e left to cover that. Thresk himself
wondered at it. It struck at public sympathy, it seemed the act of a
person insensate and vindictive. Therefore he had come forward with his
story. But Mr. Pettifer was not to know it.

"There are three things for you to remember," said Thresk. "In the first
place it is too early to assume that self-defence was going to be the
plea. Assumptions in a case of this kind are very dangerous, Mr.
Pettifer. They may lead to an irreparable injustice. We must keep to the
fact that no plea of self-defence was ever formulated. In the second
place Mrs. Ballantyne was brought down to Bombay in a state of complete
collapse. Her married life had been a torture to her. She broke down at
the end of it. She was indifferent to anything that might happen."

Pettifer nodded. "Yes, I can understand that."

"It followed that her advisers had to act upon their own initiative."

"And the third point?" Pettifer asked.

"Well, it's not so much a point as an opinion of mine. But I hold it
strongly. Her counsel mishandled the case."

Pettifer pursed up his lips and grunted. He tapped a finger once or twice
on the table in front of him. He looked towards Thresk as if all was not
quite said. Harold Hazlewood, to whom the position of a neglected
listener was rare and unpalatable, saw an opportunity for intervention.

"The three points are perhaps not very conclusive," he said.

Thresk turned towards him coldly:

"I promised to answer such questions as Mr. Pettifer put to me. I am
doing that. I did not undertake to discuss the value of my answers
afterwards."

"No, no, quite so," murmured Mr. Hazlewood. "We are very grateful, I am
sure," and he left once more the argument to Pettifer.

"Then I come to the next question, Mr. Thresk. At some moment in this
inquiry you of your own account put yourself into communication with Mrs.
Ballantyne's advisers and volunteered your evidence?"

"Yes."

"Isn't it strange that the defence did not at the very outset get into
communication with you?"

"No," replied Thresk. Here he was at his ease. He had laid his plans well
in Bombay. Mr. Pettifer might go on asking questions until midnight upon
this point. Thresk could meet him. "It was not at all strange. It was not
known that I could throw any light upon the affair at all. All that
passed between Ballantyne and myself passed when we were alone; and
Ballantyne was now dead."

"Yes, but you had dined with the Balla