But Gaunt made no answer, and listened eagerly to what Mr. Ruggles was saying.
“It appears that a man named Marillier possessed such a wife, but the prisoner cast eyes upon her and determined to secure her for himself. Accordingly, by some means or other, he got her away, and as a consequence Marillier felt aggrieved. A quarrel took place, and the prisoner deliberately shot the man that he had wronged.”
The words then became a mere jumble to Gaunt’s mind, and he stood there utterly dazed. At last he summoned up courage to turn his head and his breath came with a hiss of apprehension when he saw that his wife had gone.
Gaunt now understood the unscrupulousness of the attack upon him, and his lips were tightly pressed together as he forced himself to listen to the prosecuting counsel’s lying statement.
“I have here, sir, several affidavits which depose to the facts I have related, but you will readily understand that I am not in a position to complete my case. There are important witnesses in the Congo, and I fear that I must ask for a long adjournment. That is, unless your Worship would be prepared to commit the prisoner for trial upon these affidavits, and the evidence which I can obtain immediately from Brussels.”
“It depends entirely upon the nature of that evidence,” the magistrate remarked drily.
“It is unfortunate that the only witnesses of the actual shooting are natives, and they, of course, are in the Congo.”
“It seems to me that theirs is the only evidence that is material and I am surprised that you should not have brought them here before applying for a warrant. Under the circumstances, your application yesterday should have been for a summons and not for a warrant.”
Sir Richard Tester rose and spoke for the first time.
“I appear for the prisoner, and I propose to say a few words on that subject, if my learned friend has quite finished,” he began in the clear ringing voice, with its note of gentle persuasion which helped to bring him renown.