226 OCCASIONAL HAPPY THOUGHTS. 



I fell back upon my old position, that this was one of those 

 cases in which no point of law was likely to be raised. 



My Aunt could not see this. This police case had given a 

 new impetus to her placid existence; she had no time for 

 tears, or hysterics, and, indeed, appeared to be so bitten with 

 a sort of Law fever, that, had there been a chance offered her, 

 she would, I believe, have then and there gone down to the 

 first Police- Court, and requested to be heard, ex parte, on 

 the merits of her own personal and private view of the case. 



" Ladies do conduct their own cases," she observed, with 

 dignity ; "because I know there's a Miss Somebody who's 

 always coming up, over and over again, and speaking for 

 years in the House of Lords ; but I think," m.y Aunt added 

 more to herself than to me, " that at the end of every four 

 days she's generally put out of Court by the Usher." 



This reminiscence came opportunely, as my Aunt had no 

 fancy for figuring in such a scene as being " put out of Court " 

 represented to her mind. Struggling with the Usher, and 

 hitting him over the head with a blue bag, full of legal papers 

 and red tape, was the least that could be done (so she 

 evidently thought) in defence of her right, in the event of 

 such an " ungentlemanly order being made by the Lord 

 Chancellor." 



" It will take place," she informed me, alluding to her case 

 at the Police- Court, " to-morrow : and I'm to be there about 

 twelve. Talking of ' twelve,' I suppose," she said, as if 

 rather proud of her legal knowledge, " that I shall be able to 

 object to the jury if I don't like them ? " 



Once more she was disappointed at hearing from me that 



