Blodgett tapped his sheriff's gavel.
Townsend caught Bill's question and asked, "What did you say?"
Marvin, knowing that Bill was inadequate to the test placed upon him, came quickly to the rescue. Standing in front of the judge, he explained: "Your Honor, Mr. Jones is the unconscious defendant in this case. It just happened that he came to court to-day to be a witness in another case. He has had no previous knowledge of this action."
Before he could go farther Raymond Thomas, upon whom the entire situation was reacting in swift, powerful threats to his cause, arose, his face drawn with the agony of frustration, his voice high pitched from the effort to subdue the feelings fast getting beyond his control. "The defendant's whereabouts were unknown to us, your Honor, and the court allowed us to serve notice by publication."
"Publication in what?" Marvin demanded, as he darted contempt at Thomas.
Townsend answered him. "Proper service was given, if the defendant could not be located." To Bill he addressed the next question, "Is that what you asked about?"
Still confused, and not yet quite getting the trend of the whole matter, he asked, in his quiet, disinterested way, "Who, me?"
"Yes," replied the judge. "You made some remark after the complaint was read."
"I wasn't sure I'd got it straight," Bill said, looking ahead of him, mouth half open.
"You mean the grounds on which the action is based?" the judge persisted.