The Master of Man: The Story of a SinCaine, Hall, Sir
General
The Master of Man: The Story of a Sin
Caine, Hall, Sir
Infanticide -- Fiction; Isle of Man -- Fiction; Legal stories; Redemption -- Fiction
The time of waiting for the proceedings to begin was passed in a low
buzz of conversation, chiefly on one subject. "Is it true that he is
to follow his father?" "So they say." "So young and with so many
before him--I call it shocking." "So do I, but then he's the son of
the old Deemster, and is to marry the daughter of the Governor."
At the last moment Stowell and Fenella arrived and were shown into
seats reserved for them at the end of the Jury-box. Then the
conversation (among the women at least) took another turn. "Well,
they're a lovely pair--I will say that for them."
The Governor, accompanied by the Bishop and the Attorney-General,
stepped on to the crimson-covered dais, and the proceedings commenced.
The Governor's own speech was a short one. They had gathered to do
honour to the memory of one of the most honoured of their countrymen.
The memory of its great men was a nation's greatest inheritance. If
that was true of the larger communities it was no less true of the
little realm of Man.
"Hence the island," said the Governor, "is doing a service to itself
in setting up in this Court-house, the scene of his principal
activities, the memorial to its great Deemster which I have now the
honour to unveil."
When the Governor pulled a cord and the white sheet fell from the
face of the picture there was a gasp of astonishment. The impression
of reality was startling. The Deemster had been painted in wig and
gown and as if sitting on the bench in that very Court-house. The
powerful yet melancholy eyes, the drawn yet firm-set mouth, the
suggestion of suffering yet strength--it was just as he had been seen
there last, summing up after the trial of the woman who had killed
her husband.
As soon as the spectators, who had risen, had resumed their seats,
the Governor called on the Attorney-General.
The old man was deeply moved. The Deemster had been his oldest and
dearest friend. It was difficult for him to remember a time when
they had not been friends and impossible to recall an hour in which
their friendship had been darkened by so much as a cloud. If it was
true that the memory of its great men was a nation's greatest
inheritage, the island had a great heritage in the memory of Deemster
Stowell. He had been great as a lawyer, great as a judge, great as a
gentleman, as a friend, as a lover, as a husband, and (with a glance
in the direction of the jury-box) as a father also.
"I pray and believe," said the Attorney, "that this memorial to our
great Deemster may be a stimulus and an inspiration to all our young
men whatsoever, particularly to such as are in the profession of the
Bar, and especially to one who bears his name, has inherited many of
his splendid talents, and may yet be called, please God, to fill his
place and follow in his footsteps."
When the old man sat down there was general applause, a little
damped, perhaps, by the last of his references, and then followed the
event of the afternoon.
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account