MY AUNT'S GREAT POLICE CASE. 245 



whence the voice proceeds, but it suddenly occurring to him 

 that it is the Clerk's, he reaches over the desk to look at him 

 (if he had a stick it would be exactly like Punch with "Joey" 

 the Clown, when the latter appears at an unexpected part of 

 the Show), and says, with cutting irony, " I don't know what 

 may be your custom he7^e, but / always conduct the cases in 

 my own Court myself. " 



" But, Sir," says the Clerk, " I " 



" I don't care, Sir. I must beg you won't interfere. Now 

 then. Sir." This last to the complainant. 



But whatever matter the stout man might have had, ori- 

 ginally, against Sniggs — the thin man, the altercation has 

 quite put it out of his head. He looks helplessly at the 

 Clerk, then at the Solicitors (who despise him for not having 

 employed one of theju), then at the Policeman, and finally 

 at the thin man, Sniggs, who laughs contemptuously. 



" Put that man out of Court ! " says Mr. Sharply, nodding 

 his head angrily at the thin man in a way which quite takes 

 the laugh out of hitn, " I won't have it," meaning the thin 

 man's laughing. "If you can't behave yourself, Sir, you'd 

 better go out." 



The Wavering Policeman eyes the thin man imploringly, 

 as much as to say, " Do mind what he says. Da behave 

 yourself. Don't compel me to take you up." 



" Now, Sir," says the Magistrate, for the third time, to 

 the stout complainant, " Are you going to keep us here all 

 day ? WTiat do you charge him with ? " 



I believe it to be quite a chance that the stout man, being 

 utterly confused and muddled, didn't answer " Burglary " 



