“There was not half a leg for them to stand on at the beginning,” said Mr. Topott, with scrupulous modesty, “but now as the end approaches, they appear to be standing upon two thoroughly sound ones. I think I said at lunch I was frightened to death of that fellow.”
“Much good that did the case,” snapped Mr. Weekes.
“You were so sanguine, my dear fellow,” said Mr. Topott, with his modesty taking an almost angelic note. He was a young man, able and ambitious; and his private opinion of his leader was of a nature that wild horses would not have caused him to expose. “You pooh-poohed everybody and everything at lunch. The case was as dead as mutton; their man was a beginner; you and Bow-wow were going to take care that he did no harm.”
“Well, Topott, I must say you never lose an opportunity of rubbing things in.”
“Perhaps that is so,” said Mr. Topott, dreamily. “Perhaps I am rather good at rubbing things in. Perhaps that is my métier.”
“Then perhaps you will provide yourself with another. To my mind this one is not at all amusing.”
“I suspect that is so. But now this case has gone to pot, I hope you will not be angry, Weekes, if I inform you that the fault is not yours. You have simply been knocked out in a fair and square battle. But I hope you will not repine; because there is not a man in England to-day who could have stood up against that fellow. He chose extraordinary weapons, but they were those he knew how to use. No disgrace attaches to you; you have taken the knock quite honestly; and if the attorney had been here he would have had to take it too.”
“Thank you, Topott,” said Mr. Weekes, tartly; “I wish I could have your testimonial in writing.”
“By all means,” said Mr. Topott.
“Just listen to that old fool,” said Mr. Weekes, petulantly. “Whoever heard such rubbish as he is talking? It is time he resigned. Nobody actually saw her put the poison in. Absence of motive. Prisoner entitled to every doubt that may arise. Every link must be forged in the chain of all evidence that is purely circumstantial. No credence can be given to the testimony of half the witnesses for the Crown. My dear Bow-wow, I really never heard such nonsense in my life.”