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night. P’raps he’s gone to fetch the Scott Schedule. You’re a pupil, I suppose?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜How d’you like it?’
    â€˜I only started today. I find it a bit hair-raising, I’m afraid.’
    â€˜You’ll soon get used to it with old Grimes. I wish he’d be quick. I’d like to go and have a cup of coffee. D’you know where he is as a matter of fact?’
    â€˜He’s doing an accident case before Mr Justice Nettlefold.’
    â€˜Is he, by Jove? Well – he won’t let him go.’
    At that moment in Queen’s Bench Court 6 Mr Grimes became aware that his junior clerk was making urgent signs to him. He was in the middle of cross-examining a witness.
    â€˜I had no chance of avoiding the crash,’ said the witness.
    â€˜So that’s what ye say, is it? We shall see,’ said Mr Grimes. ‘We shall see.’
    â€˜I wish you wouldn’t make these comments,’ said the judge. ‘I know they don’t mean anything and that we may never see and that, as there isn’t a jury, it doesn’t much matter whether we do see or we don’t, but cross-examination should be used for asking questions and asking questions only. You can make your comments when you address me.’
    â€˜If your Ludship pleases. So ye couldn’t avoid the accident, couldn’t ye?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜Why didn’t ye put on your brakes?’
    â€˜I did.’
    â€˜Oh, ye did, did ye? Then why didn’t ye stop?’
    â€˜I did.’
    â€˜Oh, ye did, did ye? Then why did the accident happen?’
    â€˜Because the plaintiff ran into me.’
    â€˜Oh, he ran into ye, did he? I suggest ye ran into him.’
    â€˜It was the other way round. The damage to the cars shows it.’
    â€˜Oh, it does, does it? We shall see,’ said Mr Grimes. ‘We shall see.’
    â€˜Mr Grimes,’ began the judge, but he was too late. Mr Grimes was on his way out.
    A minute later he came, panting, into the Official Referee’s Court.
    â€˜At last,’ said Featherstone.
    â€˜I’m so sorry, my dear fellow,’ said Mr Grimes. ‘So sorry to have kept ye. Now, what’s it all about?’
    â€˜The old boy wants us to settle.’
    â€˜Oh, he does, does he? Well, that’s simple enough, my dear fellow. You just pay and it’s all over.’
    â€˜I’ll pay you something.’
    â€˜That’s very good of ye, my dear fellow, very good of ye. Ye’ve had all the work done and ye’ll pay something! Ye wouldn’t like us to build another house for ye as well?’
    â€˜Well, you’ll need to, I should think. This one’s falling down already.’
    â€˜Is it really, my dear fellow? Funny your clients are still living in it then.’
    â€˜Come on, let’s go outside. We’ve got to settle it somehow. The old boy isn’t going to try it.’
    The upshot of it all was that eventually the defendant agreed to pay Mr Grimes’ client £300 and all his costs, and there was then a rush back to the other case, where they arrived just in time to find the judge rising for lunch.
    â€˜Come on, my dear fellow,’ said Mr Grimes. ‘Come and get a bite while there’s time. So good of ye to have helped me. Thank ye so much.’ He led Roger at a fast trot to the restaurant in the crypt at the Law Courts. There Mr Grimes helped himself to a plate of meat and salad, asked for a cup of coffee and took it to a marble-topped table which was no different from any others, except that it bore a notice: ‘The seats at this table, are reserved for Counsel from 12 o’clock until 2 o’clock.’
    Roger felt very important sitting at such a table and even the ordinary nature of the food and the noise made by Mr Grimes in getting rid of his as fast as possible did not spoil his pleasure. Between the bites and swallows, Mr Grimes asked Roger if