John Buchan

The Power-House John Buchan

A FORTNIGHT later-to be accurate, on the 21st of May-I did a thing I rarely do, and wentdown to South London on a County Court case. It was an ordinary taxi-cab accident, and, asthe solicitors for the company were good clients of mine and the regular County Courtjunior was ill in bed, I took the case to oblige them. There was the usual dull conflict ofevidence. An empty taxi-cab, proceeding slowly on the right side of the road and hootingdecorously at the corners, had been run into by a private motor-car which had darteddown a side street. The taxi had been swung round and its bonnet considerably damaged, while its driver had suffered a dislocated shoulder. The bad feature in the case was that themotor-car had not halted to investigate the damage, but had proceeded un, conscientiouslyon its way, and the assistance of the London police had been called in to trace it. It turnedout to be the property of a Mr Julius Pavia, a retired East India merchant, who lived in alarge villa in the neighbourhood of Blackheath, and at the time of the accident it had beenoccupied by his butler. The company brought an action for damages against its owner. The butler, Tuke by name, was the only witness for the defence. He was a tall man, with avery long, thin face, and a jaw, the two parts of which seemed scarcely to fit. He was profusein his apologies on behalf of his master, who was abroad. It seemed that on the morning inquestion-it was the 8th of May-he had received instructions from Mr Pavia to convey amessage to a passenger by the Continental express from Victoria, and had been hot on thiserrand when he met the taxi. He was not aware that there had been any damage, thought itonly a slight grazing of the two cars, and on his master's behalf consented to the judgmentof the court