"I must ask you to keep silence. You are here to be interrogated; you will only speak in reply to my questions."
There was a pause, during which judge and accused looked hard at each other; the former seeking to read the other's inmost thoughts, the latter meeting the gaze with resolute and unflinching eyes.
"What is your age?"
"Twenty-six."
"Are you married?"
"Yes."
"But your wife has left you."
Gascoigne started in spite of himself.
"How do you know that?" he asked, nervously.
"It is for me to question. But I know it: that is enough. Your occupation and position in life?"