Brothers In Law (16 page)

‘Quite right to bring it, officer,' he said, ‘but I think there's a doubt. You may go,' he said to the prisoner.

When Roger saw the smile on the prisoner's face as he left the Court he was not at all sure that his first fears were justified. But how difficult it must be to decide so many cases rightly. And so quickly. He decided to speak to Sally about that too. ‘The tempo's too fast,' he would say. Her mother would appreciate that.

The charges were finished and the summonses began. They were all petty motoring offences.

‘You're charged with leaving your motor car on such and such a day at such and such a place, so as to cause an obstruction. Are you Guilty or Not Guilty?'

‘Guilty.'

‘How long, officer?'

‘One hour, thirty-five minutes.'

‘Anything known?'

‘Fined ten shillings for obstruction at Marlborough Street Magistrates' Court on 3rd June, 1947.'

‘Anything to say?'

‘I'm very sorry, but I didn't realize it was as long. There was nowhere else to leave it.'

‘I know the difficulties, but they must be overcome or the streets would be impassable. Pay forty shillings, please.'

Then came a few pleas of Not Guilty.

The car hadn't been there as long as the officer said. It hadn't caused any obstruction. Why hadn't the officer taken the number of the other cars there? They were causing more obstruction. Some of the defendants were angry, some pained and some resigned to their fate, but they were all found guilty that day.

One lady who was fined said: ‘I'd like you to know that I entirely disagree with your decision.'

‘You can appeal, if you wish, madam.'

‘I think you twisted what I said. It isn't fair.'

‘That will be all, thank you, madam.' He might have been bowing her out of a shop. She tossed her head and left and Roger could imagine her telling all her friends of the grave injustice she had suffered at the hands of Mr Meadowes. The fact remained that she had left her car in a busy street at a busy time of day when her car and any other vehicles which were left were bound to cause an obstruction. The fact also remained that she was fined no more than any of the others. But, of course, it was a grave injustice and the law is most unfair.

The summonses were finished and for once Roger did not feel alarmed as he did normally when the possibility of deputizing for Grimes drew near. The few kind remarks from the clerk made all the difference. Charles had told him of an experience he'd once had at a magistrate's court in the country. He had got to the Court early and he had had a long and pleasant talk with a man whom he believed to be the clerk to the justices. This gave Charles tremendous confidence, until the justices came in and he found that his friend was the usher and the clerk himself extremely fierce. Roger had made no such mistake. His friend was definitely the clerk.

‘Well,' said Mr Meadowes, ‘what are we waiting for?'

The clerk whispered to him: ‘Grimes isn't here yet. There's only a youngster holding for him. D'you mind waiting a few minutes? He won't be any time. It's a heavy case.'

‘All the more reason for getting on with it. Why can't he call the first witness? He can always be recalled if necessary. I won't let him be bounced. But we'll never get through these lists if we don't get on.'

‘I rather told him you'd wait.'

‘Well, now you'd better rather tell him I won't,' said Mr Meadowes. ‘Cheer up,' he added. ‘I shan't eat him, you know.'

‘But I rather promised.'

‘Well, this'll teach you not to. Never make promises myself. Bad habit. Thundering bad.'

The clerk thought he saw an opening.

‘D'you think so, really? We sometimes get some of our clients to make promises and occasionally they keep them. That does a lot of good.'

‘Well, you're not doing any,' said Mr Meadowes. ‘I'm going to start this case, promises or no promises. Now, will you tell them to get on with it or shall I?'

The clerk looked apologetically at Roger and nodded to the jailer to bring in the prisoners. There was still no Mr Grimes. His solicitor rushed out to a telephone box.

‘Where on earth is Mr Grimes?' he shouted down the mouthpiece.

‘The senior's out, sir,' said a voice.

‘I don't care where he is. Where's Mr Grimes? The case has been called on.'

‘I'm afraid I don't know much about it, sir.'

‘Give me patience,' said the solicitor.

At that moment a taxi drew up and out jumped Mr Grimes and Alec. The solicitor could see this from the telephone box and at once replaced the receiver. He rushed up to Grimes who was hurrying into the Court.

‘The case has been called on,' he said excitedly.

‘That's all right, my dear fellow,' said Mr Grimes. ‘Here we are and now we shan't have to wait. So pleased to see ye, so pleased to see ye.'

