The Reminiscences of Sir Henry Hawkins (Baron Brampton) Part 42

Whilst they were considering, the bigger of the two, a very powerful man, made a murderous attack upon the other, whom he evidently looked upon as his betrayer, and tried to kill him in the dock. The struggle was a fearful one, but the warders at last separated them.

They were both sentenced to death and hanged.

[The fact of these men making a noise in entering the house was strongly against them on a question of intent. Burglars work silently, and at the least noise decamp, as a rule. In the present case, there being only one old man to contend against, it was easy to silence him as they did, and as they doubtless intended, when they went to the house.]

CHAPTER x.x.xIX.

SEVERAL SCENES.

I think I have said that I had a favourite motto, which was, "Never fret." It has often stood me in good stead and helped me to obey it.

I was once put to it, however, on my way to open the Commission at Bangor on the Welsh Circuit. The a.s.sizes were to commence on the following day. It was a very glorious afternoon, and one to make you wish that no a.s.size might ever be held again.

I had engaged to dine with the High Sheriff, who lived three or four miles away from the town, in a very beautiful part of the country; so there was everything to make one glad, except the a.s.sizes. Added to all this pleasurable excitement, the Chester Cup was to be run for in the meanwhile, and I had many old friends who I knew would be there, and whom I should have been glad to meet had it been possible.

The Sheriff had made most elaborate calculations from his Bradshaw and other sources as to the times of departure and arrival by train. I did not know what to do, so arranged with the stationmaster at Chester to shunt my carriage till the afternoon, having no doubt I should be able to fulfil my engagements easily.

It so happened, however, that the racing arrangements of the railway had been completely disturbed by the great crowds of visitors, and the result was that I did not reach Carnarvon at the proper time, and my arrival in that place was delayed for nearly an hour.

Nevertheless, I opened the Commission, and the High Sheriff asked me if I would allow him to go on to his house to receive his guests, whom he had invited to meet me, and permit the chaplain to escort me in the performance of my duties.

Having dressed in full uniform, I got into the carriage with the chaplain, who was quite a lively companion, of an enterprising turn of mind, and desirous of learning something of the world. I could have taught him a good deal, I have no doubt, had I allowed myself to be drawn. My friend had no great conversational powers, but was possessed of an inquiring mind. After we had ridden a little way, to my great amus.e.m.e.nt he asked me if I had any favourite _motto_ that I could tell him, so that he might keep it in his memory.

"Yes," said I, "I have a very good one," and cheerfully said, "Never fret."

This, when I explained it to him, especially with reference to my business arrangements, seemed to please him very much. It was as good as saying, "Don't fret because you can't preach two sermons from two pulpits at the same time."

He asked if he might write it down in his pocket-book, and I told him by all means, and hoped he would.

"Excellent!" he murmured as he wrote it: "Never fret."

He then asked modestly if I could give him any other pithy saying which would be worthy of remembrance.

"Yes," said I, thinking a little, "I recollect one very good thing which you will do well to remember: Never say anything you think will be disagreeable to other persons."

He expressed great admiration for this, as it sounded so original, and was particularly adapted to the clergy.

"Oh," said he, "that's in the real spirit of Christianity."

"Is that so?" I asked, as he wrote it down in his book; and he seemed to admire it exceedingly after he had written it, even more than the other.

Then he said he really did not like to trouble me, but it was the first time he had had the honour of occupying the position of Sheriff's chaplain, etc.; but might he trouble me for another motto, or something that might go as a kind of companion to the others in his pocket-book?

This a little puzzled me, but I felt that he took me now for a sage, and that my reputation as such was at stake. I had nothing in stock, but wondered if it would be possible to make one for him while he waited.

"Yes," said I, "with the greatest displeasure: Never do anything which you feel will be disagreeable to yourself."

"My lord!" he cried in the greatest glee, "that is by far the best of all; that must go down in my book, it is so practical, and of everyday use."

