"What does the witness insinuate?" exclaimed the lawyer, jumping to his feet. "No insinuations, sir!"
"Insinuations are very apt to breed insinuations," said the Judge, quietly. "The witness has manifested no disinclination to answer your direct questions."
"Very well," said Mr. Cavendish. "Is your signature at the foot of that assignment?"
"It is not, sir."
"Perhaps those are not the signatures of the witnesses," said Mr. Cavendish, with an angry sneer.
"Two of them, I have no doubt, are forgeries," responded Mr. Balfour, with an excited voice.
Mr. Cavendish knew that it would do no good to manifest anger; so he laughed. Then he sat down by the side of Mr. Belcher, and said something to him, and they both laughed together.
"That's all," he said, nodding to the witness.
"May it please the Court," said Mr. Balfour, "we got along so well with the question of identity that, with the leave of the defendant's counsel, I propose, in order to save the time of the Court, that we push our inquiries directly into the validity of this assignment. This is the essential question, and the defendant has only to establish the validity of the instrument to bring the case to an end at once. This done, the suit will be abandoned."
"Certainly," said Mr. Cavendish, rising. "I agree to the scheme with the single provision on behalf of the defendant, that he shall not be debarred from his pleading of a denial of profits, in any event."