Eight O'Clock and Other Studies (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: COLLEAGUES Mr. Justice McBuRNiE stepped quickly into the shelter of the little passage, and collided with the man who had already taken refuge there. " I beg your pardon," he murmured. " It's very dark. ..." " That's all right, sir," the stranger replied in a cheery voice. " Bit awkward comin' in 'ere out of the light, ain't it ? Sudden, I mean." " Yes," replied the judge, turning to look at the rain-drenched street. " A very heavy shower," he added. " Yes, an' come on so sudden, too. Funny sort of weather we bin 'avin' lately, ain't we ? One minute sun shinin', an' the next you get soaked through. No certainty about it. I suppose it's bein' so near the sea, an' the 'ills, an' one thing an' another." " I suppose so," said Mr. Justice McBurnie in the tone of one who is indifferent to the conversation of his companion. He looked for a moment at him, and saw a small man, seemingly of mild manners, with an odd way of smiling when hespoke, as though beneath his most commonplace phrase there lurked some inscrutably comic meaning known only to him. " You're a native of this town ? " asked the judge. " Oh, yes. Born an' bred 'ere. I got a shop, you know." "Indeed!" " Yes. I do a bit of travellin' now an' again. Nothink to speak of. ... Gummy, ain't it comin' down, eh ? " The storm had grown in severity while they stood in the passage, and the rain came down in sheets. " Most unfortunate," murmured Mr. Justice McBurnie. " I've come quite a long way from my hotel without an umbrella or a mackintosh, I hope it won't last much longer." The little man smiled in his odd, superior, knowing way. " You never know," he said, " now the Assizes is on ! " " The Assizes ! " " Yes. Some people say there's bound to be bad weather when the Assizes is on. 'Sp...