“Then you believe that this testimony is without value,” she murmured, feeling crushed.
“I do not say that. We must reflect, weigh the pro and con, compass the situation from divers points of view; that is what I try to do, which is the cause of my preoccupation that astonishes you.”
“Say that it crushes me; I let myself be carried away.”
“You need not be crushed or carried away. Certainly, what this lady told you forms a considerable piece of work.”
“Does it not?”
“Without any doubt. But in order that the testimony she gives may be of great consequence, the witness must be worthy of trust.”
“Do you believe this lady could have invented such a story?”
“I do not say that; but before all, it is necessary to know who she is.”
“The widow of an attorney.”
“The widow of an attorney and landowner. Evidently this constitutes a social status that merits consideration from the law; but the moral state, what is it? You say that she is paralyzed?”