“I will do as you bid,” replied the recorder. “You are my superior officer.”
“Very good—make haste.”
As soon as the man had left, Mr. Zuidhoorn began pacing up and down the pandoppo in great excitement.
“It is a monstrous thing!” cried he to himself, “I could not—I dared not—suppose that they would carry matters so far! Yet I ought to have foreseen something of the kind! Yes—I am a great fool—why! when a few weeks ago I received a request from the Resident to alter the order of the cases, a request with which I refused to comply, then I suspected that there was some scheme on foot; but that they would have adopted so arbitrary a course as this! A few days ago even, when I received a written statement from the Resident informing me that I was no longer competent to preside over the court, because I had obtained leave of absence, even then I could not suppose that they would have recourse to so high-handed an infraction of the law. Yesterday the Resident informed me by word of mouth that he intended to avail himself of the right of presiding in person; but I made no reply, for I looked upon his words as a merely formal notice, and never dreamt that anyone could be foolish enough to tamper so offensively with the regulations of the court. Yes! for a most stupid thing it is thus to enforce an old and obsolete rule, which was made when, as yet, there was no idea of any individual being specially appointed as President of the Sessions. But—what can be the drift of all this? What can it all mean?” he asked himself as he paced up and down.
His eye lit upon the charge-sheet which the recorder had left lying on the green-baize cover of the table. He took it up and began to read out the cases inscribed upon it, making his remarks upon them as he went on.
“MʻBok Bardjo: accused of secretly conveying away coffee! Poor people who are compelled to plant coffee, and are not allowed to drink it; but are obliged to put up with a wretched decoction of coffee-leaves!
“Bariedin: charged with wearing in public a civilian’s cap—Ridiculous! Those fellows in the Home Department do make fools of themselves—such a trifle is high treason in their eyes.
“Sarina: charged with deserting her infant child—that’s bad—not so bad however as flinging the poor little thing into the river or the canal as they generally do at home in such cases.
“Pak Ardjan: accused—of—opium—smuggling—and wounding—a policeman! Now I think I am coming to it—now a light dawns in upon me; and the next case?
“Ardjan: accused—of—opium—smuggling! Ardjan, the future husband of the baboe Dalima!”