When, after describing the robbery, the prosecutor continued:
“I ses to my companion, ses I—”
“I object,” says Mr. Nimble.
And I perceived that his Lordship leant forward once more towards Mr. Keepimstraight, and Mr. Keepimstraight turned as aforetime towards the Lord Mayor, but not quite, I thought, so fully round as heretofore; the motion seemed to be performed with less exactness than usual, and that probably was why the operation miscarried. Mr. Keepimstraight having given the correct signal, as he thought, and the Enginedriver on the Bench having misunderstood it, an accident naturally would have taken place but for the extreme caution and care of his Lordship, who, if he had been a young Enginedriver, would in all probability have dashed on neck or nothing through every obstacle. Not so his Lordship. Not being sure whether he was on the up or down line, he pulled up.
Mr. Keepimstraight sat pen in hand looking at his paper, and waiting for the judicial voice which should convey to his ear the announcement that “I ses, ses I,” is evidence or no evidence. Judge then of Mr. Keepimstraight’s disappointment when, after waiting in breathless silence for some five minutes, he at last looks up and sees his Lordship in deep anxiety to catch his eye without the public observing it. His Lordship leant forward, blushing with innocence, and whispered something behind his hand to Mr. Keepimstraight. And in my dream I heard his Lordship ask:
“Which eye?”
To which Mr. Keepimstraight as coolly as if nothing had happened, whispered behind his hand:
“Left!” and then coughed.
“O then,” exclaimed his Lordship, “it is clearly not evidence.”
“It’s not evidence,” repeated the clerk; and then to the discomfiture of Mr. Nimble, he went on, “You say you had a companion.”