The "Substitut" always preserved a rather deferential attitude
before the President and M. Ducros, for they belonged to the
magistrature assise, whilst he merely formed part of the
magistrature debout The French word magistrat is not the
equivalent of our magistrate, the French term for which is "Juge
de Paix." A magistrat means a Judge or a Public Prosecutor.
From being so much with the judges, I grew quite learned in French
legal terms, talked of the parquet (which means the Bar), and
invariably termed the grubby little Nyons law-court the Palais. I
rather fancy that I considered myself a sort of honorary member of
the French Bar. Strictly speaking, Palais only applies to a Court
of Law; old-fashioned Frenchmen always speak of the Chateau de
Versailles, or the Chateau de Fontainbleau, never of the Palais.
There was always plenty to see in these little southern towns
whilst the judges were at work. In one village there was a perfume
factory, where essential oils of sweet-scented geranium, verbena,
lavender, and thyme were distilled for the wholesale Paris
perfumers; a fragrant place, where every operation was carried on
with that minute attention to detail which the French carry into
most things that they do, for, unlike the inhabitants of an
adjacent island, they consider that if a thing is worth doing at
all, it is worth taking trouble over.
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