Their honors by no means wore the unruffled and remotely superior
aspect of a few minutes before. It must be frankly confessed, as
regards the honorable Justices Goodrich of Pittsfield, Barker of
Cheshire, and Whiting of Great Barrington, that they looked decidedly
scared, as in fact, they had some right to be. It might have been
supposed, indeed, that the valor of the entire quorum had gone into
its fourth member, Justice Elijah Dwight, who, at the moment Perez
entered the room, was being withheld by the combined strength of his
agonized wife and daughter from sallying forth with a rusty Queen's
arm to defend his mansion. His wig was disarranged with the struggle,
and the powder shaken from it streaked a countenance, scholarly enough
in repose no doubt, but just now purple with the three-fold wrath of
one outraged in the combined characters of householder, host, and
magistrate.
"Your honors," said Perez, "the people will not be satisfied without
your written promise to hold no more courts till their grievances are
redressed. I will do what I can to protect you, but my power is
slight."
"Who is this fellow who speaks for the rabble?" demanded Dwight.
"My name is Hamlin.
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