noon
Yet we had a belief that the statutory grounds were sufficient , and on that our hopes hung . The next morning found our party in court at the opening hour . The entire forenoon was occupied by the attorney for the plaintiff in reviewing the evidence , analyzing and weighing every particle , showing an insight into human motives which proved him a master in his profession . After the noon recess , the young lawyer from the city addressed the court for two hours , his remarks running from bombast to flights of oratory , and from eulogies upon his client to praise of the unimpeachable credibility of the witnesses for the defense . In concluding , the older lawyer prefaced his remarks by alluding to the divine intent in the institution of marriage , and contending that of the two , women were morally the better . In showing the influence of the stronger upon the weaker sex , he asserted that it was in the power of the man to lift the woman or to sink her into despair . In his peroration he rose to the occasion , and amid breathless silence , facing the court , who quailed before him , demanded whether this was a temple of justice .