ship, the lawyer left his seat....
"What is it? What is it?" he whispered testily.
Mr. Morgan breathed into his ear.
"This is the swine," he said evilly. "Put it acrost 'im. Arsk 'im----"
"You shut yer face," said his adviser. "An' don' try an' teach me my
job, or I'll 'ave you in the box."
Before this threat Mr. Morgan subsided, muttering.
Impatiently counsel for the defence returned to his place. Once there,
he adjusted his gown, consulted a blank sheet of paper with some
acerbity, and then addressed himself to the witness.
"Why did you leave your last place?"
Anthony hesitated. Then--
"I was unable to get on with one member of the household," he said.
"Were you dismissed?"
"I was."
"Why?"
"As the result of a difference I had."
"Come, come, sir. That's no answer."
"The son of the house insulted me, and I knocked him down."
Such a sensational reply fairly took the wind out of counsel's sails.
Amid a stifled murmur of excitement he strove to collect himself.
"You--er--assaulted him?"
"I did."
"Rather hasty, aren't you?"
"I don't think so."
"We shall see. Now, upon the night in question--the night of the
burglary with which my client is charged--where had you been?"
"To a private house."
"From which you, a footman, return at four in the morning?"
"Yes," said Anthony.
"Did you have any drinks at the--er, private house?"
"I drank some wine."
"How many hours were you there?"
"About five."
"You can drink a good deal in five hours?"
"You can," said Anthony.
"How many drinks did you have?"
"I drank two or three glasses of wine."
"What sort of wine?"
"Champagne."
"In fact, you had a good evening?"
"I enjoyed myself very much."
"Exactly. And you returned--shall we say, 'happy'?"
"If you are suggesting that I was under the influence of drink----"
"Answer my question, sir."
The Judge interfered.
"Either, Mr. Blink, you are suggesting that the witness was under the
influence of drink, or I fail to see the point of your questions."
Hurriedly counsel agreed, announced magnanimously that he would not
pursue the matter, and plunged into a series of causeless and empty
inquiries in the hope of stumbling upon an answer with which he might
first of all hammer the witness and then erect a defence. His efforts
went unrewarded, and behind him in the dock Mr. Morgan ground his teeth
with vexation. That he was not getting his friends'
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