B-Berry and I Look Back Read Online Free PDF

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    “As you will have gathered, I hadn’t a rag of a case. The stall-holder’s evidence apart, once the fellow was out of the way no more thefts occurred. And he was most unattractive: he had a most shocking squint, his proportions suggested that he did himself very well, and he had an oily demeanour that made you feel slightly sick. He looked the rogue he was. He had no defence at all, except that the charge made against him was quite untrue. I dared not put him in the box.
    “Well, counsel for the Crown did his stuff. He opened the case very shortly – and duly pointed out that, since the prisoner was paid to guard the stalls, it ill became him to play the thief himself. Then he called the stallholder…
    “When the latter entered the box, I saw at once that he was a hot-tempered man, and so when my turn came, I decided to pull his leg.
    “Well, he told his tale just as I’ve told it to you – how he’d waited two nights in vain and how on the third he’d caught the night-watchman out. Then I rose to cross-examine…
    “‘Are you sure you didn’t dream this?’ I said. ‘You were very short of sleep.’
    “His reply was so violent that the jury began to laugh…
    “All’s fair in love and war, so I led him on – asking him questions designed to provoke his wrath. He rose to every fly, and the jury laughed like hell. But Cranbrook saw my game and began to get cross.
    “‘What’s the point of these questions?’ he said.
    “Well, I couldn’t very well tell him. Besides, he knew. So I bowed and sat down at once – much to the jury’s annoyance, for they were enjoying themselves. From their point of view, Cranbrook had spoiled sport.
    “The stall-holder left the box, and counsel for the Crown summed up. Then I rose to address the Court.
    “I can’t remember most of what I said, but I do remember suggesting that, after the sleepless and fruitless nights, each followed by a tiring day, the stall-holder was ready to see anything and seize anyone who so much as approached his stall. I think I put it better than that, for the jury laughed quite a lot. Then I sat down, feeling quite hopeful; and when Cranbrook, who was fuming, summed up dead against me, I felt that the jury might take the bit in their teeth.
    “And so they did. To Cranbrook’s justified fury, they found the night-watchman not guilty – and that was that.
    “Of course it was an outrage: but it wasn’t a major crime, and I had only done what I was engaged to do.”
    “I can only hope,” said Berry, “that you are ashamed of yourself.”
    “When I think of the stall-holder, I am. It was most unfair. But Cranbrook did his bit. I should never have got away with it before Coles Child.”
    “Why?” said Daphne.
    “Well, he would have smiled with the jury and left me alone. And then, in his summing up, he’d have said, ‘Well, we’ve all had a good laugh, gentlemen, but now I’m afraid we’ve got to get back to the facts.’ Or something like that. And the jury would have done as he said.”
    “Nor,” said Jonah, “would you have got away with it at the Old Bailey.”
    “Not on your life,” said I. “A City of London jury would have put me where I belonged.”
    “Well, I’m glad he got off,” said Jill.
    “I don’t expect,” said I, “he was free very long.”
    Berry cleared his throat.
    “After this shocking revelation—”
    “Rubbish,” said Daphne. “You know it’s done all the time. Boy’s job was to get the man off, and I consider he did it extremely well.”
    “He knew he was guilty,” said Berry.
    “I had no doubt,” I said. “But he didn’t admit it to me. If he had, I should have made him plead guilty, or else have returned the brief.”
    “Is that the law?” said Jill.
    “The unwritten law, my sweet. A barrister’s first duty is to the Court.”
    “Duty?” cried Berry. “You don’t know the meaning of the word. You twisted an honest man’s tail and then befooled twelve others. I