Draft Report on New Court Reporter

Though the Lady-in-Waiting is opposed to the designation, Court Reporter is what the Countess transformed Doll Baby (a 96-year-old Chick of Chicora Court) into yesterday to determine the accuracy of her determination of the identity of the itinerant preacher man who showed up here yesterday, while we (L-i-W, Consort, and Page) were out fetching an Arbied lunch, only to be refused entry upon not giving the attending sister of the Countess his name. The cameraman at his side was also part of the Countess' decision to tell him, when he announced he had come to pray with her, that it was not a good time.

Now, there had been a missionary-like communion session up at the Court’s rec-room immediately prior to this, and the Countess knew from Consort and Page that Doll Baby had been among those who went up there. So, when the latter came by for a visit, checking on her neighbor, later that afternoon, the Countess had her sit at the foot of the throne and answer her questions about the “service”, who was there, who was not, who the preacher was, what he looks like, if he had come up this way afterwards, etc.

An uninterested Court Reporter, Doll Baby nonetheless replied tersely to the queries, all clearly of no import to her, and confirmed that Mark the prayer man had even insisted on walking her up to her door adding, “So I had to go back home.” Evidently that had not been her plan.

Perhaps the Countess had also accomplished her subtle mission of spreading work back through her Court that someone, even to pray, who doesn’t identify himself will not be admitted into her presence. (Not to mention the fact that the Countess has a Court Pastor of her confidence and stands in no need of being the subject of missionary efforts.)

At any rate, her brief role as Court Reporter accomplished despite herself, Doll Baby left clearly in her own role, the only one at Court old enough to admonish, albeit it mildly with a wagging crooked finger, the Countess at all.