I have heard him say that he can call to
mind many moments, each one of which might well pass for the happiest of
his life, but that this night stands clearly out as the most painful that
he ever passed, yet so kind and considerate was Towneley that it was
quite bearable.
But with all the best wishes in the world neither Towneley nor I could do
much to help beyond giving our moral support. Our attorney told us that
the magistrate before whom Ernest would appear was very severe on cases
of this description, and that the fact of his being a clergyman would
tell against him. "Ask for no remand," he said, "and make no defence. We
will call Mr Pontifex's rector and you two gentlemen as witnesses for
previous good character. These will be enough. Let us then make a
profound apology and beg the magistrate to deal with the case summarily
instead of sending it for trial. If you can get this, believe me, your
young friend will be better out of it than he has any right to expect."
CHAPTER LXII
This advice, besides being obviously sensible, would end in saving Ernest
both time and suspense of mind, so we had no hesitation in adopting it.
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