gged into it. Besides, I didn't know what
it meant; but I did mention it to my missis, and my missis mentioned it
to the wife of a policeman, who told it to her 'usband; and that's how
it come out."

As may be imagined, the effect of this evidence was remarkable. It
supplied a kind of link in the chain. It was now proved beyond
question that Paul was in the vicinity of the murder very near to the
time when it actually took place. And in the face of it all, all that
had been said in his favour seemed to be as nothing. Not only was it
Paul's knife that was found in Wilson's body, but Paul, although he had
not been seen to strike the blow, had been seen close to the spot where
the murder took place almost at the time of its actual occurrence, and
he had been heard to utter words such as a guilty man would have been
likely to utter.

At this time the court adjourned, and all felt that Paul's doom was
sealed.

CHAPTER XXVI

PAUL'S DEFENCE

The next morning the trial was resumed, and to the surprise of many it
did not come to an end that day. Many other witnesses were called
which at first were unthought of, and thus the case was dragged out to
what seemed to Paul an interminable length. On the third day, however,
the examinations were concluded, and Mr. Bakewell rose to address the
jury on the evidence which had been given. Some spoke of his speech
afterwards as one of the finest that had ever been delivered in
Manchester, while others declared it to be devilish in its cleverness,
but that, in view of the fact that the prisoner would have no one to
defend him, it was unfair. One eminent counsel, who would gladly have
taken Paul's case, said that it was the custom of counsel for
prosecution in the case of murder to seek to give absolute fair play to
the prisoner, and to suppress nothing which might tell in his favour,
but that it seemed to be the set purpose of Mr. Bakewell to secure a
sentence of death for Paul, just as he would try to secure a verdict in
favour of any client for whom he was trying to obtain damages. But
this was mentioned in private, and could, of course, have no weight
with the jury. Certain it is that he made a very strong case against
Paul. He opened his speech with the usual remarks about the
seriousness of the case before them and the difficulty he had in
approaching it in the right spirit. He also admitted that Paul was a
young man who bore a good character in the town, and h