"You are the rector of St. James the Less?" said Serjeant Wrangle.
"I am," replied Mr. Wilberforce.
"Did you ever see the entry of Robert Carr's marriage with Martha Ann Hughes in the church's register."
"Yes, I did." Serjeant Siftem pricked up his ears.
"When did you see it?"
"On the 7th of last November."
"How do you fix the date, Mr. Wilberforce?" inquired, the judge, recognising him as the minor canon who had officiated in the chanter's desk the previous day in the cathedral.
"I had been marrying a couple that morning, my lord, the 7th. After I had entered their marriage, I turned back and looked for the registry of Robert Carr's, and I found it and read it."
"What induced you to look for it?" asked the counsel.
"I had heard that his marriage was discovered to have taken place at St. James's, and that it was recorded in the register;" and Mr. Wilberforce then told how he had heard it. "Curiosity induced me to turn back and read it," he continued.