THE STIPENDIARY MAGISTRATE. 119 



the Judge postponed the case, when one of the uni- 

 formed officers of the Court was noticed holding a 

 short but private whispering conversation with His 

 Honor, and he at once repaired to an adjoining room 

 which proved to be his private office, and we were 

 soon ushered into his august presence. 



THE STIPENDIARY MAGISTRATE. 



After a greeting only such as a hospitable New- 

 foundlander and the prospective recipient of $303.00 

 could accord, he passed the pipe and proceeded to tell 

 us of the grand sport to be had with rod and gun in 

 the Colony. In short, he had so much to say and 

 was wound up so tight, that half an hour had passed 

 and nothing was done toward filling up our certifi- 

 cates or licenses. Soon an officer appeared, and after 

 making a military salute, informed His Honor that 

 the barristers and their clients were waiting his pres- 

 ence. Somewhat annoyed at being disturbed in his 

 reverie, he curtly replied, "Let them wait." Seeing 

 that there was little prospect of getting our licenses 

 without interfering with the rights of good people in 

 the court room, the writer suggested that inasmuch as 

 His Honor's time was valuable and we were obliged 

 to be loafers until the Virginia Lake sailed in five or 

 six days, we would call at a fixed hour in the after- 



