anuary 28th, at the
triumphant end of a desperately fought will case, Keith saw on a poster
the words: "Glove Lane Murder: Trial and Verdict"; and with a rush of
dismay he thought: 'Good God! I never looked at the paper this morning!'
The elation which had filled him a second before, the absorption he had
felt for two days now in the case so hardly won, seemed suddenly quite
sickeningly trivial. What on earth had he been doing to forget that
horrible business even for an instant? He stood quite still on the
crowded pavement, unable, really unable, to buy a paper. But his face
was like a piece of iron when he did step forward and hold his penny out.
There it was in the Stop Press! "Glove Lane Murder. The jury returned a
verdict of Guilty. Sentence of death was passed."

His first sensation was simple irritation. How had they come to commit
such an imbecility? Monstrous! The evidence--! Then the futility of
even reading the report, of even considering how they had come to record
such a verdict struck him with savage suddenness. There it was, and
nothing he could do or say would alter it; no condemnation of this
idiotic verdict would help reverse it. The situation was desperate,
indeed! That five minutes' walk from the Law Courts to his chambers was
the longest he had ever taken.

Men of decided character little know beforehand what they will do in
certain contingencies. For the imaginations of decided people do not
endow mere contingencies with sufficient actuality. Keith had never
really settled what he was going to do if this man were condemned. Often
in those past weeks he had said to himself: "Of course, if they bring him
in guilty, that's another thing!" But, now that they had, he was beset
by exactly the same old arguments and feelings, the same instincts of
loyalty and protection towards Laurence and himself, intensified by the
fearful imminence of the danger. And yet, here was this man about to be
hung for a thing he had not done! Nothing could get over that! But then
he was such a worthless vagabond, a ghoul who had robbed a dead body. If
Larry were condemned in his stead, would there be any less miscarriage of
justice? To strangle a brute who had struck you, by the accident of
keeping your hands on his throat a few seconds too long, was there any
more guilt in that--was there even as much, as in deliberate theft from a
dead man? Reverence for order, for justice, and established fact, will,