Page:English laws for women in the nineteenth century.djvu/101

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was made up by the Income Tax. In proportion as Mr Needham was baffled in what he had intended to prove, he became irritated and uncivil: he said to me in so many words, speaking of Mr Norton,—"You know you ran away from him;" and, at another time, "It is not his fault you stand in the degraded position you do." And it was against the insult of this phrase, that Mr Hayward rose and appealed. The feeling in Court began to show itself in a strong and obvious sympathy for me; and the case became more like a vehement debate, than a judicial inquiry. Mr Needham lost even the form and pretence of adhering to the subject before the Court {i. e. the debt and contract), and put question after question about Lord Melbourne; what had become of his letters—what had occurred with respect to him in 1836? Whether I had got my maid's husband appointed a police usher through Lord Melbourne (as if that was a wrong); and when I said "No," again adopted the manner of disbelieving my reply. In utter exasperation, I alluded to the circumstances of the attempted, divorce; to the letters signed Greenacre, &c.; and said—"If Mr Norton thought me unfaithful to him, why did he write and adjure me to return?" Mr Needham replied,—"Pray confine yourself to my questions;" and I retorted, " I told you to beware of your questions if you were afraid of my answers: for seventeen years I have concealed these matters, and you force their revelation this day." I then added, that it was quite unnecessary to continue the debate about my means; that now that I knew the contract could be disputed, and I and my creditors defrauded, I should alter the scale of my expenses to a narrower economy. Mr Dod examined me, to show that the annuity from my mother, was the real occasion of Mr Norton's breach of contract; Mr Leman was examined to prove that there had been no condition whatever, respecting Lord Melbourne, either written or verbal: and the Judge decided (not on the validity of the contract, but on the point that the allowance had not been stopped when this particular debt was incurred), that the