42 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



P d aine (to the magistrate). — "Jen'airien 



a dire, Monsieur le Juge." 



P d cadet. — "Monsieur le June, j'y etais 



par hazard. Je retoumais de la oille, et fallals 

 chez moi." 



Magistrate. — " I thought you lived near Ouchy?" 



P d cadet. — " Cest bien sur." 



Magistrate. — " What were you doing near 

 Bombyx's house, pray ? That's not your way 

 home." 



R (to P d cadet.) — " Eh la toute grosse 



bete! Eh! V animal!" 



Something still more pretty was coming, but a 

 look from the worthy magistrate had a proper 

 effect. 



Magistrate (to P d cadet) — " Answer me, 



sir. What were you doing in the neighborhood of 

 Bombyx's house ? " 



P d cadet. — " Je eheminais mon chemin tout 



doucement. J'ai vu Francois sortir de chez lui. 

 II est malheureusement tombe; et moi,je suis tombe 

 sur lui par accident, Mousieur le Juge, Ilfaisait 

 bien nuit. Nous ne pouvions pas voir. Je ne lui 

 ai point fait du mal, pas la JBrique. Je Vaime 

 beaucoup Francois. C est unbon enfant. Vous 

 congevez, Monsieur le Juge, c' etait un pur acci- 

 dent. Mais Monsieur Bombgx nous en veut." 



Magistrate (to P d cadet). — You had no 



stiletto — nor dagger — no sharp instrument f " 



P d cadet. — " Non. & est mon fr ere qui 



en a." 



R— 



-" Et le Nigaud! 



Garde Champetre. — " Et le vilain Merle! " 



Magistrate. — " Be quiet there ! " 



R (stamping with his feet.) — u Cest unfou, 



Monsieur le Juge. 1 " 1 



Magistrate.—" Will you be quiet, R ? " 



R • — " Crapaud de crapaud." 



Magistrate (to R.) — " I shall desire the constable 

 to take you out of court if you speak again." 



Magistrate (to P d cadet.) — " You have 



told us that you were walking home, and that you 

 accidentally fell over Francis. When you got up 

 again, what did you do ? What did you see ? " 



P d cadet. — J' ai vu un gros chien. II etait 



tout noir. C 1 etait un tout gros chien, un puissant 



animal. Ce ri 'etait pas le petit chien de B . 



Oh, non! G 'etait un terrible chien. Enfin, 

 c 1 etait Fino ; et Monsieur Bombyx est sorti tout 

 enrage." 



Magistrate.—" Et puis f " 



P d cadet. — Je eheminais mon chemin " (in 



a high voice). 



Magistrate.—" Et puis ? " 



P d cadet. — " Je eheminais mon chemin" 



(in a lower voice). 



Magistrate. — " Apres quoi ? Allons ! " 



P d cadet. — " Je suis alle boire une quar- 



telle chez B " 



Magistrate. — " Yous V avez trouv6 chez lui f " 

 — d cadet. — " Non, Monsieur le Juge." 



R- 



' Eh ! le Singe ! 



Garde Champetre (^to R 

 We are ' sold.' " 



.) — "He's a traitor. 



Magistrate looks severely to R . 



u Pardonnez I Monsieur le Juge, mais il nous a 

 trahi." 



Magistrate. —"I have already warned you 

 several times not to interrupt the Court. Call 

 Pere H ." 



Pere H , after being sworn, related, in a 



stentorian voice, ail he had seen ; and recognised 

 every one of these worthies as participate, rs in 

 the brutal outrage. 



" Monstre que tu es ! " calls out R . Vous 



etes toujours endormi bien avant huite heures." 



Pere H grinned a horrid smile, and told the 



magistrate that he was moreover confirmed in all 



that he had said, by over-hearing R , and the 



garde champetre, relating the whole affair to an 

 individual whom he did not know; whilst himself 

 and his Catharina were unperceived on the other 

 side of the hedge. 



The rapid change of countenance, both of R— — - 

 and the policeman, sufficiently attested the truth 



of Pere H 's story ; which was also borne out 



by the gentle Catharina, in the most expressive 

 German patois imaginable. 



R 's other witnesses were all examined, but 



they only made his position still worse, and more 

 absurd. 



Magistrate (to R and his party). — "Now 



you have heard what has been brought forward 

 against you. Have you anything further to say ? 



And you, P d aine', who have declared you 



were at Morges ? " 



P d aine could stand it no longer ; so he 



admitted his falsehood, but declared the dog had 

 accidentally run up against his stiletto. All here 

 spoke to the general kind-heartedness and unim- 

 peachable conduct of R and the policeman. 



The worthy magistrate, however, was not of the 

 same opinion. He dismissed the policeman tem- 

 porarily from his post ; inflicted a fine of twenty- 

 five Swiss francs " damages " on the servant ; 

 and held them all " separately and collectively," 

 responsible pour lesfraix. This was an addition 

 of about one hundred francs ! Rage, fury, and 

 revenge now fearfully galled the breasts of these 



worthies ; and when the business was over, R 



called out — " Ce sera a notre tour bientot. Nous, 

 nous retrouverons." 



I really cannot curtail the next day's proceed- 

 ings, although I have done so on the present 

 occasion. I am therefore obliged to conclude here ; 

 and wishing you health, happiness, and a "jolly," 

 New Year, 



I am, ever, your faithful old Dog, 



Fiiso. 



Tottenham, Jan. 15, 1854. 



HUMAN FOLLY. 



Man, as ever, follows his own folly, 

 Heedless of all his mighty destinies ; 

 And though a golden crown, and robes like snow 

 Hang in Heaven's arch suspended by a thread, 

 H'3 will not by a single act of his 

 Dissever the thin cord, and suffer them 

 To fold him in the vesture of a king ! 

 Nor will he notice that the great white hand 

 Is busy tracing out naw characters 

 Upon the vast walls of the universe ; 

 Until some second deep-eyed Daniel come 

 To lip the lightning words in thunder tones ! 



G. B. 