And Mr Grimes dashed into the Court, panting more from habit than exertion, the distance from the taxi being much too short to put any real strain on the lungs. He slipped into counsel's row, bowed to the magistrate, whispered: ‘Thank ye so much, my dear fellow,' to Roger and proceeded to address the magistrate.

‘It's very good of your Worship to have waited,' he began.

‘I didn't,' said Mr Meadowes. ‘Too much to do.'

‘If your Worship pleases,' said Mr Grimes and then opened the case to the magistrate. As Roger listened his admiration for Mr Grimes increased. He made everything crystal clear, every detail was in its right place, the story was unfolded efficiently, clearly and with overwhelming conviction. ‘Will I ever be able to do it like that?' thought Roger. ‘I can't believe it possible.'

As Henry had said, almost every pupil at the Bar thinks that his master does everything perfectly. Just as almost every juryman thinks a judge's summing up is brilliant. The point, of course, is, as Roger later learned, that, seldom having heard anything done professionally before, they have no standard to judge by. Mr Grimes' opening was certainly a perfectly proper, sound opening, but there was nothing spectacular about it and it was child's play to any experienced advocate who had mastered his facts.

The case went on for two hours and was adjourned for a week. It was some time before the hearing was completed, although the magistrate set aside several special days for it. Meantime, the men and women charged with the various crimes alleged had the prosecution hanging over their heads and some of them were in custody. That seemed to Roger rather hard on them if they were not guilty, though having heard what Mr Grimes had said about them, he could not conceive that any of them was innocent or would be acquitted. All the same, he thought, mightn't a few more magistrates and Courts be an advantage? He asked Henry about it.

‘It's the Treasury,' said Henry. ‘Of course it's their job to fight every bit of expenditure especially at this time when the country has been crippled by two wars and public expenditure is enormous. Every suggestion of an extra judge or extra magistrate is fought by them tooth and nail. But you mustn't forget they've got other claims on them from every quarter. They have to satisfy the most important. We naturally think the administration of justice is most important. But what about health and education? Are they less? Who's to judge? I can't. But of course, I agree that there ought to be extra magistrates. I shouldn't have thought anyone would have disagreed. But when you say it'll only cost so many thousands of pounds a year, that doesn't mean a thing until you add up all the other thousands of pounds you've got to spend and see where they're all to come from.'

 

‘I'd like you to meet Sally,' said Roger to Henry one day.

‘I'd love to meet her,' said Henry. ‘She sounds out of the ordinary.'

At that moment Alec came in.

‘Thornton, Merivale want you to lead Mr Thursby in a bankruptcy matter, sir,' he said to Henry. ‘Will that be all right?'

‘Who are they?' said Henry. ‘Never been to me before that I can remember.'

‘They're clients of Mr Thursby, sir.'

‘Oh, Uncle Alfred, of course,' said Henry. ‘Well, that sounds very nice. Thank you, Alec.'

Alec went out and Henry turned to Roger.

‘Is this your doing, old boy?' he asked.

‘I know absolutely nothing about it,' he said. ‘I'm as surprised as you are.'

‘Oh, come now,' said Henry. ‘You mustn't be surprised at someone sending me a brief. I do get them occasionally, you know. Even a new client sometimes puts his head in the door.'

‘I'm sorry,' said Roger. ‘I didn't mean it that way. But it's jolly lucky for me. I'm so glad you can take it. Will I be a nuisance? I know nothing about bankruptcy.'

‘You'll learn,' said Henry. ‘Particularly if you fail at the Bar. I wonder when it's for. Hope it doesn't clash with Ascot.'

‘Are you a racing man, then?'

‘Oh, gracious no, but there are such lovely things to be seen at Ascot, some with two legs and some with four, and the whole atmosphere appeals to me. It's the only meeting I go to. Like to come? If you've got any sense, you'll say “no.” You stick to your work. You've a hell of a lot to learn. But I'll take you if you want – and Sally too, if you'd like.'

‘I think that's most unfair,' said Roger. ‘Why did you have to ask me – and Sally? You know I'd love it. I hope the bankruptcy case prevents it. Anyway, what would Grimes say?'

‘Grimes? He'd say, “Dear, dear, dear, going to Ascot are we? Going to the races instead of getting on with our work, are we? Dear, dear, dear. Have a good time, my dear fellow, have a good time. Goodbye, bye, bye.”'

‘Well, I shall consult Sally on the subject,' said Roger. As he said that, the junior clerk came into the room and said that Roger was wanted on the telephone by a Miss Burnett. He went to the telephone.

‘Hullo, Joy,' said Roger.

