“‘No,’ said I.
“‘Take great care, witness,’ said His Holiness in a menacing voice. ‘Take very great care!’
“‘Thank You, your Holiness,’ said the Pleader. ‘And now, sir,’ said he, addressing me in a very firm tone indeed, as though he had caught red-handed some thief creeping in to his household, ‘will you please tell us where is that Charter now? Can you produce it?’
“‘His Holiness is sitting on it,’ said I, simply.
“Here the Judge almost rose from his throne, so strongly was he moved.
“‘Were you not a layman and naturally ignorant of the forms of the Court, I should condemn you to some very severe penalty,’ said he. ‘I make allowance for your lack of custom; but I warn you, you may go too far.’
“‘I will pass over the last remark, witness,’ continued the Pleader in dignified tones. ‘I think you were not quite yourself when you made it. Will you be good enough to answer my question? Where is the Charter now?’
“‘Well,’ said I, all bewildered, ‘I handed it up for His Holiness to see what my case was, and to the best of my belief he——’
“‘Silence,’ thundered the Judge. ‘Brother Selim, I am afraid we shall get no further on this tack. The witness evidently does not or will not understand your drift. Allow me to ask him a question.’ He then turned with a sort of false kindness upon his face and said to me in measured tones: ‘What we want to know is, where is the Charter upon which you claim?’
“‘I put it into Court ...’ I began.