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By the penduluistrate Nathaniel Powers entered the office, which was a large single roo upon the northward expanse of the Broad Way and the forested hills beyond

"Morning, Matthew," he said, as he instantly and by constant habit shed his rather diray-striped coat of a suit that had known more needle-and-thread than a petticoat ars next to the door

"Good , sir," answered Matthew, as always Truth be told, he&039;d been day-drea out the , turned around at his desk upon which lay two ledger books, his bottle of good black India ink, and two goose-feather quills He&039;d been quick enough, with the noise of boots on the corridor&039;s boards and the click of the doorhandle, to dip his quill and return to his transcription of thethievery and sentenced to twenty-five lashes at the whipping-post and the branding of a "T" on the right hand

"ah, the letters are readyi" Poalked to his own desk, which befitting his status was central in the rooe as Matthew&039;s He picked up the packet of more than a dozen envelopes, which were staistrate&039;s office and were bound for such destinations as varied as a city official down the stairs and a law colleague across the atlantic "Good work, very neatly done"

"Thank you," Matthew replied, as he always did when this compliment was offered his

Magistrate Powers sat down at his desk, which faced Matthew "and what is on the docket for today, theni"

"Nothing at court at one o&039;clock you have an appointistrate Dawes Of course you&039;re expected to attend Lord Cornbury&039;s address at three o&039;clock"

"Yes, that" He nodded, his face ah deeply lined and care-worn He was fifty-four years old, was irl with her own faments of law and so occupied theh one had risen to the rank of fore was, the two boys were likely paid quite a su as low as a ray with fatigue at the teht as his principles and his brown, once hawk-like eyes in need of spectacles from time to time He had been a tennis chae, and he spoke often of greatly alleries So, supple, and handso in the approval of the crowd, and times as well he wondered if the man&039;s silent reveries replayed those days before his knees creaked and his back was bent under the weight of a pressing judgiven na Matthew&039;s silence as an interest in the new governor "Third Earl of Clarendon attended Oxford, was a oons and a Tory in Parliaround also says he&039;ll have so observations about our fair town"

"You&039;ve met him, theni"

"Mei No, I&039;ve not been so favored But it seeh Constable Lillehorne-wish to keep the particulars to theh the tidy stack of papers that had been arranged on the desk for his appraisal courtesy of his clerk, who had also prepared his quills and gathered so cases "So to is our intervieith theMuckleroyi"

"Yes sir"

"Casting a claim for stolen bedsheets on Barnaby Shearsi"

"She contends he sold the bedsheets and bought his mule"

"Well, his entire house isn&039;t worth an ass," Powers said "One wonders how these folk get together"

"Not without sohed near three-hundred pounds and Shears was a rascal so thin he could alaol cell, where he was now being held until this istrate inquired, looking through his notes

"Fridaybefore sentence on George Knox"

Powers found so he&039;d done on the subject and spent a es It was a matter of violence between rival owners of two flourdrunk, had hit Clement Sandford over the head with a bottle of ale in the Red Bull Tavern, causing much bloodshed and subsequent disorder as the supporters of both an a melee that had spilled out into Duke Street

"It aistrate said quietly, in his appraisal of the facts, "that in this town prostituteslessons to ladies of the church, pirates may be consulted for their opinions on seaworth by shipbuilders, Christians and Jews as, but let one silver piece fall in a crack between two members of the same profession and it&039;s a bloody war" He put aside his papers and scowled "Don&039;t you get sick of it, Matthewi"

"Siri" Matthew looked up fro; the question had honestly surprised him

"Sick of it," Powers repeated "Sick as in ill Of the pettiness and the never-ending pettifoggery"

"Well" Matthew had no idea how to respond "I don&039;t-"

"ah!" Poaved a hand at hi fish, not a cranky old crab like I aet here, if you stay in this profession long enough"

"I hope to not only stay in this profession, but to advance in it"

"Whati Quilling transcripts, hour after houri arranging istrate soo to law school in England, and do you know the expense of thati"

"Yes sir, I do I&039;ve been saving istrate interrupted, staring steadily at Matthew "Even then, you h social ties, fao over all this with youi"

"Hetold me I&039;d need to be further educated in practical matters, and thatof course I&039;d have to formally attend a university, at some point"

"and I have no doubt you&039;d be an excellent university student and an excellent istrate, if that&039;s the professional path you choose to follow, but ere you planning on applying for placeht later terht of his interest and aptitude for playing chess; he realized, like a drowsy sleeper hearing a distant alare of days, weeks, and ulation of time itself, and that what at first had seeuid was indeed a fast bleeding of a vital period of his life He realized also, not without a sharp piercing of bitterness like a knife to the gut, that his fixation on bringing Eben ausley to justice had blinded him to his own future

He satspread out before him, and suddenly the quiet thrump of the pendulum clock in the corner seemed brutally loud

Neither did Powers speak He continued to stare at Matthew, seeing the flash of diser ain as false coether and had the decency to avert his eyes "I think," he said, "that when Isaac sent you to me he considered you&039;d stay here only a short while a year, at the e would be better I think he land and attend school and you still can, Matthew, you still can; but I have to tell you, the cli ree, and the fact that you were born here and raised in an orphanageI&039;m not sure your application wouldn&039;t be passed over a dozen times, even with my letter as to your character and abilities" He frowned "Even with the letters of every istrate in the colony There are too many formidable families with istrates for aland The private practice always pays so much better than the public welfare"