In Pursuit of the English - Doris Lessing [90]
The Judge said: ‘I really do feel that the colour of the pepper was immaterial.’
‘My lord, is it likely that two old people on the old age pension should use red pepper. A rather exotic commodity, I should say.’
‘Y e e e e s,’ mumured the Judge.
‘Mrs Bolt, is it likely that your tenants should use expensive red pepper?’
‘Why not? The old witch crawled downstairs and stole it from me, you don’t catch her buying anything she can nip out of my cupboard if I forget to lock it.’
‘Mrs Bolt,’ said the Judge. ‘I see nothing about theft in your statement.’
‘Did I forget to put it in, dear? Well, it slipped my mind what with all the other things.’
‘Mrs Bolt, if you don’t show some respect for this Court, then I really am afraid I must fine you for Contempt.’
‘Contempt?’ cried Flo, on the verge of tears. ‘What’s that? But, sir, it gets me all flustered, with this talk about the price of this and the price of that.’
The Judge said to Counsel: ‘Do you intend to take this matter of theft up?’
Counsel gave a dubious look at the old lady, shook his head hurriedly, and went straight on at Flo: ‘How did you know it was pepper? It might have been dust.’
‘Know? I saw the old witch sprinkle it on.’
‘Mrs Bolt, you really must not use this language in Court.’
Flo burst into tears, saw Dan grinding his teeth at her, and dried her eyes, dolefully.
‘Did you smell the pepper to make sure?’ asked Counsel.
‘No.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because if you smell pepper you sneeze.’
‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,’ said the Judge. He looked at the clock and sighed.
Defence Counsel in order to gain time, asked: ‘Let me put it to you that you sprinkled the pepper on the tulips yourself.’
The Judge sighed again.
Flo shouted: ‘Now is it likely I’d put pepper on the tulips I’d planted and watered with my own hands?’
‘Don’t shout,’ said the Judge.
‘But he doesn’t believe me,’ said Flo, in genuine distress, pointing at the Counsel.
‘My good woman, it’s his job not to believe you.’
‘Well, it seems silly to me.’
‘It’s not for you to say what’s silly and what isn’t.’
‘Well, who’s paying for it? It’s cost us over a hundred pounds already, and more to come for today’s foolery,’ said Flo bitterly. ‘Why can’t we decide who we want to have in our own house, that we bought and paid for?’
‘Mrs Bolt, for the last time, will you restrain your language?’
Flo shrugged, as if to say: ‘Well, let’s have done with it, and I want my tea.’ It was clear she had lost all hope of gaining anything by the case. But she had worn out the Counsel, who dismissed her.
They now called Rose, who had been sitting next to me. I had felt her trembling at the idea of standing up, thus exposed in public. She was very white, and her voice was faint.
Our Counsel got his witnesses mixed, and asked Rose about the noise the old people made; which was what he was to have asked Jack, had he been called. Rose had refused to give evidence on this point, since she had not heard any noise.
‘What did you say, do speak up,’ said the Judge rudely. Rose’s lips moved, without sound. She was on the point of fainting. ‘I don’t hear it,’ she brought out at last.
‘Why not?’
‘I don’t know about the noise. What I know about is the mess in the bathroom.’
‘That was not what you were asked,’ said the Judge.
Rose looked at him in appeal, her tongue moving over her lips. Our Counsel hastily dismissed her, and Defence took her over.
‘You say you never hear any noise?’ he said.
Rose said: ‘Either I’m in or I’m out, so I don’t hear it.’
‘I fail to see the logic of that,’ said the Judge.
‘Kindly answer my question,’ said Counsel, with extreme sarcasm, delighted to find someone he could bully.
‘I’m out at the times they make their noise,’ she said.
‘Then how do you know they make it?’
‘Because Mrs Bolt tells me so.’
‘Then why did you claim to have heard it yourself?’
‘I never did,’ said Rose, She had got her colour back. Now she grasped the edge of the witness-box with both hands, took a breath and said with dignity: ‘You’re trying to make what