that upset Jim. ’E’d been to Sheringham, and Jim ’e ain’t used to sea air.”
Everyone in court laughed loud at this excuse, except the witness and the Court, and of the two the witness was far the better actor at keeping an impassive face.
Many strange stories were told of Addison’s predecessor, the late Judge Price, who seems to have been a second Crompton Hutton in his methods of administering justice. I got a vivid glimpse of his system at one of the courts I visited. It was held in a little country town in a big barn-like building. The judge robed in a caretaker’s house. Then we formed a procession, the judge and the registrar being preceded by a policeman and a yellow dog, his property. It was rather like going to be hanged without a chaplain. We crossed a brick-paved yard and walked up the centre of a crowded building. A conjuror had been there the night before, and the judge sat on a daïs of packing cases covered with green baize. These keggled whenever the witnesses came up. The plaintiff stood on an auctioneer’s rostrum, and the defendant sat on a common Windsor chair. Whenever a case was called on the Registrar got up and called out, “All witnesses leave the court.” No one moved, and the policeman and the dog strolled round the building and selected witnesses. These he threw out with very little trouble, but it was an undignified proceeding, and wasted a lot of time. I could see that I should spend the rest of the day in the place, and probably miss
the last train if I did not move. So I sent for the Registrar, a worthy gentleman of the old school, and told him my views.
“I don’t want all the witnesses out of court,” I said.
“The late judge always had them out of court, your Honour.”
“I dare say, but I don’t think it’s necessary, and it wastes time.”
“Yes, your Honour, but the late judge always had the witnesses out of court,” repeated the Registrar.
“Well, I must ask you not to order them out of court to-day. It takes a long time to get them out, and longer still to get them back again.”
There was a note of contempt in the Registrar’s voice as he replied, “The late judge never had the witnesses back, your Honour.”