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Lawyer Tools objected. This was "a leading question involving Captain Bunce's private pecuniary concerns: it could not properly come up."

Lawyer Ketchum wished "to know what this investigation was ordered for, if not to look into a question of a pecuniary nature. Was not the whole subject a pure case of dollars and cents?"

The Justice thought "the question must be answered." So Captain Bunce replied, that "it might cover it and it might not."

"Precisely, then, you think it might cover it?"

"Yes, sir, and it might not."

"What do you mean by that. Captain Bunce?"

"Why, that if I had fifteen hundred dollars' worth in the barn, it wouldn't cover it."

"That seems highly probable. But did you ever have fifteen hundred dollars' worth of hay and grain in the barn at one time?"

"Well -- I should fly -- that -- it was rather -- rather doubtful."

"Doubtful, eh?"

"He means to say -- " said Lawyer Tools.

"No matter what he means to say; we understand him," said the other lawyer.

"Oh, well, Ketchum, give a man a fair chance," grumbled Tools.

"Then what do you mean. Captain Bunce, when you say it might not cover the loss?"

"Well, that possibly there might be more stuff in the barn than the policy would cover."

"That is, more than nine hundred dollars," said Ketchum.

"Now, Captain Bunce, be so good as to tell us how much hay there was in the barn -- how much rye, how much corn, how much oats and straw, and so forth."

Captain Bunce couldn't recollect precisely, but according to his best belief and knowledge, there were twenty tons of hay, one hundred bushels of rye, two hundred and fifty bushels of corn, and one hundred and seventy-five bushels of oats. The Captain stuck at this all the way through, having that very morning cast up this amount, as making out the sum of nine hundred dollars, calling the barn worth three hundred.

Had he sold any? None of any account. Had he fed out any hay? Very little. Why did he offer to take seven hundred? To do the right thing with the company.

"Captain Bunce!" (A long pause.)

"Yes, sir," said the Captain, looking ready to answer.

"Well -- did you on the night of the fire have any occasion to go to the barn with a cigar, lantern, match, or other lighted material, or means of fire?"

"Not to my best recollection."

"You did not even go to the barn that day or evening, eh?"

"I presume I went to it in the course of the day."

"Yes, but not in the evening? Not after dark, you are sure?"

Lawyer Tools interposed to say that this was crowding his client and friend, Captain Bunce, and he should object to the question.

Justice Stout considered the matter, and rather thought Captain Bunce must, on the whole, answer that question. Lawyer Tools thought that it might be best to call a man guilty and prove him so afterwards.

Captain Bunce said he did go there after dark.

"Yes; you say you did go there after dark. Now, Captain Bunce, did you or did you not take any fire with you to that barn?"

"Not any at all, sir; I went down to see if all was safe, and did not go into the barn. I often -- generally do so."

"Did any of your family go down in the evening?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Did any of the paupers -- I believe you have the town poor on your hands, Captain Bunce -- did any of the poor folks go down?"

"We shall show that," said Lawyer Tools.

"Never mind, sir, perhaps we can," retorted Ketchum.

"Gentlemen may as well pursue a straightforward course," interposed Justice Ben Stout.

"Well, Captain Bunce, have you any idea how that fire occurred?"

"Of course he has an 'idea,'" said Tools. "What evidence is that?"

"Yes, I have an 'idea,'" said Captain Bunce.

"Never mind the idea -- never mind that now," said Ketchum.

"Have you any well grounded proof that the barn was set on fire?"

Captain Bunce said he had, the best in the world. He believed, he almost knew it was set on fire by Jims, the town pauper, because he (the Captain) had flogged him. The boy's tracks were seen in the snow. He had been absent all day and all the evening until just about the time of the fire. He had been afraid of the boy for some time.

"Did you see the boy that day after you flogged him?"

"No, sir. He ran away."

"Do you know where he went to?"

"He went up town some where."

"Where?"

"Went, I believe, a-fishing."

"And was gone all day?"

"Yes."

"Then you didn't see him that day at all?"

"Not till the fire, of course."

"Of course -- of course! You didn't see him go to the barn or come from it that day or evening, till the alarm of fire?"

"That's all, that's all; sit down. Captain, sit down; sit down, sir."

"Stop a moment, Captain," said Lawyer Tools. "How do you account for Jims' haying burned the barn?"

"Why, just out of spite. You see the boy often gets a flogging -- he's a hard boy to get along with any how -- and we flogged him that morning for stealing chickens."

"And he set the barn on fire from revenge?"

"Yes, sir; undoubtedly."