"I have evidence to give that will save Mr. Lennox's life. Can you spare a few minutes to hear what I have to say?
"Hyacinth Vaughan."
Sergeant Burton was absent for a little while; but he returned in time to hear the concluding part of the opposing counsel's speech. It told hard against the accused, but the learned sergeant only smiled as he listened. He seemed to have grown wonderfully composed. Then the witnesses for the prosecution were called, and gave their evidence clearly enough. Some in court who had felt sure of Claude's innocence began to waver now. Who was with him at Leybridge? That was the point. There was no cross-examination of the witnesses.
"I have no questions to ask," said the counsel. "My client admits the perfect truth of all the evidence."
"This is my case, gentlemen of the jury," concluded the counsel for the prosecution, as he sat down.
"And it is a strong one, too," thought most of the people present. "How can all these facts be explained away?"
Then Sergeant Burton rose.
"Gentlemen of the jury," he said, "this is the most painful case I have ever conducted; a more grievous mistake than this accusation of murder against an innocent gentleman has never been made. I will prove to you not only that he is quite innocent of the crime, but that, in his chivalrous generosity, he would rather have forfeited his life than utter one word in his own defense which would shadow, even in the slightest, a woman's honor. I will prove to you that, although the accused was at Leybridge with a lady, and not only spoke to, but relieved the deceased, yet that he is entirely innocent of the crime laid to his charge."
The silence that followed was profound. For the first time Claude's face grew anxious and he looked hurriedly around.