Quality and Others | Page 8

at the evidence of each fresh bill we looked with a little
less excitement, and a little less solemnity, making every time a shorter
tick and a shorter note in the margin of our lists. All the bills we
had--fifty-seven--we brought in true. And the morning and the
afternoon made that day, till we rested and went to our homes.
Next day we were all back in our places at the appointed hour, and, not
greeting each other much, at once began to bring in bills. We brought
them in, not quite so fast, as though some lurking megrim, some
microbe of dissatisfaction with ourselves was at work within us. It was
as if we wanted to throw one out, as if we felt our work too perfect.
And presently it came. A case of defrauding one Sophie Liebermann, or
Laubermann, or some such foreign name, by giving her one of those
five-pound Christmas-card banknotes just then in fashion, and
receiving from her, as she alleged, three real sovereigns change. There

was a certain piquancy about the matter, and I well remember noticing
how we sat a little forward and turned in our seats when they brought in
the prosecutrix to give evidence. Pale, self-possessed, dressed in black,
and rather comely, neither brazen nor furtive, speaking but poor
English, her broad, matter-of- fact face, with its wide-set grey eyes and
thickish nose and lips, made on me, I recollect, an impression of rather
stupid honesty. I do not think they had told us in so many words what
her calling was, nor do I remember whether she actually disclosed it,
but by our demeanour I could tell that we had all realized what was the
nature of the service rendered to the accused, in return for which he had
given her this worthless note. In her rather guttural but pleasant voice
she answered all our questions--not very far from tears, I think, but
saved by native stolidity, and perhaps a little by the fear that purifiers
of Society might not be the proper audience for emotion. When she had
left us we recalled the detective, and still, as it were, touching the
delicate matter with the tips of our tongues, so as not, being men of the
world, to seem biassed against anything, we definitely elicited from
him her profession and these words: "If she's speaking the truth,
gentlemen; but, as you know, these women, they don't always, specially
the foreign ones!" When he, too, had gone, we looked at each other in
unwonted silence. None of us quite liked, it seemed, to be first to speak.
Then our foreman said: "There's no doubt, I think, that he gave her the
note--mean trick, of course, but we can't have him on that alone--bit too
irregular--no consideration in law, I take it."
He smiled a little at our smiles, and then went on: "The question,
gentlemen, really seems to be, are we to take her word that she actually
gave him change?" Again, for quite half a minute; we were silent, and
then, the fattest one of us said, suddenly: "Very dangerous--goin' on the
word of these women."
And at once, as if he had released something in our souls, we all (save
two or three) broke out. It wouldn't do! It wasn't safe! Seeing what
these women were! It was exactly as if, without word said, we had each
been swearing the other to some secret compact to protect Society. As
if we had been whispering to each other something like this: "These
women--of course, we need them, but for all that we can't possibly
recognise them as within the Law; we can't do that without endangering
the safety of every one of us. In this matter we are trustees for all

men--indeed, even for ourselves, for who knows at what moment we
might not ourselves require their services, and it would be exceedingly
awkward if their word were considered the equal of our own!" Not one
of us, certainly said anything so crude as this; none the less did many of
us feel it. Then the foreman, looking slowly round the table, said: "Well,
gentlemen, I think we are all agreed to throw out this bill"; and all,
except the painter, the Jew, and one other, murmured: "Yes." And, as
though, in throwing out this bill we had cast some trouble off our minds,
we went on with the greater speed, bringing in true bills. About two
o'clock we finished, and trooped down to the Court to be released. On
the stairway the Jew came close, and, having examined me a little
sharply with his velvety slits of eyes, as if to see that he was not
making a mistake, said: "Ith fonny--we bring in eighty thix bills true,
and one