Dail Sketch Michael O'ReganThe parliamentary defendant came down the steps and took his place in the political dock next to his colleagues.
Pat Rabbitte had an impassive look. He was flanked by Liz McManus and Brian O'Shea, in sombre dark jackets, Joan Burton and Jan O'Sullivan in bright and optimistic white.
There was a hush as the parliamentary judge, in formal robes, took his place on the Ceann Comhairle's bench.
Would Dr Rory O'Hanlon hand down a sentence banishing Mr Rabbitte from the chamber to the inevitable media pack? Would Mr Rabbitte go quietly? The charge was serious. After all, he had accused Dr O'Hanlon of being "congenitally incapable" of fairness. He would not apologise.
As the crowded press gallery waited for a blistering row, Dr O'Hanlon spoke in measured and somewhat pained tones.
He was, he said, concerned at Mr Rabbitte's outburst, but accepted that from time to time, in the heat of the moment, robust remarks would be made.
"However, the tenor of Deputy Rabbitte's remarks represented a marked departure from what would be considered to be an acceptable standard of behaviour in parliament, even when issues of heated controversy are before the House, which was not the case yesterday."
The defendant was impassive. His colleagues listened carefully to the judgment.
The punchline came when Dr O'Hanlon remarked: "However, in the interests of the standing of the House, and the integrity of the position of Ceann Comhairle, which I am honoured to hold, the Chair is giving fair warning this morning that any repeat of this type of attack on the Chair will not be tolerated and will lead to the naming of the party concerned, notwithstanding his position in his party."
The matter, he added, would not be revisited. So the parliamentary defendant had escaped with only a reprimand. In the corridors, the judgment was assessed by a jury of journalists and politicians. Was it a clever move by Dr O'Hanlon to avoid making Mr Rabbitte a parliamentary victim in the run-up to the elections, while also putting down a marker that there could be no repeat of the outburst?
The jury returned a majority verdict that this was probably the case.
In the chamber work continued on the attempted removal from the bench of Judge Brian Curtin. Other legislation was dealt with, and the Minister for Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív, known as "Dev Og", answered questions in an accent eerily reminiscent of his grandfather.
Then they all dispersed to the hustings. Hostilities will resume after the elections.