So Mr. Knightley stood up and faced them all like a man. He was one of those chaps that makes up their mind pretty quick about the sort of people they’ve got to deal with, and if there’s anything to be said or done lets ‘em have it “straight from the shoulder.” As he stood there—straight and square—with his head thrown back, and his eyes—very bright and sharp they were—looking every man’s face over as if he was reading a notice, and had no time to spare, you couldn’t have told, from his look, or voice, or manner, whether he was afraid that things would go wrong, or whether he was dead sure they’d go right. Some men are like that. Others you can tell every thought that’s passing through their minds just as if it was printed in big letters on their breasts, like a handbill:“£200 reward,” and so on.

Well, Mr. Knightley wasn’t one of that sort, though I saw him keep his eye a trifle longer on Moran than the rest of ‘em.

“Now then, boys,” he says,“we’ve had our flutter out. I’ve done my best, and you’ve done yours. I’ve bagged one of your lot, and you’ve done your best to pot me. See here,” and he lifts up the collar of his coat and shows a hole through it, touches his head on the side, and brings away a red mark; and takes out his watch with the case all battered in by a revolver bullet. “You can’t say I hadn’t cause to show fight,” and he points to his wife. “Where’s the man among you that wouldn’t have done the same? An Englishman’s house is his castle. What am I to expect?”

He looked over at Starlight, but he didn’t take no notice, and made no sign. I saw Mrs. Knightley look over at him, too. It was the first time I ever seen him look hard when there was a woman in the case, and such a one! But he kept his face set and stern-like.

Then Moran breaks in—

“Expect, be blowed! What the -- do you expect now we’ve got yer to rights; are we going to let you off after knocking over Daly? No dashed fear, mister, we’ll serve you the same way as you served him, as soon as we’ve had some grub and another glass or two of your grog. You’ve got some fairish stuff here.”