The treatment I received at his hands on my first appearance in court told me what I had to expect.

I had already had some experience of English judges, the stately kindness and gentleness of the Lord Chief Justice, the perfect impartiality and dignified courtesy of the Lords Justices of Appeal.

My astonishment, then, can be imagined when, in answer to a statement by Mr.Ince, Q.C., that I appeared in person, I heard a harsh, loud voice exclaim: "Appear in person?
A lady appear in person?
Never heard of such a thing! Does the lady really appear in person ?" As the London papers had been full of my appearing in person in the other courts and had contained the high compliments of the Lord Chief Justice on my conduct of my own case, Sir George Jessel's pretended astonishment seemed a little overdone.

After a variety of similar remarks delivered in the most grating tones and in the roughest manner, Sir George Jessel tried to obtain his object by browbeating me directly.

"Is this the lady ?" "I am the respondent, my lord, Mrs.Besant." "Then I advise you, Mrs.Besant, to employ counsel to represent you, if you can afford it; and I suppose you can." "With all submission to your lordship, I am afraid I must claim my right of arguing my case in person." "You will do so if you please, of course, but I think you had much better appear by counsel.