The Master of the Shell Part 22

"That's what I said. How came you to say you didn't, eh, sir? Didn't I tell you to be careful or you'd get your hair combed a way you don't fancy? Now, what I want to know is, what's the width of the door of the cellar?"

"Look here," said the witness, "if you want to make an a.s.s of yourself you'd better shut up. What's that got to do with it?"

"It's quite a proper question," said the judge.

"There you are!" said Arthur, delighted. "I'm obliged to your lordship for your lordship's remarks. Now, Sir William Thingamy, what do you mean, sir, by refusing to answer the question? I've a good mind to ask his lordship to send you to penal servitude. Now, what about the door?"

"I don't know anything about it, and I don't care."

"Ha! ha! You'll _have_ to care, my boy. Could two chaps go through it together?"

"Come and try," said the baronet, snorting with wrath.

"You must answer the question, witness," said the judge.

"No; _he_ knows two chaps couldn't. He measured it himself and found it was only twenty-eight inches wide."

"Who measured it?" asked one of the jury.

"Why, Herapath, that idiot there."

Arthur was somewhat sobered by this piece of evidence, as well as by a significant consultation on the bench, which he rather feared might relate to his conduct of the case.

"That's what I wanted to get at," said he. "Now, Sir William, what's the _height_ of that door, eh?"

"What's the good of asking me when you measured it yourself, you duffer?

Didn't you tell me yourself it was seven feet two to the top of the ledge?"

"There you are! Keep your hair on! That's what I wanted! Seven foot two. Now suppose you were told a box of wax lights was found stuck upon that ledge, and that two of the matches out of it were found on the floor of the boot-box--cellar, I mean--what should you think?"

"It is hardly evidence, is it, to ask a witness what he would think?"

suggested Barnworth.

"Oh, isn't it? Easy a bit, and you'll see what we're driving at, your lordship! I'll trouble your lordship to ask the learned chap not to put me off my run. Come, Mr What's-your-name, what should you think?"

Dig mused a bit, and then replied, "I should think it was a little queer."

"Of course you would! So it _is_ a little queer," said Arthur, winking knowingly at his future brother-in-law. "Now, could _you_ reach up to the top of that ledge, my little man?"

"You be blowed!" responded the baronet, who resented this style of address.

"That means you couldn't. When you're about four feet higher than you are you'll be able to do it. Now could the prisoner reach up to it?"

"No, no more could you, with your boots and three-and-sixpenny Sunday tile on!"

"Order in the court! Really, your lordship, your lordship ought to sit on this chap. Perhaps your lordship's friend on your lordship's right would kindly give him a hundred lines when next he comes across him.

Now, Mr Baron, and Squire, and Knight of the Shire, and all the rest of it, I want to know if there's any chap in our house--I mean the boiler- shop--could reach up there? Mind your eye, now!"

"Ainger could by jumping."

"I didn't ask you anything about jumping, you duffer! How tall would a chap need to be to reach up there?"

"About double your measure--over six foot."

"There you are! Now is there any chap in our boiler-shop over six feet?"

"No."

"I knew you'd say that. Think again. What about the foreman?" and he gave a side inclination of his head towards the unconscious Railsford.

"Oh, him! Yes, _he's_ over six foot."

"Go down two places, for saying _him_ instead of _he_. There you are, my lord, we've got it at last. Bowled the chap out clean, first ball.

That's our case, only there's plenty more to be got out first. We'll trouble your lordship to bring the chap in not guilty, when it's all done." And he nodded knowingly to the jury.

Railsford had sat and listened to all this in a state of the completest mystification. Not having heard Barnworth's opening statement, he had no glimmer of a suspicion that the _cause celebre_ occupying the attention of this august a.s.sembly was anything but a pleasant fiction from beginning to end, and he had been wondering to himself whether such performances, conducted in the irregular style which he had witnessed, could be of any good. However, coming as a guest (for the master of the house was always a visitor on such occasions), he deemed it best not to interfere just then. He would give Arthur a little friendly advice as to the conduct of a junior counsel later on.

But he was the only unconscious person in the court. The listeners had been quick to pick up the drift of Barnworth's opening story, and equally quick to detect the line of defence taken up by Felgate and his vivacious junior. They kept their eyes fixed most of the time on Railsford, to note how he took it; and when Arthur reached his triumphant climax, some among the juniors fully expected to see their master fall on his knees and plead guilty before the whole court.

Instead of that he laughed, and, turning to the judge, said, in an audible voice,--

"This seems very amusing, but it's all Hebrew to me. Is this the end?"

"I think we've had nearly enough for to-night," said Ainger, who himself felt rather uneasy lest matters should go any further. Not that he laid any stress on Arthur's wonderful discovery--that merely amused him; but he foresaw a danger of the tone of the proceedings becoming offensive, and considered it better to interpose while yet there was time.

"Gentlemen," he said, "as far as the case has gone I think I may say it has been ably conducted and patiently listened to. As our time is nearly up I adjourn the hearing till a future occasion."

"Jolly hard luck," said Arthur to his senior. "I'd got plenty more to come out."

"You've done quite enough for one evening," said Felgate, grinning, "the rest will keep."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

THROWING DOWN THE GAUNTLET.

Arthur's great hit at the Central Criminal Court was the topic in the junior circles at Railsford's for some days. It was hardly to be expected that Sir Digby Oakshott would share in the general admiration which fell to his friend's lot. That young baronet had a painful sense of having come off second best at the trial, and the relations between the friends became considerably strained in consequence. What made it harder for Dig was that Arthur had suddenly gained quite a prestige among the lower boys of the house, who, without being too curious, arrived at the conclusion that he knew a thing or two about Railsford in connection with the row about Bickers, and was keeping it dark.

Strangely enough, from the same cause, Railsford himself leapt into sudden popularity with his juniors. For if he, argued they, was the man who paid out Bickers for them, then, although it put them to a little inconvenience, they were resolved as one man to back their hero up, and cover his retreat to the best of their ability. The master himself was considerably surprised at the sudden outburst of affection towards himself. He hoped it meant that his influence was beginning to tell home on the minds of his youthful charges; and he wrote cheerfully to Daisy about it, and said he had scarcely hoped in so short a time to have made so many friends among his boys.

"Tell you what," said Arthur one evening, after discussing the virtues of his future kinsman with some of the Sh.e.l.l, "it wouldn't be a bad dodge to get up a testimonial for Marky. I know a stunning dodge for raising the wind."

"Good idea," said Tilbury, "I'm game."

"Let's give it him soon, to get him in a good-humour, next week,"

suggested someone.