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"
He's so dull and heavy," said Phipps.
Meanwhile, within, the clergyman had, by promptitude and dexterity,
taken the chair and was opening the case against the unfortunate Jessie.
I regret to have to say that my heroine had been appalled by the visible
array of public opinion against her excursion, to the pitch of tears.
She was sitting with flushed cheeks and swimming eyes at the end of the
table opposite to the clergyman. She held her handkerchief crumpled up
in her extended hand. Mrs. Milton sat as near to her as possible,
and occasionally made little dabs with her hand at Jessie's hand,
to indicate forgiveness. These advances were not reciprocated, which
touched Widgery very much. The lady in green, Miss Mergle (B. A.),
sat on the opposite side near the clergyman. She was the strong-minded
schoolmistress to whom Jessie had written, and who had immediately
precipitated the pursuit upon her. She had picked up the clergyman in
Ringwood, and had told him everything forthwith, having met him once at
a British Association meeting. He had immediately constituted himself
administrator of the entire business. Widgery, having been foiled in an
attempt to conduct the proceedings, stood with his legs wide apart in
front of the fireplace ornament, and looked profound and sympathetic.
Jessie's account of her adventures was a chary one and given amidst
frequent interruptions. She surprised herself by skilfully omitting any
allusion to the Bechamel episode. She completely exonerated Hoopdriver
from the charge of being more than an accessory to her escapade.
But public feeling was heavy against Hoopdriver. Her narrative was
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