Ralph paused, lifted his head, and looked calmly about him. Every eye was fixed on his face. That face was as firm as a rock. Two eyes near the door were gleaming with the light of fiendish triumph. Ralph returned his gaze to the judges. Still the silence was unbroken. It seemed to hang in the air.
“Guilty or Not Guilty?”
There was no reply.
“Does the prisoner refuse to plead?” asked Justice Hide. Still there was no reply. Not a whisper in the court; not the shuffle of a foot. The judge's voice fell slowly on the ear,—
“Ralph Ray, we would not have you deceive yourself. If you do not plead, it will be the same with you as if you had confessed.”
“Am I at liberty to stand mute?”
“Assuredly not,” Justice Millet burst out, pulling his robes about him.
“Your pardon, brother; it is the law that the prisoner may stand mute if he choose.”
Then turning to Ralph,—
“But why?”