a
fish may gobble unless a friendly hand shall intervene. And could it in nature?
She was past expectation of release. The attempt to imagine living with any
warmth of blood in her vindicated character, for the sake of zealous friends,
consigned her to a cold and empty house upon a foreign earth. She had to set her
mind upon the mysterious enshrouded Twelve, with whom the verdict would soon be
hanging, that she might prompt her human combativeness to desire the vindication
at such a price as she would have to pay for it. When Emma Dunstane spoke to her
of the certainty of triumphing, she suggested a possible dissentient among the
fateful Twelve, merely to escape the drumming sound of that hollow big word. The
irreverent imp of her humour came to her relief by calling forth the Twelve, in
the tone of the clerk of the Court, and they answered to their names of trades
and crafts after the manner of Titania's elves, and were questioned as to their
fitness, by education, habits, enlightenment, to pronounce decisively upon the
case in dispute, the case being plainly stated. They replied, that the long
habit of dealing with scales enabled them to weigh the value of evidence the
most delicate. Moreover, they were Englishmen, and anything short of downright
bullet facts went to favour the woman. For thus we right the balance of legal
injustice toward the sex: we conveniently wink, ma'am. A rough, old-fashioned
way for us! Is it a Breach of Promise? - She may reckon on her damages: we have
daughters of our own. Is it a suit for Divorce? - Well, we have wives of our
own, and we can lash, or we can spare; that's as it may be; but we 'll keep the
couple tied, let 'em hate as they like, if they can't furnish porkbutchers'
reasons for sundering; because the man makes the money in this country. - My
goodness! what a funny people, sir! - It's our way of holding the balance,
ma'am. - But would it not be better to rectify the law and the social system,
dear sir? - Why, ma'am, we find it comfortabler to take cases as they come, in
the style of our fathers. - But don't you see, my good man, that you are
offering scapegoats for the comfort of the majority? - Well, ma'am, there always
were scapegoats, and always will be; we find it comes round pretty square