‘Oh, Roger, Uncle Alfred told me he was sending you another brief – and I just wondered if you'd got it.'

‘Oh, yes, Joy. I don't know if it's come yet, but I've just this moment heard about it.'

Joy was in her uncle's office at the time and it had all been arranged in her presence so that it was not exactly a coincidence that she telephoned when she did. She believed in striking while the iron was hot and she thought that Roger had a conscience.

‘I'm so pleased for you,' said Joy. ‘You are doing well. It seems ages since I saw you. I was wondering–' and she paused to give Roger an opportunity to do what any decent man, who'd had a brief from a girl, would do.

‘So was I,' said Roger, with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. ‘I'd love to take you out one night soon if you're free.'

‘Any night, Roger. I'd put anything else off if it clashed.' At that moment there was a knock on the clerks' door. The junior opened the door and in came Sally. Roger was just saying: ‘Well, let me see, how would tomorrow do?' when he noticed her.

Sally had a brief in her hand.

‘That would be lovely, Roger. Where and when?'

‘Oh,' said Roger most uncomfortably. ‘Anywhere at all.'

‘Will you call for me, then?'

‘Yes, certainly.'

‘About seven?'

‘Yes.'

‘You sound awfully distrait all of a sudden. Is it another client?'

‘I'd like to think so,' said Roger.

‘How lovely,' said Joy, ‘if it is.'

A remark which embarrassed Roger very much indeed. He managed to finish the conversation with Joy and then turned to find Sally talking to the clerk.

‘I've brought these papers down for Mr Blagrove,' she was saying. ‘Mr Sharpe would be glad if he could have them back quickly. Hullo, Roger.'

‘What on earth are you doing here?'

‘My people have just sent a brief down to Mr Blagrove. No one else was available, so they asked me to bring it. Funny, isn't it?'

‘I didn't know you did any litigation.'

‘Oh, the firm does, but not the partner I work for. But this is from him. It's an opinion about a landlord and tenant matter. Mr Sharpe thought he'd like to try your Mr Blagrove. Have
you
had any more briefs lately?'

‘I have, as a matter of fact.'

‘From the same source?'

Roger blushed. He could not help it. ‘Yes, if you want to know, but we oughtn't to chat here. It'll disturb the clerks. Come in and meet Henry.'

‘Won't I be taking up too much of your time? Briefs and telephone conversations and things,' she added.

‘Henry would love to meet you. Do come in.'

He took her to Henry's room and introduced them. ‘I've heard so much about you,' said Sally, ‘though you're not quite what I expected. That isn't meant to be rude. On the contrary, as a matter of fact.'

‘Well, you're exactly what I expected, and knowing the source of my information, you couldn't ask for more than that, could you?' said Henry.

‘I should like to think that,' said Sally. ‘So this is where you decide how not to ask leading questions and whether to put the prisoner in the box and if the judge is likely to be prejudiced if you plead the Statute of Limitations?'

‘You seem to know an awful lot about it,' said Henry.

‘I've been with solicitors for three months. I've brought you a brief.'

‘Me – you mean Roger.'

‘I don't, my firm's pretty careful who it briefs. I hope I shan't have my neck wrung for suggesting you. It'll be Roger's fault. But he thinks you've the wisdom of a Lord Chief Justice and the power of advocacy of a Carson and he's managed to put it across to me. He doesn't always succeed.'

‘Well, I hope it's something I can do. Your neck would be very much on my conscience. I'll certainly give it more than usual attention. Dispatch will oblige, I suppose!'

‘Expedition specially requested,' said Sally ‘is the form we use in our office when the papers have been overlooked for a week and the client is howling for that opinion we promised him.'

‘Well – I've nothing to do – so – oh, yes, I have, though. Roger's getting me all my work.'

‘I see,' said Sally. ‘How nice. Does he get a commission? Or give one perhaps? Now I must go or I'll be shot. We've a lot to do in my office. Goodbye, so glad to have met you at last. Goodbye, Roger. We must meet some time out of working hours – if you have a spare moment.'

The truth of the matter was that for quite a little time Roger had been neglecting both Joy and Sally. He had been devoting himself almost entirely to work. Now he found it a little disconcerting to be subjected to this two-pronged attack. He saw Sally out and went back to Henry.

‘Roger,' said Henry, ‘if at any time you should commit yourself irrevocably to Uncle Alfred's niece, would you consider it a breach of good faith if I asked your friend Sally out to dinner?'