ority of the old broad-gauge carriages; and this, since it raised
no personal question, we discussed in very good humour while we unpacked
and ate our luncheons.
In the midst of our meal a lady at the far end of the compartment heaved
a sigh and ejaculated "Poor thing!"--which at once set us off discussing
the case anew. We agreed that such conduct as Pretyman's was
fortunately rare amongst us. We tried to disclaim him--no easy matter,
since his father and mother had been natives of Troy, and he had spent
all his life in our midst. The lady in the corner challenged Mr.
Hansombody to deny that our town was deteriorating--the rising
generation more mischievous than its parents, and given to mitching from
school, and cigarette smoking, if not to worse.
Now this was a really damaging attack, for Mr. Hansombody not only
presides over our School Board, but has a son in the tobacco business.
He met it magnificently. "He would dismiss (he said) the cigarette
question as one upon which--Heaven knew with how little justice!--he
might be suspected of private bias; but on the question of truancy he
had something to say, and he would say it. To begin with, he would
admit that the children in Troy played truant; the percentage of school
attendance was abnormally low. Yes, he admitted the fact, and thanked
the lady for having called attention to it, since it bore upon the
subject now uppermost in our minds. He had here"--and he drew from his
pocket a magazine article--"some statistics to which he would invite our
attention. They showed the average school attendance in Cornwall to be
lower than in any county of England or Wales. _But_"--and Mr.
Hansombody raised his forefinger--"the same statistician in the very
same paper proves the average of criminal prosecutions in Cornwall to be
the lowest in England and Wales."
"And you infer--" I began as he paused triumphantly.
"I infer nothing, sir. I leave the inference to be drawn by our
faddists in education, and I only hope they'll enjoy it."
Well, apart from its bearing on Mr. Hansombody's position as Chairman of
our Board (which we forbore to examine), this discovery consoled us
somewhat and amused us a great deal until we reached Bodmin, when we
hurried at once to the Assize Court.
I have said that the action, Cox _v._ Pretyman, was for damages for
Breach of Promise of Marriage. Both parties are natives and
parishioners of Fowey, and attend the same place of worsh
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