Cheers and groans from the audience were followed by a strange and dubious silence as the meaning underlying Paddy's high-flown speech dawned upon them. The girls cast uneasy glances at each other, not liking the turn affairs had taken. Surely enough fuss had already been made over that Richoter affair, and anyway, there couldn't be much doubt but that Kitty Despard had done it. Paddy was carrying it a bit too far this time, they said to themselves. There might be trouble if Miss St. Leger got to know.
Someone voiced the opinion of the assembly by calling out, "What price the inquiry in the Hall last night? Don't you count that?"
There was silence.
Paddy gravely produced a huge pair of horn-rimmed spectacles and perched them on her nose, then gazed freezingly in the direction of the voice.
"The honourable gentleman over there is surely suffering from delirium tremens. If the honourable gentleman will wait until he hears the charge——"
There was a laugh from some of the girls. Salome, who had half risen from her seat, dropped back into it. The girls began to realize it was evidently only one of Paddy's jokes; there would be nothing serious and unpleasant happening, after all.
"As you have already guessed," went on Paddy briskly, "we propose holding a proper trial by jury this evening. The first step is to arrange the court. I will read out the names of the officers already appointed and they will kindly take their places at once. Having, as you will doubtless acknowledge, the keenest discernment and the readiest wit of you all, I have great pleasure in accepting the part of the Judge myself. Our learned friend, Mr. Frederick Lightfoot, K.C., and Mr. William Pimple will be counsel for the defence and the Crown respectively."
Amid general laughter Paddy's two chums, Flo Lessingham and Kathleen Morris, came forward and took their places, having been previously coached in the parts they had to play. Paddy had two objects in view in organizing this meeting. One was the sheer desire for fun; in Paddy's estimation, all things were legitimate objects for fun. Secondly, she sincerely wished to help Kitty by turning into ridicule much that was at present taken very seriously by the girls. She believed it would relieve the tension all round and make things a good deal easier for the Australian girl, whom she had always liked and whom she was loath to believe dishonourable.
Significant looks were again exchanged when Kathleen Morris brought an action against "a well-known desperado, known among his intimates as Kangaroo": glances, however, which ended in laughter as the charge was read out. The criminal was accused of entering Mrs. Mellish's shop and stealing two ounces of bull's eyes and a bar of Fry's chocolate. By this time some dim notion of Paddy's underlying purpose began to creep into Kitty's mind, for she knew that Paddy was one of the few who had championed her cause. At any rate, she would show them that she, Kitty Despard, was not afraid of facing any trial by jury, in farce or otherwise. Paddy would rely on her to do so. So it was with head erect and a smile on her lips that she walked up to the "dock," and faced the girls with a free, fearless mien.
It was just at this moment that Duane entered, subsided quietly into a seat by the door and glanced round the room in idle curiosity. A puzzled look crept into her face. What on earth were they all up to? Then, as she listened and gazed toward the "dock" with increasing attention, the puzzled look slowly changed to one of realization and at the same time another expression crept into her eyes—quite a different expression. It almost looked like horror.