Page:The Toll of the Bush.pdf/72

a legal fence “acchordin’ to th’ act, yer reverence,” and that in the alternative said fence had been removed by the Robinson family for fuel. Then they went at it hammer and tongs. Mrs. Finnerty, duly sworn, alleged that Mrs. Robinson was a liar. “You’ll not be lis’nin’ to that woman, your worship, for she’s desavin’ yez.”—“Well, never mind that, get on with the evidence.”—“It’s like this, yer worship (wheedlingly); last Tuesday Mrs. Andersen come around to give me back some tay she’d borrowed a while back, and she sez to me, she sez———”— “Yes, yes, never mind that; come to the sow.”—“Yes, your worship, and Mrs. Andersen was tellin’ me she'd littered———”—“Who littered?”—“The sow, your worship.” (Laughter in the court.) Magistrate, severely, “I won’t have this noise. Well? (to witness), for goodness’ sake, get along.” And so on, ad infinitum. Don’t look so shocked.’

‘Me! I defy you!’

‘Well, you ought to be. But what’s wanted in this settlement is a good heavy top-dressing of horse sense, and that’s a commodity which is pretty scarce anywhere. But I am stopping you from talking.’

Mrs. Gird seated herself with her arm across her husband’s chair and looked expectantly at Geoffrey.

‘I saw Sandy Milward to-day,’ the latter said after a moment. ‘He wants me to take over Raymond’s job in the store.’

‘What wages is he giving?’ Mrs. Gird asked.

Geoffrey shifted his position and looked foolish. ‘I ought to have asked that, of course,’ he said, ‘but as a matter of fact I didn’t.’

Mrs. Gird shook her head. ‘Not that it matters