," said the learned Judge, looking at him almost
with pity, "state your case."

James--in the midst of a silence that could be felt--unfolded his
pleadings, and, as he did so, for the first time a sickening sense of
nervousness took hold of him and made him tremble, and, of a sudden, his
mind became dark. Most of us have undergone this sensation at one time or
another, with less cause then had poor James. There he was, put up almost
for the first time in his life to conduct, single-handed, a most
important case, upon which it was scarcely too much to say the interest
of the entire country was concentrated. Nor was this all. Opposed to him
were about twenty counsel, all of them men of experience, and including
in their ranks some of the most famous leaders in England: and, what was
more, the court was densely crowded with scores of men of his own
profession, every one of whom was, he felt, regarding him with curiosity
not unmixed with pity. Then, there was the tremendous responsibility
which literally seemed to crush him, though he had never quite realised
it before.

"May it please your Lordship," he began; and then, as I have said, his
mind became a ghastly blank, in which dim and formless ideas flitted
vaguely to and fro.

There was a pause--a painful pause.

"Read your pleadings aloud," whispered a barrister who was sitting next
him, and realised his plight.

This was an idea. One can read pleadings when one cannot collect one's
ideas to speak. It is not usual to do so. The counsel in a cause states
the substance of the pleadings, leaving the Court to refer to them if it
thinks necessary. But still there was nothing absolutely wrong about it;
so he snatched at the papers and promptly began:

"(I.) The plaintiff is the sole and universal legatee under the true last
will of Jonathan Meeson, deceased, late of Pompadour Hall, in the County
of Warwick, who died on the 23rd of December, 1885, the said will being
undated, but duly executed on, or subsequent to, the 22nd day of
December, 1885."

Here the learned Judge lifted his eyebrows in remonstrance, and cleared
his throat preparatory to interfering; but apparently thought better of
it, for he took up a blue pencil and made a note of the date of the will.

"(II.)," went on James. "On the 21st day of May, 1886, probate of an
alleged will of the said Jonathan Meeson was granted to the defendants,
the said will bearing date the 10th day of November, 1885. The
plai