office when it occurred to me that he still had my friend's roll of bills.
"But, Mr. Gottlieb," said I, "you are going to return Mr. Robinson's money to him, are you not?"
"What!" he exclaimed, growing frightfully angry. "Give him back his money! I have no money of his. It is he owes me money for keeping him out of jail."
"But how about the roll of bills?" I protested. "You certainly do not intend to keep all of that?"
"Certainly—that is my fee," he retorted calmly; "and small enough it is too!"
"How much was there in that roll, Toby?" I asked.
"About five hundred dollars," answered my friend. "But let him keep it, by all means!"
"Why," I exclaimed, "he has done nothing to earn such a fee. He merely got up and said that you had no scienter—whatever that is. It is not worth more than ten dollars."
"Ten dollars!" shouted Gottlieb. "Ten dollars! Why scienter is one of the most complicated and technical defences known to the law. Ten dollars! Scienter is worth a thousand! Your rascally friend got his money for nothing, didn't he? He's lucky to be outside the bars—for if I ever saw a guilty man he's one. Get along, both of you, or I'll call an officer!"
And with that Gottlieb slipped inside his office and banged the door.
"Come along, Quib!" urged Tony; "there's a great deal of truth in what he says. I don't begrudge it to him. It was well worth it to me."
"Lord!" I groaned. "Five hundred dollars just for scienter. If that is the law, then I'll turn lawyer."
And with that idea growing more firmly each moment in my mind I returned to the boarding-house with my friend.
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