230 OCCASIONAL HAPPY THOUGHTS. 



are. A sort of dirty parody on fops' alley on an opera 

 night. 



We struggle into the passage. 



" I wonder if my Cabman's here ? '^ my Aunt says. We 

 have, both, a sort of feeling that he may dart out upon us 

 vindictively, from somewhere, and that the police will side 

 with him. 



"Where's the Court?" says my Aunt to me. She is very 

 nervous about being on the spot at the exact time, because 

 she has heard that a summoned person, not appearing, is 

 immediately committed for contempt of Court. 



"Is this," I ask, addressing a Policeman, who, I suppose, 

 hears me, though he doesn't show any signs of doing so, "Is 

 this the way to the Court ? '^ 



The official, without altering his position (he is leaning 

 against, and, as it were, across the door, so as to make a 

 slanting barrier of himself, and perhaps is suspicious of 

 treachery on my Aunt's or my part) replies " Yes." 



I inform my Aunt that this is the way into the Court, She 

 wishes me to inquire if the Magistrate is in. 



I think over this for a minute, and consider how to put the 

 question pleasantly, and yet so as not to induce the Police- 

 man to think I'm laughing at him. I propose (to myself) to 

 put it thus : " Is the Magistrate in?" but that looks as if 

 we were merely making a morning call, and is, on the whole 

 too familiar. The same objection apphes to " Is the 



Magistrate at home?" I begin, "Is the Magistrate " 



and am going to say " sitting?" but it occurs to me that this 

 treats the Magistrate like a hen. 



