I see. Well, it would take too long, and would be too uninteresting
to you to explain everything, but put briefly the case was this.
Mainwaring had got hold of a considerable sum of money--over L7,000, as
a matter of fact--which Lessingham claimed belonged to him. There were
a great many points which were interesting to lawyers, and when the
plaintiff's brief was offered to me I jumped at it. A barrister has
often to wait a long time before any plums fall to his share, but this
was a big one, for the other side had engaged two of the most eminent
counsel in the land; and I had a big figure marked on my brief.

"We had a tremendous fight, and in the heat of the forensic duel I lost
sight of everything except the one goal of triumphant and overwhelming
victory. I have no desire to speak of my accomplishment in terms that
may sound egotistical, but I may say without affectation that I found
all the weak places in the defence and used every talent I could
command to crush my opponents, and I succeeded, and became for a week
one of the most talked-of men in London. Outwardly collected, I was
inwardly exalted above measure, for I knew what the winning of the case
meant for me.

"I say I knew. I should have said I thought I knew. All I realised
was that briefs would now be showered upon me, as they have been--as
they are being. What I failed to realise was that I should have to
stand at the bar of my own conscience, and be tried by the inexorable
judge whose sentences are without mercy. That came to pass quickly,
and I was condemned, and on appeal you confirmed the judgment."

"I? Oh, Mr. Derwent!"

"During the course of the trial I became convinced, or at any rate I
had grave reasons for suspecting that my client was a scoundrel, and
had no right to a penny of the money. The conviction came in part from
what was revealed to me in conversation with him, and in part from what
came out in evidence, but at the moment I did not care. I was paid to
win my case, not to secure justice. That was for the judge and jury.
There was more than that, however. It was not the lust of gain, but
the lust of glory that obsessed me. I, Philip Derwent, was going to
defeat Ritson and Friend at whatever cost.

"But, Miss Holden, I have inherited certain qualities which are likely
to put awkward obstacles in the path of ambition. My father was a good
man. He was scrupulously, fastidiously honest. He believed that the
principles