"Is that your husband?" demanded Vodrey, K.C. (who had now assumed the principal rôle, Pennington, K.C., being engaged in another play in another theatre), pointing with one of his well-conceived dramatic gestures to Priam Farll.
"It is," sobbed Mrs. Henry Leek.
The unhappy creature believed what she said, and the curates, though silent, made a deep impression on the jury. In cross-examination, when Crepitude, K.C., forced her to admit that on first meeting Priam in his house in Werter Road she had not been quite sure of his identity, she replied--
"It's all come over me since. Shouldn't a woman recognize the father of her own children?"
"She should," interpolated the judge. There was a difference of opinion as to whether his word was jocular or not.
Mrs. Henry Leek was a touching figure, but not amusing. It was Mr. Duncan Farll who, quite unintentionally, supplied the first relief.
Duncan pooh-poohed the possibility of Priam being Priam. He detailed all the circumstances that followed the death in Selwood Terrace, and showed in fifty ways that Priam could not have been Priam. The man now masquerading as Priam was not even a gentleman, whereas Priam was Duncan's cousin! Duncan was an excellent witness, dry, precise, imperturbable. Under cross-examination by Crepitude he had to describe particularly his boyish meeting with Priam. Mr. Crepitude was not inquisitive.
"Tell us what occurred," said Crepitude.
"Well, we fought."
"Oh! You fought! What did you two naughty boys fight about?" (Great laughter.)