The Fashionable Adventures of Joshua Craig: A NovelPhillips, David Graham
General
The Fashionable Adventures of Joshua Craig: A Novel
Phillips, David Graham
Adventure stories; Fiction
When Josh appeared, Grant and the others with firmly-fixed opinions of
the character of the impending entertainment were not a little
disquieted. Joshua Craig, who stepped into the arena, looked absolutely
different from the Josh they knew. How had he divested himself of that
familiar swaggering, bustling braggadocio? Where had he got this look of
the strong man about to run a race, this handsome face on which sat real
dignity and real power? Never was there a better court manner; the
Justices, who had been anticipating an opportunity to demonstrate, at
his expense, the exceeding dignity of the Supreme Court, could only
admire and approve. As for his speech, it was a straightway argument;
not a superfluous or a sophomoric word, not an attempt at rhetoric. His
argument--There is the logic that is potent but answerable; there is the
logic that is unanswerable, that gives no opportunity to any sane mind,
however prejudiced by association with dispensers of luxurious
hospitality, of vintage wines and dollar cigars, however enamored of
fog-fighting and hair-splitting, to refuse the unqualified assent of
conviction absolute. That was the kind of argument Josh Craig made. And
the faces of the opposing lawyers, the questions the Justices asked him
plainly showed that he had won.
After the first ten minutes, when the idea that Craig could be or ever
had been laughable became itself absurd, Arkwright glanced uneasily,
jealously at Margaret. The face beneath the brim of her beautiful white
and pale pink hat was cold, conventional, was the face of a mere
listener. Grant, reassured, resumed his absorbed attention, was soon
completely swept away by his friend's exhibition of power, could hardly
wait until he and Margaret were out of the courtroom before exploding in
enthusiasm. "Isn't he a wonder?" he cried. "Why, I shouldn't have
believed it possible for a man of his age to make such a speech. He's a
great lawyer as well as a great orator. It was a dull subject, yet I was
fascinated. Weren't you?"
"It was interesting--at times," said Margaret.
"At times! Oh, you women!"
At this scorn Margaret eyed his elegant attire, his face with its
expression of an intelligence concentrated upon the petty and the
paltry. Her eyes suggested a secret amusement so genuine that she could
not venture to reveal it in a gibe. She merely said: "I confess I was
more interested in him than in what he said."
"Of course! Of course!" said Grant, all unconscious of her derision.
"Women have no interest in serious things and no mind for logic."
She decided that it not only was prudent but also was more enjoyable to
keep to herself her amusement at his airs of masculine superiority. Said
she, her manner ingenuous: "It doesn't strike me as astonishing that a
man should make a sensible speech."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account