When Dr. Staines heard she had been for her box, but left no address,
he sent Pearman to hunt for her. He could not find her. She avoided the
house, but sent a woman for her diurnal love letters. Dr. Staines sent
the woman back to fetch her. She came, received her box, her letters,
and the balance of her wages, which was small, for Staines deducted the
three weeks' wages.
Two days afterwards, to his surprise, the summons was served.
Out of respect for a court of justice, however humble, Dr. Staines
attended next Monday to meet the summons.
The magistrate was an elderly man, with a face shaped like a hog's, but
much richer in color, being purple and pimply; so foul a visage Staines
had rarely seen, even in the lowest class of the community.
Clara swore that her box had been opened, and certain things stolen out
of it; and that she had been refused the box next morning.
Staines swore that he had never opened the box, and that, if any one
else had, it was with her consent, for she had left the keys for that
purpose. He bade the magistrate observe that if a servant went away like
this, and left no address, she put it out of the master's POWER to send
her box after her; and he proved he had some trouble to force the box on
her.
The pig-faced beak showed a manifest leaning towards the servant, but
there wasn't a leg to stand on; and he did not believe, nor was it
credible, that anything had been stolen out of her box.
At this moment, Pearman, sent by Rosa, entered the court with an
old gown of Clara's that had been discovered in the scullery, and a
scribbling-book of the doctor's, which Clara had appropriated, and
written amorous verses in, very superior--in number--to those that have
come down to us from Anacreon.
“Hand me those,” said the pig-faced beak.
“What are they, Dr. Staines?”
“I really don't know. I must ask my servant.”
“Why, more things of mine that have been detained,” said Clara.
“Some things that have been found since she left,” said Staines.
“Oh! those that hide know where to find.”
“Young woman,” said Staines, “do not insult those whose bread you have
eaten, and who have given you many presents besides your wages. Since
you are so ready to accuse people of stealing, permit me to say that
this book is mine, and not yours; and yet, you see, it is sent after you
because you have written your trash in it.”
The purple, pig-faced beak went instantly out of the record, and wasted
a deal of time reading Clara's poetry, and trying to be witty. He raised
the question whose book this was. The girl swore that it WAS given her
by a lady who was now in Rome. Staines swore he bought it of a certain
stationer, and happening to have his passbook in his pocket, produced an
entry corresponding with the date of the book.
The pig-faced beak said that the doctor's was an improbable story, and
that the gown and the book were quite enough to justify the summons.
Verdict, one guinea costs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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