Blair Collection > Rhys Lewis, minister of Bethel

124 RHYS LEWIS.
It became immediately evident that the officer had spoken no
more than the truth when he said the court was filled to over-
flowing. Will, however, did not find much difficulty in bring-
ing himself and me into a position which enabled us to see and
hear all that was going on. He drove mo in front of him, like
a wedge, into the heart of the crowd, and when he found a
stoppage, he would, with an air of importance, say to those who
were in the way, "Eobert Lewis's brother; Eobert Lewis's
brother ! " with which words, a speedy path would be made
for us, just as if I was going up to give evidence in the case.
There was simply no end to "Will's scheming. I had heard that
Mr. Strangle had returned to the place a few hours after he was
packed off. He was one of the first I recognised in court, and
surly and defiant enough he looked. The magistrates on the
bench were Mr. Brown, the clergyman, and the gentleman from
the Hall. As I have previously observed, Mr. Brown was a
genial, kindly man ; but the owner of the Hall was quite a
different personage. The latter was huge, unwieldy, pompous,
over-bearing, and merciless. Ono would think that everybody
and everything had been created for his service ; and it was the
general opinion that, did the law permit him, he would un-
hesitatingly hang a man caught killing a pheasant. His
natural severity appeared to have been watered — or rather
wined— too often, and, as a consequence, to have sprouted up
through his face, which was of the colour of parboiled American
beef and was ornamented (?) by a monstrous lump of a nose,
wherein a kind of perpetual shiver was observable, and
wherethrough its owner, when roused, would snort like a war-
horse. Nobody ever discovered what other qualifications the
gentleman from the Hall possessed for the magisterial bench,
except that he was a rank Tory, a zealous Churchman, was very
wealthy and always wore spurs, save when in bed. Even Mr.
Brown dreaded him, and I myself had noticed that that pleasant,
respected gentleman, in speaking to him on the road, always
kept a dubious, wary eye upon those spurs, as if he feared their
wearer might jump suddenly on his back and drive him to the
, well, the place the wearer himself was speedily going to,
more's the pity. The senior magistrate appeared that Monday
morning to "be in his oil," as Will Bryan expressed it. To try