‘Call Mr. William Beattie,’ said Mr. Collithorne, and that gentleman rose from his seat at the solicitors’ table, and slowly made his way to the witness-box. As he did so, Mr. Corker broke into a lively argument--nominally addressed to the Judge, but really aimed at the jury--on the lawfulness of the Crown calling the managing clerk of the defendant’s solicitor as a witness. The Judge, however, ruled--as Mr. Corker quite expected that he would rule--that Mr. Beattie might be questioned as to matters which came to his knowledge before the relationship of attorney and client began, and Mr. Beattie was sworn. Speaking in a low but clear tone, Mr. Beattie said, in answer to Mr. Collithorne’s questions, that he had received instructions from the late Mr. Lindsay as to his will; that these instructions included a legacy of five hundred thousand pounds to the Free Church of Scotland; that, in accordance with Mr. Hatchett’s directions, he handed the paper on which these instructions were jotted down to the defendant; and, finally, that the missing draft had been searched for in the prisoner’s room and in the office generally, and had not been found. ‘One word more, Mr. Beattie,’ said Mr. Collithorne; ‘at that time was there a clerk in Messrs. Hatchett’s office named MacGowan?’ ‘There was.’ ‘Look at the will. In whose handwriting is it?’ ‘In his handwriting--MacGowan’s.’ ‘Did he return to the office after he engrossed that will?’ ‘He did not. When he did not come back that afternoon, a letter was written dismissing him.’ ‘What was his character?’ ‘I know nothing against his character, except that he was unsteady. He would have been dismissed before, but----’ ‘Yes. But what?’ ‘But Mr. Lindsay interceded for him, and the offence was overlooked.’ ‘You mean the prisoner?’ ‘Yes.’ A subdued murmur ran round the court as these words were spoken. Then there was a silence. ‘That was months before,’ added Mr. Beattie; but the impression had already been created that there had been a friendship or, at least, a relationship of patronage on the one side, and gratitude on the other, between the man who was now alleged to have altered the draft, and the man who, after engrossing the will from it, had suddenly disappeared. Then Mr. Collithorne sat down, and Mr. Corker got up. ‘Did Mr. Lindsay express any hesitation when he said that he wished to leave so large a sum to the Free Church?’ ‘Not in words.’ ‘In any other way?’ ‘By his manner he did. He spoke in a hesitating way, as if he had hardly made up his mind.’ ‘Judging from his manner, did you expect that he would perhaps alter these instructions?’ asked the Judge. ‘I quite expected it, my lord.’ Mr. Corker looked hard at the jury, to see that they paid due attention to this answer, and then proceeded: ‘Now, as to the search for the draft. The drafts made in your office are kept in a sort of book-case, I believe--a book-case fitted up with pigeon-holes?’ ‘Yes.’