in his hands and examined it over carefully,
inspecting with all the minute curiosity of age every portion of the
garment The suspense at this moment was terrible; not a syllable was
spoken; not a breath stirred; nothing but the long-drawn respirations
of the prisoner, who, still leaning on the iron railing of the dock,
watched the old man's motions with the most harrowing intensity.

"Let me see it on him," said the witness, at last

"Prisoner, put on that coat," said the judge.

Meekins tried to smile as he proceeded to obey; but the effort was
too much, and the features became fixed into one rigid expression,
resembling the look of hysteric laughter.

"Well, do you know me now?" cried he, in a voice whose every accent rang
with a tone of intimidation and defiance.

"I do," said the witness, boldly. "I 'll swear to that coat, my Lord,
and I 'll prove I 'm right. It was the same stuffing put into both
collars; and if I 'm telling you the truth, it 's a piece of ould
corduroy is in that one there."

The very grave was not more still than the court as the officer of the
jail, taking off the coat, ripped up the collar, and held up in his hand
a small piece of tarnished corduroy.

"My Lord! my Lord! will you let a poor man's life be swore away--"

"Silence, sir,--be still, I say," cried the prisoner's counsel, who
saw the irremediable injury of these passionate appeals. "I am here to
conduct your defence, and I will not be interfered with. Your Lordship
will admit that this proceeding has all the character of surprise. We
were perfectly unprepared for the line my learned friend has taken--"

"Permit me to interrupt the counsel, my Lord. I need scarcely appeal to
this court to vindicate me against any imputation such as the learned
gentleman opposite would apply to me. Your Lordship's venerable
predecessors on that bench have more than once borne witness to
the fairness and even the lenity of the manner in which the crown
prosecutions have been conducted. Any attempt to surprise, any effort to
entrap a prisoner, would be as unworthy of us as it would be impossible
in a court over which you preside. The testimony which the witness has
just given, the extraordinary light his evidence has just shown, was
only made available to ourselves by one of those circumstances in which
we see a manifestation of the terrible judgment of God upon him who
sheds the blood of his fellow-man. Yes, my Lord, if any case can merit
the d