I have touched in these pages on the gifted men who

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Grain or Chaff

abandoned Circuit in despair. It is only fair to say
that many who had the courage to remain on, sooner
or later received their reward, in the shape of some
appointment either at home or abroad. I do not
say such posts fulfilled every ambition, but they were
at least good enough to remove any stigma of failure,
and, commercially considered, to excite pangs of envy
in the breast of an Admiral or Major-General.
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CHAPTER XIV

I WAS appointed Recorder of Much Wenlock in
1878, and was congratulated by an eminent
Judge in terms which, if not exactly fastidious,
expressed the most hearty conviction. " Depend
upon it," said he, "it is a d — d fine thing to sit on
a Bench."

Wenlock, unfortunately, was hardly the place to
test the value of this fascinating truth. I was
Recorder for ten years, and if I were not fearful of
exaggerating, I should say that I did not sit on the
Bench throughout that time more than ten working
days, which, in view of the learned Judge's confident
recommendation, could only be regarded as tantalising.