I was, of course, equally delighted to afford so young a man so much instruction, and thought what a thing it is to be young. However, here was an opportunity not to be lost of showing him how to put to the practical test of experience two at least, if not all three, of the little aphorisms, and I said so.

"I should be delighted, my lord, to put your advice into practice at the earliest opportunity," he answered.

"That will be on Sunday," said I, "at twelve o'clock. Don't preach a long sermon!"

In due time we arrived at the Sheriff's house, and there found all the guests a.s.sembled and waiting to meet me. I was quite quick enough to perceive at a glance that they had been planning some scheme to entrap me--at all events, to cause me embarra.s.sment. The ladies were in it, for they all smiled, and said as plainly by their looks as possible, "We shall have you nicely, Judge, depend upon it, by-and-by."

The Sheriff was the chief spokesman. No sooner had we sat down to table than he addressed me in a most unaffected manner, as if the question were quite in the ordinary course, and had not been planned.

I answered it in the same spirit.

"My lord, could you kindly tell us which horse has won the Cup?"

evidently thinking that I had been to the course.

There was a dead silence at this crucial question--a silence that you could feel was the result of a deep-laid conspiracy--and all the ladies smiled.

Fortunately I was not caught; nor was I even taken aback; my presence of mind did not desert me in this my hour of need; and I said, in the most natural tone I could a.s.sume,--

"Yes, I was sure that would be the first question you would ask me when I had the pleasure of meeting this brilliant company, as you knew I must pa.s.s through Chester Station; so I popped my head out of the window and asked the porter which horse had won. He told me the Judge had won by a length, Chaplain was a good second, and Sheriff a bad third."

The squire took his defeat like a man.

I was reminded during the evening of a singular case of bigamy--a double bigamy--that came before me at Derby, in which the simple story was that an unfortunate couple had got married twenty years before the time I speak of, and that they had the good luck to find out they did not care for one another the week after they were married. It would have been luckier if they had found it out a week before instead of a week after; but so it was, and in the circ.u.mstances they did the wisest thing, probably, that they could. They separated, and never met again until they met in the dock before me--a trysting-place not of their own choosing, and more strange than a novelist would dream of.

But there they were, and this was the story of their lives:--

The man, after the separation, lived for some time single, then formed a companionship, and, as he afterwards heard that his wife had got married to some one else, thought he would follow her example.

Now, if a Judge punished immorality, here was something to punish; but the law leaves that to the ecclesiastical or some other jurisdiction.

The Judge has but to deal with the breach of the law, and to punish in accordance with the requirements of the injury to society--not even to the injury of the individual.

I made inquiries of the police and others, as the prisoners had pleaded guilty, and found that all the parties--the four persons--had been living respectable and hard-working lives. There was no fault whatever to be found with their conduct. They were respected by all who knew them.

I then asked how it was found out at last that these people, living quietly and happily, had been previously married.

"O my lord," said a policeman, "there was a hinquest on a babby, which was the female prisoner's babby and what had died. Then it come out afore Mr. Coroner, my lord, and he ordered the woman into custody, and then the man was took."

I thought they had had punishment enough for their offence, and gave them no imprisonment, but ordered them to be released on their own recognizances, and to come up for judgment if called upon.

Now came _my_ sentence. The clergyman of the parish in which this terrible crime had been discovered evidently felt that he had been living in the utmost danger for years. Here these people came to his church, and for aught he knew prayed for forgiveness under the very roof where he himself worshipped.

He said I had done a fine thing to encourage sin and immorality, and what could come of humanity if Judges would not punish?

He denounced me, I afterwards learned, in his pulpit in the severest terms, although I did not hear that he used the same vituperative language towards the poor creatures I had so far absolved. Luckily I was not attending the reverend gentleman's ministration, but he seemed to think the greatest crime I had committed was disallowing the costs of the prosecution. That was a direct _incentive to bigamy_, although in what respect I never learned.

It sometimes suggested to my mind this question,--