I followed, and so did Eve, after making sure her monster-sock was safely tucked away.įootsteps sounded through the room. Rolling her eyes, Patsy pushed her considerable bulk into a standing position. ‘Goodness! Now you’ve really frightened me.’
‘If you do not rise, Miss,’ the bailiff said, stiffly, ‘you shall be held in contempt of court!’
‘ All rise for Justice of the Peace Winston Montgomery Murgatroyd,’ the bailiff repeated, his voice a little louder. All rise for his Lordship, Justice of the Peace Winston Montgomery Murgatroyd.’ His Lordship, Justice of the Peace Winston Montgomery Murgatroyd presiding. The bailiff rapped his knuckles on the table to call for attention. She might have actually believed me except, at that very moment, from somewhere at the back of the stately room, the sound of an opening door reached our ears. A tiny smile lifted one corner of her lips. Glancing up, she gazed at me with moist, fearful eyes. The dock didn’t really allow enough room for that, so I leaned over and patted her on the shoulder. I, on the other hand, was of the opinion that Flora badly needed a hug. Patsy was of the firm opinion that a girl should always behave with strength and dignity - particularly when she had just been dragged into court by a bunch of chauvinistic bastards! And next to her, on her other side, sat my best friend Patsy, who was busy throwing Flora thunderous looks, threatening death and damnation if she let as much as one tear slip. On my other side, my friend Flora sat, her lips trembling, trying not to cry. Her fingers started to move faster than my eyes could follow, and the clicking of needles echoed through the courtroom. They were accompanied by what looked like a cross between a spider web and a patchwork quilt, but was probably supposed to be a sock. Eve sighed, leaned back and fished two knitting needles out of her bag. ‘Ha! In your dreams! I won’t be the first one to give up!’ And I intensified my glare. ‘Well, then maybe you should stop first.’ ‘Perhaps because you’re staring at him, Lilly,’ she whispered back. ‘Why is he staring at me like that?’ I whispered to my friend Eve.
It wasn’t particularly difficult to stare down at me, because he was sitting high up on the bench behind the massive judge’s table, whereas I - well, I was sitting in the dock. The bailiff stared at me down his long, hooked nose.
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