The Bondman Author:O'Neill Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER VII. An hour had not elapsed since Holgrave retired to bed, before the cottage door was burst open, and Calverley with a strong body of retainers ente... more »red, and arrested him for the felony. The fourth day from his committal happened to be a court day of the manor, and it was selected for the trial, for the purpose of showing the tenantry what they might expect from the commission of an offence of such rare occurrence. The hall was thronged to suffocation ; for many more were attracted by the expected trial, then by the familiar business of a manorial court, and the people beguiled the time till the entrance of De Boteler in commenting on the transaction. "Silence!" vas at length vociferated by a dozen court keepers, and Calverley was asked if he was ready to begin. The steward answered in the affirmative, and slowly read the indictment, during which a profound silence was maintained throughout the hall. " Are you guilty or not guilty ?" asked Calverley, in a tone, the emotion of which even his almost perfect control of voice could not disguise. " Thomas Calverley," replied Holgrave, firmly, " if you mean me to say whether I burned my cottage or not, I will tell these honest men (looking at the jury) that I did so. All here present, know the rest." A buzz of disapprobation at this confession was heard, and the epithet " fool, fool," was faintly whispered, and then another loud cry of silence was shouted from the court keepers, as De Boteler appeared about to speak. " You have heard his confession," said the baron. " See, steward, that he is sent to Gloucester, to receive sentence from the king's judge when he goes the next assize. Record the verdict, and let the record be transmitted to the superior court." Wat Turner, whose attention was anxiously fix...« less