black figure
with its ravel of grey locks escaping from under a black "wide-awake"
was the Nike that led on to Freedom.

Emerald Dainton, the lawyer's little nine-year-old daughter, skipped at
Sophy's side, clinging tightly to her cold, gloveless hand--for Sophy's
hands were very cold though the thermometer stood at 85 degrees. Emerald
had a "mash" on "pa's last divorce lady." That is what Emerald called
Sophy in her thought. She was a shrewdly intelligent child, not
unattractive, with the most penetrating green-hazel eyes that Sophy had
ever seen. She shrank from these eyes, when they fixed consideringly on
her face. She could feel Emerald wondering how and why she had come to
Ontowega as "pa's" client. She had an insane impulse every now and then
to ask the child her views on divorce. She was sure that she held views
on the subject and that they would be crisp and to the point.

They entered the Court House, and Mr. Dainton showed the ladies into a
dingy room on the left. Emerald skipped in also as a matter of course.
There were some plain wooden chairs, a table, a stove, and in one corner
behind the stove a horsehair sofa.

From one of the wooden chairs rose a mealy tinted but clever looking man
of about forty. Mr. Dainton "presented" him as Mr. Wogram. He was
Loring's representative. Mr. Dainton then excused himself for a moment.
He returned shortly to say that Judge Boiler was just about to dismiss a
case in the Court Room, and would be with them in a few moments.

A desultory conversation on politics then began between Mr. Wogram and
Mr. Dainton. Sue and Sophy sat silently side by side on two of the
wooden chairs. Sue had put one of her hands on Sophy's and was gripping
it tighter than she knew. Emerald had retired to the horsehair sofa
behind the stove.

There was a maple tree just outside of the window. An opening in its
twigs and leaves made a ridiculous profile against the white-blue
dazzling sky. Sophy gazed at this profile, until when she looked away
she saw it swimming in green and red on the whitewashed walls. She
thought in odds and ends. Then Judge Boiler entered and was introduced.
He sat down finally before the bare table and assumed his air of office.
He was a heavy, impassive looking man of fifty with a pale, dyspeptic
skin, pale blue eyes and thick whitey-brown hair going grey.

Just as proceedings were about to open, Sophy noticed Emerald's little
many-buttoned boots and red stockings protrud