87 



for confirmation, but by some mistake he thought 

 they had been sent up to be flogged, so he set to 

 work. The boys expostulated, but the Doctor was 

 accustomed to boys expostulating' under the circum- 

 stances, so he went on without believing* a word, and 

 flogged every one of them. Then when the ceremony 

 was over the mistake was discovered. 



A few weeks ago in a little town near the coast, 

 between Scarborough and Hull, a man was taken 

 before the magistrates for driving' some beasts from an 

 infected district. Upon being- questioned, the man 

 more naturally than excusably said what I am 

 sorry to say was not true. He said he had told the 

 magistrate who had given him the license, that the 

 farm the beasts came from was infected; whereupon 

 these three wise men of Gotham decided it was the 

 magistrate's fault, and, that therefore they would not 

 fine him. The poor man got off, so in this case it was 

 all for the best, but still this story shows what toss 

 up sort of work these decisions are, and though this 

 man got off when he had done wrong 1 , the next 

 would probably be heavily fined, when he had not 

 done wrong 1 . In fact, I believe it was before the 

 same Justice Shallows, and about the same time 

 that a poor man was fined twenty pounds for not in- 

 forming- the Inspector that his cow had rinderpest, 

 when a veterinary surgeon he had consulted had 

 told him positively it was not rinderpest. 



Now I do not for a moment mean to say that there 

 is ever any intentional injustice, but the fact is 



