English fiction -- 20th century; Social satire, English
It was a dark forboding place somewhat square. A crowd of poor jostled
without. The photos of Selia and her Harold were taken as they left
the taxi to enter, at which Selia bridled a little but not her Harold.
For a flash he feared they were mistaken for the guilty partys but it
was not so only his fame.
Inside was a great dark hall like church and the ten comandments in
frames at the top, between which sat a juge in scarlet and ermin with
a white wig, who was on a carved chair, with lawyers on one side in a
row and jurys on the other in a pew and the lawyers were all lean and
busy with papers, but the jurys were all plump and did nothing but
sit.
A stir occurred as our heroes entered and were led by a beadel to the
front row at which the judge beat his little hammer on the desk of his
throne and cried “Ordre” very stern for all present were twisting and
craning to get a better view of our pair, more so the ladys of whom
there were many with lunsheon baskets seated around.
“This is not a school of poetry,” said the judge aside and drew a
laugh, so Mr. Withersq knew at once this must be the famous Judge Crop
the well-known wit. So they both sat down and settled.
The buss died down and silence came as a door at the side opened and
amid a murmur of pity the partys to the divorce were led in,
pale-faced and dismally clanking the handcuffs on their wrists, and
the injured husband led the way. There were three in all, the lady and
the villian with meek look following after, and the lady was very
soberly dressed in black coat and skirt as befitted her position.
A policeman led them to stand in a row before the Judge, and they all
three stood mum while the lawyers began to rise one by one and muter
and muter and rasple their papers, and bow now and then to the Judge
who seemed to sleep nevertheless he opened an eye from time to time.
Selia was a bit vexed for she found it dull and it was very hot, and
they were so squashed, so she laid back a good bit against her Harold,
and attemted to list.
“Ha” cried the Judge suddenly waking, “and what have you to say for
yourself” as he glared at the villian, so the Wife fell to sobbing,
and all the audience were greatly moved. But poor Selia was so sleepy
with stuffiness that she dropped off without hearing more and only
woke in time to hear the worst. The Villian and Wife had exprest their
regrets, the jurys had talked the matter over, and the Judge was
sitting on them, with a black cap on his head.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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