恥ずかしい記事は、さらに続いた。居酒屋の主人の話は単純かつ明瞭だった。彼は、被告人に酒をだすことを断ったが、それは彼女が酔っぱらっていたからだ。店から離れようとしなかったので、主は相手を追いだした。だが、彼の言葉によれば、彼女は特に抵抗をしめさなかった。砕ける音が聞こえた直後、居酒屋の中で彼が目にしたのは、割れた瓶と粉々になった大量のガラス片であった。主が店の外に出てみたところ、店で働く男が囚人をつかまえていた。店の板ガラスは粉々になってしまったが、十ポンドの価値があるものだった。証言はそこで終わっていた。警察が裁判官に語ったところによれば、囚人は以前にも泥酔のせいで、少額の罰金が科せられたことがあった。だが彼女はたいてい害をおよぼすことはなく、せいぜい少年たちで人だかりの山ができることくらいだった。
彼女は海で亡くなった船舶機関士の未亡人で、わずかながら年金をもらっていた。だが最近、彼女を主に支えているのは娘だった。洋裁師で、敬意に値する若い娘だった。娘も裁判に出席していた―記者は、娘のことを「好感をいだくことができる若い女性だが、絶望に打ちひしがれていた」と書いていた―娘は、損害をについて分割払いを認めてほしいと望んでいた。だが結局、母親は支払いの不履行と損傷をあたえたせいで、一カ月ほど刑務所に送られることになった。娘は未成年であったので、彼女が引き受けようとしても無駄であった。
Now it was plain—all, from the very beginning, when the child wandered in the night seeking her strayed and drunken mother, and inquired for her with the shamed excuse that she was ill. This was why he was not to call to see Nora’s mother; and it was for this that Nora hindered him from seeing her home.
There was the shameful report, all at length. The publican’s tale was simple and plain enough. He had declined to serve the prisoner because she was drunk, and as she refused to leave, he had her turned out, though, he said, she made no particular resistance. Shortly afterward he heard a crash, and found a broken bottle and a great deal of broken glass in the bar. He had gone outside, and saw the prisoner being held by his barman. His plate-glass window was smashed, and it was worth ten pounds. There was little more evidence. The police told his worship that the prisoner had been fined small sums for drunkenness before, but she was usually inoffensive, except for collecting crowds of boys. This was the first charge against her involving damage.
She was the widow of a ship’s officer lost at sea, and she had a small annuity, but was chiefly supported of late by her daughter—a dressmaker—a very respectable young woman. The daughter was present (the reporter called her “a prepossessing young female in great distress”), and she wished to be allowed to pay the damage in small instalments. But in the end her mother was sent to prison for a month in default of payment of fine and damage. For indeed the daughter was a minor, and her undertaking was worthless.
