PRESIDENT. You did not say so. Very well. MME. THOMAS. If I had thought about that, I should have perhaps said that there was as much chance—more, perhaps—that he might be a thief or a murderer. PRESIDENT. Indeed! I will not argue with you; I am not going to give you the chance to expound your criminal ideas here. MME. THOMAS. My counsel will do it better than me. PRESIDENT. We’ll see about that. COUNSEL [_with a smile_] It might, perhaps, be well for you, President, not to contemn in advance the rights of the defence. PRESIDENT [_irritated_] Maître Verdier, you have no right to address me! And you will be good enough to moderate your expressions. I regret to say that from the opening of this case you have adopted an attitude that you can, perhaps, carry off at Paris, but that I shall certainly not countenance here. Pray take notice of that. COUNSEL. At the Paris bar— PRESIDENT. I cannot hear you now. COUNSEL. At the Paris— PRESIDENT. I cannot hear you now! Kindly be seated. MME. D’AMERGUEUX [_among the public, to her neighbor, M. de Forgeau_] What an excellent judge M. Calvon is. He is to dine with us tomorrow: I shall congratulate him. M. DE FORGEAU. A judge of the old stamp. MME. D’AMERGUEUX. He recognizes us. Did you see him give a little nod? [_She directs her smiles at the President_]. M. DE FORGEAU. Yes. Hush. PRESIDENT. Marie Gaubert, stand up. [_A thin little woman rises to her feet_]. Your name is Marie Gaubert. How old are you? SCHOOLMISTRESS. Twenty-seven. PRESIDENT. Profession? SCHOOLMISTRESS. Schoolmistress. PRESIDENT. Do you admit the facts with which you are charged? SCHOOLMISTRESS. Yes. PRESIDENT. What have you to say in your defence? SCHOOLMISTRESS. I didn’t think I was doing wrong. PRESIDENT. Your levity astounds me. You are a schoolmistress, and you do not understand that the sacred mission entrusted to you of preparing men and women for the glory and responsibility of the future entails on you the duty of giving an example yourself! It is your business to conduct the course of elementary instruction in civic morality, and this is how you practise it! Have you nothing to answer? According to my notes you undertook the nursing of your two children yourself. Do you love them? SCHOOLMISTRESS. It was just because I loved them. PRESIDENT. But you decided that two were enough. You made up your mind to limit the work of the Almighty. SCHOOLMISTRESS. I should have asked nothing better than to have four or five children. PRESIDENT. Indeed! Then let me tell you that you did not take the best means to arrive at that result. [_He laughs and looks at his assessor on the right, then at Madame d’Amergueux. She signals her congratulations to him_]. SCHOOLMISTRESS. You have to be able to feed your children.