h who is or is not on the jury."

"And why not?"

"If those two witnesses break down--that is, Kenneby and Bolster, no
jury can convict her. And if they don't--"

"Then no jury can acquit her. But let me tell you, Aram, that it's
not every man put into a jury-box who can tell whether a witness has
broken down or not."

"But from what I hear, Mr. Chaffanbrass, I don't think either of
these can stand a chance;--that is, if they both come into your
hands."

"But they won't both come into my hands," said the anxious hero of
the Old Bailey.

"Ah! that's where it is. That's where we shall fail. Mr. Furnival is
a great man, no doubt."

"A very great man,--in his way," said Mr. Chaffanbrass.

"But if he lets one of those two slip through his fingers the thing's
over."

"You know my opinion," said Chaffanbrass. "I think it is all over. If
you're right in what you say,--that they're both ready to swear in
their direct evidence that they only signed one deed on that day, no
vacillation afterwards would have any effect on the judge. It's just
possible, you know, that their memory might deceive them."

"Possible! I should think so. I'll tell you what, Mr. Chaffanbrass,
if the matter was altogether in your hands I should have no
fear,--literally no fear."

"Ah, you're partial, Aram."

"It couldn't be so managed, could it, Mr. Chaffanbrass? It would be a
great thing; a very great thing." But Mr. Chaffanbrass said that he
thought it could not be managed. The success or safety of a client
is a very great thing;--in a professional point of view a very
great thing indeed. But there is a matter which in legal eyes is
greater even than that. Professional etiquette required that the
cross-examination of these two most important witnesses should not be
left in the hands of the same barrister.

And then the special attributes of Kenneby and Bridget Bolster were
discussed between them, and it was manifest that Aram knew with great
accuracy the characters of the persons with whom he had to deal. That
Kenneby might be made to say almost anything was taken for granted.
With him there would be very great scope for that peculiar skill with
which Mr. Chaffanbrass was so wonderfully gifted. In the hands of
Mr. Chaffanbrass it was not improbable that Kenneby might be made to
swear that he had signed two, three, four--any number of documents
on that fourteenth of July, although he had before sworn that he had
only signed one. Mr. Chaf